Lakeport angler Mark Crutcher beat out a field of 117 fishermen to win the Lake Shasta WON BASS Pro/Am bass tournament held last weekend. Crutcher”s two-day total was 24.71 pounds. He won a $30,000 fully-rigged bass boat.
According to Crutcher, the weather during the prefish days and the actual tournament was some of the worst he has ever fished.
“On Friday, I couldn”t even put a my boat in the water because of the high winds and waves. That plus the heavy rain made for miserable conditions,” Crutcher said.
The weather improved a little for the first day of the tournament, but Crutcher was able to weigh in only 8.61 pounds, which left him in 38th place. On Sunday, Crutcher located bass holding off the points in the main section of the lake and brought 16.1 pounds to the scales, good enough to elevate him ino the winner”s circle. He said he caught most of his fish on jigs worked super slow along the steep banks.
The 34-year-old highway patrolman is considered one of the better tournament fishermen in Northern California. He has won several boats and he also teamed up with Greg McCosker of Lakeport to win last year”s Vanity Cup held at Clear Lake. Bass fishing is his passion.
At Clear Lake, the nasty weather conditions have brought fishing to a virtual halt. In fact, it”s so slow that two fishermen using jumbo minnows didn”t even get a bite on Sunday.
The lake level continues to rise and most of the north end is muddy. There is some clear water in the south end but the water temperatures has been holding at 40-45 degrees. The fishing should improve by this weekend for those working jigs super slow or casting lipless crankbaits and retrieving them yo-yo style.
The good news is the lake level is finally rising. It was 2.65 feet on the Rumsey Gauge as of Thursday and should reach 3 feet by Sunday.
The 21st Annual Holder Ford-Mercury Clear Lake Team Bass Tournament is scheduled for March 15-16. The tournament was originally called “The Record-Bee/ Bruno”s” tournament when it was founded in the late 1980s and it is one of more popular bass tournaments held on the lake. Last year”s tournament drew 133 teams and it”s expected to be even larger this year.
The tournament features a 100-percent payback of entry fees. The entry fee is $100 per team with a $50 big-fish option and a $50 big-bag option. Included in the entry fee is a free barbecue on March 15.
According to Holder Ford-Mercury spokesman Richard Hoover, the entry forms have been mailed out to last year”s participants and also to local tackle shops. Fishermen can sign up beginning at 9 a.m. on Jan. 19. The blast-off order for the first day of the tournament will be in the order of the sign-ups. For more information or to get an entry form call Hoover at 263-5603 or 1-800-635-8331.
Crappie action has been very slow on the lake. A few fishermen have been catching five or six fish for a day”s effort but it”s hardly worth the time.
At Upper Blue Lake, the trout fishing has been fair with very few anglers out on the lake. The lake was stocked last week. Bass fishing has been slow.
Indian Valley Reservoir is finally starting to fill up but it has a long way to go. The lake level is still down about 95 feet from normal. No one has been out fishing.
The Russian River was giving up a few steelhead prior to the recent storms, but it”s now blown out and it will be at least a week before the water is clear enough to fish.
