Crochet wins BASSMASTER Open

Local favorite Cliff Crochet, from Pierre Part, roared back from 27th place on day 1 to win the Bass Pro Shops BASSMASTER Central Open, held in the Atchafalaya Basin and a ticket to the BASSMASTERS’s Classic Saturday.
Crochet’s first day 5 fish catch on Thursday totaled just 11 pounds 14 ounces. What’s more, many of the nearly 300 anglers mainly from Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas found the first two days of the Central Open a grind.
By Friday evening on Day 2, it appeared Fred Roumbanis, from London, Arkansas, had the best shot at winning the event. He led the field of pro anglers after both day 1 and day 2.
What’s more, Roumbanis led his closest competitor BASS MASTER Elite Angler, Greg Hackney, by 6 pounds 5 ounces. Hackney’s two-day total weighed 29 pound 10 ounces.
Meanwhile, Crochet’s 16 pound 4 ounce second day catch moved him up from 27th place to 6th – good enough to make the final day field of 12 pro anglers.
Crochet would start out day 3, 7 pounds 13 ounces behind leader Roumbanis. Roumbanis decided to fish the same areas he fished on days 1 and 2, but struggled only weighing in 2 fish that totaled 3 pounds 8 ounces.
As a result, it opened the door for Hackney, Crochet and several other anglers.
In the end it would be Crochet’s 5 fish, 18 pound 4 ounce stringer that would push him to the top, winning the Atchafalaya Basin Central Open over second place Hackney by just over 4 pounds. Crochet’s three-day weight total was 46 pounds 6 ounces and Hackney’s was 42 pounds 4 ounces.
Literally fishing in his own backyard, Cajun Baby did what he does best using a technique punching grass using a 1-1/2 ounce weight fixed with a Luck-E-Strike creature bait.
The day 1 and 2, weigh-ins, were held at the Jesse Fontenot Memorial Boat Landing in Berwick and the final day weigh in was held at Bass Pro Shop in Denham Springs. The Cajun Coast Visitors and Convention Bureau hosted the local event.
The Atchafalaya Basin Central Open was Crochet’s first B.A.S.S. win. Crochet’s 1st Place win Grand Prize was a $45,000 Skeeter ZX200/Yamaha VF200LA bass boat rig and $6,741 cash.
Top Co-angler for the event was Blake Naquin from Thibodaux. Naquin won a $30,000 Nitro Z18/Mercury 150 Pro XS bass boat package for his 23 pound 9 ounce three day total weight of fish.
Hunter Parra of Houma took home a check for $750 for tournament big bass – a whopper that weighed 7 pounds 12 ounces that he caught on day 1.
Crochet will compete in the 2017 Geico Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro, held on Lake Conroe, Houston, Texas, March 24-26, 2017.