Qualification for the season-ending tournament closes Sunday. Twenty-five of the finalists have already been determined. The angler who has the biggest fish this week will complete the 26-angler field for Nov. 6 tournament. The biggest fish by weight on each boat trip each day is used towards determining the big fish of the week.
As of Oct. 7, the tourney fund totaled more than $6,700. The fund actually will exceed that as $1 from each paid fare through the final day of the regular season — Sunday — will add to the tournament fund.
Stormy weather had improved the bite the previous week on day two of the Angler’s Choice Tournament of Champions, but rain and strong winds made fishing the American Bass North TOC at Clear Lake on Friday and Saturday a real ordeal.
Atascadero’s Gene Gray and Dusty Kahler, the ABA Pacific Coast Region Anglers of the Year, had caught 30 fish on the second day of the previous tournament, placing fifth with a two-day weight of 43.32 pounds.
Kahler and Gray caught four fish Friday and two Saturday for 18.46 pounds for 48th place. Their Angler of the Year title paid $825.One hundred eighty-one teams were entered, but 31 blanked Friday when 34 five-fish limits were recorded. Dropouts trimmed the field to 90 teams Saturday when there were a mere 13 limits.
Solvang’s Clark Small and teammate Randy McAbee Sr. had the highest placing of the 15 teams that represented the Central Coast and the Pacific Coast Region specifically. The duo placed seventh with a 37.03-pound, 10-fish limit worth $600.
A Ranger/Mercury boat package, plus $1,870 in cash was claimed by champions Bill Siemantel of Castaic and partner Troy Linder of Los Angeles. Their 10-fish weight of 44 pounds even provided a 1.18-pound margin of victory.
Arroyo Grande’s Jared Lintner and partner Nick Salvucci from San Miguel finished 11th and earned $1,260 for a 9-fish weight of 35.66 pounds. Neither could be reached by phone for comment.
Darrin Bishop, Paso Robles, and his cousin Dean Miller from Tulare, the AOY winners in the North Traveler’s Division, did not compete at Clear Lake but their title was worth $1,650.
New Melones Lake, near Jamestown, hosted the W.O.N. Bass Tri States Championship Oct. 15 and 16. The Central Coast Anglers of the Year duo from Hollister, Will Duncan and Dylan Waldroop, placed eighth with a weight of 13.36 pounds for five fish. They had the second heaviest fish of the tournament, 8.87 pounds.
The title went to Kevin Burge and Jim Elsea with two limits (10 fish) that weighed 16.11 pounds.
The W.O.N. Bass website did not list winnings. Only 55 teams were entered.
Central Coast teams and their placings were: 16. Jim Keeney, Tom Ryan, Paso Robles, 10 fish, 10.80 pounds; 20. Shawn Lee, Arroyo Grande, Ken Sauret, Paso Robles, 8, 10.44 pounds; 24. Marc Hazuka, Atascadero, Al Rush, Paso Robles, 8, 9.48 pounds; 25. Tim Vaughan, Los Osos, Erik Zillig, Cambria, 8, 8.89 pounds.
W.O.N. Bass is looking for a new Central Coast Region tournament director. Jim Slusher, owner of Jim’s Pro Bass Tackle as well as a Paso Robles sheet metal business, advised that he is too busy to continue in the position.
John Byde of Cambria caught last week’s big fish, a 16-pound lingcod. Other jackpot winners were: Garrett White, Morro Bay, 13-pound ling, Robert Everett, San Bernardino, 9-0 red rockcod, Tom Emmons, Simi Valley, 6-0 ocean whitefish, and Davis Woods, Dinuba, 5-0 lingcod.
Arroyo Grande’s Joe Torres, the current leader in the sixth-annual lingcod contest with a 20-11 fish caught Oct. 14, had last week’s big fish, too, a 14-13 ling. Other jackpot winners were: Britney Ogden, Visalia, 14-6 ling, Alberto Cortez, Guadalupe, 14-0 ling, Ron Seitz, Templeton, 12-0 ling, Matt Chase, Visalia, 11-8 ling, Rodney Barula, Lompoc, 11-0 ling, Johnny Cash, Fresno, 8-7 barracuda, and Tom Pham, Visalia, 7-0 ling.
The catch by 193 anglers last week included: 31 lingcod, 271 red rockcod, 728 assorted rockfish, 722 bolina, 16 cabezon, and six barracuda.
Michael Huff of Humble, Texas, and Josh DeGama of Morro Bay were jackpot winners last week with catches of lingcod weighing 8 pounds and 7 pounds, respectively.
Only one trout was caught last week. It was an 8-inch rainbow that Ryan Hofstetter caught on worms and promptly released it last Thursday. Six anglers gave it a try. For the 135 days the reservoir has been open for fishing this season, 251 anglers have caught only 24 trout for their efforts.