Bass-Jons

Bass-Jons' fourth tournament of the year was at Western Branch Reservoir.  This is usually one of the most anticipated events of the season, because Western Branch is the clearest of all the lakes on our schedule, and water temperatures are warm enough to make them spawn.  To bass fishermen, that means sight fishing.  The fish did not disappoint, as there were plenty of fish to be found on beds.  Aggressive fish in the three pound range were relatively easy to find all over the lake.  The problem was the weather.  Winds were blowing from the SE at 20-30mph with higher gusts, and it was overcast for the entire day, which made sight fishing extremely challenging, especially in the afternoon.

Despite the tough conditions, there were still 11 5-fish limits, and a few nice fish caught as well.  Carlton "Moose" Wells and guest Tommy Massey managed to come in with a big 19 lb 2 oz sack to take the victory.  Second went to Rick Burton and guest Richard Burton at 17 lbs 8 oz.  Third went to Jim Carlson and Michael Taylor with a 16 lb 8 oz bag.  All the winning bags came from sight-fishing, with jigs being the predominant bait responsible for catching the fish.  The big fish was weighed by guest (and former member) Jon Guzman, who caught a 7 lb 10 oz toad "just fishing" (not sight fishing).  Since Jon is not currently a member, his fish does not qualify for Lunker of the Year honors, so Mike Howie overtook Victor Lopez by 2 oz for Lunker of the Year with a 6 lb 6 oz giant.

Mike Peregrine remains out front in the AOY standings, with Chaz Carrington only 3 points behind.  After Chaz, there is an 11 point drop off, where Rick Burton moved up a few spots to third place. 

The next tournament is April 23rd at Burnt Mills.