Lakeport, Calif. – April 17, 2024 –– The conditions leading up to the 2024 Ranger Boats WON Bass Clear Lake Open presented by Mercury had become the conversation. Long range forecasts predicted warm and mild conditions, however the colder weather seemed to be hanging around, and one began to wonder if the forecasts were going to ring true.
As practice progressed it appeared that the forecasts for the 177 pros and their AAA anglers were going to come to fruition as if Nostradamus himself predicted them. The field was blessed with Chamber of Commerce type weather with high skies, warm temperatures, no rain and very light breezes. For a field expecting to target bedding bass as a part of their tactics, the conditions could not be better.
There was also a lot of discussion about the potential for a lot of heavy weights to be weighed in during the 2024 Clear Lake Open, and on the first day of the event, the field – and Clear Lake – did not disappoint. Nick Klein, from Oroville, Calif. and his AAA partner Jiongbo (Bob) Zhang lead day one with 35.59 pounds. He is followed by Winters, Calif. pro Joe Mariani who totaled 34.34 pounds with his AAA partner Chase Harrell of San Jose, Calif. finished the day in second place.
Third place for the day went Templeton, Calif. pro Austin Bonjour and his AAA Anthony Madrigal of Auburn Calif. with 33.84 pounds. They were followed in fourth place by Turlock, Calif. pro Christian Ostrander and AAA Daniel Martinez of Murrieta, Calif. with 31.83 pounds, and pro Vance Hayes of Chico, Calif. and his AAA partner Mike Flores of San Diego, Calif. rounded out the top five with 31.17 pounds.
In all, there were six limits on the first day of the 2024 WON Bass Clear Lake Open that eclipsed the 30-pound mark and 55 five fish limits that eclipsed 20 pounds for the day. With that many heavy weight limits touching the scales, one might assume that there were some individual big bass weighed in as well, and that would be correct.
Bill Brown of Grand Junction, Colo. Weighed a 9.93-pound largemouth that was the big bass on the pro side, and Damon Motley of Orange, Calif. brought a 9.39-pound monster to the scales that was big bass in the AAA Division. Altogether, across both divisions, there were seven bass over 9 pounds that were weighed in, six more that topped 8 pounds, seven more that eclipsed 7 pounds and another seven bass that weighed greater than 6 pounds on day one.
The 27-year-old Klein, who is the son of Steve Klein, brother of Alex and nephew of Bass Fishing Hall of Famer Gary Klein, said that it was a good day. “I had a limit that weighed 30 pounds by noon and was able to cull up five more pounds in the afternoon,” he said. “I feel pretty good that I can have a good day tomorrow, but it’s spring and these fish can decide to move up any time.”
What may make him sleep a little easier overnight is that he is running through several different areas. “I covered a lot of the lake today, and I caught them on several different baits, so hopefully I’ll be able to continue with similar results,” he said. “All I can say is that today was a really fun day.”
Mariani, in contrast to Klein’s multitude of areas, caught his first limit of pre spawn fish by 8:30 AM – which topped 30 pounds – off of one spot. “I have a little spot that I’ve had to myself so far, and it’s got good ones on it,” he said. “I was able to leave them biting and catch the best bed fish I found at 10:30 to get my weight. I thought she was seven pounds until I hooked her, and then I thought she was a ten pounder – she weighed 9.21. I feel pretty good about tomorrow, if the fish on my early stuff are still there and don’t move toward the beds.”
Day Two of the Clear Lake Open will commence at Safe Light Friday April 18, 2024, from Library Park in Lakeport, Calif. with the first flight due to return at 2:30 PM. Daily Weigh-ins are streamed on Facebook.com/WONBassTournaments beginning at 3:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time.
The winner of the 2024 WON Bass Clear Lake Open will earn the Ranger Boats / Mercury Motor prize boat provided by Bass Pro Shops, and the Golden Tickets to the 2025 Bassmaster BASS Nation National Championship will be awarded to the top five Pro and AAA anglers and will further develop the season long competition to see who will receive guaranteed slots into the 2025 Bassmaster Opens Elite Qualifiers.
