Wayne Breazeale has fished Clear Lake for more than 40 years , so he knew that targeting hard-bottom areas , preferably with tules , was the wise move for a spring tournament . He found plenty of the right types of areas in the lake ’ s southern end and spent most of his time in Konocti Bay at the back end of Redbud Creek . Breazeale ’ s strategy was to cover water for a mix of prespawners and spawning fish . He wasn ’ t committed to sight-fishing , but he did stop
and spend several minutes on a promising fish when he spotted one .
The Kelseyville , Calif ., pro cast a Yamamoto Single Tail Grub on a 1 / 4-ounce ballhead jig to probe deeper adjacent waters , but he did most of his damage with a drop-shot fitted with a Roboworm in margarita mutilator , the perennial Clear Lake favorite color .
Breazeale pitched his bait to every piece of cover he encountered , with dominant features ranging from docks ( single residential
WINNING BAITS
Inconsistent spring weather that included unseasonable cold and water-level fluctuations had a major impact on Clear Lake ’ s bass . Specifically , Breazeale found that the fish he encountered lacked the aggression typical of the prespawn / spawn period .
“ They were biting really lightly , so you just had to let them eat it a little more ,” he says .
He also made a risky adjustment in his line size . Dropping from 8-pound-test fluorocarbon to 6-pound test definitely seemed to increase the number of bites Breazeale got , but the move also increased the risk of breaking off .
“ You just have to let them run when they want to run ,” Breazeale says of his light-line approach .
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structures , as well as large floating marina complexes ) to natural rock to riprap .
“ I was especially looking for little pockets in tules with rock in the back , because that ’ s where they like to spawn ,” he says .
Nosing his boat deep into tule lines revealed additional spawners . In general , tucked-away places such as areas adjacent to decrepit docks and a fallen walkway held spawning fish .
A rocky offshore reef also produced keepers . Here , Breazeale made controlled drifts down the side of the rocky mound and walked his drop-shot along the breaks . Making long parallel casts was key to the presentation .
After spending most of days one and two on the same stretch of Konocti Bay , Breazeale found that the heavy winds the night before day three had blown out his primary waters . Shifting to his main backup spot at Gooseneck Point , Breazeale was able to find enough bass to secure his first FLW win .
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WINNING CO-ANGLER |
rick grover Trabuco Canyon , Calif .
Winning Weight : 42-01 ( 15 fish )
Winning program :
After capitalizing on a raging shad-spawn bite with an under-spin and a Megabass Vision 110 jerkbait the morning of day one , Rick Grover settled into a steady program of picking off keepers with a drop-shot . Grover used a 6-inch Roboworm Fat Straight Tail Worm with a 1 / 4-ounce sinker and a 3 / 0 Roboworm Rebarb hook .
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PHOTO BY JESSE SCHULTZ |