The PCS Blogosphere
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Over the last couple years, a distinct pattern has formed at the “California Offshore Challenge”, a two-day Calico Bass tournament hosted at Catalina Island. Both years, the weeks leading up to the COC were filled with excellent weather and biting fish and teams that pre-fished San Clemente or Santa Barbara Islands were treated to mill pond conditions as they consistently scored 25-30 lb bags of Calicos. But those conditions went out the window as tournament day approached.
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“Spots for Tots”
On Saturday December 3rd, 110 anglers woke up early and braved frigid winter temperatures to compete in a very important fishing tournament –and they brought their kids. The SWBA is known for high pressure tournaments where anglers vie for money and season standings, but at this event, the Olive Crest “Spots for Tots” tournament, it’s all about family and helping the less fortunate in our community. Rather than paying an entry fee for this event, teams showed up with toys and gift cards to help some poor local families experience the joy of Christmas. Donald Verleur, the founder of Olive Crest, was on hand for the event and was very happy with the show of support. “There are a lot of families struggling to get by this year and events like these go a long way towards helping them to have a merry Christmas” commented Verleur. The tournament was a huge success raising several thousand dollars worth of gift cards along with lots of toys for the kids.
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On Saturday December 3rd, 110 anglers woke up early and braved frigid winter temperatures to compete in a very important fishing tournament –and they brought their kids. The SWBA is known for high pressure tournaments where anglers vie for money and season standings, but at this event, the Olive Crest “Spots for Tots” tournament, it’s all about family and helping the less fortunate in our community. Rather than paying an entry fee for this event, teams showed up with toys and gift cards to help some poor local families experience the joy of Christmas. Donald Verleur, the founder of Olive Crest, was on hand for the event and was very happy with the show of support. “There are a lot of families struggling to get by this year and events like these go a long way towards helping them to have a merry Christmas” commented Verleur. The tournament was a huge success raising several thousand dollars worth of gift cards along with lots of toys for the kids.
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The Southland Shootout - 2011 SWBA Season Finale
Photos by Jimmy Sahagun
The top 25 percent of the SWBA regular-season field showed up in Newport Harbor on October 8th for the two-round marathon tournament that is the season finale. Round 1 was a five-hour session where anglers would try and catch their biggest limit of calicos or sand bass. After weigh-in and a short break, teams would start round 2, during which they would spend another 5 hours trying to catch a limit of spotted bay bass inside Newport Harbor.
Photos by Jimmy Sahagun
The top 25 percent of the SWBA regular-season field showed up in Newport Harbor on October 8th for the two-round marathon tournament that is the season finale. Round 1 was a five-hour session where anglers would try and catch their biggest limit of calicos or sand bass. After weigh-in and a short break, teams would start round 2, during which they would spend another 5 hours trying to catch a limit of spotted bay bass inside Newport Harbor.
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The San Diego Charge
Photos by Jimmy Sahagun
The SWBA family recently lost one of its most popular members when Socrates Abrahamson passed away at the end of July. This small dog has been a big presence on the tournament circuit since before most of us can remember and was loved by all. My condolences go out to Socrates' fishing partner and best friend, Eric Abrahamson. I understand that your loss is huge, but keep in mind that the separation is only temporary and one day you and Socs will be riding the high seas together again...
On to the tournament…
Photos by Jimmy Sahagun
The SWBA family recently lost one of its most popular members when Socrates Abrahamson passed away at the end of July. This small dog has been a big presence on the tournament circuit since before most of us can remember and was loved by all. My condolences go out to Socrates' fishing partner and best friend, Eric Abrahamson. I understand that your loss is huge, but keep in mind that the separation is only temporary and one day you and Socs will be riding the high seas together again...
On to the tournament…
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Cyclone Flashback
Photos by Jimmy Sahagun
When the SWBA hosted their first nighttime event in Long Beach two years ago, no one could have predicted the huge bags that would be brought to the scales. Twelve bags over 20 lbs were weighed and five of them surpassed the series record of 25.48 lbs -which had stood since 2006. Team "Oh Son" (Mike Nguyen and Mike Dumalski) set the new record that night with a 31.77 lb bag and when the smoke had cleared, everyone looked back on that magical night and said that it was a fluke and would never be repeated.
