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.