Lake Havasu City, Ariz. – May 17, 2024 – If there had been betting odds for the top contenders in the 2024 Ranger Boats WON Bass Lake Havasu Open presented by Mercury, Bridgford Foods pro Joe Uribe Jr. would have been a clear favorite. The Phoenix, Ariz. pro has a strong track record of major wins at Lake Havasu, and today he added another victory under the shadow of London Bridge.
After the second day, Uribe was leading by less than an ounce over second-place Kurt Dove from Del Rio, Tex., and slightly more than Micah Jones of Kingman, Ariz., in third place. Among the competitors, the consensus was that the angler who could post 18 pounds on the final day would likely secure the win.
Uribe, the last angler to weigh in at the Riviera Marina, posted 17.93 pounds on the WON Bass scales, clinching his second WON Bass Lake Havasu Open victory with a three-day total weight of 57.31 pounds. Jones finished third with 54.40 pounds, while Dove slipped to third with 53.38 pounds. Lake Havasu City, Ariz. pro Roy Hawk finished fourth with 53 pounds, and Todd Kline of San Clemente, Calif. took fifth place with 51.88 pounds.
Throughout the three-day event, Uribe used various techniques to catch fish. He described the first day as a “junk fishing fest” to determine what he needed to focus on. Late in the first afternoon, he identified the right combination of depth, cover, and technique, which formed his ultimate pattern. “I figured out a specific combination of depth, cover, and technique that afternoon, and once that came together, I knew exactly what to target,” he said. “While I caught a few fish on a spinnerbait and a squarebill, most of the weight came from flipping matted grass and laydown tules in 3 to 5 feet of water, which was key.”
Uribe credited the late Aaron Martens, a three-time WON Bass U.S. Open Champion, who had won a Bassmaster Elite Series on Lake Havasu by targeting matted tules in deeper water with a Flipping rig, as his inspiration. “I remembered that Aaron had won around this time of year, so I kept that in mind during the event,” he said. “When I found the bite, I got excited and each time I caught a fish, I thanked Aaron. I could feel him looking down on me.”
Uribe’s pattern relied on a slightly scaled-down “Finesse Flipping” setup. He used a 7’3” heavy action Daiwa Tatula Elite Takahiro Omori Pitching rod with an 8.1:1 Tatula Elite Pitching and Flipping reel spooled with 40-pound-test Sunline FX-2 braided line. He threaded a 3/4-ounce VOSS Tungsten Flipping weight and tied a 3/0 Gamakatsu Finesse Flipping hook, rigged with a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver 4.20 in Big Texan color.
Uribe noted that the postspawn females he targeted were sheltering in the shad around matted vegetation blown into pockets in Windsor Bay and near the river mouth. “I am so blessed to have won this tournament. I fished freely and cleanly, feeling The Lord was watching over me,” he said. “It was a great event and a lot of fun; I don’t think I’ll ever tire of playing this game and having the chance to do well.”
Second place finisher Jones spent much of his event behind the wheel of his boat. In an interview with WON Bass Tournament Director Bill Egan, Jones described his week. “I ran a total of 210 miles in the three days of the event and I’m exhausted,” he said. “I used a spinnerbait and a Raid Baits swimbait to catch all of my fish this week, and while I’d loved to have won, these are hard tournaments to get; I’m stoked to have finished second.”
In the AAA Division, James Fenney III of Vista, Calif. claimed the title of Champion with a three-day total weight of 51.62 pounds. He outlasted David Crunden of Lake Havasu City, Ariz. who finished second with 51.24 pounds. Third place in the AAA Division went to Adam Gragg of Acton, Calif. with 50.92 pounds, he was followed in fourth place by Ronnie Orbaker of Madera, Calif. with 50.22 pounds and Eric Norgard of Monrovia, Calif. finished fifth with 50.08 pounds.
