Shaun Bailey Wins HBC-2

July 13, 2008

Shaun Bailey with his HBC-2 Champion belt and 9.01 pound winning bass(photo by Bob Minenna)

LAKEPORT - The stage was set and it was bound to happen - A Northern California angler won the inaugural Heavyweight Bass Classic (HBC-1) held at Lake Casitas in Southern California last January; and now a former Southern California angler returned the favor by winning HBC-2 held at Clear Lake in Northern California on Friday, July 11, 2008.

"The HBC is something that this sport has needed for a long time. It's going to be huge" - Shaun Bailey (Photo by Scott Harvey)

Shaun Bailey, who currently lives in Lake Havasu City, AZ, but grew up and began his professional fishing career in Southern California, topped the full field of 51 anglers to capture the custom made HBC-2 Champion's belt and the $10,200 winner-takes-all first place check. Bailey's hefty 9.01 pound Clear Lake largemouth bass edged out Vacaville, CA angler Robert Cepek's 8.21 pound bass for the win.

"I caught a couple of six-pounders early in the day on a Giant Pup Fish (topwater bait), but I knew that it was going to take more than that to win," said Bailey to the large awards ceremony crowd. "I decided to hit a deep water rock pile that I knew about, and when I got there, I metered fish on it. I threw a homemade 13-inch Senko on it and the big fish ate it right away. I wasn't sure if it was big enough to win or not, but fortunately it was. Man, I can't tell you how much I wanted to win this one. It feels great!" added a very excited Bailey.

Although Cepek's second place bass was not quite big enough to win, it was a beautiful fish and one of only five to be weighed in that were over seven pounds. Jerry Ballesteros of Burbank, CA weighed in a 7.52 pounder good for third place and Scott Green of Windsor, CA weighed in a 7.20 pounder to capture fourth place. Mark Hiser of Cottonwood, CA finished fifth with his 7.16 pound bass.
Cepek, Ballesteros, and Hiser collected $950, $570, and $380 respectively for winning the "Gas Money Option", a side option pool that Bailey and Green elected not to enter. Anglers finishing second place through tenth place each received a huge tackle pack containing products generously donated by Roboworm and Huddleston Deluxe. Cepek, Ballesteros, Green, and Hiser also received a brand new Dobyns fishing rod for their Top-5 finishes, as did Volunteer Tournament Official (VTO) Mike Nance of Salinas, CA for being the lucky VTO randomly paired with HBC-2 champion Shaun Bailey.

"The HBC is something that this sport has needed for a long time. It's going to be huge," Bailey said later. "It's the coolest idea and is different than anything else out there. Ken Huddleston and Ron Cervenka have put together a great format and it's only a matter of time before the HBC becomes popular across the country," Bailey concluded.

Video footage shot by the VTOs will be reviewed by the staff of Endless Fun Productions, the official production company of the HBC, and the VTO who shot the most footage will be awarded a brand new Humminbird sonar unit, courtesy of The Trolling Motor Doctor.

The HBC staff wishes to extend their deepest gratitude to the outstanding sponsors of HBC-2. They are: Huddleston Deluxe, Roboworm, Sure-Life Laboratories, Sign-A-Rama of Ventura, 3:16 Lure Company, Endless Fun Productions, Bassaholics Apparel, and The Trolling Motor Doctor. An extra special thank you goes to Don Osborne and SwimbaitCity.com for generously providing the great barbecue lunch for the entire HBC-2 Angler and VTO fields, and to Jody Taylor and the rest of the great staff at Konocti Vista Casino Resort for their assistance with the event. Thanks also to HBC-2 Assistant Tournament Director Richard Smith, HBC webmaster and statistician Scott Harvey, assistant statistician Julie Smith, Fish Management coordinator John Huddleston, and camera boats operators Ralph Harkins, Matt Allen, Jack Goodby, Josh St. John, Pat Griswold, and Frank Lopez.

Last but certainly not least, a heartfelt thanks to all of the VTOs who participated in HBC-2. Without their help, HBC-2 would not have been possible.

A DVD of HBC-2 will be available in approximately four to six weeks on the HBC website at www.heavyweightbassclassic.com.

HBC-2 Results