James Hawkinson Moves to Second Place on Post Front Day Two
SHASTA LAKE, Calif. – February 20, 2026 –– What any angler wants to have happen after a massive first day of a bass tournament is to back it up with a good day two. When Oroville, Calif. pro Joe Orozco took the day one lead of the 2026 WON Bass Lake Shasta Open presented by Ranger Boats and Mercury with 28.59 pounds of spotted bass, the appearance was that there would be records shattered.
While snowstorms and cold temperatures had been the norm throughout practice and the first morning of the event, the afternoon of the first day brought warm temperatures and clear skies. The result of the change with the dreaded post front conditions brought less than ideal fishing on the second day of the event.
Predictably, the weights fell off dramatically with the bluebird conditions. Orozco, who produced a massive 28.59-pound limit on the first day, only managed to bring 11.72 pounds to the scales today. Despite that slip, he was able to maintain the day two lead of the event with a total weight of 40.30 pounds.
One angler who managed to maintain some Despite seeing a 10-pound reduction from his day one weight, James Hawkinson from Chico, Calif. brought 15.05 pounds to the scales and moved up to third place with a total weight of 40.24 pounds.
Brennan Osborn from Beaverton, Ore. was one of the few who was able to maintain some consistency in his performance and added 18.36 pounds to his day one total to move from fifth place to third on day two with a total of 39.13 pounds. Rancho Santa Margarita pro Kyle Grover also fell off, adding 11.88 pounds to land in fourth place with 37.13 pounds. Fifth place in the pro-division went to Nick Wood of Yreka, Calif. who ended the day with a total weight of 34.89 pounds.
Orozco reported that the less than ideal conditions and traffic affected his area. “I was able to get on what I wanted to early, but the bite was slower than yesterday because of the conditions,” he said. “I also had a significant increase in traffic in my area and I think that had an effect too.”
The Oroville, Calif. pro reported using the same Bass Union jighead and soft plastic minnow as he did to produce his day one Mega Bag but struggled all day. “I got a lot fewer bites overall, and of those, many of them were just nipping at the tail of the bait,” he said. “I know that they weren’t feeling as comfortable today and it showed.
“we’re supposed to get some clouds and prefontal conditions tomorrow, and I hope that will improve the bite,” he said. “I’ve got a long day, I’ll be the first boat out and will go there and give it everything I’ve got and whatever happens is what happens, I’m ready to go.”
For his part, Hawkinson also found the conditions to affect his results. “I went to the spot I caught all 25 pounds on yesterday and they had no response to my minnow,” he said. “So, I did what I try to do here when things get tough, I run around and fish for ‘dumb ones,’ those that are just ready to bite.”
Throwing a soft plastic minnow on a jighead he pours himself, Hawkinson relied on covering water looking for a fish that would bite. “I had to scale down today and turn to 6-pound-test line on a 7’ medium-light Daiwa Tatula Elite Cody Meyer Dropshot rod and Tatula MQ spinning reel to get any bites today,” he said. “I’m just trying to cover as much water as I can and put it in front of as many fish as possible and execute.”
AAA angler Carl Chrutchfield, from Stockton, Calif. maintained his leadership position from day one with a total weight of 38.40 pounds. Second place in the AAA division went to Damon Motley of Orange, Calif. with a two-day total of 34.98 pounds. Eli Guryanov of West Sacramento, Calif. placed third in the AAA division with 33.53 pounds. He was followed by a tie for 4th place with Cheng Xiong of Oroville, Calif. and Phil Purser of Yreka, Calif. with 31.53 pounds.
The winner of the 2026 WON Bass Lake Shasta Open presented by Ranger Boats and Mercury will receive the 2026 Ranger Boats Z518 powered by a Mercury ProXS 150 prize boat provided by Bass Pro Shops.
The daily livestream of the weigh-ins airs on at Facebook.com/WONBassTournaments. Daily weigh-ins from Bridge Bay Resort in Lake Shasta City, Calif. begin after the first flight checks in at 3:00 PM Pacific Time.
The Top 10 in each division are below, for complete standings go to: https://wonbassevents.com/pages/won-bass-shasta-open-pairings-results.
