Moving, Cranking Were Keys To Carpenter's Triumph

By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor

Brian Carpenter didn't catch any of the double-digit giants last week that it often takes to win events at the California Delta. He boated a bunch that were in the 4- to 7-pound class, though, and tallied just enough weight to claim victory in the third Western EverStart of 2012.

The resident of nearby Bethel Island, Calif. caught 24-pound bags on each of the first 2 days, then rallied to compile a solid stringer on the afternoon of the final day to edge runner-up Phillip Dutra by 2 ounces. The most significant win of his career garnered him more than $30,000 in cash.

Here's how he did it.

Practice

Carpenter was on the water for nearly 2 straight weeks leading up to the EverStart. The previous week he'd finished 2nd in a WON Bass pro-am.

He said the early spring is always an enjoyable time for him on his home water because it's conducive to his run-and-gun style.

"There aren't a lot of times during the year when you can consistently catch big fish on crankbaits in the Delta," he said. "You're catching them moving up – what they're doing is coming up to warm their eggs. They get in those weeds and rocks right before they spawn.

"It's a great opportunity to cover water and catch as many as you can."

He discovered during practice that banks without weeds weren't extremely productive. The tide was also a big factor – his best bites came after it had peaked and was on its way back out.

"The smaller fish pull off the bank early, but the bigger ones are more stubborn or more seasoned and they're not afraid of the shallow water as much. You can catch 10 or 20 fish at high tide and sometimes the biggest one might be 3 pounds. Then after the tide starts dropping, that's when you'll get the 5- or 6-pounders.

"There's a window there when their aggressiveness comes up a little bit – they know they either have to eat or go without until the next tide."

He developed a milk run that was basically a 60-mile loop through and around the labyrinth of channels that comprise the Delta. It included 30 to 35 stops, of which he might catch quality fish off of five or 10 of them.

"Covering all that water isn't an easy thing to do. You have to be fast and it's hard on your body. It's just stick and move, stick and move. Some banks are (worth) eight casts and others are 80, and then I'll flip or punch in between."

Competition

> Day 1: 5, 24-04
> Day 2: 5, 24-15
> Day 3: 5, 18-03
> Total = 15, 67-06

Day 1 brought a mixture of sun and clouds and Carpenter sacked up about 22 pounds in the first 2 hours. He was in 4th place at day's end – a little more than 7 pounds behind leader Eric Parra.

Despite similar conditions, the reaction bite wasn't as good on day 2 and he was stuck on about 17 pounds until noon, when he flipped up a 5-pounder and got a 6 from underneath a hyacinth mat. His bag, which was 11 ounces bigger than his haul from the previous day, moved him up to 2nd place.

He began stormy, windy day 3 trailing new leader Jeff Michels by less than a pound and a half, but didn't make much headway for several hours.

"I caught a 3-pounder punching real early and I was getting ready to make my run (to his cranking areas)," he said. "But even though it was windy, it was still kind of warm and since I caught that fish right away, I elected to go flipping and punching around the shallow cover."

At noon, however, he still had just the one fish in his well.

"I knew by then it was going to happen and I thought I'd blown the tournament. The wind was so strong that it was holding the tide in for an extended period, and it actually made the tide higher.

"The places I'd been cranking had been 3 to 5 feet (deep), but now they were 6 to 7 and the pattern wasn't effective. So I had to think of areas that were normally 2 1/2 feet, but that would be 4 feet now."

He ran to some spawning flats in those same vicinities that were usually too shallow to crank, but offered ideal conditions under those unusual circumstances.

"That's where I caught my fish. Those fish were unmolested – they hadn't been touched during the tournament. Between me and my co-angler, we caught a bunch of them.

"I caught a 6-pounder, then a 5, and then like a 3, and then I started feeling better about the whole deal. It ended up being a really good lesson for me. I just wish I'd had that experience before so I would've known what to do sooner."

Winning Gear Notes

> Cranking gear: 7' medium-action Powell glass composite rod, Shimano Curado casting reel (7:1 ratio), 20-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon line, Luhr Jensen Speed Trap (red), Strike King KVD 2.5 (brown/orange craw) or Lucky Craft BDS 3 (red).

> He used the Speed Trap to go through the weeds, the KVD 2.5 to go just over the top of them and the BDS 3 for fishing rocky areas.

