osh Bertrand Leads Day One of 2022 WON Bass U.S. Open Patrick Touey in Second Place in Opening Round

Laughlin, Nev. – October 10, 2022 – For the first time in its history, the Bass Cat / Mercury WON BASS U.S. Open presented by Laughlin Tourism Commission and Visit Laughlin is being held at a fishery other than Lake Mead as a result of historic record low water levels.  With those developments, the City of Laughlin, Nev. was at the ready to host the event and Lake Mohave stood as the new playing field for the 40th Anniversary of the most prestigious bass fishing event in the Western United States.

With the change in scenery, the possibility existed for heavier weights to be presented at the tournament scales at Katherine Landing.  At any desert fishery, the possibility for high winds and big waves are always a possibility, and rarely are slick conditions are the reality.  However, high skies, slight wind and slick water was what greeted the anglers on day one of the event.

But this field always features some of the best anglers in the west, and where there are bass, the field will show out.  That is precisely the outcome of the day’s competition.

Leading the pack on day one was Arizona Major League Fishing BPT pro Josh Bertrand who brought 23.45 pounds of smallmouth bass to the scales.  He and his day one AAA partner Kyle Keegan spent the day running through their areas and culled through a pair of limits to set the pace.

 Bertrand declined to state what his exact pattern was, but said he feels comfortable with whatever the conditions present.  “I can fish fast if I need to or slow down depending on the conditions,” he said.  “My practice was good, but I wasn’t sure exactly what kind of weights to expect, so this is a really good start.”

Patrick Touey, who is fishing his first event on Mohave and his AAA partner Chuck Turner spent the day cycling through several areas looking for active fish and found enough smallmouth to bring 20.42 pounds to start the event in second place.  “I started practicing on the bank and didn’t like what I found, so I looked deeper and found some deeper grass to target,” he said.  “We’d pull up and find them there, catch a few and move on to the next spot; it was a good day.”

Three-time U.S. Open Champion Clifford Pirch, a Bassmaster Elite Series pro from Payson, Ariz. and Eric Hammer brought 19.47 pounds to the scales to finish third and give Pirch a very realistic chance of becoming the first angler to claim four U.S. Open championship. 

 Sean Coffey and Fisher Griffith weighed in 18.97 pounds to put them in fourth place and Dylan Maxon and Dave Phillips posted 18.89 pounds to round out the top five.

 Complete standings can be found attached

 Day two of the 2022 Bass Cat / Mercury WON BASS U.S. Open presented by Laughlin Tourism Commission and Visit Laughlin competition itself will begin Monday, October 10, with a champion being crowned on October 12 at the conclusion of the final weigh-in. Takeoff with nearly 189 pro and AAA anglers will commence at safe light and weigh-ins will occur in the afternoons each day. Takeoff and weigh-ins will be held at Katherine Landing at Lake Mohave Marina located at 2690 Katherine Spur, Bullhead City, AZ 86429.

Join us for an historic event and look to wonbass.com and WONews.com along with WON BASS and Western Outdoor News social media platforms for event details and updates.

The 40th Anniversary 2022 WON BASS U.S. Open is presented by the following sponsors; Bass Cat Boats, Mercury Marine, Costa, Century Marine, Power-Pole, Western Outdoor News, Next Gen Lithium, Daiwa, Berkley, Abu Garcia, Frabill, Plano, Seaguar, Chevron Techron Marine, Lowrance, DD26 Fishing, Phenix Rods, Gamakatsu, Livingston Lures, Roboworm, HydroHoist, Bridgford Foods, Last Chance Performance Marine, Anglers Marine, Katherine Landing, Sure Life, LifeSource Water Systems, Huntington Beach Honda, Anderson Ford, Tuff Bunk, Laughlin Tourism Commission, Visit Laughlin and Edgewater Hotel, Casino & Resort.

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