By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor
Joe Uribe Jr. figured he’d catch a lot of fish at the Clear Lake Western Rayovac Series last week. It’s a good time of year and Clear Lake always seems to produce. Whether he’d catch the type of fish needed to contend for a win in a big tournament was another matter.
More than anything, though, the Arizona pro, who’d won the Lake Havasu Rayovac Series and finished 6th at the California Delta event earlier this year, wanted to catch enough to secure the division’s Angler of the Year title, an accomplishment that had eluded him in the past.
By the end of day 2, he’d achieved his goal and wrapped up the AOY title, but he also found himself leading the tournament as well.
Behind a better-than-expected 22-02 stringer on the final day, he vaulted past Jody Jordan, who caught 24-plus pounds on days 2 and 3, to capture his second win of the season with a 3-day total of 66-10, good enough for a 1-ounce victory.
“When (Jody) weighed 24, I was like, ‘Okay, he won,’” Uribe said. “I was shocked that I had 22-02 and to beat him by 1 ounce, I hated that because I’ve been on the other end twice myself. It made me sick to my stomach. It was hard to celebrate up there because I felt for him. Jody is a great guy, a good friend and a great fisherman.”
Uribe’s final-day surge was helped by a fish he guessed was in the 6-pound range, but was actually closer to 8 pounds.
“I underestimated that big one,” he said. “She wasn’t solid like that 6 I’d caught earlier.”
Uribe joins Ray Hanselman as anglers to win multiple Rayovac Series events this year. Hanselman swept the Texas Division earlier this season.
“I’ve been pre-fishing well and things have been coming together real well,” Uribe said. “Fishing Clear Lake is fun for me. I don’t put pressure on myself. Even though I had a lot riding on it, I went out and did what I do.”
Here’s how he did it.
Practice
Uribe and his sister, Rachel, who competed as a co-angler, helped each other practice and while Joe wanted to stick with a shallow cranking, Rachel developed a consistent pattern with a Texas-rigged creature bait dead-sticked around dock shadows.
“There was a big tournament the weekend before ours and there were 30-pound bags caught on day 1, but then some fell off to 12 pounds on day 2,” Uribe said. “That told me guys had found good stretches, but the fish weren’t schooled up. It also told me you couldn’t fish areas over and over. You have to keep finding new areas.”
He said the weather was abnormally warm for the time of year. The water temperature was still in the mid-70s – it’s typically in the low to mid 60s in October.
“It was off due to the weather,” he said. “The fish wanted to go into their fall pattern, but they didn’t know what to do.”
Competition
> Day 1: 5, 23-11
> Day 2: 5, 20-13
> Day 3: 5, 22-2
> Total = 15, 66-10
Uribe went into the tournament with his shallow square-bill crankbait and lipless crankbait game plan as his primary option and the Texas-rigged creature bait as Plan B.
He cranked 20 pounds early on day 1, making parallel casts along “nothing banks” with hard bottom.
“The smaller fish were up shallow so I backed out into 5 to 6 feet and kept grinding it into the rocks,” he said. “The better fish had backed off into a little deeper water.”
He finished the day with 23-11, his best effort of the tournament, and found himself in 3rd place.
“I was excited to go back to that place on day 2,” he said. “I figured it would keep reloading.”
Early on, it produced a 4-pounder and a 12-incher before he moved around to different spots. He picked up another 4-pounder off a dock, then went back to where he started and caught a 3-pounder to give him four fish.
“I made another cast down the bank with my crankbait and I ran it into some rocks and it got hung and my line broke,” he said. “A couple seconds later, I see my bait float to the surface. I didn’t want to troll up to it and get it because I would’ve ruined the spot so I picked up my lipless crank and fired out there and a 4-pounder slammed it.”
That gave him a limit, but he still wanted to cull out the 12-inch squeaker he had. He made a move into Soda Bay and cranked a rocky shoal and caught several fish in the 3 1/2-pound range to give him the upgrades he was looking for.
