LAKEPORT, Calif. – Ishama Monroe of Phoenix outpaced 76 competitors Saturday with five bass weighing 24 pounds, 8 ounces to win $3,152 and 200 points on the boater side of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League (BFL) Western Division tournament on Clear Lake.
Monroe edged out Jimmy Reese of Witter Springs, Calif., by 1 pound, 11 ounces in the one-day event that set out from Skylark Shore. Reese finished with a five-bass catch weighing 22 pounds, 13 ounces to win $1,576. He also won $500 from Ranger Boats as the highest finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program.
Monroe caught his limit, including a 7-pound, 14-ounce bass that earned him $380 as the biggest bass in the Boater Division, from the lower end of the lake while fishing rocks and weeds.
Mark Crutcher of Upper Lake, Calif., took third place and collected $788 with five bass weighing 21 pounds, 15 ounces. Ed Gomes of Hilmar, Calif., placed fourth and earned $683 with five bass weighing 19 pounds, 7 ounces, while Gene Lippincott of Elverta, Calif., placed fifth and earned $630 with five bass weighing 19 pounds, 3 ounces.
First place in the Co-Angler Division and $1,576 went to Roy Lim of San Bruno, Calif., who topped 76 competitors with five bass weighing 20 pounds, 8 ounces. Second place in the division and $788 went to Eric Castro of Paradise, Calif., with five bass weighing 13 pounds, 9 ounces. Gary Haraguchi of Freemont, Calif., and Barry McCoy of Castro Valley, Calif., tied for third place with 12 pounds, 12 ounces. Haraguchi received $368 each for his five-bass catch, and McCoy received $368 for his four-bass catch.
Lim won the co-angler Big Bass Award of $190 with a 9-pound, 3-ounce bass that he caught on a worm while fishing rocks and weeds toward the middle of the lake.
Overall, 438 bass were caught during the tournament, including 43 five-bass limits.
The BFL will return to Clear Lake Sept. 29-30 for a two-day Super Tournament that will mark the end of the Western Division regular season. The boater with the most points after the tournament will be declared the Divisional Points Champion and awarded $1,000. The co-angler amassing the most points by the end of the season will receive $500.
The top 30 boaters and top 30 co-anglers in the Western Division will advance to regional competition Oct. 23-27 on Lake Shasta near Redding, Calif., where they will go up against top competitors from the Colorado River Division for a shot at qualifying for the $250,000 All-American.
Awards for the 2001 BFL season could reach $5.7 million based on full fields at each tournament.