February 9, 2017  by David A. Brown

Day one of the Costa FLW Series Western Division opener was tough for some, but in the end it still took nearly 20 pounds to take the lead. Sleeping in his own bed for this one, Roy Hawk of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., dropped 19 pounds, 7 ounces on the scale for the day one lead. In second place in the tournament, which is presented by Ranger Boats, Mike Nichelini of Napa, Calif., weighed in 18 pounds, 9 ounces and trails by less than a pound.

More details will be posted shortly.

 

Top 10 pros

1. Roy Hawk – Lake Havasu City, Ariz. – 19-7 (5)

2. Mike Nichelini – Napa, Calif. – 18-9 (5)

3. Robert Lee – Angels Camp, Calif. – 17-9 (5)

4. David Valdivia – Norwalk, Calif. – 16-8 (4)

5. Jason Hickey – Weiser, Idaho – 16-6 (5)

6. Chad Hulbert – Gilroy, Calif. – 15-2 (5)

7. Joe Uribe Jr. – Surprise, Ariz. – 15-1 (5)

8. Johnny Johnson – Lakeside, Ariz. – 15-0 (5)

9. Marty Lawrence – Mesa, Ariz. – 14-3 (5)

10. Ronald Bruggeman – Potter Valley, Calif. – 14-2 (5)

10. David Kromm – Kennewick, Wash. – 14-2 (5)

Complete results

 

Ratlief leads co-anglers

Local co-angler Ronald Ratlief caught one of the day’s biggest fish –  a 5-9 – and while that kicker fell short of his division’s top catch, it gave him the boost he needed to sew up the lead with three fish that weighed 10 pounds, 7 ounces.

Notably, Ratlief’s big fish bit in the first hour of his day. A reaction bait tempted this bite.

“It seems like the fish were moving up, and it was on a secondary point in probably 10 feet,” he says.

Ratlief says he and his pro ran around a lot and he caught his second and third fish at opposite ends of the lake.

“You try to make every cast count, you try to work around the pro and watch where he’s going,” he says. “With the big fish I caught this morning, I threw the opposite way – out in the deeper water.”

 

Top 10 co-anglers

1. Ronald Ratlief – Lake Havasu City, Ariz. – 10-7 (3)

2. Tony Zanotelli – Redding, Calif. – 9-9 (4)

3. Jason Cloke – Alpin, Calif. – 9-5 (3)

4. Jeff Grant – La Mirada, Calif. – 8-10 (3)

5. Aaron Mansfield – Lake Havasu City, Ariz. – 8-4 (2)

6. Keith Diffey – Elk Grove, Calif. – 7-8 (3)

7. Andrew Levy – Grover Beach, Calif. – 7-4 (2)

8. James Tate – Calabasas, Calif. – 7-0 (2)

9. Dale Roesener – Las Vegas, Nevada – 6-9 (3)

10. John Hickey – Weiser, Idaho – 6-7 (2)

Complete results