LAKEPORT >> Jacob Shull brought the big bag of the day to the weigh scale on Friday and the Team Arizona fisherman had just enough to win the pro division in the B.A.S.S. Nation Western Regional with a three-day total of 49 pounds, 4 ounces.
Ken Day of Team Washington was just 4 ounces behind in second place with 49-0. Second-round leader Todd Herman of Team Arizona and Randy Pierson of Team California finished at 47-8 while Brent James of Team Nevada rounded out the top five at 47-1.
Pierson actually weighed in his fish during the Carhartt College Western Region tourney held earlier in the day at Konocti Vista Casino, Resort and Marina so that he could get on the road in time to attend his daughter’s graduation Friday evening.
First-round leader Lane Coale of Team Colorado, who caught the big fish of the tournament (10.7 pounds) on Wednesday, finished in 32nd place.
The three-day tournament began with a field of 110 professionals and 110 co-anglers or amateurs. The field was cut to the top 22 in each division plus the top three placers on each of 11 state teams for Friday’s final round – for what turned out to be a total of 34 fishermen.
While fish sizes were down throughout the tournament fish numbers were good. Thirty-two of the 34 pros brought five-fish limits to the weigh scale on Friday.
Co-angler
Quincy Grupenhoff of Team Montana was a wire-to-wire winner in the co-angler division as he capped his tournament run with 31 pounds, 2 ounces. Although he brought only a three-fish limit of 9-3 to the weigh scale on Friday, it was enough to keep the first- and second-round leader atop the co-angler standings.
Loren Bryant of Team Arizona came in second with 29-1, Tucker Cappella of Team Wyoming and Clay Williams of Team Idaho each had 27-0, and Tom McArt Jr. of Team Oregon rounded out the top five with 26-9.
