Red Hot Oroville!!!
Award winners from Oroville display their trophies as they slowly melt under the Oroville Sun.
Oroville CA - In great tradition the Bass Busters mettle was tested by Mother Nature. For the first three tournaments it was rain, last month it was wind but at our fifth tournament it was the heat. My god the heat! When the Bass Busters met at the launch ramp next to the Lake Oroville dam on the first morning of this two day pick-your-partner tournament we all knew it was gonna be a scorcher. The water was already in the seventies and the sun hadn't even hit the water. The temperatures hit triple digits both days and the sun beat down hard on all the anglers. Water temperature turned out to be key for winners Joe Costa (NB) and Spiro Stamos. For Stamos, who has been on fire lately, this was his second trip to the winners circle in as many tournaments. The third if you count the Future Pro Tournament at Lake Shasta! The pair ran all the way up the northern arm to find cooler moving water which seemed to hold the larger active fish. The duo coaxed two limits of them into the boat, 12.66 Lbs Saturday and 7.13 Lbs Sunday for a total weight of 19.79 Lbs. The key to their success was to throw black and red Smallie Beavers, Senkos, and spinner-baits past the down current side of the rocks.
John Neibel and Marshall Smith (NB) captured second place with 18.80 Lbs of fish which they found early in the morning relating to an old submerged roadbed on the main lake. They fooled their quarry by cranking white Bombers and Speed-traps. Later in the day they used a Aarons Magic Robo-worm to work the steep walls which abound on Lake Oroville.
Can you say hydrate?
Capturing third was the team of Jon Wagman (NB) and Jim Fritz who weighed in 13.68 Lbs over the two day event. Fritz brought in the big fish of the tourny a 3.79 Lb Largemouth which couldn't resist the Double Wide Sweet Beaver tossed into a tiny trickling creek way up the south arm. Aside from the bucket-
mouth, the secret to their success was finding good size Spotted Bass by swimming a darthead creature bait in greens and browns under the mud lines on the main lake and some early morning buzzbait action. In a heart breaking twist angler John Hagan brought in the second biggest fish of the tournament which was just two hundredths of a pound lighter than Fritz's. Fritz has now been promoted to the position of Hagan's new arch nemesis.
Team Kamikaze Falls Hard
Trying to recapture the glory days of last years first place finish at the Lake Shasta tournament, Ron Shikashio and Glenn Hayashimoto, Team Kamikaze crashed and burned. The hard fishing duo recieved the less than glamorous TLC (Team Low Cash) "award" for their efforts at Oroville. They are anxiously awaiting redemption at Lake Don Pedro where they hope to present the "award" to the next unfortunate angler.
Angler and TLC "Award" recipient Ron Shikashio works the crowd.
Next Meeting
Next Tournament
Lake Don Pedro -June 14, Launching from the Moccasin Point ramp. Safe light is just after 5:00AM so be on the water by 4:45AM. It is an individual draw tournament. If you can’t make the meeting and plan to fish the next tournament let someone who is attending the meeting know. The same goes for entry in the big-fish pool.
Schedule Update
The September tournament at New Melones has been moved to Saturday September 20th.
Clear lake Reservations
Konocti Vista Casino is holding rooms for the Bass Busters August 16th night tournament. These rooms will be released July 1st so make your reservations now.
