WCBA Parker Strip Tournament Recap 10/16-17/2026

The first annual Duel in the Desert brought the West Coast Bass Anglers to Parker Strip, Arizona, for a two-day tournament that tested seven teams against a new fishery, changing conditions, and the kind of current that can make a familiar-looking body of water fish entirely differently.

Parker felt a little like Lake Havasu’s younger brother. Same general desert-country scenery, plenty of rocky structure, tules and docks and enough moving water to keep anglers thinking about current breaks, eddies, and where the bass might be waiting for an easy meal.

Seven teams blasted off Friday morning into a cool desert breeze, ready to find out what the Colorado River had in store.

Some teams arrived with a little more homework behind them than others. Fresh off representing WCBA at the US Open on Lake Mead, several anglers had spent much of the week pre-fishing Parker, trying to put together a pattern that would hold up over two tournament days. Dr. Randy Estrada deserves special recognition for his commitment, driving from Las Vegas back to Los Angeles and then heading right back out to Parker. That’s a whole lot of windshield time in pursuit of a few green fish.

Other teams arrived the day before, squeezed in a few hours of pre-fishing, and hoped they’d learned enough to make it count.

Then Friday arrived, the conditions changed, and some of those promising practice patterns and productive baits became a lot less appealing.

Welcome to tournament fishing.

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🏆 G-BOY AND JEFF CROSBY FOR THE WIN

Some teams spend two days chasing the leaderboard. Others show up and spend the weekend making everyone else chase them.

Team Gerald Sowers and Jeff Crosby did the latter.

G-Boy and Jeff put together a commanding first day with 16.13 pounds, including a 4.87-pound kicker caught by Crosby. They followed that up with another 14.15 pounds on Saturday to finish with 30.28 pounds over two days, good enough for the victory.

The winning formula? Crankbaits, and plenty of them. Both days, the team leaned heavily on cranking to build its bags, with much of the damage coming from a relatively small area in the grass.

Sometimes the secret isn’t finding a hundred places to fish. It’s finding the right place and figuring out how to make it produce, especially when your boat is out of commission the first day, but Jeff saved the day by launching the red Phenix for Day 2’s approach.

For Gerald, the victory also made it two straight first-place finishes after his win with Mikey at Lake Silverwood. The last time WCBA saw back-to-back tournament victories, The Stick had accomplished the feat earlier in the season. Now G-Boy has joined that club.

Congratulations to Gerald and Jeff on an outstanding weekend. The first Duel in the Desert trophy has a home, and they earned every bit of it.

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🥈 THE RACE FOR SECOND CAME DOWN TO THE FINAL DAY

While Gerald and Jeff controlled the top of the leaderboard, the fight for the remaining podium spots was a different story.

Team Frank Schwamborn and Mark Chadeayne came out swinging Friday, putting up 14.45 pounds to sit second after Day 1. They followed it with another 14.80 pounds on Saturday, finishing with 29.25 pounds and holding on to second place.

Behind them, Team Dave Mendez and Abraham “GLoomis” put together a strong weekend of their own. Their 12.23-pound opening bag kept them in the conversation, and they added 14.46 pounds on Saturday to finish with 26.69 pounds. Apparently flipping Ikas in the tules has it’s merits.

Abraham also delivered the weekend’s biggest fish on Day 2, a 5.12-pound bass that helped propel the team past Dr. Randy Estrada and Miguel Lizarraga in the final standings, who were sitting in 3rd after the first day

Doc and Mikey had 12.53 pounds on Friday and another 11.41 pounds on Saturday, good for 23.94 pounds and fourth place. A respectable two-day total, but the big fish from Team Mendez and GLoomis helped swing the final podium battle in their favor.

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😅 PARKER DELIVERED THE DRAMA, TOO

Tournament weekends rarely go entirely according to plan, and Parker made sure WCBA got its share of unexpected moments.

Team Rory Parker and Dan “Pops” Colgan had a particularly eventful second day. Pops took an unscheduled trip off Rory’s chair and sustained an injury, leaving Rory’s wife to step in and finish out the day.

We hope Pops is doing well. As for Rory, that’s one way to introduce a substitute angler to tournament pressure.

The team still managed to bring its two-day total to 13.70 pounds, finishing sixth overall.