> He'd used a graphite Powell rod in the WON Bass event the week before and had lost a bunch of fish. When he told longtime Delta ace Charlie Weyer about the situation, Weyer gave him the composite rod to try. "That made a huge difference – after that, when (the fish) sucked the bait in, they had it. My rod wasn't giving it to them well enough."

> Flipping gear: 7'6" heavy-action Powell flipping stick, same reel and line, 3/16-ounce tungsten weight, 5/0 Gamakatsu offset worm hook, 5" Zipper Worm or Yamamoto Senko (black/blue).

> Punching gear: 7'11" medium-heavy Shimano flipping stick, same reel, 65-pound Spiderwire Stealth braided line, 1 1/2-ounce tungsten weight, 5/0 Owner straight-shank worm hook, homemade shrink-tube bait holder, unnamed Beaver-type creature bait (green-pumpkin).

The Bottom Line

> Main factor in his success – "Being able to fish multiple areas. If I'd just stayed in just one area, I wouldn't have done well at all."

> Performance edge – "I basically owe the whole tournament to that rod – it made a huge difference."

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

Final Standings

1. Brian Carpenter -- Bethel Island, Ca -- 24-04 (5) -- 24-15 (5) -- 49-03 (10) -- 18-03 (5) -- 67-06 (15) -- $30,420

2. Phillip Dutra -- Antioch, Ca -- 21-14 (5) -- 24-00 (5) -- 45-14 (10) -- 21-07 (5) -- 67-05 (15) -- $10,430

3. Jeff Michels -- Lakehead, Ca -- 27-05 (5) -- 23-04 (5) -- 50-09 (10) -- 14-04 (5) -- 64-13 (15) -- $8,692

4. Charley Almassey -- Oakley, Ca -- 19-12 (5) -- 19-04 (5) -- 39-00 (10) -- 24-10 (5) -- 63-10 (15) -- $7,822

5. Timothy Venkus -- Wilton, Ca -- 18-11 (5) -- 22-01 (5) -- 40-12 (10) -- 17-12 (5) -- 58-08 (15) -- $6,953

6. Salvador Herrera -- Discovery Bay, Ca -- 21-10 (5) -- 18-12 (5) -- 40-06 (10) -- 17-04 (5) -- 57-10 (15) -- $6,084

7. Mike Folkestad -- Orange, Ca -- 22-09 (5) -- 17-12 (5) -- 40-05 (10) -- 15-08 (5) -- 55-13 (15) -- $5,215

8. Eric Parra -- Galt, Ca -- 31-08 (5) -- 17-00 (5) -- 48-08 (10) -- 6-13 (5) -- 55-05 (15) -- $4,346

9. Ron Johnson -- Chandler, Az -- 18-08 (5) -- 21-09 (5) -- 40-01 (10) -- 12-07 (5) -- 52-08 (15) -- $3,477

10. Roy Hawk -- Salt Lake City, Ut -- 25-02 (5) -- 17-03 (5) -- 42-05 (10) -- 9-08 (5) -- 51-13 (15) -- $2,607

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

11. Bryant Smith -- Castro Valley, Ca -- 23-14 (5) -- 15-01 (5) -- 38-15 (10) -- $1,738

12. Robert Lee -- Angels Camp, Ca -- 19-12 (5) -- 19-02 (5) -- 38-14 (10) -- $1,738

13. Steven Yee -- Sacramento, Ca -- 21-14 (5) -- 16-12 (5) -- 38-10 (10) -- $1,738

14. Ken Mah -- Elk Grove, Ca -- 17-14 (5) -- 19-05 (5) -- 37-03 (10) -- $1,738

15. Paul Tilton -- Oroville, Ca -- 22-06 (5) -- 14-09 (5) -- 36-15 (10) -- $1,738

16. David Coy -- Porterville, Ca -- 16-13 (5) -- 20-02 (5) -- 36-15 (10) -- $1,304

