Lake Washington Qualifier

By Ben Hanes, Writer

Northwest Bass Pro Staff

For many anglers, the calmness of the morning was very misleading.  On May 19^th, Lake Washington unleashed its wrath upon all who were willing to venture north of the I-90 Bridge.  Four to six foot swells were the norm, and they pounded bass boats from every direction, with no rhyme or reason. 

For some, the gamble to find fish in rough water paid off.  For others, it was time wasted, with a beating to prove it.  Many anglers simply stayed in the canals to avoid the furious weather, and to find fish in calmer water. 

The winners fished with confidence and took Lake Washington head on.

1^st   Confidence was the Key for Lebsack and Lesher

Steve Lebsack and Blake Lesher from Spokane didn’t plan on winning, but they knew they had found quality fish during practice, and were determined to pursue these fish, despite the horrendous wind and waves. 

They began the morning in the canals.  After catching a small limit, they made a bold decision to run up lake and fish a series of docks where they had located several bedding fish during practice.  They didn’t know at that time that what they had discovered was a goldmine; it was an area that had a concentration of heavy smallmouth and largemouth.  Some of these fish were in the spawn, and others were now cruising the area in preparation for the spawn. 

      Soon after pulling into the spot, they lost a five-pound largemouth that powerfully wrapped itself around a log.  They were discouraged, but by keying in on the particular combination of rocks, docks, and wood where they had lost the fish, they were able to establish a pattern that enabled them to catch several more fish of similar size.  When they thought they had located a bed, one of the anglers would take over the trolling motor (exclusively), while the other made precise casts to the target.  It was a rough experience, according to Steve, “We would rotate running the front of the boat because it was all we could do to focus on keeping the boat in place in four-foot waves while the other person made casts at where we believed the bed was.  We had the trolling motor on 100 almost the entire tournament.”

            In just a few hours, the team was able to cull out all but one of the fish they had caught in the Newport Canals.  Their lure of choice was a brown pumpkin flippin’ jig, and they went against popular belief that Lake Washington fish can only be caught on light line.  They knew that with the cover and size of fish, a heavier line would be necessary.  Therefore, their spools were filled with fourteen and seventeen-pound Berkley Vanish. 

            In four-foot waves, one might wonder how this team was able to sight-fish for bedding largemouth…they didn’t really sight-fish.  Their strategy was based purely on a tremendous confidence that the fish they had found during practice were still there.  Fortunately, they were.

            In the end, Steve Lebsack and Blake Lesher weighed in an impressive bag of 19.88 pounds with four largemouth and one smallmouth.  For their efforts, they received a check for $3008.34 and two pairs of Solar Bat Sunglasses.

2^nd   Mr. & Mrs. Marchese Rule the Canals

The Newport Canals, a potential hotspot for smallmouth throughout the month of May, proved to be a very lucrative area for Mel and Debie Marchese.  Thanks to the couples’ knowledge of the lake, they were able to pinpoint where likely beds would be based on past experiences, enabling them to catch a 19.46 pound limit of hefty smallmouth.

            The anglers spent most of the day fishing certain areas along the concrete walls that had rubble.  Their primary technique involved drop-shotting.  They would let the bait sink, and then leave it motionless for a time before occasionally making slight twitches in the rod tip.  This would cause the lure to shudder in place, hopefully over a bedded smallmouth, and be too tantalizing for the fish to ignore.  According to Mel, there were four factors that notably increased their catch rate: the weight of the drop-shot, the color of the bait, the length between the weight and the hook, and the application of scent.  Mel believed that by making the right decisions with respect to the aforementioned variables, they were able to trick even the most finicky fish into biting. 

            Mel and Debbie Marchese primarily used a 6’6” IMX Lamiglas rod and eight- pound McCoy line to pursue the highly-pressured smallmouth within the canals.  “It was just a great day,” said Mel, “We made the right decisions, fished the right spots, using the right techniques, and had luck on our side.”  Luck was indeed on this couples side.  At one point during the day, a large smallmouth on the business end of Mel’s line made a dashing lunge underneath the angler’s boat.  His wife, Debie, while waiting for the fish to surface, had the net resting on the side of the boat in an upright position.  Low and behold, the fish exploded out from beneath the boat and leapt straight into the air, only to land in the net on the side of the boat!

