While some people were expecting a big crowd, we knew with fishing this tough, a small field of very experienced anglers would appear come Saturday morning at Russo’s Marina. California has had 10 nights of freezing weather, with water temperatures plummeting to 38 degrees in many area, the Largemouth Bass simply don’t like this kind of cold. Only 8 teams of the 46 attending were able to catch the desired 5 fish limit and for the first time in resent memory, a 10 pound bag took home some money. The one thing we learned was that under these conditions, the better fish wanted a SLOW presentation. Most of the top finishers talked about letting the bait sit still for up to 30 seconds in one spot. Jigs and Sweet Beavers were the lure of choice as both the top finishers spoke at length during the awards about being patient. The water is a degree or 2 warmer in the middle and south delta as many anglers reported traveling long distances to fish.
The top award went to the brothers from Manteca, Tracey and Jiri Sakata. The pair anchored the winning 4 fish weight of 22.92 pounds with the big fish of the tournament, a healthy 8.73 pound largemouth bass. During the awards Jiri gave a lot of credit to his brother for doing all the practice, and figuring out the areas that had better fish in them. He also talked about the bite and how even with the bait sitting still, they wouldn’t feel a bite, just that mushy feeling at the end of the line. I guess the fish were just mouthing the Sweet Beavers, he said. Either way, 4 Bites for 22.92 gave them a win by more than 5 pounds and allowed them to take home the winners share, a healthy $4480 and a pair of very nice plaques sponsored by the Hook, Line and Sinker.
Second place went to perennial tuff guys, Steve Sapp and John Varanai, also, both from Manteca. Their 3.94 pound largemouth was the biggest of 5 fish brought in, that totaled 17.30 pounds. Sapp emphasized moving his Jig slow, slow, slow (dead sticking was the term he used) while his partner would pitch crankbaits, looking for any aggressive fish in the area. On their way to a check of $1930, Steve took the time to thank Berkeley for their support, and then The Hook for the nice trophies.
Finishing in third was long time Delta pro Bill Swearingen of Walnut Creek and Greg Merrill of Concord. These two weighed in at 16.25 pounds and also had a nice kicker, a 5.61 pound bass. Bill and Greg found a completely different, but effective, pattern for the day, as they caught all their fish Split Shotting Zipper Worms in the Franks Tract and Taylor Sough area. Congratulation on the day as they took home $1085 and again a pair of those nice plaques.
Forth place went to Mike Newton of Ripon and Steve Nincioni of Stockton. This pair brought in 5 fish for a total of 14.97 pounds and went home with a very nice $965. Rounding out the top five was James Nevels of Discover Bay and Dave Moen of Fremont. They only had 2 fish all day, but they were the right two, with a 7.35 pound fish and 6.23 pound fish, totaling 13.52 pounds and bringing them $900.
100% BASS would like to thank the fine sponsors that make the difference between fishing and the quality events we are able to provide as a result of their support. BassCat Boats, Mercury Outboards, MossDale boats in Tracy, Antioch Toyota, MinnKota Trolling Motors, Humminbird Electronics, Berkley Trilene, Spiderwire Braid, Persuader Bass Baits, Powell Rods, Solar Bat Eye Protection, Walton’s Pond in San Leandro, Hook, Line & Sinker in Oakley, Phil’s Props in Redding, MF Finesse Custom Worms, Comfortroll, Comfort Suites of Oakley, Sig Fish Inc, and No Sweat Mist, Jims Pro Bass Tackle in Paso Robles, Cytosport and Cytomax energy drinks, Modesto Toyota, Cuesta Cadillac in Atascadero, Cal West Concrete Cutting, Kosich & Callahan Insurance Services and Russo’s Marina.
For complete tournament results, please visit our web site at –www.100percentbass.com.
Bob Kornhauser
Owner 100% BASS
530-274-1397
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