Sunday wasn’t what we expected after the wind blew for days; it was very nice outside as everyone checked in at Glory Hole Sports in Angels Camp. The only exception, it was 31 degrees outside at 6 am as we started the tournament. Hard to believe for mid-April; but there was frost on everything.
 Father Bill and son Billy Dehart took 1st place
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That being said, it didn’t seam to bother the fish as nearly all of the 40 boats in the field brought in 5 fish limits. The patterns varied as some were fishing deep and others shallow. The swimbait bite is still slow at New Melones, however, there were a few nice Huddleston fish weighed in.
First place went to two of the nicest guys you’d ever meet, and they are father and son to boot. Bill and Billy Dehart of Pleasanton and Clovis topped the field with 5 fish that weighed 24.92 pounds and included the Big Dog Baits, Big Fish of the day, a lunker bass weighing 11.58 pounds. As it turned out, they saw several others not having much success with swimbaits, so they decided to go old school and finesse the fish.
 Billy Dehart and 11.58 pound Big Fish
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Billy said they put on 6 pound test line and an 1/8 ounce shaky head with a six inch worm and started working flats with less that 5 feet of water on them. It paid off big as they caught the toad, a six pound fish and 2 little ones to finish out their bag. He also said they spend most of the day in the south main lake and Angels arm, for those of you looking to go have some fun. The reward this day was three nice plaques and a check in the amount of $3800. Great job guys. Look forward to seeing you next month at Don Pedro.
Finishing in second place were former anglers of the year Greg Allec of Modesto and Arron Cole of Salida. These two are always tuff and today they came in with 5 fish that totaled out at 18.65 pounds. Their limit was anchored by 3rd big fish of the day, a nice 7.23 pound Largemouth. Cole told everyone at the award that the big fish came on a Huddleston, but all the rest of the fish they weighed in came on Brown Jigs and Purple Worms. They spent the day fishing shallow in areas between the bridges and focusing on migration routes. They also received a pair of nice trophies and a check for $2130.
Third place went to Angels Camp’s Alex Niapas and Tom Schachton. Tom at one time held the lake record for both trout and bass; so needless to say, he and Alex make a formidable team. Today they weighed in at 15.78 pounds and also had a kicker, a very nice 7.80 pound Bass. Alex told us they also used Swimbaits for the big fish and Zipper Worms for the rest. Shallow was their key staying in the River all day. Their reward, $1310 and some hardware for the wall.
Fourth place went to another former team of Anglers of the Year, Kyle Rasmussen and Joe Menzes, both of Angels Camp. Without a kicker, they were still able to round up 5 fish for 13.58 pounds. This is pretty good on this lake. As a result, they took home $810. Finishing in fifth were Jimmie Harrell of Hughson and Mark Winchester of Ceres. They had 5 fish that weighed 13.57 pound and brought them $440.
Congratulations to all the top finishers and thank you to all for attending. We hope to see everyone At Don Pedro on May 4th. Check in will be at the store at Fleming Meadows.
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, Berkley Trilene, Spiderwire Braid, Persuader Bass Baits, 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, Jims Pro Bass Tackle in Paso Robles, Cal West Concrete Cutting, Kosich & Callahan Insurance Services, Black Dog Baits, CoverLure, Castillo Badillo, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Angels Inn Motel of Angles Camp and Russo’s Marina on Bethel Island.
For complete details please see our website at www.100percentbass.com
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