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After putting up 14 pounds and change on Day 1 of the FLW National Guard Western at Clear Lake, Big Fred Contaoi bagged over 15 pounds of largemouth on Thursday, the second day of the 4-day event. Today’s going to be huge — another good sack of fish and he should stand to earn some Benjamins.
Weigh-in is late in the afternoon…you can watch it live at flwoutdoors.com. I’ll also keep ya posted!
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For the first time in 11 months, FLW touring pro, Big Fred Contaoi, has returned to California to fish the FLW Western Series’ National Guard Western tourney at Clear Lake. Fred was excited to get back to his home lake but found that it was like fishing a totally new body of water due to the fact that the lake level is down 6 feet from when he last fished here.
In practice, he scrambled to put a game plan together and then on Wednesday, the tournament’s opening round, he turned it on and got on a good area of fish and landed over 30 bass. His best 5 checked in at 14 pounds, 2 ounces. A good start to the event, considering most anglers figured that 13 pounds a day would be enough to get a check.
Stay tuned for more updates from the tournament…
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Our latest Smoker of the Year Contest entry comes from Danny Sozzi, who wished to remain anonymous (for obvious reasons), but…uh…well…oops….I already mentioned his name, so I guess it’s too late.
Anyway, Danny caught this fine Bugle-Mouthed Golden Trout on Northern California’s American River some years back and sources say that he still often refers to that morning as “one of my top 3 angling moments of all time.”
Asked to comment on the incident, his father, Dan, swore he couldn’t remember Danny’s catch.
“I was too busy catching steelhead that day,” he says.
In any case, we appreciate your entry, Danny, it’s a fine European Brown Trout!
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Earl Wilhite proudly displays a snack-sized striper he caught while fishing with me on the Delta last week. We’re still not sure if the fish thought the spoon was food or a mate…
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I just found this pic, buried in the vast catacombs of my computer…it’s a shot of a set of Russian River rapids I named “Pile Driver” after Big Fred tried to kill us there a few years back in a two-man pontoon boat. Somehow, I managed grab the camera — and avoid soiling my waders (sans wading belt) — at the same time. Of course, nobody aboard was wearing a lifejacket…
Speaking of Big Fred Contaoi, he’ll participating in a little more sane of a venture next week when he fishes in his final FLW bass tourney of the season, the National Guard Western, on Clear Lake. Stay tuned for more on that…
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Early last week, I took a ride with a buddy of mine, Capt. Jay Lopes of Right Hook Sportfishing to do a little sturgeon fishing in Suisun Bay. We had bluebird weather, no other boats around us and some pretty nice sturgeon action. Here’s Jay hooked up with a nice jumper…
But I’m getting ahead of myself…
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For the first time since December 2006, professional bass angler and all-around Road Warrior, Big Fred Contaoi of Orange County Choppers is headed to his home in Lakeport, CA.
“This is definitely the longest I’ve been away from California,” says the touring pro, who’s been on the road for almost a year straight. “I’m looking forward to getting home and seeing everybody.”
Big Fred’s return home isn’t just about visiting with friends and family — he’s got a mission. He’ll be fishing the final tournament of his rookie campaign, FLW’s National Guard Western at Clear Lake, Oct. 24-27.
It will be an exciting event with a $125,000 purse for first place…but more than that, the tournament marks the first time as a pro that Big Fred will get to fish water that he’s familiar with. This season, he had to be a quick study and learn new lakes all across the southeast. At Clear Lake, however, he’s got some time on the water — though not since last year.
Come on down to Konocti Harbor on Clear Lake next week and root our favorite pro on!
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