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BY JODY ONLY
LAS VEGAS – In a shortened two-day competition, the 39th Annual WON Bass U.S. Open crowned the 2021 victor, pro Roy Hawk of Lake Havasu City, Ariz. in the Duel in the Desert at Lake Mead.
Hawk bested the 200-boat field with a tournament total of 21.74, claiming the Open trophy for the second time in his career, with his previous U.S. Open win in 2015. His efforts earn a 2021 Bass Cat Cougar FTD equipped with a Mercury 250 Pro XS AND $83,000 in cash.
“I’m stoked – super excited,” said Hawk. “It’s a real blessing to win it once and to win it twice is – man – it’s unbelievable.
“I really knew I had a good bag; but I didn’t realize I had that much. To actually come away with the win was quite a surprise. I am thankful for the opportunity and the chance to live in this moment my wife and my son and what it is going to mean to my family.”
Fishing Day Two with AAA David Shearrer, of Lake Forest, Calif., Hawk landed the Big Bass of the event with a 4.87 that anchored their limit of 11.62, the biggest stringer of the final day. Hawk added it to the 10.12 from Day One and rose from 12th to the win.
His biggest fell to a homemade jig.
“It had a Yamamoto Psycho Dad trailer,” added Hawk.
Shearrer started and ended the final competition day as the leader of the AAA side, after a Day One weight of 11.81 with pro Rusty Salewske, of Alpine, Calif.
Reigning 2021 WON Bass California Open champion Cliff King, of Ione, Calif. trailed Hawk by little more than a half-pound with 21.03 for the pro runner-up position, after weighing 10.50 and 10.53. King credited a single school for his weigh fish.
“I pretty much the school milked it for two days,” said King. “The spot kept replenishing itself throughout the day. I caught all of my fish on reaction – an A-rig.”
The U.S. Open concludes the 2021 WON Bass Pro/Am season.
Stayed tuned to the WON BASS Facebook page for future events.
The 2022 season kicks off with the Arizona Open at Lake Havasu on February 9th.
