Curtiss Threw Reaction Baits Around ‘Good Grass’

By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

With the immense fishing pressure the California Delta has seen over the last couple weeks, it was no surprise that some of the popular community holes weren’t producing at their regular clip prior to last week’s Western Rayovac Series.

Wade Curtiss took note of that and tried to locate areas that may not have been battered during the Elite Series tournament or the two-day Coors Light Invitation or the California State Federation event that all took place during the first weekend of May.

“A lot of areas got pounded pretty hard and one of the big things I tried to was avoid the areas that were in the Elites’ range,” he said. “I found areas that seemed to be reloading every day and I’d catch one here and there every day and run around.”

That approach worked to perfection for Curtiss, who rallied from 10th place after 2 days to post his first FLW victory with a 22-07 final-day surge that helped him edge Ken Mah by a little more than 2 pounds.

Curtiss, who’s lived in northern California for 9 years, won with 61-13 and more than made up for his 11th-place finish in last year’s Rayovac Series there.

“It’s still a little surreal,” he said. “I’m a little in shock, but feel quite blessed to have it happen. It ranks very high in terms of tournament accomplishments. I had a shot a couple years ago going into the last day and botched it up, so it feels good to win one finally.”

Here’s how he did it.

Practice

Curtiss put in 4 days of practice prior to the tournament and opted to go a different direction from those who were banking employing similar sight-fishing tactics that were productive during the Elite Series tournament. The tide cycle, he said, wasn’t conducive to such an approach.

“I found some beds in practice, but it’s hard on the Delta because typically you have to find them on low tide and fish them on high tide so it’s almost blind fishing,” he said. “I decided to avoid that altogether and throw reaction baits.”

He went through the popular community holes in practice, but found it hard to get consistent bites.

“I tried to find areas where people weren’t fishing and it panned out,” he added. “I’d get a big bite here or there and not have to worry about others hitting it before I did.”

The one key area that produced some of his bigger fish had a population of fish that were feasting on crawfish.

“They were spitting up 4- to 5-inch crawdads so I started throwing a red craw-patterned or orange crankbait around there,” he added. “I fished a few islands that had grass and tules and riprap. On the higher tide, I could fish the islands better and then as the tide came out, I couldget on the riprap.”

He said the fish in the southern portion of the Delta seemed be a bit farther ahead on nature’s timeline as bluegills had started to move up. When he came into those areas, he went with a homemade swim jig to provoke bites.

“I also looked for areas that had really good grass,” he said. “They’ve been spraying the grass over the last few months so you had to look for areas with better grass. If they had fish in them, I went back and hit them, hoping to get a bigger bite.”

Big bites on both deals

Honest guess was 40 to make the cut… last couple years… less grass, more sea lions in the Delta.

Competition

> Day 1: 5, 20-05
> Day 2: 5, 19-01
> Day 3: 5, 22-07
> Total = 15, 61-13

Cloudy conditions on day 1 kept some fish shallower longer on the low tide and Curtiss says he caught between 50 and 60 keepers in order to get to his 20-05 opening-day weight.

“I fished the high switch tide,” he said. “I tried to stay on the high tide and around high troughs along riprap. The more water there was, the longer the fish would stay. I fished the areas that I thought would be the most popular.”

Friday brought tougher, post-front conditions and his quantity of bites fell off by half, but he was still able to trigger some better bites and wound up with 19-01 to make the cut with 39-06.

“I figured close to 20 per day would get you to Saturday,” he said. “I had to slow down and fish a little slower. I started in the same spot I did on day 1 and also ran stuff I had not fished on Day 1. I stayed mainly in the north and middle Delta.”

He caught about three dozen more fish on Saturday as all 10 finalists had a legitimate shot at winning. He fished areas he hadn’t been to before and had his best day of the week. None of his fish came out of water deeper than 6 feet.

“In the mornings I would catch them real well on the incoming tide,” Curtiss said. “I would just try to run the high tide each day as long as possible. The key for me was definitely finding the right fish along the grass lines. I knew the fish were there and that’s how I like to fish, so this tournament set up perfectly for me.”

He wasn’t sure if he’d caught enough to move past the nine other competitors, but he started to think it was possible once he got back to the ramp.

“I kept hearing people say how tough it was and I didn’t know I had as good a bag as I had,” he said. “Guys were complaining about how tough it was. I really thought Ken would get me – he’s been on a hot streak all year.”

Winning Gear Notes

> Cranking gear: 7’ medium-action Shimano Expride crankbait rod, Shimano Metanium casting reel (7.4:1 gear ratio), 15-pound P-Line fluorocarbon line, Jackall MC/60 SR crankbait (craw fish and super crawfish), Megabass S-Crank.

