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As the water levels continued to drop about 2 feet everyday,
there was concern that Lake Oroville, the final destination of
the season for the WRL was going to be a lake hard to gain
access to. Some teams had to fish this lake to make enough
points to qualify for the Tournament of Champions while other
teams fished this tournament to give them the sixth tournament
needed to guarantee them a position for the TOC. This tournament
was a 6 hour event because of the Fish & Game regulations which
made it tough for some anglers to get in that last good bite
before heading back to the scales. There were a lot of comments
that the bite had just turned on in the late morning but having
to beat the clock was the goal to get back in enough time for
their bass to be weighed in.
As the temperatures climbed into the high 90's, this made it
extremely hot conditions but on occasion the wind came through
for us which was an added bonus!
The weights coming to the scales varied by size and species of
bass, some limits of bass weighed in were so close and we had
several teams tied with weights. This made it exciting to
watch!
The team of Gary Smith from Sacramento and Loren Jenkins from
Elk Grove took home First Place in the Large Boat Division.
They brought a nice limit of bass to the scales that weighed
10.88 lbs. This team also caught the Fifth Big Fish that
weighed 2.87 lbs. They caught their bass on crank baits in the
south fork of the lake and took home $1660 for their efforts.
Congratulations guys!
Bob Mc Nabb from Fremont and Glenn Vargas from San Jose took
Second Place at this event. Their limit of bass weighed 10.27
lbs. giving them a payday of $1430. They told everyone they
split shotted worms in green & brown colors near the dam area to
Potter area of the lake. Nice work guys!
The Third Place team was Wes Stevener from Meadow Vista, one of
our sponsors: Eye Surrender Sunglasses and Tim Little from Grass
Valley. They told everyone they fished jigs and rip baits in
the Middle Fork to catch their limit of bass that weighed 9.71
lbs. and their largest bass was just out of the Big Fish money
by .07 ounces! That weight was so close! They took home $370
in winnings.
Fourth Place was Jeff Garmeson and Chad Dibble both from Rancho
Cordova. Their limit of bass weighed 9.60 lbs. giving them $785
to celebrate with!
Rounding out the top five, Mike Sperback from Yuba City and his
partner Pat Minear from Roseville had a nice limit that weighed
of 9.56 lbs. for Fifth Place, just .04 from the fourth place
weight! They took home $560 for their shortened day on the
water.
The Big Fish of the tournament was caught by Sara Amstutz from
Gilroy. Her husband Jeff netted that beauty which weighed 3.41
lbs! Sara took home winnings of $630 for her Big Fish in
addition to $167.50, half of $335 for 7th and 8th Places because
their limit of bass tied the team of Lee Price and Harold
Howard, both from Redding places with a total weight of 9.40
lbs. Nice work teams and Congratulations Sara for catching the
largest bass of the tournament!
JEFF HARDIN AND PAUL EUSEY TAKE FIRST PLACE IN THE SMALL BOAT
DIVISION AND FIFTEENTH PLACE OVERALL
In the Small Boat Division, Jeff Hardin from Chico and Paul
Eusey from Elk Grove took First Place. They caught a nice limit
that weighed 8.80 lbs and took home $100 for their fishing
skills. They told everyone they used Persuader jigs, and worms
in the main body and the west branch area of the lake to catch
their limit. This team not only fished this event but they
offered shuttle service for other anglers after the event to get
to their trucks and back to load their boats so they could make
it to the weigh in without a heart attack as the ramp was long
and steep added with the heat, making it seem like a traitorous
adventure to the weigh in.
We would like to thank Karen Canevari for purchasing the hot
dogs and helping cook for our event. We are grateful for all
your efforts in this and the hotdogs were enjoyed by many.
Also, a Special Thanks goes to Don Reighley for having the
release boat there for our event. This made our tournament run
smoothly and kept the bass alive to be released back into the
lake. The anglers appreciated this as well since trying to get
their boats loaded onto their trailers was a job in itself with
the water levels lower and launch ramp space limited.
With a weight of 8.61 lbs. we had a tie for the 20-20 Eye
Surrender Sunglasses and had two extra pairs to be given out at
this event but only one team stayed for the Awards Ceremony;
Derek Schultz and Steve Cortez were happy to receive their Eye
Surrender polarized sunglasses. The other pairs will be donated
to the TOC.
Boat number 52 was drawn for the Fenwick Rods and the team of
Byron Stone from Paradise and his partner Mark Carroll from
Chico were all smiles when they were each handed a rod to take
home.
Tommy Milligan walked away with a nice Sponsor Gift Bag for
being present when his Sponsor Tackle Store receipt was drawn.
You should have been there to see the look on his face as his
name was called - Priceless!
Boat numbers 28, 38 and 46 were drawn for the Sponsor Gift
Bags. The team of Bob Campbell and Mike Hadden who had boat
number 28 were happy to receive their Sponsor Gift Bags,
however boat numbers 38 and 46 had left prior to the Awards
Ceremony so both teams prizes are being donated to the TOC.
For all the teams that qualified for the TOC with Region points
or fishing the six events to automatically be qualified,
congratulations and we will see you at Clear Lake. You will be
notified by Bob Kornhauser if you qualified and make it to the
TOC. The tournament is going out of Red Bud Park. Check in is
at Clear Lake Bait & Tackle. Remember, you have to get your
Quagga Muscle sticker prior to fishing the lake, which can be
purchased at Clear Lake Bait & Tackle. Reminder, your live
wells have to be DRY before being checked. For more
information, visit
www.100percentbass.com and click on TOC (left side of the
HOME page.)
I would like to thank my staff for all their help at this event,
Matt Moreau, Jon DeVries, Kevin Ryan, Rich Reeser, and my wife
Sheri. Great job as always! We could not manage to get the job
done without all your hard work.
100% Bass - Western Rookie League would like to thank the fine
sponsors that make the difference between fishing and the
quality events we are able to provide as a result of their
support. BassCat Boats, Mercury Outboards, Berkley Trilene,
Spiderwire Braid, Castillo Badillo - Puerto Vallarta, Mexico,
Loomis Lodge and Lake Fork Guide Service,
TheFishingInstructor.Com, Persuader Bass Baits, Fenwick Rods,
Walton's Pond in San Leandro, Hook, Line & Sinker in Oakley,
Phil's Props in Redding, Bait Barn in Waterford, Escalon Bait &
Tackle, Glory Hole Sports in Angels Camp, Valley Rod & Gun in
Clovis, Berryessa Sporting Goods in Winters, MF Finesse Custom
Worms, Comfortroll, Comfort Suites of Oakley, Cal West Concrete
Cutting, Black Dog Baits, Eye Surrender Sun Glasses, Bass
Angler's Guide Magazine, Angels Inn Motel of Angles Camp and
Russo's Marina on Bethel Island.
Thanks,
Randy Pringle
The Fishing Instructor
Work - 209-543-6260
Fax - 209-543-6099
www.thefishinginstructor.com
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