Well, at 10 PM on Saturday July 9th, 60 teams blasted off from the mouth of Alamitos Bay to see if they could relive some of that magic at Round 5 of the 2011 SWBA Season, "The Cyclone Flashback."
For the previous month, pre-fishing results had been good and many teams were on big bags. But the weather changed a week before the event, and brought windy conditions along with dropping water temps -and many teams found their fish to be off the bite in the final days before the event. As a result, some teams changed their game plan while others decided to stick it out and hope that the fishing improved. In the end, some teams struggled while others did well and as with every tournament, there was excitement in the air as boats lined up to weigh their catch.
Well, any question about whether the "Cyclone Flashback" would live up to its reputation could be answered by a single glance at the tournament scale.
Photos by Jimmy Sahagun
When the SWBA hosted their first nighttime event in Long Beach two years ago, no one could have predicted the huge bags that would be brought to the scales. Twelve bags over 20 lbs were weighed and five of them surpassed the series record of 25.48 lbs -which had stood since 2006. Team "Oh Son" (Mike Nguyen and Mike Dumalski) set the new record that night with a 31.77 lb bag and when the smoke had cleared, everyone looked back on that magical night and said that it was a fluke and would never be repeated.
Well, at 10 PM on Saturday July 9th, 60 teams blasted off from the mouth of Alamitos Bay to see if they could relive some of that magic at Round 5 of the 2011 SWBA Season, "The Cyclone Flashback."
For the previous month, pre-fishing results had been good and many teams were on big bags. But the weather changed a week before the event, and brought windy conditions along with dropping water temps -and many teams found their fish to be off the bite in the final days before the event. As a result, some teams changed their game plan while others decided to stick it out and hope that the fishing improved. In the end, some teams struggled while others did well and as with every tournament, there was excitement in the air as boats lined up to weigh their catch.
Well, any question about whether the "Cyclone Flashback" would live up to its reputation could be answered by a single glance at the tournament scale.
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SWBA's Spiderwire Title Push
On Saturday June 11th, 62 teams faced for the "Spiderwire Title Push," a spotted bay bass only event, in Newport Harbor. The weather and water conditions were unstable during the month that led up to the event making it difficult for teams to establish a pattern during pre-fishing. While pre-fishing results had been sporadic, there had been a good number of larger fish caught. The weather had stabilized during the week immediately preceding the event, but due to the entire harbor being off limits during that time, it was anyone's guess as to where the big fish would be holding on tournament day.
On Saturday June 11th, 62 teams faced for the "Spiderwire Title Push," a spotted bay bass only event, in Newport Harbor. The weather and water conditions were unstable during the month that led up to the event making it difficult for teams to establish a pattern during pre-fishing. While pre-fishing results had been sporadic, there had been a good number of larger fish caught. The weather had stabilized during the week immediately preceding the event, but due to the entire harbor being off limits during that time, it was anyone's guess as to where the big fish would be holding on tournament day.
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SWBA's Coastal Clash
Photos by Jimmy Sahagun
The morning of May 14th dawned overcast and windy as 58 teams lined up inside the Dana Point break wall and waited for the start of Round 3 of the 2011 SWBA series, the Coastal Clash. Strong southeast winds had buffeted the coast throughout the night, and despite NOAA's call for a light breeze of 5-8 knots on Saturday, the strong winds showed no signs of slacking. At 6:00 AM the tournament directors called the starting boat's number, and within minutes, the entire field had filed past the check-in boat and headed out of the harbor.
Photos by Jimmy Sahagun
The morning of May 14th dawned overcast and windy as 58 teams lined up inside the Dana Point break wall and waited for the start of Round 3 of the 2011 SWBA series, the Coastal Clash. Strong southeast winds had buffeted the coast throughout the night, and despite NOAA's call for a light breeze of 5-8 knots on Saturday, the strong winds showed no signs of slacking. At 6:00 AM the tournament directors called the starting boat's number, and within minutes, the entire field had filed past the check-in boat and headed out of the harbor.
