By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor

When practice for last week's Southwestern FLW Costa Series event at Grand Lake had concluded, Zack Birge thought his chances of winning the derby were just slightly above zero. He'd looked all over the lake and hadn't connected with much quality, and he'd resigned himself to fishing the one area of the lake that he knew held good fish all year.

The third-year FLW Tour pro is not a big gambler at this point in his career. Not leaving a tournament empty-handed is his main priority.

"I always fish for a check," he said. "If I'm meant to win, then I'll win, but I try to be as conservative as possible. After practice, I knew my best chance of doing that was in Wolf Creek, and I had to just make as many casts as I could each day."

He used a single crankbait to compile a 51-13 total over 3 days as he edged out runner-up and former Tour pro Toby Hartsell by a pound and a half. After a sluggish start to the event, he put himself in contention with a 21-pound stringer on day 2, and his 18-plus pounds on the final day was easily the biggest haul among the Top 10.

The victory garnered him $40,000 and a big dose of momentum to take into this week's Tour event at neighboring Beaver Lake. He's had a solid start on that circuit as well, as he sits at No. 17 in the points race with a third of the season in the books.

Here are some of the details of his victory at Grand.

Practice

The 25-year-old Birge's home in Blanchard, Okla. is about a 2 1/2-hour drive from Grand. He's visited the venue frequently in recent years and has competed in about two dozen tournaments there (many of them BFLs and college events from his days at Oklahoma State University). He won a BFL at Grand 13 months ago.

He arrived for his 5 days of practice thinking that catching keepers would be pretty easy.

"I thought I was going to be able to run around and catch 3-pounders anywhere I went, and as many of them as I wanted," he said. "I found that not to be the case, and I really don't know why.

"If you look at my Garmin, I've got a trail from practice that runs from one end of the lake, all the way up the (Grand) River past Twin Bridges and back down all the way through the Elk (River). I basically got to the point where I was spun out and didn't know what to do."

He determined that Wolf Creek was his only viable option.

"It was the one place I knew where a healthy population of fish stays all the time. I went there on the first day of practice and caught a 5-pounder first thing, then I left. At the end of the day I went back and caught another 5, and those were the only times I fished it in practice.

"Off those two big bites, I knew there was a big bag to be caught there if I spent all day at it."

Competition

> Day 1: 5, 12-10
> Day 2: 5, 21-00
> Day 3: 5, 18-03
> Total = 15, 51-13

Birge caught a limit fairly quickly on day 1, but was unable to improve it much and had to settle for what was by far his lightest bag of the derby. He was in 47th place, more than 8 1/2 pounds off the lead.

He fished the same stretches of bank on day 2, but reversed the order of his milk-run. The results were spectacular and he moved up 39 places in the standings to make the Top-10 cut.

He boated about 10 keepers, including one that weighed nearly 6 pounds.

"I just got bigger bites," he said. "For some reason, the bigger fish just decided not to feed on day 1, but they bit (well) on day 2."

He figured he'd need at least 20 pounds on the final day to have a shot at victory. Unfortunately, he lost one that he estimated at well over 6 pounds that morning.

"My stomach was messed up all day after that and the next two bites I got came off. It really messed me up for a little while, but I finally settled down and kept fishing. I started catching some keepers and I eventually got a limit and culled a few.

"Then I hit one stretch where I caught three that were close to 4 pounds apiece. That was nice, but I really thought losing that big one in the morning was going to cost me. That one would've put me over 22 or 23 pounds."

Pattern Notes

Birge targeted pre-spawn fish on transition banks featuring rocks that were baseball-sized or larger. He also caught quite a few fish off of docks that had running below the waterline.

He'd seen large base chasing and snapping at bluegills and he threw a sunfish-colored crankbait for the duration of the event. He swapped out the standard front hook for a red one.

He located some subtle drains in the vicinity of the docks and pulled several key specimens from those.

