BETHEL ISLAND, CA. One might say that he was pre-fishing for the upcoming “top-water frogs only” event (aka The Ultimate Frog Challenge), but Rob Cloutier, proprietor of the Bass Hole Tackle store in Bethel Island, was simply doing what has always done when competing for big fish on the California delta, and that is: finding what the fish want.
And like most in the field, that had to deal with the challenges of the weekend’s high winds, and stingy bite, he went back to basics, and became the overall BIG FISH champion of the 15th annual Gamakastu Big Bass Challenge on the strength of an 8.78 pound largemouth that came on a Copper Red Baits Wave Frog.
“I had to follow the tides and make adjustments to the high winds on both days noted Rob, but was able to locate an area protected by the wind to get the fish I need to win....and was fortunate enough to also win some cash via an hourly chair!”, he added.
The amazing part is that Rob managed to pull off a true “trifecta”, in that he not only won big cash via one of the 60 hourly chairs, and caught the biggest overall fish of the event, but also qualified for – and won the “Super 12” drawing for a new Humminbird Mega Live 2 Forward Facing sonar unit!
Click on the links below (Part 1 and Part 2) to hear how Rob found his big fish!
https://youtu.be/tXYedQfh3o8
https://youtu.be/ZGGxZYdqUb8.
Congratulations Rob Cloutier on a well-deserved victory!
While the bite was somewhat stingy, lots of smaller “post-spawn” bass were caught, with the overall hourly big fish weight averaging only 5.37 pounds, the entire field expressed that they had a ton of fun competing in an event that is known as bass fishing’s version of “Texas Hold-Em” poker!
The event also featured a FREE raffle for lots of premium Gamakatsu product, and various “swag” items, making it one to remember!
