REDDING, Calif. — Fishing’s not always exciting; in fact, some times it’s a real drag. But as long as you’re bending rods, it’s all good. Just ask APEX pro Scott Hellesen of Paso Robles, Calif. whose with Day-1 limit of 14.86 leads the Wild West Bass Trail Superclean Showdown on Shasta Lake presented by Bridge Bay at Shasta Lake and Phil’s Propellers.
With Shasta’s major arms heavily stained from recent rains, Hellesen stuck to the main lake and played a slow, patient game facilitated by calm conditions.
“The weather was perfect for what I needed,” said Hellesen, who placed ninth at the 2021 event on Shasta. “There was no wind, so I sat on one point all day, drug a jig on the bottom from 15-30 feet deep and plucked off a few nice ones.
“It seemed like the morning bite was deeper and as the sun popped through the clouds, they moved up a little shallower. I caught a couple of nice ones in the 15-foot range.”
Hellesen used a 1/2-ounce Garagetek Bait Co. football head with a green pumpkin Yamamoto Double Tail. He fished this bait on a Stealth Stixx Bounty rod and 15-pound Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon.
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