HENDERSON, NV - It was perhaps the toughest bass fishing in the 20 years of the U.S. OPEN bass tournaments, but when the final weights were tallied it was a familiar name at the top of the Pro list of 169 anglers on Lake Mead - Mike Folkestad of Yorba Linda, CA - winning his second straight WON BASS Miller High Life U.S. OPEN.
Every angler found it a tough grind to post limits and Folkestad moved from third place on the second round to the top spot with only 4 bass totaling 5.71 pounds. That gave him the title with only 22.56 pounds after winning last year with 29 pounds.
First place in the Pro Division includes $50,000 cash, a Ranger 518VX bass boat and a Ford F-150 truck. The boat and trailer package features a Mercury 175 Optimax outboard, Lowrance depth finders, Trojan batteries and MotorGuide trolling motor. First place is worth more than $115,000.
Second round leader Roy Hawk of Salt Lake City, UT, slipped to 9th place with only 1 bass, but still held onto the tournament's biggest bass, 5.57 pounds on the first round to win the "Big Bass Award" from Forrest L. Wood, founder of Ranger Boats - a special Signature Edition of a Ranger 175VS with a Mercury 90 horsepower engine, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide trolling motor and Trojan batteries - a package valued at $20,000. He also won an additional $6,500 in big fish and big stringer cash prizes.
Second place in the Pro division went to Mark Tyler of Concord, CA, with 22.46 pounds, while third went to Mike Baldwin of Mohave Valley, AZ, with 21.19 pounds.
The AAA division title went to Murph McBride of Pioche, NV, with a 26.01 pound total, earning him $10,000, while Rick Melead of Yorba Linda, CA took second at $5,000 with 23.02 pounds.
The heavy stringer of round 3 earned $2,500 each for Pro Keith Espe of Heber, AZ, and AAA Brian Burt of Bakersfield, CA, with 8.97 pounds for 5 bass.
The five anglers winning $2,000 each for big fish awards on round 3 included: Don Payne of Modesto, 4.35; Bob Ward of Henderson, NV, 3.92; Byron Velvick of Boulder City, NV, 3.40; Rick Reynolds, Sr. of Riverside, 3.35; and Pete Marino of Ontario, CA, 3.28.
| Event Details | Results |
|---|---|
| Circuit | Won Bass |
| Location | Lake Mead |
| Event Date | 2002-09-05 |
| Entries: | 169 |
| Total Paid Out: | $324,800.00 |
| Place | Pro Angler | Fish | Weight | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Folkestad | 14 | 22.56 | $120,000.00 |
| 2 | Mark Tyler | 14 | 22.46 | $22,000.00 |
| 3 | Mike Baldwin | 15 | 21.19 | $17,000.00 |
| 4 | Robert Lee | 13 | 21.14 | $12,000.00 |
| 5 | Don Williams | 15 | 21.01 | $10,000.00 |
| 6 | Boris Antolos | 15 | 20.83 | $8,000.00 |
| 7 | Fred Ward | 15 | 20.61 | $7,000.00 |
| 8 | Byron Velvick | 13 | 20.29 | $8,500.00 |
| 9 | Roy Hawk | 7 | 20.06 | $32,000.00 |
| 10 | Mark Dotterer | 10 | 19.89 | $4,500.00 |
| 11 | Rusty Salewske | 11 | 19.34 | $6,300.00 |
| 12 | Gary Yamamoto | 14 | 19.05 | $4,000.00 |
| 13 | David Nollar | 15 | 18.96 | $3,900.00 |
| 14 | Steve Molinari | 15 | 18.89 | $3,800.00 |
| 15 | Donald Kleifgen | 12 | 18.87 | $3,700.00 |
| 16 | John Mackey | 13 | 18.84 | $3,500.00 |
| 17 | Larry Cross | 12 | 18.77 | $3,400.00 |
| 18 | John Morrow | 14 | 18.75 | $3,400.00 |
