Martens dominates field in U.S. Open bass fishing victory

Outdoor News Service

When Aaron Martens, formerly a Southern California boy who now lives in of Leeds, Ala. won the 2005 WON BASS U.S. Open at Lake Mead last week, he did so in impressive fashion. A look at the numbers really shows how superior Martens was in the win.

Martens’ winning total weight of his 15 fish over the three days of the competition was 36.40 pounds for an average of 2.43 pounds per bass. He won the event by an incredible 7.02 pounds over second place finisher Shawn Bailey of Agoura Hills, who had a 29.38-pound total for his 15 fish. Bailey’s average fish was 1.96 pounds, nearly a half-pound lighter than Martens’ winning average.

Martens won $128,000, while Bailey won $20,000.

Now stay with me for a minute. Big fish of the tournament was a 4.63-pound largemouth landed by the legendary bass angler Rick Clunn, who finished in 24th place with 22.46 pounds of bass. Clunn only weighed in 13 bass, instead of a 15 fish limit. His average fish, excluding the big one, was 1.48 pounds. He won $4,000, which included $2,000 for big fish of the day and $2,000 for his 24th place finish.

If Clunn had caught just two more bass averaging 1.48 pounds each, including the big bass, he would have vaulted from 24th place into 8th place, winning another $2,000, but still far below Martens. If the big fish would just have been the size of his average, he would have dropped into 52nd place and wouldn’t have won a dime.

My buddy Mitch Southern from San Bernardino finished in 59th place with 18.56 pounds of bass, landing just 13 fish like Clunn. His average fish weighed 1.43 pounds, almost identical to Clunn’s average. If Mitch would have caught just two more keeper fish the size of his average fish, he would have jumped to 25th place, just a snick under Clunn and into the prize money. But still not remotely close to Martens.

There were only two anglers in the top 10 who did not have 15 fish limits, Kevin Caruso of Glendale, Ariz., in 8th with 25.39 pounds for 14 fish, and Tim Klinger of Boulder City, Nev., in 10th with 24.60 pounds for 14 fish. Caruso’s average fish was 1.81 pounds, while Klinger’s was 1.76. But Klinger had a 3.74-pound bass as his kicker fish, while Caruso’s big fish was only 2.34 pounds.

Without the big fish, Klinger’s average fish was 1.6 pounds, almost the same as Clunn’s and Southern’s fish.

The reality is that there were 80 anglers in the middle of this pack who could have been in the money with just one or two more fish, or one or two slightly bigger fish. The worst place finish of anyone who had 15 fish was 53rd, and his average was 1.27 pounds for a 19.09 total. Clunn’s big fish would have put Don Allphin of Provo, Utah, well into the money, too.

But for anyone from second place on down to have caught Martens, it would have taken not one, but two or three or four large fish. Martens’ big fish was a 3.62-pounder, and even without that bass, his average fish was still 2.34 pounds, about a half-pound heavier than most everyone else in the field, and he still would have won the event without his biggest fish in the tournament. In fact, he could have won the event by weighing in only 12 of his biggest fish.

Martens, who is the 2005 B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year, proved he deserved the title at Lake Mead. He caught limits each day, and he fished a topwater walking bait called a Vixen most of the time.

But second-place finisher Bailey fished the same bait.

For about 80 guys at Lake Mead, finishing in the money was a matter of luck -- a lost bass at the boat, a keeper fish on the last cast of the day. For Martens it was clearly something else.

In fact, you have to wonder if Martens is the Tiger Woods of bass fishing.