WIND GIVES DAN WELLS AND JON BRADFORD THE UPPER HAND WITH THEIR WIN ON LAKE OROVILLE
Friday sign-ups began at 4 PM at America’s Best Value Inn & Suites in Oroville inside room 144 as the temperature climbed into the high 90’s. Anglers enjoyed keeping cool while writing out their entry forms and talking to one another before heading back out into the heat.
Our dogs “kids” Kelsey and Gizmo attended this tournament because of health issues with Sheri’s dad didn’t allow her parents to babysitting their “grand puppies” at that time. Kelsey has been to a few tournaments within the past nine years however Gizmo made his debut at Oroville. They both were welcomed by several anglers and enjoyed the attention they received.
Saturday morning we began sign-ups inside the BBT trailer at the Spillway at 4 AM. Several anglers were enjoying some ZZZ’s in their vehicles when we pulled into the parking lot. Teams who had signed up on Friday afternoon were enjoying coffee and snacks while their boat compartments were inspected by our staff, then launched while other teams arrived to sign up. Once Mike Park signed in, he was asked to draw a boat number so lucky number 13 would be the first Big Boat out once the Small Boat Division was released.
The morning was still, not too cold and no sight of wind. With predictions that the afternoon would be sweltering and not a breath of air movement, we anticipated an uncomfortably hot weigh-in – but once again Mother Nature blew in on us and the gusts nearly proved to take down the pop-up canopies however with hot temperatures, we used weights and even a five gallon bucket filled with water to keep the canopy legs grounded to allow some shade for the anglers weighing in their bass and our staff relief from the sun. This time the wind was a welcome friend during the weigh-in but not so much for several anglers who were trying to throw different baits that were carried further in the air than in the “strike zone” where many anglers had anticipated their bait to drop into the lake.
The team of Dan Wells from Yuba City and his partner Jon Bradford from Sacramento came to the scales with a limit weighing 11.25 pounds and their largest bass, which gave this team Fourth Place Big Fish money weighed 3.42 pounds which was caught by Dan. They told the crowd they used weightless worms, top water plugs and spinner baits. They fished the main body and middle fork for their limit fishing fast, hitting a lot of areas unit they found a good fish. For their efforts, they took home $2,150.00 in cash for First Place.
The team of Ron Howe from Elk Grove and Bob Miller from Sacramento took Second Place with a weight of 10.71 pounds and their largest bass weighing 4.11 pounds, giving this team Third Place Big Fish to go along with Second Place winnings. They fished top water using crankbaits, for their larger bass in the south end of the lake targeting main points and rock piles then drop shotted for their limit. They took home $1,345.00 for their day on Lake Oroville.
Third Place was the team of Jason Jones and his partner Karl Hallstrom both from Santa Rosa. They told the crowd they fished all over the lake using whacky rig worms and spinners for their limit that weighed 10.41 pounds and Jason caught the First Place Big Fish weighing 5.04 pounds. They took home $1,070.00 in winnings and Jason was pleased to hold up his First Place Big Fish trophy for his photo opportunity. Sweet!
Fourth Place went to the father and son team of Alex Vlasche and Weston, his son. They caught a limit weighing 9.77 and their largest bass was 2.68 pounds, not enough weight to give them big fish money but it added to their weight to give them $600.00 in winnings. Weston didn’t know they won as he was on the BBAC Release Boat with Don Reighley releasing the bass that were weighed in by our anglers. Congratulations guys!
Fifth Place was the team of Rodger Stegall from Folsom and his partner Lewis Milligan from Wheatland who came to the scales with 9.25 pounds with their largest bass weighing 2.33 pounds. They took home $230.00 for their day on the water. Nice!
The team of Rodger Stegall from Folsom and his partner Lewis Milligan from Wheatland rounded out the top five positions in the Big Boat Division. They came to the scales with 9.25 pounds and their largest bass weighed 2.33 pounds. For their day battling the afternoon wind, they took home $230.00 for Fifth Place winnings.
THE SARGENTS WIN OROVILLE WITH 7.58 POUNDS IN THE SMALL BOATS
Glenn and Shelley Sargent from Janesville, one of our husband and wife teams who fish the BBT took First Place in the Small Boat Division with 7.58 pounds. They drop shotted worms for their limit and had all their bass in the boat by 9 AM and after that time, fishing was very slow. They took home two nice First Place trophies to show to their family and friends. Nice teamwork guys and thank you for fishing the BBT with us!
Honorable Mentions:
Second Big Fish went to the team of Wes Stevener from Meadow Vista and his partner Tim Little from Lakeport. It was a tough day for this team as they weighed in one bass, caught by Tim; however it weighed 4.24 pounds, enough to win $295.00. Way to go team!
Fifth Place Big Fish went to the team of Bill Nevills from Yuba City and Joe Stout from Meridian. They took home $290.00 for Seventh Place and Fifth Place Big Fish!
20/20 Eye Surrender Sunglasses were awarded to Jeff Hardin Sr. and Jeff Hardin Jr. from Chico as they were present to receive their nice sunglasses that they will be styling when the sun is shining at the next event!
Irwin – Lenox Tools were awarded to the team of Rod Smith from Vallejo and his partner Mark Hale from Clearlake who came to the scales with a limit weighing 6.03 pounds. The Irwin – Lenox Mystery Weight drawn was 6.33 pounds. Congratulations guys and thank you for participating in the Awards Ceremony.
Several boat numbers were drawn: 22, 42, 50, 27 then 35, who was present to receive the California Wear It Life Jacket Campaign and the father/ son team of Alex and Weston Vlasche were there to receive this life saving devise. Thank you guys for staying to support your fellow anglers at the Awards Ceremony as at times, it pays off to stick around!
MLC Baits Blade Runner had several boat numbers drawn for this nice prize: 39, 23, 34, 43, 17, 8, 46 the number 52 was present so they won one then boat number 19 was drawn and they were also present to receive their prize too!
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.
AN ADDED ATTRACTION: The Bass Fest will take place on Friday and Saturday, August 23rd and 24th! We are inviting all sponsors and companies to attend to show off their newest merchandise on Friday and again on Saturday. The tournament will take place on Saturday– which is OPEN to EVERYONE! The cost for this tournament is $50 per team! This tournament will be held on the Delta out of Russo’s Marina however you can launch at other locations and boat over. If you would like to be a sponsor of this event and set up a table with your canopy, the cost is $180 and one case of water for our anglers, contact Grant Olguin at tackleshot@gmail.com Sign-ups will take place on Friday at Russo’s Marina on Bethel Island from 3 PM to 6 PM. For more information, visit The Bass Fest website http://www.bestbasstournaments.com/bassfest or contact Randy at 209-543-6260 or randy@bestbasstournaments.com
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 Libby and Mike Hensley for cooking hot dogs and nachos plus having cold drinks available for our anglers who just needed a nice meal and something to quench their thirst. Libby will be at our next Clearlake tournament with more food and cold drinks so after you weigh in, you might wish to indulge in something refreshing.
We would like to thank our Northern Region Staff - JD Mc Millian, Patrick Mateo, Zane Wiley, Kevin Ryan and Rich Reeser for a 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!
Our next tournament in the Northern Region will be on July 20th, launching out of Red Bud Park. We look forward to seeing you all there! Remember, You MUST get your Quagga Mussel inspection BEFORE launching your boat. Clearlake Bait & Tackle, Clearlake Outdoors, 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 4 PM to 6 PM at Clearlake Bait & Tackle, 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.
The Tournament of Champions (TOC) was announced and will be held on Lake Oroville October 12th and 13th, 2013. More information will follow as the dates draw near.
Randy and Sheri Pringle