BETHEL ISLAND — Kelseyville’s Joey Gentle and Tyler Bryant of the Lake County High School Fishing Club placed third out of 33 teams Saturday during a Major League Fishing-hosted tournament headquartered at Russo’s Marina on Bethel Island in the Delta.
Another Kelseyville fisherman, Payton Lyndall, teamed up with partner Kaine Navarro of Glendora to finish fourth overall. Both the Gentle-Bryant and Lyndall-Navarro teams have now qualified to advance to the Nationals beginning June 21 in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Gentle-Bryant, both multi-sport athletes for the Knights, weighed in a five-fish limit of 16 pounds, 9 ounces in their ninth Student Angler Tournament Trail event of the season. That third-place finish also pushes them into first place for Angler of the Year honors.
Lyndall-Navarro also weighed in a five-fish limit and were just three ounces behind Gentle-Bryant at 16-6.
Next up is the State Championships on May 13 at Bethel Island.
The Lake Berryessa Tournament scheduled for April 2 was canceled because of Department of Fish and Wildlife permit issues but won’t hurt the Gentle-Bryant team in its pursuit of Angler of the Year honors because it already has met the eight-tournament minimum to be considered for the prestigious award.
