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Archive- Monroe Sweeps Stren event |
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Monroe sweeps Stren event on Cal Delta
Sweet redemption follows recent heartbreak
By David A. Brown - 30.May.2009
OAKLEY,
Calif. – Ish Monroe wanted vindication and he got it in grand form with
his wire-to-wire victory at the Stren Series Western Division
season-ender on the California Delta.
Two weeks earlier, the Hughson, Calif. pro finished second by a margin
of 4 ounces at the Western Division event in Oroville, Calif. after one
of his bass spit up a 6-inch gopher in the livewell. Going into the
final round of delta action, Monroe held an 11-pound lead over Rob
Wenning, but he refused to assume he had the tournament locked up. On
the delta, he noted, fortunes can rise and fall quickly so his final round had to be a strong one.
File that one under “Mission accomplished.” When Monroe brought his bag
to the scale, Tournament Director Chris Hoover announced that he needed
5 pounds, 4 ounces to overtake then-leader Stephen Tosh Jr. Monroe’s
first fish nearly filled that bill and adding a second big bass had the
crowd cheering for what was clearly a runaway victory. The next three
were gravy.
“This is great!” Monroe said. “I told myself that if I win, I want to win big, so there’s no losing by 4 ounces.”
By the numbers, Monroe caught a day one limit weighing 21 pounds and
topped the field by a pound and one ounce. He added 27-9 on day two and
blew open the double-digit margin. Day three saw his only limit under
20 pounds – this one a 17-7 effort that brought his 3-day total to 66
pounds. The victory earned Monroe a new Ranger boat, motor and trailer
package.
Fishing the central delta region, Monroe targeted shallow edges with
rocks and matted weeds. He flipped a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver
Texas-rigged with a 1 ½-ounce Tru-Tungsten weight and cast his new
signature series Phat Frog, made by Snag Proof. He also caught fish on
a Revenge buzzbait.
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