> Swimjig gear: 7’3” medium-heavy Shimano Expride casting rod, Shimano Metanium casting reel (6.2:1 gear ratio), 17-pound P-Line fluorocarbon line, 3/8- and 1/2-oz. Ladies Man Custom Baits swim jig (bluegill), Zoom Horny Toad and Reaction Innovation Skinny Dipper trailers (matching colors).

> His retrieves on the crankbait and swim jig were similar. “I fished everything pretty quickly to get the baits to wobble and make contact with stuff,” he said.

> He fooled one of his bigger day-3 fish with a hollow-body frog after not throwing it much in practice or early in the tournament. “After a full moon, they’ll come up and eat it, but not commit to it,” he said. “I crossed it off my list because I didn’t want to screw with it that way.”

The Bottom Line

> Main factor in his success – "Just covering as much new water each day as possible.”

> Performance edge – "That swim jig because I knew nobody else had one.”

Much of the tackle referenced above is available at the BassFan Store. To browse the selection, click here.

Final Standings

1. Wade Curtiss -- Meadow Vista, Ca -- 20-5 (5) -- 19-1 (5) -- 39-6 (10) -- 22-7 (5) -- 61-13 (15) -- $36,100

2. Ken Mah -- Elk Grove, Ca -- 22-6 (5) -- 18-0 (5) -- 40-6 (10) -- 19-3 (5) -- 59-9 (15) -- $13,989

3. David Valdivia -- Norwalk, Ca -- 14-12 (5) -- 26-3 (5) -- 40-15 (10) -- 14-14 (5) -- 55-13 (15) -- $11,084.00

4. Chris Parks -- Eugene, Or -- 19-15 (5) -- 20-11 (5) -- 40-10 (10) -- 15-3 (5) -- 55-13 (15) -- $9,025

5. Stephen Tosh Jr -- Turlock, Ca -- 21-2 (5) -- 18-11 (5) -- 39-13 (10) -- 15-8 (5) -- 55-5 (15) -- $8,122

6. Joe Uribe Jr. -- Surprise, Az -- 16-15 (5) -- 24-1 (5) -- 41-0 (10) -- 13-6 (5) -- 54-6 (15) -- $7,220

7. Phillip Dutra -- Antioch, Ca -- 18-3 (5) -- 21-5 (5) -- 39-8 (10) -- 10-12 (4) -- 50-4 (14) -- $6,317

8. Gary Dobyns -- Live Oak, Ca -- 12-13 (5) -- 26-10 (5) -- 39-7 (10) -- 10-8 (5) -- 49-15 (15) -- $5,415

9. Austin Bonjour -- Atascadero, Ca -- 21-8 (5) -- 18-1 (5) -- 39-9 (10) -- 8-0 (5) -- 47-9 (15) -- $4,512

10. Nick Nourot -- Benicia, Ca -- 17-15 (5) -- 21-8 (5) -- 39-7 (10) -- 4-5 (3) -- 43-12 (13) -- $3,610

The following anglers did not make the cut and did not fish on day 3.