Winning Gear Notes

> Cranking gear: 7' medium-heavy Falcon Cara rod, Shimano Aldebaran casting reel (6.5:1 ratio), 10-pound Sunline Super FC Sniper fluorocarbon line 6th Sense Crush Mini 25X (live baby bluegill).

The Bottom Line

> Main factor in his success – "The real key was having such a terrible practice."

> Performance edge – "The K2 Energy lithium batteries were big because in that strong wind I was fishing with my trolling motor on full power most of the time. Also, on my Garmin with the satellite overlay, I could actually see where the drains were if I didn't know the area very well, and that helped out some."

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Final Standings

1. Zack Birge -- Blanchard, Ok -- 12-10 (5) -- 21-0 (5) -- 18-3 (5) -- 51-13 (15) -- $40,000

2. Toby Hartsell -- Afton, Ok -- 15-14 (5) -- 21-1 (5) -- 13-6 (4) -- 50-5 (14) -- $15,500

3. Sammy Burks -- Joplin, Mo -- 18-7 (5) -- 16-4 (5) -- 13-12 (5) -- 48-7 (15) -- $12,000

4. Matt Arey -- Shelby, NC -- 19-8 (5) -- 14-3 (5) -- 14-8 (5) -- 48-3 (15) -- $10,000

5. Chad Warren -- Sand Springs, Ok -- 17-8 (5) -- 17-11 (5) -- 11-14 (4) -- 47-1 (14) -- $9,300

6. Jesse Wolfe -- Nelson, Wi -- 19-13 (4) -- 19-7 (5) -- 7-12 (4) -- 47-0 (13) -- $8,000

7. Bill Tervin -- Pocola, Ok -- 18-11 (5) -- 15-12 (3) -- 10-4 (4) -- 44-11 (12) -- $7,000

8. Matt Cooper -- Smithville, Tx -- 16-8 (5) -- 18-12 (5) -- 4-3 (2) -- 39-7 (12) -- $6,000

9. Russell Cecil -- Willis, Tx -- 19-14 (5) -- 13-3 (4) -- 3-15 (1) -- 37-0 (10) -- $5,000

10. Earl Hoskins -- Burns Flat, Ok -- 14-2 (5) -- 19-0 (5) -- 33-2 (10) -- $4,000

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

11. James Watson -- Nixa, Mo -- 17-3 (5) -- 15-14 (5) -- 33-1 (10) -- $3,750

12. Shane Long -- Willard, Mo -- 13-11 (5) -- 19-4 (5) -- 32-15 (10) -- $3,500

13. Chester Gibbs -- Wagoner, Ok -- 13-7 (5) -- 18-8 (5) -- 31-15 (10) -- $3,000

14. Chris McCall -- Brookeland, Tx -- 18-12 (5) -- 13-1 (5) -- 31-13 (10) -- $3,000

15. Zell Rowland -- Montgomery, Tx -- 17-2 (5) -- 14-3 (5) -- 31-5 (10) -- $3,000

16. Steve Vann -- Skiatook, Ok -- 17-0 (5) -- 14-4 (5) -- 31-4 (10) -- $3,000

17. Mike Boyles -- Kimberling City, Mo -- 15-2 (5) -- 16-2 (5) -- 31-4 (10) -- $3,000

18. Randy Sullivan -- Breckenridge, Tx -- 14-10 (5) -- 16-7 (5) -- 31-1 (10) -- $3,000

19. Nick Lebrun -- Bossier City, La -- 13-14 (5) -- 17-1 (5) -- 30-15 (10) -- $3,000

20. Eric Wright -- Balch Springs, Tx -- 16-12 (5) -- 13-4 (5) -- 30-0 (10) -- $3,000

21. Douglas R. Johnson -- Ponca City, Ok -- 16-8 (5) -- 12-11 (4) -- 29-3 (9) -- $2,750