“It was a grind,” he said. “We picked it apart, but it wasn’t easy.”
His 20-13 bag gave him the lead entering the final day, but it wasn’t by much. He led by 6 ounces over Mark Crutcher, who’d caught 29-09 on day 1.
“I wasn’t feeling great about anything (entering the final day), but I felt good about the weather,” Uribe said. “It had gotten colder and with some clouds, I figured maybe some more fish would move up shallow.”
He opened the final day on the shoal where he finished day 2, but it didn’t pan out.
“I ran down south, but it started blowing too hard in the narrows to fish effectively there,” he said.
He went back to his starting area from day 1 and picked off a 3 1/2-pounder. Shortly after, the wind tailed off and the sun broke through. He decided to slow down and went to Plan B.
“I picked up that Texas-rigged beaver and started pitching to shallow sparse grass,” he said. “The first fish I caught that way was a 6-pounder. I kept at it and caught a lot of little fish, but I knew I needed 4- and 5-pounders because I knew the other guys (near me in the standings) were going to catch them.”
He went back to the crankbait and lost a 4-pounder off some isolated pilings, then decided to go back to the soft plastics.
“I figured the big bites would come on a jig or Texas-rigged plastics,” he said. “I fired a long cast to the mouth of a little slough and I barely lifted my rod and felt something there. I reeled down and set the hook and it was a good one.”
The fish did a complete cartwheel in mid-air, he said, before coming to the boat. He figured it was a 6 1/2- or 7-pounder. Later on, he had a few good fish come off while skipping the beaver under docks.
“When I came in, in the back of my mind, I was thinking you can’t have hiccups like that, knowing those fish I lost,” he said. “I figured those were going to hurt me, especially with the two little ones I had. I heard Jody had a good day so I figured it was over.”
Winning Gear Notes
> Square-bill crankbait gear: 7’4” medium-action Performance Tackle graphite casting rod, Daiwa Tatula 100H casting reel (6.3:1 gear ratio), 30-pound Daiwa J-Braid braided line (main), 12-pound Sunline Super FC Sniper fluorocarbon line (leader), Lucky Craft 1.5 square-bill crankbait (ghost minnow).
> Lipless crankbait gear: 7’4” medium-action Performance Tackle fiberglass casting rod, same reel, same main line, 16-pound Sunline Super FC Sniper fluorocarbon line (leader), Lucky Craft LV-500 (ghost minnow).
> Beaver gear: 7’2” heavy-action Daiwa Tatula casting rod, same reel, same main line, same leader line as lipless, 3/8-oz. unnamed tungsten worm weight, 4/0 Reaction Innovations BMF hook, 4.2” Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver (big Texan).
The Bottom Line
> Main factor in his success – “Making a lot of casts. I’d make multiple, precise coasts to areas where I thought the fish would be positioned. When they’re acting how they were, making them bite was. You could made the same cast a few times and catch 10-inchers, but if you kept making the same cast, you’d catch a 4-pounder. There were just a lot of small fish around.”
> Performance edge – “My Lowrance electronics. They’re the key to telling me what’s down there. I was able to see the bait there and keep the boat positioned where I needed it.”
Notable
> Uribe’s sister finished 21st on the co-angler side at Clear Lake and finished the season 17th in points, qualifying for the Rayovac Series Championship (Oct. 29-31) at the Ohio River (along with her brother).
Much of the tackle referenced above is available at the BassFan Store. To browse the selection, click here.
