SIGHT FISHING IS THE KEY
TO VICTORY AT CLEAR LAKE FOR
VALDEZ & BILLINGS
Sunday, April 7,
2002
Lakeport, CA
By: Tim Paes 
Nor-Cal’s
4th Pro-Am event of the 2002 season took place on one of the
greatest fisheries in the nation. Lakeport, CA, on the shores of
beautiful Clear Lake, was the host location for this tournament.
Sixty-six anglers signed up to compete in the event. This tournament
took place on Sunday with a Saturday prefish. The entire field saw this,
as a positive format change for Nor-Cal and one this organization will
be taking a serious look at for next season.
With a day
of prefish before the tournament, anglers could be seen running the lake
from spot to spot trying to pattern the huge bass that roam this awesome
fishery. By the end of the day the competitors would have to put their
game plan together for the next day and the dock talk was how the
fishing was tougher then many had expected. Coming into the tournament,
many of the anglers felt that the tournament would be won off the beds.
However, not many bed fish were sighted on Saturday and many of the
anglers were rethinking their assault on the lake to follow on Sunday.
 Sunday
followed with high bright skies and very warm temperatures, which caused
a migration of Clear Lake lunkers onto the spawning flats. The fished
moved up and the successful anglers keyed on the beds to finish at the
top of the field. Although no double digit bass where caught on the day,
several of the teams brought in solid limits of fish. The anglers
brought 161 bass to the scales, weighing an impressive 569 lbs. Average
weight per fish was over 3 ½ lbs!
Livermore,
CA Pro Angel Valdez and his partner Ron Billings, of Hughson, CA sight
fished their way to victory. Valdez, who is sponsored by Stratos Boats,
Boats Unlimited, Kistler Rods, Duh Team, Solar Bat and Reaction Baits,
reported starting the day going after fish that were staged on the edge
of the grass in Soda and Jago Bay. The pair caught fish early on
Carolina rigged lizards tied on Stren Easy Cast, Shimano reels and
Kistler rods, and then once the sun began to warm the shallows, the huge
Clear Lake lunkers made their move to the beds. Valdez went on to say
that he had no luck finding bed fish during the Saturday prefish, but it
was like somebody opened the floodgates on Sunday afternoon as fish
after fish moved shallow and the anglers were able to cull all their
fish. Valdez and Billings brought in an awesome 6 fish limit weighing
27.80 lbs. Valdez took home $1,385 while Billings earned $475 for a team
total of $1,860.
Second
place went to Pro Ira Eads, of Copperopolis, CA and his partner Loren
Hayes, of Turlock,
CA with their 6 fish limit that tipped the scales at 26.90 lbs. Eads and
Hayes also sight fished their limit of fish using jigs on Berkley
Whiplash, Shimano reels and St Croix rods. Eads also had Big Fish in the
pro ranks with his 8.70 lb toad that came off of a bed in the narrows.
For the great day, Eads took home $1,121 while Hayes earned $610 for a
team total of $1,731.
Modesto,
CA Pro Tom Bossard and his partner Shelly Gentry, of Oakdale CA also
caught their fish by sight in Soda Bay. The team weighed in a 24.32 lb 6
fish limit that sealed up 3rd place. Bossard thanked his
partner, Gentry, who is sponsored by Pro Worms, for turning him on to
the water in Soda Bay. The team used Castaic swimbaits on the beds to
aggravate the fish, and then drop a worm on the bed that would be
inhaled. Bossard earned $330 and Gentry took home $165 for a team total
of $495.
Rounding
out the money winners in 4th place was Pro George Azevedo, of
Hilmar, CA and Ron Wilson, of Modesto, CA with their 6 fish limit
weighing 23.94 lbs. Azevedo and Wilson took home $690. Fifth place went
to Pro Michael Tuck, of Santa Rosa, CA and Ken Long, of Turlock, CA with
their 22.72 lb 6 fish limit. Tuck and Long earned $358. Modesto, CA Pro
Ron Schultz and Scott Burke, of Oakdale, CA finished 6th with
their 6 fish limit that weighed 21.66 lbs earning the pair $196. Big
Fish in the Am Division went to Brad Mikkelson, of Turlock, CA with his
5.80 lb lunker that netted him $260.
 Just
out of the money, but winners none the less, due to our rod sponsor, St
Croix, was Pro John Grissom of Merced, CA and his partner Joe Hardrick,
of Modesto, CA. Grissom and Hardrick brought in 6 fish weighing 21.38
lbs. The pair each took home an awesome St Croix rod that they will be
able to use for years to come.
The 2002
Angler of the Year Points race saw Modesto, CA Pro Ron Schultz move back
into 1st place by a slim 1 point lead over Pro Ira Eads. In
the Am Division, Fresno, CA angler David McEwen slipped into 2nd
place behind Scott Burke. This year’s race will hold tight to the very
end with the inclusion of a throw out.
Special
thanks goes to Stratos & Javelin Boats along with Boats
Unlimited as our major corporate sponsors. Nor-Cal pays back 100% to
their anglers each season because of their sponsor support. Visit
nor-calbass.com to see all our sponsors and remember to thank and
support them because they are supporting you!
Thanks
also to our Trophy Sponsor at Clear Lake, E Prouty & Sons,
along with all our Pro-Am Tournament Trail sponsors: Stratos &
Javelin Boats, Boats Unlimited, St. Croix Rods, C&C Marine, Bob’s
Marine, Auto Life Sporting Goods, Joe Coelho & Sons Trucking, Ron
Rice Trucking, Fandick 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.
The 5th stop on our Pro-Am
Tournament Trail takes place at Lake Camanche. The event date is May 11,
2002 and will be headquartered North Shore. Check in takes place from
4:00 to 5:00 a.m. on the morning of the tournament. Visit our website
for more info on this and all our tournaments.
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