Oregon holds on for the title; Echterncamp comes from behind to win 2013 Northwest Division Championship

DSCN1318A week of beautiful weather was the setting for the 2013 Northwest Division Championship presented by Berkley on Pot Holes Lake in Moses Lake, Wash.  TBF anglers continued to bring in heavy bags of mostly smallmouth all three tournament days. 

The top ten anglers advanced on the final day to the 2014 Federation National Championship and division champion titles were awarded both in the individual and state team standings.    

Aaron Echterncamp, from Moses Lake, Wash., trailed in the individual standings the first two days but made a run the final day to take the lead and the esteemed title.  Echerncamp had five bass limits all three days of 20lbs 3ounces, 21lbs 7ounces and 24lbs to make his tournament total 65lbs 10ounces, a mere 3 ounces in front of day one and two leader, Chad Kaiser. 

DSCN1317“First day, I didn’t expect to see someone come in with 26lbs,” Echterncamp said.  “I was pacing the weights at 20lbs, thought that would be pretty adequate.  When Kaiser came in with that, I knew I had a little making up to do.”

Pot Holes Lake is in Echterncamp’s backyard.  He’s spent many days on its waters, but this week he said he was seeing, “just huge fish, a lot bigger than normal on that lake.”  He saw bigger fish in practice but was having trouble getting the good bite.  “By the third day, they were getting more active.  More fish just kept coming up the whole week.”   

The final day Echterncamp fished all new areas, but first set out to hunt down and catch a smallmouth he lost the first day.  “I spent the rest of the day looking for areas that hadn’t been fished,” Echertencamp continued.  “Everybody was kind of concentrating in the same areas further in the back; those areas were getting a lot of pressure, I just moved outside of them. And with the good weather I was able to move further and further out, the fish were a lot less spooked.” 

Echerncamp is no stranger to nationals but this is his first divisional win, and being on his home lake makes it that much sweeter.  “I just want to thank our Washington TBF President, Russell Baker, and Limit Out Marine.  I was having some boat issues on the second day; they worked on my boat and got me back out there to do what I did today.” 

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TBF Anglers Catch Perfect Weather on Pot Holes Reservoir for the 2013 Northwest Division Championship

Sixty TBF anglers from five states in the Northwest Division gather this week on Pot Holes Reservoir in Moses Lake, Wash., to compete for the division championship titles both in the individual and state team standings.  The championship event is hosted on a yearly rotation; this year, the Washington Bass Federation plays host. 

Anglers are consistently catching 20lb bags of mostly smallmouth and someChad Kaiser (2) Idaho largemouth bass on Pot Holes Reservoir.  Out in front on day one and holding on by less than a pound after day two, is Idaho state team angler, Chad Kaiser, from Hayden, Idaho. 

“The weather’s been great; a week ago it was 28 degrees, this afternoon it will be 95,” Kaiser said.  “It’s kind of unusual for this area, but it’s great.  The fish are all just piling up; it’s going to get even better today.”   Kaiser brought in five bass limits on both tournament days with 26lbs 1ounce on day one and 20lbs 4ounces on day two. 

“All the fish are pulling up off the beds, and more and more keep filling up the areas I’ve been fishing,” Kaiser continued.  “I’ve been catching a mix of smallmouth and largemouth, getting a limit then going through and picking out the big ones, just working them.”  Today, Kaiser is looking for largemouth in the hunt for his number one goal, nationals.  “I’ve fished every divisional since 2007 and never advanced to nationals.  I’m so close; my main goal is just to make it for my state. I am ready for nationals.”       

Kaiser led the Idaho state team to the top on day one, but on day two they were edged out by Oregon.  Today, Kaiser hopes to take them all the way.  “We’ve all talked about catching fish in our meetings,” Kaiser said.  “I helped them out with what I know and told them what to look for out there; hopefully, we can make a run at it.” 

This week 10 TBF anglers, the top two from each state, will advance to the 2014 Federation National Championship.  A division champion in the individual and state team standings will also leave here with the titles and all the bragging rights as the 2013 Northwest Division Championship presented by Berkley wraps up today in Moses Lake, Wash.

Arizona State Team; California angler, Goodman – 2013 Southwest Division Champions

DSC_2018Day two of the championship was canceled due to extreme winds, which left one day standing between 60 TBF anglers and their shots to advance to the 2014 Federation National Championship.  Ten anglers advanced today and two division champions were crowned as the 2013 Southwest Division Champion presented by Lowrance concluded on Lake Havasu in Lake Havasu City, Ariz.  Steve Goodman from Castaic, Calif., came from behind in the individual standings to take the win, along with the host state team of Arizona, which led on day one to follow it up for the title on Havasu waters.

Goodman had a solid 12lb 6ounce bag going into the final day to pair with a whopping 19lbs 5ounces for his 31lb 11ounce finish for the win today.  Goodman will also represent the California state team advancing as a boater at the 2014 Federation National Championship.

DSC_2021The host state of Arizona held on to their day one lead to narrowly shut out the second place California state team by 3lbs 2ounces.  Arizona state team anglers caught 124lbs 13ounces of bass on day one and 118lbs 7ounces on day two for a tournament total of 243lbs 4ounces.

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High Winds Roll Straight Through Day Two of the 2013 TBF Southwest Division Championship

Six foot rolls, 40mph winds and with nothing but the flat shores of Lake Havasu, Ariz., to stop it, high winds result in a canceled day two of the championship.  Sixty TBF anglers fished day one of the 2013 TBF Southwest Division Championship presented by Lowrance on Lake Havasu, in Lake Havasu City, Ariz.  Tomorrow, those 60 anglers, their day one standings and all the luck one tournament day can provide, will go straight into the final day to decide this year’s Southwest Division Champions both in the individual and state team standings.  The final day will also advance 10 anglers, the top two from each state in the Southwest Division, to the 2014 TBF Federation National Championship.    

Leading going into the final day is Tom Shimabukuro from Oakland, Calif., with a SHIMABUKUROfive bass limit weighing 15lbs 12ounces.  Shimabukuro had a limit by 10am and culled two or three times to get his leading bag.  “It was kind of a grind; it was tough out there,” Shimabukuro said.  “The wind really threw everything off, made it hard to get where I wanted to fish.” 

This year’s Federation National Championship was recently held on Grand Lake in Grove, Okla., and a California state team angler won it.  Shimabukuro was also the co-angler at the 2013 FNC event and now leads the California state team and the tournament, continuing to represent anglers in the West. 

Tomorrow, he’ll try to hold on to the lead for another chance at the National Champion title.  “I think it’s supposed to lay down a little bit; today, I don’t even think I could get to my water.  Tomorrow, I’m gonna run the same thing I did in practice and the first day, not going to adjust much; just got to get three good ones and I will be alright.” 

Leading the Southwest Division in the state standings is the host state team of Arizona.  “The fact of the matter is Arizona’s Stephen Price is a co-angler leading the state – something to be said for the back of the boat,” Arizona President, Greg Krueger, said.  Stephen Price from Phoenix, Ariz., is also holding second place in the individual standings with a limit of bass weighing 15lbs 6ounces right behind Shimabukuro. 

“We talked about patterns that the fish are responding too and the game plan tomorrow is to get everybody on a limit,” Krueger continued.  “Overall, being a host team and leading after the first day is pretty exciting.”       

The cancellation of day two will either hurt or help the day one leaders as they sail into the final day.  Tomorrow, only one tournament day matters as the 2013 Southwest Division Championship presented by Lowrance wraps up on the windy Lake Havasu waters in Lake Havasu City, Ariz.