GRANITE BAY, Ca. - For weeks Folsom Lake had been fishing wide open and those anglers with the skills to run quiet coves - looking for big bed fish to pluck from their nests, were visibly excited about the continued warm weather that would give them the opportunity to bust a double-digit limit of bass and possibly end up in the winner's circle.

But this was simply not to be, as though temperatures remained warm and stable, both rising water and swirling winds, wrecked havoc for many of the 115 teams that participated, and laid waste to the plans of those counting on "bed fish" to give them the weight they would need to crush the field.

George and Joe Gomes however, had a different plan.

That plan included backing off the banks and obvious areas where most big bedding fish should be, and much like playing a game of "Battleship" use their electronics and home-grown instincts to locate pods of good-sized, active fish.

Lucky Craft rip baits, coupled with dropshots and darterhead techniques did the trick, as many fish had moved off shore to deeper water and were schooled up in "wolf packs" waiting for the just the right bait offerings to come their way.

"Folsom Lake has always been good to us over the years, but it has never been a predictable fishery", noted George, a Livermore resident and the namesake of whom the Future Pro Tour's big fish trophy - the "George Gomes Memorial Big Fish Award" is named after.

Over the years, on this lake, we NEVER count on what the fish have been doing a week, or even the day before an event...and today we employed both patience and strategy - and it paid off".

15.90 pounds was their winning weight, and for capturing the Coors Light "Capitol City Showdown" presented by Lucky Craft title, they took home $1,975 dollars, two beautiful plaques, and a dose of pride that surely has their late father looking down from above and smiling.

Best of the rest

Second place was taken by the team of Jerimiah Valador and Scott Chappell who brought in 14.33 pounds. That weight has pushed them to the top spot and new "leaders of the pack" in the inaugural Coors Light Angler of the Year race.

On the strength of a 14.23 pound limit of bass, 2012 Angler's of the Year Tony Koregelos and Justin Nelson, captured the third spot in the event, which moved them two second place in the Coors Light Angler of the Year standings and just a few points behind the leaders.

Get ready everybody...I do believe we have another dog fight brewing for the inaugural Coors Light Angler of the Year title!

Next up......the tour heads back to Clear Lake May 11th for the "North State Rumble"!

This event will be an extreme test of patience and determination as anglers will be challenged with targeting fish in ALL stages of transition which will require teams to FOCUS.

This event may just be the most exciting of the year!

See you there!

Future Pro Tour

For information about the FPT and how you can be part of this upcoming event visit:

www.futureproutour.net or call 916-768-0938