When the opening round of the 2013 Nitro Boats / Mercury U.S. Open commenced at Callville Bay Marina on Lake Mead, the skies were calm. However, as with any fishing tournament, there was some excitement brewing.
While the weather remained calm throughout the day, the fishing was reportedly tough for much of the field. However, someone is always bound to figure out the pieces to the puzzle to stand ahead of the pack. Today was no different, as Todd Herman, a second time U.S. Open pro, took a strong position atop the leaderboard with 13.22 pounds that included the second largest bass of the day on the pro side.
Standing only a pound and a half behind Herman is young Peoria, Ariz. pro Michael Caruso, who proved his ability to produce big bites on Lake Mead in last year’s event; and did so once again today with a 5.08 pounder that was the biggest bass of the day on both sides of the field. his big fish anchored an 11.77-pound limit that puts him in good position to contend for the win.
Looming closely in third place is past U.S. Open Champion Gary Dobyns of Yuba City, Calif. who proved why he is one of the best professional anglers in the business with a solid 11.36-pound limit of bass that included a pair of solid kickers; one a 2.52 pounder caught by Dobyns, and a 3.79 produced by his AAA partner Michael Bidak.
Herman said that he has found one particular pattern that was able to produce for him in a variety of locations. “I caught all of my fish on one lure in four different areas today,” the Gilbert, Ariz. pro said. “I was the last boat out today, so when I got to what I had hoped would be my starting spot, there were several boats there, so I went to my backup plan, and had it all to myself.”
Herman also said that he has been on the same pattern for the past eight days during practice, and as a result, he feels comfortable; as comfortable as he can be. “I feel like I can catch fish in clean water, or behind other boats with what I’m doing,” he said. “So, I feel like I can do welltomorrow; especially being the first boat out, but we’ll just have to see what happens from here.”
Caruso said that today was a grind, but he was able to use the same lure he used to catch one of the biggest event at last year’s event, to catch his big one today. “I really had a difficult day today; it wasn’t a good day for me,” he said. “I covered a lot of water, burned 31 gallons of fuel, scraped up some keepers and managed to get the one big bite. Hopefully I can put things together tomorrow, and this lake really allows you to do many different things, we’ll just have to see what happens.”
Dobyns said that he had to adjust from what he was doing in practice. “I had two good days, and two horrible days, and then the bite changed today again,” he said. “I really picked up baits that I really like to fish and junk fished my way to a good limit today; it’s nice to be in a position to make a run at this event again.”