| 18 | Rob Vanderkooi | 15 | 18.75 | $3,400.00 |
| 20 | Gary Robson | 10 | 18.61 | $3,400.00 |
| 21 | David Peltier | 14 | 18.41 | $3,000.00 |
| 22 | Kota Kiriyama | 11 | 18.27 | $3,000.00 |
| 23 | Skeet Reese | 12 | 18.13 | $3,000.00 |
| 24 | Don Payne | 11 | 17.90 | $5,000.00 |
| 25 | Yusuke Miyazaki | 15 | 17.87 | $3,000.00 |
| 26 | Mark Kile | 11 | 17.86 | $5,000.00 |
| 27 | Steven Davies | 13 | 17.69 | $3,000.00 |
| 28 | Frank Powell | 14 | 17.54 | $3,000.00 |
| 29 | Bobby Lanham | 11 | 17.26 | $0.00 |
| 30 | Stan Vanderburg | 14 | 17.13 | $0.00 |
| 31 | Chris Dello, Sr | 12 | 16.98 | $0.00 |
| 32 | Gary Thien | 12 | 16.90 | $0.00 |
| 33 | Jesse V Hernandez | 14 | 16.82 | $0.00 |
| 34 | Micah Jones | 15 | 16.71 | $0.00 |
| 35 | Mike Wood | 13 | 16.50 | $0.00 |
| 36 | Don Iovino | 12 | 16.38 | $0.00 |
| 37 | Michael D Hall | 13 | 16.16 | $0.00 |
| 38 | Gregg Warne | 11 | 16.13 | $0.00 |
| 39 | Allen Ruddick | 15 | 15.98 | $0.00 |
| 40 | Keith Espe | 11 | 15.97 | $2,500.00 |
| 41 | Tom Kilduff | 13 | 15.77 | $0.00 |
| 42 | Rich Tauber | 14 | 15.70 | $0.00 |
| 43 | Todd Holder | 12 | 15.63 | $0.00 |
| 44 | Gerald Loughran | 12 | 15.55 | $0.00 |
| 45 | Ray Arbesu | 12 | 15.52 | $0.00 |
| 46 | Jim Lyon | 12 | 15.45 | $0.00 |
| 47 | Roy White | 12 | 15.44 | $0.00 |
| 48 | Patrick Davis | 10 | 15.27 | $0.00 |
| 48 | James Walker | 12 | 15.27 | $0.00 |
| 50 | Luke Clausen | 11 | 15.15 | $0.00 |
| 51 | Casey Iwai | 11 | 15.04 | $0.00 |
| 51 | Dennis Rassmussen | 12 | 15.04 | $0.00 |
| 53 | Jack Trahan | 11 | 14.91 | $0.00 |
| 54 | Keith M Anderson | 11 | 14.89 | $0.00 |
| 55 | Steven R Morris | 9 | 14.81 | $2,000.00 |
| 56 | Rich Iannolo | 8 | 14.78 | $4,500.00 |
| 57 | Charles Keller | 12 | 14.75 | $0.00 |
| 58 | Joe Leonard | 12 | 14.74 | $0.00 |
| 59 | Wayne Carey | 12 | 14.66 | $0.00 |
| 60 | Hironori Kitade | 11 | 14.40 | $0.00 |
| 61 | Jack Preston | 10 | 14.35 | $0.00 |
| 62 | Richard Dutzi | 12 | 14.29 | $0.00 |
| 63 | Ron Cervenka | 12 | 14.20 | $0.00 |
| 64 | Troy Lindhorst | 10 | 13.99 | $0.00 |
| 65 | John Parks | 13 | 13.94 | $0.00 |
| 66 | Harold Adams | 11 | 13.92 | $0.00 |
| 67 | Clyde Evans | 10 | 13.91 | $0.00 |
| 68 | John Murray | 7 | 13.77 | $0.00 |
| 69 | Steve Czerniski | 7 | 13.73 | $2,000.00 |
| 70 | Keisuke Wakunaga | 9 | 13.68 | $0.00 |
| 71 | Jay Hoffman | 11 | 13.67 | $0.00 |
| 72 | Rick Reynolds, Sr | 10 | 13.60 | $2,000.00 |
| 73 | Doug Chapman | 12 | 13.56 | $0.00 |
| 74 | Ricky Shabazz | 12 | 13.53 | $0.00 |
| 75 | Don Finwall | 11 | 13.46 | $0.00 |
| 76 | Neil Campbell | 11 | 13.37 | $0.00 |
| 77 | Morizo Shimizu | 10 | 13.28 | $0.00 |
| 78 | Ted Roper | 10 | 13.05 | $0.00 |
| 79 | Chuck English | 11 | 13.02 | $0.00 |
| 80 | Tim Ludwig | 12 | 12.93 | $0.00 |
| 81 | Doug Chessmore | 9 | 12.91 | $0.00 |
| 82 | Mitch Southern | 9 | 12.83 | $0.00 |
| 82 | Robert Ward | 8 | 12.83 | $2,000.00 |
| 84 | Mark Poe | 11 | 12.81 | $0.00 |
| 85 | Dub Lashot | 11 | 12.71 | $0.00 |
| 86 | Tom Phillips | 9 | 12.43 | $0.00 |
| 87 | Gabe Bolivar | 10 | 12.34 | $0.00 |
| 88 | Ronald R Williams | 9 | 12.31 | $0.00 |
| 89 | Bob Simmons | 8 | 12.13 | $0.00 |
| 90 | Carol Martens | 8 | 11.98 | $0.00 |
| 91 | Ray L Brooks | 10 | 11.97 | $0.00 |
| 92 | Marvin Barellano | 9 | 11.90 | $0.00 |
