Saturday, 10/6/18
Seventy-one die-hard kayak anglers launched out of Sugar Barge on the California Delta for the last regular event of the 2018 Yak-A-Bass tournament season. The weather was nice with highs in the low 90s and lows in the mid-50s. There was a slight breeze in the morning that turned into some pretty strong winds in the afternoon. The fishing was tough overall, with only 28 anglers submitting a 3 fish limit.
Ultimately, Robert Matsuura of Sacramento, CA rose to the top with an impressive 53 inch 3 fish limit anchored by a 19.25 inch big fish. Robert called on his 25 years of experience fishing the Delta to find the right bites. He reports fishing his first bass tournament (C.O. Pro Teen Classic) on the Delta when he was a sophomore in high school. “Blasting off in Big Break out of the big boat made me want to fish more tournaments”, said Matsuura. After high school, he attended Sacramento State University where he majored in geography and was on the collegiate bass fishing team where he fished in the national championship for 3 consecutive years. After college, he has continued to pursue his passion for bass fishing as well as outdoor photography and videography.
Being an avid Delta fisherman, this tournament was his third in 3 weeks on the Delta. He fished the KBF Delta Trail event on 9/22 where he finished 4th. The following weekend he fished as a boater in the FLW Costa Series Delta event on 9/27 through 9/29 where he finished 24th. Going into the Yak-A-Bass event he felt that he had a solid plan that was capable of producing the winning limit.
Robert started in Sandmound Slough and focused on tules and docks. He picked up a fish on a Senko on his second cast. He then started punching mats and caught several more. He then headed down to the housing development. By now, the wind was picking up and it was low tide. He continued punching hyacinth mats and landed his 19.25 inch big fish. When traveling between mats, he would fan cast a Senko, producing solid keepers. The tide started coming in and the mats started to break up and disappear. Matsuura decided to throw the glide bait on high tide targeting big fish. He commented that since it was only a three fish limit he wanted to go for the win. He got a couple followers on the glide bait but no hook-ups. After putting the glide bait down, he again picked up the Senko and fired off a long cast that landed approximately 20 feet off the bank. He felt a tick, set the hook and landed another nice fish that sealed the deal. Matsuura reports catching a total of 10 fish throughout the day but the punch and Senko bite produced the keepers he was looking for.
Here’s your top 10:
1. Robert Matsuura – 53 inches
2. Dang Xiong – 52.25 inches
3. Greg Blanchard – 5.175 inches
4. Jose Cervantes – 50.75 inches
5. John Skaggs – 50.00 inches
6. Chapin Fowler – 50.00 inches
7. Justin Dutcher – 48.25 inches
8. Damian Thao – 48.25 inches
9. Travis Lear – 47.25 inches
10. David Sanders – 47 inches
Here’s your big fish:
Vinny Dau – 22.25 inches
Next up for Yak-A-Bass is the blind draw team event on Lake Camanche on 11/10. This the final Yak-A-Bass event for 2018, sign up today.
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