CLEAR LAKE, Calif. - Last fall, Mark Tyler won the CITGO California Bassmaster Western Open on Clear Lake by flipping shoreline tules and shallow grass flats to collect 48 pounds of bass. But when the final event of the Western Open circuit returns to the renowned trophy lake Nov. 18-20, you may not find the 31-year-old Arizona pro anywhere near his old haunts.
“The water level is a couple of feet lower, and I caught some of my fish flipping last year,” Tyler said. “I was over there two weeks ago and looked at some of those areas. A two-foot drop on Clear Lake can be a lot, so there wasn’t much there to hold them. Some of the grass flats I was fishing don’t even exist anymore – probably due to spraying.
”I think it’s going to fish an entirely different way from last year, and whenever I try to fish past history on that lake, I always do badly. I’m just going to try to read it for what it is. I’m anticipating that the winning pattern will involve structure like rock piles on the southern end of the lake, whereas last year I won it on the northern end of the lake. That’s where I’m going first because that’s what my gut is telling me to do – concentrate on the rock piles in 6 to 8 feet of water.
Tyler went on to answer the question that everyone always asks the defending champion.
”Will I go through some of the areas where I caught them last year? Absolutely! You don’t ever forget stuff like that.”
The Western Open anglers will pursue a $50,000 top prize and valuable points toward qualifying for the CITGO Bassmaster Open Championship presented by Busch Beer in December. The top five finishers will then move onto the 2005 CITGO Bassmaster Classic presented by Busch Beer in Pittsburgh.
In addition to the lower water level, the prevailing weather conditions are likely to have resident largemouths in a different mode compared to last fall’s tournament.
”It’s a whole different weather pattern out here this year than last year,” Tyler added. “Last year I fished that tournament in shorts and a T-shirt. It was dead calm and hot for two weeks before the tournament. Right now, I’m in my rain suit because it’s been cold and wet in northern California for three weeks.
”So it’s an entirely different weather pattern, and you can’t expect the fish to be doing the same thing.”
One factor that won’t be different is the anticipation involved in fishing the largest natural lake entirely within the borders of California. Clear Lake is home to an impressive combination of quality and quantity when it comes to bass. The 43,000-acre northern California reservoir has long ranked as one of the West’s premier bass fisheries.
”Twelve months out of the year somebody will have a 25-pound bag on Clear Lake at every tournament,” California pro Ish Monroe said. “It can be snowing and there have still been 25-pound-plus bags caught on Clear Lake. I’d have to say the Delta and Clear Lake are the two best fisheries in the country.”
”I think it’s going to be good fishing. They’ve been catching some pretty good stringers up there. I think there will be a lot of limits – a lot of small limits ranging from 8 to 12 pounds. When you start getting over that 12-pound range for three days, you’ll be pretty solid, I think – probably in the top 20.”
”As good as Clear Lake has been all year, I imagine it will take quite a bit of weight to do well, and the bite should be pretty good,” Tyler added. “It’s been phenomenal all year long, all the way through the summer and fall – much better than normal.
”I’m not sure why it’s been like that. The water is a lot dingier this year; it’s just kind of dirty, so the fish seem to be holding on the rocks and the shallow cover a lot better. There also seems to be a lot more bait this year than in years past, so I’m anticipating a pretty good bite. Crankbaits and jigs could be really good.”
An indication of how cooperative Clear Lake is likely to be can be found in the winning weight predictions of the two veteran western pros.
Monroe: “For three days, I’m thinking it’s going to take 52 to 55 pounds to win it. What’s going to happen is the first day the guy’s going to bust a 20-pound bag, and then he’s going to back it up with two 16- to 18-pound bags.”
Tyler: “I imagine you’re going to need something in the high 50s to win. Last year, I won it with 48, but I don’t think that would even have a chance of winning it this year – not with the weights that have been coming in recently for team tournaments.”
Daily weigh-ins will be at Konocti Vista Casino Resort & Marina at 3:15 p.m.
BASS is the world's largest fishing organization, sanctioning more than 20,000 tournaments worldwide through its Federation. The CITGO Bassmaster Tournament Trail presented by Busch Beer, which includes the all-new Bassmaster Elite 50 series, is the oldest and most prestigious pro bass fishing tournament circuit and continues to set the standard for credibility, professionalism and sportsmanship as it has since 1968.
Sponsors of the CITGO Bassmaster Southern Open include CITGO Petroleum Corp., Busch Beer, Toyota, Purolator, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Berkley, Abu Garcia, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide, and Bass Pro Shops.
Local Sponsors include Konocti Vista Casino Resort & Marina.
For more information, contact BASS Communications at (334) 551-2375 or visit www.bassmaster.com.
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