Thliveros 2.0 first FLW win!
Kyle Wood
FLW PRESS RELEASE
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Thliveros Big O win a family affair. (Photo: FLW) |
Nick Thliveros earned the first
win of his FLW career. He was a co-angler at the time, though getting that
first trophy and check helped reinforce his desires to move to the front of the
boat. In 2016, he committed to that dream, and now in his fourth year as a pro
fishing the Costa FLW Series, Thliveros has a second win under his belt – this
one from the front of the boat at the 2019 season opener for the Southeastern
Division on Lake Okeechobee.
Heading
into the final day of the tournament, which was presented by Power-Pole,
Thliveros clung to what would normally be considered a small lead on Okeechobee
– just 4 pounds, 7 ounces – and figured he needed to catch a solid bag to have
a shot to win. In fact, most pros had high hopes for big weights on the final
day. However, the fishing didn’t quite live up to the hype, and Thliveros’
10-15 catch was more than enough to lock up the W and earn a check worth
$54,000.
The key for Thliveros was to take
advantage of the conditions the lake presented: cool, dirty and low water. He
took his search outside the main body of the lake and settled on a canal area
between Henry Creek and J&S.
“I
wanted to find consistent water, and that area I caught them is where I caught
them last year when the lake wasn’t normal [high and dirty from a hurricane],”
Thliveros says. “I was catching prespawn fish that were waiting to pull up, and
they were feeding. I was cranking rock, and all of my fish were within 5 feet
of the bank.”
The
canal system produced some good fish, but it was a key bite on day two that
really gave him confidence to keep doing it.
“I was getting a reaction bite
from a lot of fish,” continues the 25-year-old pro. “I’d feel them bump the
bait or they’d be hooked on the back hook, and I didn’t feel like it was right.
On day two, my co-angler caught a few on a Senko, and I missed a few early. I
was thinking maybe I needed to change. I flipped for a bit, but went back to
the crankbait, and a few casts in I caught my first keeper. It was a 6-pounder.
That fish told me I didn’t need to put the crankbait down, so I kept it in my
hand.”
Top 10 Below
Cranking
rock got him to day three, but that bite was fading as warmer weather finally
got the bass out of their funk and thinking about spawning. That’s when
Thliveros made the best decision of his career.
“Jason
[Abram] and I were sharing water all week, and it was fine,” explains
Thliveros. “Today, Jason and I were fishing toward each other. As we came
together he caught a 9-pounder. We were so close that I just gave him a high
five. It stung a bit because I only had two little keepers. But I didn’t get
spun out. It got my wheels turning because he caught that fish flipping, and I
saw more fish up cruising, and I knew my cranking bite was over. So, I pulled
the plug and ran to the lake.”
At
10:45 Thliveros scrapped the plan that got him to the final round and ran to
the Monkey Box to a place fellow competitors and friends Darrell Davis and Tim
Frederick had told him about. It was a shallow area where fish were setting up
to spawn, and Thliveros figured worse case he could scrounge up a few 2-pounders
to save the day. It worked.
“I was going for broke,” he says
of the move. “As soon as I got in the area I saw fish cruising and rubbing on
beds. I stayed in there and got some good bites. It was a key move that won the
tournament for me.”
Thliveros
cranked a Lucky Craft silent
square-bill. There was a fair amount of people fishing where he
was the first two days, and he believes the silent crankbait got him a few more
bites. He also used a 7.1:1 gear ratio reel, which allowed him to run the
trolling motor at a higher speed and still crank efficiently, but also get a
better reaction bite when he slowed down in an area.
Today,
he relied on a Nichols jig with
a blue bug-colored Strike King Rage
Craw and a Texas-rigged black, blue and silver-colored
Bitters Salty Sling with a 1/32-ounce Bullet Weights tungsten
weight to catch his fish.
While
the money is a nice perk that goes along with the win, for Thliveros there’s so
much more to it. The son of legendary FLW Tour pro Peter T, Nick says having
his dad compete in the tournament and be there alongside him during weigh-in
was better than any amount of money.
“The fact is that my dad is my
mentor and my hero,” Nick says. “He has as many hours on the water as anyone
who chases bass. To be able to finally put it together and win with him here is
a special moment. I’ve always wanted to win as a pro with him here. I take a
lot of pride in it, and I see it as a bit of a passing of the torch in a way.
“To
celebrate we’re going to the Elks lodge in Clewiston for steak night, and I’ll
tell you what, I’m buying for everyone.”
Top 10 pros:
1.
Nick Thliveros – St. Augustine, Fla. – 46-1 – $54,000
2.
Cody Nichols – Fayette, Ala. – 42-0 – $22,200
3.
Jason Abram – Piney Flats, Tenn. – 42-0 – $15,350
4.
Brett Preuett – Monroe, La. – 39-9 – $$13,250
5.
Sandy Melvin – Boca Grande, Fla. – 38-2 – $12,250
6.
Bryan New – Belmont, N.C. – 38-2 – $9,625
7.
Lance Oligschlaeger – Gallatin, Tenn. – 38-1 – $8,300
8.
David Parsons – Dothan, Ala. – 35-10 – $7,300
9.
Billy Hall – Greenback, Tenn. – 34-6 – $6,300
10.
Val Osinski – Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – 32-4 – $4,700
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