KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Sean Stafford caught 31 1/2 pounds of bass Wednesday – the 15th-heaviest limit ever produced in FLW Outdoors competition – and believe it or not, it wasn’t even that great a day of fishing at Clear Lake.
Not only did Stafford, a pro out of nearby Fairfield, Calif., lead the day with the second 30-pound-plus limit of his FLW Outdoors career (his first, weighing 33 pounds, 9 ounces, came at the California Delta in 2006 and ranks sixth of all time in FLW Outdoors records), it took nearly 24 pounds just to make the top 10 in the Pro Division. A weight of 20 pounds – a huge bounty almost everywhere else – would have garnered you only 28th place on day one of the 2007 Clear Lake Stren event.
“I started out awesomely,” Stafford said. “In the first 10 minutes, I caught my three biggest fish in about eight or 10 casts.”
Despite his hefty 31-8 leading weight, Stafford, like many, said the wind hurt him today. In the same breath, he said it was probably the best thing for him.
“Maybe it was a blessing in disguise,” Stafford said. “Instead of running around like a chicken with its head cut off, I stayed in maybe three or four main areas. There were 3- to 4-foot waves in the first spot I wanted to go to today.”
Most anglers had to seek shelter from the wind Wednesday, tucking into whatever nooks and crannies they could find on Clear Lake. Stafford’s first nook proved to be his best – and only productive – one. Fishing a rocky bottom with finesse plastics, he landed those first three 6- to 8-pounders and then didn’t get another good bite until the end of the day. He didn’t cull out his fifth fish until about 2:30, he said.
“It’s a pattern that tends to work here this time of year, especially before they come in to spawn,” Stafford said. “They’re sitting out there just waiting to move in right now.”
Rounding out the top five pros are Gino Campiotti of Manteca, Calif. (five bass, 28-9); Ken Sauret of Paso Robles, Calif. (five bass, 27-5); Jason Borofka of Salinas, Calif. (five bass, 26-3); and Scott Nielsen of Salt Lake City, Utah (five bass, 24-9).
Zack Thompson of Orinda, Calif., earned $285 for the Snickers Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 10-pound, 6-ounce bass he caught.
Pros are competing for as much as $65,000, including a 519VX Ranger powered by Evinrude or Yamaha if contingency guidelines are met, and valuable points toward qualifying for the $1 million Stren Series Championship in Mobile, Ala., Nov. 8-11 for a shot at $140,000. After four qualifying events are complete in each of the circuit’s five divisions, the top 40 pros from each division will advance to the championship. The highest-finishing pro from each division at the championship will also earn a spot in the $2 million 2008 Forrest Wood Cup, where they will compete against top pros from the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series and TBF (The Bass Federation) for bass fishing’s biggest prize – $1 million.
Daniel Montes of Turlock, Calif., leads the Co-angler Division in the chase for a top award of $35,000, including a 519VX Ranger if contingency guidelines are met. He caught five bass weighing 24-8.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Kyle Clement of Anderson, Calif. (five bass, 21-13); Quin Smith of Galt, Calif. (five bass, 19-4); Paul Fontaine of Brentwood, Calif. (five bass, 19-3); and Gary Evans of Basalt, Co. (five bass, 18-15).
Montes earned $144 for the Snickers Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to a 9-pound, 13-ounce bass he caught.
The top 40 co-anglers from each Stren Series division will also advance to the championship, where they will fish for as much as $70,000. The highest-finishing co-angler from each division at the championship will then advance to the 2008 Forrest Wood Cup.
Anglers will take off at 6:30 each morning from Konocti Harbor Resort located at 8727 Soda Bay Road in Kelseyville. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 15960 Dam Road in Clearlake, Calif., 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 two rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. At the conclusion of Friday’s weigh-in, the field is cut to the top 10 pros and co-anglers based on the heaviest three-day accumulated weights. These anglers continue competition Saturday, with the winners determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days.
FLW Outdoors historically maintains a 98 percent live release rate in all of its bass tournaments.
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 presented by Abu Garcia, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series, 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 Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses of nearly $43 million through 241 events in 2007.
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 Walmart.com.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.