McKENZIE & REMMERS CROWNED CHAMPIONS AT 2002
NOR-CAL BASS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS 

October 19&20, 2002
Cal Delta, B&W Resort

By: Tim Paes 

The $10,000 2002 Nor-Cal Bass Tournament of Champions took place this past weekend on the California Delta. B&W Resort hosted the event that paired the top 20 pro and amateur anglers who qualified through our 6-event tournament trail. 

Many of the competitors reported typical conditions for this time of year on the delta. They would be on fish one day and then couldn’t catch them the next! Even with the inconsistent conditions, many felt it would take 35-40 lbs to win the two-day event. 

The first competition day started later then expected, as the crisp morning air didn’t mix well with the Delta water.  A thin blanket of fog diminished visibility to the point that tournament officials held the blast-off until conditions became safer. Finally at 7:18 boat one, 2002 points race champion Ron Schultz, of Modesto, made his way on pad and began his assault on the California Delta, following, one by one, were the remaining 2002 qualifiers. 

As 3:30 approached, the anglers began to make their way to the drive-by weigh-in taking place on the B&W Resort grounds. The majority reported tough conditions, with not very many bites. When conditions are tough like this, finding the quality fish is of utmost importance. Day one weights were relatively close, leaving several anglers within striking distance.  

Leading the field after day one was San Jose pro David McKenzie and his partner, Bob Arpoika, of Oakdale. McKenzie and Arpoika brought in a solid 16.40 lb limit, capped by McKenzie’s Pro Division Big Fish that weighed 7.04 lbs. Not far behind were Tracy pro, Gary Thomas and Eric Rodrigues, of San Jose, with their 16.32 lb catch. Third place belonged to pro Van Blades, of Tracy and his partner Shelly Gentry, of Oakdale. The pair brought 15.00 lbs to the scale. Within striking distance, in 4^th place was Ballico pro Tom Tiwater and his partner John Gentry, of Oakdale. The anglers brought in a 13.58 lb limit. 

There were nine weights over 10 lbs and several others between 8-10. With the Delta’s ability to kick out a 25 lb bag on any given day, nobody was out of the running to win this tournament! 

Sunday started with a much brighter picture, no fog! The anglers waited with anticipation as they knew they were going to get more fishing time today with the earlier blast-off. One by one the competitors took off, hoping to have the Delta puzzle together by the time the end of the day arrived. 

As the 2002 season came to a close, it was time to see who would be crowned champions of this year’s TOC. The boats began to line up for the drive-by weigh-in and soon we would have an answer. 

David McKenzie waited patiently as the last boat weighed their fish, once the weight was announced; he was able to take a deep breath because he had just won the year-end event. McKenzie brought in an awesome 20.14 lb limit on day-2 that gave him a 2-day total of 36.54 lbs. McKenzie’s partner Jason Remmers, of Modesto, capped the day-2 weight with an awesome 10.34 lb. Delta monster that fell victim to a red Bomber crankbait fished on outside weedlines. The majority of fish McKenzie reported catching in the two days came on 6” green pumpkin Senko’s tied to 16 lb Sugoi line on Lamiglass rods and Shimano reels. McKenzie fished 2-5 feet deep keying on secondary weedlines and offshore weed bed flats close to deep water. He spent both days fishing from Union Point to Little Mandeville. McKenzie went on to thank his wife Pauletta as well as Denise and the staff at Coyote Bait & Tackle in San Jose for their great service and help in getting him the baits needed to be successful. McKenzie’s great finish earned the angler $3,228. 

