Velvick Still Leads Elite Series Bass Fishing Tournament on Clear Lake
By BASS Communications / BASS
Considered a pioneer of the swimbait craze, Byron Velvick, a West Coast transplant, furthered his legacy with the bait Sunday at Clear Lake, taking the Golden State Shootout bass fishing tournament, the second event of the 2010 Bassmaster Elite Series, on the shoulders of the revolutionary lure.
It was nearly ten years ago when Velvick, who now resides in Del Rio, Texas, ushered the swimbait to the front and center of the fishing world. Then, he established the BASS' three-day tournament record with 83 pounds, 5 ounces. This week, he toted 98 pounds, 6 ounces to the scales over four days earning $100,000, his first career Elite Series win and a whole bunch of momentum heading into the meat of the Elite season.
"I love Clear Lake," said Velvick, 45. "Ten years ago, I knew this place was special. This lake is just phenomenal and it feels great to get this in front of family and friends."
Velvick attributed the victory to both his primary area - a shallow, warm bay that contained grass, rock and hitch, a rare bait fish found in California - and his bait choice - a Rago BV 3D swimbait. Earlier in the week, Velvick had noted that versatility was key, a ploy to throw his competitors off of his real strategy. Instead, he decided early in the competition he would either sink of swim with the 7-inch lure.
The key to success, he said, was to work it slowly and deliberately. The bait was created in such a fashion where it is essentially weedless but the hooks are exposed and Velvick said that allowed him to easily crawl through it grass. He knew he was successfully casting when the belly of the swimbait would turn green from its exposure to the grass.
And to entice the bigger bites, he would position himself in the grass, casting out to the deeper water and entice the hitch back towards the boat. The bass would then strike on the retrieve. His method - he labeled it pulse and hoover - had to be precise. The two-time Classic qualifier said if he fished just a hair fast, he wouldn't get a bite.
"A lot of guys came in that area and they just didn't know how to fish it correctly," said Velvick. "The bait allowed me to work the structure the correct way. Things had to line up perfect but I had a great combination of spot and bait this week."
The win brings Velvick's to a high point in his career. He has qualified for the past two Bassmaster Classics but he started this year with a debacle at the California Delta (83rd). Things can change quickly on the Elite Series, however, and Velvick made his California trip count with the win. He moved up to 23rd in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings.
With Velvick not letting up Sunday, the most intriguing battle was for second place. Bill Lowen of North Bend, Ohio, took those honors over Guy Eaker of Cherryville, N.C. The two were fishing with casting distance of each other and the area yielded a bevy of bass over the course of the tournament. Lowen finished while 92 pounds, 9 ounces, while Eaker, the 70-year-old sentimental favorite, took third with 90 pounds, 11 ounces.
Lowen decided during practice to fish to his strengths and that didn't include anything to do with a swimbait. An Ohio River rat, Lowen felt more comfortable working a black-and-blue chatterbait and a black-and-blue swimjig in the staging area shared with Eaker. The finish was Lowen's best in his five-year Elite Series career.
"Most of the guys in the field were thinking that you had to throw a swimbait to win and they were right," said Lowen, 35. "But I had to fish to my strengths and I'm pleased with the outcome."
Like Lowen, Eaker earned his career-best Elite finish this week. In the end, the shared spot - while productive - didn't hold the bigger fish that were needed for the victory.
In fourth was Randy Howell of Springville, Ala., with 86 pounds, 2 ounces. In fifth was Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., with 85-3. Reese took back-to-back top five finishes on the California swing to open the season. And that puts him at the top of the 2010 Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, the main qualifying route into the Bassmaster Classic. The full standings can be found below.
Reese, the 2007 AOY, missed out by one ounce at the Delta tournament last week and while he didn't get total redemption, he has his eyes on a larger prize.
"I'll take second place finishes all year as long as I come out first in the Angler of the Year race," said Reese, also the 2009 Classic champion. "That's what I'm really focused on."
Only the top 12 fished Sunday and that included 19-year-old Elite Series rookie Bradley Roy of Lancaster, Ky. Roy, the youngest competitor to fish an Elite event, finished eighth.
Clear Lake is the largest natural lake to lie entirely within California. In sharp contrast to the sprawling, shallow Delta system - where last week's Elite event was held -- Clear Lake is 19 miles long, measures eight miles wide at its widest point, and has an average depth of 27 feet.
All events are free and open to the public.
2010 Golden State Shootout 03/18-03/21
Clear Lake, Lakeport Calif.
