Perkins - Stewart Win at 
New Melones 

by Tim Paes   

Saturday, February 12, 2000 - Angels Camp, CA .... The second Pro-Am event of the 2000 season would prove to be a wet and wild one! As the anglers began to arrive for the official check in period Saturday morning, the talk was about the difficulty in just getting to the lake. Torrential rains were creating havoc for the anglers as many had to back track and take alternate routes around flash flood conditions on the roadways. Nor-Cal angler Ross Smith was involved in an accident causing extensive damage to his vehicle and boat that morning. Luckily Ross was not seriously injured in the accident. The weather, plus the difficulty many of the anglers were having putting together a consistent pattern during pre-fish, had them wondering why they even got out of bed!  

The quest for nearly $8000.00 in prize money managed to lure 90 anglers to brave the elements that Mother Nature would throw at them. Although the fishing remained tough, 22 of the Pro and Am partners managed to bring in 6 fish limits which was just under 50% of the field. The event brought 200 bass to the scales with a total weight of 329 lbs. Although the tournament‚s big fish was a 5.98 lb. toad, the average weight per fish was less than a typical February event on New Melones.  

First place went to Pro Dan Perkins, of Arnold, CA, and his partner Jeff Stewart, of Oakdale, CA. Perkins and Stewart brought a 6 fish limit to the scales that weighed 12.40 lbs. Perkins, who is sponsored by: Ranger Boats, Mercury Motors, V&V Custom Baits, California Custom Marine, Outboard Technology, Glory Hole Sports and Super Pork, reported that he and his partner caught a quick limit in the morning in 40 ft. of water using V&V Jigs and gitzits and then moved shallow, fishing 5 ft. or less to upgrade their limit of bass. Perkins and Stewart spent their day on the main lake and Angels Creek. The teams weight was anchored by Perkins‚ 3.58 lb. bass that was caught on a Rapala jerk bait. Perkins also reported that the fish were keying on “nothing banks” (banks void of rock and wood), with crawdad holes and that was where the better fish came from. For their finish, Perkins took home $1,690.00 while Stewart earned $ 1,080.00 for a team total of $2,770.00 and two beautiful burls for their walls.  

Pro Danny Peluso, of Waterford, CA and his partner Tom Sawicki, of Modesto, CA took 2nd place with their 12.12 lb. 6 fish limit. Peluso and Sawicki caught all of their fish on one brushy covered point in Angels with Zoom brushogs. The team fished their baits by dragging them Carolina and Splitshot style in water 20 to 30 ft, deep. At the awards, Sawicki took the time to thank his Pro partner Peluso and all the Nor-Cal sponsors for supporting a great tournament circuit. Sawicki also thanked Nor-Cal, especially Diana Wilson and Dee Pimentel for all the hard work that they do. For their great finish, Peluso took home $970.00 while Sawicki earned $623.00 for a team total of $1,593.00.  

Third place went to Pro Ben Galloway, of Tracy, CA, and his partner Tom Gomez, Merced, CA. Galloway and Gomez brought 6 fish to the scales with a total weight of 11.38 lbs. The pair spent the day on the main lake fishing with jerkbaits and crankbaits shallow and shaking worms in 25 to 35 ft. of water. Galloway reported that the team keyed on rock in order to catch their limit. Galloway also went on to thank his partner for turning him on to the shake bite. For their solid day, Galloway took home $420.00 while Gomez earned $412.00 for a team total of $832.00.  

Fourth place went to Pro Steve Mitchell and his partner Ed Dickey with 11.12 lbs and earnings of $741.00. Pro Toby Guenthart and partner Clayton Kennedy finished 5th with 10.66 lbs. taking home $390.00. Sixth place went to Pro Don Mutchler and his partner Brent Vierra with 10.52 lbs. and earnings of $225.00. Pro Gary Thomas and partner Jeff Skaggs earned $180.00 with their 10.42 lb. 7th place finish. Finishing 8th was Pro Bruce Harris and partner Jason Remmers with 10.12 lbs. and earnings of $165.00. The last money spot went to 9th place finishers, Pro Van Blades and his partner Bill Scharton, who earned $150.00 with their 9.70 lb. limit.  

Rounding out the money were the Big Fish winners in both the Pro and Amateur Divisions. The Pro Division winner was Norval Pimentel, of Modesto, CA, with his 5.98 lb. toad that earned him $410.00. Ken Duran took the Amateur Division honors with his 3.86 lb. bass that netted him $410.00.  

Nor-Cal would like to give a special thank you to Glory Hole Sports for hosting our event. Dan and Melanie had the store open and ready for us to check in at 4:30 in the morning and allowed us to conduct our awards ceremony there in the afternoon. In addition, they also awarded two $25 gift certificates to the 1st boat out of the money, which was Pro Bill Hodson and his partner John Silberbauer who finished in 10th place. Norval Pimentel also received a big fish pillow for taking the Big Fish title at New Melones. Glory Hole carries a wide array of sporting goods items for the outdoor enthusiast and is the only place you can buy V&V Jigs, the best jig on the market.  

Nor-Cal would also like to acknowledge the Calaveras Bass Anglers in their effort to start a Florida Strain Bass stocking program at New Melones. Bob Muncy of the Calaveras Bass Anglers reported that the club is taking donations to help implement this yearly program. Muncy went on to say that they are not trying to create a Florida Strain lake, but trying to improve the genetics of the Northern Strain by crossbreeding with the Florida’s. This in turn would hopefully slow down the proliferation of the Spotted Bass on the lake. Donations in any amount can be made to Glory Hole Sports.  

We would like to thank our trophy sponsor at New Melones, Smooth as Glass, along with our product sponsors: ExCel Lures, P&E Distributors, Super Pork, Keeper Custom Worms, V&V Custom Baits, Predator Worms, Malibu Boats, Outwest Marketing, Fishin Musician and Fishermen's Warehouse who once again gave a rod and reel combo that was won by Dean Cox of Salida, CA. We would also like to give a very special thank you to Stratos Boats, Evinrude Outboards, Boats Unlimited, General Motors and Courtesy Automotive. These fine businesses are the reason Nor-Cal can payback in excess of 100% each and every year. Please support them, they are supporting you!  

Our next Pro-Am event will take place March 18, 2000 at Lake Don Pedro. Check in will be from 3:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. at Flemming Meadows. Please visit our web site or call for more info on this and all of our upcoming events.