The rest of the field had its own battles to work through. Team Chris Graciano and Sherman Wray finished with 9.66 pounds after a dead-fish penalty, while Team Albert Medina and Eddie Roblero brought home 18.05 pounds over the two days.

Seven teams, two days, and a river that didn’t owe anybody a thing.

That’s a pretty good way to spend a weekend.

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📊 TOURNAMENT METRICS

Teams Entered 7	Tournament Days 2
Total Fish Weighed 63	Combined Weight 151.57 lbs
Day 1 Total 69.19 lbs	Day 2 Total 82.38 lbs
Average Weight per Team — Two Days 21.65 lbs
Average Weight per Fish 2.41 lbs

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🥇 DAY 1 STANDINGS — FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16

Team	Fish	Weight	Big Fish
Gerald Sowers / Jeff Crosby	5	16.13 lbs	4.87 lbs
Frank Schwamborn / Mark Chadeayne	5	14.45 lbs	—
Dr. Randy Estrada / Miguel Lizarraga	5	12.53 lbs	—
Dave Mendez / Abraham “GLoomis”	5	12.23 lbs	—
Albert Medina / Eddie Roblero	5	7.59 lbs	—
Chris Graciano / Sherman Wray	3	4.09 lbs	—
Rory Parker / Dan “Pops” Colgan	1	2.17 lbs	—

Day 1 Big Fish: 4.87 lbs, caught by Jeff Crosby.

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🥈 DAY 2 STANDINGS — SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17

Team	Fish	Weight	Big Fish
Frank Schwamborn / Mark Chadeayne	5	14.80 lbs	—
Dave Mendez / Abraham “GLoomis”	5	14.46 lbs	5.12 lbs
Gerald Sowers / Jeff Crosby	5	14.15 lbs	—
Rory Parker / Dan “Pops” Colgan	5	11.53 lbs	—
Dr. Randy Estrada / Miguel Lizarraga	5	11.41 lbs	—
Albert Medina / Eddie Roblero	5	10.46 lbs	—
Chris Graciano / Sherman Wray	4	5.57 lbs	—

Day 2 Big Fish: 5.12 lbs, caught by Abraham “GLoomis” Mendez.

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🏆 FINAL TWO-DAY STANDINGS

Place	Team	Fish	Total Weight
🥇 1	Gerald Sowers / Jeff Crosby	10	30.28 lbs
🥈 2	Frank Schwamborn / Mark Chadeayne	10	29.25 lbs
🥉 3	Dave Mendez / Abraham “GLoomis”	10	26.69 lbs
4	Dr. Randy Estrada / Miguel Lizarraga	10	23.94 lbs
5	Albert Medina / Eddie Roblero	10	18.05 lbs
6	Rory Parker / Dan “Pops” Colgan	6	13.70 lbs
7	Chris Graciano / Sherman Wray	7*	9.66 lbs

*Team Graciano / Wray incurred a dead-fish penalty.

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🌦️ WEATHER CONDITIONS — PARKER, ARIZONA

FRIDAY · OCTOBER 16 89°F High: 89.1°F Low: 59.9°F Peak wind: 21 mph

SATURDAY · OCTOBER 17 82°F High: 82.0°F Low: 61.0°F Peak wind: 8.3 mph

Friday warmed considerably through the day, with stronger winds reported at the weather station. Saturday was cooler, with much lighter winds. Neither day recorded precipitation at the station.

Weather figures represent daily observations from the Parker-area weather station, not measurements taken directly at the launch ramp or on the water.

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📝 CLOSING NOTES

Congratulations again to Gerald Sowers and Jeff Crosby, the champions of WCBA’s first annual Duel in the Desert. Two days of consistent fishing, a strong crankbait pattern, and the discipline to keep working productive water put them at the top of the field from start to finish.

Congratulations as well to Frank and Mark on their second-place finish, and Dave and GLoomis on rounding out the podium with a big-fish performance on Saturday.

Thanks to all seven teams who made the trip to Parker and helped make the first Duel in the Desert a success. Between the fishing, the changing conditions, and the unexpected adventures, it was a weekend that gave everybody something to talk about on the drive home.

And Pops, we’re pulling for a speedy recovery. Next time, let’s try to keep the excitement in the boat and off the floor.

Until the next one, tight lines.