JAMES
WARDELL WINS THE LAST TOURNAMENT IN THE NORTHERN REGION AND THE ANGLERS OF THE
YEAR HAVE BEEN CROWNED
Sign-ups began at 4 PM in our room at Best Value Inn
& Suites in Oroville on Friday afternoon for the BBT’s final tournament of
the season in the Northern Region. We had several anglers come to check in before
going out to dinner while other teams prepared their boat and tackle for the
tournament the following morning.
At 3:15 AM the outside temperature was already 74
degrees in the town of Oroville so we knew we were in for a HOT day!
We were set up at Bidwell Canyon and taking sign-ups before
4 AM on Saturday morning. As Jeff Hardin Senior was checking in, he drew boat
number 3 as the first boat out in the Big Boat Division.
With the Spillway launch ramp closed for lack of water
and the lake level extremely low, we parked the BBT trailer as close to the
bathrooms as we could to have access to water and electricity for the lights in
the early morning hours also for the water pump in the bump tub and the sound
system during the weigh-in. There were no complaints from our anglers adjusting
to the new parking area. With Bidwell Canyon being the only launch ramp open on
the lake, launching in the early morning hours was like clockwork. However, at
noon this posed a timely weigh-in as we waited for our BBT anglers to drive up to
the weigh-in location after dealing with the battle field as they attempted to
put their boat onto the trailer with all the jet skiers and ski boats trying to
launch at the same intervals was tricky to say the least. Every BBT angler did
an outstanding job at that task. We thank you for your patience with other
vessels and personal watercrafts at the ramp.
As James Wardell from Los Gatos came to the scales, he
had three bass, two in one bag and his lunker in a bag by itself. It was a
beauty weighing 7.74 pounds which was the Big Fish of the tournament. James
fished alone as his partner John Fernandez was not able to attend this
tournament. James told the crowd he caught all three of his bass on Jigs, one
during the 7 o’clock hour, one at the 8 o’clock hour and the third one at 9 AM
fishing the south fork. It was a tough day for James but it paid off! The total
weight was 12.62 pounds, enough to take First Place in the Big Boat Division.
James walked away with two First Place trophies along his Big Fish trophy and $1,720.00
in cash. Congratulations James on your catch of the day!
As Ron Rodgers from Willows and Don Frailey from Orland
showed up to sign in on Saturday morning, Don was wearing the same colored
shirt as he had on at Clearlake so Sheri mentioned he was wearing his “lucky
shirt”, which turned out she was correct! They came to the scales with a limit
weighing 10.95 pounds anchored by the Third Big Fish of the tournament, caught
by Don weighing 3.58 pounds! They mentioned they fished the north end of the
lake using top water baits for their bass. They took home Second Place trophies
and $865.00 in winnings. Nice teamwork guys and congratulations on your win!
Patrick Mateo from Rocklin and his partner Zane Wiley
from Novato came to the scales with a limit weighing 10.84 pounds, giving them
Third Place in the tournament. They had a largemouth in a bag that weighed 5.43
pounds, caught by Patrick which was the Second Big Fish of the day. They told
the crowd they fished the south fork using top water, crankbaits, and dart
heads for their bass. They took home $665.00 in winnings and Third Place
trophies to show their family and friends. Nice job guys and congratulations!
The husband and wife team, Craig and Barb Smith from
Truckee came to the scales with a limit weighing 9.90 pounds for Fourth Place
with their largest bass weighing 3.14, the Fifth Big Fish of the tournament.
They took home $405.00 in cash. Congratulations on your win at Lake Oroville!
Rounding out the top five in the Big Boat Division, Thomas
Dean from Walnut Creek and his partner Anthony Prophet from San Pablo weighed
in 9.36 pounds. Their largest bass weighed 2.68 pounds, not enough to receive
any Big Fish money but helped with their weight to give them $180.00 in
winnings for Fifth Place. Sweet! They left before the Awards Ceremony so when
they meet up with us, they will receive their winnings.
As anglers were going into the last tournament of the
season in the Northern Region, the Anglers of the Year points were so close.
When the tournament was completed and the results were uploaded onto the
computer, the final results were in for the BBT 2014 season.
BRIAN
RICHARDS AND BOBBY BURGESS TAKE ANGLERS OF THE YEAR IN THE BIG BOAT DIVISION
NORTHERN REGION
Congratulations to Brian Richards and Bobby Burgess for
winning Anglers of the Year in your division! Enjoy your claim to fame and your
thoughts as you reflect on your year of tournament fishing with Best Bass
Tournaments!
GLENN
AND SHELLEY SARGENT TAKE FIRST PLACE, CLINCHING ANGLERS
OF THE YEAR IN THE SMALL BOAT DIVISION
Glenn and Shelley Sargent from Janesville came to the
weigh-in with a limit of bass weighing 7.51 pounds. They used crankbaits, drop
shotted and fished wacky style on vertical structures and points on the lake. They
“had a great day of fishing and caught all small Oroville fish”! They are
extremely excited to be the Anglers of the Year in the Small Boat Division in
the Northern Region! Congratulations to this husband and wife team who have
given it their all to conquer their task of winning the title in the BBT 2014
season!
Honorable mentions:
Fourth Place Big Fish was caught by the team of Kip
Whiteacre from Auburn and his partner Todd Clark from Rocklin, weighing 3.17
pounds. Their limit weighed 9.11 pounds for their five bass, giving them Seventh
Place in this tournament and $210.00 in winnings.
Several anglers placed cash into the Todd Iwamoto Memorial Fund tackle boxes, which will be given to Todd's family, his wife Michelle and their 9 year old son and their 5 year old daughter, after the TOC. Anyone who would like to make donations to the family, the tackle boxes will be present at the Delta tournament on August 16th, The Bass Fest on August 23rd and 24th and at the TOC. Todd was not only a friend of ours, he was a BBT angler who lost his life fishing a Delta tournament on April 19th, 2014 in a boating accident. Thank you to everyone who has given money to Todd's family.
