FRIEND STILL LEADS WWBT SUPER CLEAN SHOWDOWN ON SHASTA

Gap tightens between anglers at Wild West Bass Trail Pro/Am on Lake Shasta

 

REDDING, CALIF. – With a Day Two, limit of 10.14, Ryan Friend of Oroville, Calif. retained the lead in the Wild West Bass Trail Super Clean Showdown 2017 season-opener on Lake Shasta, Saturday, January 28.

Friend’s two-day total of 28.69 kept him in the top spot; however Saturday’s smaller limit narrowed his lead by more than half.

Even though he came to the scales with more than eight-pounds less than his first day of competition, Friend accomplished his goal of a 10-pound bag. “I gave up some cushion today, for sure,” remarked Friend. “I need to do my job tomorrow. I need to better than I did today.”

Friend reported running the same spots that he hit on Day One as well as bouncing around in an attempt to locate new ones.

Climbing up from fifth and trailing Friend by little more than a pound is Nick Salvucci of Paso Robles, Calif. Salvucci consistently hauled up full limits in the 13-pound range, giving him a two-day total of 27.39.

Salvucci reported running one pattern, with one rod. “I have 25 rods tied up; but so far, I am only using the one and I hope that holds out,” he stated.

Another Paso Robles angler – and Salvucci’s roommate – Dusty Kahler sits less than a pound out of the runner-up spot with a two-day weight of 26.56. The 13.79 he weighed today moved him from ninth place to third.

Kahler revealed that he caught over four dozen keepers for the day and like Salvucci employed the simplest of strategies. “I am on one pattern with one specific bait,” he stated. He planned to continue with the same lure on Day Three.

The WWBT Super Clean Shasta Showdown will continue with the top-10 pros and co-anglers casting for a final day on Sunday, January 29.

For Championship Sunday, each of the competing pros and cos will be separated into their own boats to once again catch the five biggest bass possible in eight hours on the lake. Each angler will be accompanied by an observer or member of the camera crew.

In this innovative format – new for 2017 – WWBT promotes the co-anglers to the front of a boat to make their own decisions, control their own destiny and get the first (and only) shot at the best cast.

The daily weights for all three competition days will be combined for each angler’s tournament total to determine both a WWBT pro and co-angler champion. Weights are compared against their respective sides – pros against pros and cos against cos.

WWBT pros competing on Championship Sunday in the Super Clean Showdown on Shasta:

  1. 28.69 Ryan Friend
  2. 27.39 Nick Salvucci
  3. 26.56 Dusty Kahler
  4. 25.63 Roy Hawk
  5. 25.14 Dan Wells
  6. 24.15 Jason Bradshaw
  7. 24.02 Sage Baker
  8. 23.70 Jason Haley
  9. 22.91 John McClellan
  10. 22.49 Ryan Tripp

Complete pro results here.

The co-angler field is being led by Chris Vanclef. Vanclef started the day in second with 11.34 and added 10.18 for a two-day weight of 21.52, which put him in the lead. Vanclef’s biggest bass of the event went 3.98.

WWBT co competing on Championship Sunday in the Super Clean Showdown on Shasta:

  1. 21.52 Chris Vanclef
  2. 21.34 Joseph Cunningham
  3. 19.94 Nicholas Day
  4. 19.83 Carl Keller
  5. 19.40 Tony Botelho
  6. 19.37 Reece Wells
  7. 19.33 Cody Murray
  8. 19.30 Seth Myers
  9. 19.21 Chris Rains
  10. 19.18 Roy Desmangles

Complete Co Results.

WWBT Shasta Event Schedule:

Daily Blast off and Weigh-In

Bridge bay Marine

10300 Bridge Bay Rd

Redding, CA 96003

 

Blast Off: Safelight

Weigh-in: 3 p.m. PST

 

Awards will be presented after the top-10 weigh in on Sunday, January 29.

 

Blast off and weigh-ins are free of charge and open to the public. Fans can 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.

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 – Gary Dobyns, a Ranger Boats display and free on the water Ranger Boats/Evinrude motor demo rides are available.

A special thanks to all of the 2017 WWBT sponsors – A & M Graphics, Costa, Dobyns Rods, Evinrude, E3 Spark Plugs, Gator Guards, General Tire, Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits, Hydro Force, Lowrance Electronics, Lucas Oil, P-Line, Power-Pole, Protect the Harvest, Ranger Boats and Super Clean.

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Offering professional-level competition throughout the west, the Wild West Bass Trail provides its anglers the opportunity to further develop and advance their fishing careers. Additionally, the WWBT offers its corporate partners the opportunity to expand sales through comprehensive national and regional television coverage, exclusive on-the-water demonstrations and various tournament incentive programs.

For 2017, the WWBT will conduct 16 events that include one Pro/Am circuit and two Teams circuits – one based in California and the other in Arizona. The Pro/Am circuit consists of five tournaments throughout California and Arizona and a year-end, qualifying championship event. Each Teams circuit includes four tournaments and a year-end, qualifying championship. For more information visit WildWestBassTrail.com and follow WWBT at Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram.