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Vandenberg fishermen win at local bass tournament
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Two off-duty Vandenberg fishermen recently earned the first-place spot at the Pacific Coast Region's American Bass team tournament at Cachuma Lake near Santa Barbara on March 20.
Master Sgt. Dean Krambeck, a 576th Flight Test Squadron NCO in charge, and Calvin Long, a 30th Logistics Readiness Squadron unit deployment manager, teamed up to win the monthly tournament and the $2,692 cash prize.
The Pacific Coast Region's American Bass tournament is a day-long competitive bass fishing event open to all American Bass members. Two-person teams compete to that catch the five heaviest largemouth or smallmouth bass fish; the team with the highest combined weight wins the tournament.
"We competed against some really good teams, including professional fishermen and teams who have fished Cachuma Lake their entire lives," said Sergeant Krambeck, who has fished with Mr. Long for approximately five years. "Most of the fishermen in the tournament had more experience than we did."
Although lacking in experience, the fishermen duo from Vandenberg reeled in approximately 15 bass. They turned in their best five fish for a combined weight of 12.94 pounds. With the points they received for the win, the team is now preparing to compete in other tournaments for the chance to be selected to participate in the American Bass's championship team tournament held at the at the end of the year.
"We practice several days before the beginning of each tournament by scouting different areas of the lake to fish, trying new baits and figuring out the depth of the fish during different times of the day," said Mr. Long, who started fishing with Sergeant Krambeck at the Gold Coast Bass Club in Santa Maria. "Once this is accomplished, we compile our notes, discuss what we've learned and come up with a game plan for an upcoming tournament."
Sergeant Krambeck and Mr. Long are currently preparing for the next regional American Bass tournament at Lopez Lake near Arroyo Grande April 10.