Ryan Friend takes WWBT Shasta

Shasta Lake - Shasta Lake, CA (Shasta County)


by Gary Heffley
2-1-2017
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Some impressive limits rounded out the Sunday final of the Wild West Bass Trail Super Clean Showdown on Lake Shasta. The top 10 pros with the largest 2 day bags from Friday and Saturday slugged it out on Sunday for the top prize and trophy.

Ryan Friend of Oroville, the first and second day leader, never looked back as his 40.54 pound 3 day limit of 15 bass earned him, not only the trophy, but a $20,000 first place check. Nick Salvucci finished second, and Jason Haley, who has written for myoutdoorbuddy.com for a number of years, had an outstanding tournament as well, finishing in eighth place.

Most all of the top ten anglers finished with 3 day limits of over 30 pounds, and some quality fish to over 6 pounds landed on the scale during the event. This bodes well for recreational anglers who are looking to duplicate the success of the pros on Shasta. Of course, none of the pros were sharing any locations, depth, or colors. Prior to the tourney, many were fishing the main body and lower stretches of the arms where the water temperatures were higher than in the upper reaches of the arms. Many were fishing shaky head, jigs, and hula grubs in around 35 feet of water, along cuts and shelves and where water entered the lake.  Green Pumpkin based baits were very popular, as were natural shad. Remember that in cold water winter conditions the bite can often be very light. So as they say; when in doubt, rip lips, swings, and hook sets, are free.


Gary Heffley has been a valued contributor to MyOutdoorBuddy for over 10 years serving as manager, sales representative and reporter for much of Northern California. He is an avid outdoorsman and loves to fish and write about his adventures. He has a long history in the Sporting Goods field and uses that extensive experience to impart his wisdom in his writing. 





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