| 93 | Mike O'shea | 9 | 11.77 | $0.00 |
| 94 | Eric Brewer | 8 | 11.69 | $0.00 |
| 95 | Donavon Sparrow | 8 | 11.67 | $0.00 |
| 96 | Johnny Johnson | 11 | 11.64 | $0.00 |
| 97 | William Siemantel | 10 | 11.54 | $0.00 |
| 98 | Art Berry | 6 | 11.50 | $2,000.00 |
| 99 | Todd Harris | 7 | 11.44 | $0.00 |
| 100 | Bill Mcintosh | 8 | 11.41 | $0.00 |
| 101 | Jerry Huff | 7 | 11.38 | $0.00 |
| 102 | Michael Bush | 8 | 11.19 | $0.00 |
| 103 | Charlie Christy | 10 | 11.18 | $0.00 |
| 103 | Cody Huff | 7 | 11.18 | $0.00 |
| 105 | Dwayne Steel | 10 | 11.10 | $0.00 |
| 106 | Gene Mestas | 9 | 11.00 | $0.00 |
| 107 | Bobby Sandberg | 6 | 10.90 | $0.00 |
| 108 | Scott Mascadri | 8 | 10.74 | $0.00 |
| 109 | Tim Jacobs | 7 | 10.50 | $0.00 |
| 110 | Ron Colby | 6 | 10.45 | $0.00 |
| 111 | Keith Hoffman | 7 | 10.29 | $0.00 |
| 112 | Steve Pike | 7 | 10.26 | $0.00 |
| 113 | Tommy Yazzie | 9 | 10.22 | $0.00 |
| 114 | Ish Monroe | 9 | 10.15 | $0.00 |
| 115 | Jack A Gadlage | 6 | 9.85 | $0.00 |
| 116 | Rusty Brown | 6 | 9.68 | $0.00 |
| 117 | Patrick S Donoho | 6 | 9.56 | $0.00 |
| 118 | Bill Case | 6 | 9.54 | $0.00 |
| 119 | Matt Shura | 9 | 9.50 | $0.00 |
| 120 | Thanh Le | 9 | 9.42 | $0.00 |
| 121 | Mark Rossow | 7 | 9.36 | $0.00 |
| 122 | Dwayne Watson | 6 | 9.30 | $0.00 |
| 123 | Jack Snyder | 7 | 9.21 | $0.00 |
| 124 | Jim Jared | 7 | 9.20 | $0.00 |
| 125 | Jamie Cyphers | 7 | 9.18 | $0.00 |
| 126 | Allen Bratton | 7 | 9.11 | $0.00 |
| 127 | Brett Hite | 7 | 9.09 | $0.00 |
| 128 | Jack Sykes | 7 | 9.02 | $0.00 |
| 129 | William Eastes | 6 | 8.81 | $0.00 |
| 130 | Dennis Kolender | 5 | 8.78 | $0.00 |
| 131 | Chuck Brinkman | 8 | 8.70 | $0.00 |
| 132 | Jeff Grant | 6 | 8.41 | $0.00 |
| 133 | Bob Elliott | 6 | 8.12 | $0.00 |
| 134 | Bill Lanier | 6 | 8.00 | $0.00 |
| 135 | Ray Thurston | 6 | 7.93 | $0.00 |
| 136 | Scott Nielsen | 5 | 7.90 | $0.00 |
| 137 | Derek Yamamoto | 7 | 7.88 | $0.00 |
| 138 | Harry Jioras | 5 | 7.77 | $0.00 |
| 139 | John Haver | 6 | 7.59 | $0.00 |
| 140 | Paul Leader | 6 | 7.45 | $0.00 |
| 141 | Tom Hennies | 7 | 7.37 | $0.00 |
| 142 | Manny Ramirez | 6 | 7.30 | $0.00 |
| 143 | Pat Coghlan | 5 | 7.24 | $0.00 |
| 144 | Jim White | 7 | 7.01 | $0.00 |
| 145 | Bill Hofer | 7 | 6.94 | $0.00 |
| 146 | Tony Markarian | 6 | 6.89 | $0.00 |
| 147 | Chuck Rizuto | 6 | 6.74 | $0.00 |
| 148 | Ronald Berg | 5 | 6.02 | $0.00 |
| 149 | Aaron Leon | 4 | 6.00 | $0.00 |
| 150 | Tim Klinger | 5 | 5.96 | $0.00 |
| 151 | Ron Hammett | 4 | 5.91 | $0.00 |
| 152 | Raymond Leyerly | 4 | 5.86 | $0.00 |
| 153 | Kenneth Davis | 3 | 5.78 | $0.00 |
| 154 | John Rosser | 4 | 5.74 | $0.00 |
| 155 | Don Hunt | 4 | 5.35 | $0.00 |
| 156 | Jason Fox | 4 | 5.23 | $0.00 |
| 157 | Cameron Karber | 3 | 5.12 | $0.00 |
| 157 | Stanley Horn | 4 | 5.12 | $0.00 |
| 159 | John Neibel | 4 | 4.66 | $0.00 |
| 160 | Bobby Ellis | 3 | 4.60 | $0.00 |
| 161 | Brian Myers | 3 | 4.23 | $0.00 |
| 162 | David Gliebe | 2 | 3.81 | $0.00 |
| 163 | Gregory Halliman | 3 | 3.65 | $0.00 |
| 164 | Gerald Webster | 3 | 3.35 | $0.00 |
| 165 | Tom Matsunaga | 3 | 3.30 | $0.00 |
| 166 | Steve Bell | 3 | 3.29 | $0.00 |
| 167 | Robert Hagerty | 3 | 2.99 | $0.00 |
| 168 | Nick Grebb | 2 | 2.43 | $0.00 |
| 169 | Bill Ickes | 1 | 1.41 | $0.00 |