Final Results
1. Joe Uribe Jr. -- Surprise, Az -- 23-11 (5) -- 20-13 (5) -- 44-8 (10) -- 22-2 (5) -- 66-10 (15) -- $28,851 + boat/motor package
2. Jody Jordan -- Vacaville, Ca -- 17-14 (5) -- 24-6 (5) -- 42-4 (10) -- 24-5 (5) -- 66-9 (15) -- $11,180
3. Mark Crutcher -- Lakeport, Ca -- 29-9 (5) -- 14-9 (5) -- 44-2 (10) -- 18-7 (5) -- 62-9 (15) -- $8,655
4. Jim Hawkes -- Apache Junction, Az -- 22-8 (5) -- 19-10 (5) -- 42-2 (10) -- 17-13 (5) -- 59-15 (15) -- $7,213
5. Bryant Smith -- Castro Valley, Ca -- 22-7 (5) -- 19-8 (5) -- 41-15 (10) -- 17-0 (5) -- 58-15 (15) -- $6,492 + Big Bass ($174)
6. Jimmy Reese -- Witter Springs, Ca -- 21-13 (5) -- 18-14 (5) -- 40-11 (10) -- 14-9 (5) -- 55-4 (15) -- $5,770
7. Kerry Harris -- San Jose, Ca -- 19-1 (5) -- 21-0 (5) -- 40-1 (10) -- 15-2 (5) -- 55-3 (15) -- $5,049
8. Marco Valdez -- Gilbert, Az -- 19-8 (5) -- 21-4 (5) -- 40-12 (10) -- 11-12 (4) -- 52-8 (14) -- $4,328
9. Chris Franks -- Petaluma, Ca -- 21-0 (5) -- 19-9 (5) -- 40-9 (10) -- 11-13 (5) -- 52-6 (15) -- $3,606
10. Carl Keller -- Hidden Valley Lake, Ca -- 12-9 (4) -- 28-1 (5) -- 40-10 (9) -- 8-14 (4) -- 49-8 (13) -- $2,885
The following anglers did not make the cut and did not fish on day 3.
11. Matt Newman -- Agoura Hills, Ca -- 24-5 (5) -- 14-14 (5) -- 39-3 (10) -- $2,705
12. Ricky Shabazz -- Rialto, Ca -- 21-3 (5) -- 17-15 (5) -- 39-2 (10) -- $2,524 + Big Bass ($174)
13. Benjamin Byrd -- Moab, Ut -- 16-6 (5) -- 22-9 (5) -- 38-15 (10) -- $2,164
14. Robert Lee -- Angels Camp, Ca -- 17-0 (5) -- 21-15 (5) -- 38-15 (10) -- $2,164
15. Tommy Cardoza -- Redway, Ca -- 18-9 (5) -- 20-3 (5) -- 38-12 (10) -- $2,164
16. Aaron Britt -- Yuba City, Ca -- 16-0 (5) -- 22-2 (5) -- 38-2 (10) -- $2,164
17. Cody Compton -- Palisade, Co -- 17-10 (5) -- 19-12 (5) -- 37-6 (10) -- $2,164
18. Jackson Juarez -- Finley, Ca -- 15-4 (5) -- 22-0 (5) -- 37-4 (10) -- $2,164
19. Thomas Kanemoto -- Vacaville, Ca -- 21-5 (5) -- 15-13 (5) -- 37-2 (10) -- $2,164
20. Kyle Grover -- Trabuco Canyon, Ca -- 22-12 (5) -- 13-14 (5) -- 36-10 (10) -- $2,164
21. Patrick Spencer -- Marana, Az -- 11-10 (3) -- 24-4 (5) -- 35-14 (8) -- $1,984
22. Greg Leonard -- Elk Grove, Ca -- 19-12 (5) -- 15-5 (5) -- 35-1 (10) -- $1,984
23. Wade Curtiss -- Meadow Vista, Ca -- 10-13 (5) -- 24-2 (5) -- 34-15 (10) -- $1,984
