Virginia’s Crews Bests Reese by Ounce in Elite Series Opener
gengberg March 15th, 2010
Virginia’s Crews Bests Reese by Ounce in Elite Series Opener
Bassmaster Elite angler John Crews of Salem, Virginia boated a five-pounder on his final flip of the 
day to take a one-ounce win over Californian Skeet Reese on the California Delta at Stockton, California. Greg Hackney, Mike Iaconelli and Shaw Grigsby rounded out the top five in the first event of the Bassmaster Elite series.
The equivalent, for an angler, to Lebron James swishing a last-second three-pointer is to land a 5-pounder on the last cast. John Crews of Salem, Va., executed that feat on the California Delta in the grandest of fashions Sunday to score victory at the Duel in the Delta, the Bassmaster Elite Series season-opener.That fish added just enough weight to Crews’ four-day total of 72 pounds, 6 ounces, to best Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., by the slimmest of margins. Reese (72-5) was visibly shaken. Crews wasn’t.
“This is just unbelievable,” said Crews, 31. “When it’s your time, it’s just your time. I knew I was on the fish to win and I never have had that feeling before. I’m almost speechless.”
Fans can catch extended analysis on Bassmaster.com and ESPN2 will recap the entire competition on the Sunday, March 28, edition of The Bassmasters at 10:30 a.m. ET. The episode will air again Saturday, April 17, at 10 a.m. ET.
Crews certainly seemed to have a horseshoe in his back pocket this weekend. But ultimately, Crews identified an area that many of his Elite brethren overlooked. His success can be directly tied to locating an area that was immune to the changing conditions that plagued many on the Delta this week.
Case in point: Crews weighed his heaviest limits on Friday and Sunday. The conditions on those days were on total opposite ends of the spectrum with Sunday producing blue-bird skies while Friday rain, wind and frigid conditions prevailed.
The four-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier concentrated on a dead-end slough that held deep, thick hydrilla in 4 to 8 feet of water depth. He worked the flipping stick slowly and methodically. As with most of the competitors this week, patience was a virtue for Crews as keeper bites were few and far between.
But when he got one, he made it count. He primarily used a sweet beaver through the first three rounds of competition but switched to a Gambler BB Cricket on the final day. The move paid off as Crews brought the only 20-plus pound limit - actually 20-8 - to the scales on Sunday.
“I found that area the first day of practice and actually only got one bite in there,” said Crews, who took his first BASS victory Sunday. “But there was something that looked right there. The water was deeper and the fish weren’t moving. And they were kept off the bank because of the boat traffic. The bite wasn’t tide-dependent and I knew it could be a winning area if I executed.”
The victory is sweet redemption after an “atrocious” beginning to the 2009 Elite season. Though he missed out on qualifying for the 2010 Classic, Crews finally felt he was starting to put something together late last year. Mentally, he said, he was in a good place and he was able to extend the good vibes into this week. Now, his confidence is soaring. Continue Reading »
