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Smith Mountain Lake Fishing Report May 2015 by Captain Dale Wilson

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Smith Mountain Lake Fishing Report May 2015 by Captain Dale Wilson

SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE FISHING REPORT
May 2015
DALE WILSON’S
SML GUIDE SERVICE
PHONE NO: 540-297-5650 / 540-874-4950
www.captaindalewilson.com

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Picture: Charles Burks from Lynchburg, Va. with a large crappie caught last month while fishing with Captain Dale

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OVERVIEW: Fishing should be good this month! Water temperature will be in the 60’s to lower 70’s. Baitfish will start to spawn mainly at night this month. Most species of fish will feed actively this month as they prepare for the pre and post spawning season.

Largemouth Bass– Fishing for largemouth bass will be good this month. Best lures will be jigs, drop shot rigs, top water lures, spinner baits, buzz baits, Texas rigged plastic worms and senkoes. Most largemouth bass will be caught near secondary points, protected pockets, stumps, rip rap shorelines and docks. Best depths will be from 2 to 10 feet deep. Most largemouth bass will be spawning or have already spawned. Rocks, stumps and shallow brush are key factors to finding bass this month. Please practice catch and release during the spawning season.

Smallmouth Bass- Fishing should be fair. Best areas will be rocks, humps, ledges, stumps and secondary points. Best lures will be jig & pig, tubes, hair jigs and top water lures. Best areas will be in the mid to the lower sections of the lake. Most smallmouth bass will be near their spawning areas this month. Cloudy days with light winds are good times to try your luck! Light line and smaller lures will increase your chances to catch smallmouth bass.

Striped Bass- Fishing will be good. Stripers will be caught in the mid to lower sections of the lake and the
larger creeks. Best lures will be jerk baits, swim baits, top water poppers, Thundersticks, Red-fins and Zoom flukes fished on 1/4 to 3/8 oz. lead heads. The best depths will be from the surface to 30 feet deep. Baitfish will be spawning near the shorelines at night. Live bait will work this month. Night fishing will be good this month.

Crappie- Fishing for crappie will be good this month. They will be found 2 to 10 feet deep. Best areas will be in the main creeks around docks, fallen trees, and brush piles in the mid to upper sections of the lake. Small live minnows and 1 ½ to 2 inch tubes or shad shaped plastic lures fished on 1/32 to 1/16 oz. lead heads will work best to catch crappie this month. Some crappie will be spawning this month.

TIP OF THE Month: Most of the larger fish will feed mostly at night this month because the shad will be spawning. Make sure you wear your life jacket. You can never be too careful when boating. Remember to be courteous and obey all the boating laws. Please practice catch and release. Take a kid fishing!