24. Roy Hawk -- Lake Havasu City, Az -- 13-15 (5) -- 20-2 (5) -- 34-1 (10)
25. Ryan German -- Fairfield, Ca -- 19-5 (5) -- 14-9 (5) -- 33-14 (10)
26. Greg Gutierrez -- Red Bluff, Ca -- 14-1 (5) -- 19-5 (5) -- 33-6 (10)
27. Chad Martin -- Nicolaus, Ca -- 14-12 (5) -- 18-4 (5) -- 33-0 (10)
28. Mike Krnaich -- Petaluma, Ca -- 15-10 (5) -- 17-0 (5) -- 32-10 (10)
29. Howard Hughes -- Redding, Ca -- 17-3 (5) -- 15-6 (5) -- 32-9 (10)
30. David Valdivia -- Norwalk, Ca -- 16-13 (5) -- 15-12 (5) -- 32-9 (10)
31. Brent Shores -- Boise, Id -- 16-9 (5) -- 15-8 (5) -- 32-1 (10)
32. Pete Rodriguez -- Visalia, Ca -- 18-0 (5) -- 14-0 (5) -- 32-0 (10)
33. Ed Arledge -- Valley Center, Ca -- 14-5 (5) -- 17-6 (5) -- 31-11 (10)
34. Garrett Dixon -- Durham, Ca -- 13-8 (5) -- 17-14 (5) -- 31-6 (10)
35. Jared Lintner -- Arroyo Grande, Ca -- 13-14 (5) -- 17-7 (5) -- 31-5 (10)
36. Chad Hulbert -- Gilroy, Ca -- 16-15 (5) -- 14-0 (5) -- 30-15 (10)
37. Patrick Touey -- Nipomo, Ca -- 12-6 (5) -- 17-15 (5) -- 30-5 (10)
38. Jason Milligan -- Shasta Lake, Ca -- 13-13 (5) -- 16-1 (5) -- 29-14 (10)
39. Kazuki Kodama -- Torrance, Ca -- 10-15 (5) -- 18-13 (5) -- 29-12 (10)
40. Marty Lawrence -- Mesa, Az -- 12-15 (5) -- 16-6 (5) -- 29-5 (10)
41. John Alimpic -- Angwin, Ca -- 16-9 (5) -- 12-9 (4) -- 29-2 (9)
42. Kevin Hugo -- Chino, Ca -- 10-7 (5) -- 18-3 (5) -- 28-10 (10)
43. Jack Farage -- Discovery Bay, Ca -- 15-10 (5) -- 13-0 (5) -- 28-10 (10)
44. Gary Collins -- Upper Lake, Ca -- 14-15 (5) -- 13-4 (5) -- 28-3 (10)
45. Kevin Stewart -- Elk Grove, Ca -- 17-12 (5) -- 10-3 (5) -- 27-15 (10)
46. Miles Howe -- San Juan Capistrano, Ca -- 12-8 (5) -- 15-2 (5) -- 27-10 (10)
47. Jason Borofka -- Salinas, Ca -- 21-9 (5) -- 6-0 (5) -- 27-9 (10)
48. Cody Meyer -- Auburn, Ca -- 16-3 (5) -- 11-4 (5) -- 27-7 (10)
49. Paul Bailey -- Kelseyville, Ca -- 12-2 (5) -- 14-15 (5) -- 27-1 (10)
50. Brand Little -- Grass Valley, Ca -- 9-5 (5) -- 17-3 (5) -- 26-8 (10)
51. Charley Almassey -- Oakley, Ca -- 11-12 (5) -- 14-9 (5) -- 26-5 (10)
52. Chris Costello -- Gilroy, Ca -- 16-9 (5) -- 8-11 (5) -- 25-4 (10)
53. Nick Salvucci -- Atascadero, Ca -- 9-10 (5) -- 14-14 (5) -- 24-8 (10)
54. Travis Huckaby -- Modesto, Ca -- 14-12 (5) -- 9-9 (5) -- 24-5 (10)
55. Jared Clark -- Novato, Ca -- 16-10 (5) -- 7-8 (3) -- 24-2 (8)
