LAKEPORT — The top professional bass fishermen in the world will be competing in the Bassmasters Elite Series Golden State Shootout at Clear Lake this week. The event starts on Thursday and runs through Sunday, The tournament will field 93 boats the first two days. The field will be cut to 50 boats at finish of Friday”s competition . The field will be cut again to 12 boats for the final day on Sunday. The winner of the four-day event will pocket $100,000 in cash. The Bassmasters Elite Series has eight tournaments each year scattered around the United States and the 93 bass pros are required to fish in each tournament. They paid an entry fee of $5,000 for each tournament or a total of $40,000 per angler.
Each boat will have a professional fisherman plus a non-fishing observer who is called a “marshal.”
The purpose of the marshal there is to make sure the fishermen follow all the rules. The marshal will also take videos and photos for the ESPN television show.
Most of the fishermen who follow the Elite Series say the man to beat in the Clear Lake tournament is Skeet Reese of Auburn, California. Reese finished second last week at the Bassmasters tournament. He also won the Bassmasters Classic last year and finished second in the 2007 Bassmasters Clear Lake tournament. Clear Lake is his favorite lake. In fact, his brother Jimmy Reese lives in Lake County. Skeet Reese was recently featured in the newspaper supplement Parade magazine and earns a seven figure income from competitive bass fishing.
Most of the experts predict that it will take at least a total combined weight of 100 pounds or more to win the four day event. In 2007, Steve Kennedy of Alabama won the tournament with a record setting weight of 122 pounds, 14 ounces.
Since the majority of the boats are from out of state they were all required to pass an inspection for quagga mussels which was conducted by biologists and game wardens from the Department of Fish and Game.
The blast-offs and weigh-ins will be a Library Park in Lakeport. The blast-offs will take place at first safe light in the mornings and the weigh-ins will start at 3 p.m.
The weigh-ins are open to the public are free. The tournament will be aired on ESPN2 later this year.