HANSELMAN WINS RAYOVAC FLW SERIES AT LAKE TEXOMA, SWEEPS TEXAS DIVISION

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HANSELMAN WINS RAYOVAC FLW SERIES AT LAKE TEXOMA, SWEEPS TEXAS DIVISION
HANSELMAN WINS RAYOVAC FLW SERIES AT LAKE TEXOMA, SWEEPS TEXAS DIVISION
LeJeune wins co-angler title
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POTTSBORO, Texas (May 2, 2015) – Ray Hanselman of Del Rio, Texas, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win the Rayovac FLW Series Texas Division event on Lake Texoma presented by Evinrude with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 58 pounds, 13 ounces. Hanselman is the first person to ever win three consecutive tournaments in a single season on any Rayovac FLW Series circuit. For his win, Hanselman earned $30,431.
“The win really hasn’t sunk in yet. I tried to keep the record out of my mind so I wouldn’t get nervous fishing,” said Hanselman, a six-year Rayovac FLW Series Texas Division veteran. “I just came into this event focused on winning Angler of the Year.”
Hanselman said that he targeted mid-lake pockets, particularly where there was a separation between the bank and flooded weeds.
“The fish feed in there and there’s some spawning going on so the larger males tend to guard the area,” Hanselman said.
“On day one, I hooked two big smallmouths and lost them,” continued Hanselman. “Around 10 a.m. I decided to focus on the largemouth bite and boated a 3½-pounder. I caught three more comparable fish in 30 minutes, then went to a different pocket and caught another three. By 2 p.m. I had a quality stringer.”
Using a Power Tackle rod and a Strike King Sexy Frog, Hanselman went into days two and three looking to capitalize on his day one pattern.
“On day two I retraced my tracks and went to the same spots from Thursday and caught a 5-pounder early. By 10 a.m. I had about 18 or 19 pounds of fish in the livewell,” Hanselman said. “After bringing in 23 pounds for the day, I knew I could take the tournament.”
Hanselman said the flooded creeks and tributaries that filled the lake with red, muddy water worked to his advantage.
“Anglers abandoned their favorite spots to try and find the cleanest water,” HanseIman said. “I was lucky and found water that was stained but not muddy. If that flood wouldn’t have happened a few days prior to the tournament, I wouldn’t have won.”
On the final day of competition, Hanselman said he stuck to his original pattern and quickly caught his winning limit.
“The day started out slow and I began to get nervous. Luckily, I caught my 5-pound kicker at 9:30 a.m. and finished out a solid limit by 10:45,” Hanselman said.
Hanselman went on to say that staying focused and fishing smart was his key to victory.
“I watched guys burn through their pockets in no time,” said Hanselman. “I went out there and did my best to fish calm and it worked.”
The top 10 pros on Lake Texoma were:
        1st:       Ray Hanselman, Del Rio, Texas, 15 bass, 58-13, $30,431
        2nd:      Bradley Hallman, Norman, Okla., 15 bass, 46-13, $11,792
        3rd:       Nick Lebrun, Shreveport, La., 14 bass, 46-6, $9,129
        4th:       Joe Don Setina, Pittsburg, Texas, 15 bass, 45-13, $7,608
        5th:       Jeff Reynolds, Calera, Okla., 15 bass, 39-4, $6,847
        6th:       Cody Bird, Granbury, Texas, 12 bass, 38-2, $6,086
        7th:       Brian Ankrum, Natalia, Texas, 10 bass, 33-3, $5,326
        8th:       Robert Brown, Round Rock, Texas, 10 bass, 32-9, $4,565
        9th:       Russell Cecil, Willis, Texas, nine bass, 31-8, $3,804
        10th:     Craig Frilot, Breaux Bridge, La., nine bass, 23-4, $3,043
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Ray LaJeune of Eunice, Louisiana, won the co-angler division and a Ranger Z117C with a 90 horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor, with a three-day total of eight bass weighing 21 pounds, 12 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers on Sam Rayburn Reservoir were:
        1st:       Ryan LeJeune, Eunice La., eight bass, 21-12, Ranger Z117C with 90 HP outboard engine + $5,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
        2nd:      Randall Vaughan, Blanco, Texas, eight bass, 18-1, $3,851
        3rd:       Billy Cline, Grapevine, Texas, six bass, 16-2, $3,081
        4th:       Bill Gift, Lindale, Texas, seven bass, 15-12, $2,696
        5th:       Jimmy Ballard, Paris, Texas, four bass, 11-10, $2,311
        6th:       Rick Parker, Kaufman, Texas, six bass, 10-12, $1,926
        7th:       Chris Bobo, Denison, Texas, three bass, 9-13, $1,541
        8th:       Buddy Hicks, Port Neches, Texas, four bass, 9-4, $1,348
        9th:       Bubba Finstad, Ranger, Texas, four bass, 8-9, $1,155
        10th:     Hugh Rose, Davis, Okla., four bass, 8-6, $963
The Rayovac FLW Series consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeast, Texas and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments and competitors will be vying for valuable points in each division that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the no-entry-fee Rayovac FLW Series Championship. The 2015 Rayovac FLW Series Championship is being held Oct. 29-31 on the Ohio River in Paducah, Kentucky.
The Rayovac FLW Series on Lake Texoma was hosted by the Denison Area Chamber of Commerce. It was the third and final Texas Division tournament of 2015. The next Rayovac FLW Series tournaments will be held May 7-9,a Central Division event will take place on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky, and a Western Division will compete on the California Delta in Bethel Island, California. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow FLW on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

West Coast Anglers Still Setting Pace At Sacramento Elite

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West Coast Anglers Still Setting Pace At Sacramento Elite

Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., takes the lead on Day 2 of the Sacramento Bassmaster Elite at Sacramento River bringing 26 pounds, 9 ounces to the scales for a two-day total weight of 51 pounds, 4 ounce. 

