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."
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| 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.
