WCBA Lake Silverwood Tournament Recap 9/26/2026
San Bernardino County welcomed the West Coast Bass Anglers to Lake Silverwood on a cool Saturday morning. Dare we say it almost felt like the beginning of fall.
Ten teams made the trip to the mountains, spending part of the morning playing Russian roulette on the side of Highway 138 before finally getting the boats launched around 6 a.m. Morning temperatures were a cool 62 degrees, with a bit of wind already making its presence known. That’s nothing unusual for this higher-elevation lake, and the breeze eventually picked up as the day progressed.
Unfortunately, for most of the field, the wind didn’t seem to contribute to the kind of wind-driven bite we’d hoped to find.
Some teams found a topwater bite early, including Team Compa Chris and Logan Van Olphen. Team G-Boy and Miguelito got on them quickly, too. Too bad we can’t bring nine-inch stripers to the scales.
After missing a subtle bite on a jig early on, I picked up a jig rod and went to work. It turned out to be a decision worth sticking with.
At the end of the day, Team G-Boy and Miguelito figured they were somewhere in the middle of the pack. The general attitude aboard the Champion that afternoon was pretty simple: “If we’re in the money, I’ll be more than happy.”
Turns out, 11.53 pounds was enough to take first place.
Team Dr. Randy Estrada and Anthony Muro finished second with 10.74 pounds, while Team Joe Nava and Eddie Roblero captured third with 10.08 pounds. Joe and Eddie were just one cull away from moving up another spot.
And Eddie had another reason to celebrate, taking Big Fish honors with a 5.16-pound bass. That’s a good Silverwood fish, and it wasn’t a bluegill!
📊 TOURNAMENT METRICS
- Teams Entered: 10
- Teams Weighing In: 9
- Total Fish Weighed: 38
- Total Weight: 64.95 lbs
- Average Weight per Weigh-In Team: 7.22 lbs
- Average Fish Weight: 1.71 lbs
- Five-Fish Limits: 5 of 9 Weigh-In Teams
🏆 FINAL STANDINGS
| Team | Fish | Weight | Big Fish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miguel Lizarraga / Gerald Sowers | 5 | 11.53 lbs | – |
| Dr. Randy Estrada / Anthony Muro | 5 | 10.74 lbs | – |
| Joe Nava / Eddie Roblero | 5 (1 Dead) | 10.08 lbs | 🐟 5.16 lbs |
| David Mendez / Jonathan Gauthier | 5 | 7.42 lbs | – |
| Chris Graciano / Logan Van Olphen | 5 | 7.22 lbs | – |
| Gil Bowman / Sly’Hoar | 4 | 5.83 lbs | – |
| John Diaz / Scott Warren | 4 | 5.75 lbs | – |
| Frank Schwamborn / Dan “Pops” Colgan | 3 | 3.54 lbs | – |
| Rory Parker / Sherman Wray | 2 | 2.84 lbs | – |
Ed Cazares and Thomas Riley did not weigh in.
🌦️ WEATHER CONDITIONS & BAROMETER
- Launch Temperature: Approximately 62°F, as reported at the lake
- Daytime High: Approximately 84°F in the surrounding area
- Morning Conditions: Cool, with a fall-like feel to the early morning air
- Afternoon Conditions: Warmer as the day progressed
- Wind: Some wind was already present at launch, with conditions becoming breezier later in the day
- Barometric Pressure at Launch: Approximately 29.88 inHg,
🌊 WATER CONDITIONS
- Some areas clear with 5 foot visibility
- Wind created muddy banks in some areas throughout the afternoon
🎣 PATTERN & BITE
Most of the teams we spoke with struggled to find anything resembling a reaction bite. That was a little surprising, considering the fish should be transitioning toward fall and beginning to feed more aggressively.
Early topwater action gave some anglers a reason to be optimistic. Team Compa Chris and Logan Van Olphen found fish willing to come up, while Team G-Boy and Miguelito also got into the action early. Unfortunately, a few of those early encounters involved stripers that would have been impressive fish anywhere except at a bass tournament weigh-in, and fuck those things and their spines.
As the morning progressed, the search for quality bass became the primary objective.
With the wind coming up, anglers tried the usual suspects: wind-blown points, crankbaits, spinnerbaits and chatterbaits around structure. Despite the seasonal transition toward fall, the aggressive reaction bite many anglers anticipated simply wasn’t there.
The winning team’s approach was considerably less complicated.
Jigs were worked around rocky structure in roughly 15 feet of water, particularly in areas with quick access to deeper water. The bite wasn’t especially aggressive, but it was consistent enough to keep the presentation in play throughout much of the day.
The Ika also accounted for a few fish, but those fish didn’t quite measure up to the quality being produced on the jig.
🐟 BIG FISH
5.16 lbs – Eddie “Bluegill” Roblero
📝 CLOSING NOTES
Congratulations to Team Sowers and Lizarraga on taking first place at Lake Silverwood with 11.53 pounds. Dr. Randy Estrada and Anthony Muro finished second with 10.74 pounds, followed by Joe Nava and Eddie Roblero in third with 10.08 pounds. Eddie also claimed Big Fish honors with his 5.16-pound kicker.
A big thanks to everyone who made the trip and helped keep another WCBA tournament running. Silverwood delivered another challenging but fun day of fishing, some unexpected results, and a reminder that the fish don’t always cooperate with whatever game plan we bring to the lake.
Then, just to make sure the day didn’t end quietly, there was the little matter of a wildfire along the way out of the park.
Nothing says Southern California fishing quite like spending the morning catching bass and the afternoon watching the landscape light up for entirely different reasons.
Next month, WCBA heads east to Parker, Arizona, for the two-day tournament. The target is those elusive four-pound smallmouth, the kind of fish that can change the standings in a hurry.
Let’s hope the river is on fire for all the right reasons.
We’ll see everyone at the next meeting.