Mike Hyland, a AAA from Lompoc, Calif. was paired with Herman for the day, and took the day one lead on the AAA side with 13.22 pounds. Second place on the AAA side is Robert Jeannotte with 11.77, and Bidak is third with 11.36 pounds. The big bass for the day on the AAA side was caught by Kevin Gross of Claremont, Calif. his 4.46 punder earned him big bass money on the first day of the event.
Complete Standings:
Day One Pro Standings
| Place | Angler | Hometown | Weight | Penalty | Big Fish | Total |
| 1 | Todd Herman | Gilbert AZ | 13.22 | 4.49 | 13.22 | |
| 2 | Michael Caruso | Peoria AZ | 11.77 | 5.08 | 11.77 | |
| 3 | Gary Dobyns | Yuba City CA | 11.36 | 2.52 | 11.36 | |
| 4 | Tommy Jonovich | Phoenix AZ | 11.29 | 0.2 | 11.09 | |
| 5 | Gary Robbins | Burbank CA | 10.91 | 10.91 | ||
| 6 | Brett Hite | Phoenix AZ | 10.81 | 3.04 | 10.81 | |
| 7 | Chris Bozarth | Henderson NV | 10.54 | 2.82 | 10.54 | |
| 8 | Phillip Dutra | Antioch CA | 10.5 | 3.15 | 10.5 | |
| 9 | Rusty Brown | Tustin CA | 10.27 | 10.27 | ||
| 10 | Morizo Shimizu | Osaka JP | 10.26 | 3.16 | 10.26 | |
| 11 | Shaun Bailey | Lake Havasu City AZ | 10.13 | 0.2 | 9.93 | |
| 12 | Jamie Cyphers | Cedar City UT | 9.79 | 3.14 | 9.79 | |
| 13 | Devin McDonald | Las Vegas NV | 9.78 | 3.04 | 9.78 | |
| 14 | Roy Hawk | Lake Havasu City AZ | 9.5 | 3.23 | 9.5 | |
| 15 | David Peltier | Acton CA | 9.34 | 9.34 | ||
| 16 | Josh Rhodes | Lakeside CA | 9.12 | 3.87 | 9.12 | |
| 17 | Todd Woods | San Dimas CA | 9.09 | 2.59 | 9.09 | |
| 18 | Joe Uribe, Jr. | Lake Forest CA | 8.93 | 0.2 | 3.47 | 8.73 |
| 19 | John Murray | Phoenix AZ | 8.67 | 8.67 | ||
| 20 | Aaron Leon | Henderson NV | 8.54 | 8.54 | ||
| 21 | Paul Hodges | Glendale AZ | 8.53 | 8.53 | ||
| 22 | Gary Freeman | Las Vegas NV | 8.49 | 8.49 | ||
| 23 | Robert Schoessler | Henderson NV | 8.46 | 8.46 | ||
| 24 | Bobby Lanham | Cave Creek AZ | 8.44 | 8.44 | ||
| 25 | Bill Brown | Grand Junction CO | 8.34 | 8.34 | ||
| 26 | Randy Estrada, M.D. | Corona CA | 8.31 | 8.31 | ||
| 27 | Kevin Caruso | Glendale AZ | 8.24 | 3.2 | 8.24 | |
| 28 | Ernie Stumpf | Carrollton TX | 8.36 | 0.2 | 8.16 | |
| 29 | Ray Arbesu | Henderson NV | 8.33 | 0.2 | 3.1 | 8.13 |
| 30 | Randy Cnota | Tucson AZ | 8 | 8 | ||
| 31 | Klayton Belden | El Cajon CA | 7.92 | 7.92 | ||
| 32 | Dorne Soto | Henderson NV | 7.9 | 7.9 | ||
| 33 | Kevin Wiggins | Las Vegas NV | 7.88 | 7.88 | ||
| 34 | Kyle Grover | Trabuco Canyon CA | 8.05 | 0.2 | 7.85 | |
| 35 | Michael Phua | Chino CA | 7.81 | 7.81 | ||
| 36 | Neil Flores | Menifee CA | 7.75 | 7.75 | ||
| 37 | Bill O’Shinn | Granite Bay CA | 7.72 | 2.83 | 7.72 | |
| 38 | John Perkins | Lake Havasu City AZ | 7.67 | 7.67 | ||
| 39 | Claude Sims | Boerne TX | 7.64 | 7.64 | ||
| 40 | Justin Hanold | Poway CA | 7.59 | 7.59 | ||
| 41 | Garrett Howard | Riverside CA | 7.78 | 0.2 | 7.58 | |
| 42 | Matt Shura | Gilbert AZ | 7.58 | 7.58 | ||
| 43 | Ken Whalen | Lompoc CA | 7.56 | 7.56 | ||
| 44 | Gary Boyd | Reseda CA | 7.54 | 7.54 | ||
| 45 | Randy Blaukat | Joplin MO | 7.51 | 7.51 | ||
| 46 | Jamie Shaw | Coolidge AZ | 7.51 | 7.51 | ||
| 47 | Ben Byrd | Moab UT | 7.49 | 7.49 | ||
| 48 | Dave Wendrich | Elko NV | 7.45 | 7.45 | ||
| 49 | David Kemper | Tempe AZ | 7.58 | 0.2 | 7.38 | |
