Perkins & Winchester Earn Victory At Nor-Cal Event on Lake Camanche 

by Tim Paes   

Saturday, February 20, 1999 - Ione, CA. .... The second event of the 1999 season for Nor-Cal Bass took place at Camanche Lake, in the foothills east of Stockton, CA. With a clear sky and the stars shining, the big question during the morning check in was would the weather hold out? The lack of rain made it until 1:00 p.m. when in typical fashion for a Nor-Cal event it began raining on the competitors. This, of course, was after the wind had already been howling for 2 hours!  

The fishing reports preceding our event painted a bleak picture of how tough the fishing was going to be. However, the quality of this fishery is outstanding. Thirty-seven Pro and Amateur partners fished this event with 134 Black Bass brought to the scales that weighed a total of 292 lbs. That’s over a 2 lb. avg. per fish. Camanche produces quality bass from a fishery that is untapped to the tournament angler.  

After the weights were tallied,  Pro Dan Perkins, from Arnold, CA. and his Amateur partner Mark Winchester, of Ceres, CA. were crowned champions. Perkins, along with Winchester, brought a 6 fish limit to the scales that weighed 15.34 lbs. Perkins, who is sponsored by: V&V Custom Baits, Ranger Boats, Mercury Outboards, California Custom Marine, Outboard Technology and Glory Hole Sports ( the only place you can buy V&V products) reported that they used V&V football jigheads with a spider grub trailer. Perkins also stated that he keyed on creek channels in the Rabbit Creek area of the lake and all of their fish came in less then 8 ft. of water. Perkins received $1,545.00 for first place in the Pro Division while Winchester took home $925.00 in the Amateur Division for a team total of $2,470.00.  

Second place went to pro John Myers, of Atwater, CA. and his partner Val Wolfley, of Modesto, CA. Myers and Wolfley brought a 6 fish limit to the scales that weighed 15.32 lbs, only 2/100ths of a lb. behind Perkins and Winchester. Myers, who is sponsored by: Predator Worms and his Wife ( the best half ) reported that they caught their fish on Carolina rigged 6" Predator Worms in 20-40 ft. of water on main lake points. Myers took home $847.00 for his finish while Wolfley earned $515.00 for a team total of $1,362.00.  

Third place went to pro Norval Pimentel, of Modesto, CA. and his amateur partner Mike Bugarin, of Modesto, CA. Pimentel and Bugarin brought 6 fish to the scales that weighed 14.56 lbs. Pimentel who is sponsored by: Stratos Boats, Evinrude Outboards, Boats Unlimited, Pradco, Silver Thread, Pinnacle rods & reels, Outwest Marketing Group, Central Valley Propeller, Keeper Custom Worms, Ex-Cel Lures, Mustad Hooks, BANG, Super Pork and Top Brass Tackle, reported that their fish came shaking 6” 1050 Keeper Worms in the Rabbit Creek and Camper Cove area of the lake in less then 10 ft. of water. Pimentel also stated that big rocks were a key to their success.  

Rounding out the money winners was 4th place finishers Hose Looper, of Stockton, CA and Frank Lewis, of Merced, CA with 14.42 lbs. and earnings of $330.00. Looper also took Big Fish honors in the Pro Division with a 4.58 lb. Black Bass that netted him $180.00. Fifth place went to Jack Billington, of Ione, CA. and Lester Yamaguichi, of Turlock, CA. with 13.90 lbs. and earnings of $270.00. Bob Haag, of Ione, CA. and Rudy Linn, of Denair, CA. finished 6th with 13.88 lbs. that netted them $180.00. Linn also took Big Fish honors in the Amateur Division with his 3.86 lb. Black Bass that earned him $170.00. Seventh place went to Jerl Young, of Merced, CA. and Ron Wilson, of Modesto, CA. with 13.72 lbs. and earnings of $150.00. Receiving the $75.00 award from B.A.I.T. Insurance was Tom Gaylor from Ceres, CA. Gaylor was the first pro out of the money with the B.A.I.T. Insurance sticker on his boat.  

We would like to thank our trophy sponsor at Camanche, Tracy Boat Sales, along with our product sponsors, Keeper Custom Worms, Super Pork, Ex-Cel Lures, Fishin Musician Worms, Delta Bait & Tackle, B.A.I.T. Insurance and Malibu Boats, and a special thank you to Stratos Boats, Johnson Outboards and Boats Unlimited. We would also like to acknowledge Chris Cantwell and the staff at Camanche Rec. for hosting our event. The Camanche staff went out of their way to welcome our tournament organization by opening the store early in the morning and assisting us during the adverse weather conditions during the weigh-in and awards ceremony.  

The third stop in our Pro-Am tournament leg will be March 20, 1999 on the California Delta. We will be launching out of Ladd‚s in Stockton, CA. Check-in will be from 3:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. Also, May 8, 1999 Nor-Cal Bass will be holding an Open Team event on Lake Don Pedro where we will be awarding a fully rigged Stratos Bass Boat to the champions.  

The top 25 Pro and Amateurs from the 6 tournament Pro-Am season will qualify for the 1999 T.O.C. The Pro Division qualifiers at the T.O.C. will be fishing for a 1999 fully rigged Stratos Bass Boat.