Final Round Surge Lifts Thomas Nokes To Narrow Win In B.A.S.S. Nation Regional

May 12, 2019
|In RESULTS
|By AnglersChannel
Utah angler Thomas Nokes wins the 2019 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Western Regional with a three-day total weight of 33 pounds, 15 ounces on Shasta Lake, California.

Photo by David Brown/B.A.S.S.
May 10, 2019REDDING, Calif. — Following two consistent performances on the first two days of the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Western Regional on Shasta Lake, Thomas Nokes saved the best for last and mounted a final-round rally that propelled him to a three-day winning weight of 33 pounds, 15 ounces.

For his victory, Nokes earned $5,000 and a spot in the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship, to be held Nov. 6-8 on Lake Hartwell, South Carolina.

The Riverton, Utah, boater placed 14th on Day 1 with a five-bass limit catch of 10-12 and then advanced to 10th on Day 2 by adding a limit that went 10-1. Today, Nokes added 13-2 — the biggest catch of the day  — to surge up the standings and overtake Day 2 leader Taylor Smith by a 5-ounce margin.

Nokes was the top boater for the Utah B.A.S.S. Nation state team, which finished third in the event’s team competition. Most of his fish came on what he described as an old-school tactic, but today it offered a tremendous opportunity that he leveraged to the fullest.

“I started out this morning doing the same thing I’d been doing all week — using a 1/4-ounce dart head with a Berkley Power Worm,” he said. “I got a random big fish — a 4-pounder — off a point that I had worn out for the last three days. It just happened to be there today.”

Nokes said he and his nonboater got their limits fairly quickly by fishing main-lake points. Unsatisfied with his weight, he knew he needed to make something big happen, so he relocated to Shasta Lake’s Pitt Arm and immediately got to work.

“We rolled in and made a few casts, and they were there,” Nokes said. “We landed on a big topwater bite and the fish were busting shad in the backs of little tiny cuts. We spent about three hours whooping and hollering and catching fish.

“It was a mess; we had tied-up stuff all over the boat, broken lines and baits, but it was fun. We took a long time culling things out and we’d regroup until the fish would come back up somewhere else and we’d go over there and get them.”

Nokes caught his schooling fish on a bone-colored Zara Super Spook. The fish seemed to respond best to a speedy retrieve.

Once he felt comfortable with his day’s productivity, Nokes returned to Bridge Bay Marina early. With a potentially winning limit in his livewell, he was taking no chances.

“We came back down here around 1 o’clock (an hour before weigh-in) and sat at the dock for an hour to make sure we made it in time,” Nokes said.

Smith, who hails from Spokane Valley, Wash., caught a limit that weighed 10-8 and finished with a second-place tournament total of 33-10. He began the final round by focusing on spotted bass early with a River2Sea Whopper Plopper, a Reaction Innovations Vixen and a Lucky Craft Sammy. This pattern yielded one keeper before Smith transitioned to his largemouth pattern.

“After my nonboater got his limit, I ran my largemouth stuff and flipped all day,” Smith said. “I was flipping a Texas-rigged Senko.”

Smith was the top boater for the Idaho B.A.S.S. Nation state team.

Nate Caldwell of Fort Collins, Colo., finished third with 32-3. Topping the Colorado B.A.S.S. Nation state team, Caldwell rose from 26th on Day 1 to eighth on Day 2 before rising to third on the strength of his final-round limit that weighed 11-1.

“I was throwing 3.3 Keitech swimbaits on a 1/4-ounce white head for spawning spotted bass that I couldn’t see,” Caldwell said. “Occasionally, I’d follow up with Ned rigs and drop shots. I caught some nice largemouth in practice, but I abandoned the pattern of running pockets because everyone was doing it. I just played the numbers game and tried to cull up. I caught 75 to 100 fish a day.”

Trevor Scott of Windsor, Co. won the Phoenix Boats Big Bass award with his 7-4.

Jonathan “J.B.” Bryson of Las Vegas, Nev., completed the wire-to-wire victory in the nonboater division with daily weights of 8-3, 7-11 and 5-13 for a tournament total of 21-11. His was a simple strategy of drop shotting a Keitech Easy Shiner to secure a couple of keepers and then switching to a larger drop shot with a 7-inch Zoom Trick Worm.

“My boaters put me on fish, so I just tried to whack as many as I could,” he said. “I wasn’t going for the big giant fish; I was just going for numbers.”

The tactics did produce one big bass, however. Bryson won the Phoenix Boats Big Bass award for the nonboater division with his 4-1.