11. Ken Phillips -- Antioch, Ca -- 15-7 (5) -- 23-4 (5) -- 38-11 (10) -- $3,384

12. Aaron Britt -- Yuba City, Ca -- 18-3 (5) -- 20-2 (5) -- 38-5 (10) -- $3,159

13. Robert Lee -- Angels Camp, Ca -- 19-11 (5) -- 18-7 (5) -- 38-2 (10) -- $2,707

14. Matt Shura -- Gilbert, Az -- 26-6 (5) -- 11-8 (5) -- 37-14 (10) -- $2,707

15. Brent Shores -- Boise, Id -- 20-15 (5) -- 16-13 (5) -- 37-12 (10) -- $2,961

16. Bobby Barrack -- Oakley, Ca -- 21-1 (5) -- 16-6 (5) -- 37-7 (10) -- $2,707

17. Vincent Alvarado -- Modesto, Ca -- 14-12 (5) -- 21-8 (5) -- 36-4 (10) -- $2,707

18. Manas Malikian -- Huntington Beach, Ca -- 15-0 (5) -- 20-14 (5) -- 35-14 (10) -- $2,707

19. Mark Crutcher -- Lakeport, Ca -- 13-0 (5) -- 22-13 (5) -- 35-13 (10) -- $2,707

20. Miles Howe -- San Juan Capistrano, Ca -- 20-14 (5) -- 14-5 (5) -- 35-3 (10) -- $2,707

21. Brent James -- Saint George, Ut -- 15-2 (5) -- 19-11 (5) -- 34-13 (10) -- $2,482

22. Charley Almassey -- Oakley, Ca -- 16-0 (5) -- 18-13 (5) -- 34-13 (10) -- $2,482

23. Mike Andrews -- Brentwood, Ca -- 14-5 (5) -- 20-3 (5) -- 34-8 (10) -- $2,482

24. Kevin Hugo -- Chino, Ca -- 14-5 (5) -- 19-14 (5) -- 34-3 (10) -- $2,482

25. Kyle Grover -- Trabuco Canyon, Ca -- 18-6 (5) -- 15-13 (5) -- 34-3 (10) -- $2,482

26. Chad Hulbert -- Gilroy, Ca -- 17-1 (5) -- 17-1 (5) -- 34-2 (10) -- $2,256

27. Chris Costello -- Gilroy, Ca -- 19-6 (5) -- 14-10 (5) -- 34-0 (10) -- $2,256

28. Kevin Stewart -- Elk Grove, Ca -- 14-7 (5) -- 19-5 (5) -- 33-12 (10) -- $2,256

29. Kazuki Kodama -- Torrance, Ca -- 17-15 (5) -- 15-8 (5) -- 33-7 (10) -- $2,256

30. Ronald Bruggeman -- Potter Valley, Ca -- 20-5 (5) -- 12-15 (5) -- 33-4 (10) -- $2,256

31. John Fuqua -- Oxnard, Ca -- 12-12 (5) -- 20-1 (5) -- 32-13 (10) -- $1,805

32. Bill Spence -- Livermore, Ca -- 17-2 (5) -- 15-11 (5) -- 32-13 (10) -- $1,805

33. Ryan German -- Fairfield, Ca -- 20-5 (5) -- 11-14 (5) -- 32-3 (10) -- $1,805

34. Mike Brillhart -- Waddell, Az -- 20-8 (5) -- 11-8 (5) -- 32-0 (10) -- $1,805

35. Jason Milligan -- Shasta Lake, Ca -- 20-2 (5) -- 11-8 (5) -- 31-10 (10)

36. Tuan Nguyen -- Woodland, Ca -- 18-10 (5) -- 12-8 (5) -- 31-2 (10)

37. Greg Leonard -- Elk Grove, Ca -- 11-8 (5) -- 19-9 (5) -- 31-1 (10)

38. Pat Leiser -- Oakley, Ca -- 16-11 (5) -- 14-1 (5) -- 30-12 (10)

39. John Stewart Jr -- Peoria, Az -- 13-5 (5) -- 17-5 (5) -- 30-10 (10)

40. Jeff Michels -- Lakehead, Ca -- 16-0 (5) -- 14-6 (5) -- 30-6 (10)

41. Roy Hawk -- Lake Havasu City, Az -- 10-6 (5) -- 19-15 (5) -- 30-5 (10)

42. Cody Compton -- Palisade, Co -- 16-1 (5) -- 13-14 (5) -- 29-15 (10)

43. Ed Arledge -- Valley Center, Ca -- 12-5 (5) -- 17-9 (5) -- 29-14 (10)

44. Joseph Menegos -- Spring Valley, Ca -- 16-11 (5) -- 12-14 (5) -- 29-9 (10)

45. Chris Franks -- Petaluma, Ca -- 16-1 (5) -- 13-8 (5) -- 29-9 (10)

46. Kerry Harris -- San Jose, Ca -- 11-13 (5) -- 17-11 (5) -- 29-8 (10)

47. Jamond Andrews -- Brentwood, Ca -- 17-13 (5) -- 11-9 (5) -- 29-6 (10)