17. Lorenzo Rossetti -- Stockton, Ca -- 17-08 (5) -- 18-04 (5) -- 35-12 (10) -- $1,304

18. Clay Lippincott -- Goodear, Az -- 16-12 (5) -- 18-14 (5) -- 35-10 (10) -- $1,304

19. Alex Sanchez -- Manteca, Ca -- 23-05 (5) -- 12-00 (5) -- 35-05 (10) -- $1,304

20. Ed Arledge -- San Diego, Ca -- 21-02 (5) -- 14-02 (5) -- 35-04 (10) -- $1,304

21. Sean Minderman -- Spokane, Wa -- 17-10 (5) -- 15-03 (5) -- 32-13 (10) -- $1,217

22. Joe Uribe Jr. -- Lake Forest, Ca -- 15-14 (5) -- 16-15 (5) -- 32-13 (10) -- $1,217

23. Kyle Porter -- Acampo, Ca -- 20-06 (5) -- 12-05 (5) -- 32-11 (10) -- $1,217

24. Greg Gutierrez -- Red Bluff, Ca -- 15-02 (5) -- 17-09 (5) -- 32-11 (10) -- $1,217

25. Tony Peterson -- Livermore, Ca -- 21-02 (5) -- 11-04 (5) -- 32-06 (10) -- $1,217

26. Sean Stafford -- Fairfield, Ca -- 13-12 (5) -- 18-02 (5) -- 31-14 (10) -- $1,130

27. Art Roland -- Brentwood, Ca -- 15-09 (5) -- 16-05 (5) -- 31-14 (10) -- $1,130

28. Jimmy Reese -- Witter Springs, Ca -- 10-11 (5) -- 21-00 (5) -- 31-11 (10) -- $1,130

29. Keith Reed -- Bethel Island, Ca -- 18-12 (5) -- 12-14 (5) -- 31-10 (10) -- $1,130

30. Rusty Salewske -- Alpine, Ca -- 19-09 (5) -- 11-15 (5) -- 31-08 (10) -- $1,130

31. Gregory Halliman -- Littlerock, Ca -- 19-07 (5) -- 11-15 (5) -- 31-06 (10) -- $1,043

32. Rob Riehl -- Tracy, Ca -- 13-02 (5) -- 18-00 (5) -- 31-02 (10) -- $1,043

33. Dee Thomas -- Brentwood, Ca -- 14-10 (5) -- 16-06 (5) -- 31-00 (10) -- $1,043

34. Michael Wright -- Grass Valley, Ca -- 10-08 (4) -- 20-01 (5) -- 30-09 (9) -- $1,043

35. Steve Consalvi -- Eureka, Ca -- 9-14 (5) -- 20-09 (5) -- 30-07 (10) -- $1,043

36. Jiggs Benn -- Myrtle Creek, Or -- 15-05 (5) -- 15-02 (5) -- 30-07 (10) -- $1,043

37. Mark Daniels Jr -- Fairfield, Ca -- 16-15 (5) -- 13-02 (5) -- 30-01 (10) -- $1,043

38. Todd Woods -- Murrieta, Ca -- 20-08 (5) -- 9-01 (5) -- 29-09 (10) -- $1,043

39. Dave Nollar -- Redlands, Ca -- 11-14 (5) -- 17-08 (5) -- 29-06 (10) -- $1,043

40. Mark Mendez -- Brentwood, Ca -- 11-11 (5) -- 17-09 (5) -- 29-04 (10) -- $1,043

41. Kazuki Kodama -- Torrance, Ca -- 14-13 (5) -- 14-07 (5) -- 29-04 (10)

42. Brian Ankrum -- Loveland, Co -- 18-11 (5) -- 10-08 (5) -- 29-03 (10)

43. Billy Davis -- Oakley, Ca -- 18-07 (5) -- 10-11 (5) -- 29-02 (10)

44. Richard Dobyns -- Yuba City, Ca -- 21-15 (5) -- 7-02 (5) -- 29-01 (10)

45. Brett Leber -- Dixon, Ca -- 14-10 (5) -- 14-05 (5) -- 28-15 (10)

46. Mark Lassagne -- San Ramon, Ca -- 10-08 (5) -- 18-06 (5) -- 28-14 (10)

47. Duane Dunstone -- Reno, Nv -- 21-04 (5) -- 7-07 (4) -- 28-11 (9)

48. Joseph Letsinger -- Sacramento, Ca -- 19-05 (5) -- 8-14 (5) -- 28-03 (10)

49. Troy Lindner -- Los Angeles, Ca -- 19-08 (4) -- 7-12 (3) -- 27-04 (7)