The top 10 in each division are posted below: for complete standings, visit https://wonbassevents.com/pages/clear-lake-2024-pairings-results
| WON Bass Clear Lake Open 4/17 to 4/19/2024 | |||||
| Place | Pro Day 1 | Hometown | Fish | B/B | Day 1 Total |
| 1 | Nick Klein | Oroville, Ca | 5-5 | 8.85 | 35.59 |
| 2 | Joe Mariani | Winters, CA | 5-5 | 9.21 | 34.34 |
| 3 | Austin Bonjour | Templeton, CA | 5-5 | 7.86 | 33.84 |
| 4 | Christian Ostrander | Turlock, CA | 5-5 | 31.83 | |
| 5 | Vance Hayes | Chico, CA | 5-5 | 9.29 | 31.17 |
| 6 | John Hampel | Sparks, NV | 5-5 | 30.37 | |
| 7 | Julius Mazy | Phoenix, AZ | 5-5 | 8.62 | 28.50 |
| 8 | Scooter Griffith | Mesa, AZ | 5-5 | 9.92 | 27.47 |
| 9 | Randy Pierson | Oakdale, CA | 5-5 | 7.41 | 27.46 |
| 10 | Kyle Grover | RCHO STA MARG, CA | 5-5 | 8.22 | 26.99 |
| Place | AAA Angler Day 1 | Hometown | Fish | B/B | Day 1 Total |
| 1 | Jiongbo (Bob) Zhang | Walnut Creek, CA | 5-5 | 35.59 | |
| 2 | Chase Harrell | San Jose, Ca | 5-5 | 34.34 | |
| 3 | Anthony Madrigal | Auburn, CA | 5-5 | 33.84 | |
| 4 | Daniel Martinez | Murrieta, CA | 5-5 | 9.30 | 31.83 |
| 5 | Mike Flores | San Diego, CA | 5-5 | 31.17 | |
| 6 | Damon Motley | Orange, CA | 5-5 | 9.39 | 30.37 |
| 7 | Joe Uribe, Sr. | Havasu City, AZ | 5-5 | 28.50 | |
| 8 | Frank Ortega | Upland, CA | 5-5 | 27.47 | |
| 9 | Thor Dusenberry | Pheonix, CA | 5-5 | 27.46 | |
| 10 | Larry Bonjour | Santa Maria, CA | 5-5 | 26.99 | |
The 2024 WON Bass Western Opens Series of events Consisting of five events in California, Arizona and Nevada moves next to the California Open at Clear Lake April 17 to 19, 2024. The series will culminate with the 2024 WON Bass U.S. Open at Lake Mohave in October. The full schedule of the five event dates are as follows:
Jan. 31–Feb. 2, Lake Shasta – Champion Nick Wood – 47.42 pounds
April 17-19, Clear Lake
May 15-17, Lake Havasu
Sept. 18-20, Lake Mead
Oct. 14-16, U.S. Open at Lake Mohave
For complete details to register or find results, look to wonbassevents.com and WONews.com to hear the latest news about the 2024 season and beyond and follow along at Facebook.com/WONBassTournaments.
The 2024 WON Bass Northern California Lake Shasta Open is brought to you by Bass Pro Shops, Ranger Boats, Mercury Marine, Nitro Boats, Triton Boats, Bridgford Foods, Phenix Rods, Yamamoto Baits, Bill Lewis Lures, Buckeye Lures, Steel Shad, Bioenno Power, SOG Knives, Cold Steel Knives, Gamma Line, Power Pole, Lowrance, Daiwa, AFTCO, Costa, Berkley, Abu Garcia, DD26 Fishing, Anderson Toyota, A&M Graphics, Anglers Marine and Signature Gates.
Local presenting sponsors are Clear Lake Outdoors and the City of Lakeport. Daily takeoffs and weigh-ins will happen at Library Park in the City of Lakeport, California.
