LAKEPORT — No records were broken but plenty of bass were on display Sunday as the 34th annual Clear Lake Team Bass Tournament crowned new champions at the Skylark Shores Resort in Lakeport.
Sponsored by the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, the two-day team competition, the longest-running tournament on Clear Lake, ended with winners Charlie Fales Jr. and Zach Ploeger edging out the runner-up team of Kris Sisto and Brian Watkinson by a mere .17 pounds. Fales Jr. and Ploeger, in third place after day one Saturday, finished with 49.13 pounds to claim the first-place prize of $4,003.68. Sisto and Watkinson, the leaders after day one with 33.17 pounds, finished with 48.96 pounds to claim second place and $2,365.81.
Sisto and Watkinson also caught the big fish on day one (7.74 pounds) to earn an additional $1,000 and their first-day weight of 33.17 pounds earned them another $1,000 for the big bag of the tournament.
Overall big-fish honors went to Scott Mackenzie for his 8.74-pound fish Sunday. Mackenzie and partner Jimmy Kuroki ended up ninth overall with 42.83 pounds.
The 100-percent payback tournament paid down to 30 places out of 114 teams entered.
“It could not have been a better event,” said Laura McAndrews Sammel, chief executive officer of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce. “Nearly 3,000 pounds of fish were caught and I’m happy to report there were no casualties (dead fish weighed in). The Lake County Chamber will definitely be sponsoring this event in the years ahead.”
The top finish by a Lake County team went to Kelseyville’s Paul Bailey and Clearlake Oaks’ Seth Dandridge. They placed third with 46.70 pounds, jumping up three places in the standings Sunday to collect $1,601.47.
Craig Sutherland of American Bass served as tournament director and American Bass staff conducted the weigh-in both days at the Skylark Shores Resort in Lakeport.
“Those guys were awesome,” Sammel said of Sutherland and his staff. “Five minutes after the weigh-in was complete they had checks in my hands. Of the 33 checks I handed out 30 of the recipients were there. I had to mail out only three.”
Sammel said a large crowd was present Sunday to watch the awards ceremony, which took place in pleasant spring-like conditions.
“Everybody was in high spirits,” Sammel said.
The Lake County Chamber contracted with the Badass BLT mobile food service for Saturday’s weigh-in and Sammel said it was a big hit with those attending the first day of the tournament.
“It was well received and I think we’ll do it both days next year,” Sammel said.
The weather cooperated for the most part during the late-winter tournament, according to Sammel.
“The lake looked like glass early Saturday for the blast-off, but the wind came up in the afternoon and it was choppy,” she said of lake conditions. “It was perfect Sunday.”
Named the Chamber’s CEO last August, Sammel said it was her first experience with sponsoring a bass tournament and she learned a lot in the process.
“I probably didn’t give it as much love as I should have, but now I have a better idea of what it’s all about,” Sammel said. “It was a learning experience for me.”
The only area where the tournament came up a bit short was with obtaining sponsors, who help offset the costs associated with running the event since the tournament returns 100 percent of entry fees to fishermen in prize money.
“It was hard getting sponsors this year,” Sammel said. “People were kind of watching their purse strings with the economy and supply chain issues, and I understand that.”
This year’s sponsors along with the Lake County Chamber of Commerce were Kelseyville Lumber, Running Creek Casino, Wine Country Land and Ranches, Skylark Shores Resort, Robinson Rancheria Resort & Casino, and The UPS Store.
Top finishers
Also cracking the top 10 in the team standings were Shane Pierson and Rusi Grave, fourth with 44.71 pounds ($1,310.29); Joe Bitker and Mike Gordon, fifth with 44.10 pounds ($982.72); Chris Martin and Jeff Bitker, sixth with 44.02 pounds ($800.74); Duane Rhodes and Jim Clement, seventh with 43.93 pounds ($691.54); Tyler Walters and Daniel Andreusaitis, eighth with 43.48 pounds ($618.75); Mackenzie and Kuroki, ninth with 42.83 pounds ($545.96); and Jody Jordan and Jackson Juarez, 10th with 42.26 pounds ($509.56).
In the money
Taking home a paycheck were Joey Letsinger and Levi Letsinger, 11th place with 41.72 pounds ($491.36); Garrett Dixon and David Scott, 12th place with 41.45 ($473.16); James Malm and Tony Koregelos, 13th place with 41.34 pounds ($454.96); Pat Cassi and Antony Mello. 14th place with 40.43 pounds ($436.76); Chad Hole and J.R Beatty, 15th place with 40.36 pounds ($418.57); Rob Thornton and Kyle Ray, 16th place with 40.16 pounds ($400.37); Michael Rothstein and Adam Martin, 17th place with 40.13 pounds ($382.17); Matt Terry and Eric Callahan, 18th place with 39.72 pounds ($363.97); Phil Leazer and Tony Renati, 19th place with 39.69 pounds ($345.77); Matthew Ross and David Ross, 20th place with 39.38 pounds ($327.57); Cody Bashore and Kevin Hild, 21st place with 39.38 pounds ($309.38); Larry Llanes and Carla Lemmon, 22nd place with 39.20 pounds ($291.18); Mike Goncalves and Brandon Silvey, 23rd place with 38.67 pounds ($272.98); Mike Krnaich and Jeff Tucker, 24th place with 38.62 pounds ($254.78); David Burruss and Payton Lyndall, 25th place with 38.21 pounds ($236.58); Paul Durbin and Franklin Velarde, 26th place with 38.11 pounds ($218.38); Robert Tibbitts and Jason Nuchois, 27th place with 38.09 pounds ($200.18); Jerry Hakin and Jeremy Hakin, 28th place with 37.46 pounds ($181.99); Rob Davies and Blake Dyer, 29th place with 37.29 pounds ($163.79); Scott Green and Wally Smith, 30th place with 36.62 pounds ($145.59).