50. Zack Thompson -- Alameda, Ca -- 10-15 (5) -- 16-04 (5) -- 27-03 (10)

51. Gary Dobyns -- Yuba City, Ca -- 14-12 (5) -- 11-13 (5) -- 26-09 (10)

52. Wade Curtiss -- Meadow Vista, Ca -- 15-11 (5) -- 10-12 (5) -- 26-07 (10)

53. William Ponting -- Murrieta, Ca -- 3-07 (2) -- 22-15 (5) -- 26-06 (7)

54. Jim Lyon -- Reno, Nv -- 16-09 (5) -- 9-12 (5) -- 26-05 (10)

55. Ed (James) Webb -- Mill Creek, Wa -- 9-04 (3) -- 16-15 (5) -- 26-03 (8)

56. Terry Flowers -- Salida, Ca -- 13-09 (5) -- 12-10 (5) -- 26-03 (10)

57. Jonathan Koehler -- Galt, Ca -- 5-06 (2) -- 20-12 (5) -- 26-02 (7)

58. Mike Birch -- Oakley, Ca -- 13-05 (5) -- 12-09 (5) -- 25-14 (10)

59. Ador Lopez -- Sacramento, Ca -- 15-08 (5) -- 10-03 (4) -- 25-11 (9)

60. Vu Au -- Tucson, Az -- 6-07 (3) -- 19-03 (5) -- 25-10 (8)

61. Marco Valdez -- Gilbert, Az -- 15-08 (5) -- 10-02 (5) -- 25-10 (10)

62. Benjamin Byrd -- Moab, Ut -- 8-15 (5) -- 16-09 (5) -- 25-08 (10)

63. Jay Wright -- Seal Beach, Ca -- 14-12 (5) -- 10-09 (5) -- 25-05 (10)

64. Charlie Weyer -- West Hills, Ca -- 18-03 (5) -- 6-15 (3) -- 25-02 (8)

65. Kevin Stewart -- Elk Grove, Ca -- 9-09 (5) -- 15-08 (5) -- 25-01 (10)

66. Bret Gouvea -- Redding, Ca -- 15-14 (5) -- 9-00 (5) -- 24-14 (10)

67. Mike Cato -- Lockford, Ca -- 12-03 (5) -- 12-10 (5) -- 24-13 (10)

68. Brian Carnahan -- Flagstaff, Az -- 13-02 (5) -- 11-10 (5) -- 24-12 (10)

69. Stephen Tosh Jr -- Turlock, Ca -- 17-07 (5) -- 7-02 (4) -- 24-09 (9)

70. Beau Joudrey -- Oakley, Ca -- 17-01 (5) -- 7-06 (4) -- 24-07 (9)

71. Justin Kerr -- Simi Valley, Ca -- 4-13 (3) -- 19-08 (5) -- 24-05 (8)

72. Howard Hughes -- Redding, Ca -- 15-12 (5) -- 8-05 (5) -- 24-01 (10)

73. Michael Tuck -- Granite Bay, Ca -- 8-07 (4) -- 15-08 (5) -- 23-15 (9)

74. Stephen Keyes -- Palmdale, Ca -- 20-05 (5) -- 3-06 (3) -- 23-11 (8)

75. David Gliebe -- Stockton, Ca -- 14-01 (5) -- 9-04 (5) -- 23-05 (10)

76. Rick Hillis -- Cave Creek, Az -- 11-07 (5) -- 11-13 (4) -- 23-04 (9)

77. Taylor Thompson -- Half Moon Bay, Ca -- 5-15 (5) -- 17-04 (5) -- 23-03 (10)

78. Michael Moreno -- Salida, Ca -- 14-00 (5) -- 9-02 (5) -- 23-02 (10)

79. Joe Marini -- Santa Cruz, Ca -- 12-01 (5) -- 11-01 (5) -- 23-02 (10)

80. Steve Lindner -- Lakewood, Ca -- 18-13 (5) -- 3-13 (2) -- 22-10 (7)

81. Hunter Schlander -- Modesto, Ca -- 13-09 (5) -- 8-15 (5) -- 22-08 (10)

82. George Diller -- Surprise, Az -- 7-04 (4) -- 15-03 (5) -- 22-07 (9)

83. Steve Adams -- Discovery Bay, Ca -- 14-01 (5) -- 8-03 (5) -- 22-04 (10)

84. Bill Spence -- Livermore, Ca -- 10-01 (5) -- 12-03 (5) -- 22-04 (10)

85. Jim Broberg -- Spokane, Wa -- 17-13 (5) -- 4-04 (2) -- 22-01 (7)

86. Lee Poel -- San Jose, Ca -- 14-01 (5) -- 7-13 (4) -- 21-14 (9)

87. Roy Jones -- Henderson, Nv -- 17-02 (5) -- 4-10 (4) -- 21-12 (9)