22. Jeffrey Randolph -- Huntsville, Tx -- 13-13 (5) -- 15-3 (5) -- 29-0 (10) -- $2,750

23. Matt Garner -- Seminole, Ok -- 14-7 (3) -- 14-7 (4) -- 28-14 (7) -- $2,750

24. Jake Biram -- Tulsa, Ok -- 17-3 (5) -- 11-4 (4) -- 28-7 (9) -- $2,750

25. Billy Lemon -- Sand Springs, Ok -- 17-11 (5) -- 10-4 (4) -- 27-15 (9) -- $2,750

26. Jeff Sprague -- Point, Tx -- 9-14 (4) -- 18-0 (5) -- 27-14 (9) -- $2,500

27. Kyle Cortiana -- Tulsa, Ok -- 15-9 (5) -- 12-5 (5) -- 27-14 (10) -- $2,500

28. Trea Luedke -- Montgomery, Tx -- 13-13 (5) -- 13-15 (4) -- 27-12 (9) -- $2,500

29. Jeff Dobson -- Ponca City, Ok -- 13-5 (4) -- 13-6 (4) -- 26-11 (8) -- $2,500

30. Nick Aber -- Piedmont, Ok -- 21-4 (5) -- 5-6 (3) -- 26-10 (8) -- $2,500

31. Drew Barnes -- Bella Vista, Ar -- 21-3 (5) -- 4-6 (2) -- 25-9 (7) -- $2,000

32. Justin Wojcik -- Bulverde, Tx -- 17-9 (5) -- 7-14 (2) -- 25-7 (7) -- $2,000

33. Cody Bird -- Granbury, Tx -- 13-14 (5) -- 11-3 (3) -- 25-1 (8) -- $2,000

34. Lance Williams -- Billings, Mo -- 11-8 (5) -- 13-9 (5) -- 25-1 (10) -- $2,000

35. Troy O'Rourke -- Natchitoches, La -- 17-11 (4) -- 7-5 (2) -- 25-0 (6) -- $2,000

36. Tommy Brown -- Louisville, Tn -- 14-15 (5) -- 9-15 (4) -- 24-14 (9) -- $2,000

37. Brad Cook -- Afton, Ok -- 15-0 (5) -- 9-10 (4) -- 24-10 (9) -- $2,000

38. Dave Parsons -- Yantis, Tx -- 12-15 (5) -- 11-10 (5) -- 24-9 (10) -- $2,000

39. Ryan Wilbanks -- Wagoner, Ok -- 6-12 (2) -- 17-8 (5) -- 24-4 (7) -- $2,000

40. Stewart Herndon -- Norman, Ok -- 11-0 (5) -- 13-4 (5) -- 24-4 (10) -- $2,000

41. Shonn Goodwin -- Moore, Ok -- 12-1 (5) -- 11-14 (5) -- 23-15 (10)

42. Cole Findley -- Forsyth, Mo -- 12-7 (5) -- 10-15 (4) -- 23-6 (9)

43. Tommy Martin -- Hemphill, Tx -- 11-4 (3) -- 12-0 (4) -- 23-4 (7)

44. Charlie Apperson -- Jay, Ok -- 10-14 (4) -- 12-4 (5) -- 23-2 (9)

45. Dave Donham -- Highlandville, Mo -- 9-14 (4) -- 13-1 (5) -- 22-15 (9)

46. Bradley Hallman -- Norman, Ok -- 14-9 (5) -- 8-4 (2) -- 22-13 (7)

47. Randy Despino -- Colfax, La -- 9-5 (3) -- 13-4 (4) -- 22-9 (7)

48. Theron Caldwell -- Colleyville, Tx -- 10-10 (5) -- 11-15 (5) -- 22-9 (10)

49. Joey Renfro -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 12-9 (3) -- 9-15 (3) -- 22-8 (6)

50. Mick Fenn -- Grove, Ok -- 10-12 (5) -- 11-10 (5) -- 22-6 (10)

51. Tye Smith -- Fort Gibson, Ok -- 16-6 (5) -- 5-7 (2) -- 21-13 (7)

52. Rich Dalbey -- Greenville, Tx -- 12-7 (4) -- 9-6 (4) -- 21-13 (8)

53. Trevor Toliver -- Sapulpa, Ok -- 9-14 (3) -- 11-13 (4) -- 21-11 (7)

54. Jay Kendrick -- Dallas, Tx -- 10-14 (5) -- 10-11 (3) -- 21-9 (8)

55. Corey Smith -- Perry, Ok -- 5-13 (3) -- 15-10 (5) -- 21-7 (8)