2019 B.A.S.S. Nation Title Sponsor: TNT Fireworks

2019 B.A.S.S. Nation Platinum Sponsor: Toyota

2019 B.A.S.S. Nation Premier Sponsors: Abu Garcia, Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Skeeter Boats, Talon, Triton Boats, Yamaha

2019 B.A.S.S. Nation Supporting Sponsors: Carhartt, Lowrance, Nationwide, T-H Marine

2019 B.A.S.S. Nation Western Regional Local Host: Bridge Bay Marina and Resort, Redding CA CVB

About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 510,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, BassPro.com Bassmaster Opens Series, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Dave Precht, 205-313-0931, [email protected] | Gettys Brannon, 864-490-7864, [email protected]
2019 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Western Regional 5/8-5/10
Lake Shasta, Redding  CA.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Thomas Nokes           Riverton, UT (UT)       15  33-15  0
2.  Taylor Smith           Spokane Valley, WA (ID) 15  33-10  0
3.  Nate Caldwell          Fort Collins, CO (CO)   15  32-03  0
4.  Cody Hollen            Beaverton, OR (OR)      15  32-01  0
5.  Steve Tosh             Modesto, CA (CA)        15  31-15  0
6.  Keegan Graves          Meridian, ID (ID)       15  31-15  0
7.  Levi McNeill           West Valley City, UT (W 15  31-13  0
8.  Trevor Scott           Windsor, CO (CO)        15  31-09  0
9.  Kory Ray               Lebanon, OR (OR)        15  31-03  0
10. Joe Cole               Coalville, UT (WY)      15  31-02  0
11. Gabriel Litterell      Coer D’Alene, ID (ID)   15  31-00  0
12. Ty Faber               Pagosa Springs, CO (UT) 15  30-06  0
13. Jason Virgil           Hermiston, OR (OR)      15  29-11  0
14. Steve Lund             Glendale, AZ (AZ)       15  29-10  0
15. Kelly Kellogg          Kelso, WA (WA)          15  29-09  0
16. Tate Brown             Orem, UT (UT)           15  29-08  0
17. Timothy Klinger        Boulder City, NV (NV)   15  29-08  0
18. Tim Rawlings           Malad City, ID (WY)     15  29-07  0
19. Kenny Hansel           Los Alamos, NM (NM)     15  29-07  0
20. Zack Holwerda          Maricopa, AZ (AZ)       15  29-00  0
21. Kelvin Ratchford       Kennwick, WA (WA)       15  28-10  0
22. Cole Schneider         Rathdrum, ID (ID)       15  28-08  0
23. Kenneth Cleveland      Bakersfield, CA (CA)    15  28-08  0
24. Tim Johnston           Kalispell , MT (MT)     15  28-07  0
25. Stephen Roth           Kalispell, MT (MT)      15  28-00  0
26. Dick Watson            Alta Loma, CA (NV)      15  26-15  0
27. Charles Cornelison     Placerville, CA (CA)    15  26-10  0
28. Randell Bell           Elephant Butte, NM (NM) 15  24-14  0
29. Jacob Russell          Tucson, AZ (AZ)         10  19-01  0
30. JJ Gibbs IV            Lake Havasu City, AZ (A 10  18-15  0
31. Josh Ragan             Rathdrum, ID (ID)       10  18-14  0
32. Robert Peixotto        Albuquerque, NM (NM)    10  18-13  0
33. Wade Headrick          South Jordan, UT (UT)   10  18-11  0
34. Douglas Jones          North Las Vegas, NV (NV 10  18-10  0
35. Bill Brown             Grand Junction, CO (UT) 10  18-09  0
36. Brian Kennemer         Bakersfield, CA (CA)    10  18-08  0
37. Jay Evans              Missoula, MT (MT)       10  18-08  0
38. Robert Gritski         Pendleton, OR (WA)      10  18-07  0
39. Justin Campbell        Pasco, WA (WA)          10  18-06  0
40. Tyler Ivie             Farr West, UT (UT)      10  18-06  0
41. Bryson Mort            Post Falls, ID (MT)     10  18-05  0
42. Larry Triplett         Castle Rock, CO (CO)    10  18-04  0
43. Frankie Mueller        Kingman, AZ (AZ)        10  18-04  0
44. David Kromm            Kennewick, WA (WA)      10  18-02  0
45. Jason Hickey           Weiser, ID (ID)         10  18-02  0
46. Kevin Melford          Camarillo, CA (CA)      10  17-15  0
47. Christian Gladfelter   Albuquerque, NM (NM)    10  17-14  0
48. David Withee           Pueblo West, CO (CO)    10  17-13  0
