Logan Maltese Takes Day One Lead at WON Bass Lake Havasu Open

Logan Maltese Takes Day One Lead at WON Bass Lake Havasu Open

Three-time AOY Kyle Grover Sits in Second Place after Opening Round

 Lake Havasu City, Ariz. – May 7, 2026 –– As the first morning of the 2026 WON Bass Lake Havasu Open presented by Ranger Boats and Mercury started at Lake Havasu, the conditions had turned.  While the practice period was cooler than typical with some cloud cover, the opening morning was greeted with sun, high skies and temperatures expected to reach into the triple digits.

 However hot it gets, the largemouth and smallmouth bass at Lake Havasu are accustomed to the temperatures.  While the black bass population will adjust, it can take a little longer for the anglers in the 125 boat field to find their footing.  However, when battling for the 2026 Ranger Boats Z518 powered by a Mercury ProXS 150 prize boat provided by Bass Pro Shops, the anglers find a way to turn it up a tick. 

 Turn it up they did.

 Lake Havasu, City, Ariz. pro Logan Maltese and his AAA partner Dennis Saiki from Torrance, Calif. were the pair that performed the best.  The pair brought an 18.94-pound limit to the scales to grab the opening round lead of the tournament.  No stranger to WON Bass competition and success, three-time WON Bass Angler of the Year Kyle Grover from Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. and his AAA partner Sean Stansberry of Montrose, Colo. Landed in second place with 18.62 pounds.

 They were followed in third place by Lake Havasu, City, Ariz pro Jason Marquez and Sun City, Ariz. AAA Dean Simpson III with 18.56 pounds.  Fourth place went to Las Vegas, Nev. pro Cody Steckel and his AAA draw Hayden White of Mesa, Ariz. with 18.52 pounds and pro Fisher Griffith of Sun City, Ariz. and his AAA partner Levi Shelton of Flagstaff, Ariz. rounded out the top five in their respective divisions with 18.46 pounds.

 Maltese the 19-year-old local competing in his first pro tournament reported having a pair of power fishing patterns and a finesse tactic that produced his limit. He reported spending the bulk of his day midlake, catching 15 keepers for the day.  “I started the morning with a topwater bait I got at Bass Tackle Master around mixed cover to get started, then turned to flipping as the day progressed,” he said.  “I mixed in a little bit of finesse fishing mid-day and then went back to the cover to finish my limit late.”

 He said he was able to run his program free of traffic, only coming across competitors later in the day.  “I was able to get on everything I wanted until late,” he said.  “It was not expected because I was in the last flight, but I’ll have even more opportunity tomorrow and be able to start where I want again; I’m looking forward to it.”

 Grover, the back-to-back defending Angler of the Year and 2024 WON Bass U.S. Open Champion is no stranger to podium finishes.  He reported practicing for the increase in temperatures and a change in conditions but said he had no discernable pattern to lean on.  “This was junk fishing at its finest today, I caught them from the mouth of the river to three quarters downlake on multiple lures,” he said.  “I literally weighed five fish that I caught on five different techniques today ad I caught them from the bank to 25 feet deep.”

 His experience with the fishery helped.  “I was just Colorado River fishing today, reading the conditions and the water and fishing by my gut,” he said.  “Hopefully I will be able to put it together each day; there’s a lot more fishing to do.”

 The daily livestream of the weigh-ins aired at Facebook.com/WONBassTournaments. Daily weigh-ins from Havasu Riviera Marina in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. begin after the first flight checks in at 3:00 PM Pacific Time.

 The Top 10 in each division are below, for complete standings go to: https://wonbassevents.com/pages/lake-havasu-open-pairings-results

 2026 WON Bass Lake Havasu Open Day One Pro Standings

Place	Angler	Hometown	Fish	B/B	Total
1	Logan Maltese	Lake Havasu City AZ	5-5	5.41	18.94
2	Kyle Grover	Rancho Santa Margarita CA	5-5		18.62
3	Jason Marquez	Lake Havasu City AZ	5-5	4.98	18.56
4	Cody Steckel	Las Vegas NV	5-5	6.50	18.52
5	Fisher Griffith	Mesa AZ	5-5		18.46
6	Dylan Maxon	Sun City AZ	5-5	4.49	18.16
7	Garrett Howard	Riverside CA	5-5	4.99	18.07
8	Maxwell Cawthon	Menifee CA	5-5	7.76	17.41
9	Shaun Bailey	Fontana CA	5-5		16.87
10	Brandon Kuehl	Peoria AZ	5-5		16.74

 

2026 WON Bass Lake Havasu Open Day One AAA Standings

Place	Angler	Hometown	Fish	B/B	Total
1	Dennis Saiki	Torrance CA	5-5		18.94
2	Sean Stansberry	Montrose CO	5-5		18.62
3	Dean Simpson Ill	Sun City AZ	5-5	4.71	18.56
4	Hayden White	Mesa AZ	5-5		18.52
5	Levi Shelton	Flagstaff AZ	5-5	5.35	18.46
6	Jason Cloke	Poway CA	5-5		18.16
7	Christopher Adams	Peoria AZ	5-5		18.07
8	Joe Balistreri	Menifee CA	5-5		17.41
9	James Gammelgaard	Waddell AZ	5-5		16.87
10	Frank Johnson	Indian Springs NV	5-5		16.74

 

 

The 2026 WON Bass Western Opens Series of events Consisting of five events in California, Arizona and Nevada, will culminate with the 2026 WON Bass U.S. Open at Lake Mead in October.  The five event dates are as follows:

 Jan. 8 to 10, 2026 – Clear Lake – Champion Garrett Ellenson – 98.37 pounds
Feb. 19 to 21, 2026 - Lake Shasta – Champion Brennan Osborn – 62.28 pounds

April 16 to 18, 2026 - Clear Lake – Champion - Garrett Ellenson – 95.87 pounds

May 7 to 9, 2026 - Lake Havasu

Oct. 9 to 11, 2026 - U.S. Open at Lake Mead

 

For complete details or to register, look to wonbassevents.com and WONews.com to hear the latest news about the 2026 season and beyond and follow along at Facebook.com/WONBassTournaments.

The 2026 WON Bass Clear Lake Open is brought to you by Bass Pro Shops, Ranger Boats, Mercury Marine, Bridgford Foods, AFTCO, Power Pole, Costa, Berkley, Gamakatsu, Okuma, Lowrance, Stealth Lithium Batteries, Daiwa, G-Ratt Baits, Reese Fishing, Signature Gates, Abu Garcia, DD26 and Fenwick

 

Local presenting sponsor is Anderson Toyota