48. Brett Leber -- Dixon, Ca -- 20-15 (5) -- 8-6 (4) -- 29-5 (9)

49. Tyler Rempe -- Sierra Vista, Az -- 12-9 (5) -- 16-8 (5) -- 29-1 (10)

50. Sean Minderman -- Spokane, Wa -- 14-4 (5) -- 14-13 (5) -- 29-1 (10)

51. Marty Lawrence -- Mesa, Az -- 11-14 (5) -- 17-2 (5) -- 29-0 (10)

52. Bobby Lanham -- Cave Creek, Az -- 12-15 (5) -- 16-1 (5) -- 29-0 (10)

53. Richard Dobyns -- Marysville, Ca -- 14-10 (5) -- 14-6 (5) -- 29-0 (10)

54. James Shaw -- Coolidge, Az -- 10-7 (5) -- 18-8 (5) -- 28-15 (10)

55. Patrick Spencer -- Marana, Az -- 17-7 (5) -- 11-6 (5) -- 28-13 (10)

56. Timothy Venkus -- Wilton, Ca -- 11-11 (5) -- 16-14 (5) -- 28-9 (10)

57. Thomas Kanemoto -- Vacaville, Ca -- 12-15 (5) -- 15-9 (5) -- 28-8 (10)

58. Lorenzo Rossetti -- Stockton, Ca -- 15-13 (5) -- 12-10 (5) -- 28-7 (10)

59. Ron Johnson -- Chandler, Az -- 13-0 (5) -- 15-6 (5) -- 28-6 (10)

60. James Avalos -- Yuba City, Ca -- 12-2 (5) -- 16-2 (5) -- 28-4 (10)

61. Andrew Napoleon -- Mesa, Az -- 15-14 (5) -- 12-4 (4) -- 28-2 (9)

62. Darren Vieira -- Martinez, Ca -- 9-9 (5) -- 18-8 (5) -- 28-1 (10)

63. Chris Raza -- Orangevale, Ca -- 14-9 (5) -- 13-8 (5) -- 28-1 (10)

64. Hunter Schlander -- Modesto, Ca -- 13-4 (5) -- 14-10 (5) -- 27-14 (10)

65. Steven Latino -- Hemet, Ca -- 13-3 (5) -- 14-10 (3) -- 27-13 (8)

66. Chris Gosselaar -- Fresno, Ca -- 9-14 (5) -- 17-14 (5) -- 27-12 (10)

67. Brand Little -- Grass Valley, Ca -- 16-3 (5) -- 11-6 (5) -- 27-9 (10)

68. Gary Pinholster -- Lake Havasu, Az -- 11-5 (5) -- 16-2 (5) -- 27-7 (10)

69. Jerred Jennings -- Stockton, Ca -- 19-5 (5) -- 7-15 (5) -- 27-4 (10)

70. Tai Au -- Glendale, Az -- 13-8 (5) -- 13-11 (4) -- 27-3 (9)

71. Nick Salvucci -- Atascadero, Ca -- 9-10 (5) -- 17-8 (5) -- 27-2 (10)

72. Chad Martin -- Nicolaus, Ca -- 13-14 (5) -- 13-3 (5) -- 27-1 (10)

73. Alex Sanchez -- Manteca, Ca -- 10-15 (5) -- 15-15 (5) -- 26-14 (10)

74. Jon Griffith -- Mesa, Az -- 11-11 (5) -- 15-2 (5) -- 26-13 (10)

75. Ricky Shabazz -- Rialto, Ca -- 13-12 (5) -- 12-11 (5) -- 26-7 (10)

76. Johnny Johnson -- Lakeside, Az -- 15-10 (5) -- 10-11 (5) -- 26-5 (10)

77. Scott Hellesen -- Whittier, Ca -- 10-11 (5) -- 15-8 (5) -- 26-3 (10)

78. Patrick Whitaker -- Gilbert, Az -- 13-6 (5) -- 12-13 (5) -- 26-3 (10)

79. Jim Moulton -- Merced, Ca -- 15-2 (5) -- 11-0 (5) -- 26-2 (10)

80. Mark Lassagne -- San Ramon, Ca -- 19-10 (5) -- 6-6 (5) -- 26-0 (10)

81. Beau Palley -- El Dorado Hills, Ca -- 13-3 (5) -- 12-11 (5) -- 25-14 (10)

82. Charlie Weyer -- West Hills, Ca -- 15-13 (5) -- 9-15 (5) -- 25-12 (10)

83. Todd Woods -- San Dimas, Ca -- 13-4 (5) -- 12-8 (5) -- 25-12 (10)

84. Kent Brown -- Roseville, Ca -- 13-6 (5) -- 12-1 (5) -- 25-7 (10)

85. Howard Hughes -- Redding, Ca -- 11-1 (5) -- 14-5 (5) -- 25-6 (10)

86. Ronald Hammett -- La Mesa, Ca -- 10-1 (5) -- 15-2 (5) -- 25-3 (10)

87. Michael Moreno -- Salida, Ca -- 16-2 (5) -- 9-0 (5) -- 25-2 (10)

