TIM RODGERS AND ALAN FRESE CONQUER THE WIND AND THE WATER TO WIN THE DELTA TOURNAMENT
Our second BBT tournament of the season in the Delta/ Wine Region was held on the Delta on Saturday, April 20th. Check- in began at 4 PM on Friday in the Russo’s Marina office. Several teams came in to sign up and get the “dock talk” as to what was working this past week on the Delta. Wind was the major topic and word was to use blades with “flash” or worms proved to be the best opportunities for catching bass.
The week prior to this tournament on the Delta had extremely windy conditions however the news reported that the wind was going to “die down” as the week progressed. Saturday morning there was a breeze in the air but it looked to be promising that the extreme windy conditions were behind us. With all the technology and the “Dopplers” that every news network has available to predict wind, precipitation, heat index, etc. they all had failed. Even the weather apps on cell phones were not able to predict what the anglers would deal with on the Delta. After most of the anglers checked in and were awaiting blast off, it looked to be a great day of fishing. The Small Boat Division was blasted off and headed to their first stop, followed by boat # 62 in the Big Boat Division. About 40 minutes after the last boat was out of sight, the breezy conditions changed to windy conditions once again with white caps and waves in the Franks Track area outside of the marina.
Prior to the weigh-in, we had a few teams “throw in the towel”, so to speak as the wind, waves and the outgoing tide took its toll on boat motor lower units and drained boat batteries for these unfortunate anglers. One team was able to purchase new batteries and get back to fishing but that was not the case for other struggling anglers.
The wind and waves did not hinder the fishing techniques for Tim Rodgers of Concord and Alan Frese of Martinez. They told everyone they used reaction baits: chatter baits and spinner baits in Middle River fishing the tulles and “rip rap” for their success. Their limit weighed 22.53 pounds and the First Place Big Fish of this event was caught by Alan weighing 7.83 pounds. Alan took home the First Place Big Fish trophy to go along with their First Place trophies and $3565.00 in cash! Congratulations for your rough water, windy day of fishing the Delta and taking the win!
Second Place went to the team of Timothy Liu of Fremont and Mike Chen of Stockton who came to the scales with 21.62 pounds for their limit. Timothy also caught the Fourth Place Big Fish of the tournament weighing 7.07 pounds. They told the crowd they fished White Slough drop shotting weightless worms and chatter baits for their reaction technique for their bass. They took home $1760.00 for their day on the water. Congratulations guys!
Matt Vella from Garden Valley and his partner Jason Rodriguez from Orangevale who had 21.31 pounds, anchored by their largest bass weighing 6.43 pounds took Third Place. They mentioned they fished the south west Delta drop shotting worms for their bass. They took home $955.00 for their team effort. Sweet!
Fourth Place went to the team of Bill Talley of Suisun City and his partner Gary Svatek of Fairfield. Their limit weighed 20.60 pounds and their largest bass weighed in at 5.14 pounds. They took home $675.00 for the day on the Delta.
Rounding out the top five was the father and son team, Jason Vigil from West Sacramento and Victor Vigil from Ukiah who had 20.19 pounds. Their largest bass weighed 6.79 pounds. Fifth Place took home $450.00 in cash. Nice!
JOHN HENNECKE JR AND JOHN HENNECKE SR TAKE ON THE DELTA AND COME IN FIRST PLACE IN THE SMALL BOAT DIVISION
John Hennecke Jr. from Sloughhouse and his father John Hennecke Sr. from Citrus Heights came in First Place in the Small Boat Division with 12.98 pounds for their limit and had a 4.21 pound keeper. They left before the Awards Ceremony so where they fished, what techniques worked for them and the baits they used are all unknown. Congratulations guys for taking the lead in this tournament in the Small Boat Division!
Second Place Big Fish was caught and landed by Lisa Moore and her husband Kevin from Reno, Nevada. Lisa was all smiles when she brought her 7.38 pound Large Mouth bass to the scales. This team weighed in 14.99 pounds for their limit and both were all smiles at the weigh in! Congratulations to both of you for a find job on the water! Lisa and Kevin thank you for traveling the distance to fish the BBT. Enjoy celebrating your Big Fish win with $410.00 in cash!
Third Place Big Fish was caught by David Pearl that weighed 7.36 pounds. This team of David Pearl from Oakland and Dustin Tacker from Roseville had a tough day on the water and came to the scales with three bass with a weight of 12.00. They took home $245.00 for their efforts.
Fifth Place Big Fish was caught by Robby Chikasawa of Sacramento that weighed 6.81 pounds. Robby and his partner Robert Matsuura had a limit weighing 19.17 pounds and they took Seventh Place in the tournament and took home $270.00 in winnings.
20/20 Eye Surrender Sunglasses were awarded to Ron Pine of Dublin and Michael Moore of Antioch as they came in Twentieth Place and were present to receive their sunglasses.