Photo by Seigo Saito/Bassmaster

May 1, 2015

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West Coast Anglers Still Setting Pace At Sacramento Elite

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The West Coast dominance continued during Friday’s second round of the Sacramento Bassmaster Elite at Sacramento River, with four native Californians taking over the top of the standings.

Aaron Martens, who grew up in California and now lives in Alabama, caught five bass Friday that weighed 26 pounds, 9 ounces and took the lead with a two-day mark of 51-4.

The total was just enough to push him past Chris Zaldain, who is 6 ounces back in second with 50-14. After catching 30-7 Thursday, Zaldain added 20-7 Friday to stay within good striking distance of his second career win with B.A.S.S.

Justin Lucas – another California native who now resides in Alabama – is in third with 47-11, and California resident Ish Monroe is fourth with 45-4.

Most anglers near the top of the leaderboard are targeting shallow spawning fish 80 to 100 miles downriver in the California Delta, and they said some are easier to catch than others.

“I caught a 6-pounder right before I left to come back, and I made it back with two minutes to spare,” said Martens. Had he been late, he would have been penalized 1 pound per minute. “Some of these fish aren’t really spawning or even guarding fry; they’re just kind of there. The mornings are tough, because it’s been cold.

“It’s hard to find a big one that’s catchable.”

Martens said the tournament may hinge on deciding quickly which fish can be caught and which ones can’t.

“You’ve got to pick and choose which ones you’re going to spend an hour on,” Martens said. “That’s going to be the key to it. I’m making a long run, and I just don’t have much time to waste on a fish that’s never going to bite.”

Zaldain, whose Thursday catch was anchored by a 12-pound lunker, turned in a respectable effort Friday with five fish that averaged more than 4 pounds apiece. But the lack of a true giant allowed Martens to slip past him.

The San Jose native fished new areas Friday, trying to avoid the ever-increasing boat traffic in the Delta.

“Where I caught the 12-pounder yesterday, I just went right past it today,” Zaldain said. “There were a lot of boats in there, and I know there’s a tournament coming up tomorrow. So I went to a new area, just a discreet main-river bank.”

With less pressure from boat traffic, Zaldain caught a 5-pounder and a 6-pounder off a single bed in one of the new areas he fished Friday. But his technique options were limited compared to what he experienced Thursday.

“The three patterns that worked yesterday shriveled down to only one that worked today,” Zaldain said. “But that could be a different story tomorrow. Today, it was slick, calm and hot, and it seemed like every fish in my area wanted to go to the banks to spawn.”

Zaldain said he hopes to keep making the right decisions as conditions change in the Delta.
“I’m just being reactionary,” he said. “If something changes — like the weather or the tide — I just want to react to it. I’m not going to go and lock into one certain thing or one certain area.”

After catching 21-13 Thursday, Lucas began Friday’s round just hoping to catch enough fish to make the Top 52 cut. But his day evolved in a way that pleased the large contingent of friends, family and fans he had in the crowd.

“My goal this morning was to go out and get 10 pounds to make sure that I was going to make the cut and get a $10,000 check,” Lucas said. “I got a huge bonus fish – a 6-10 that I didn’t expect to catch – and a couple of 3-pounders.”

From there, Lucas decided to rely on his past knowledge of the California Delta to upgrade a five-fish limit that weighed about 16 pounds. He said he went to areas he hadn’t fished in 10 years and found they were still productive.

“I made a long run just trying to find new fish,” Lucas said. “I wanted some stuff that guys haven’t seen and haven’t been through yet. Bedding fish generally use the same hard banks, and they were right in the same places I used to find them.”

Some of the 52 remaining anglers who will fish Saturday were concerned about possible heavy boat traffic this weekend. The Delta will host the Coors Light “Silver Bullet” Delta Championship on Saturday and Sunday, and the California Bass Federation event on Sunday.

