Curtiss Retains Lead At Stren Series Bass Fishing Event on Clear Lake
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. (April 17, 2008) - Pro Wade Curtiss of Lincoln, Calif., caught a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds Thursday to retain a lead in the Stren Series Western Division tournament on Clear Lake. With a two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 52-11, he now holds an 11-pound, 10-ounce lead over second place pro Philip Garcia of Yuba City, Calif., who managed to haul in a total of 10 bass weighing 41-01 during the first two days of competition.
"The weather was gorgeous and a little warmer today," Curtiss said. "I don't think it helped me, really; I think it pulled me down, but tomorrow should be better. Two days in a row is better than one really warm day."
Curtiss stuck with the same plan today, covering a lot of water and fishing points, rocks and tules looking for bed fish.
Rounding out the top five pros are Brian Nollar of Homer, Alaska (10 bass, 39-13); Jared Stone of Lakeport, Calif. (10 bass, 38-15); and Thomas Jolin of Lakeport, Calif. (10 bass, 38-00).
Tim Hendricks of Stockton, Calif., earned $300 for the Snickers Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 9-pound bass.
Overall there were 916 bass weighing 2,495 pounds, 8 ounces caught by 200 pros Thursday. The catch included 163 five-bass limits.
Kyle Baker of Lancaster, Calif., leads the Co-angler Division in the chase for a top award of $35,000, including a 198VX Ranger if contingency guidelines are met. He caught five bass weighing 23-01 while fishing with pro Ronald Hammett of Alpine, Calif., Wednesday and five bass weighing 15-04 while fishing with pro Jim Sleight of Jauml, Calif., Thursday for a total of 10 bass weighing 38-05.
"I'd like to thank Ricky Shabazz for showing me a technique during prefishing that really helped me the past two days," Baker said. "I also drew really good pros, which made a difference, too."
Baker caught his limit fishing slow with a Zoom Finesse Worm all over the lake.
"I feel really good going into tomorrow," Baker said. "I need to get a couple fish, and if I get a limit, I'll be in better shape."
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Scott Sweet of Chatsworth, Ga. (10 bass, 37-01); Thomas Wang of Saratoga, Calif. (10 bass, 33-11); Tommy Cardoza of Lakeport, Calif. (10 bass, 33-08); and Rich Reeser of Dixon, Calif. (10 bass, 32-13).
Jake Stephens of Reno, Nev., earned $150 for the Snickers Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to a 9-pound, 1-ounce bass.
Overall there were 744 bass weighing 1,804 pounds, 7 ounces caught by 200 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 106 five-bass limits.
The top 40 co-anglers from each Stren Series division will also advance to the championship, where they will fish for as much as $70,000. The highest-finishing co-angler from each division at the championship will then advance to the 2009 Forrest Wood Cup.
Anglers will take off at 6:30 each morning from Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa located at 8727 Soda Bay Road in Kelseyville, Calif. Friday's weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 2:30 p.m. Saturday's weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 15960 Dam Road in Clearlake, Calif, beginning at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
Stren Series tournaments are four-day events consisting of two rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. At the conclusion of Friday's weigh-in, the field is cut to the top 10 pros and co-anglers based on the heaviest three-day accumulated weights. These anglers continue competition Saturday, with the winners determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days.
