Mike Folkestad wins second
straight U.S. OPEN tourney

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.