Wick capitalizes on opportunity for pro lead on Shasta

Walker tops co-angler division with finesse tactics

SHASTA LAKE, Calif. – There were more cookie cutters than The Martha Stewart Show, but a handful of anglers were able to find enough quality to make things interesting on day one of the FLW Series National Guard Western Division tournament in Shasta Lake, Calif.

Limits were no rarity – 131 pros and 103 co-anglers bagged five keepers. The only thing was that so many of those fish fell into that 1 1/2- to 1 ¾-pound range that it was more common to find multiple anglers scaling the same weight.

Of course, statistics are only statistical and the tournament’s opening round held a few highlights. On a lake where 2 1/2- to 3-pounders are considered “kickers,” bass of four to five pounds made a few appearances. Sixth place pro Garret Charter caught one that went 4-plus on a jig, while Ed Schneider’s 34th-place bag included one that went close to five.

Bagging a chunky bass of about 5 pounds helped push Star, Idaho’s Ken Wick to the top of the pro division with 12 pounds, 6 ounces. Recognizing an opportunity and then responding effectively was the difference maker.

“I started off fishing slow with a Senko, but then the wind kicked up, so I tied on a white crankbait and started cranking banks,” Wick said. “On like my third cast, I caught that big one that went close to five pounds. I caught another one that went about a pound and a half and proceeded to go down the bank for the next two hours and never got bit again. I went back to plastics and dredged up the rest of my fish just throwing worms.”

Fishing the McCloud Arm of Shasta Lake, Wick targeted spots in eight to nine feet of water. The McCloud produced his best practice fish, so returning to this area proved to be the prudent decision.

Wick said that the area in which he caught his crankbait fish was a natural feeding station, but the morning’s conditions presented a scenario that was ripe for the picking.

“The channel swing breaks right into the point I’m fishing and it comes up into a flat that’s about 30 feet long. I believe the fish get up on that flat to feed in the morning.

“The wind played a huge factor. There’s a little point on that flat and I cast my bait into the wind and brought it back. The big fish were positioned on the backside of that flat.”

Wick caught 12 bass on day one. He holds a slim margin of only two ounces over second place pro Chris Fancelli of Redding, Calif. Fishing worms on darter heads, Fancelli bagged a limit that weighed 12 pounds, four ounces.

Kazuki Kodama of Torrance, Calif. followed Fancelli by just four ounces with a third place finish of 12-0. Kodama said he fished a “secret” Japanese style finesse bait made by Megabass.

Bret Gouvea of Redding, Calif took fourth with 11-11 and National Guard pro Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif. finished fifth at 11-5.

“I threw a Lucky Craft jerkbait early just to cover some water, but I couldn’t get bit, so I ended up catching my fish on a drop shot,” Ehrler said.

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top-10 pro leaders at the FLW Series Shasta Lake event:

6th: Garret Charter of Arbuckle, Calif., 11-1

7th: Chad Hulbert of Gilroy, Calif., 10-15

8th: Ronald Hobbs, Jr., Orting, Calif., 10-8

9th: Craig Kraft, Redding, Calif., 10-7

10th: Kevin Johnson, Valencia, Calif., 10-6

Walker goes wacky to top co-angler field

Team National Guard member Johnny Walker of Tacoma, Wash. grabbed an early lead of 1 pound, 12 ounces by catching the day’s heaviest co-angler bag – a limit weighing 11-13. Walker caught his fish on Senkos rigged wacky style with a nail weight at the head end.

“I was just dragging it and popping it – kind of like jig fishing,” he said. “I caught 15-20 fish today.”

As Walker noted, his pro pairing was about as serendipitous as one could hope. “I had a great three days of practice with Ronald Hobbs, Jr., who’s a master of smallmouth and spotted bass fishing,” Walker said. “We caught a lot of fish on Senkos and I actually drew him and fished with him today, so I was very comfortable with the technique.”

Walker started with a 5-inch Senko, and once he had his limit, he moved up to a 6-inch bait to seek bigger fish. He caught bass on a variety of Senko colors from natural shad to black and blue.

Max Bauer of San Diego, Calif. and J.R. Wright of Truckee, Calif. tied for second at 10-1. Billy Dehart of Burlingame, Calif. took fourth with 9-9 and Mark Smith of Dana Point, Calif. finished fifth with 9-5.

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top-10 co-angler leaders at the FLW Series Shasta Lake event:

6th: Michael Rychard, Anderson, Calif., 9-1

7th: Tom Salo, Marysville, Calif., 9-0

8th: James Leachman, Kennewick, Wash., 8-14

9th: Tony Zanotelli, Redding, Calif., 8-14

10th: Larry Wilson, Poway, Calif., 8-13

Day two of FLW Series action on Shasta Lake continues at Thursday’s takeoff, scheduled to take place at 7:30 a.m. (PT) at Bridge Bay Resort located at 10300 Bridge Bay Road in Redding, Calif.