The longest-running bass tournament held on Clear Lake, the 34th 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 two-man team will be allowed to weigh in a maximum of five fish per day and most of the experts predict it will take at least 60 pounds to walk off with the first-place money. A good example of just how good the bass fishing has been at Clear Lake the past week could be seen in the results of the NewJen two-day pro/am held last weekend. The winning weight on the pro side for two days was 48 pounds and just about all the fishermen weighed in limits both days. The 2021 Chamber tournament had a winning two-day weight of 58.77 pounds. This year the winning team is guaranteed at least $5,000 if the tournament draws 100 or more boats. Currently there are 60 teams signed up.
The team catching the big fish in this year’s tournament receives about $1,000. The two-day tournament is sponsored by the Lake County Chamber of Commerce and its members. It is expected to draw approximately 100 boats and will operate out of the Skylark Shores Resort in Lakeport. 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 late 1980s and early 1990s when the payback was $25,000 to the winning team. Teams came from as far away as Chicago, Denver and Salt Lake City. The tournament has always paid back 100 percent of the entry fees as local businesses pay the costs associated with running 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 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 and 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 the old 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 its engine at blast-off on the first day of the tournament. The team used its trolling motor for both days, fishing between the Skylark Motel and Willow Point, and ended up finishing third and winning nearly $5,000.
The deadline to sign up for this year’s 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.
Make no mistake, competing in bass tournament is an an expensive sport. With gas approaching $6 a gallon it takes a lot of money. Most of the fishermen will go through $100 just to fill their tanks. That doesn’t include meals and motel costs plus fishing tackle. Even so, the fishermen are willing spend that kind of money because they love the competition and just fishing in general.