Irwin – Lenox mystery weight drawn was 11.13 pounds and the team coming closest that weight without going over it was the team weighting 11.09 pounds, however they left before the Awards Ceremony so their Irwin – Lenox tools have been donated to the TOC and will be given out in October.
A receipt, the only receipt collected in our BBT Delta/ Wine Region Sponsor Tackle Store Receipt Bucket, with the name of William Vernon was present to receive the Sponsor Gift Bag containing Optimum Baits Swim Bait, ima Roumba, Timber Tiger and Berkley Power Baits.
Boat number 16 was drawn for the second Sponsor Gift Bag however they were not present to receive it so this bag has been donated to the TOC.
The “Wear It California” Campaign life jacket - boat number 13 drawn however they were not present to receive this life saving devise so another number was drawn, boat number 26 and both team anglers, Tim Rodgers and Alan Frese were present to receive this prize.
Congratulations to all the winners of this tournament and thank you to all the anglers who stayed for the Awards Ceremony to support your fellow anglers. You are a class act and this act of kindness is appreciated.
If you are not present when your boat number is drawn or your name is called, you forfeit your prize and it is donated to the TOC as you MUST be there to win prizes. If you happen to win money and / or trophies during a tournament and you leave before receiving it, you will have to meet up with your tournament director as winnings and/ or trophies are not sent through the mail.
Sponsor Tackle Store Receipts Program – If you purchase tackle valued at $20 OR MORE from our Sponsor Tackle Stores or go online to make purchases through the Optimum Baits and ima websites, you will receive a discount for being a member of the BBT. Keep your receipt and write your name and phone number on the back of it then place it in the bucket, which is at every tournament check-in. You will have opportunities to win prizes during the Awards Ceremony after each weigh-in. Remember you MUST be present to win. At the close of the Awards Ceremony, all receipts drawn are placed back into the bucket for more chances 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 located on the Sponsors page of the Best Bass Tournaments website www.bestbasstournaments.com
Thank you for coming out and supporting the Best Bass Tournaments. It was great to see familiar faces and meet new anglers who will be fishing the BBT this season! We appreciate each one of you. 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, Abu Garcia, Lowrance, The Fishing Instructor, Yakima Baits, Technology Integrators, Hildebrandt, Poe’s Plugs, Timber Tiger, Ima, Optimum Baits, KLGD Graphics, Hooked on Adventures, Continental Tires, Irwin – Lenox and Helly Hansen, Eye Surrender Sunglasses, Out of Bounds Speed & Marine, AGS Apparel, Port of Subs, Oroville’s Best Value Inn & Suites, 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 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, C & C Marine/ Modesto and Sacramento, Jim’s Pro Tackle/ Paso Robles, Bait Barn/ Waterford
If your company would like to be a sponsor of the Best Bass Tournaments, please contact Randy Pringle at www.bestbasstournaments.com or call 209-543-6260.
We would like to thank our Delta/ Wine Region Staff - JD Mc Millian, Kevin Ryan, Rich Reeser, Kenny and Kody Cramer, also Kathy Pope for all your help. Another great job helping the anglers in the morning, during the weigh-in, at the Awards Ceremony and placing all the BBT merchandise back into the trailer once the Awards Ceremony was completed. You all are an asset to the BBT and our tournaments could not run efficiently without each and every one of you! Thank you all!
Our next tournament in the Delta/ Wine Region will be on May 18th, launching out of the Konocti Vista launch site. We will be checking in on Friday afternoon from 4 PM to 6 PM if you wish to check in then at Clearlake Outdoors on Soda Bay Road OR on Saturday morning starting at 4 AM at the same location – Clearlake Outdoors. You do NOT have to check in on both Friday and Saturday. Friday is a convenient check in so if you are in the area and wish to get that done, you have that availability. You MUST get your Quagga Mussel inspection BEFORE launching your boat. Clearlake Outdoors, Clearlake Bait & Tackle, and other tackle store around the lake also inspect boats for the Quagga Mussels so have that done before arriving to have your boat compartments checked by our BBT Staff. If you boat over from another launch site, we will have BBT staff on the dock for you to get your boat compartments checked after you check in on Saturday morning. If you check in on Friday afternoon from 4PM to 6 PM at Clearlake Outdoors, you will receive your boat number and you will not need to come back to check in on Saturday – just have your boat number present to show our BBT staff. All your boat compartments, not just your live wells must be opened.
If you wish to fish a fun event, the second BBT OPEN will be taking place Saturday, April 27th on Lake Don Pedro. You can sign up online prior to Saturday or cash will be taken at the lake on Saturday morning. This special tournament is open to everyone, so let your friends know this would be a great place to fish a tournament if they have never given one a try! No Membership is required for an “Open” event.
We look forward to seeing you at our next BBT event!
Randy and Sheri Pringle