            And we won’t even mention the five-pound hamburger fish that helped the couple cash the largest check in the tournament to the tune of $3216.68!  What a fun day on the water…If only every fisherman could experience a day like Mel and Debie had.        

3^rd    Abbott and Flowers Find Finicky Fish

            Robert Flowers and Jeff Abbott spent most their practice period targeting pre-spawn and spawning fish on the main lake.  When they found a promising dock and weren’t receiving any bites, they would employ an underwater Aqua View camera to verify whether or not fish were actually there.  Their results were promising in that they found several areas with quality fish.  Unfortunately, on the morning of the tournament, their main-lake pattern broke down because of the massive wind, waves, and rain.  Thus, the team decided to spend nearly the entire day in secluded bays and the Newport Canals.  Their decision paid off.

            When they entered the canals, they surmised that the fish had already been heavily pressured by the 30+ boats that had pounded the shorelines with different baits.  Therefore, they decided to make close observations on how other anglers were fishing, and they adjusted their presentations to offer the finicky smallmouth something the fish hadn’t seen.  Their changes included downsizing their drop-shot weights to 1/16, and even 1/32 of an ounce.  They also switched to extremely light, five-pound Gamakatzu fluorocarbon line, and rigged small, three-inch Panic Minnows and Sniper Snubs to tempt their quarry.  Above all, they decided to approach structure differently than other anglers.

            Their goal was to make extremely precise casts to every inch of water that wasn’t being fished by other anglers, and to truly believe that every cast they made was on a bedded fish.  Their targets included the centers of boats lifts, on the concrete sides of yachts, and every other nearly impossible-to-reach nook and cranny of the Newport Canals.  “We had to make tough casts to catch our fish, and consequently we lost some nice fish,” said Jeff Abbott.  At one point, the team had pitched their lure into a boat lift near a yacht, and they hooked into a fish in excess of four-pounds that would have won the tournament for them.  After appearing at the surface for a brief moment, the fish decided to turn tail and dive to the bottom.  Unfortunately, their five-pound test line was no match for a four-pound angry smallmouth.  Their line snapped on the sharp edge of the boat lift they were fishing, along with their hopes of winning the tournament.

            In the end, they were still able to land five quality smallmouth bass that weighed in at 19.32 pounds and earned them a paycheck for $2208.34.  Their intensity and perseverance paid off.

Big Bass

            “I knew that if what I saw was a fish, it was a really big fish,” said Jeff Terrana.  In the early morning rain, the team of Jeff Terrana and Jesse Ottelle spotted a mammoth silhouette suspended near the piling of a dock.  “I just decided to pitch a 3/8 ounce black and blue jig with a crawfish trailer, and when it hit the water, I saw the fish swirl, and I knew the fight was on.”  After an intense battle, the team landed the big fish of the tournament: a 7.04 pound largemouth bass. 

            Their early morning success earned them a check for $708.34, along with a Lamiglas Rod certificate and $200.00 from Sniper Lures. 

Northwest Bass is the largest fishing circuit in the Northwest, and in the 2007 year, will feature 5 qualifying tournaments.  All of these tournaments lead up to the Northwest Bass Challenge Circuit Championship, with the top prize being a fully-rigged, tournament level Triton TR-196/200 HP Mercury boat package sponsored by Nixon’s Marine.

Northwest Bass is sponsored by Nixon’s Marine, Inc., Mercury, Triton Boats, Lamiglas Rods, Tony Lind Paving, White’s Boots, Solar Bat Sunglasses, VIP Studios, Princess Pickled Foods, and Clearwater Custom Tackle.

Angler’s Sponsors

Mel and Debie Marchese are sponsored by McCoy Line, Paul’s Service, M&M Siding Contractors, and Western Plastics.

Jeff Terrana and Jesse Ottelle are sponsored by St. Croix Rods.