Some fishermen are lucky. Others are just plain good. On July 20, some of the best that Cortez has to offer took to McPhee Reservoir to compete in a bass tournament hosted by the Cortez BassMasters.
The local BassMaster's tournament was the fifth of six tournaments in the 2013 season. Ten contestants participated and overall, the fishing was good.
"Even though the lake is low, the fishing is fine right now," said contestant Mike McAndrews. "Most of the fish were caught in the morning. Once the sun got on the lake, the fishing slowed down."
Terry Belden won the tournament with a five-fish total weight of 7.45 pounds. Thad Trujillo finished second with a total of 3.45 pounds, and Joe Stevens placed third with a total weight of 3.31 pounds.
The big fish prize was won by Belden who landed a bass weighing 2.75 pounds.
The tournament left anglers looking ahead to the season-ending tournament Aug. 24.
"Overall, the tournament went well," said McAndrew. "We're really looking forward to the last tournament of the year. Fishermen will be camping in the House Creek Campground. It's going to be a lot of fun."
For more information about the tournament or the Cortez BassMasters, Call McAndrews at (970) 749-2422.