56. Denny Brauer -- Del Rio, Tx -- 11-12 (5) -- 9-4 (4) -- 21-0 (9)

57. Dicky Newberry -- Houston, Tx -- 12-8 (5) -- 8-6 (4) -- 20-14 (9)

58. Mitchell Webb -- Skiatook, Ok -- 12-14 (5) -- 7-15 (4) -- 20-13 (9)

59. Andrew Upshaw -- Sapulpa, Ok -- 13-1 (5) -- 7-8 (3) -- 20-9 (8)

60. Marty Sugg -- Pattonville, Tx -- 10-4 (5) -- 10-5 (5) -- 20-9 (10)

61. Sheldon Collings -- Grove, Ok -- 5-1 (2) -- 15-6 (5) -- 20-7 (7)

62. Trey Bayles -- Eros, La -- 16-0 (4) -- 4-6 (2) -- 20-6 (6)

63. David Mansue -- Hemphill, Tx -- 12-15 (5) -- 7-2 (3) -- 20-1 (8)

64. Holt Markum -- Paradise, Tx -- 12-14 (4) -- 6-15 (2) -- 19-13 (6)

65. Robert Case -- Point, Tx -- 11-8 (5) -- 8-4 (3) -- 19-12 (8)

66. Kelly Owens -- Crowley, La -- 10-14 (4) -- 8-9 (3) -- 19-7 (7)

67. Chad Randles -- Elkhorn, Ne -- 9-10 (4) -- 9-11 (4) -- 19-5 (8)

68. Terry Mcglasson -- Vinita, Ok -- 16-8 (5) -- 2-7 (1) -- 18-15 (6)

69. Wayne Brown -- Ardmore, Ok -- 10-9 (4) -- 8-3 (4) -- 18-12 (8)

70. James Caldemeyer -- Gilmer, Tx -- 8-0 (2) -- 10-5 (2) -- 18-5 (4)

71. Kent Priel -- North Platte, Ne -- 11-10 (5) -- 6-9 (3) -- 18-3 (8)

72. Chris Lewis -- Longview, Tx -- 11-14 (4) -- 6-4 (3) -- 18-2 (7)

73. Allen Rude -- Pauls Valley, Ok -- 4-8 (2) -- 13-4 (2) -- 17-12 (4)

74. John Shore -- Owasso, Ok -- 6-4 (3) -- 11-0 (5) -- 17-4 (8)

75. Ken Fowler -- Grand Saline, Tx -- 7-11 (3) -- 9-9 (3) -- 17-4 (6)

76. Michael Herron -- Paris, Tx -- 4-7 (1) -- 12-12 (5) -- 17-3 (6)

77. Kyle White -- Windsor, Mo -- 9-15 (2) -- 7-2 (2) -- 17-1 (4)

78. Jay Lewis -- Benton, Ar -- 4-2 (2) -- 12-14 (5) -- 17-0 (7)

79. Tracy Mitchell -- Springfield, Mo -- 10-9 (5) -- 6-6 (2) -- 16-15 (7)

80. Gary Caruso -- Baton Rouge, La -- 7-14 (2) -- 9-0 (3) -- 16-14 (5)

81. Christopher Laposta -- Neosho, Mo -- 3-2 (1) -- 13-7 (5) -- 16-9 (6)

82. Chris Hart -- Bozeman, Mt -- 14-6 (5) -- 1-12 (1) -- 16-2 (6)

83. Paul Heavener -- Tulsa, Ok -- 10-12 (4) -- 5-5 (3) -- 16-1 (7)

84. Mike McCormick -- Adair, Ok -- 10-1 (4) -- 5-14 (2) -- 15-15 (6)

85. Brandon Mosley -- Choctaw, Ok -- 2-4 (1) -- 13-10 (5) -- 15-14 (6)

86. Matt Massey -- Littleton, Co -- 11-3 (5) -- 4-10 (2) -- 15-13 (7)

87. Ricky Guy -- Humble, Tx -- 13-8 (5) -- 2-2 (1) -- 15-10 (6)

88. Jeremy Lawyer -- Sarcoxie, Mo -- 15-6 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 15-6 (4)

89. Robert Sparks -- Heflin, La -- 3-8 (2) -- 11-7 (5) -- 14-15 (7)

90. Jeff Reynolds -- Calera, Ok -- 5-14 (2) -- 9-1 (2) -- 14-15 (4)

91. Andrew Mcclusky -- Silsbee, Tx -- 6-4 (2) -- 8-10 (4) -- 14-14 (6)

92. Brian Potter -- Claremore, Ok -- 7-10 (3) -- 7-3 (4) -- 14-13 (7)

