LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Rich Tauber, a 24-year-old public relations representative for fishing equipment companies, wrapped up the $303,000 Western Bass U.S. Open at Lake Mead Saturday by grabbing the top prize of $50,000.
The tournament, the richest in fishing history, attracted 262 anglers from 26 states who survived searing desert heat of more than 110 degrees on the final day.
Tauber, of Woodland Hills, Calif., entered Saturday's final round with a slim lead over another 24-year-old, Gary Klein. But Tauber turned in a five-fish limit of largemouth bass that weighed 10.21 pounds, giving him a four-day total of 37.38 pounds. Klein, of Oroville, Calif., finished fourth.
Turning in the heaviest limit of bass Saturday was Guido Hibdon of Versailles, Mo. Hibdon's final-day surge left him in second place with a prize of $20,000. Third was defending tournament champion Greg Hines of Santa Ana, Calif.
Rounding out the top 10 were Rick Butler of Ventura, Calif., Roland Martin of Clewiston, Fla., Larry Nixon of Hemphill, Texas, Renaud Pelletier of Longview, Wash., Chuck English of Cypress, Calif., and Mike Folkestad of Anaheim, Calif.
Tauber was presented with the $50,000 in stacks of $50 bills at Saturday night's award ceremonies.
| Event Details | Results |
|---|---|
| Circuit | Won Bass |
| Location | Lake Mead |
| Event Date | 1982-08-18 |
| Entries: | 100 |
| Total Paid Out: | $215,500.00 |
| Place | Pro Angler | Fish | Weight | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rich Tauber | 0 | 37.38 | $50,000.00 |
| 2 | Guido Hibdon | 0 | 37.03 | $20,000.00 |
| 3 | Greg Hines | 0 | 36.14 | $11,000.00 |
| 4 | Gary Klein | 18 | 33.57 | $9,000.00 |
| 5 | Rick Butler | 0 | 33.45 | $8,000.00 |
| 6 | Roland Martin | 0 | 30.27 | $7,000.00 |
| 7 | Larry Nixon | 0 | 29.53 | $6,000.00 |
| 8 | Renaud Pelletier | 0 | 28.52 | $5,000.00 |
| 9 | Chuch English | 0 | 27.63 | $4,500.00 |
| 10 | Mike Folkestad | 0 | 27.49 | $4,000.00 |
| 11 | Rick Clunn | 0 | 26.68 | $3,000.00 |
| 12 | Bobby Garland | 0 | 26.46 | $3,000.00 |
| 13 | Jeff Davison | 0 | 26.07 | $3,000.00 |
| 14 | Dwayne Watson | 0 | 25.86 | $3,000.00 |
| 15 | Charles Campbell | 0 | 25.02 | $3,000.00 |
| 16 | DC Cooper | 0 | 24.74 | $3,000.00 |
| 17 | David Gliebe | 0 | 0.00 | $3,000.00 |
| 18 | Jay Hoffman | 0 | 24.27 | $3,000.00 |
| 19 | Ricky Green | 0 | 24.22 | $3,000.00 |
| 20 | Harold Allen | 0 | 23.77 | $3,000.00 |
| 21 | Greg Smith | 0 | 23.56 | $2,000.00 |
| 22 | Tom Edwards | 0 | 23.33 | $2,000.00 |
| 23 | Randy Dearman | 0 | 23.19 | $2,000.00 |
| 24 | Randy Fite | 0 | 23.18 | $2,000.00 |
| 25 | Cliff Craft | 0 | 23.02 | $2,000.00 |
| 26 | Ron Glover | 0 | 22.60 | $2,000.00 |
| 27 | Byron Frankenberger, Jr | 0 | 22.46 | $2,000.00 |
| 28 | Keith Clow | 0 | 22.27 | $2,000.00 |
| 29 | Don Iovino | 0 | 22.16 | $2,000.00 |
| 30 | Fred Ward | 0 | 21.97 | $2,000.00 |
| 31 | Dee Thomas | 0 | 21.44 | $1,500.00 |
