LAKEPORT, Calif. -
Saturday, Zach MacDonald and Ryan Sparks of Oregon State University broke the
record for the biggest one-day catch in a Carhartt Bassmaster College Series
tournament with a 29-pound, 7-ounce daily limit. And they promptly lost it.
But Sunday, they set another record, and this time they get to hold onto it for
a while.
The team caught 25-5 today, adding to Saturday's catch to push their total
weight for the tournament to 54 pounds, 12 ounces - 8 ounces heavier than any
other two-day haul in a College Series event.
"It feels good to break a record and keep it," said MacDonald on
stage after his and Sparks' catch was weighed.
MacDonald and Sparks won the Western Conference Regional on Clear Lake by more
than a pound, and the pair advances to the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series
National Championship on Georgia's Chatuge Reservoir,
Aug. 1-3. In the meantime, the teammates are driving back to Corvallis, Ore.,
tonight - an eight-hour drive - because the two fish & wildlife majors have
class tomorrow.
MacDonald grew up about an hour northwest of Clear Lake in Willits, Calif., so
he has extensive knowledge of Clear Lake. However, the fish weren't in their
usual haunts, said MacDonald, and most of the fish they weighed in came from
places he'd never fished in a tournament before.
Although the pair had spent their time pre-fishing the north end, their victory
came from the south end of Clear Lake, in the Red Bud and Konocti Bay areas.
They weren't getting the bites they wanted up north, and there were too many
other anglers around up there. On the southern side, they only saw one or two
boats Saturday and a handful today.
They fished different kinds of cover - docks, tules and rocks - and had most of
their success with drop shots and Senkos.
"Anywhere there was a dock that protected the bank, we caught them,"
said MacDonald. The team had their limit by 10 or 11 a.m. Saturday, and they
left their most productive spots to save their fish for today.
However, today, they caught four of the five fish they weighed in an area they
hadn't visited. A series of posts sticking out of the water, spaced 10 to 20
feet apart, produced for them.
"We'd use a drop shot, shake it a little, and they would eat it,"
explained MacDonald. The drop shot consisted of a 4 1/2-inch hand-poured worm
from Western Fishing Operations or a 6-inch RoboWorm
in morning dawn color. They varied the sinkers from 1/8 to 3/8 ounce, and they
used a 3/0 Lazer TroKar
hook.
Sparks and MacDonald used 8- and 10-pound-test Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon.
Sparks fished with a 6-9 G.Loomis drop shot rod and
Quantum PT reel, and MacDonald chose a 7-0 Dobyns Micro Guide spinning rod and
a Shimano Stradic CI4 2500 reel.
MacDonald tied for the Carhartt Big Bass of the Tournament with a 7-12 he
caught Saturday. Bo Harkins of Chico State caught a 7-12 the same day. Today,
the biggest bass came from Andrew Loberg of Chico
State. He caught a 7-3, and he and his partner, Brandon Walker, finished in
second place.
Joining MacDonald and Sparks at the championship in August will be the nine
other teams that made the Top 10, including anglers from Chico State, San Jose
State, Sacramento State, Cal State Long Beach, Eastern Washington University,
Cal Poly State University and Utah Valley University.
"That's going to be awesome," said Sparks, who grew up in Alaska
chasing salmon and steelhead. Neither of the Western Regional champions has
ever been to Georgia, and both said they're looking forward to it.
The Carhartt Bassmaster College Series isn't taking a break: Another regional
is coming up next weekend. Tune in to Bassmaster.com for updates about the
Eastern Conference Regional, April 12-13, on Lake Norman in Charlotte, N.C.
2013 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Title Sponsor: Carhartt
2013 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Bass Pro
Shops, Berkley, Humminbird, Koppers LIVETARGET, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro
Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Quantum, Yamaha
2013 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Supporting Partners: Livingston Lures,
Lowrance, Luck "E" Strike, Power-Pole, Shimano
2013 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Proud Partner: Mustang Survival
About B.A.S.S.
For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has served as the authority on bass fishing.
The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and an expansive
tournament structure while connecting directly with the passionate community of
bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.
The Bassmaster brand and its multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to
serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications - Bassmaster
Magazine and B.A.S.S. Times - comprehensive website Bassmaster.com and ESPN2
and Outdoor Channel television programming, Bassmaster provides rich,
leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro
Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, B.A.S.S.
Nation events and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the
Bassmaster Classic.
B.A.S.S. offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members and
remains focused on issues related to conservation and water access. The
organization is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala.
-30-
Carhartt Bassmaster College Series
4/6/2013 - 4/7/2013
Clear Lake - Konocti Vista Casino - Lakeport, CA
STANDINGS BOATER DAY 2
Today's Activity Accumulative
Name #Fish #Live Lbs-Oz #Fish #Live Lbs-Oz
1 Zach MacDonald - Ryan Oregon State U 5 5 5- 5 10 10 54-12
2 Andrew Loberg - Brand Chico State 5 5 6-13 10 10 53- 6
3 Robert Harkins - Mich Chico State 5 5 7-13 10 10 50- 4
4 Anthony Lee - Morgan San Jose State 5 5 6- 5 10 10 47- 4
5 Thomas Kanemoto - Kyl
Sacramento Sta 5 5 0- 5 10 10 41-11
6 Justin Gangel - Alex Cal State Long 5 5 9-13 10 10 39-14
7 Nick Barr - Jared Wal Eastern Washin
5 5 8- 1 10 10 39-12
8 Alex Pisarski - Alfre Cal
State Long 5 5 5- 1 10 10 39- 9
9 John Zeolla - Kyle Gr Cal
Poly State 5 5 8- 4 8 8
38-13
10 Seth Hausman - Weston Utah Valley Un 5 5 0- 7 10 10 38-11
11 Zachari Taylor - Tate Utah Valley Un 5 5 1- 9 10 10 37- 0
12 Travis Bounds - Andre San Jose State 3 3 1-13 8 8 36- 7
13 David Wilson - Kyle S Oregon 5 5 5-13 10 10 35- 5
14 Tyler Wasilewski - Ja
Eastern Washin 5 5 6- 1 10 10 34- 2
15 Matt Diaz - Andrew Sj CSU Monterey B 5 5 8- 3 10 10 32- 7
16 Chris Childers - Derr Humboldt State 2 2 3-13 7 7 31- 1
17 Adam McAndrews - Cody San Jose State 1 1 4- 5 6 6 27-14
8 Greg Taluban - Jeff T Sacramento Sta 4 4 1- 2 9 9 24- 5
19 Jesse Squires - Steve Eastern Washin 4 4 3- 8 7 7 23-11
20 Katie Tanner - Mitche Oregon 5 5
9- 3 6 6 22-13
21 Alex Robbins - Jeffer Humboldt State 2 2 9- 5 5 5
21- 7
22 Cy Floyd - Mackenzi B Eastern Washin
5 5 2-15 8 8 18-10
23 Kevin Chen - Koulton Chico State 4 4 8-15 7 7 18- 9
24 Kong Moua - Joey Pied Fresno State 1 1 6- 9 4 4 17-12
25 Christopher Wells - J Sacramento Sta 2 2 5-11 4 4 9- 2
BIG BASS TOTALS
DayName City,StateLbs-Oz
Day Fish Live Lbs-Oz Limits
1Robert Hark Walnut Cre 7-12 1 106 106 37- 9 17
1Zach MacDon Willits, C 7-12 2 103 103 97- 0 16
2Andrew Lobe Rocklin, C 7- 3
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