Leblanc lands EverStart win

Consistency key to Clear Lake victory

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Competitive anglers know that multi-day tournaments are marathons, not sprints and few demonstrated that point as well as Calfornia co-angler Chad Leblanc, who won the EverStart Western Division event on Clear Lake.

In a tournament that saw the co-angler division post eight bags of 20-plus pounds, Leblanc never broke the double decade mark. He did, however, post a remarkably consistent string of weights that exemplified the consistency needed to top a highly competitive field on a highly productive lake. Leblanc weighed limits of 19-6, 19-9 and 19-15 to finish first with 58-14.

Paired with pro winner Michael C. Tuck today, Leblanc determined that a good balance to the pro’s swimbait attack would be a bottom-hugging dropshot. With a 6-inch Roboworm in Margarita Mutilator as his bait, Leblanc rigged a short, 3-inch leader.

“The key was just letting it sit,” he said. “It was almost like we were catfishing. I just let it sit and they ate it. Mike was just a class act. He let my bait sit in the zone for a long time and I was fortunate enough to catch five.”

Teen “bounds” into second

Seventeen-year-old Travis Bounds, of Roseville, Calif. was the youngest competitor in the top-10, but he fished well beyond his age and racked up a three-day total of 54-9 to take second place. Bounds fished a chatterbait on day one, but switched to a dropshot for days two and three. A red crawler Roboworm was his bait for the dropshot and a short rig proved most effective.

“I was using a ¼-ounce dropshot weight and the leader had to be really short – it had to be almost hitting the ground because the fish were sitting close to the bottom,” Bound said. “I was rigging my worm Texas style so it would go through the weeds better.

Limbrick lands in third

Carl Limbrick Jr., of San Diego, Calif., made big move on day two by improving from 21st place to sixth. He continued his path of advancement in the final round as he gained three more spots to finish third with 53-14.

Limbrick said his bait selection changed for each day. In the first round, he fished a dropshot on day one, a jig on day two and a baby bass colored Senko in the final round. After three days of tremendous action, Limbrick said Clear Lake turned in another unforgettable performance.

“When you’re catching 3- and 4-pounders all day, it’s just incredible,” he said.

Bruce McCune, of Anderson, Calif. took fourth with 53-8, while Blaine Christiansen, of San Jose, Calif. finished fifth with 52-11.

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top-10 pro leaders at the EverStart Series Clear Lake event:

6th: Lester Albury, of Temecula, Calif., 49-5

7th: Nick Nourot, of Benicia, Calif., 49-4

8th: Kyle Gelles, of Pingree, Id., 48-4

9th: Jason Chang, of Riverside, Calif., 37-10

10th: Scott Hamman, of Sacramento, Calif., 33-10

Albury earned the Strike King Angler of the Year award for the EverStart Western Division.