Barrack leads day three of EverStart Series event on California Delta

BETHEL ISLAND, Calif. - Bobby Barrack of Oakley caught a four-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 3 ounces to lead day three of the EverStart Series Western Division event on the California Delta presented by Garmin. Pros are competing for a first-place award consisting of a Ranger 519VX powered by a Yamaha or Evinrude outboard, Minn Kota trolling motor, Garmin electronics and EverStart Batteries plus $9,200 cash. Ranger also awards an additional $10,000 to the winner if he is a qualified Ranger owner.

“I really didn’t get a lot of bites today,” Barrack said. “I only caught six fish today, but when you’re fishing topwaters in really heavy cover, you’re usually going to catch good fish. I threw a frog today. I’m trying to stay away from spawning fish. I’m fishing areas with current that are holding prespawn and postspawn fish. These fish are in 4 feet of water or less. But they are in real thick cover. When you’re targeting quality fish, they are usually in the thick stuff.”

Rounding out the top-five pros are Steve Sapp of Manteca (four bass, 18 pounds, 6 ounces); Ron Colby of Page, Ariz. (four bass, 13 pounds, 11 ounces); John Strelic of Alpine (four bass, 12 pounds, 5 ounces); and Sean Stafford of Fairfield (four bass, 12 pounds, 2 ounces).

Tom Schutz of Foster City caught a four-bass limit weighing 10 pounds, 7 ounces to lead in the Co-angler Division.

“I absolutely did not think I would be leading today,” Schutz said. “This is the Delta, and 10 pounds isn’t even going to get you started. But the weather was a factor today. It was really windy. At 1 p.m. I only had three fish in the box that weighed about 3 pounds. So my partner, James Scott, and I made a decision to make a long run. I was able to cull all those fish.

“I mainly fished a Zara Spook and a Senko. It was hard to fish that Senko in the wind, so we had to drop in down in the holes in the tules so the vegetation would keep the bait from blowing away.”

Rounding out the top-five co-anglers are James Rios of Brentwood (four bass, 8 pounds, 3 ounces); Leroy Bertolero of El Macero (four bass, 8 pounds, 2 ounces); Lewis Milligan of Roseville (four bass, 7 pounds, 8 ounces); and Gary Haraguchi of Half Moon Bay (four bass, 7 pounds, 7 ounces).

Although a big-bass award is not given on days three and four, Sapp put a bass on the scale that weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces.

Anglers caught 76 bass Friday weighing 192 pounds, 7 ounces.

EverStart Series tournaments are four-day events consisting of two rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday and Thursday, and the top 10 pros and co-anglers ? based on two-day accumulated weights ? advance to the final round. Anglers start at zero Friday, and pro and co-angler winners are determined Saturday based on two-day accumulated weights.

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Posted by DODGE at May 6, 2005 04:07 PM in Tournament (FLW)