LAKEPORT, Calif. – Rookie pro Sieg Taylor of Clearlake caught a four-bass limit weighing an amazing 30 pounds, 5 ounces to lead day one of the EverStart Series Western Division event on Clear Lake near Lakeport. A field of 172 pros is competing for a Ranger 519 VX powered by a Yamaha or Evinrude outboard, Minn Kota trolling motor, Garmin electronics and Everstart Batteries plus $9,800 cash. Ranger also awards an additional $10,000 to the winner if he is a qualified Ranger owner.
Conditions couldn’t be better at Clear Lake. The weather is warm and stable, bass are actively feeding in the prespawn mode, and anglers can use a variety of techniques to catch a big limit. Clear Lake is one of the most productive bass fisheries in the world, and Wednesday’s catch proved that fact.
Had the daily limit been five bass rather than four, Wednesday’s catch would have certainly surpassed the current EverStart Series one-day total weight record of 3,992 pounds, 11 ounces caught at Lake Champlain last year. Anglers at Clear Lake Wednesday caught 3,414 pounds, 10 ounces. Along with smaller limit at Clear Lake, the field was smaller – nearly 60 anglers – than the Champlain event of a year ago. Wednesday’s weigh-in was one of the most impressive in FLW Outdoors history, with 150 of 172 pros catching a limit. The average weight of each fished weighed by pros Wednesday weight more than 3 pounds.
“I had a terrible practice on Monday and Tuesday,” said Taylor, who is fishing his first EverStart Series event. “But these fish are staging and moving up more each day, and it’s just going to keep getting better each day. I was fishing in 4-8 feet of water along a ledge with a Lucky Craft reaction bait. I had an 8-pounder at 8 a.m. and then caught a 10-5 and a 9-15 by 9:30 a.m.
“Had the limit been five, I would have broken the EverStart Series one-day record. I threw back several 3-pounders. I also lost a 5-pounder, so I should have broken the record with just four fish. I’m still going to swing for the fence tomorrow.”
Rounding out the top-five pros are Jimmy Walker of Alpine (four bass, 24 pounds, 9 ounces); Rus Snyders of San Mateo (four bass, 23 pounds, 11 ounces); Jimmy Reese of Witter Springs (four bass, 23 pounds, 10 ounces); and Bernie Gaunt of West Sacramento (four bass, 22 pounds, 11 ounces).
Donnie Vachon of Lakeside caught an 11-pound, 2-ounce bass to earn the day’s Snickers Big Bass award for the Pro Division.
Douglas Davis of New Castle caught four bass weighing 20 pounds, 14 ounces to lead the Co-angler Division.
Rounding out the top-five co-anglers are Kirk Beardsley of Huntington Beach (four bass, 20 pounds, 1 ounce); Gary Key of Phoenix, Ariz. (four bass, 19 pounds, 12 ounces); Kyle Clement of Anderson (four bass, 19 pounds, 5 ounces); and Greg Giacomazza of Spanish Fork, Utah (four bass, 18 pounds, 4 ounces).
Giacomazza caught the Snickers Big Bass in the Co-angler Division – a 9-pound, 5-ounce lunker.
EverStart Series tournaments are four-day events consisting of two rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday and Thursday, and the top 10 pros and co-anglers – based on two-day accumulated weights – advance to the final round. Anglers start at zero Friday, and pro and co-angler winners are determined Saturday based on two-day accumulated weights.