49. Brett Felter           Malad, ID (WY)          10  17-12  0
50. Randy Carroll          Litchfield Park, AZ (AZ 10  17-12  0
51. Justin Orr             Elephant, NM (NM)       10  17-12  0
52. Zach Barnes            Boise, ID (ID)          10  17-11  0
53. Nathan Tumelson        Lewiston, ID (ID)       10  17-10  0
54. Tom Geffert            Pine, AZ (AZ)           10  17-07  0
55. Travis Whitney         Kennewick, WA (WA)      10  17-05  0
56. Frank Scarla           McMinnville, OR (OR)    10  17-04  0
57. Stanley Fisher         Trout Creek, MT (MT)    10  17-03  0
58. Mike Borjia            Henderson, NV (NV)      10  17-03  0
59. Josh Marthaller        Salem, OR (OR)          10  17-03  0
60. Gene Batey Jr.         Pasco, WA (WA)          10  17-02  0
61. Kevin Wiggins          Winterheaven, NV (NV)   10  17-02  0
62. Andrew Parsons         Ione, CA (CA)           10  17-02  0
63. Clint Johanson         Benton City, WA (WA)    10  17-00  0
64. Taylor Hulstrom        Pinehurst, ID (ID)      10  16-15  0
65. Greg Mcwhorter         Truth Or Consequences,  10  16-14  0
66. Jason Crone            Kalispell, MT (MT)      10  16-14  0
67. Cory Miller            Lebanon, OR (OR)        10  16-13  0
68. Jake Anderson          Richland, WA (WA)       10  16-13  0
69. Bruce Harris           Oakdale, CA (CA)        10  16-13  0
70. Gregg Price            Farmington, NM (NM)     10  16-12  0
71. Joshua Powell          Libby, MT (MT)          10  16-11  0
72. Ryan Sparks            Beaverton, OR (OR)      10  16-10  0
73. Steven Sepulveda       Oakdale, CA (CA)        10  16-09  0
74. Ron Raymond            Paso Robles, CA (CA)    10  16-09  0
75. Donovan Allphin        Provo, UT (UT)          10  16-08  0
76. Dusten Stewart         Roy, UT (WY)            10  16-03  0
77. Ryan Yamagata          Las Vegas, NV (NV)      10  16-03  0
78. Brent James            St George, UT (NV)      10  16-01  0
79. Stephen Tauriello      Las Vegas, NV (NV)      10  15-15  0
80. Elli Hubbard           Las Vegas, NV (NV)      10  15-15  0
81. Mark Hilyer            Libby, MT (MT)          10  15-15  0
82. Raymond Archer         Greeley, CO (CO)        10  15-15  0
83. Dan Jordan             Camas, WA (OR)          10  15-12  0
84. Rick Mason             Glendale, AZ (AZ)       10  15-12  0
85. Patrick Davis          Henderson, NV (NV)      10  15-11  0
86. Mark Warren            Kiowa, CO (CO)          10  15-10  0
87. Scott Rich             Ogden, UT (WY)          10  15-09  0
88. Chad Hullinger         West Valley, UT (WY)    10  15-08  0
89. Andrew Miller          Los Lunas, NM (NM)      10  15-06  0
90. Kevin Ford             Eugene, OR (OR)         10  15-06  0
91. Stephen Way            Security, CO (CO)       10  15-04  0
92. Brent Shores           Boise, ID (WY)          10  15-03  0
93. Paul Morley            Kaysville, UT (UT)      10  15-03  0
94. Brent Daybell          West Jordan, UT (WY)    10  15-00  0
95. Dave Lee               Mesa, AZ (AZ)           10  14-13  0
96. Shawn Hilton           Phoenix, AZ (AZ)        10  14-13  0
97. Jason Hemminger        Oxnard, CA (CA)         10  14-12  0
97. Steve Zumwalt          El Paso, TX (NM)        10  14-12  0
99. Perry Flot             Lasalle, CO (CO)        10  14-07  0
100. Mike Larsen            Bluffdale, UT (UT)      10  14-05  0
101. Chase Colby            St. George, UT (UT)     10  14-05  0
102. Robert Christensen     Wallace, ID (MT)        10  14-03  0
103. Jon Webb               Centennial, CO (CO)     10  14-02  0
104. Derek Phillips         Larkspur, CO (CO)       10  14-00  0
105. Ron Wiseman            Pendleton, OR (OR)      10  13-10  0
106. Tracy Dursteler        Blackfoot, ID (WY)      10  13-09  0
107. Jake Boomer            Spokane Valley, WA (ID) 10  13-06  0
108. Richard Cowley         Columbia Falls, MT (MT) 10  13-04  0
109. Earl Conway            Albuquerque, NM (NM)    10  12-13  0
110. Travis Archer          Covington, WA (WA)      5  12-00  0
———————————————————————–

