Curtiss Widens Lead At Stren Series Bass Fishing Event on Clear Lake
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. (April 18, 2008) - Pro Wade Curtiss of Lincoln, Calif., caught a five-bass limit weighing 13 pounds, 5 ounces Friday to widen his lead in the Stren Series Western Division tournament on Clear Lake. With a three-day catch of 15 bass weighing 66-00, he holds a 9-pound, 9-ounce lead over his closest competitor heading into the final day of competition.
Rounding out the top five pros are Philip Garcia of Yuba City, Calif. (15 bass, 56-07); Jared Stone of Lakeport, Calif. (15 bass, 55-14); Sean Stafford of Fairfield, Calif. (15 bass, 54-11); and Scott Copple of Lehi, Utah (15 bass, 54-11).
Also clearing the top 10 cut weight of 52 pounds, 1 ounce in the Pro Division are Rob Colby of Page, Ariz.; Brian Nollar of Homer, Alaska; Jason Milligan of Anderson, Calif.; Cody Meyer of Redding, Calif.; and Cory Fenske of Granite Bay, Calif.
Edwin Shaver of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., earned $300 for the Snickers Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 9-pound, 12-ounce bass.
Overall there were 902 bass weighing 2,410 pounds, 7 ounces caught by 200 pros Friday. The catch included 162 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, thanks to a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 53-07.
"I feel good about going into tomorrow; it's my first top 10," Baker said. "I fished as slow as I possibly could and just waited for the fish to take the bait."
Baker caught another limit today fishing slow with 5-inch finesse worms in green pumpkin and watermelon.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Scott Sweet of Chatsworth, Calif. (15 bass, 52-09); Thomas Wang of Saratoga, Calif. (15 bass, 47-05); Aaron Reitz of Soda Springs, Calif. (15 bass, 47-03); and Jerry Garcia Jr. of San Diego, Calif. (15 bass, 45-11).
Also clearing the top 10 cut weight of 44 pounds, 11 ounces in the Co-angler Division are Jake Stephens of Reno, Nev.; Rich Reeser of Dixon, Calif.; Tommy Cardoza of Lakeport, Calif.; Kurt Walters of Grand Junction, Colo.; and John Loverin of Valley Springs, Calif.
Loverin earned $150 for the Snickers Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to an 8-pound, 3-ounce bass.
Overall there were 753 bass weighing 1,824 pounds, 10 ounces caught by 200 co-anglers Friday. The catch included 107 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 Saturday morning from Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa located at 8727 Soda Bay Road in Kelseyville, Calif. Saturday's final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 15960 Dam Road in Clearlake, Calif., beginning at 4 p.m. The takeoff and weigh-in 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.
