Bertrand Looking To Move Up After Central Open Tournament On Fort Gibson Lake
Josh Bertrand of Gilbert, Arizona, traveled east three times in 2010 to fish the Bassmaster Central Open tournaments in Texas and Louisiana. It was his first venture into Bassmaster competition and his debut season was inauspicious as he finished out of the money in all three tournaments.
The 23-year-old did not fish B.A.S.S. in 2011, staying home to launch a full-time guide service. He kept his hand in tournament fishing, however, competing in local tournaments and fishing one FLW Western Division EverStart tournament on nearby Lake Roosevelt, finishing 11th and earning a check for $1881.
With his guide business firmly established, he returned to the Bassmaster Central Open Division this year, planning to do the best he could and gain plenty of experience, with the goal of eventually qualifying for the Bassmaster Elite Series.
After two tournaments he has gained a lot more than that. Bertrand is tied with wily veteran Brent Chapman of Kansas for the points lead in the Central Open Division. Chapman, who has fished B.A.S.S. for almost two decades, has notched four first place finishes, 11 Bassmaster Classic appearances, and has won just under $1.5 million.
Bertrand missed out on qualifying for the 2013 Bassmaster Classic in the first Central Open tournament of the year on Lewisville Lake in Texas when he tied for first place with Chapman in regulation, then dropped to a second-place finish in a fish-off with the veteran. Bassmaster Open tournament winners get an automatic qualification for the Bassmaster Classic.
He moved into a tie with Chapman for the points lead with a 19th place finish on Table Rock Lake in April and so far he has earned $19,782 in prize money in the Opens.
But Bertrand is very close to attaining his goal of moving up to the Elite Series sooner than expected. The top five in points in each Open Division qualify to move to the Elite Series and only a disastrous finish at the final 2010 Central Open tournament on Fort Gibson Lake in Oklahoma next week would knock him from first in the points below the the top five cut-off.
At this point, he said, “My hopes have definitely changed.”
Bertrand has been practicing on Fort Gibson Lake this week, looking for ways to focus in on the bass before the tournament begins next Thursday.
“We are catching some fish, but definitely not near what I would like as far as having a comfort level,” he said after his second day on the lake. “But the lake does feel very fishy and it is amazing how many fish are in the lake. I think I have caught six different species of fish each day of practice. There are a lot of smaller fish, but there are also plenty of keepers to be caught. You just have to get through a lot of stuff to get to them.”
One of the problems he faces, he said, is dealing with a lake so shallow compared to most of the deep-water lakes he fishes in the West.
“We’ve got shallow water fishing back home, but this lake has a completely different feel to it. A lot of the techniques you use are different, too.”
Bertrand described Fort Gibson as “a fairly flat lake that fishes fairly small.” He said it is filled with rocks and a lot of man-made structures that get a lot of fishing pressure – docks, old foundations and brushpiles.
“If you get up toward the north end of the lake or go back in the creeks, there is a lot of wood and stuff like that if you like to flip or fish shallow,” he said.
He is putting a solid 12 hours a day on the lake in practice, trying to get a feel for the fishery and develop several different patterns.
“I would like to have a variety of stuff to pick from if the lake fishes as small as I think. It’s hard enough to find one good pattern. If I am lucky enough to find a couple I think it will take that to separate from the rest of the field.”
The problem is finding a few patterns to hone in on, he said.
“So far I’ll catch a keeper on this, one on that. Several different baits are successful each day so it’s hard to focus on one. And they come off different types of spots, so I don’t have a pattern set yet.”
Fishing the Central Opens has been very satisfying this time around, he said, because of the friendships he has cultivated among the anglers.
“Everyone has been really helpful and it’s just been awesome to be around them.”
For information on Bertrand and his guide service, visit www.thearizonafishingguides.com
Bassmaster Central Open
Sept 6-8, 2012
Fort Gibson Lake
