Au Adapted To Conditions That Changed Daily

By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor

Tai Au's entry into the Lake Havasu Western FLW Series wasn't exactly a last-minute decision, but it certainly wasn't something he'd put in a lot of preparation for.

"Work and family come first," said the 36-year-old Au, a resident of the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Ariz. "I'd had a good week at work and I had the support of my manager, so I signed up on the Wednesday of the week before (8 days prior to the start of the tournament).

"I wouldn't consider myself a local at Havasu – I maybe fish it a couple times a year if I'm lucky. I was pretty sure the fish would be going from pre-spawn to spawning while we were there and I could end up catching some post-spawn fish. We'd be hitting it at a really good time."

It was indeed a good time for Au, who notched the most significant victory of his career with a 3-day total of 61-03. He caught a tournament-best 26-01 in the opening round, then followed up with bags registering 18-03 and 16-15.

Following are some of the specifics on how he approached the Colorado River impoundment.

Beds Started Filling Up

Au put in 3 days of practice for the derby and spent most of his time finding and waypointing bed-fish. He didn't find much quality the first day, but the next day was a little better and the final day was somewhat of a bonanza.

"Wednesday was the key day; they were really pushing up hard," he said. "I found a 7-pounder, a 6 and at least a dozen 5s and 4s. I ended up marking 60 beds. It wasn't a ton, but I thought it was enough to do pretty well the first day."

He focused his efforts on the main lake in order to maximize his fishing time. At his first stop on the initial competition day, he caught three of the four fish he'd marked, which combined to weigh about 16 pounds. He added a 3-pound smallmouth a bit later and then spied a 7-pound largemouth while running down the bank. It took him an hour and 45 minutes, but that one went into his livewell.

After trying several other offerings, he got it to bite a ChatterBait.

"I pulled it right across her tail and I guess she didn't like that vibration," he said.

The area received more than an inch of rain that night, which muddied up a lot of water and rendered his sight-fishing program pretty much useless.

"I lost about 60 percent of my water so I decided to just scrap everything and go fishing," he said. "I ran as much bank as I could and really slowed down. I caught a high 4 to get the day started and that clued me in that I had to stay in water that was fairly clear to stained, but not muddy.

"I ended up catching about a dozen fish on wacky-rigged Senkos and a Daiwa Neko Fat. I also caught one on a ChatterBait, two flipping and one on a swimbait."

He started the final day with a 1 1/2-pound lead over 2nd-place Jordan Collum. He caught two keepers at his first stop and filled out his limit at the next, which alleviated a lot of the pressure he was feeling.

"The thought of (winning) was driving me nuts," he said. "I really wanted to hoist that trophy."

With the water even dirtier, he opted to target largemouth exclusively, as experience had taught him that they're easier to catch under that condition. He ran every tule patch he knew of on the main lake, whether the vegetation stood in 1 foot or 8 feet of water.

He ended up catching 15 or 16 keepers – the most of any day in the derby. The wacky-rigged Senko was his primary weapon – he went with the baby bass color in water that had a bit of clarity and green-pumpkin in places that were more stained.

He added one fish on a ChatterBait and one on a Wiggle Wart and flipped up a couple more.

"I knew I'd had a good day, but I didn't let myself think I had a chance to win because I'd been heartbroken before," he said. "Jordan held up two big ones at the weigh-in and people in the audience went crazy, but then he had a couple of small ones, too. The smallest one I had was my only smallmouth and it weighed 2.88 on my hand-held scale.

"I didn't celebrate until it was all over. It was a weight lifted off my shoulders, so to speak.

"The biggest thing for me was definitely decision-making – I didn't get too stuck on sight-fishing. If I'd relied too heavily on that I'd have had a really hard time on days 2 and 3."

Winning Gear Notes

> Worm gear: 6'10" medium-heavy Fitzgerald Vursa rod, Daiwa Luvias spinning reel (2500 size), 12-pound Sunline SX1 braid (main line), 8-pound Sugoi fluorocarbon (leader), size 1 Decoy Worm 20 hook, 5" Yamamoto Senko (baby bass or green-pumpkin).

> Sight-fishing gear: Same rod, reel and line, Yamamoto Ika (baby bass).

> Bladed jig gear: 7'2" heavy-action Fitzgerald composite rod, Daiwa Tatula SV casting reel (6.3:1 ratio), 20-pound Sugoi fluorocarbon, 1/2-ounce Z-Man Evergreen Jackhammer ChatterBait (white), Yamamoto Zako trailer (sight flash).

