Fernandes tops 20 pounds, takes Day 1 lead on Delta
OAKLEY, Calif. — For most of the Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse field, catching keepers on the California Delta wasn’t a problem. It was bass over about 5 pounds that proved elusive on Day 1 of the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats event sponsored by Suzuki Marine.
That made a couple big bites loom even larger for Louis Fernandes. Fernandes brought a pair of fish over 5 pounds to the scales, including an 8-pound, 2-ounce lunker that took home Berkley Big Bass honors with ease. The brute not only earned him $500, it anchored a limit weighing 20-13. The only bag of the day to top 20 pounds, it has Fernandes 1-2 clear of Rodney Brinser atop the leaderboard.
Behind Fernandes, the weights are stacked tight, with 13 pros topping 16 pounds on the day. Fifty-eight of the 64 boaters brought a five-fish limit to weigh-in.
On the Strike King co-angler side, Jessie Pardilla sacked 15-12 to claim the top spot. Pardilla leads Deanna Moreno by 12 ounces, with a bit of a gap to Brandon Gee in third place with 12-15.
Fernandes’ adjustment pays off
An 8-pounder started Fernandes’ mid-day flurry and anchored his leading bag. Photo by John Zeolla
Fernandes started the day fishing a frog in an area where he had plenty of blow-ups during practice. So, when he only had “two little rats” in his livewell around 10:30 a.m., he started to get discouraged.
After making a move and changing tactics, his day turned around in a hurry. Fernandes went to an area where he’d gotten a few bites flipping during practice and slowed down with finesse tactics. The bite promptly sped up.
During about an hour’s span, Fernandes filled out his limit and culled his two previous keepers. He caught the 8-2 first, then a 5 1/2-pounder about 15 minutes later, then one bigger than 4 a few minutes after that.
“That was so awesome,” Fernandes said of catching the kicker. “I told my co-angler, ‘This is a big one, dude, don’t miss her with the net.’ And she came up, and he scooped her, and the rest is history.”
Fernandes thinks the Delta’s big females are in a “postspawn funk,” which was likely exacerbated by the triple-digit temperatures Wednesday. But he’s hopeful his spot is an exception. He plans to “camp out all day” in the area on Day 2. He thinks there’s potential to boat an even bigger bag, as he weighed in two small ones on Day 1.
“I think there’s more there, but you never know with this delta,” Fernandes said. “You just never know with this tide and the way you hit areas. I’m going to camp out there all day tomorrow and give it my best, because I ain’t got nothing else. So, I hope she holds. It sounds like it’s tough for everybody around here, so I might be on something special.”
Regardless of how he finished, this was always going to be a special event for Fernandes. The Santa Maria, California, native has spent much of the past few years traveling the country to compete on the NPFL. Not only does this event offer a chance to fish closer to home, it marks his first time competing in an MLF event alongside his 16-year-old son, Troy, who’s fishing as a co-angler. The younger Fernandes sits 39th after bagging 6-14 on Day 1.
Of course, walking away with his first pro win would make it even more memorable for dad.
“What makes it even sweeter is my son Troy, he’s 16, and he’s fishing the tournament as a co-angler,” Louis Fernandes said. “So, we don’t get to spend a lot of time (together), because I’m always on tour now, but it’s pretty cool that we’re both fishing this tournament together.”
Top 10 pros
Louis Fernandes – 20-13 (5)
Rodney Brinser – 19-11 (5)
Robert Cloutier – 19-4 (5)
Cristian Melton – 18-10 (5)
Matthew Dettling – 18-10 (5)
Jack Farage – 18-8 (5)
Kyle Gelles – 18-0 (5)
Hunter Schlander – 17-0 (5)
Gregg Leonard – 16-10 (5)
Mark Cobey – 16-8 (5)
Complete results
The post Fernandes tops 20 pounds, takes Day 1 lead on Delta appeared first on Major League Fishing.
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