June 23, 2002 Delta, Ca
Vancelf and Wright win The Delta

Wright and Vancelf	William Wright

Results

June 23rd Big Break Marina - "Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep" goes the alarm at 3 a.m. in the morning. Sure was glad that Seth, my son, and I decided to spend the night at the Ramada Inn in Antioch. The 15-minute drive to Big Break from the Ramada Inn would be better than 1½ hours from my house at 2:00 in the morning! Means I got another hour of sleep!

Seth and I pulled into Big Break Marina about 10 til 4. Dave Biron, the harbormaster, was ready and directed us to the clubhouse. He had tables set up for the sign-in and the anglers enjoyed coffee, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, provided by Dave, and some good conversation. Thanks Dave for making us welcome at Big Break Marina!

We blasted off in order giving our 2001 Angler's of the Year, Gary Wyckoff and Jeff Bitker, their last chance of the year to be first out. This would be a six-hour event due to the time of year. So all would be back at the docks at 12:30 for weigh-in. Seth, Jerame, my nephew, Dan, my brother and I raced off behind the pack for a bit of fishing. We went as far as Dutch Slough and threw lipless crankbaits, Bomber 7A's and chartreuse VPR Competitive Edge spinnerbaits. We culled to a 9 pound limit just minutes away from the launch site. We were back at Big Break by 11:00 a.m. to set up for the weigh-in.

Good thing we were ready because Gary Wyckoff and Jeff Bitker cruised in around noon to weigh-in one fish. Guess they figured since they were first out they should be first in. I even told them they could fish for another ½ hour if they wanted to. But the Delta had been brutal to them. They were ready to call it a day! Soon all were at the docks awaiting weigh-in. Jerame, Seth and Dan were getting them all through the scales promptly.

Once the mist had cleared and all weights tallied. It was Chris Vanclef and William Wright at the top of the heap. A 7.21 Largemouth that netted William Wright Big Bass honors, $360 and a Kistler Custom rod, anchored their 21.35 limit. First place was good for $1280 bringing their total to a whopping $1640, not bad for six hours of fishing. Five pounds behind them in 2nd place was Pat Dilling and Wayne Howenstine with a 16.18 limit that garnered them $640. Just a breath away was Roger Ernst and Mike Reynolds and a 16.12 limit that had 3rd place and a $550 check nailed down. Ryan White and Phil Clark walked away with 4th place and $425 for their 14.93 limit. Ryan also weighed-in 2nd Big Bass of the event, a 6.72 largemouth, he was awarded a Tactical Assault Revolver Rod courtesy of Brad Tharp. Less than a ¼ pound away was Steve Geffs and Kelly Owens in 5th with a 14.81 limit. They took home a $350 check. The 14.77 limit that Bobby Barrack and Chris Ball brought to the scales was good for 6th place and $285. Bill Spence Jr. and Medley King had 7th place and $240 to themselves with a 14.44 limit. And the winners of our Lucky S.O.B. (Son of a Bass) $5 option pot were Don Whitney and Ken Schmimtt. They were handed the $150 CASH option pot. Mike Tremont had 3rd Big Bass with his 5.53 and received gift certificates from Just Fishin' courtesy of David Yates. Dave Church was awarded a team set of the EZ-Cul-RZ floating rope culling system for the 4th Big Bass of the event a 5.50 largemouth. Tactical Assault Revolver Rods, RoboWorm and Line-X of Sacramento sponsored all trophies awarded.

Just before the awards ceremony, I conducted a raffle of sponsor and donated products from local tackle shops. We had oil, tackle, Craw-Cane, EZ-Cul-RZ sets, Please Release Me, RoboWorms, Angler's Choice shirts, Jen-Su blade, Rock Hoppers (a snag free Carolina rig weight), thermal face masks, Competitive Edge Rods and more. The anglers and spectators bought $120 dollars worth of raffle tickets and I raffled that back to the anglers as well in $60 increments. We had a fun time and a great raffle. I would like to thank all of our local sponsors Just Fishin', Sacramento Pro Tackle, Line-X of Sacramento, RobWorm Inc, The Fishin' Depot, Tactical Assault Revolver Rods, Bass Widow Products (makers of the EZ-Cul-RZ), and Craw-Cane. These local guys help to make our events fun and enjoyable. THANKS again! Our national sponsors Bass Cat boats, Mercury Marine, Motorguide, Lowrance, Pure Fishing, BigFishTools.com, Kistler Custom Rods and Hambys Boat bumper deserve a THANKS as well. We couldn't do it without them!

With the California Foothill season coming to an end. We are looking forward the Northwestern Championship Finals being held on Lake Oroville October 18th and 19th. This lake is great in the fall. You can bet I'll have my stock of RoboWorm FX series worms ready to go! We'll see ya in the winners circle!