SHASTA LAKE – One thing that is a common understanding of the bass population of Lake Shasta is that they will typically bite. Sometimes what seems as what might be to worst conditions to target bass can produce excellent results on Lake Shasta. The Lake Shasta spotted bass population seem to be hungry and aggressive at times many wouldn’t think possible.
One of those times that seem to generate positive responses is during a snowstorm, and throughout the practice period and the first morning of the event, cold temperatures and snow were the featured conditions of the day. The first day takeoff brought cold temperatures and as much as six inches of snow that broke to sunny skies, light winds and temperatures in the mid 60’s.
However, the cold temperatures and snow flurries at takeoff did little to temper the fishing. All one has to do is look at the leaderboard and realize that the weights atop are dominated by spotted bass for proof of the torrid fishing. Oroville, Calif. pro Joe Orozco and his day one AAA partner Carl Crutchfield of Stockton, Calif. brought a monster, 28.58 pounds of spotted bass to the scales at Bridge Bay to take the day one lead. Their limit also included a 6.55-pound spotted bass that was the big bass of the first day of the event.
Reigning WON Bass Angler of the Year Kyle Grover of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. and his AAA partner Eli Guryanov of West Sacramento, Calif. landed in second place after day one with a 25.25-pound limit of spotted bass.
Orozco said that he made a long run through the snow flurries to get to his area and targeted big fish he could see on his Garmin Livescope Plus. “I had to rely on my Garmin units to get where I was going in the snow, and they helped me see the fish I wanted to target,” he said. “I only caught nine keepers today but was able to go after the ones I needed, and I caught the last good one at around two o’clock.”
Orozco said that he caught fish throughout the water column and on the bottom with a minnow style bait rigged on his 1/8-ounce Bass Union Ball Head jighead with a 1/0 hook. “Every fish I caught came on that head I designed and make, so that was rewarding.” He said. “I’m drawing a lot of motivation from my wife Lizette who is pregnant at home with our first baby, so I’m pretty pumped up to get out there. Hopefully I’ll be able to get on my stuff tomorrow and keep it going.”
Grover said that he was very surprised to be in second place at day’s end. “I had 22 pounds at eleven o’clock, so I left my area to check on another spot and caught a six pounder there,” he said. “I thought for sure I’d be leading, but I’m still in a really good position.”
Grover reported fishing on the bottom for his bites in only two small areas that have schools of big spotted bass. “They’re on opposite ends of the lake, and I’m going to fish them both tomorrow a couple of times to gee what I can do,” he said. “I feel pretty good about it, hopefully they will be close to where they were today, and I’ll be able to get on them.”
The rest of the top five included Chico, Calif. pro James Hawkinson and his AAA Damon Motley of Orange, Calif. with 25.19 pounds to land in third place. Previous Lake Shasta Open winner Nick Wood of Yreka, Calif. and his AAA partner Cheng Xiong of Oroville, Calif. stood in fourth place with 22.49 pounds and pro Brennan Osborn of Beaverton, Ore. and AAA Troy Mays of Ione, Calif. rounded out the top five with 20.77 pounds.
The winner of the 2026 WON Bass Lake Shasta Open presented by Ranger Boats and Mercury will receive the 2026 Ranger Boats Z518 powered by a Mercury ProXS 150 prize boat provided by Bass Pro Shops.
The daily livestream of the weigh-ins airs on at Facebook.com/WONBassTournaments. Daily weigh-ins from Bridge Bay Resort in Lake Shasta City, Calif. begin after the first flight checks in at 3:00 PM Pacific Time.
The Top 10 in each division are below, for complete standings go to: https://wonbassevents.com/pages/won-bass-shasta-open-pairings-results.
2026 WON Bass Lake Shasta Open Day One Pro Standings
| Place | Angler | Hometown | Fish | Wght | B/B | Day 1 |
| 1 | Joe Orozco | Oroville CA | 5-5 | 28.58 | 6.55 | 28.58 |
| 2 | Kyle Grover | Rancho Santa Margarita CA | 5-5 | 25.25 | 6.36 | 25.25 |
| 3 | James Hawkinson | Chico CA | 5-5 | 25.19 | 6.15 | 25.19 |
| 4 | Nick Wood | Yreka CA | 5-5 | 22.42 | 5.62 | 22.42 |
| 5 | Brennan Osborn | Beaverton OR | 5-5 | 20.77 | 5.33 | 20.77 |
| 6 | Alex Niapas | Altaville CA | 5-5 | 18.20 | 18.20 | |
| 7 | Ryan Friend | Oroville CA | 5-5 | 16.44 | 16.44 | |
| 8 | Nick Supalo | Oroville CA | 5-5 | 16.21 | 6.06 | 16.21 |
| 9 | Ty Manterola | Pacso WA | 5-5 | 14.87 | 14.87 | |
| 10 | Troy Fernandes | Santa Maria CA | 5-5 | 14.37 | 14.37 |
2026 WON Bass Lake Shasta Open Day One AAA Standings
| AAA | Angler | Hometown | Fish | Wght | B/B | Day 1 |
| 1 | Carl Crutchfield | Stockton CA | 5-5 | 28.58 | 28.58 | |
| 2 | Eli Guryanov | West Sacramento CA | 5-5 | 25.25 | 4.08 | 25.25 |
| 3 | Damon Motley | Orange CA | 5-5 | 25.19 | 25.19 | |
| 4 | Cheng Xiong | Oroville CA | 5-5 | 22.42 | 5.90 | 22.42 |
| 5 | Troy Mays | Ione CA | 5-5 | 20.77 | 20.77 | |
| 6 | Jaramy Riddle | Millville CA | 5-5 | 18.20 | 4.65 | 18.20 |
| 7 | Phil Purser | Yreka CA | 5-5 | 16.44 | 16.44 | |
| 8 | Ryan Gutierrez | Weiser ID | 5-5 | 16.21 | 16.21 | |
| 9 | Brian Mork | Pleasanton CA | 5-5 | 14.87 | 14.87 | |
| 10 | Stefan Grobecker | Daily City CA | 5-5 | 14.37 | 14.37 |
The 2026 WON Bass Western Opens Series of events Consisting of five events in California, Arizona and Nevada, will culminate with the 2024 WON Bass U.S. Open at Lake Mohave in October. The five event dates are as follows:
Jan. 8 to 10, 2026 – Clear Lake – Champion Garrett Ellenson – 98.37 pounds
Feb. 19 to 21, 2026 – Lake Shasta
April 16 to 18, 2026 – Clear Lake
May 7 to 9, 2026 – Lake Havasu
Oct. 5 to 7, 2026 – U.S. Open at Lake Mohave
For complete details or to register, look to wonbassevents.com and WONews.com to hear the latest news about the 2026 season and beyond and follow along at Facebook.com/WONBassTournaments.
The 2026 WON Bass Lake Shasta Open is brought to you by Bass Pro Shops, Ranger Boats, Mercury Marine, Bridgford Foods, AFTCO, Power Pole, Costa, Berkley, Gamakatsu, Okuma, Lowrance, Stealth Lithium Batteries, Daiwa, G-Ratt Baits, Reese Fishing, Signature Gates, Abu Garcia, DD26 and Fenwick
Local presenting sponsors are Visit Redding, Phil’s Propellers, Bridge Bay Marina and the US Forestry Service