As the Awards Ceremony began, Emerald Premium Snacks – packages
of the new Sweet and Salty Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Blend Nuts and Cinnamon
Roast Almonds were tossed to the anglers to enjoy while waiting to hear the
results from their day of fishing.
Boat numbers 2 was drawn and the team of Gary Wilson and
Joe Leone were present to win the Wear It California Campaign and walked away
with the Life Jacket.
A receipt was drawn for the Sponsor Tackle Bag
containing Yakima Baits, Timber Tiger, Poe’s Ace in the Hole, Berkley Havoc and
Berkley Power Baits however Anthony Prophet was not present to win so this
prize has been donated to the TOC.
Loren Jenkins with Trigger Happy Comfort Grips was at
the weigh-in and had donated three packages of these comfort grips to be given
away during the Awards Ceremony. Boat numbers 3, 11, 9, 16 had already left the
parking lot then boat number 19 was drawn and the team of Phillip Cook and
David Solari were present to win the first package of the Trigger Happy Comfort
Grips.
Boat number 14 was drawn after number 9 then number 5.
Ron Rodgers and Don Frailey won the second package of Trigger Happy Comfort
Grips.
The Third package of Trigger Happy Comfort Grips will be
donated to the TOC as boat number 20 was not present to win when their number
was called.
If you win money at
the tournament and leave before the Awards Ceremony, you will receive you
winnings at the next tournament you fish or you can meet up with your director
to receive you money. Winnings will not be mailed to you.
Sponsor Tackle Store
Receipts Program - If you purchase tackle valued at $20.00 OR MORE from our
Sponsor Tackle Stores, listed below or go Online to make purchases through the
Optimum Baits or ima websites, you will receive a discount from being a member
of the BBT. Keep your receipt and write your name and phone number on the back
of it then place it into the bucket, which is at every tournament check-in. You
will have opportunities to win prizes during the Awards Ceremony after each
weigh-in. You MUST be present to win. At the close of the Awards Ceremony, all
receipts drawn are placed back into the bucket for more changes to have them
drawn at future events in addition at the TOC. If you are not present and your
name is called, you forfeit your prize and it is donated to the TOC.
Remember to support
the sponsors who are supporting you in bass fishing whenever you can. A list of
our sponsors is below and is also on the Sponsors page of the Best Bass
Tournaments website www.bestbasstournaments.com
Thank you for coming
out and supporting Best Bass Tournaments. As always, it was great to see
familiar faces and meet new anglers who will be fishing the BBT! We appreciate
each one of you.
The Bass Fest will
be held on August 24th and 25th at Russo's Marina. Sponsors will be there on
Saturday to show off their products and talk to the anglers. Sunday they will
also be there to talk to after the tournament is over. There is a 3 fish limit
for the team and it is also a six hour tournament. The entry fee for this event
is $50.00 for the team. We will be doing sign-ups on Saturday afternoon if you
are there and wish to sign up then or you can sign up on Sunday morning in the
Russo’s Marina office. CASH ONLY
will be taken now – NO checks will be
accepted. Look for more details to follow on the website
www.bestbasstournaments.com and also on The Bass Fest website,
www.thebassfest.com If you are a sponsor or wish to set up a booth
for your business, the cost is $180.00 and a flat of bottled waters for the
anglers. Contact Grant at The Bass Fest website above.
The Tournament of
Champions will be launching out of Russo's Marina. More information on the TOC
will follow after the BBT season is completed. If you want to fish the Delta
prior to the TOC, we have one more tournament in the Delta Wine Region,
launching out of Russo’s Marina on August 16th. Sign-ups for that
tournament will be on Saturday morning in the Russo’s office. (We will not be
doing sign-ups on Friday afternoon for this tournament.)
I would like to
thank my BBT Assistants for making this tournament run smoothly. You all did a
great job checking boats and helping anglers who needed your assistance: JD Mc
Millian, Clint Winger, Kevin Ryan, Patrick Mateo and Zane Wiley.
If every angler
would ask one friend to join and fish the BBT, you will have additional anglers
to compete against and have more opportunities to win larger paybacks. Let your
friends know that they will also be eligible to win prizes in addition to
saving money on fishing tackle when making purchases through our Sponsor Tackle
Stores.
Best Bass
Tournaments would like to personally thank the sponsors who are supporting us
and the anglers alike: Emerald Premium Snacks, Berkley, Cal West Concrete
Cutting, Abu Garcia, Lowrance, Republic Electric, The Fishing Instructor, Cousins
Rods, Yakima Baits, Technology Integrators, Hildebrandt, Poe's Plugs, Timber
Tiger, Ima, Optimum Baits, Continental Tires, Out of Bounds Speed & Marine,
Wear It California, AGS Apparel, Port of Subs, America's Best Value Inn &
Suites - Oroville, Clearlake Cottages, Applebee's - Oroville, Central Valley
Sportsmen's Boat & RV Show
Best Bass
Tournaments Sponsor Tackle Stores: Mel Cotton's Sporting Goods/ San Jose;
Walton's Pond/ San Leandro; Guns, Fishing & Other Stuff/ Dixon; Coyote Bait
& Tackle/ Coyote, CA; Clearlake Bait & Tackle/ Clearlake; Clearlake
Outdoors/ Lakeport; Tracy Oasis Marina/ Tracy, CA
If you or your
company would like to be a sponsor of Best Bass Tournaments, please contact
Randy Pringle at www.bestbasstournaments.com or call 209-543-6260.
Thank you for
fishing Best Bass Tournaments,
Randy and Sheri
Pringle