October 21st 2006 [ RESULTS ]
The CBAF launched its 2006-2007 season October 21st on beautiful Lake Oroville. Anglers arrived at the spillway and were greeted by CBAF staff who executed another speedy no-wait registration, boat check and launch process. Teams watched the onset of daybreak as they stood to another beautiful rendering of our national anthem delivered by CBAF member Mike Baker. A smooth 2 flight blast off followed and the awesome reservoir quickly absorbed the 25 hopeful teams along with the camera boat.
Most teams found a decent reaction bite during the early low light. Top water produced quick limits for those locating areas with shade on steeper banks near feeding coves. A few anglers hunkered down right away, got patient and began dragging deep which would turn out to be a good decision in the end.
As boats returned past the check in point it became clear the weights would be close. Most teams were able to find plenty of fish, but early fall at Oroville once again made the big bite hard to find. As the crowd gathered to hear the weigh master it looked like a 10 pound bag would go a long way. While most recorded a 7 to 8 pound finish, the crowd buzzed at the first 10 pound sack. The volume went up a notch when team Neal/Hendrix pulled a 4.6 pound spot from their creel. The kicker would be the difference between a winning finish and an otherwise average day.
At the awards ceremony anglers once again were treated to a great dinner and time to relax sharing stories of the ones they caught in pre-fish that weren’t there on tournament day. As with all CBAF events, most anglers openly shared where and how they caught their fish… something seemingly unique in today’s competitive fishing world. Special awards were given to teams comprised of family members and those traveling the furthest to the event along with traditional big fish awards. All anglers got great tackle packs.
With a weight of 10.93 including a 4.66 kicker, team Neal/Hendrix gladly received the check totaling $1,160 for their effort. In second with 10.63 the team of Montgomery and McEachron went home with $400. Third place brother team Nate and Tim Lemons took another check on Oroville of $200 and each received a great box of custom jigs from Lefty’s Lures. Rounding out the money were teams Snyders/Kong, Chaney/Wheaton and McKa/McKa with the day’s second big fish.
The CBAF moves on to Lake Shasta December 9th. A special toy drive for families of American troops will be held along with another great event. We look forward to seeing some old faces and the many new ones that continue to join one of the most family friendly and competitive tournament series on the West Coast. See you there.
