R2S Pro Staff Zack Birge Wins 2014 FLW Rayovac Championship
Richmond, CA – November 4, 2014 – Any time a valued member of a pro staff wins a tournament, a company takes a lot of pride and joy in the accomplishment. When that tournament is a major National Championship, and one of theirproducts is an integral part of the win, the feelings are matched with opportunity.
That is precisely what occurred when Zack Birge, a River2Sea Pro Staffer from Blanchard, Okla. won the 2014 FLW Rayovac National Championship on Wheeler Lake out of Decatur, Ala. on Saturday November 1. Birge started the eventwith a 10-pound, 15-ounce limit, then rebounded with a 17-pound, 1-ounce bag on day two to move into third place. Onthe final day, he smashed a 19-pound limit to climb the rest of the way to the victory with a total of 47 pounds for thethree-day event.
Birge credited the 1/2-ounce River2Sea Ish Monroe Bling Spinnerbait for much of his catch, largely because the unique design of the blades produces stronger vibration patterns and flash of the exclusive Bling blades helped pull fish from thecover better than other spinnerbaits of its size.
“I was fishing logjams on the edges of a sandy flat, and when the current picked up, the fish I could see suspended on my fishfinders would move to the logjams, and I could slow roll the spinnerbaits to create strikes,” said Birge. “I caught themajority of my fish on the “I Know It” colored tandem Colorado / willowleaf bladed Bling, but a few other of my largerfish on 3/4-ounce spinnerbait I modified with a much larger blade and some other on the spot color modifications.”
Birge reported having to slow the bait down as much as he could, but still had to choose equipment to control fish oncethey struck. He threw his Bling spinnerbait on 7’4″ medium-heavy Phenix M1 casting rod paired with a 7.1:1 Lew’sTournament Pro MG casting reel spooled with 20-pound-test Sunline FC Sniper Fluorocarbon line. “I wanted to throw a slower reel to keep the retrieve slower,” he said. “But, I needed the high speed of my Lew’s reel and the additional power and length of my Phenix M1 to keep them from burying in the logjams once I hooked them.”
As an achievement, Birge said he is still overwhelmed by the accomplishment. “I set out to qualify for the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup and beat the other 29 competitors in my region,” he said. “But, to have won the entire eventand beat FLW Tour pros like Jay Yelas, Bryan Thrift and Chris Baumgartner in the process, I can’t even begin to say how much it means to me. I am truly blessed to be in this position.”
Simon Chan, president of River2Sea said he and the company are also blessed by the accomplishment and proud of what it represents. “We are very happy for Zack and his win. He is a talented young angler, who has been a great part of our team dating back to his being a Collegiate National Champion angler,” said Chan.”Along with that, his winning on the Bling shows how effective our efforts to produce pro inspired baits is. Ish (Monroe) and our team work very hard to produce great lures, and this win shows the quality of our team and the strength of our design and manufacturing; this was not only a major win for Zack, but a win for our whole program; I’m proud for the whole group here with this victory.”
River2Sea USA manufactures products for both fresh and saltwater applications. The product line features the highest quality materials and workmanship available in the business today. From the surface to the bottom, and in the tackle stores they make lures that produce results… from River2Sea.
