Deanna Moreno waited until the camera boat arrived to catch her biggest bass of
Day 3 at the California Delta .
PHOTOS BY JOHN ZEOLLA
Moreno made her first victory look easy , topping 40 pounds over three days and winning by 4-5 .
History Made
Deanna Moreno and Rachel Uribe made history with their 1-2 finish at the California Delta
By Mitchell Forde
Alongside her faithful companion , Marco , Rachel Uribe logged her sixth top-five finish in MLF competition .
n the 24 hours since she ’ d taken over the top spot of the Strike King
I co-angler standings on the California Delta , Deanna Moreno had been “ super nervous .” Across 18 years of bass fishing and eight competing in Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats events , she ’ d imagined what it might be like to lift a trophy , and as she climbed onto the stage at Big Break Marina in Oakley , California , on June 7 , she knew she finally had the fish in her weigh bag to do so .
And yet , a small part of Moreno wasn ’ t so sure she wanted to win . That ’ s because waiting for her on stage as the current co-angler leader was Rachel Uribe .
The two women , both nurses , have grown close during their years competing against one another in the Western Division Presented by Tackle Warehouse . Plus , Moreno knew that Uribe had come agonizingly close to capturing her first win and the Phoenix Boats prize package that comes with it in the past , with five prior top-five finishes .
“ Actually , it ’ s funny , because I kind of wanted Rachel to win ,” Moreno said with a chuckle . “ I hate to say it , now that I know , I wouldn ’ t have taken the first place . I kind of really wanted Rachel to win , because she said if she won that boat , she was going to go as a pro .”
While it was Moreno who secured the victory with a 13-pound , 1- ounce limit , which boosted her three-day total to 40-15 , the two women combined to make Major League Fishing history . Moreno became the third woman ever to win a Toyota Series event , the first since 2001 and the first ever in the Western Division . And with Uribe ’ s runner-up showing , they became the first pair of women to finish first and second at any MLF / FLW event .
“ I ’ m honored to be on the stage with her ,” Moreno said , “ and super excited that I got first , too .”
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