LAKEPORT, Calif. (March 1, 2006) - Pro Mike Folkestad of Yorba Linda, Calif., caught a five-bass limit weighing 26 pounds, 12 ounces to lead day one of the Stren Series Western Division bass fishing tournament on Clear Lake.
Anticipation has been high for this event. In the 2005 Stren Series event on Clear Lake, Sieg Taylor of Clearlake, Calif., broke the four-day FLW Outdoors weight record with just 16 bass that weighed 94 pounds, 11 ounces, as the daily limit of bass on Clear Lake in 2005 was only four per day. That record was again broken at the first 2006 Central Division Stren Series event on Lake Amistad near Del Rio, Texas, last week, with an amazing four-day catch of 105 pounds, 8 ounces caught by David Mauldin of Tomball, Texas.
This year, the California Department of Fish and Game has upped the limit on Clear Lake to five bass daily for Stren Series anglers, though cold, rainy weather conditions forecasted for this week and water temperatures in the high 40s to low 50s are likely to make breaking more records difficult.
"I've just been fishing real slow with spinnerbaits, Berkley lures and some Robo Worms," Folkestad said. "The lake is real crowded because the north end is so muddy from runoff from the rains, so we're having to fish close together."
Considering that the water temperature is so low, Folkestad said the fishing has actually been pretty good, though it is slowing down somewhat with the rain and cold weather. "I'm hoping for 10 or 12 pounds tomorrow so I can make the cut," Folkestad said. "After that, there'll just be 20 guys out there and we can spread out some."
Rounding out the top five pros are Jimmy Lyon of Reno, Nev. (five bass, 24 pounds, 10 ounces); Dean McDaniel of Sacramento, Calif. (five bass, 24 pounds, 10 ounces); Gary Dobyns of Yuba City, Calif. (five bass, 22 pounds, 10 ounces); and Richard Smith of Santa Clarita, Calif. (five bass, 20 pounds, 8 ounces).
McDaniel earned $750 for the Snicker's Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 9-pound, 8-ounce bass.
Shane Morgan of Palmdale, Calif., leads the Co-angler Division in the chase for a top award worth as much as $35,000, including a 519VX Ranger if contingency guidelines are met. He caught five bass weighing 16 pounds, 9 ounces.
Morgan was also fishing deeper water, in the 8- to 15-foot range, though his bass came on a drop-shot rig.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Kyle Clement of Anderson, Calif. (five bass, 16 pounds, 1 ounce); Brett Baldwin of Horseshoe Bend, Idaho (five bass, 15 pounds, 13 ounces); Charlie Crawford of Peoria, Ariz. (five bass, 15 pounds, 12 ounces); and Douglas Davis of New Castle, Colo. (five bass, 14 pounds, 13 ounces).
Tim Demecs of Peoria, Ariz., earned $250 for the Snicker's Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to a 6-pound, 10-ounce bass. Anglers caught an impressive total of 1,662 bass weighing 3,929 pounds, 14 ounces on the first day of the event, which ranks among the top 10 one-day catches in FLW Outdoors history.
Stren Series tournaments are four-day events consisting of three rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday and Thursday, and the top 20 pros and co-anglers - based on two-day accumulated weights - advance to day three. Anglers start at zero Thursday and compete for 10 spots in each division in the final round. Winners are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.