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L.A. Chace
Photos by Jimmy Sahagun
The excitement was palpable among the seventy teams that gathered under a dark sky smudged purple in the east. Dawn was only minutes away, and as the sun continued its inexorable trek towards the horizon, Michi Nitahara belted out the last stanza of our National Anthem. The final strains of her beautiful voice were chased across the calm waters by the raucous applause of 140 eager competitors. As the commotion died down, tournament director James Shamblin called the starting boat, Team "Hammer" and officially rang the opening bell for Round 2 of the 2011 SWBA tournament series, the "LA Chace." As a group, the boats surged forward and jockeyed for position as teams waited for their starting number to be called. Once summoned, each boat idled past the check in boat before opening their throttles wide and racing either north or south in the hopes of finding the winning bag.
Photos by Jimmy Sahagun
The excitement was palpable among the seventy teams that gathered under a dark sky smudged purple in the east. Dawn was only minutes away, and as the sun continued its inexorable trek towards the horizon, Michi Nitahara belted out the last stanza of our National Anthem. The final strains of her beautiful voice were chased across the calm waters by the raucous applause of 140 eager competitors. As the commotion died down, tournament director James Shamblin called the starting boat, Team "Hammer" and officially rang the opening bell for Round 2 of the 2011 SWBA tournament series, the "LA Chace." As a group, the boats surged forward and jockeyed for position as teams waited for their starting number to be called. Once summoned, each boat idled past the check in boat before opening their throttles wide and racing either north or south in the hopes of finding the winning bag.
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LA Chace
The second event of the 2011 SWBA Season is rapidly approaching, and in less than a month, teams will face off for the "LA Chace." This strangely named tournament, which will be hosted at Chace Park in Marina Del Rey on April 2nd, is an "open" event, and teams will be allowed to weigh calicos, sand bass and spotted bay bass. Historically, this venue has produced lots of big bass and at last year's event, 8 teams weighed bags of over 20 lbs. That tournament was won with a giant 31.54-lb bag of sand bass weighed by Team "Walls Out" (Eric Johnson and Rick Trujillo).
The second event of the 2011 SWBA Season is rapidly approaching, and in less than a month, teams will face off for the "LA Chace." This strangely named tournament, which will be hosted at Chace Park in Marina Del Rey on April 2nd, is an "open" event, and teams will be allowed to weigh calicos, sand bass and spotted bay bass. Historically, this venue has produced lots of big bass and at last year's event, 8 teams weighed bags of over 20 lbs. That tournament was won with a giant 31.54-lb bag of sand bass weighed by Team "Walls Out" (Eric Johnson and Rick Trujillo).
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SWBA Kicks Off
I would like to welcome you the 2011 SWBA Tournament Trail. Over the next 9 months, this blog will give you an insider's view of the Salt Water Bass Anglers tournament series as it makes its way through seven tournaments that will pit teams against one another in a fight to win the coveted title of "SWBA 2011 Anglers of the Year." In coming months, this blog will feature tournament results, interviews with top teams, scouting reports, and fishing tips from some of the best salt water bass anglers in the state.
The 2011 SWBA Tournament Season kicked off on February 5th in San Diego Bay as 64 teams turned out to compete in the "Border Town Brawl."
I would like to welcome you the 2011 SWBA Tournament Trail. Over the next 9 months, this blog will give you an insider's view of the Salt Water Bass Anglers tournament series as it makes its way through seven tournaments that will pit teams against one another in a fight to win the coveted title of "SWBA 2011 Anglers of the Year." In coming months, this blog will feature tournament results, interviews with top teams, scouting reports, and fishing tips from some of the best salt water bass anglers in the state.
The 2011 SWBA Tournament Season kicked off on February 5th in San Diego Bay as 64 teams turned out to compete in the "Border Town Brawl."
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