State Tournament Director - Archie Steele

The Bass Federation tournaments in California are run in seven separate regions. Club members can choose to fish any of these regions or jump in and fish as traveler and compete in several regions. The anglers that compete in our regional qualifying tournaments develop a great  camaraderie and in doing so have met and know members from many other clubs.

Currently the Califorina State Regions are: Shasta, Big Valley, Sacramento, Mother Lode, Delta, Southern California, Central California, and Inland Empire.

Anglers compete regionally and top regional qualifiers advance to the State Championship. The top finishing anglers will then move on to divisional competition individually and as a collective team.  The winners are then on the road to the FLW Cup, BFL All American and BassFan Weekend Warrior Championships.

To begin your journey into the competitive end of the California State Bass Federation you must be a member of the FLW and an FLW affiliated club. You can also take advantage of a free membership to BassFan.

Another great thing about the California Bass Federations tournaments is that you don’t even have to be a club member to check out the tournaments for yourself. Absolutely anyone can come on down and compete in one of our regional qualifying events before making the decision to join up fully. You can sample the tournaments and then decide if the Bass Federation tournaments are good for you. If you like the event then we can help you find an affiliated club and get you started on becoming a full member of the best bass fishing experience you’ll find anywhere.

Welcome to the California Bass Federation tournament experience! I do hope you’ll join us.

Region 1 Tournament Director - Ben Willis

My name is Ben Willis and I have been fishing the Federation for about 10 years.  I have been a tournament director with the Federation for the past 4 years and running the Delta region for the last two years.  I am really looking forward to the new season.  Each year this region has grown.  It's almost doubled in size in just these past two years. 

What I love most about running and fishing this circuit is that even though it is a large circuit, with all levels of fishermen from beginners to some tough sticks,  it is still like running a club event.  Everybody is there to have a good time, see old friends, meet new ones, maybe learn something new, and last but not least fish. 

I encourage everybody to come out and to give us a try.  Not only is it a great tournament but all of our anglers and members get so much more than just a circuit to fish.  With the new affiliation with TBF and FLW the possibilities, are endless.  With our great sponsors and support it's something that is just too hard to pass up.  Come on out and join us and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to call me or anybody with the Federation as we all look forward to your call.  Come join the Delta Region and the California Bass Federation family.

As the region 2 tournament director I look forward to serving you this upcoming 2007 season.  The TBF has come a long way over the past 12 months and now that we are affiliated with the FLW things are only getting better.

For those of you who don't know, John Albidrez from our region won the Western Regional in Idaho, in May 2006 and is off to the Nationals.  Also under the new format California sent a co-angler to the nationals and another angler to Bass Fan Weekend Warrior Championship.  Good Luck guys!

As for the rest of the membership, I welcome any new ideas or criticizm that will help our region grow including any ideas in the areas of local conservation and youth activities.  I am also planning on having a couple of opens this year.  Thanks for your support and I look forward to working with all of you in the future.

Region 5 Tournament Director - Joe Kopp

 

Hi, and welcome to Region 5 of the CA Bass Federation. My name is Joe Kopp and I am honored to be the new Tournament Director. I have been actively fishing the CA Bass Federation for the last 8 years, competing in all the Northern Regions; and while I live in the immediate Bay Area, I have adopted Redding and Lake Shasta as my getaway home. So, I am excited to represent this region and continue its legacy and tradition of being a personable, friendly, and competitive region.

I am excited about this upcoming year for Region 5, as we are focusing on "keeping it local". This will do 3 things to support my goals for our region. 1) Encourage more local participation from the fisherman in Region 5 by keeping it close to home and costs down. 2) Highlight the best lake (I think) in Northern California, Lake Shasta, and allow us to fish it in multiple stages of the season. 3) Encourage other contestants from around the North to come see what makes Region 5, and Lake Shasta, so special.

I get asked a lot by others why I fish the Federation. They always say "it doesn’t pay anything; you can’t make money." Well, it’s not about the money! I love fishing the Federation because it’s an organization where you can make it what you want and experience so many different things. If you want to learn, this is the place. If you want to teach and mentor new anglers, we got plenty willing to listen. You will both fail and succeed with your goals; all while having fun, and all within a competitive spirit that is not cost prohibitive. It’s a family; that’s why I fish the Federation.

I hope you will come join us this year in Region 5 and experience the "family" of the Federation, and experience the jewel of the North, Lake Shasta. I promise you it won’t be disappointing, so give me a call or email me if you want to participate. I’ll do my best to get you there. I look forward to hearing from you.

Region 7 Tournament Director - Ray Leyerly

Welcome to Region 7! Last season was a season of growth, tremendous change and the arrival of a series of greatly enhanced opportunities for all of the CA TBF members. We have certainly improved the Federation and Region 7 as a whole within the past couple of years and the relationship established with FLW is bringing additional opportunities for all of us to explore and benefit from in the coming season.

 

In 2007, Region 7 is going to be the host region for the State Classic which will be held at Castaic during the first weekend of October 2007. Given that the State Classic is now being held in our very own backyard, those of you that are considering fishing the Federation events in Region 7 or any other region should go ahead and jump right in because the water is fine and it continues to get better!
 

As always, I welcome any new ideas or constructive criticism that will help our region grow including any ideas in the areas of local conservation and youth activities.  Thanks for your support and I look forward to working with all of you in the future.

Region 8 Tournament Director - Mike Nemec

 

My name is Mike Nemec and I have bee fishing competitively for 25 years. I have fished the CA Federation  for the past 2 seasons. I am really looking forward to the 2009 season and this new adventure of being a Tournament Director.

As your Tournament Director for Region 8 I look forward to working with you to make this new region a success. My goal is to promote the sport of bass fishing in the Inland Empire from the beginner tournament angler to the accomplished seasoned professional. Let’s take this opportunity to grow our sport and have some good times along the way.

I encourage everybody to come and fish with us in our new region.  With the rising cost of fuel and everyday expenses, fishing in your own back yard makes a lot of sense.
 

Region 8 and the California Bass Federation welcome you and want to be part of your next tournament experience. Should you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call me or any other member or any other member of the California Bass Federation.

See you on the water!