Monroe said other tournaments won’t be an issue for him as he begins Saturday in fourth place.

“The Coors Light tournament is a 60-boat tournament, and that’ll basically be the 60 boats we’re going to lose (from the Elite field) today,” Monroe said. “The 60-boat tournament on Saturday will be cut down to 20 for Sunday, and the Federation tournament on Sunday will only have 40 boats.

“Some people are blowing that out of proportion. There’s plenty of fish out there for everybody.”
The tournament will resume Saturday with a 6:15 a.m. PT take-off from Discovery Park in Sacramento. The weigh-in will be held at the park at 3:15 p.m., with only the Top 12 anglers advancing to Sunday’s final round.

Chico State Takes The Lead On Folsom

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Chico State Takes The Lead On Folsom

Koulton Westbrook (left) and Kevin Chen of Chico State weighed in 23 pounds, 14 ounces to take the Day 2 lead Friday in the 2015 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Western Regional presented by Bass Pro Shops held on Folsom Reservoir out of Sacramento, Calif.

Photo by Tyler Wade/Bassmaster

May 1, 2015

Chico State Takes The Lead On Folsom

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Kevin Chen and Koulton Westbrook of Chico State took the Day 2 lead on Folsom Reservoir in the 2015 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Western Regional presented by Bass Pro Shops.

The competitors caught 13 pounds, 2 ounces on Friday and currently have 23 pounds, 14 ounces total. Their lead is only 9 ounces, so they have to work hard on the final day to ensure they can lift the Western Regional trophy on Day 3 on the Bassmaster Elite Series stage.

“We just had a great time today,” said Chen, 21, a mechanical engineering major. “We like to enjoy our time out there.”

That makes sense, considering he and Westbrook have been friends since third grade and learned how to fish together.

“Most of these guys learned to fish from their dads, but we think of ourselves as ‘self-made’ fishermen,” Chen said. “We got interested in it and learned it on our own, fishing out of an aluminum boat.”

The longtime friends would ask their parents to drop them off in the boat and would spend all day prying bass out of the Delta, Lake Berryessa and Clear Lake.

Despite the fact that they grew up near here, the pair have almost no experience on Folsom Reservoir.

“We pre-fished it last Saturday,” Westbrook said, “and it rained!”

It almost never rains here, which is why Folsom is at half pool right now. So, based on how it changed the conditions, they considered their pre-fish virtually useless.

“We based our fishing here on how we fish Lake Oroville,” which is near their school in Chico, Calif. “We figured it would be similar because it’s a clear-water reservoir,” Chen added, “so we decided to throw spinnerbaits and some other things, and it turned out in our favor.”

“We knew it was a spread between prespawn, spawn and postspawn,” Westbrook said, “and we saw them busting on shad in the morning, so we took that as a clue.”

On Thursday, the teammates caught 10-12 and ended the day in seventh place.

“Today was a more spread out bite,” Chen said. “They were more aggressive yesterday. Today, they had moved into the walls of the coves. We caught one of our biggest early in the morning on a jerkbait.”

On Saturday, the pair intend to go after the same pattern, but they may head south, whereas they’ve been fishing in the northern part of Folsom.

For taking the lead, Chen and Westbrook win the Livingston Lures Day 2 Leader award of $250 each for Livingston Lures products.

In contention for the Carhartt Big Bass prize are Jarid Gabbert and Taylor Throop of Eastern Washington University. The team caught a 6-15 bass — bigger than the Day 1 big bass by more than 2 pounds — early on Day 2. If their weight holds up, they’ll win $500 in Carhartt gear.

All the competitors are going all in tomorrow, the final day of the tournament. They’re vying for a spot in the 2015 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops, July 9-11, on Lake DuBay in Wisconsin.

Nineteen teams from the following colleges are competing on Folsom: Cal Poly, Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, Chico State, Eastern Washington University, Humboldt State University, Oregon State University, Sacramento State, San Jose State and University of Oregon.

Competition will resume Friday, May 2, from Granite Bay Activity Center in Granite Bay at 5:50 a.m. PT. Anglers will weigh in on the Bassmaster Elite Series stage in Sacramento at Discovery Park around 2 p.m. PT, where the winning team will be crowned.

