The longest-running bass tournament held on Clear Lake, the 29th annual Clear Lake Team Bass Tournament, kicks off Saturday and runs through Sunday. Dating back to 1987, the Clear Lake Team Tournament is not only the oldest tournament on the lake but one of the most popular. In fact, a handful of teams have competed in every single one. To them it is a tradition and not just an event.
Each team is allowed to weigh in a maximum of five fish per day and most of the experts predict it will take at least 65-70 pounds to walk off with the first-place money. The winning team is guaranteed at least $5,000 if the tournament draws 100 or more boats. Currently there are 58 teams signed up.
The team catching the big fish of the tournament receives about $1,200. The two-day tournament is co-sponsored by the Lake County Chamber of Commerce and Konocti Vista Casino. Bill Kearney, owner of Northlake Pharmacy, has been a strong supporter and sponsor of all the tournaments starting with the first one and has always attended the weigh-ins. Other sponsors include PG&E, the Law Office of Mary Heare Amodio, Dr. Sandy McGeoch, Disney’s Trophies and Awards, G&G Printing and ReelSpeed Lubricants. PG&E is sponsoring a free dinner for all contestants on Saturday evening at Konocti Vista Casino.
The tournament is expected to draw at least 100 boats and operates out of Konocti Vista Casino and Resort. The weigh-ins are scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. both days.
Without question this is one of the more popular bass tournaments held on Clear Lake. At one time it was also one of the largest bass tournaments in the nation, drawing 225 boats during its heyday in the 1990s when the payback was $25,000 to the winning team. Teams came from as far as Chicago, Denver and Salt Lake City. The tournament has always paid back 100 percent of the entry fees as local businesses pay the fees to run the tournament.
The tournament started back in 1987 and was originally sponsored by the Record-Bee and Bruno’s Foods. It was always held on the first weekend in February, the goal being to attract fishermen to Clear Lake during the winter months. I was the first tournament director and held that position for six years. The tournament originally allowed just about any type of boat and only required that the boat have a functioning livewell, which could actually be nothing more than an ice chest with an aerator. Some of the early tournaments had some strange looking boats. One year a pair of fishermen fished in a canoe with fly rods and this was when the temperatures dipped down to freezing. At blast-off they paddled away. They actually weighed in a couple of bass. Another team showed up in a patio boat, which was equipped with a gas stove and barbecue. As the 225 boats were assembling for the blast-off they cooked eggs and bacon and served it to nearby boaters.
In the early days of the tournament the weather was normally terrible. One year the fog was so thick dozens of fishermen got lost and ended up scattered around the lake. Just about every tournament had a fisherman or two fall into the frigid lake, most of the time from a dock before the blast-off. One fisherman slipped off the icy dock near what was then the Skylark Motel just prior to the blast-off and despite the cold weather he jumped back into his boat and fished the entire day in sopping-wet clothes.
Another year a team from Modesto blew their engine at blast-off on the first day of the tournament. The team used its trolling motor for both days and fished from the Skylark Motel to Willow Point and ended up finishing third and winning nearly $5,000.
The deadline to sign up for the tournament is Friday at 4:30 p.m. at the Lake County Chamber of Commerce office, located at 875 Lakeport Blvd. in Lakeport (the office is located on Vista Point). The entry fee is $200 per team, which includes the daily big fish option. Based on a 100-team field the approximate payouts are $5,000 for first place, $2,200 for second and $1,500 for third. The payout will be adjusted depending on the number of teams entered. Payouts will be to one in five teams. In other words, a 100-team field will pay down to 20th place.
