WON BASS U.S.OPEN 2004: Day 2

　
The standings remained the same for the top three anglers in pro division of the U.S. Open, but leader Aaron Martens of Castaic put even more distance between himself and his nearest competitor after weighing in 11.98 pounds on the second day of the contest.

Fishing the same general area of the lake as yesterday, Martens leads with a two-day total of 27.29 pounds, putting him 5.25 pounds ahead of runner-up Brent Ehrler of
Redlands. Ehrler had a limit weighing 9.25 pounds, but lost ground to the leader.

Gary Dobyns held third place with 19.85 pounds while bringing in a limit weighing 8.49 pounds while fishing reaction baits. "It was a different day, today," said the Yuba City pro. "I only caught six bass and only 3 stripers. Yesterday I probably caught 20 stripers. It was just a different day."

John Murray of Phoenix moved up to fourth place on the strength of his 9.09-pound sack on Tuesday. His two-day catch weighed 19.73 pounds, but left him 7 1ﾚ2 pounds out of the lead. Stan Vanderburg, the Southern California radio host, brought in 10.51 pounds on Tuesday and jumped up from 13th place with a total of 19.73 pounds.

Barely one pound separates 6th through 10th places and the issue is in doubt for every spot from second to 20th in the pro ranks. Generally calm conditions and temperatures under 100 degrees were the rule at Lake Mead, but modest winds forecast for the afternoon failed to materialize.

Leading the way in the AAA division was Bruce Hardy of St. George, UT who has a two-day total of 21.39 pounds. He was paired with Martens on the opening round. Trent Doser of Henderson, NV was in second with 20.31 pounds, while third place on Tuesday went to Danny Peluso of Waterford, CA with 20.16 pounds.

GARY DOBYNS shows off a couple of U.S. Open keepers.

LEADER Aaron Martens and partner Danny Peluso with part of their Tuesday catch at the U.S. Open.

BRENT EHRLER continues to hold onto second place with bass like these at Lake Mead.

+WON BASS

Posted by DODGE at September 15, 2004 12:46 PM in Tournament (U.S. others)