Watch the tournament unfold at Bassmaster.com.

VA BASS Nation 2015 State Team Fish Off Lake Anna VA April 2015

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VA BASS Nation 2015 State Team Fish Off Lake Anna VA April 2015

Fifty teams compted in the first ever State team fish off on Lake Anna with the win going to Brian Harold with ten fish and a total two day weight of 27.73lbs. Congartulations to everyone that made the state team.

CLICK HERE TO SEE DAY ONE RESULTS


CLICK HERE TO SEE DAY TWO RESULTS

NC BASS Federation Nation Boys & Girls Club Benefit Tournament – June 14,2015

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NC BASS Federation Nation Boys & Girls Club Benefit Tournament – June 14,2015

Boys & Girls Club Benefit Tournament

Posted by Jeff Narron on April 29, 2015

Kerr Lake – Nutbush Park

Hosted by the N. C. B. A. S. S. Federation Nation

  • June 14, 2015
  • $180.00 Entry Fee
  • Pre-Registration is preferred!  There will be a $20.00 late fee for registration received after June 12, 2015.  Late Registration will be available one hour before safe light at Nutbush, North Entrance, Kerr Lake.
  • POLYGRAPH: A polygraph test may be given to 3 places, selected by Tournament Committee at weigh-in.  You must
    pass polygraph to be paid.  If you refuse polygraph, you will be disqualified.
  • TOURNAMENT IDENTIFICATION:  You will receive your boat number according to when registration is received.
  • ELIGIBILITY:  All participants must be 16 years of age or older (unless accompanied by a parent or guardian).
  • SAFETY:  All participants must wear a Coast Guard approved chest-type life preserver properly fastened any time their
    boat is underway by its main type of propulsion.
  • SPORTSMANSHIP:  All participants are required to comply with NC Game Fish regulations.  Alcoholic beverages,
    stimulants, or depressants are prohibited.
  • STATE OFF LIMITS AREA. THE SHALLOW SIDE (SOUTH) OF NUTBUSH BRIDGE.
  • ENTRY FEES:  $ 180.00 – $20.00 late fee after  June 12, 2015
  • SCORING:  Each team may weigh their largest five (5) bass caught during the tourney.
  • FISHING TACKLE:  Shall be limited to casting, spinning, and spin casting rods and reels.  No trolling or live bait methods
    shall be used.
  • PAYBACK:  One out of every ten entries shall receive a check.  All participants must provide social security number be-
    fore receiving a check.
  • TOURNAMENT HOURS:  First Flight (1-50) – safe light to 3:15 p.m., Second Flight (51-100) — to 3:30 p.m., Third Flight
    (101-150) — to 3:45 p.m.
  • For questions, please email Chuck Murray, Email:  [email protected]
  • (or BGCNCNC (252) 430-1871, Email:  [email protected])

Download and print an entry form by clicking here.

NEW PLANO BAIT CONTAINER STOWAWAY PROTECTS YOUR TRUCK, BOAT AND TACKLE BAGS FROM LEAKING LIQUIDS

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NEW PLANO BAIT CONTAINER STOWAWAY PROTECTS YOUR TRUCK, BOAT AND TACKLE BAGS FROM LEAKING LIQUIDS

LEAKING LIQUID SALVATION

NEW PLANO BAIT CONTAINER STOWAWAY PROTECTS YOUR TRUCK, BOAT AND TACKLE BAGS FROM LEAKING LIQUIDS

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Plano, IL (April 28, 2015) – We’ve all got ‘em… little jars stuffed with salmon eggs, dough bait, stink bait, plastic maggots, bloodworms, pork trailers or some other natural or engineered miracle bait substance. They roll around inside our tackle boxes and boats, clinking menacingly at the crest of every wave and speed bump. Break one and spill its odiferous, liquid contents, and your tackle bag, truck or boat just earned a life sentence of foul funkiness.

No worries. The unchallenged champs of the tackle storage world – Plano – promise to protect you from such sticky and stinky situations. After all, Plano has been helping anglers protect and organize their tackle for over 60 years.

