Oroville Hosts Wild West Bass Trail

 

OROVILLE, Calif. – The Wild West Bass Trail (WWBT) continues its season with its second stop of the California Pro/Am division at Lake Oroville presented by Evinrude. As many as 200 anglers will assemble on the Sierra Nevada foothills fishery on March 5-6 to vie for over $100,000 in payouts.

Recognized on the World Fishing Network’s list of Seven Awesome Bass Lakes in California and in the top-25 of Bassmaster’s Top 100 Bass Lakes of 2014, the nationally renowned bass fishing destination was created as the Oroville Dam was built to span the Feather River. It is the second largest reservoir in California.

As the setting of his first-ever pro tournament in 2004, Jason Borofka of Salinas is excited to return to face the competition at Oroville. In 2013, Borofka racked up a top-10 in an FLW event. He is ready to surpass that finish.

“I fish there all year long and March is my favorite time,” he said. “Especially early in March, the quality sized fish is amazing. The lake is usually known for numbers of fish; but with the timing of this event, we could see the biggest weights that Oroville has seen in years.”

Borofka feels a pre spawn pattern will prevail and a variety of techniques will be productive.

“It could be won on anything from a float-n-fly to a large swimbait or a crankbait,” he said. “It could simply be a Senko. It could be a weighted Senko, a wacky Senko or even a dropshot Senko. The conditions will play a big part in what it is won with.”

If the forecast of conditions proves to be correct, the anglers will be further challenged as they encounter steady rain showers, possible thunder and southeastern winds up to 35 mph; however Borofka isn’t concerned that an influx of water will lockdown the bite.

“Oroville always rises in the spring,” he said. “It won’t affect the fishing. We’re mainly going to be targeting spotted bass and they move around a lot. They like moving water, so I think the bite will be on, no matter what.”

Borofka speculated that a winning tournament total could surpass 30 lbs.

Anglers will blast off and weigh-in daily at the Spillway Boat Ramp located at Oroville Dam Blvd, East, Oroville, Calif. Blast off time is safelight and weigh-ins will kick off at 3 p.m. each afternoon. Both are free of charge and open to the public.

Spectators can observe the anglers each day at the weigh-in scales to cheer on their favorite fishermen and hometown heroes as part of the WWBT fully-televised event to air on Fox Sports and the Pursuit Channel. Audience members will be treated to a free raffle that will include tackle packs, hats and apparel and Toys "R" Us gift cards for the kids.

The public is invited to the event from 12 p.m. – 3 p.m. daily for a meet-and-greet with the West’s all-time leading money winner – bass pro Gary Dobyns, a Ranger Boats display and free on the water Ranger Boats/Evinrude motor demo rides.

The WWBT debuted in 2016 with 17 events that include two Pro/Am and two Teams circuits – one based in California and the other in Arizona. Each Pro/Am circuit consists of three tournaments and a combined, year-end qualifying championship event. The Teams circuit includes four tournaments and a year-end championship.

The WWBT Oroville Pro/Am presented by Evinrude is being hosted by the Oroville Chamber of Commerce. Host lodging is located at Americas Best Value Inn Oroville, 580 Dam Blvd, Oroville, Calif. Registration and banquet will be held at the Southside Oroville Community Center, 2959 Lower Wyandotte Rd., Oroville, Calif.

For complete details and updated information, visit www.WildWestBassTrail.com. For tournament news, event updates and more, follow the WWBT on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Wildwestbasstrail/