56. Blaine Christiansen -- San Jose, Ca -- 13-13 (5) -- 10-5 (5) -- 24-2 (10)
57. Justin Kerr -- Simi Valley, Ca -- 11-15 (5) -- 12-2 (5) -- 24-1 (10)
58. Tyler Rempe -- Sierra Vista, Az -- 16-13 (5) -- 7-0 (5) -- 23-13 (10)
59. Jiggs Benn -- Myrtle Creek, Or -- 13-14 (5) -- 9-13 (5) -- 23-11 (10)
60. Travis Moran -- Carmel, Ca -- 7-8 (3) -- 16-1 (5) -- 23-9 (8)
61. Rick Correa -- Wilsonville, Or -- 7-15 (4) -- 15-10 (5) -- 23-9 (9)
62. Tuan Nguyen -- Woodland, Ca -- 12-6 (5) -- 10-4 (5) -- 22-10 (10)
63. Todd Woods -- San Dimas, Ca -- 5-11 (5) -- 16-8 (5) -- 22-3 (10)
64. John Mcgrath -- Lakeport, Ca -- 16-11 (5) -- 5-3 (2) -- 21-14 (7)
65. Jeff Michels -- Lakehead, Ca -- 14-5 (5) -- 6-12 (4) -- 21-1 (9)
66. Darren Vieira -- Martinez, Ca -- 10-2 (2) -- 9-6 (5) -- 19-8 (7)
67. Andrew Napoleon -- Mesa, Az -- 10-11 (3) -- 8-1 (5) -- 18-12 (8)
68. Ken Mah -- Elk Grove, Ca -- 7-6 (5) -- 10-15 (3) -- 18-5 (8)
69. Austin Bonjour -- Atascadero, Ca -- 9-15 (5) -- 7-11 (5) -- 17-10 (10)
70. Steve Skaggs -- Santa Rosa, Ca -- 6-12 (5) -- 10-9 (5) -- 17-5 (10)
71. Dan Frost -- Shasta Lake, Ca -- 10-0 (3) -- 7-5 (5) -- 17-5 (8)
72. Joseph Menegos -- Spring Valley, Ca -- 5-8 (1) -- 11-8 (5) -- 17-0 (6)
73. Russ Barger -- Boise, Id -- 8-8 (3) -- 8-8 (5) -- 17-0 (8)
74. Hal Zimmerman -- Boise, Id -- 7-15 (5) -- 9-0 (5) -- 16-15 (10)
75. Melvin Williams -- Chula Vista, Ca -- 8-11 (3) -- 8-2 (2) -- 16-13 (5)
76. Steve Conselvi -- Eureka, Ca -- 6-10 (1) -- 10-2 (5) -- 16-12 (6)
77. Billy Hines -- Vacaville, Ca -- 6-6 (4) -- 10-2 (5) -- 16-8 (9)
78. Maurice Miller II -- Cerritos, Ca -- 6-6 (5) -- 9-9 (5) -- 15-15 (10)
79. Brett Leber -- Dixon, Ca -- 10-10 (5) -- 5-4 (3) -- 15-14 (8)
80. Ronald Hammett -- La Mesa, Ca -- 11-3 (5) -- 4-3 (4) -- 15-6 (9)
81. Jerred Jennings -- Stockton, Ca -- 11-2 (4) -- 4-4 (3) -- 15-6 (7)
82. Charlie Weyer -- West Hills, Ca -- 14-1 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 14-1 (5)
83. Cory Kramer -- Mesa, Az -- 8-0 (4) -- 4-4 (4) -- 12-4 (8)
84. William Gibbs -- John Day, Or -- 4-8 (2) -- 7-10 (5) -- 12-2 (7)
85. Ed (James) Webb -- Mill Creek, Wa -- 6-4 (4) -- 5-4 (3) -- 11-8 (7)
86. James Shaw -- Coolidge, Az -- 4-13 (4) -- 6-8 (5) -- 11-5 (9)
87. Chris Gosselaar -- Fresno, Ca -- 7-9 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 7-9 (5)