Enter the Plano Bait Container StowAway™. On the outside, it sports the familiar look and friendly dimensions of Plano’s classic 3700-size Deep StowAway™ Utility Box, assuring it will find a home in any Plano fan’s existing tackle storage arsenal. Lift its sturdy ProLatch latches, however, and anglers will find a thick and thoughtful foam insert designed to cradle up to 15 individual 1.5-inch diameter bait jars, plus three more 1.75-inch jars.

Plano Bait Container StowAway (Approximate retail price $12.99 – $14.99)

Model Number 2373130

  • Foam insert holds 15 1.5-inch diameter bait jars and three 1.75-inch bait jars
  • ProLatch™ Latches

 

No matter how simple or difficult the application, Plano makes the products that store tackle right. So don’t be afraid to get nasty with the preserved crawdad claws and spawn sacs during your next trip to the lake. Just be sure to pack a couple Plano Bait Container StowAways first.

 

 

 

Chris Zaldain Leads California Crush At Sacramento Elite

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Chris Zaldain Leads California Crush At Sacramento Elite

Chris Zaldain of San Jose, Calif., takes the lead on the first day of the Sacramento Bassmaster Elite at Sacramento River, bringing 30 pounds, 7 ounces to the scales. 

Photo by Seigo Saito/Bassmaster

April 30, 2015

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Chris Zaldain Leads California Crush At Sacramento Elite

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Before the start of the Sacramento Bassmaster Elite at Sacramento River, Chris Zaldain predicted that a few anglers would bring in single-day catches of 30-plus pounds during the four-day event.

On Day 1, only one angler reached that elusive mark — and it was Zaldain himself.

The 30-year-old professional angler, who grew up in San Jose, Calif., just a couple of hours away from this week’s tournament venue, brought five bass to the scales Thursday that weighed a monstrous 30 pounds, 7 ounces. His catch was anchored by a 7-6 largemouth and a gigantic 12-0 fish that now stands as the largest caught on the Elite Series this year.

Zaldain’s monster bag placed him at the top of a leaderboard that was dominated by anglers from the Western United States. California pro Skeet Reese is in second with 25-8, followed by Texan Keith Combs (24-13), California native and current Alabama resident Aaron Martens (24-11) and Arizona pro Cliff Pirch (24-0).

Like most of the field, Zaldain made the 90-minute run down the Sacramento River to the California Delta to make his magical day happen.

“Only on the California Delta,” said Zaldain, who has one victory and 11 career Top 10 finishes with B.A.S.S. “When that fish bit, I think I said it on camera: ‘That’s a teener.’ It’s definitely the biggest Delta fish I’ve caught, and it was really something special.” He said he has caught bass weighing 13 pounds or more — which Californians call “teeners,” — elsewhere in his native state.

With the spawn in full swing on the Delta, most anglers were targeting bass on shallow beds throughout the day. But the fish were only willing to bite when the tidal flows were just right.

Many anglers said the fish bit quickly and eagerly when the tidal conditions were perfect. But if conditions weren’t just right, they were skittish and sometimes impossible to approach.

Prior knowledge of the fishery helped Zaldain, who caught his biggest fish in an area he hadn’t tried in practice.

“I was just running down the river, and I knew the big ones live in that area,” Zaldain said. “So I decided to go in there, and that was the second fish I caught.”

With a group of experienced Western anglers not far behind him, Zaldain knows he won’t be able to coast on the strength of his Day 1 catch.

“I can’t expect to catch a 12 again tomorrow because the chances of that are pretty slim,” Zaldain said. “But the 12 was only one part of that 30-pound bag. I got a lot of clues off of that fish. Two big bites tomorrow, and hopefully I can maintain that top spot.”

Though he’s nearly 5 pounds out of the lead with 25-8, Reese continued his recent hot streak after recording his eighth career B.A.S.S. victory three weeks ago on Alabama’s Lake Guntersville. He had a tough time in practice on the California Delta — just as he did before the Guntersville event — but he finally figured out the fish as the tournament began.

“I was absolutely terrified about today, because I didn’t know what I could catch,” Reese said. “I didn’t catch any big fish in practice. I saw a lot of big fish in one area. But when I went back to the fish I had found on beds, they were all gone.