Each of the pros and AAA anglers who finish in the top five will also earn a Golden Ticket berth into the 2025 Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Championship for a chance to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic
The top 10 in each division are posted below: for complete standings, visit https://wonbassevents.com/pages/lake-havasu-open-2024-pairings-results
WON Bass Lake Havasu Open 5/15 to 5/17/2024 | ||||||||
| Place | Pro Day 3 | Hometown | Fish | Pnlty | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Total |
| 1 | Joe Uribe, Jr. | Surprise AZ | 15-15 | 17.21 | 22.17 | 17.93 | 57.31 | |
| 2 | Micah Jones | Kingman AZ | 15-15 | 20.86 | 18.37 | 15.17 | 54.40 | |
| 3 | Kurt Dove | Del Rio TX | 15-15 | 18.49 | 20.79 | 14.10 | 53.38 | |
| 4 | Roy Hawk | Lake Havasu City AZ | 15-15 | 17.39 | 17.69 | 17.92 | 53.00 | |
| 5 | Todd Kline | San Clemente CA | 15-15 | 18.38 | 17.52 | 15.98 | 51.88 | |
| 6 | Zack Hayes | Blythe CA | 15-15 | 17.14 | 17.70 | 16.55 | 51.39 | |
| 7 | Jerry Ballesteros | Rancho Cucamonga CA | 15-15 | 18.15 | 14.58 | 17.72 | 50.45 | |
| 8 | Bill Brown | Grand Junction CO | 15-15 | 16.73 | 15.70 | 18.01 | 50.44 | |
| 9 | David Thies | Lake Havasu City CA | 15-15 | 17.05 | 16.25 | 15.75 | 49.05 | |
| 10 | J D Blackamore | Yorba Linda CA | 15-15 | 15.42 | 16.60 | 16.68 | 48.70 | |
| Place | AAA Angler Day 3 | Hometown | Fish | Pnlty | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Total |
| 1 | James Fenney, III | Vista CA | 15-15 | 19.94 | 15.23 | 16.45 | 51.62 | |
| 2 | David Crunden | Lake Havasu City AZ | 15-15 | 0.50 | 15.20 | 22.17 | 13.87 | 51.24 |
| 3 | Adam Gragg | Acton CA | 15-15 | 18.41 | 14.03 | 18.48 | 50.92 | |
| 4 | Ronnie Orbaker | Madera CA | 15-15 | 20.86 | 14.04 | 15.32 | 50.22 | |
| 5 | Eric Norgard | Monrovia CA | 15-15 | 15.59 | 17.24 | 17.25 | 50.08 | |
| 6 | Wesley Nunley | Washington UT | 15-15 | 16.73 | 19.04 | 13.81 | 49.58 | |
| 7 | Anthony Hunt | Clovis CA | 15-15 | 17.05 | 15.61 | 16.78 | 49.44 | |
| 8 | Dave Phillips | Nampa ID | 15-15 | 16.82 | 15.95 | 16.07 | 48.84 | |
| 9 | David Childress | Bakersfield CA | 15-15 | 17.52 | 15.11 | 15.95 | 48.58 | |
| 10 | Damon Motley | Orange CA | 15-15 | 17.26 | 13.33 | 17.92 | 48.51 |
As the winner of the 2024 Ranger Boats WON Bass Lake Havasu Open presented by Mercury, Joe Uribe Jr. earns the Ranger Boats / Mercury Motor prize boat provided by Bass Pro Shops, and the Golden Tickets to the 2025 Bassmaster BASS Nation National Championship will be awarded to the top five Pro and AAA anglers and will further develop the season long competition to see who will receive guaranteed slots into the 2025 Bassmaster Opens Elite Qualifiers.
The 2024 WON Bass Western Opens Series of events consisting of five events in California, Arizona and Nevada moves next to the California Open at Clear Lake April 17 to 19, 2024. The series will culminate with the 2024 WON Bass U.S. Open at Lake Mohave in October.
The full schedule of the five event dates are as follows:
Jan. 31–Feb. 2, Lake Shasta – Champion Nick Wood – 47.42 pounds
April 17-19, Clear Lake – Champion Austin Bonjour – 83.28 pounds
May 15-17, Lake Havasu – Champion Joe Uribe Jr. – 57.31 pounds
Sept. 18-20, Lake Mead
Oct. 14-16, U.S. Open at Lake Mohave
For complete details to register for future events, or to find results, look to wonbassevents.com and WONews.com to hear the latest news about the 2024 season and beyond and follow along at Facebook.com/WONBassTournaments.
The 2024 WON Bass Lake Havasu Open was brought to you by Bass Pro Shops, Ranger Boats, Mercury Marine, Nitro Boats, Triton Boats, Bridgford Foods, Phenix Rods, Yamamoto Baits, Bill Lewis Lures, Buckeye Lures, Steel Shad, Bioenno Power, SOG Knives, Cold Steel Knives, Gamma Line, Power Pole, Lowrance, Daiwa, AFTCO, Costa, Berkley, Abu Garcia, DD26 Fishing, Anderson Toyota, A&M Graphics, Anglers Marine and Signature Gates.
Local presenting sponsors were Go Lake Havasu, Anderson Toyota and Riviera Marina. Daily takeoffs and weigh-ins were being conducted at Riviera Marina.