Clear Lake is KING!!
An Un-believable 20 pounds - for five fish, is required to make the TOP FIFTY
Stacy Gee and Rafael Ortiz capture first FPT title
CLEARLAKE, Ca. – JUST when we think we've seen it all when it comes to bass fishing, something amazing always transpires to remind us why this sport is so exciting and addictive.
Most knew that a mid-May event on Clear Lake would produce big limits, and perhaps a few even figured that some teams would bring in five-fish limits that might “shock the world”. But no one, including myself, would have thought that it would take a high double-digit limit just to finish in the middle of a 110 boat field.
An unheard of TWENTY POUNDS – for five fish was what was required to make it into the TOP FIFTY in the third event of the 2013 Coors light Future Pro Tour season, held last Saturday on California’s largest natural lake, and anglers ready to do battle with big fish certainly had their hands full as bass in the 4-5 pound range were everywhere, and most importantly, ready to eat anything that posed a threat to the spawning beds nature had compelled them to protect.
A win in even the small boat division required a 5-fish limit of over 20 pounds, and the big fish of the entire event, a 9.02 pound monster, was caught by one of the teams (Sean Collier and Jerry King) that compete from a beautiful pontoon/patio boat, making the saying: “boats don’t catch fish…fisherman do”, more appropriate than ever on this particular day.
Stacy Gee and Rafael Ortiz however, somehow knowing what needed to be done to break away from the pack, zeroed in on big females, and using big jigs, pitched, flipped, and successfully netted their way to 27.25 pounds, besting the field, and earning their very first Future Pro Tour title.
“We don’t know what to say but that it takes team work, and we were both there for each other - and on point, regardless of who was reeling in the fish or who was on the net”, they both explained as they proudly held up their custom Future Pro Tour plaques for all to see. “This tour is no joke, and has some very good anglers fishing it. We have been fishing together for a long time trying to capture our first win, and the sense of accomplishment we have right now in besting such a large and tough group of anglers is indescribable”!
Best of the rest
Right behind the 1st place winners was the husband a wife team of Mui Loung and Hung Ho of Elk Grove, who grabbed second place on the strength of a 26.79 pound five-fish limit, of which Mui caught the biggest bass of the five that weighed 7.45 pounds. Mui is always quick to point out that she really enjoys spending quality time with her husband doing something that they both love.
Third place was captured by the team of Rogers and Gunney who just missed the second spot by 1/10 of an ounce (26.78), taking home two nice trophies and their share of the event’s purse.
Up next…? Finally…it’s delta time! And the “payback” opportunities all of you “delta rats” have been dying for!
This event will be held on June 22nd and 23rd - a two-day event, where on the first day (Saturday), the field will get to enjoy an afternoon/evening bite and fish from 1pm to 7pm.
The second day will be just the opposite, with totally different tides and temperature conditions, as Future Pro Tour anglers will fish from Safe light until Noon, and get the opportunity to serve those delta bass with an early morning top water breakfast of Snag Proof frogs, River2Sea crank baits, and Yamamoto Senko’s – over easy!
Talk about a challenge!
So get off that couch, get your flippin sticks ready, tie on some 65-pound braided line and get your boats ready for the next big FPT event…the 2013 Delta Summer Shootout!
See you there!
FPT
Capitol City Showdown more of a chess match than a Big Bass slugfest
GRANITE BAY, Ca. – For weeks Folsom Lake had been fishing wide open and those anglers with the skills to run quiet coves - looking for big bed fish to pluck from their nests, were visibly excited about the continued warm weather that would give them the opportunity to bust a double-digit limit of bass and possibly end up in the winner’s circle.
But this was simply not to be, as though temperatures remained warm and stable, both rising water and swirling winds, wrecked havoc for many of the 115 teams that participated, and laid waste to the plans of those counting on “bed fish” to give them the weight they would need to crush the field.
George and Joe Gomes however, had a different plan.
That plan included backing off the banks and obvious areas where most big bedding fish should be, and much like playing a game of “Battleship” use their electronics and home-grown instincts to locate pods of good-sized, active fish.
Lucky Craft rip baits, coupled with dropshots and darterhead techniques did the trick, as many fish had moved off shore to deeper water and were schooled up in “wolf packs” waiting for the just the right bait offerings to come their way.
“Folsom Lake has always been good to us over the years, but it has never been a predictable fishery”, noted George, a Livermore resident and the namesake of whom the Future Pro Tour’s big fish trophy - the “George Gomes Memorial Big Fish Award” is named after.
Over the years, on this lake, we NEVER count on what the fish have been doing a week, or even the day before an event….and today we employed both patience and strategy - and it paid off”.
15.90 pounds was their winning weight, and for capturing the Coors Light “Capitol City Showdown” presented by Lucky Craft title, they took home $1,975 dollars, two beautiful plaques, and a dose of pride that surely has their late father looking down from above and smiling.
Best of the rest
Second place was taken by the team of Jerimiah Valador and Scott Chappell who brought in 14.33 pounds. That weight has pushed them to the top spot and new “leaders of the pack” in the inaugural Coors Light Angler of the Year race.
On the strength of a 14.23 pound limit of bass, 2012 Angler’s of the Year Tony Koregelos and Justin Nelson, captured the third spot in the event, which moved them two second place in the Coors Light Angler of the Year standings and just a few points behind the leaders.
Get ready everybody…I do believe we have another dog fight brewing for the inaugural Coors Light Angler of the Year title!
Next up……the tour heads back to Clear Lake May 11th for the “North State Rumble”!
This event will be an extreme test of patience and determination as anglers will be challenged with targeting fish in ALL stages of transition which will require teams to FOCUS.
This event may just be the most exciting of the year!
See you there!
FPT
For information about the FPT and how you can be part of this upcoming event visit:
www.futureproutour.net or call 916-768-0938