88. Sean Kimble -- San Ramon, Ca -- 11-2 (5) -- 13-11 (5) -- 24-13 (10)

89. Greg Gutierrez -- Red Bluff, Ca -- 13-12 (5) -- 10-14 (5) -- 24-10 (10)

90. Harvey Pulliam -- Brentwood, Ca -- 11-8 (5) -- 13-2 (5) -- 24-10 (10)

91. Jesse Martin -- Auburn, Ca -- 8-6 (5) -- 16-2 (5) -- 24-8 (10)

92. Bill Brown -- Grand Junction, Co -- 14-1 (5) -- 10-7 (5) -- 24-8 (10)

93. Joe Rhoads -- Avondale, Az -- 8-12 (5) -- 15-8 (5) -- 24-4 (10)

94. Shaun Bailey -- Lake Havasu City, Az -- 13-4 (5) -- 10-15 (5) -- 24-3 (10)

95. Blaine Christiansen -- San Jose, Ca -- 14-0 (5) -- 10-0 (5) -- 24-0 (10)

96. Mark Casey -- Fairfield, Ca -- 13-10 (5) -- 10-6 (5) -- 24-0 (10)

97. Bryant Smith -- Castro Valley, Ca -- 12-6 (5) -- 11-8 (5) -- 23-14 (10)

98. Miles Burghoff -- Santa Cruz, Ca -- 13-10 (5) -- 10-1 (5) -- 23-11 (10)

99. Jason Borofka -- Salinas, Ca -- 10-13 (5) -- 12-10 (5) -- 23-7 (10)

100. Jim Hawkes -- Apache Junction, Az -- 11-7 (5) -- 11-15 (5) -- 23-6 (10)

101. Brian Trusso -- Covina, Ca -- 19-1 (5) -- 4-2 (1) -- 23-3 (6)

102. Ed (James) Webb -- Mill Creek, Wa -- 10-3 (5) -- 13-0 (5) -- 23-3 (10)

103. Garrett Dixon -- Durham, Ca -- 14-2 (5) -- 8-15 (5) -- 23-1 (10)

104. Cody Spetz -- Menifee, Ca -- 11-10 (5) -- 11-4 (5) -- 22-14 (10)

105. Gregory Halliman -- Littlerock, Ca -- 10-2 (5) -- 12-11 (5) -- 22-13 (10)

106. Daniel Price -- San Diego, Ca -- 14-13 (5) -- 7-11 (5) -- 22-8 (10)

107. Guy Savidan -- Norco, Ca -- 9-15 (5) -- 12-8 (5) -- 22-7 (10)

108. Mike Cato -- Lockford, Ca -- 11-2 (5) -- 11-5 (5) -- 22-7 (10)

109. Travis Huckaby -- Modesto, Ca -- 10-2 (5) -- 12-4 (5) -- 22-6 (10)

110. Benjamin Byrd -- Moab, Ut -- 11-8 (5) -- 10-12 (5) -- 22-4 (10)

111. Glenn Haupt -- Highlands Ranch, Co -- 13-0 (5) -- 9-1 (5) -- 22-1 (10)

112. Vu Au -- Tucson, Az -- 9-10 (5) -- 12-4 (5) -- 21-14 (10)

113. Ken Howden -- Mesa, Az -- 11-2 (5) -- 10-5 (5) -- 21-7 (10)

114. Keith Bryan -- Novato, Ca -- 9-12 (5) -- 11-9 (5) -- 21-5 (10)

115. Jim Lyon -- Reno, Nv -- 10-2 (5) -- 10-15 (5) -- 21-1 (10)

116. Mark Daniels Jr -- Tuskegee, Al -- 12-13 (5) -- 7-14 (5) -- 20-11 (10)

117. James Miller -- Tucson, Az -- 11-11 (5) -- 9-0 (5) -- 20-11 (10)

118. Jiggs Benn -- Myrtle Creek, Or -- 11-3 (5) -- 9-8 (5) -- 20-11 (10)

119. Robert Nakatomi -- Sacramento, Ca -- 11-3 (5) -- 8-11 (5) -- 19-14 (10)

120. Melvin Williams -- Chula Vista, Ca -- 12-0 (4) -- 7-11 (4) -- 19-11 (8)

121. Justin Patti -- Phoenix, Az -- 5-9 (3) -- 11-7 (5) -- 17-0 (8)

122. Russ Barger -- Boise, Id -- 5-13 (3) -- 9-13 (5) -- 15-10 (8)

123. Oneal Martin -- Roseville, Ca -- 12-6 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 12-6 (5)

124. Steve Skaggs -- Santa Rosa, Ca -- 5-0 (3) -- 6-11 (3) -- 11-11 (6)

125. Hideki Maeda -- Osaka, Japan -- 7-7 (5) -- 3-1 (2) -- 10-8 (7)

126. Michael Rigney -- Janesville, Ca -- 10-7 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 10-7 (5)

127. Gary Collins -- Upper Lake, Ca -- 2-5 (1) -- 7-0 (3) -- 9-5 (4)