88. Matt Newman -- Agoura Hills, Ca -- 4-14 (4) -- 16-11 (5) -- 21-09 (9)

89. Greg Leonard -- Elk Grove, Ca -- 12-01 (3) -- 9-08 (5) -- 21-09 (8)

90. Jason Milligan -- Shasta Lake, Ca -- 9-15 (5) -- 11-10 (5) -- 21-09 (10)

91. Aaron Lesieur -- Rancho Murieta, Ca -- 9-03 (5) -- 12-05 (5) -- 21-08 (10)

92. Nicholas Fitzsimmons -- Lyle, Wa -- 14-05 (5) -- 6-13 (4) -- 21-02 (9)

93. Davis Hart -- Glendale, Az -- 12-11 (5) -- 8-06 (3) -- 21-01 (8)

94. Jim Moulton -- Merced, Ca -- 9-05 (5) -- 11-12 (5) -- 21-01 (10)

95. Jim Hawkes -- Apache Junction, Az -- 9-12 (5) -- 11-02 (5) -- 20-14 (10)

96. Dave Russell -- Cottonwood, Ca -- 13-04 (5) -- 7-07 (3) -- 20-11 (8)

97. Jeremy Watney -- Ripon, Ca -- 12-12 (5) -- 7-08 (5) -- 20-04 (10)

98. Maurice Miller Ii -- Cerritos, Ca -- 5-06 (5) -- 14-13 (5) -- 20-03 (10)

99. Frank Morton -- Richland, Wa -- 13-10 (5) -- 6-05 (3) -- 19-15 (8)

100. Tommy Cardoza -- Lakeport, Ca -- 11-04 (5) -- 8-09 (5) -- 19-13 (10)

101. Brandon Burruss -- Discovery Bay, Ca -- 8-01 (5) -- 11-01 (5) -- 19-02 (10)

102. Russ Barger -- Boise, Id -- 11-03 (4) -- 7-12 (5) -- 18-15 (9)

103. Tracy Cardwell -- Veneta, Or -- 8-06 (4) -- 10-03 (5) -- 18-09 (9)

104. Aaron Cole -- Salida, Ca -- 5-04 (2) -- 11-14 (4) -- 17-02 (6)

105. Ronald Hammett -- La Mesa, Ca -- 6-10 (4) -- 10-08 (5) -- 17-02 (9)

106. Earl Dalton -- Jackson, Ca -- 8-06 (5) -- 8-07 (5) -- 16-13 (10)

107. Chuck Russo -- Bethel Island, Ca -- 16-02 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 16-02 (5)

108. Bobby Barrack -- Oakley, Ca -- 5-09 (2) -- 10-01 (5) -- 15-10 (7)

109. Mark Casey -- Fairfield, Ca -- 10-05 (5) -- 4-03 (2) -- 14-08 (7)

110. William Gibbs -- John Day, Or -- 7-11 (5) -- 6-09 (5) -- 14-04 (10)

111. Donald Gage -- Brent Wood, Ca -- 0-00 (0) -- 14-02 (5) -- 14-02 (5)

112. Chad Martin -- Nicolaus, Ca -- 13-02 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 13-02 (5)

113. Christopher Jimenez -- Castro Valley, Ca -- 6-13 (3) -- 6-05 (2) -- 13-02 (5)

114. John Billheimer Jr -- Discovery Bay, Ca -- 11-06 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 11-06 (5)

115. Melvin Williams -- Chula Vista, Ca -- 6-01 (3) -- 5-03 (2) -- 11-04 (5)

116. Gene Lippincott -- Cusick, Wa -- 3-11 (1) -- 5-11 (4) -- 9-06 (5)

117. Don Finwall -- Redding, Ca -- 2-01 (4) -- 6-11 (3) -- 8-12 (7)

118. Phil Tilbury -- Stockton, Ca -- 8-10 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 8-10 (5)

119. Keith Kitchen -- Bend, Or -- 2-04 (1) -- 6-03 (4) -- 8-07 (5)

120. Chris Fancelli -- Redding, Ca -- 7-13 (4) -- 0-00 (0) -- 7-13 (4)

121. Bill O'Shinn -- Lakeport, Ca -- 6-06 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 6-06 (2)

Big Bass

Day 1: Eric Parra -- 10-05 -- $121
Day 1: Richard Dobyns -- 10-05 -- $121
Day 2: Roy Hawk -- 11-03 -- $242