| 32 | Larry Hopper | 0 | 21.40 | $1,500.00 |
| 33 | Patrick S Donoho | 0 | 21.39 | $1,500.00 |
| 34 | John Bedwell | 0 | 20.43 | $1,500.00 |
| 35 | Rex Acker | 0 | 20.31 | $1,500.00 |
| 36 | Jerry Wood | 0 | 20.27 | $1,500.00 |
| 37 | Don Price | 0 | 20.17 | $1,500.00 |
| 38 | Gary Yamamoto | 0 | 20.12 | $1,500.00 |
| 39 | Ron Resler | 0 | 19.97 | $1,500.00 |
| 40 | Bo Dowden | 0 | 19.79 | $1,500.00 |
| 41 | Rayborn Waits | 0 | 19.67 | $1,500.00 |
| 42 | Chet Douthitt | 0 | 19.62 | $1,500.00 |
| 43 | Pat Duncan | 0 | 19.20 | $1,500.00 |
| 44 | Lendell Martin | 0 | 19.16 | $1,500.00 |
| 45 | David Bunn | 0 | 19.06 | $1,500.00 |
| 46 | Stacy King | 0 | 18.99 | $1,500.00 |
| 47 | Samn Schattenberg | 0 | 18.38 | $1,500.00 |
| 48 | Howard Abshere | 0 | 18.37 | $1,500.00 |
| 49 | Bob Pinto | 0 | 18.19 | $1,500.00 |
| 50 | Ken M oss | 0 | 18.17 | $1,500.00 |
| 51 | Jerry Rhyne | 0 | 17.91 | $1,000.00 |
| 52 | Ron Shearer | 0 | 17.88 | $1,000.00 |
| 53 | Rick Seaman | 0 | 17.86 | $1,000.00 |
| 54 | Hank Fohring | 0 | 17.80 | $1,000.00 |
| 55 | Gary Robson | 0 | 17.77 | $1,000.00 |
| 56 | Fred Kunkle | 0 | 17.74 | $1,000.00 |
| 57 | Ray Thurston | 0 | 17.72 | $1,000.00 |
| 58 | Bob Ferias | 0 | 17.32 | $1,000.00 |
| 59 | Elmer Paul | 0 | 17.30 | $1,000.00 |
| 60 | Steve Penfield | 0 | 17.28 | $1,000.00 |
| 61 | Clay Soward | 0 | 16.94 | $1,000.00 |
| 62 | Dave Nollar | 0 | 16.73 | $0.00 |
| 63 | Bill Davis | 0 | 16.63 | $0.00 |
| 64 | Wally Augst | 0 | 16.62 | $0.00 |
| 65 | Steve Oliver | 0 | 16.49 | $0.00 |
| 66 | Art Price | 0 | 16.40 | $0.00 |
| 67 | Joe Wilson | 0 | 16.34 | $0.00 |
| 68 | Danny Westfall | 0 | 16.31 | $0.00 |
| 69 | Kent Ross | 0 | 16.31 | $0.00 |
| 70 | Richard Hendrix | 0 | 16.15 | $0.00 |
| 71 | Carroll Hillyer | 0 | 15.97 | $0.00 |
| 72 | Tom Guenther | 0 | 15.94 | $0.00 |
| 73 | Tommy Martin | 0 | 15.92 | $0.00 |
| 74 | Paul Chapin | 0 | 15.91 | $0.00 |
| 75 | Steve Howard | 0 | 15.80 | $0.00 |
| 76 | Bob Cagle | 0 | 15.53 | $0.00 |
| 77 | Chuck Boydstun | 0 | 15.45 | $0.00 |
| 78 | Ron Haskell | 0 | 15.22 | $0.00 |
| 79 | Billy Echart | 0 | 15.16 | $0.00 |
| 80 | Tim Giffen | 0 | 15.09 | $0.00 |
| 81 | Lonney Stanley | 0 | 15.07 | $0.00 |
| 82 | Otto Davison | 0 | 15.00 | $0.00 |
| 83 | Jerry Loughran | 0 | 14.97 | $0.00 |
| 84 | Steve Bell | 0 | 14.95 | $0.00 |
| 85 | Larry Hines | 0 | 14.88 | $0.00 |
| 86 | Floyd Preas | 0 | 14.71 | $0.00 |
| 87 | John Wilder | 0 | 14.68 | $0.00 |
| 88 | Bill Caldwell | 0 | 14.64 | $0.00 |
| 89 | HG Listiak | 0 | 14.64 | $0.00 |
| 90 | Bud Allen | 0 | 14.61 | $0.00 |
| 91 | Dave Myers | 0 | 14.33 | $0.00 |
| 92 | Ewell Parker | 0 | 14.23 | $0.00 |
| 93 | Butch Ray | 0 | 14.15 | $0.00 |
| 94 | Ted Roper | 0 | 14.05 | $0.00 |
| 95 | Bob McKnown | 0 | 14.05 | $0.00 |
| 96 | Mike Jeffcoat | 0 | 13.84 | $0.00 |
| 97 | Russ Barger | 0 | 13.71 | $0.00 |
| 98 | Dave Barker | 0 | 13.30 | $0.00 |
| 99 | Jim Beneda | 0 | 13.25 | $0.00 |
| 100 | Gerry Ognibene | 0 | 13.16 | $0.00 |
