Potholes Bass Club holds two-day tournament

OTHELLO — The Potholes Bass Club hosted its two-day tournament on the Potholes Reservoir over the weekend.

“It was just a great weekend to be out there and fish,” Club President Paul Harmon said.

The tournament began early Saturday morning, with anglers blasting off from the MarDon Resort and hitting the Potholes Reservoir. Twenty-five boats entered the tournament, which Harmon said was low for typical PBC tournaments.

“We had a lot of cooperation,” Harmon said. “There were only 25 boats – a pretty small turnout.”

Anglers found success on the waters of the Potholes Reservoir, with the top three teams all finishing with total weights north of 34 pounds.

“It wasn't bad, we caught a lot of fish,” Harmon said. “There's a lot of big ones caught. Some good weights.”

Harmon said that the water level at the reservoir was low, but anglers were able to avoid major troubles in terms of getting stuck.

“The water was really low, but nobody got really stuck on a sandbar,” he said. “They were able to push themselves out and not having to have somebody come and tow them off.”

The PBC recently had two members sign up from Spokane, and have members spread out from the Columbia Basin to the coast as well.

“It makes me feel really good because it tells me that our club people are knowing that we have a good reputation, and you know our payouts are a lot bigger now because we have a lot more members and a lot more people showing up,” Harmon said. “Even like the two that come over from the coast, I look forward to seeing them. The only time I get to see them is at tournaments, so it's always good to see both of them show up and talk to them for a bit.”

The tournament had payouts for the top three teams as well as a big fish tournament. First place earned $600, second place earned $400 and third place earned $200. The payout for big fish was $250.

Levi and Mason Meseburg took first place with a total weight of 37.74 pounds; Jr Clark and Michelle Kamstra finished in second place with a weight of 36 pounds; Dale Stansbury and Darrin Green finished in third place with 34.07 total pounds.

The next PBC tournament will be held on Sept. 10 on the Columbia River near Vantage. The club’s tournaments are open to members of the club only, and those interested can register up until the Wednesday before the tournament.

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.