Thursday, September 11, 2014

Clifford Pirch Wins 2014 U.S. Open in Wire-to-wire Fashion Wins Third U.S. Open Title


WON BASS Press Release
It took landing a haymaker blow in the opening round, then dodging opponents punches for him to do it, but Clifford Pirch today claimed his third WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury U.S. Open victory. The win joins him with Mike Folkestad and Aaron martens as the only individuals to have won the West's most prestigious bass fishing event a trio of times.

"I'm speechless right now, especially after being so close the last two years," said the Payson, Ariz. pro. "I really didn't think that I had produced enough weight to hold on, but it feels great to pull through, and I'm especially blessed to have been so fortunate to win this event three times; I'm completely humbled right now."

Pirch at elite level with 3rd win.
(Photo: WON BASS)
Pirch opened the event by landing a giant uppercut to the field when he weighed in a 15.49-pound limit that gave him almost a four pound lead after the first day. He decided to play it safe in the second round and stayed closer to the Calville Bay takeoff area trying to conserve equipment and avoid disappointment by making a big gamble. That move resulted in a 7.80-pound limit that left the door open to competitors to overtake him. However, he entered the final day with a two-pound lead.

He decided to make a sizeable run to the back of the Overton Arm to target dirty runoff and debris that had resulted from upstream monsoons and flash floods. It was an area that he had saved for the final day, and it took a while for his bite to develop, but he connected with fish that had moved downstream and caught more than 25 keepers en route to an 8.19-pound limit that left him nervous.

But, one by one, his competitors faltered, and when the last two anglers who had the best shot to defeat him reported in with no fish; Pirch had won the 2014 WON Bass Nitro Bots / Mercury U.S. Open with a total weight of 31.26 pounds. The victory earned him a brand new Nitro Z8 / Mercury prize package valued at $37,000 and $50,000 cash.

Pirch reported using three different techniques to claim victory. He reported dropshotting a Pirch's Purple Roboworm on a Phenix M1 Drop Shot rod and culling out all but one of his early limit with a shad colored crankbait thrown on a Phenix X13 Cranking rod late in the afternoon on the first day. He returned to dropshotting again during the slick calm conditions of the second day, then turned to pitching his signature 1/2-ounce Clifford Pirch Outdoors Flippin' jigs to hardwood cover in the dirty water on the final day with a Phenix Super Flipper rod. He alternated between black and blue and Clay Bank Orange colors tipped with soft plastic craws as trailers depending on the water clarity.

"It was a tournament where I had to do a lot of different things to produce the right bites; I had to change with the conditions," he said. "I really wasn't sure how it was going to turn out today, but I'm blessed and honored to have won this event."

Todd Woods of San Dimas, Calif. held steady for most of the week and produced a total weight of 28.70 pounds to finish in second place. Third place finisher Gabe Bolivar; from Ramona, Calif. actually sat on the Costa Hot Seat as the current leader for nearly half of today's weigh-in with 28.49 before being eclipsed by Woods. Dixon, California's Brett Leber slipped one more place, but his steady showing over the three days earned him fourth place with 26.54. Finally, the top five was rounded out by two-time U.S. Open winner John Murray, who posted nearly a 10-pound stringer to move up from 25th place with a total weight of 25.80 pounds.

The AAA winner was Alex Centner of Gilbert Ariz. who teamed with pro partner Bobby Lanham from Cave Creek, Ariz. to produce the largest stringer of the event; a massive 16.06-limit that also included the big fish of the day. The performance was enough to catapult him from 39th place to victory. Centner will receive more than $10,000 and a St. Croix Rods prize package valued at more than $1,000

By virtue of being the highest finishing pro without a sunglass sponsorship; second place finisher Woods will receive the Costa sponsorship package which includes a full wrap, jerseys, 10 pairs of Costa Sunglasses and paid entry fees into the 2015 California Open at Clear Lake as well as the 2015 WON Bass U.S. Open. The package is valued at $10,000.

The WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury U.S. Open was hosted at Callville Bay Marina on the shores of Lake Mead, and the action was brought live via the Costa See What's Out There Live event coverage at www.wonbass.com.

The WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury Marine U.S. Open Live Webcast was presented by Costa Sunglasses, the event was also brought to you by Nitro Boats, Mercury Outboards, Costa Sunglasses, Bass Pro Shops, Bridgford Foods, Daiwa, Seaguar, Plano Molding, Cousins Tackle, YoZuri, Pro Mar, Eagle Claw TroKar, Lowrance, St.Croix Rods, Frabill, Okuma, Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits, Reactor, Zip Baits, Big Hammer, Fishing for Adoption, Global Fish Mounts, A&M Graphics, Savage Gear and Storm