Gary Thomas began day-two in 2^nd place and held onto the position at days end. Thomas fished with John Benedix, of Oakdale, on day-2. The pair brought in a 15.76 lb limit that put the Tracy pro in position to seal his second place finish with a 2-day total of 32.08 lbs. Thomas used Terminator spinnerbaits in Chartreuse/white and black/red as well as crawdad colored Rattletraps and black/yellow Snagproof frogs on Powerpro braid, Lamiglass rods and Shimano reels. The angler keyed on tulles and outside weedlines in 4-8 feet of water. He fished several areas from Sherman Island to Telephone Cut. He thanked his wife Peggy as well as Stratos Boats and a very special thank you to Boats Unlimited. Thomas remarked “ I want to thank Boats Unlimited for all their years of service, and say they will be greatly missed”. Thomas’ solid performance netted him $1,696.  

Van Blades also found himself in the same position at the end of day-2, as the Tracy pro secured 3^rd place with a 2-day total of 27.40 lbs. Blades fished with Bob Arpoika on day-2. The anglers brought in 12.40 lbs. Blades reported catching fish on black/red and chartreuse/white BG spinnerbaits as well as black/red Yamamota Ika’s. The baits were fished on 20 lb P-Line on Loomis rods and Shimano Curado reels. Blades fished the river, keying on wood in 3-5 feet of water. The Tracy pro thanked his wife and friend Ben Galloway for all their support as he accepted his winnings of $1,036. 

Riverbank pro Jeff Frey was in 7^th place after day-1 with 11.30 lbs. The angler made his move into 4^th with a solid 15.78 lb limit on day-2. Frey fished with Ron Billings, of Hughson on day-1 and spent day-2 with Fresno angler, Dave McEwen. Frey, who is sponsored by Auto Life Sporting Goods, keyed on grass lines in 8-13 feet of water with slow rolled white/chartreuse Strike King spinnerbaits, tied on 15 lb P-Line Fluorocarbon line on Shimano V rods and Curado reels. Frey’s finish earned him $585. 

Jason Remmers said the fight was over in a matter of seconds when the huge Delta lunker hit his Bomber crankbait right at the boat. There was no time to fight the fish as he hit with just a few feet of line out! But those seconds had to feel like an eternity when they saw the size of this fish.  However, once that fish was in the boat, Remmers 1^st place Am Division finish was sealed. Remmers fished with Denair pro Rudy Linn on day-1 as the anglers left themselves in contention with a 10.10 lb limit. On the second day Remmers fished with pro champion David McKenzie. Remmers 2-day total of 30.24 lbs was enough to hold off the competition and capture the $1,310 1^st place prize money. 

Second place am, Bob Arpoika, fished with David McKenzie on day-1 and Van Blades on day-2. Arpoika’s two-day total of 28.80 lbs netted the Oakdale angler $931. 

John Gentry finished 3^rd in the Am Division with a two-day total of 27.48 lbs. Gentry fished with Tom Tiwater on day-1 and the 2002 Pro Angler of the Year, Ron Schultz, on day-2. Gentry took home $441. 

Fourth place am went to Shelly Gentry with her two-day total weight of 25.90 lbs. Gentry fished with Van Blades on day-1 and Modesto pro Norval Pimentel on day-2. Her finish earned the angler $294. 

Our 2002 Pro-Am Tournament Trail season has drawn to a close. And with that we would like to give special thanks to Stratos Boats as our major tournament trail sponsor. Nor-Cal pays back 100% to its anglers each season because of their sponsor support. Remember to support our sponsors because they are supporting you! 

Thanks to B&W Resort for hosting our event. Thanks also to our Trophy Sponsor for the 2002 Tournament of Champions, Autolife Sporting Goods, along with all our Pro-Am Tournament Trail sponsors: Stratos Boats, Bob’s Marine, St. Croix Rods, C&C Marine, Auto Life Sporting Goods, Joe Coelho & Sons Trucking, Ron Rice Trucking, Fandick Trucking, E Prouty & Sons, T&T Trucking, Winchester Farms, Super Pork, Thermo Oil Batteries, BANG, Fishin Musician Worms, Keeper Custom Worms, Predator Worms, Ex-Cel Lures, Tom’s Truck Repair, Escalon Bait & Tackle and Hildebrands Auto Repair.