REDDING, Calif. – Local pro Jim Riley of Shasta Lake, Calif., caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 31 pounds, 1 ounce to lead round one of the Stren Series Western Division event on Lake Shasta. Pros are competing for as much as $64,500 in cash and prizes and co-anglers are competing for a top award of $35,000 in cash and prizes.
One thing is certain: Lake Shasta is absolutely full of bass, especially spotted bass. On day one, anglers caught an FLW Outdoors one-day record for the most limits caught with 349. Anglers caught another 342 limits Thursday, setting another record for the most limits caught during the first round with 691. Anglers also set a record for the most bass weighed during the first round with 3,668. But the quality of the spotted bass is also impressive. Riley won big bass Wednesday with a 6-pound, 3-ounce spotted bass, and many exceeding 3 pounds have been weighed.
Riley dominated the field over the two-day opening round, catching nearly 7 pounds more than second place. His dominance on the lake is well known. In the 2004 and 2005 Lake Shasta events of the Bassmaster Open Western Division, Riley finished eighth and 10th, respectively. This is Riley’s FLW Outdoors debut, and he is making quite a splash.
“I was doing the same thing today that I did yesterday – swimbaits and worms,” Riley said. “And I had a decent limit by 9 this morning. I think I’ve got enough areas and fish to win this, but confidence is a scary thing.”
Rounding out the top five pros are Gary Dobyns of Yuba City, Calif. (10 bass, 25 pounds); Mark Meddock of Woodland, Calif. (10 bass, 24 pounds, 4 ounces); Dave Nollar of Redlands, Calif. (10 bass, 13 pounds, 10 ounces); and Gene Gray of Atascadero, Calif. (10 bass, 23 pounds).
Justin Kerr of Semi Valley, Calif., earned $700 for the Snicker’s Big Bass award in the Pro Division with a 8-pound, 7-ounce bass.
Justin Regelin of Anderson, Calif., leads the Co-angler Division with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 18 pounds, 15 ounces.
“This is the first tournament I’ve ever fished,” Regelin said. “My boss, Jeff Michaels, is a pro and I practiced with him. He talked me into entering the tournament, so I decided to do it because I thought it would be great experience.
“I have been throwing a Senko all week, from the bank to 60 feet of water. I just rig it differently for the different depths.”
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jim Tatum of Bishop, Calif. (10 bass, 18 pounds, 12 ounces); Benny Lentz of Cottonwood, Calif. (10 bass, 18 pounds, 4 ounces); Justin Lucas of Folsom, Calif. (10 bass, 17 pounds, 14 ounces); andMike Iloski of Escondido, Calif. (10 bass, 17 pounds, 11 ounces).
Glen Glover of Concord, Calif., earned $240 for the Snicker’s Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to a 7-pound, 8-ounce bass.
Anglers caught a total of 1,820 bass Thursday weighing 2,686 pounds, 6 ounces.
Friday and Saturday’s weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 1515 Dana Drive in Redding beginning at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
Stren Series tournaments are four-day events consisting of three rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday and Thursday, and the top 20 pros and co-anglers – based on two-day accumulated weights – advance to day three. Anglers start at zero Thursday and compete for 10 spots in each division in the final round. Winners are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Stratos Owners Tournament Trail. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $36.7 million through 241 events in 2006.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.
Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world’s leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.