Final Standings

1. Tai Au -- Glendale, Az -- 26-1 (5) -- 18-3 (5) -- 16-15 (5) -- 61-3 (15) -- $26,589

2. Jordan Collom -- Temecula, Ca -- 25-15 (5) -- 16-13 (5) -- 16-11 (5) -- 59-7 (15) -- $10,303

3. Todd Kline -- San Clemente, Ca -- 21-13 (5) -- 16-0 (5) -- 19-8 (5) -- 57-5 (15) -- $7,977

4. Michael Caruso -- Peoria, Az -- 23-1 (5) -- 19-2 (5) -- 14-10 (5) -- 56-13 (15) -- $6,647

5. Kyle Grover -- Rancho Santa Margarita, Ca -- 18-12 (5) -- 19-2 (5) -- 17-2 (5) -- 55-0 (15) -- $5,982

6. Tanner Austin -- Shingle Springs, Ca -- 19-4 (5) -- 21-10 (5) -- 13-15 (5) -- 54-13 (15) -- $5,318

7. Kevin Hugo -- Canyon Lake, Ca -- 18-11 (5) -- 20-9 (5) -- 14-6 (5) -- 53-10 (15) -- $5,653

8. Clayton Eslick -- Gilroy, Ca -- 19-12 (5) -- 19-8 (5) -- 9-14 (4) -- 49-2 (14) -- $3,988

9. Kevin Caruso -- Glendale, Az -- 23-10 (5) -- 14-7 (5) -- 10-14 (5) -- 48-15 (15) -- $3,824

10. Lane Olson -- Tigard, Or -- 20-15 (5) -- 17-1 (5) -- 9-9 (5) -- 47-9 (15) -- $2,659

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

11. David Valdivia -- Norwalk, Ca -- 20-10 (5) -- 16-7 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 37-1 (10) -- $2,493

12. Delaney Dwyer -- Scottsdale, Az -- 23-1 (5) -- 13-12 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 36-13 (10) -- $2,403

13. Justin Kerr -- Simi Valley, Ca -- 18-13 (5) -- 17-11 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 36-8 (10) -- $1,994

14. Shannon Abbott -- Oceanside, Ca -- 15-3 (5) -- 21-3 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 36-6 (10) -- $1,994

15. Eric Urstad -- Snohomish, Wa -- 20-4 (5) -- 15-14 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 36-2 (10) -- $1,994

16. Klayton Belden -- El Cajon, Ca -- 16-9 (5) -- 18-12 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 35-5 (10) -- $1,994

17. Shaun Bailey -- Lake Havasu City, Az -- 21-4 (5) -- 13-10 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 34-14 (9) -- $1,994

18. Joe Uribe Jr. -- Surprise, Az -- 19-4 (5) -- 15-5 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 34-9 (10) -- $1,994

19. Sean Andrachick -- Marion, Mt -- 17-6 (5) -- 16-8 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 33-14 (10) -- $1,994

20. Cory Schleiden -- Yucaipa, Ca -- 17-6 (5) -- 15-11 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 33-1 (10) -- $1,994

21. Bryant Smith -- Roseville, Ca -- 16-1 (5) -- 16-12 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 32-13 (10) -- $76

22. Carl Limbrick Jr -- Bonita, Ca -- 14-9 (5) -- 18-3 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 32-12 (10) -- $250

23. Patrick Touey -- Santa Maria, Ca -- 13-11 (5) -- 18-13 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 32-8 (10)

24. Nicholas Elliott -- Chula Vista, Ca -- 16-13 (5) -- 15-9 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 32-6 (10)

25. Greg Miser -- La Mesa, Ca -- 20-15 (5) -- 11-6 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 32-5 (10)

26. Nate Caldwell -- Ft Collins, Co -- 19-8 (5) -- 12-13 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 32-5 (10)

27. Jon Strelic -- El Cajon, Ca -- 17-7 (5) -- 14-12 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 32-3 (10)

28. Tim Klinger -- Boulder City, Nv -- 16-11 (5) -- 15-8 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 32-3 (10)

29. Jason Crone -- Kalispell, Mt -- 13-14 (5) -- 17-1 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 30-15 (10)

30. Cody Steckel -- Las Vegas, Nv -- 16-5 (5) -- 14-7 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 30-12 (10)

31. Andrew Loberg -- Rocklin, Ca -- 15-0 (5) -- 15-10 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 30-10 (10)

32. Jake Domres -- Phoenix, Az -- 13-10 (5) -- 16-13 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 30-7 (10)

33. Shane Edgar -- Glendale, Az -- 15-13 (5) -- 14-8 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 30-5 (10)

34. Chris Kinley -- Lake Havasu City, Az -- 20-4 (5) -- 9-10 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 29-14 (9)

35. Julius Mazy -- Phoenix, Az -- 17-4 (5) -- 11-7 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 28-11 (9)

36. Michael Moreno -- Salida, Ca -- 13-8 (5) -- 14-11 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 28-3 (10)

37. Terrence Rath -- Lake Havasu City, Az -- 15-2 (5) -- 13-0 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 28-2 (10)

38. Louis Fernandes -- Santa Maria, Ca -- 16-7 (5) -- 11-10 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 28-1 (9)

