FLW Tournament anglers hit Lake Oroville
Some 109 boats carrying 218 competitors in the nationally-organized Forrest L. Wood [FLW] bass tournament hit the water on Thursday, the Lake Oroville event having been postponed from its original date back in January due to low water levels.

Lake Oroville is one of the best bodies of water in the nation as far as quantity of bass goes, so anticipation is running high from the organizers, City of Oroville officials, and the competitors themselves. A successful event will mean more national-level tournaments held here.

Elite national-level competitor Ish Monroe of Hughson, CA was very glad to be fishing on Lake Oroville. ---It---s great to be on Oroville, it---s one of the best lakes in the country---, said Monroe on Wednesday evening before the start. ---Beautiful weather, tons of fish; everything you could want!---

Popular host of the Sacramento radio show ---Ultimate Bass--- on AM1140, Kent Brown observed, ---It---s always fun to come to Oroville. I have a lot of history on the lake, having fished it with Gary Klein back when I was 14 years old. You always know you---re going to catch something on Oroville.---

Oroville resident Toni Corpe has been a member of the Chico Bass Club since 1993, and this is her fourth time competing in a national-level tournament. ---I don---t feel any pressure as a co-boater---, related Corpe. ---My best finish was 5th in a BASS event on the Delta [as co-boater] in 2003, but this is my first time in an FLW tournament.---

Thursday afternoon---s weigh-in saw Monroe with one of the top catches, including a nice 3.15 pound largemouth. ---They were hitting everything---, advised Monroe. ---We caught fish on topwater, dropshot, Senkos and spinnerbaits. I probably released 30 fish today.---

Toni Corpe reported, ---I caught lots of small fish, mostly on Senkos. My weight wasn---t much, but I probably released over 30 for the day. My pro partner [Robert Faaborg] was great.---

Overall the pros and co-anglers caught phenomenally high numbers of mostly one and two-pound bass. Many reported releasing 20 to over 50 fish for the day. Oroville-based pro Steve Klein said, ---No matter where you went, there were plenty of fish to be caught, we just couldn---t find any big ones.---

There are a number of local competitors in the field of entrants. Local anglers include: Steve Klein, Richard Forhan, Jason Bubier, John McClellan, Gary Souza, Lo Ching Saechao, Toni Corpe, Randy Chapman [Oroville]; Jeff Hardin, Sean Kavanaugh [Chico]; Troy Davenport [Paradise]; Colby Knowles [Magalia]; Ron Rodgers [Willows]; Glen Lockhart [Biggs]; Dave Rush, Dugan McIntosh [Palermo].

Weigh-in today [Friday] will begin at 3:00 PM at the Spillway, with the top 10 in the Angler and Co-Angler categories making the ---cut--- for Saturdays final. The festivities on Saturday will include the weigh-in for ---National Guard College Bass Fishing--- at the Spillway at 1:30 PM, with the Chico State Bass Team hoping for a good showing. The big FLW winner will be decided in the parking lot of the Oroville Wal-Mart starting at 3:00 PM on Saturday.