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The weather was setting up for the pre-spawn and spawn, warming nights and warming days but the wind was relentless and blistering cold. The wind is a huge factor when competing out of a kayak. Saturday morning was calm but just a few hours into the day the wind roared in the west direction, straight down the normal spawning banks. The California Bass Nation roster had one angler that competes out of his kayak and bass boat named Root Beer. This angler is always smiling and has a contagious laugh that everyone knows, the happiest guy we know. The one and only Obedie Williams dominates the field with 85.50” overcoming second place by 2 inches. Williams launched from his local ramp and ran for about 30 minutes. He worked a red crankbait along rip rap rock. During practice he caught a nice 3- and 2-pound fish quickly and knew that was going to be the deal.
“It gave me the confidence to crank during game day.”
The first two hours Williams found himself without a bite but soon his crankbait started to get bites.
“Around the corner was a wind-blown rocky bank and boom a 3-pounder chokes it, a few minutes later, boom, another 3-pounder chokes it.”
Just as Williams was finishing his retrieval, getting ready to pull the crankbait out of the water, another 3-pounder grabs his bait that was just barely hooked. He now has three fish submitted on the board. Williams knew he was going to blow this tournament out of the water but went 2 hours without a bite. At 1 PM, Williams makes an adjustment by picking up a drop-shot.
“I knew I needed to make a change to fill a limit so I picked-up a drop-shot.”
Williams reached back to get his rod when he bumped his net into the water, just as he turned his kayak around to catch his net, the net slowly sank out of his reach. Now netless, Williams hooks up with a 5- pound fish.
“Boom, I get bit and it’s a 5 younder, I'm fighting this fish and get the fish in my hand and the hook comes out.”
Now it is 2 PM and Williams knows he needs one more fish to fill his limit. In kayak fishing, you have to have a limit because we go by inches not pounds. Williams works his way to a pocket with a sunken log there. The wind is blowing him out of position, but he feels a bite and catches his fifth fish for a limit. At 2:45 PM with only 15 minutes left in the day, he picks up his crankbait and gets hung up. He pulls on the lure, thinking it was a fish, and when it came loose the crankbait wraps around his rods. He picks up the drop-shot and casts it out while untangling his crankbait.
“A 4 younder eats my drop-shot while I untangle my crankbait.”
At 2:58 PM, just 2 minutes left of the fishing day, Williams picks up his drop-shot rod and feels a fish, sets the hook and culls with a 17.50” fish.
“I log the fish in, did that just happen?” “It all came together.”
That last fish Williams caught was the fish that won it for him.
“Man, when it goes your way, it goes your way.” “It felt good to win this one.”
William thanked his wife, his biggest supporter and the Dark Horse Brothers.
Daniel Balaba placed second with 83.50”. Balaba launched from the south Delta where he fished a red crankbait and red chatter bait on the south facing banks that had a deeper trench.
“I had 7-8 bites all day and one that came unbuttoned that may have made a difference.” “It jumped me off right at the boat.”
“The out-going tide was the best.”
Balaba also targeted a tule island with sparse tulles. The wind was a factor in his success. He used a glass rod spooled with 20-pound fluorocarbon line. Balaba fishes out of a Hobie 360 PA12 powered by a 1103 Torqueedo.
“I knew the wind was going to blow that is why I launched south so I could get out of the wind, plus the banks were tall to help block the wind.”
“The clearer water was where I would get my bites.”
Balaba thanked everyone that runs Ca Bass Nation for putting on such great events. He also thanked his wife for all her support.
“I am thankful to have her support.”
Alden Walden placed third with 77.50”. Walden caught 8-9 fish all day within a 200-yard stretch of bank on finesse in 10-to12-feet of water. He pre-fished for two days and found the fish had lockjaw.
“I rolled the dice on a new spot that turned out lucky.”
Walden used a 4” brown and red worm to catch his fish. He found the fish would bite for him from 9 AM to 2 PM.
“No rhyme or reason with the tides.”
Walden found the fish were deep compared to their normal locations. A shoutout to the Dark Horse Crew and Obedie on the win!
Top Ten:
1. Obedie Williams 85.50”
2. Daniel Balaba 83.50”
3. Alden Walden 77.50”
4. Griffith Garrabrant 72.75”
5. Sean Case 71.00”
6. John Myers 61.25”
7. Thomas WIllingmyre 55.25”
8. Brandon Miller 40.50”
9. Dang Xiong 36.25”
10. Robert Yamamoto 34.50”
Big Fish:
John Myers 20.75”
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