After a two-year absence the bass tournaments are returning to the south end of the lake. Starting in 2007 there will be several major bass tournaments that will operate out of Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa plus several team tournaments will go out of Redbud Park.
The two major tournaments going out of Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa are the FLW Stren series, to be held in April; and the FLW National Guard Series, to be held in October. Both tournaments are expected to draw 200 boats (400 fishermen). The FLW Series tournament will pay out $125,000 to the winning pro. The pro will pay an entry fee of $3,500 and co-angler will pay an entry fee of $750. In addition there will be a Canadian bass tournament that will also operate out of Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa. There will also be several smaller team tournaments operating out of Redbud Park.
Even though the three major tournaments will go out of Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa, there will be a spill over in the City of Clearlake and many of the fishermen will launch out of Redbud Park. The result is that businesses such as restuarants, service stations and motels in Clearlake should be see an increase in business.
A few years ago the majority of the bass tournaments held on Clear Lake went out of Redbud Park then most switched to the north end of the lake and went out of Konocti Vista Casino. For some reason many of these tournaments are now moving back to Redbud Park or Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa. Actually, most of the fishermen would like to see the tournament weigh-in sites spread around the lake to prevent “stockpiling” of fish when they are released.
There is no question that Redbud Park is probably the best launching facility on the lake. Many of the fishermen that visit Clear Lake from the Sacramento Valley and other areas in Northern California prefer to launch at Redbud Park because it”s the closest ramp to the valley.
In addition to the FLW tournaments, Clear Lake will also play host to the Bassmasters Elite Series tournament in 2007. The tournament is scheduled for March 29-April 1 and will operate out of Library Park in Lakeport.
The Bassmasters Elite Series features the top professional bass fishermen in the world and the 11 tournament nationwide series will pay out more than $7.4 million in prize money. The tournament is limited to 100 pros and 100 co-anglers and each tournament will pay out $100,000 to the pro winner and up to $10,000 to 50th place. The pros are required to pay an entry fee of $5,000 for each tournament and they also must pay in advance for each of the 11 tournaments prior to the start of the season or a total of $55,000.
Clear Lake is one of two only stops in the West on the circuit. The other stop will be Stockton, located on the Delta.
Bassmasters is owned by the cable sports channel ESPN, which recently named Clear Lake as the second best bass lake in the world just behind Lake Amistad in Texas. The tournament will be filmed and aired on ESPN plus it will be featured in a number of sports magazines.
The bass pros are selected to compete in the Elite Series by their tournament results in other Bassmasters tournaments. They must have fished in at least 12 BASS events prior to the Elite Series. It”s not a open event.
However, the co-anglers can sign up and the entry fee is $750 per tournament. Details on entering as a co-angler will be published later.
Most of the pros in the Elite Series are full time professional fishermen and some have won more than $1 million during their career. There will be some California fishermen in the tournament and they include Skeet Reese, Mike Reynolds, Ish Monroe, Aaron Martins and Greg Gutierrez. World renowned professional fishermen such as the colorful Mike Iaconelli, Kevin VanDam and Danny Brauer will also be competing.
Terry Knight can be reached at tknight3021@sbcglobal.net or by calling (707) 263-1699. Letters intended for publication that respond to Mr. Knight”s column can be sent to news@clearlakeobserver.com.