2026 WON Bass Lake Shasta Open Day Two Pro Standings
| Place | Angler | Hometown | Fish | B/B | Day 1 | Day 2 | Total |
| 1 | Joe Orozco | Orville CA | 10-10 | 6.55 | 28.58 | 11.72 | 40.30 |
| 2 | James Hawkinson | Chico CA | 10-10 | 6.15 | 25.19 | 15.05 | 40.24 |
| 3 | Brennan Osborn | Beaverton OR | 10-10 | 5.64 | 20.77 | 18.36 | 39.13 |
| 4 | Kyle Grover | Rancho Santa Margarita CA | 10-10 | 6.36 | 25.25 | 11.88 | 37.13 |
| 5 | Nick Wood | Yreka CA | 10-10 | 5.62 | 22.42 | 12.47 | 34.89 |
| 6 | Alex Niapas | Altaville CA | 10-10 | 18.20 | 15.37 | 33.57 | |
| 7 | Nick Supalo | Oroville CA | 10-10 | 6.06 | 16.21 | 16.53 | 32.74 |
| 8 | Joe Uribe, Jr. | Surprise AZ | 10-10 | 6.20 | 12.08 | 16.34 | 28.42 |
| 9 | Ryan Friend | Oroville CA | 10-10 | 16.44 | 11.88 | 28.32 | |
| 10 | Joey Walton | Lewiston ID | 10-10 | 4.43 | 11.53 | 16.53 | 28.06 |
2026 WON Bass Lake Shasta Open Day Two AAA Standings
| Place | Angler | Hometown | Fish | B/B | Day 1 | Day 2 | Total |
| 1 | Carl Crutchfield | Stockton CA | 10-10 | 28.58 | 9.82 | 38.40 | |
| 2 | Damon Motley | Orange CA | 10-10 | 4.40 | 25.19 | 9.79 | 34.98 |
| 3 | Eli Guryanov | West Sacramento CA | 10-10 | 4.08 | 25.25 | 8.28 | 33.53 |
| 4 | Troy Mays | Ione CA | 10-10 | 20.77 | 12.47 | 33.24 | |
| 5 | Phil Purser | Yreka CA | 10-10 | 16.44 | 15.09 | 31.53 | |
| 5 | Cheng Xiong | Oroville CA | 10-10 | 5.90 | 22.42 | 9.11 | 31.53 |
| 7 | Chris Crawford | Sacramento CA | 10-10 | 3.42 | 11.00 | 18.36 | 29.36 |
| 8 | Jaramy Riddle | Millville CA | 10-10 | 4.65 | 18.20 | 11.04 | 29.24 |
| 9 | Frank Harris | Sacramento CA | 10-10 | 6.40 | 13.22 | 14.23 | 27.45 |
| 10 | Dink Mendez | Campbell CA | 10-10 | 7.30 | 11.55 | 15.37 | 26.92 |
The 2026 WON Bass Western Opens Series of events Consisting of five events in California, Arizona and Nevada, will culminate with the 2024 WON Bass U.S. Open at Lake Mohave in October. The five event dates are as follows:
Jan. 8 to 10, 2026 – Clear Lake – Champion Garrett Ellenson – 98.37 pounds
Feb. 19 to 21, 2026 – Lake Shasta
April 16 to 18, 2026 – Clear Lake
May 7 to 9, 2026 – Lake Havasu
Oct. 5 to 7, 2026 – U.S. Open at Lake Mohave
For complete details or to register, look to wonbassevents.com and WONews.com to hear the latest news about the 2026 season and beyond and follow along at Facebook.com/WONBassTournaments.
The 2026 WON Bass Lake Shasta Open is brought to you by Bass Pro Shops, Ranger Boats, Mercury Marine, Bridgford Foods, AFTCO, Power Pole, Costa, Berkley, Gamakatsu, Okuma, Lowrance, Stealth Lithium Batteries, Daiwa, G-Ratt Baits, Reese Fishing, Signature Gates, Abu Garcia, DD26 and Fenwick
Local presenting sponsors are Visit Redding, Phil’s Propellers, Bridge Bay Marina and the US Forestry Service