LAKEPORT >> And then there were just 20.
The 111 professional and 111 amateur fishermen competing in the first two rounds of the FLW Costa Series pro-am bass tournament on Clear Lake didn’t let a little rain get in their way on Friday as the field was cut to the top 10 in each division following the weigh-in at Konocti Vista Casino and Marina.
Today’s final round concludes with a 3 p.m. weigh-in at Konocti Vista. Finalists carry over their weight from Thursday and Friday. The winning pro stands to make in the neighborhood of $35,000 and the winning amateur $5,000. If the pro and amateur winners are competing in a Ranger bass boat model year 2008 or newer, they’ll also receive a new Ranger boat.
Of the 20 fishermen who made the cut into today’s final round, only one of them is from Lake County. Well-known pro Wayne Breazeale of Kelseyville, fourth after the opening round on Thursday, dropped two places on Friday but was safely tucked inside the top 10. He had 46 pounds and seven ounces.
Todd Woods of San Dimas jumped from second place on Thursday to first on Friday. He brought 27 pounds, 11 ounces to the scales for a two-day total of 60-7. Michael Caruso of Peoria, Arizona, is second with 57-14 and first-round leader Jim Moulton of Merced dropped to third with 55-4.
Rounding out the top five are Wade Curtiss of Meadow Vista (51-0) and Garrett Dixon of Durham (47-12).
Others making the cut were Breazeale, David Valdivia of Norwalk (43-15), Roy Hawk of Lake Havasu City, Arizona (43-13), Rusty Salewske of Alpine (43-12) and Hunter Schlander of Modestoa (41-15).
While eliminated from competition, the pros placing 11th through 30th all received at least $2,063. That group included Mark Crutcher of Lakeport and Paul Bailey of Kelseyville, who tied for 18th place with 36-0. Both men received $2,475. Also finishing in the money was Kelseyville’s Ryan Lauwers, 25th with 34-12 ($2,269).
Amateurs
In the amateur division, Jack Farage of Discovery Bay struggled a bit on Friday with only 14 pounds brought to the scales, but he retained his first-round lead and has 38-1 going into today’s final round. Close behind is Stanley Beebe of San Luis Obispo with 36-2. He jumped five places on Friday by bringing 20-1 to the scales, more than any other amateur.
Blake Dyer of Tempe, Arizona, is third with 32-0, Justin Bolen of Paradise is fourth with 31-8, and Michael Tauscher of Blackfoot, Idaho, is fifth with 29-12.
Also making the cut into today’s final round are Chris Rhoden of Newhall (28-11), Rachel Uribe of Long Beach (27-12), Ken Helms of Newman (27-11), Sergio Arguello of North Hollywood (26-9) and Todd Kline of San Clemente (26-7).
Amateurs placing 11th through 30th received between $499 and $832.