(PRO Division) Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Byron Velvick Del Rio, Texas 20 98-06 320 $100,500.00
Day 1: 5 29-00 Day 2: 5 22-00 Day 3: 5 24-08 Day 4: 5 22-14
2. Bill Lowen North Bend, Ohio 20 92-09 295 $25,000.00
Day 1: 5 22-14 Day 2: 5 22-09 Day 3: 5 24-02 Day 4: 5 23-00
3. Guy Eaker Cherryville, N.C. 20 90-11 290 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 21-14 Day 2: 5 22-06 Day 3: 5 24-00 Day 4: 5 22-07
4. Randy Howell Springville, Ala. 20 86-02 285 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-03 Day 2: 5 23-07 Day 3: 5 20-10 Day 4: 5 18-14
5. Skeet Reese Auburn, Calif. 20 85-03 280 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 20-04 Day 2: 5 18-12 Day 3: 5 21-02 Day 4: 5 25-01
6. Tommy Biffle Wagoner, Okla. 20 81-14 276 $13,500.00
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 5 21-13 Day 3: 5 20-10 Day 4: 5 22-15
7. Terry Butcher Talala, Okla. 20 80-08 272 $13,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 21-13 Day 3: 5 22-12 Day 4: 5 17-12
8. Bradley Roy Lancaster, Ky. 20 79-11 268 $12,500.00
Day 1: 5 19-08 Day 2: 5 22-01 Day 3: 5 22-09 Day 4: 5 15-09
9. Boyd Duckett Demopolis, Ala. 20 79-08 264 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-14 Day 2: 5 20-14 Day 3: 5 22-15 Day 4: 5 17-13
10. Jared Lintner Arroyo Grande, Calif. 20 78-09 260 $11,500.00
Day 1: 5 23-04 Day 2: 5 17-14 Day 3: 5 21-06 Day 4: 5 16-01
11. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, Mo. 19 76-00 257 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-06 Day 2: 5 21-03 Day 3: 5 22-12 Day 4: 4 14-11
12. Matt Herren Trussville, Ala. 20 75-13 254 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5 21-13 Day 2: 5 18-06 Day 3: 5 21-12 Day 4: 5 13-14
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Big Bass of Tournament
Bobby Lane Lakeland, Fla. 11-01 $1,000.00
Angler of the Year Leader
Skeet Reese Auburn, Calif. $1,000.00
Berkley Big Bag of Tournament
Byron Velvick Del Rio, Texas 29-00 $500.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 72 416 1429-12
2 75 425 1496-09
3 44 228 876-06
4 11 59 230-15
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202 1128 4033-10
BASSMASTER ANGLER OF THE YEAR STANDINGS
Pro Points After Clear Lake, Lakeport, Calif.
Ending 03-21-2010, Day 4
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Place Name St Pts
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1 Skeet Reese Calif. 575
2 Greg Hackney La. 538
3 Guy Eaker N.C. 517
4 Bill Lowen Ohio 516
5 Michael Iaconelli N.J. 510
6 Denny Brauer Mo. 493
7 James Niggemeyer Texas 487
8 Dave Wolak N.C. 483
9 Greg Vinson Ala. 478
10 Shaw Grigsby Fla. 471
11 Gary Klein Texas 462
12 Edwin Evers Okla. 454
13 Jeff Kriet Okla. 452
13 Brian Snowden Mo. 452
15 Matt Herren Ala. 445
16 Bradley Roy Ky. 443
17 Pat Golden N.C. 442
18 Derek Remitz Ala. 441
19 Dean Rojas Ariz. 440
20 Stephen Browning Ark. 439
21 John Crews Va. 436
21 Kevin Wirth Ky. 436
23 Byron Velvick Texas 431
24 Clark Reehm Ark. 428
25 Mark Davis Ark. 418
26 Zell Rowland Texas 415
26 Jared Lintner Calif. 415
28 Todd Faircloth Texas 410
29 Kotaro Kiriyama Ala. 408
29 Bradley Hallman Okla. 408
31 Kelly Jordon Texas 406
32 Scott Rook Ark. 404
32 Grant Goldbeck Md. 404
34 Terry Butcher Okla. 401
35 Matt Greenblatt Fla. 400
36 Peter Thliveros Fla. 396
37 Randy Howell Ala. 394
37 Mike McClelland Ark. 394
39 Bobby Lane Fla. 390
39 Morizo Shimizu Japan 390
41 Tommy Biffle Okla. 383
42 Kevin VanDam Mich. 374
43 Dustin Wilks N.C. 373
44 Brent Chapman Kan. 370
44 Billy McCaghren Ark. 370
46 Jami Fralick S.D. 368
46 Cliff Pace Miss. 368
46 Alton Jones Texas 368
49 Mark Tucker Mo. 366
49 Aaron Martens Ala. 366
51 Casey Ashley S.C. 364
52 Boyd Duckett Ala. 363
53 Steve Kennedy Ala. 360
54 Russ Lane Ala. 356
55 Rick Clunn Mo. 353
56 J Todd Tucker Ga. 344
57 Jason Quinn S.C. 342
58 Marty Stone N.C. 340
59 Gerald Swindle Ala. 338
60 Kevin Short Ark. 336
61 Takahiro Omori Texas 334
62 Vince Fulks Okla. 332
63 Paul Elias Miss. 330
64 Jeff Connella La. 324
65 Dennis Tietje La. 316
66 Cliff Crochet La. 306
67 Ish Monroe Calif. 302
68 John Murray Ariz. 300
69 David Smith Okla. 296
69 Terry Scroggins Fla. 296
71 Chad Griffin Texas 292
72 Pete Ponds Miss. 290
73 Timmy Horton Ala. 286
74 Matt Reed Texas 284
75 Bernie Schultz Fla. 282
76 Mark Tyler Okla. 278
77 Rick Morris Va. 276
77 Mark Menendez Ky. 276
79 Kenyon Hill Okla. 272
80 Wade Grooms S.C. 270
81 Marty Robinson S.C. 266
82 Davy Hite S.C. 264
83 Charlie Hartley Ohio 258
83 Mark Burgess Mass. 258
85 Yusuke Miyazaki Texas 254
86 Jason Williamson S.C. 248
87 Scott Ashmore Okla. 242
88 Fred Roumbanis Okla. 240
89 Britt Myers S.C. 234
90 Chris Lane Ala. 216
91 Byron Haseotes Mass. 208
92 Jeremy Starks W.Va. 198
93 Keith Poche Ala. 185
