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For the third straight day, Zack Thompson of Alameda, Calif., found himself in the exact same place in the standings by the time weigh-in had concluded – firmly entrenched in second place. But while Thompson turned in a yeoman-like effort in the finals, nearly erasing a 4 ˝-pound deficit with a final day catch weighing 14 pounds, 11 ounces, he fell just a few ounces short of walking away with a tournament title.
“I had a limit early and was almost able to cull out all of my fish, but not quite,” said Thompson. “And that was the difference.”
Like many of the top pros, Thompson relied on an umbrella rig – specifically a Picasso umbrella rig to land the majority of his big fish. However, he also employed a 6-inch Berkley Havoc Bottom Hopper rigged with his new prototype CHT Tackle double-wacky hook.
“That hook was pretty important because when the bait balls up, you can still catch fish,” he said.
Thompson also noted that the “CHT” portion of the bait name refers to his new 5-month-old daughter, Charlotte Hazel Thompson.
“She’s the light of my life right now,” he said. “And I’m really glad she could be here.”
As far as strategy was concerned, Thompson relied on a unique stretch of the river to land most of his catch.
“I was sharing water with my travel partner (and fellow top-10 competitor) Matt Newman and it really worked out well,” said Thompson. “We’re basically fishing a stretch of river that had a lot of fish on it. We did a lot of hunting and pecking but the area had enough good fish to last the whole tournament.”
Thompson said that despite losing out on the title by ounces, he really had few complaints.
“Overall, I had a really good week,” said Thompson, who parlayed a total catch of 41 pounds, 5 ounces into $10,000 in winnings. “I fished really well and didn’t lose a fish all week. It was just an unbelievable time here on Shasta.” Complete Story
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