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MITCHELL & HAYES BATTLE
THEIR WAY TO VICTORY IN FINAL NOR-CAL EVENT OF 2001
Saturday,
September 29, 2001
Stockton, CA
By: Tim Paes
The
6th and final tournament of 2001 took place on the California Delta.
The event launched out of Ladd’s Marina in Stockton, CA. Sixty-seven anglers
came out to compete for the more then $6,000 in prize money to be awarded at the
end of the day. Also at stake would be the 2001 Pro and Am anglers of the year
along with qualification into this years Tournament of Champions.
The weather was
cool and crisp as the anglers blasted off for their day on the water. However,
it was apparent that summer hadn’t left the central valley quite yet as the
temperatures soon reached the low 90’s. Fishing was tough for many of the
anglers and the huge fish that have made the Delta known worldwide were hard to
come by. Even though conditions were tough, several of the teams were able to
muster a 6 fish limit as 162 bass were brought to the scales with a total weight
of 335 lbs.
Pro Steve
Mitchell, of Merced, CA and Loren Hayes, of Turlock, CA took the victory with a
6 fish limit that tipped the scales at 16.60 lbs. Mitchell and Hayes fished the
Central Delta with spinnerbaits and 10” Powerworms in order to catch their
winning weight. Mitchell reported that keying on the outside weedlines in 5 to
10 feet of water led to their success. Mitchell took home $1,595 while Hayes
earned $895 for a team total of $2,490.
Second place went to Pro Jeff Frey, of Riverbank, CA and Ron
Schultz, of Modesto, CA. Frey and Schultz also keyed on the outside weedlines in
4 to 8 feet of water with spinnerbaits, Speedworms and Brushogs. The pair
weighed in a 6 fish limit of 16.42 lbs. Frey won $898 while Schultz took home
$508 for a team total of $1,406.
Finishing 3rd
was Pro Nick Welton, of Galt, CA, who fished the tournament by himself. Welton
brought in a 5 fish limit that weighed 16.14 lbs. The event was one am short of
filling the field, however this did not deter Welton from fishing even though he
would only be able to bring in a 5 fish limit. Welton spent his day in White’s
Slough fishing the weedmats with Snagproof Frogs.
Welton also had Big Fish for the day, a 6.82 lb lunker. Welton may have
won the event had he been able to bring in his 6th fish. However, he
still had a very successful day. With 3rd place and Big Fish, Welton
took home $912.
Rounding out the
top 5 in 4th place was Pro Jack Lightsey, of Tracy, CA and Aram
Carney, of San Mateo, CA. Lightsey and Carney brought 6 fish to the scales
weighing 14.90 lbs. The pair took home $655. Fifth place went to Pro Mark
Seaters, of Lodi, CA and Andy Collins, of Merced, CA. Seaters and Collins took
home $413 for their 6 fish limit weighing 14.64 lbs.
Our official rod
sponsor, St Croix Rods, award the highest finishing pro and am out of the money
with an Avid and Premier Rod at each of our events in 2001. Pro angler Don
Mutchler, of Modesto, CA, took home the Avid while Brad Mikkelson, of Hughson,
CA, took home the Premier. Thank you St Croix for contributing to our success.
In the Pro
Division Angler of the Year point’s race, Don Kennedy sealed up Angler of the
Year with his 7th place finish at the Delta. Ron Schultz’s 2nd
place finish vaulted him from 5th to Angler of the Year in the Am
Division. Congratulations to both Kennedy and Schultz for their outstanding year
of fishing. For winning the point’s race, Kennedy receives $600 in Nor-Cal
entries for 2002, while Schultz earns $300 in 2002 entries.
Nor-Cal would
like to thank our trophy sponsor for the Delta,
Ron Rice Trucking, along with all
our tournament trail sponsors. Also, a very special thank you to Stratos
& Javelin Boats along with Boats Unlimited for all their support.
The 2001
Tournament of Champions takes place October 27 & 28, 2001 on the California
Delta. Check-in takes place Saturday, October 17, 2001 at B & W Resort.
Nor-Cal Bass
Tournament Trail sponsors are: Stratos & Javelin Boats, Boats Unlimited,
General Motors, Courtesy Automotive, St Croix Rods, E. Prouty & Sons
Trucking, Joe Coelho & Sons, Cunha Trucking, Ron Rice Trucking, Central
Valley Propeller, Smooth as Glass, Bob’s Marine, Tracy Boat Sales, Auto Life
Auto Parts & Sporting Goods, Boat Country, C&C Marine, Ex-Cel Lures,
Fishermen's Warehouse, P&E Distributing, Super Pork, Keeper Custom Worms,
Predator Worms, Fishin Musician Worms, BANG, Thermo-Oil Batteries, Hildebrands
Auto Repair, McClure Painting & Plastering, Sipe’s Marine, J&H R.V.
Repair, Modesto Welding Products, Mickey Wall Painting, Winchester Farms
and Escalon Bait & Tackle.
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