Shasta marks the spot

Stren Western kicks off in Northern California

REDDING, Calif. – It’s a new season in more ways than one as the Stren Series returns to Lake Shasta this week to open the 2007 Western Division.

Last year, the Stren tournament at Shasta was held in springtime, early April, but the weather couldn’t have been wintrier. Rain and cold pounded the anglers for four days straight as they went out and caught record numbers of five-bass limits despite the miserable conditions.

This week, as the January opener, the weather couldn’t be more opposite at Shasta. Calm, warm, sunny skies opened over the Mount Shasta foothills Wednesday, which should make for a gorgeous day of fishing. High temperatures are slated to reach a very spring-like 55 degrees today, Jan. 10, which we didn’t even sniff at last April.

The cozy weather could be a one-day wonder, however, since a cold front is scheduled to move in tomorrow.

Whatever the case, this is the Western Division, so expect the bass to be biting. At Shasta, the name of the game is spotted bass. As mentioned, the productive spot fishery in this big impoundment set an FLW Outdoors record in terms of the number of limits, and there were even a few big ones. Last year pro Justin Kerr hooked the Snickers Big Bass award on day two with an enormous 8 1/2-pound spot.

“We’ve been catching a lot of little ones,” pro Richard Reynolds said Wednesday morning, “but if you can get that one big fish, you’ll be right there in the hunt.”

Anglers are saying that plastics and jigs are the baits of choice so far, worked along deep rock walls where the fish are hanging out for the winter. However, don’t be surprised if a few of the leaders start mentioning swimbaits as the go-to bait as the week wears on, especially if the weather takes a turn for the worse. It’s a pretty fair bet that almost everyone competing this week did their homework on pro Mark Meddock’s winning swimbait strategy here in 2006.

Tournament logistics

Under new rules this year for the Stren Series, the full field competes on days one, two and three, with the top 10 pros and 10 co-anglers advancing to day four based on their three-day accumulated weights. Winners are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days.

Pros will fish for a top award of $25,000 plus a $40,000 519VX Ranger powered by an Evinrude or Yamaha outboard and equipped with a Minn Kota trolling motor, Lowrance electronics and EverStart batteries if contingency guidelines are met. Ranger will award another $3,000 to the winner if he or she is a participant in the Ranger Cup program. If the winner is not a Ranger Cup participant, Ranger will award $1,500 to the highest-finishing participant in the contingency program. Yamaha will match 50 percent of Ranger Cup earnings if “Powered by Yamaha” guidelines are met.

Co-anglers will cast for a top award of $5,000 plus a $30,000 Ranger boat and trailer if contingency guidelines are met.

Anglers will take off from Bridge Bay Resort located at 10300 Bridge Bay Road in Redding at 7:30 PST each morning. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will also be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s weigh-in 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.

Wednesday’s conditions

Sunrise: 7:32 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 45 degrees

Expected high temperature: 56 degrees

Water temperature: low to mid-50s

Wind: WNW at 5 to 10 mph

Maximum humidity: 52 percent

Day’s outlook: partly cloudy