REDDING, Calif. – February 1, 2024 –– As if the downpour on day one of the 2024 WON Bass Lake Shasta Open wasn’t enough to cause anglers to ponder what adjustments they might have to make, heavy overnight rains continued into the day two takeoff field left wondering if they’d have to keep adjusting. Along with that continued precipitation, the overnight lows dipped further, and the comfort level of the anglers themselves created another challenge.
As WON Bass Tournament Director Bill Egan called boat numbers for takeoff, the rain began to break leaving cool temperatures, overcast skies and milder breezes. In other words, the conditions would present anglers with an ideal setting to target Shasta’s aggressive spotted bass population – who tend to flourish in nasty conditions.
At the outset of the event, there were a few names that would have been handicapped as favorites on the pro side to win the event, day one leader Jeff Michels from Lakehead, Calif. was certainly among the top of those, and the other that would have garnered such attention was Nick Wood of Yreka, Calif.
Wood found himself in contention on the first day of competition in fifth place with 15.59 pounds, but he brought the biggest bag of the tournament thus far to the scales at Bridge Bay Marina – an 18.63-pound limit of spotted bass – to take the lead with 34.22 pounds heading into the final day.
Joe Mariani, from Winters, Calif. started day two in 12th place with 14.00 pounds but produced a stellar 17.16-pound limit thatincluded a 7.88-pound largemouth that is currently the big bass of the event. His combined weight of 31.16 pounds landed him in second place after two rounds of competition.
Michels, who opened the tournament with 16.77 to take the lead, slipped to third place when he brought 14.19 pounds to up his total to 30.96 pounds. Nick Nourot of Benicia, Calif. jumped to fourth from 60th place in the day two standings by posting a 17.52-pound limit to total 29.56 pounds and Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. pro Jerry Ballesteros moved up twenty-five places in the standings himself with a 16.54-pound limit to round out the top five with 29.19 pounds.
Heading into the final day of competition at Shasta, a little more than five pounds separates the top five anglers in the hunt for theChampion’s prize of a 2024 Ranger Boat Z518 with Mercury 150 ProXS outboard rigged with Power-Pole Charge and Bioenno Power Batteries and the winner’s share of over $100,000 in total cash purse. The top five anglers in both divisions will also receive berths into the 2025 Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Championship for a chance to qualify for the 2026 Bassmaster Classic.
In the AAA Division, James Clayton of Prescott, Ariz. took the lead with a total weight of 31.72 pounds. Geoff Peterson, from Huntington Beach, Calif. placed second with 30.17 pounds. He was followed in third place by Jake Etcheverry from Hughson, Calif. with a two-day total of 29.79 pounds. Fourth place for the day went to Clovis, California’s Anthony Hunt with 29.63 pounds and Eric Giordano of Redding, Calif. rounded out the top five with a total of 29.49 pounds.
Wood said that he executed on the second day, which helped him at the scales. “The difference today was that I got my big bite in the boat,” he said. “I really should have had about the same weight yesterday but left some out there. If I can capitalize tomorrow, I feel fairly confident I can bring a good bag into weigh-in tomorrow.”
Wood will have to ward off company in order to get the job done. “My area is a little crowded as several of the anglers high in the standings are fishing near me,” he said. “I know the angler in second place (Mariani) was there this morning, and caught a big one, but for the most part, I have a key little area that I should be able to make it happen despite the traffic and the muddy water coming in.”
Mariani said that he made some adjustments to his presentation that helped him, but he did not expect to have a 7.88-poundlargemouth anchor his bag. “That was a surprise for sure – I did not expect to catch a largemouth there,” he said. “I decided to change to reaction baits because of the conditions, and it helped. I’m going to go there and try to catch a couple of good ones in the morning, and then move around, we’ll see what I can do.”
Daily weigh-ins from Bridge Bay Marina in Redding, Calif. begin after the first flight checks in at 3:00 PM Pacific Time. The livestream of the final weigh-in air on Facebook.com/WONBassTournaments.
The Top 10 in each division are below, for complete standings go to: https://wonbassevents.com/pages/won-bass-shasta-open-2024-pairings-results.
WON Bass Lake Shasta Open 1/31 to 2/2/2024
|
Place |
Pro Day 1 |
Pro Day 2 |
Total |
|
|
1 |
Nick Wood |
15.59 |
18.63 |
34.22 |
|
2 |
Joe Mariani |
14.00 |
17.16 |
31.16 |
|
3 |
Jeff Michels |
16.77 |
14.19 |
30.96 |
|
4 |
Nick Nourot |
12.04 |
17.52 |
29.56 |
|
5 |
Jerry Ballesteros |
12.65 |
16.54 |
29.19 |
|
6 |
Kyle Grover |
16.58 |
12.44 |
29.02 |
|
7 |
Roy Hawk |
11.79 |
17.08 |
28.87 |
|
8 |
Joe Orozco |
15.36 |
13.38 |
28.74 |
|
9 |
Alex Klein |
13.52 |
15.18 |
28.70 |
|
10 |
Chris Raza |
12.41 |
16.02 |
28.43 |
|
Place |
AAA Angler |
AAA Day 1 |
AAA Day 2 |
Total |
|
1 |
James Clayton |
15.70 |
16.02 |
31.72 |
|
2 |
Geoff Peterson |
15.36 |
14.81 |
30.17 |
|
3 |
Jake Etcheverry |
11.16 |
18.63 |
29.79 |
|
4 |
Anthony Hunt |
14.00 |
15.63 |
29.63 |
|
5 |
Eric Giordano |
12.33 |
17.16 |
29.49 |
|
6 |
Ethan Hammer |
11.75 |
17.08 |
28.83 |
|
7 |
Chris Trumbull |
16.35 |
11.24 |
27.59 |
|
8 |
Chad Gmuca |
16.77 |
10.81 |
27.58 |
|
9 |
Phil Garcia |
10.85 |
16.54 |
27.39 |
|
10 |
Kong Moua |
12.15 |
15.18 |
27.33 |
Jan. 31–Feb. 2, Lake Shasta
April 17-19, Clear Lake
May 15-17, Lake Havasu
Sept. 18-20, Lake Mead
Oct. 14-16, U.S. Open at Lake Mohave
For complete details or to register, look to wonbassevents.com and WONews.com to hear the latest news about the 2024 season and beyond and follow along at Facebook.com/WONBassTournaments.
The 2024 WON Bass Northern California Lake Shasta Open is brought to you by Bass Pro Shops, Ranger Boats, Mercury Marine, Nitro Boats, Triton Boats, Bridgford Foods, Phenix Rods, Yamamoto Baits, Bill Lewis Lures, Buckeye Lures, Steel Shad, Bioenno Power, SOG Knives, Cold Steel Knives, Gamma Line, Power Pole, Lowrance, Daiwa, AFTCO, Costa, Berkley, Abu Garcia, Anderson Toyota, A&M Graphics, Anglers Marine and Signature Gates.
Local presenting sponsors are Redding Tourism, Phil’s Propellers and security provided by the Redding Police Department.