Arroyo Grande man’s catch is good — but not the best — at Fla. bass tourney

Last week, Arroyo Grande’s Jared Lintner began his 11th campaign on the Bassmaster Elite pro bass fishing tour by finishing “in the money.”

Jared and 110 other pros were overshadowed by 69-year-old Rick Clunn, who stole the show on Florida’s St. Johns River.

On the third day of the 2016 opening tournament, he bolted from 31st to first place. The five fish he brought to the scales on Saturday weighed 31 pounds, 5 ounces.

The Missouri angler, a four-time winner of “The Classic,” said his limit was “the third largest five fish limit I’ve ever had.”

He finished the tournament with a weight of 81 pounds, 15 ounces. His reward was a check for $100,000. It was his first win in more than a decade.

Lintner and his traveling partner, Mike McClelland from Bella Vista, Ark., placed 21st and 22nd. Lintner’s three limits totaled 47 pounds, 10 ounces, one ounce more than his buddy. Each earned $10,000.

Big Fish Tie in Tri Valley

A rarity occurred during the third stop on the Tri Valley tournament series Saturday at Lake Nacimiento. There was a tie for “big fish” honors. Weights are measured in increments of hundredths of a pound. In the three decades I’ve authored these columns, I cannot recall a similar occurrence.

Joey Reggio and partner Brian Nawrocki each caught a bass of approximately the same weight.

“We didn’t know which one of our fish is the one we put up for the ‘big fish’ selection,” Reggio said in a telephone interview.

“Each of us caught our biggest fish by drop-shotting a Shakey head worm,” Reggio related.

He added, “We caught fish using spinnerbaits, swimbaits, and by drop-shotting.”

Although it did not count, the winners also bagged “some big crappie.”

Reggio and Nawrocki brought an 11.23-pound bag to the scales for the win.

Placing second with a 9.33-pound limit was the Russ Mineau and Dan Dostal entry. It was their big fish that tied for honors.

Tri Valley Bass Top 10

1. Joey Reggio, Brian Nawrocki, San Luis Obispo, 11.23 pounds

2. Russ Mineau, Dan Dostal, Grover Beach, 9.33 pounds

3. Jeff Hodges, Arroyo Grande, Bud Aquino, Grover Beach, 8.71 pounds

4. Darrin Bishop, Paso Robles, Dean Miller, Tulare, 8.53 pounds

5. Mike Michaud, Josh Signorelli, Lompoc, 8.52 pounds

6. Bill & Pat Twomey, Lompoc, 8.42 pounds

7. Ted & Dustin McAllister, San Luis Obispo, 8.16 pounds

8. Frank Fernandez, Santa Maria, Janet Ross, Santa Margarita, 7.92 pounds

9. Grant & Alan Koontz, Salinas, 7.86 pounds

10. Mike Truitt, Bill Lukeman, Santa Maria, 7.79 pounds.

1st Big Fish (tie): 2.23 pounds, Reggio and Nawrocki, Mineau and Dostal.

Lake Nacimiento

Heritage Ranch reporter Dave Rymal said: “An exciting event is happening in The Narrows. The white bass are staging in the river. Last week, Craig Yoacom caught 30 whites one day and 20 the next.”

Santa Margarita Lake

Marina Manager Ken Hemer reports: “Garret Manion of Paso Robles was last week’s headline angler with catches of bass weighing 7, 6 and 5 pounds. It all happened last Sunday. Shad imitations were working for largemouth bass who are moving into shallow water. Crappie action tapered off a bit, but there still were some nice catches. Cut mackerel fished in shallow coves all over the lake produced the best catfish results.”

This story was originally published March 23, 2016 at 3:52 PM with the headline "Arroyo Grande man’s catch is good — but not the best — at Fla. bass tourney."