Alfredo Jimenez hoisted the championship plaque over his head.

"I was shaking," said Alfredo, who will be a junior at Central Valley High School this fall. "I thought I was going to faint. It's crazy how we won it by just two ounces."

Jimenez finished in first place while partnering with Clear Lake's Steve Wilson at the 18th Annual C.O. Pro-Teen Classic on the California Delta last month.

The July 19 bass tournament got underway at 6 a.m.

"I was pretty nervous," said 16-year-old Jimenez. "I knew some of the kids in the tournament. They're really into fishing. They have more experience than me."

A relative newcomer to fishing, Jimenez surprised himself.

"This is my fourth tournament," he said. "I didn't think I was going to take first place. I was pretty surprised. It was a great experience. I learned a lot from him (Wilson). He gave me some tips."

Jimenez's and Wilson's combined weight for their five fish was 20.53 pounds.

"I was really confident in the bait I was throwing," Alfredo said.

Jimenez snagged a 7-pound bass with a swim jig.

"I set the hook and it was on," he said. "I didn't give him a chance to fight."

The weigh-in was staged at Russo's Marina, Bethel Island.

Alfredo had trouble containing his nerves.

"I had high expectations," he said. "I wanted to finish in the top five."

Jimenez and Wilson topped 69 other teams.

Jimenez and Wilson edged out Brandyn Weis and John Clark.

Weis, a 2015 Central Valley grad, and Clark totaled 20.23 pounds.

"It's pretty cool two kids from Central Valley placed first and second," Alfredo said.

Jimenez and Weis both represented their school at the 2015 Student Angler Federation (SAF) State Championship Tournament on May 10.

Alfredo was part of a two-person team that finished in 23rd place.

Brandyn and his partner took 10th.

"I've only been fishing for a year," Jimenez said. "A lot of the kids out there are not new to the sport. Their dads and grandfathers fish. Nobody in my family does."
Alfredo will compete in an SAF event this month.

"I've been putting a lot of time and money into the sport for the past year," Jimenez said. "It paid off this tournament. I'm really anxious to win another one. It's an addictive thing. I like being outdoors, having fun and learning new stuff. Every cast you make, you never know what you're going to reel in. If you lose hope out there, you're not going to be successful."