| 50 | Patrick Whitaker | Gilbert AZ | 7.32 | 7.32 | ||
| 51 | David Valdivia | Norwalk CA | 7.45 | 0.2 | 7.25 | |
| 52 | Vince Gennaro | Henderson NV | 7.23 | 7.23 | ||
| 53 | John Morrow | Brea CA | 7.2 | 7.2 | ||
| 54 | Gary Pinholster | Lake Havasu City AZ | 7.38 | 0.2 | 7.18 | |
| 55 | Philip Roesener | Parowan UT | 7.09 | 2.13 | 7.09 | |
| 56 | Matt Massey | Golden CO | 7.04 | 7.04 | ||
| 57 | Aaron Martens | Leeds AL | 7.01 | 7.01 | ||
| 58 | Byron Velvick | Del Rio TX | 6.98 | 6.98 | ||
| 59 | Rick Mason | Glendale AZ | 6.94 | 6.94 | ||
| 60 | Neil Campbell | Fallbrook CA | 6.83 | 6.83 | ||
| 61 | Shawn Lee | Arroyo Grande CA | 6.81 | 6.81 | ||
| 62 | Ricky Shabazz | Rialto CA | 6.64 | 6.64 | ||
| 63 | Marvin Barellano | Monterey Park CA | 6.6 | 6.6 | ||
| 64 | Gabe Bolivar | Ramona CA | 6.56 | 6.56 | ||
| 65 | William Ruehle | Peoria AZ | 6.52 | 6.52 | ||
| 66 | Ed Arledge | Valley Center CA | 6.49 | 6.49 | ||
| 67 | Craig Miller | Las Vegas NV | 6.46 | 6.46 | ||
| 68 | Brett Allen Leber | Dixon CA | 6.44 | 6.44 | ||
| 69 | Kenichi Tanaka | Minamikawachigun | 6.44 | 6.44 | ||
| 70 | Mike Folkestad | Villa Park CA | 6.43 | 6.43 | ||
| 71 | Clayton Meyer | Henderson NV | 6.43 | 3.12 | 6.43 | |
| 72 | Ken Phillips | Antioch CA | 6.38 | 6.38 | ||
| 73 | Johnny Johnson | Lakeside AZ | 6.29 | 6.29 | ||
| 74 | Ed Shaver | Lake Havasu City AZ | 6.29 | 6.29 | ||
| 75 | Trevor Young | Fontana CA | 6.14 | 6.14 | ||
| 76 | Sean Stafford | Fairfield CA | 6.33 | 0.2 | 6.13 | |
| 77 | John Mackey | Boulder City NV | 6.1 | 6.1 | ||
| 78 | Kevin Norling | San Diego CA | 6.1 | 6.1 | ||
| 79 | Stephen Patek | Chula Vista CA | 6.06 | 6.06 | ||
| 80 | Garrett Lorenzen | Escondido CA | 5.89 | 2.7 | 5.89 | |
| 81 | Derek Yamamoto | Boulder City CO | 5.88 | 5.88 | ||
| 82 | Rich Tauber | Camarillo CA | 5.83 | 5.83 | ||
| 83 | Nick Young | Ontario OR | 5.83 | 5.83 | ||
| 84 | Jiggs Benn | Myrtle Creek OR | 5.76 | 5.76 | ||
| 85 | Gerald Kimzey | Willcox AZ | 5.74 | 2.83 | 5.74 | |
| 86 | Marco Valdez | Mesa AZ | 5.73 | 5.73 | ||
| 87 | Justin Kerr | Lake Havasu City AZ | 5.68 | 5.68 | ||
| 88 | Andy Manahl | Mesa AZ | 5.62 | 5.62 | ||
| 89 | John Weisfuss | Oxnard CA | 5.61 | 5.61 | ||
| 90 | Clifford Pirch | Payson AZ | 5.99 | 0.4 | 5.59 | |
| 91 | Joseph Raftery | Las Vegas NV | 5.53 | 5.53 | ||
| 92 | Jason Borofka | Salinas CA | 5.44 | 3.22 | 5.44 | |
| 93 | Melvin Williams | Chula Vista CA | 5.44 | 5.44 | ||
| 94 | Vu Au | Tucson AZ | 5.64 | 0.2 | 5.44 | |
| 95 | Stephen Pike | Las Vegas NV | 5.4 | 5.4 | ||
| 96 | Christopher Dixon | Granada Hills CA | 5.33 | 5.33 | ||
| 97 | Ron Hammett | La Mesa CA | 5.19 | 5.19 | ||
| 98 | George Kramer | Lake Elsinore CA | 5.18 | 5.18 | ||
| 99 | Steve Molinari | Waddell AZ | 5.18 | 5.18 | ||
| 100 | Steve Gibson | Las Vegas NV | 4.99 | 4.99 | ||
| 101 | Trey Campbell | Gardena CA | 4.9 | 4.9 | ||
| 102 | Robert Jenks | Diamond Bar CA | 4.76 | 4.76 | ||
| 103 | Raymond Archer | Greeley CO | 4.64 | 4.64 | ||
| 104 | Keith Beever | Aliso Viejo CA | 4.61 | 4.61 | ||
| 105 | Pete Marino |
