Lowe & Gomez Take McClure By
Storm
Saturday, January 6, 2001
La Grange, CA
By: Tim Paes 
The tournament was over as soon
as Pro Robin Lowe, of Denair, CA, set the hook on his monster 11.06 lb. black
bass. Little did he know that would be the only fish needed to win the Nor-Cal
Bass Pro-Am on Lake McClure. The fishing had been slow the last few weeks and
big fish were almost non-existent. However, this all changed when Lowe and
partner Tom Gomez, of Merced, CA, landed this huge bass.
One hundred-eleven anglers from
all over Northern California came together to fish for the nearly $10,000 in
prize money to be awarded at the 1st tournament of the 2001 season.
The event saw 226 bass cross the scales for a total weight of 336 lbs. The
majority of fish weighed were spotted bass. But none would stand out more than
the 11 lb. black bass that brought cheers from the crowd in attendance at the
weigh-in.
Although Lowe and Gomez only
needed that 1 fish, they still brought in a 4 fish limit that tipped the scales
at 15.96 lbs. This gave them a 5 lb. lead over the 2nd place team.
Lowe, owner of Super Pork, used a jig tipped with his Tease Tail on 10 lb.
P-Line to entice his monster bass to bite. Gomez took Amateur Big Fish, a 2.96
lb. bass that bit a V&V Jig, also tipped with a Super Pork Tease Tail. Lowe
reported that his big fish came out of 10 to 15 feet while the rest of their
fish were caught in 50 to 65 feet of water. Lowe went on to say that the team
keyed on ledges and also caught fish shaking 6” California Worms. For their
great day on the water Lowe took home $2,580 while Gomez, who thanked T&P
Childcare for all their support, took home $1,750 for a team total of $4,330.
Second place went to Pro Don
Kennedy, of Elk Grove, CA, and partner Steve Marino, of Salida, CA. Kennedy and
Marino brought in a 6 fish limit that tipped the scales at 10.90 lbs. Kennedy,
who is sponsored by Valley Rod & Gun and Yamaha Motors, reported that the
team keyed on main lake points in water from 1 to 50 feet deep. The team used
Keeper Worms on dartheads and brass & glass to catch their limit. Kennedy
took home $1,194 while Marino, who is sponsored by Eagle Claw, took home $714
for a team total of $1,908.
Pro Duke Lizotte, of Waterford,
CA, and his partner Ron Billings, of Hughson, CA, finished 3rd with
their 10.62 lb. 6 fish limit. Lizotte reported that the pair used pig & jig
and Predator Purple Ghost worms on 1/8 oz. P-Heads to catch their fish. Lizotte
went on to say that all their fish came in 25 to 30 feet of water on points with
rock. Lizotte took home $796 while Billings earned $250 for a team total of
$1,046.
Rounding out the top 5, in 4th
place was Pro Art Romero, of Denair, CA, and his partner Brad Mikkelson, of
Hughson, CA, with a 6 fish limit of 10.56 lbs. Romero took home $400 while
Mikkelson earned $200 for a team total of $600. Fifth place went to Pro Steve
Greene, of Modesto, CA, and his partner Art Lackey, of Waterford, CA. Greene and
Lackey brought in 6 fish for 10.08 lbs. Greene took home $290 while Lackey
earned $381 for a team total of $671.
Nor-Cal would like to thank
our trophy sponsor for Lake McClure, E.
Prouty & Sons, along with our many product sponsors, Pradco,
Keeper Custom Worms, Fishin Musician Worms, Super Pork, Predator Worms and
Plano. Also a very special thanks to our official rod sponsor, St. Croix
Rods who gave a Avid Rod to the highest finishing Pro out of the money,
Richard Antonucci and a Premier Rod to the highest finishing Am out of the
money, Lester Yamaguichi. We would also like to thank Lake
McClure Recreation and Marina for hosting our event and allowing us to
use their grounds for check-in and our awards ceremony.
Nor-Cal could not afford to
offer you the payback we offer without the help of our corporate sponsors. We
would like to extend a very special thank you to Stratos Boats, Evinrude
Outboards and Boats Unlimited along with General Motors and Courtesy
Automotive. These fine businesses are supporting Nor-Cal and it’s anglers.
When it’s time for your next boat, give Stratos a test drive and pull it with
your new Chevy Truck!
February
10th marks the 2nd stop on our
Pro-Am Tournament Trail at New Melones.
Check-in will be from 4:30 a.m. to 5:30
a.m. at Glory Hole Sports. Visit
nor-calbass.com or call for full schedule and information on this event.
Nor-Cal Bass Tournament Trail
sponsors are: Stratos Boats, Evinrude Outboards, Boats Unlimited, General
Motors, Courtesy Automotive, Pradco, St. Croix Rods, Central Valley Propeller,
Central Valley Electric, 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, V&V Custom Baits, Predator Worms, Ron Smith Automotive, Outwest
Marketing Group, Silver Thread, Malibu Boats, Universal Telescopic, Fishin
Musician Worms, BANG, Thermo-Oil Batteries, Hildebrands Auto Repair, McClure
Painting & Plastering, Sipe’s Marine, Balswick’s Tires, J&H R.V.
Repair, Modesto Welding Products, King View, Larry Sanders Concrete Contractor,
Mickey Wall Painting, Winchester Farms and Escalon Bait & Tackle.
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