January 6, 2002 Berryessa Lake, Markley Ca
Cowan and Burns win at Berryessa in California

Cowan and Burns

With the mountainside scraped off the road at Monticello Dam. It would be an easy drive to Markley Cove. As we neared the lake you could see the cloud cover hanging lazily over the surrounding mountains. Giving it an eerie and mystical look. Even though someone was sure to figure out the mystery to catching fish from Lake Berryessa.

The friendly Markley Cove staff was ready and waiting for us as we pulled in at 5 minutes after 5. They even poked some fun saying we were 5 minutes late. We had a brief conversation about the broken glass on the front door. Seems that they had a break-in, the culprits couldn't get through the front door so they broke and enter through a side window. All they took was some cigarettes and a couple of pairs of sunglasses. Will cost them more to replace and fix the damage than what the merchandise was worth. My thanks to the staff at Markley Cove, they're always accommodating and happy to have us!

A total of 25 teams, 24 paid entries, showed up to duel Mother Nature on Lake Berryessa. Each team received Magic Worms courtesy of Sacramento Pro Tackle at the sign in. Drop by Sacramento Pro Tackle and thank Dennis for supporting our region. I kept an eye on what colors of worms the participants were choosing. The dark coloreds worm with red in them was the first to go! Now the question was; would the weather hold out? Only time would tell.

Although the cloud cover tended to hang around, the weather did get a bit better as the day progressed. The sun even TRIED to peak out around the clouds now and then. My nephew Jerame and I did a bit of fishing ourselves after the blast off. We fished the points in and around the mouth of Markley Cove and managed 5 fish for around 9 pounds. Our fish came on 6" purple RoboWorm FX series straight tailed worms on an 1/8 ounce darthead. Those FX series RoboWorms are something else, they look good and the fish love 'em!

The dockside weigh-in on the gas dock at Markley Cove began at 3:00 pm with boats 19 thru 7, then boats 8 thru 18 at 3:15. The average limit was running about 7 to 8 pounds and mostly Spotted Bass with an occasional
Smallmouth thrown in. Then Bill Cowan and Jay Burns come along with a monster 6.74 Largemouth in their 12.97 limit that overshadowed all that had weighed in. Would their bag of fish stay in the lead with half the field yet to come to the scales?

Steve Geffs and Kelly Owen tried to overtake Big Bass, but their 5.72 Largemouth just didn't have the weight. Bill Cowan and Jay Burns ended the day with 1st place and Big Bass. They took home $1110.00 for first place and Bill got a Tactical Assault Revolver Rod, an EZ-Cul-RZ floating rope culling system, a jar of Craw-Cane and $250.00! Mike Nichelini and Larry Grim made a run for 1st place but ended up in 2nd with an 11.12 limit that netted them $550.00. Less than a 1/3 pound behind was Dean McDaniel and Kevin Davis with a 10.81 limit that got them 3rd place and $360.00. Coming in at 4th place was Rick Winger and Todd Storm with a 9.74 limit. Their 5 fish was good for $250.00. Steve Geffs and Kelly Owen could only get 2 more fish to go along with that 5.72 Largemouth. Their 3 fish weighed in at 9.40 which nailed down 5th place and $200.00 for them. One spot out of the money was Tom Jolin and Greg McCosker, our Western Region Champions at Clear Lake, they each received an Anglers Choice T-Shirt and a jar of Craw-Cane.

Thanks again to the staff of Markley Cove for opening early and their smiling faces. I would also like to thank my staff Jerame Davis, Greg Witham and Alton Forthe. Also, thanks to Ron Herrin and his friend Bob for lending a helping hand.

Many thanks to our regional sponsors Sacramento Pro Tackle, Tactical Assault Revolver Rods, EZ-Cul-RZ, Craw-Cane, Line-X of Sacramento and RoboWorm for their support. We can't leave out our national sponsors that help make all this happen Mercury, Motorguide, Interstate batteries, Cabelas, TH Marine, Berkeley and BassCat performance boats. Thanks to one and all! Our next Foothills event is at Lake Oroville on February 3rd out of Lime Saddle Marina. See ya there!