“I just had to put the trolling motor down and start fishing.”

Reese said he wasn’t sure if he could duplicate his opening-round success on Friday, because conditions tend to change so quickly on the Delta — especially with so many fish moving on and off beds.

Combs echoed those concerns, as he contemplated changing his strategy for Day 2 — even after bringing in 24-13 Thursday.

“I’m going to do some of the same stuff tomorrow,” Combs said. “But I don’t want to do all of it because a lot of what I did today didn’t work. The big bedding fish that I had found in practice were gone. I’ll continue to look for them in areas where the water is clear, but I’m going to do some things different.”

Combs was one of several anglers who made the long boat run to the California Delta for the first time. The run was particularly rough for the anglers as they returned to the weigh-in site in Sacramento with winds blowing 15 to 20 mph and wakes from massive boats creating treacherous conditions.

“I hit a big boat wake coming back that really kind of caught me off guard,” Combs said. “I’ve never made that run before, so I’m not exactly sure how to make it. I’m running kind of a back route, and I feel relieved every time I get through it.”

The four-day tournament will resume Friday with a 6:15 a.m. PT take off from Discovery Park. The weigh-in will be held at the park at 3:15 p.m. with only the Top 52 anglers advancing to Saturday’s round.

Eastern Washington Takes Day 1 Lead On Folsom Reservoir

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Eastern Washington Takes Day 1 Lead On Folsom Reservoir

Kyle Sittman (left) and Laj Tripp of Eastern Washington University take the Day 1 lead on Folsom Reservoir with 13 pounds even in the 2015 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Western Regional presented by Bass Pro Shops.

Photo by Tyler Wade/Bassmaster

April 30, 2015

Eastern Washington Takes Day 1 Lead On Folsom Reservoir

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Laj Tripp and Kyle Sittman of Eastern Washington University outfished the field Thursday, the first round of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Western Regional presented by Bass Pro Shops.

The pair caught 13 pounds on Folsom Reservoir and now lead the tournament by nearly a pound and a half.

“We had a great day,” said Tripp, a freshman majoring in business marketing at EWU. “We didn’t really make any mistakes. We had a few break-offs, but that’s just fishing.”

“Our practice paid off,” Sittman said. “We’ve been here since Sunday night and we developed a pretty good pattern in our time on the water.”

In fact, the teammates thought they might catch 10 or 11 pounds based on their practice, but their Day 1 catch of a 4-pound, 14-ounce bass pushed their overall weight up.

“I caught her on a bed, but I broke her off,” Tripp said. “I went after the male on the same bed and hooked him, then she ended up coming back and I got her again! This time I got her in the boat.”

That 4-14 is in the lead for the Carhartt Big Bass of the tournament. If it holds up, he and Sittman will win a $500 gift card for Carhartt clothing.

Both anglers credit their dads for their success in fishing. Sittman, a sophomore mechanical engineering student, said his father took him fishing all the time as a kid, and the two fished together as a hobby.

Tripp had a similar experience with his father, Jeremy. “He’s always been the one trying to do something like this, always fishing the B.A.S.S. Nation events and other tournaments when he can, but he’s always had to work,” Tripp said. “So he gets the credit for this.”

Tripp’s father was a mentor to Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brandon Palaniuk, who taught the younger Tripp how to use a swimbait, which is one of the tactics he and Sittman employed today on Folsom. But the two are keeping the rest of their strategy to themselves, calling it “last-day talk.”

What they will say is that they’re running a pattern in multiple parts of the lake, and it tends to start working around mid-morning — even though many of the competitors in the Western Regional are reporting early morning catches.

“We didn’t get a bite until 9:30 or 10,” Sittman said, “and we had a limit by noon. We culled four or five times after that.”

The two plan to follow the same strategy Friday, noting that the bass in the area were still biting when they had to leave for the weigh-in. In addition, they spotted one giant bass they estimated at 9 pounds, and they hope to catch before the tournament ends Saturday.

Most of the college competitors caught five-bass limits, but many others are having trouble finding fish long enough to keep, while still others are losing their bigger bass to line breaks. The average size of the bass weighed in is 2 pounds.

