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Truth or Consequences, N.M. .... As predicted yesterday by some competitors in the B.A.S.S. Federation Western Divisional Championship, New Mexico^s Elephant Butte Reservoir held true to form by remaining consistently inconsistent.
Much of the inconsistency had to do with the cruising nature of post-spawn bass that moved in and out of areas at will, holding briefly on submerged wood or rock while foraging for food. As might be expected, the leader board shuffled dramatically as most limits dropped into the single-digit category.
One angler who maintained a double-digit pace was Idaho team member, Marco Rodriguez of Nyssa, Oregon with an 11-pound, 12-ounce limit that pushed his two-day total to an even 25 pounds. Having just returned from the B.A.S.S. Federation Nationals in Knoxville, Tennessee (April 24-29), Rodriguez seems to be on a roll that started last year when he qualified for the Nationals with a fine rookie-year performance at Arizona^s Lake Pleasant.
"I^ve been at Elephant Butte for a week prior to the tournament and I found a spot that no one else has been fishing. A couple of my teammates know about it and have honored it," said Rodriguez about a relatively small, 200-yard area.
"It seems like a lot of people are running and gunning. Fortunately, I haven^t been forced to do that. Yesterday, I caught my limit by 9:30 and this morning I caught my fifth fish by 9:30 again. I^ve left my fish immediately both days and I^m fortunate to have had two non-boaters who respected my water."
As a minor front moved in with gusty winds from 10 to 20 mph, additional cloud cover and more comfortable temperatures in the low 90s, Rodriguez may have found one of those prime, winning zones that are unaffected by changing conditions.
First-day leader John Semken of Olympia, Washington managed to hold onto second place despite weighing only four bass for a seven-pound, two-ounce creel that bumped his total to 21-14. Semken^s prediction that things would get "tougher and tougher" was eerily prophetic as the numbers of bass and limits dropped off sharply. Semken was also a victim of his own prediction with a weight that was less than half of his first day effort.
On the flip side of the coin, Nick Grebb of Montrose , Colorado (fishing for the Utah team) defied the prognosticators - responding with a 10-1 limit that vaulted him from 13th place to third with a two-day performance weighing 21 pounds, two ounces.
Grebb^s Utah teammate, Jim Bishop of Grand Junction, Colorado lost his grip on second place, sliding to fourth with a three-fish catch that weighed 6-11. Even so, Bishop - like Semken - benefited from the generally tougher conditions and stayed within striking distance of the leader at 20-8.
Continuing the have-and-have-not atmosphere, Gene Batey Jr. of Pasco, Washington found his stride during the second round with a 10-pound, eight-ounce limit that pushed him up from 25th to fifth with a 20-4 total.
Despite the changing fortunes, Washington was not only able to maintain their team lead, but stretch the distance past Oregon with a two-day total of 162 pounds, four ounces, over a 20-pound advantage. At 139-13, the Oregon squad is now trying to fend off an Idaho team, which replaced Arizona in third with 133-11. The rest of the team standings are as follows: (4) Utah - 130-5 (5) New Mexico - 128-0 (6) Arizona - 120-7 (7) Montana - 107-15 (8) California - 100-2 (9) Wyoming - 94-10 (10) Colorado - 88-8.
Sponsors of the B.A.S.S. National Federation Western Divisional Championship are Ranger Boats, RangerTrail Trailers, Mercury Marine, Chevrolet Trucks, Big Kmart, Humminbird/Zercom Electronics, Pennzoil Marine, ACDelco Batteries, Flowmaster Exhaust Systems, MotorGuide Trolling Motors, worldwaters.com Quantum Rods and Reels, Berkley Trilene, Berkley Power Bait, Eagle Claw Fishhooks, and First USA.
Uploaded: 5/26/2000
Uploaded: 5/26/2000