———————————————————————–
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1       110      550       988-14
2       109      545       934-15
3       28       140       265-08
———————————-
247      1235      2189-05

2019 TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Western Regional 5/8-5/10
Lake Shasta, Redding  CA.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 3

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Jonathan Bryson        Las Vegas, NV (NV)      9  21-11  0
2.  Ryan Gutierrez         Weiser, ID (ID)         9  20-10  0
3.  Kody Johnson           San Tan Valley, AZ (AZ) 9  19-05  0
4.  Stanley Beebe          San Luis obispo, CA (CA 9  19-04  0
5.  Luke Johns             Folsom, CA (CA)         9  19-03  0
6.  Gary Schipporeit       Westminster, CO (CO)    9  19-01  0
7.  Luke Davidson          Centennial , CO (CO)    9  18-07  0
8.  Brad Hauf              Elephant Butte, NM (NM) 9  18-07  0
9.  Addam Gross            Pendleton, OR (WA)      9  18-07  0
10. Nathan Pratt           Albuquerque, NM (NM)    9  18-07  0
11. Andy Hackett           Colorado Springs, CO (C 9  18-02  0
12. James Hollingshead     Clarkston, WA (WA)      9  18-02  0
13. Austin Johnson         Noxon, MT (MT)          9  17-14  0
14. Scott Seros            Bend, OR (OR)           9  17-12  0
15. Stephen Kujawa         Libby, MT (MT)          9  17-12  0
16. Kyle Graham            North Ogden, UT (WY)    9  17-11  0
17. Dave Cole              Roy, UT (WY)            9  17-10  0
18. Greg Pink              Montrose, CO (UT)       9  17-04  0
19. Jake Weaver            Columbia Falls, MT (MT) 9  17-02  0
20. Jesse Ortega           Las Vegas, NV (NV)      9  17-02  0
21. Jordan Schwartzkopf    Peoria, AZ (AZ)         9  17-01  0
22. Don Evans              Canon City, CO (CO)     9  17-00  0
23. Jared Hoffman          Coeur D’alene, ID (ID)  9  17-00  0
24. Marc Caldwell          Rifle, CO (UT)          9  16-15  0
25. Nick Wood              Yreka, CA (OR)          9  16-08  0
26. Chris Gilkison         Bakersfield, CA (CA)    9  16-04  0
27. Jake Morrison          Scottsdale, AZ (AZ)     9  15-10  0
28. Justin Dodd            Kennewick, WA (WA)      9  15-04  0
29. Michael Hill           Carlsbad, NM (NM)       6  11-08  0
30. Andrew Ingold          Missoula, MT (MT)       6  11-07  0
31. Josh Unruh             Sparks, NV (WY)         6  11-07  0
32. Jesse Boggs            Mountain Home, ID (ID)  6  11-06  0
33. Brian Velasquez        Yuma, AZ (AZ)           6  11-05  0
34. Riley Hansen           Park City, UT (UT)      6  11-05  0
35. Randy Austin           Cedar City, UT (UT)     6  11-04  0
36. Jason Billmaier        Las Vegas, NV (NV)      6  11-04  0
37. Kong Moua              Sacramento, CA (CA)     6  11-01  0
38. Jeremy Stewart         Clinton, UT (WY)        6  11-00  0
39. Ryan Morford           Coeur D’ Alene, ID (ID) 6  11-00  0
40. Joshua Needleman       Napa, CA (CA)           6  10-14  0
41. Mark Faber             Pagosa Springs, CO (UT) 6  10-14  0
42. Chuck Harrison         Ft Collins, CO (CO)     6  10-14  0
43. Chris Fisher           Moriarty, NM (NM)       6  10-13  0
44. Christopher Campbell   Kalispell, MT (MT)      6  10-11  0
45. Waylon Reynolds        Jarales, NM (NM)        6  10-11  0
46. Mark Shepard           Kaysville, CO (UT)      6  10-10  0
47. Robert Maglio          Kennewick, WA (WA)      6  10-09  0
48. Andrew Hays            Henderson, NV (NV)      6  10-08  0
49. Jim Mclaughlin         Bakersfield, CA (CA)    6  10-07  0
50. Michael Simon Sr.      Henderson, NV (NV)      6  10-07  0
51. Bobby Preece           Las Cruces, NM (NM)     6  10-06  0
52. Jess Pottenger         Harrison, ID (ID)       6  10-05  0