Anglers are vying for a spot in the 2015 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops, July 9-11, on Lake DuBay in Wisconsin.

Twenty teams from the following colleges are competing on Folsom: Cal Poly, Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, Chico State, Eastern Washington University, Humboldt State University, Oregon State University, Sacramento State, San Jose State and University of Oregon.

Competition will resume Friday from Granite Bay Activity Center in Granite Bay at 5:50 a.m. PT. Anglers will weigh in at the Activity Center at 2:15 p.m. PT. On Saturday, competitors will weigh in on the Bassmaster Elite Series stage in Sacramento at Discovery Park.

Watch the tournament unfold at Bassmaster.com.

ANDERS WINS WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE SAVANNAH RIVER DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE HARTWELL

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ANDERS WINS WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE SAVANNAH RIVER DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE HARTWELL
ANDERS WINS WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE SAVANNAH RIVER DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE HARTWELL
Schnupp wins co-angler title
LAVONIA, Ga. (April 27, 2015) – Michael Anders of Anderson, South Carolina, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 23 pounds, 13 ounces Saturday to win the fourth Walmart Bass Fishing League Savannah River Division tournament of 2015 on Lake Hartwell. For his victory, Anders earned $4,155.
“It was a nice payday,” said Anders. “I couldn’t have asked for a better day on the water.”
Anders said he spent his morning targeting the blueback herring along main-lake points using a pearl white-colored Zoom Super Fluke.
“At my second spot I caught a 6-pounder,” Anders said. “I set a nice pace and boated around 18 pounds of fish by 11 o’ clock.”
Chasing a kicker, Anders fished deeper and caught a few more keepers.
“I knew there was a tournament down on the south end of the lake,” Anders said. “I also knew anglers were fishing shallow, so I figured the 8-foot depths would be untouched.”
Around 1:15 p.m., Anders said he made his way to a spawning bed a mile north of the dam, near Powderbag Creek. Using a black and blue-colored Knights Custom Lures jig, he hauled in an 8-pound, 13-ounce behemoth, the largest fish of the tournament.
“Of the 30 bass I caught over the course of the tournament, that was the fish that sealed the deal for me,” said Anders. “I knew it pushed me well over 20 pounds.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st:          Michael Anders, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 23-13, $4,155
2nd:         Joseph Marks, Duncan, S.C., five bass, 16-3, $2,078
3rd:          Chris Baxter, Winder, Ga., five bass, 15-7, $1,383
4th:          Paul Ham, West Columbia, S.C., five bass, 15-6, $970
5th:          Sean Skey, Sumter, S.C., five bass, 15-4, $831
6th:          Scott Browning, Franklin, N.C., five bass, 15-1, $762
7th:          Brian Latimer, Belton, S.C., five bass, 14-5, $693
8th:          Stacy Lowe, Belton, S.C., five bass, 14-2, $623
9th:          Matthew Roesch, Toccoa, Ga., five bass, 13-15, $554
10th:        Greg Willimon, Pickens, S.C., five bass, 13-13, $485
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Anders also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 8 pounds, 13 ounces, and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $570.
Mike Schnupp of Powder Springs, Georgia, weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 14 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to win $2,078 in the co-angler division.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st:          Mike Schnupp, Powder Springs, Ga., five bass, 14-15, $2,078
2nd:         Darren Jeter, Marshall, N.C., five bass, 14-6, $1,039
3rd:          Nathaniel Moore, Fairview, N.C., five bass, 13-1, $691
4th:          Chester Tucker, Seneca, S.C., five bass, 12-15, $450
4th:          Collin Willis, Easley, S.C., five bass, 12-15, $450
6th:          Adam Fincher, Roebuck, S.C., five bass, 12-6, $381
7th:          Travis Spivey, Tiger, Ga., five bass, 12-0, $346
8th:          Brandon Brown, Chesnee, S.C., five bass, 11-7, $312
9th:          Paul Smith, Ninety Six, S.C., five bass, 11-1, $277
10th:        Michael Marano, Martinez, Ga., three bass, 11-0, $242
Moore caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $285.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 15-17 Regional Championship on Lake Wateree in Camden, South Carolina. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.
The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 50 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
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