The California Bass Contenders proudly flew the CBC flag at Angler’s Marine’s first tournament of the year at beautiful, sun-kissed, tackle-devouring San Vicente.
Well… most of the CBC did. OG Medina and I showed up strictly to donate towards someone else’s monthly boat payment. Community service, really.
The weather? Absolutely gorgeous. Blue bird skies, warmish temperatures, no wind.
The bite? Tougher than a two-dollar steak left out in the sun.
In other words: perfect conditions to be on a boat tour, terrible to be on a boat fishing.
Team Leslie/Riley
These boys blasted off first and managed to stick one. We watched them roll into the inlet across the marina right away, a certified “could get right” zone. Instead, the bite ghosted them harder than Compa’s ex. Rough.
Team Medina/Lizarraga
Ah yes, yours truly. Launching 28th, we sprinted east to Promise Land, saw fishy structure, and even spotted action on forward-facing sonar. Confidence was sky-high.
Then we looked up and saw Team Dr. Estrada/Collins sitting on the stretch.
“If Doc’s here,” we said, “we’re golden.”
Spoiler: we were not golden.
I had two spinning rods on deck — a sign of sheer desperation. Somewhere around the time hell froze over, I finally get bit in 50 feet on a drop shot. At first I thought it was a sandab, but in the net, a 14-inch wonder. We celebrated like we’d just broken the club record.
Then? Nothing. No more bites. We wandered the lake like two guys trying to find their car at a Rams game.
Eventually, we scraped up one more fish thanks to OG doing his scope work.
Two fish. 1.99 pounds.
We’re rounding up to 2 pounds. Eff it.
We fished like ass:
Team Schwamborn/Mendez
Three fish for 3.83 pounds, proving that yes, there were actual living bass in the lake and not just sonar hallucinations. I’m assuming some of this fish came on the drop shot?
Team Duncan/Chadeayne
One fish shy of a limit, weighing in four for 4.87 pounds. Respectable.
Team Graciano/Roblero
Also four in the box, totaling 6.26 pounds. They probably tried to weigh in a few bluegill but Kyle Grover said, “Chale.”
Team Dr. Estrada/Collins
Five for 7.08 pounds. The Doc showed up, dissected the lake, and put together a legit bag while the rest of us played underwater hide-and-seek with fish that wanted nothing to do with us. Consistency is his middle name, and his license plate matched his performance.
Team Bowman/Romero – In the Money!
The only ones who remembered we were in a fishing tournament.
The standout team of the day.
The guys who clearly read the lake’s instruction manual.
Five fish for 8.73 pounds, landing 2nd place overall in a brutal bite. Massive shoutout to these two for shining on a lake that chewed up and spit out the rest of us.
Full standings are up on Angler’s Marine’s Facebook page:
facebook.com/anglers.marine
Final Thoughts
The turnout from the club was awesome, the camaraderie was on point, and the lake was… well, San Vicente when San Vicente fishes tough. We’re hoping March 1st at El Cap will be a lot friendlier. Or at least let some of us leave with our dignity.
Until then — tight lines, good luck, and may your next drop-shot fish actually be a keeper.