93. Todd Castledine -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 0-0 (0) -- 14-11 (5) -- 14-11 (5)

94. Derek Fulps -- Broken Arrow, Ok -- 9-6 (4) -- 5-5 (3) -- 14-11 (7)

95. Terry Ezell -- El Reno, Ok -- 10-2 (2) -- 4-6 (2) -- 14-8 (4)

96. James Martin -- Longview, Tx -- 3-7 (1) -- 11-0 (3) -- 14-7 (4)

97. Kenneth Graeber -- Bennington, Ne -- 7-2 (3) -- 7-5 (2) -- 14-7 (5)

98. Roy Whisenhunt -- Valliant, Ok -- 2-0 (1) -- 12-1 (3) -- 14-1 (4)

99. Corey Harris -- Chatham, La -- 4-9 (1) -- 8-13 (2) -- 13-6 (3)

100. Dale Hightower -- Mannford, Ok -- 9-14 (4) -- 3-8 (2) -- 13-6 (6)

101. William Gaddis -- Vinita, Ok -- 8-11 (4) -- 4-10 (2) -- 13-5 (6)

102. Joel Baker -- Talala, Ok -- 9-14 (3) -- 3-5 (1) -- 13-3 (4)

103. Chuck Nelson -- Elmore City, Ok -- 6-8 (3) -- 6-7 (3) -- 12-15 (6)

104. Brad Smith -- Longview, Tx -- 10-9 (3) -- 2-5 (1) -- 12-14 (4)

105. Randy Blaukat -- Joplin, Mo -- 4-14 (2) -- 7-12 (3) -- 12-10 (5)

106. Chance Havard -- Simsboro, La -- 7-6 (3) -- 4-15 (1) -- 12-5 (4)

107. Brian Ankrum -- Natalia, Tx -- 6-3 (3) -- 6-1 (2) -- 12-4 (5)

108. Stephen Johnston -- Hemphill, Tx -- 2-4 (1) -- 9-12 (5) -- 12-0 (6)

109. Jimmy Ballard -- Paris, Tx -- 3-3 (1) -- 8-11 (3) -- 11-14 (4)

110. Tim Webb -- Olpe, Ks -- 5-0 (1) -- 6-14 (2) -- 11-14 (3)

111. Tim Reed -- Collinsville, Ok -- 11-13 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 11-13 (3)

112. Nickalas Butler -- Topeka, Ks -- 7-9 (3) -- 4-3 (1) -- 11-12 (4)

113. Craig Frilot -- Breaux Bridge, La -- 9-2 (4) -- 2-7 (1) -- 11-9 (5)

114. Taylor Surly -- Bella Vista, Ar -- 6-8 (2) -- 5-0 (2) -- 11-8 (4)

115. Floyd Drannon -- Stratford, Ok -- 9-4 (4) -- 2-1 (1) -- 11-5 (5)

116. Jeffrey Barrickman -- Spokane, Mo -- 4-7 (2) -- 6-14 (3) -- 11-5 (5)

117. Chris Torkleson -- Sand Springs, Ok -- 8-9 (4) -- 1-12 (1) -- 10-5 (5)

118. Lendell Martin Jr -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 0-0 (0) -- 10-4 (3) -- 10-4 (3)

119. Tim Flowers -- Midland, Tx -- 8-1 (4) -- 2-2 (1) -- 10-3 (5)

120. Roger Hughes -- Bartlesville, Ok -- 3-3 (2) -- 7-0 (2) -- 10-3 (4)

121. Ron Hopkins Sr -- Mounds, Ok -- 9-9 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 9-9 (5)

122. Eric Faucett -- Moore, Ok -- 7-11 (3) -- 1-11 (1) -- 9-6 (4)

123. Rob Lay -- Southlake, Tx -- 2-6 (1) -- 6-15 (1) -- 9-5 (2)

124. Allen Head -- Pryor, Ok -- 0-0 (0) -- 9-3 (2) -- 9-3 (2) -- $300

125. Aaron Presley -- Norman, Ok -- 9-2 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 9-2 (4)

126. Kevin Ledoux -- Choctaw, Ok -- 8-11 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 8-11 (3)