2014 U.S. Open Final Standings - Pro Division   
Place
Name
Hometown
Big Fish
Total

1
Clifford Pirch
Payson AZ
6.49
31.26

2
Todd Woods
San Dimas CA
2.86
28.7

3
Gabe Bolivar
Ramona CA
2.52
28.46

4
Brett Allen Leber
Dixon CA
4.03
26.54

5
John Murray
Phoenix AZ
3.72
25.8

6
Tony Lain
Menifee CA
2.22
25.33

7
Scott Davis
Preston ID

25.25

8
Joe Uribe, Jr.
Surprise AZ
2.7
24.67

9
Pete Marino
Moreno Valley CA
2.44
24.66

10
Luke Clausen


24.59

11
Randy Blaukat
Joplin MO
3
24.54

12
Chris Bozarth
Henderson NV
2.82
24.13

13
Wade Strelic
El Cajon CA
2
23.84

14
Bill O'Shinn
Bakersfield CA
3.47
23.76

15
Scott Canterbury

2.83
23.72

16
Johnny Johnson
Lakeside AZ

23.45

17
Bobby Lanham
Cave Creek AZ
5.1
23.33

18
Chris Studinger
San Marcos CA
2.29
23.24

19
Bill Brown
Grand Junction CO
3.16
23.06

20
Jesse Slaton
Klamath Falls OR

22.7

21
Brent James
St George UT
3.7
22.45

22
Jay Yelas
Carvallis OR
2.92
22.42

23
Jimmy Reese
Ukiah CA
2
22.32

24
Chris Kinley
Lake Havasue City AZ
3.79
22.29

25
Robert Lee
Altaville CA

22.17

26
Donnie Scroggins
Kingman AZ
3.12
22

27
Paul Hodges
Glendale AZ

21.89

28
Kevin Stewart
Elk Grove CA

21.8

29
Jim Jared
Dolan Springs AZ
3.49
21.65

30
Todd Herman
Gilbert AZ
2.24
21.24

31
Jim Moynagh
Carver MN
2.26
21.2

32
Zack Holwerda
Phoenix AZ
4.47
21.02

33
Joseph Raftery
Las Vegas NV
2.52
20.92

34
John Mackey
Boulder City NV

20.84

35
Jon Griffith
Mesa AZ

20.81

36
Gary Dobyns
Live Oak CA

20.76

37
Zachary Elrite
San Jose CA
3.33
20.55

38
Cody Compton
Palisade CO
3.8
20.5

39
Philip Roesener
Parowan UT
4.16
20.22

40
Brent Becker
Henderson NV

19.9

41
Tommy Jonovich
Phoenix AZ

19.87

42
Douglas Minor
Riverside CA

19.86

43
Tom Leedom
Escondido CA

19.84

44
Keith Beever
Mission Viejo CA

19.78

45
Douglas Jones
North Las vegas NV
2.12
19.72

46
Shawn Lee
Arroyo Grande CA
2.93
19.71

47
Scott Helleson
Whittier CA
2.28
19.5

48
Garrett Howard
Riverside CA
2.66
19.45

49
Cody Spetz
Menifee CA
2.47
19.42

50
Keith Espe
Phoenix AZ
3.33
19.27

51
Klayton Belden
El Cajon CA

19.22

52
Neil Flores
Menifee CA
2.3
19.13

53
Rusty Salewske
Alpine CA

19.03

54
Andy Manahl
Mesa AZ
2.76
19.02

55
Adam East
San Diego CA

19

56
Ken Whalen
Lompoc CA

18.95

57
Mike Brillhart
Waddell AZ
2.54
18.87

58
George Kramer
Lake Elsinore CA
2.49
18.82

59
Travis Richards
Henderson NV
2.44
18.61

60
Gary Pinholster
Lake Havasu City AZ
4.84
18.39

61
Guy Savidan
Yorba Linda CA

18.35

62
Andrew Napoleon
Mesa AZ

18.31

62
John Weisfuss
Oxnard CA
1.92
18.31

64
Kyle Grover
Trabuco Canyon CA
2.18
18.22

65
Cody Meyer
Grass Valley CA

18.2

66
Marco Valdez
Richland WA

18.12

67
John Morrow
Brea CA
3.25
18.09

68
Jiggs Benn
Myrtle Creek OR

17.77

69
Mike Rennie
Pioche NV
1.91
17.73

70
Steven Bowlin
Coolidge AZ

17.53

71
Jay Guterding
Redding CA

17.46

71
William "Billy" Skinner
Carlsbad CA

17.46

73
Marco Fenelli
San Diego CA
2.26
17.16

74
Kody "Bucky" Leigh
Yuma AZ

17.07

75
Jeff Rutt
Winchester CA

17.01

76
Mike Folkestad
Villa Park CA

16.98

77
Don Iovino
Burbank CA
3.82
16.94

78
Mike Caruso
Peoria AZ

16.92

79
Shaun Bailey
Lake Havasu City AZ

16.78

80
Ed Arledge
Valley Center CA

16.73

81
Kevin Caruso
Glendale AZ

16.72

82
Danny Moraga
Hesperia CA
1.99
16.69

83
Peter Manfrina
Lompoc CA
2.62
16.67

84
Daniel Price II
San Diego CA

16.64

85
Dick Watson
Alta Loma CA
3.37
16.5

86
Rusty Brown
Tustin CA

16.45

87
Don Gage
Grizzly Flats CA

16.41

88
Roy Hawk
Lake Havasu City AZ

16.35

89
Josh Bertrand
Gilbert AZ

16.3

90
Gunnar Stanton
Boulder City NV

16.26

91
Justin Patti
Phoenix AZ

16.18

92










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