St. Croix pro-staffer, Kyle Grover of Rancho Santa Margarita, California, held on to win the 2023 Bass Cat / Mercury WON BASS U.S. Open earlier this week on Lake Nevada’s Lake Mohave by just .24 pounds. Despite the slim margin of victory, Grover caught 20.70, 19.56, and 16.49, respectively, and never relinquished the lead throughout all three days of competition.

This was the 41st installment of the WON BASS U.S. Open, an event that consistently attracts some of the biggest names and talents in professional bass fishing, especially those with western roots. Past U.S. Open Champions include names like Aaron Martens, Rick Clunn, and Gary Klein. The 2023 field included 183 pros, including standouts like Gary Clouse, Chris Zaldain, Gary Klein, Rick Clunn, Clifford Pirch, Bryant Smith, Matty Wong, and Brett Hite, among others.

Grover, 37, targeted Mohave’s roaming offshore schools of smallmouth bass with a dropshot and Lowrance Active Target live sonar.

“I caught 14 of my 15 bass on the same setup,” Grover says. “I was dropshotting a 4.5-inch Straight Tailed Roboworm in Morning Dawn or a Berkley Flatnose Minnow in Brownback on a St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass LBTS73MLXF Dropshot Finesse XL spinning rod.” Those tactics earned Grover the keys to a 2024 Bass Cat Cougar FTD / Mercury 250 ProXS combo from Bass Cat Boats’ president Rick Pierce, that when rigged with Lithium Pro batteries and charger, a Power-Pole Total Boat Control 8’ Blade, trolling motor and electronics will be valued at $82,000. He also earned a cash prize of $74,000, bringing the Champion’s purse to $156,000.

https://www.facebook.com/WONBassTournaments/videos/1497501774371205/

“I’ve put a lot of time in on the water my whole life,” says Grover, who works full time at his family business, Anglers Marine, in Anaheim. “I grew up in southern California and spent every weekend and summer fishing. I spent the first few years of my Pro-am career getting my teeth kicked in and watching my heroes like Aaron Martens win this trophy, so winning here today – my 11th WON BASS U.S. Open – means the world to me. I work a lot on and off the water and am extremely blessed to have the full support of my wife and family in what I do.”

Grover says he’s also grateful to have the support of his sponsors, like St. Croix Rod. “I’ve been on staff with St. Croix for three years now, and the 75-year-old American rod designer and manufacturer is starting to gain a lot more traction out here in the West. Once anglers fish rods like the American-made Legend Tournament Bass, Legend Elite, Legend X, Legend Xtreme or Victory series, they don’t put them down. We’re expanding our dealer base out here to make it easier to get them into western anglers’ hands. It’s an incredible company that makes great products, and they treat me like family.”

So, what’s next for 2023 WON BASS U.S. Open Champion, Kyle Grover? “We have one more tournament next month… the Arizona Open on Lake Havasu that got canceled last February,” he says. “That’ll be a fun one to fish, then it’ll be time to start looking forward to next season.”

Complete results and additional information can be found at wonbassevents.com

About St. Croix Rod
Headquartered in Park Falls, Wisconsin, St. Croix has been proudly crafting the “Best Rods on Earth” for 75 years. Combining state-of-the-art manufacturing processes with skilled craftsmanship, St. Croix is the only major producer to still build rods entirely from design through manufacturing. The company remains family-owned and operates duplicate manufacturing facilities in Park Falls and Fresnillo, Mexico. With popular trademarked series such as Legend®, Legend Xtreme®, Avid®, Premier®, Imperial®, Triumph® and Mojo, St. Croix is revered by all types of anglers from around the world.

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