127. Garrett Gill -- Edmond, Ok -- 8-11 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 8-11 (2)

128. Jim Tutt -- Longview, Tx -- 4-10 (2) -- 3-15 (2) -- 8-9 (4)

129. Daniel Howard -- Odessa, Tx -- 2-9 (1) -- 5-10 (2) -- 8-3 (3)

130. Jeff Whitehead -- Slaton, Tx -- 4-6 (2) -- 3-11 (2) -- 8-1 (4)

131. Darrel Robertson -- Jay, Ok -- 7-12 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 7-12 (4)

132. Ray Stagner -- Tulsa, Ok -- 3-8 (1) -- 4-2 (2) -- 7-10 (3)

133. Chip Harrington -- Cleveland, Mo -- 7-9 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 7-9 (3)

134. Rick Carter -- Alba, Tx -- 4-4 (1) -- 2-15 (1) -- 7-3 (2)

135. Jeff Keene -- Vinita, Ok -- 6-15 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 6-15 (2)

136. John Bohannan -- Berryville, Ar -- 6-11 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 6-11 (2)

137. Allan Nail -- Sand Springs, Ok -- 6-1 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 6-1 (3)

138. Ken Smith -- Dallas, Tx -- 6-0 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 6-0 (2)

139. Jeff Cade -- Richardson, Tx -- 0-0 (0) -- 5-13 (2) -- 5-13 (2)

140. Joe Gerard -- Concordia, Ks -- 1-13 (1) -- 3-14 (2) -- 5-11 (3)

141. Alton Wilhoit -- Noble, Ok -- 5-5 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 5-5 (1)

142. Eddy May -- Valley Center, Ks -- 5-1 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 5-1 (1)

143. Bob Keeland -- Huntsville, Tx -- 0-0 (0) -- 4-12 (2) -- 4-12 (2)

144. Denny Malone -- Springfield, Mo -- 4-11 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 4-11 (1)

145. Tyson Patrick -- Mccamey, Tx -- 4-6 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 4-6 (2)

146. Charles Dubroc -- Hessmer, La -- 4-0 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 4-0 (2)

147. Jeff Bridges -- Lumberton, Tx -- 3-14 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 3-14 (1)

148. Jason Baggett -- Mansfield, Ar -- 3-5 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 3-5 (1)

149. Joe Hamilton -- Liberty, In -- 2-8 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 2-8 (1)

150. Danny Shepard -- Cottonwood Falls, Ks -- 0-0 (0) -- 2-1 (1) -- 2-1 (1)

151. Rick Hanna -- Hereford, Tx -- 1-11 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 1-11 (1)

152. Greg Ingram -- Owasso, Ok -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0)

152. Kevin Gressett -- Tioga, Tx -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0)

152. Charley Slaton -- Valliant, Ok -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0)

152. T.R. Andreas -- Kerrville, Tx -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0)