39. Scott MacKenzie -- Hercules, Ca -- 16-1 (5) -- 11-7 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 27-8 (9)

40. Ed Arledge -- Valley Center, Ca -- 11-11 (5) -- 15-13 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 27-8 (10)

41. Nathan Johnston -- Medford, Or -- 13-12 (5) -- 13-1 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 26-13 (10)

42. Todd Woods -- Los Angeles, Ca -- 15-9 (5) -- 11-0 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 26-9 (9)

43. Josh Needleman -- Napa, Ca -- 17-13 (5) -- 8-6 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 26-3 (8)

44. Travis Bounds -- Roseville, Ca -- 16-14 (5) -- 9-4 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 26-2 (8)

45. Charlie Weyer -- West Hills, Ca -- 15-0 (5) -- 10-15 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 25-15 (10)

46. Blake Dyer -- Walnut Creek, Ca -- 11-9 (5) -- 13-2 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 24-11 (10)

47. James Shaw -- Coolidge, Az -- 15-0 (5) -- 9-9 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 24-9 (10)

48. Gregg Leonard -- Wilton, Ca -- 13-3 (5) -- 11-6 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 24-9 (10)

49. Tony Lain -- Lake Havasu City, Az -- 12-15 (5) -- 10-12 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 23-11 (10)

50. Adam Gragg -- Acton, Ca -- 15-3 (5) -- 8-5 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 23-8 (8)

51. David Davis -- Big Piney, Wy -- 11-6 (5) -- 12-1 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 23-7 (10)

52. Tim Dotson -- Goodyear, Az -- 15-3 (5) -- 7-15 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 23-2 (8)

53. Jeff Allen -- Flagstaff, Az -- 8-15 (3) -- 14-0 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 22-15 (8)

54. Russ Barger -- Boise, Id -- 13-12 (5) -- 9-3 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 22-15 (10)

55. Raymond Tak -- Newbury Park, Ca -- 14-4 (5) -- 8-6 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 22-10 (8)

56. Guy Savidan -- Norco, Ca -- 13-2 (5) -- 9-4 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 22-6 (10)

57. Greg Huey -- Mcminnville, Or -- 16-6 (5) -- 5-15 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 22-5 (7)

58. Wade Curtiss -- Eagle, Id -- 13-14 (5) -- 8-4 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 22-2 (7)

59. Jim Lyon -- Reno, Nv -- 13-5 (5) -- 8-13 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 22-2 (8)

60. Chad Hulbert -- Gilroy, Ca -- 11-14 (5) -- 9-12 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 21-10 (10)

61. Chris Costello -- Gilroy, Ca -- 11-0 (4) -- 9-10 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 20-10 (7)

62. Brennon Sharp -- Folsom, Ca -- 17-14 (5) -- 2-4 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 20-2 (6)

63. Mitch Southern -- Yucaipa, Ca -- 12-14 (5) -- 7-0 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 19-14 (7)

64. Steven Bowlin -- Coolidge, Az -- 14-4 (5) -- 5-2 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 19-6 (7)

65. Patrick Whitaker -- Gilbert, Az -- 19-5 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 19-5 (5)

66. Justin Patti -- Peoria, Az -- 15-7 (5) -- 3-4 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 18-11 (7)

67. John Zeolla -- Oak Park, Ca -- 14-15 (5) -- 3-12 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 18-11 (7)

68. Troy Lindner -- Los Angeles, Ca -- 17-13 (5) -- 0-0 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 17-13 (9)

69. Kazuki Kodama -- Torrance, Ca -- 12-6 (4) -- 5-2 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 17-8 (6)

70. Daniel Leue -- Colusa, Ca -- 5-8 (3) -- 11-12 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 17-4 (7)

71. Kirk Hill -- Las Vegas, Nv -- 10-7 (5) -- 6-8 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 16-15 (8)

72. Brett Leber -- Dixon, Ca -- 6-3 (2) -- 9-12 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 15-15 (7)

73. Jason Akins -- Apple Valley, Ca -- 15-0 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 15-0 (5)

73. Jay Wright -- Seal Beach, Ca -- 15-0 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 15-0 (5)

75. Bobby Forster -- Spokane, Wa -- 14-5 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 14-5 (5)

76. Jim Moulton -- Merced, Ca -- 7-0 (3) -- 7-3 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 14-3 (7)

77. Melvin Williams -- Chula Vista, Ca -- 4-12 (2) -- 7-11 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 12-7 (5)

78. Ronald Hammett -- La Mesa, Ca -- 7-13 (3) -- 4-3 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 12-0 (4)

79. Joseph Menegos -- Spring Valley, Ca -- 0-0 (0) -- 10-10 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 10-10 (5)

80. Justin Raleigh -- Pasadena, Ca -- 4-7 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 4-7 (2)

81. Ron Schneider -- Sandy, Or -- 3-4 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 3-4 (1)