53. Garry Harner           Milliken, CO (CO)       6  10-05  0
54. Clint Everett          Surprise, AZ (AZ)       6  10-04  0
55. Clif Gallagher         Lehi, UT (WY)           6  10-04  0
56. Colton Crawford        Mcminnville, OR (OR)    6  10-04  0
57. Dan Skillings          Bend, OR (OR)           6  10-04  0
58. Jerry Lake             Cottage Grove, OR (OR)  6  10-03  0
59. Jon Pollock            Lakewood, CO (CO)       6  10-03  0
60. Austin Bentz           Hermiston, OR (OR)      6  10-02  0
61. Tim Meeks              Elk Grove, CA (CA)      6  10-02  0
61. Wesley Tanner          Missoula, MT (MT)       6  10-02  0
63. Chaunteil` Carte       Damascus, OR (WY)       6  10-00  0
64. Clay Williams          Athol, ID (ID)          6  10-00  0
65. Nathanial Kimberling   Coeur D Alene, ID (ID)  6  09-15  0
66. Michael Rathe          Colorado Springs, CO (C 6  09-15  0
67. Katie Tanner           Coeur D’alene, ID (MT)  6  09-14  0
68. KC Stone               Farr West, UT (UT)      6  09-14  0
69. John Steinhilber       Santa Barbra, CA (CA)   6  09-12  0
70. Cody Steckel           Las Vegas, NV (NV)      6  09-12  0
71. Nick Andrews           Roy, UT (WY)            6  09-12  0
72. Dean Yamagata          Las Vegas, NV (NV)      6  09-11  0
73. Zach Taylor            Kimberly, ID (UT)       6  09-11  0
74. Lane Robinson          Hayden, ID (ID)         6  09-11  0
75. Mike Liska             Espanola, NM (NM)       6  09-10  0
76. Jakobe Akins           Coeur D Alene, ID (ID)  6  09-09  0
77. Walter Haltom          Malad City, ID (UT)     6  09-09  0
78. Kenneth Sitton         Albany, OR (OR)         6  09-08  0
79. Nicholas Forbush       Heber, UT (WY)          6  09-08  0
80. Richard Sainz          Truth Or Conquenses, NM 6  09-08  0
81. Toby Tafoya            Gallup, NM (NM)         6  09-08  0
82. Joel Skinner           Glendale, AZ (AZ)       6  09-07  0
83. Richard Hoitinga       Buckeye, AZ (AZ)        6  09-06  0
84. James Robey            Pasco, WA (WA)          6  09-06  0
85. David Vega             McCammon , ID (WY)      6  09-06  0
86. Skyler Keeton          Pasco, WA (WA)          6  09-03  0
87. Jose Torres            Tucson, AZ (AZ)         6  09-01  0
88. Steve Larsen           Henderson, NV (NV)      6  09-01  0
89. Scott Jamison          Burbank, WA (WA)        6  09-01  0
90. Ronald Chambers        Tonto Basin, AZ (AZ)    6  08-15  0
91. Jake Hansen            Bozeman, MT (MT)        6  08-15  0
92. Sean Sullivan          Henderson, NV (NV)      6  08-14  0
93. Justin Whisler         Bonney Lake, WA (WA)    6  08-13  0
94. Tom Mcart Jr           Albany, OR (OR)         6  08-12  0
95. Steven Mazur           Lolo, MT (MT)           6  08-12  0
96. Matthew Antonich       Post Falls, ID (ID)     6  08-10  0
97. Robert Beck            Keizer, OR (OR)         6  08-10  0
98. Greg Jager             Kennewick, WA (WA)      6  08-08  0
99. Micah Hart             West Richland, WA (WA)  6  08-05  0
100. Keith Truett           Lebanon, OR (OR)        6  08-05  0
101. Mel Biggs              Manteca, CA (CA)        6  08-03  0
102. Mark Torrez            Camarillo, CA (CA)      6  08-03  0
103. Steve Mawson           Mesa, AZ (AZ)           6  08-03  0
104. Lee Johnson            Artesia, NM (NM)        6  07-13  0
105. Bryan Crosby           Clinton, UT (UT)        6  07-10  0
106. Chris Harvey           Idaho Falls, ID (WY)    6  07-09  0
107. John Romanin           Wolcott, CO (CO)        6  07-01  0
108. Lynn Irwin             Las Vegas, NV (NV)      6  06-09  0
109. Sheldon Jones          Missoula, MT (MT)       4  05-12  0
110. Cody Ralph             Thornton, CO (CO)       3  04-14  0