OROVILLE, Calif. – With Oroville’s recent triple digit air temps in the rearview, and low 90’s as the prevailing forecast, the BAM Pro Tour blasted off today for the 4th and final event of the 2024 season at the Thermalito Afterbay stop presented by the Oroville Chamber of Commerce and Gold Country Casino.
As scales closed on the first day of competition, Ish Monroe of Oakdale, Calif. claimed the lead by both the heaviest weight of 22.02 and the highest number of scorable bass at 11.
“I got to go out there and fish the way that I love to fish – shallow,” said Monroe. “It’s always fun when you get to catch’ em, how you want to catch ‘em.”
Although Monroe didn’t divulge details about his bass catching’ methods, followers could presume that if he went with what he is known for, Monroe leaned on a flippin’ stick, and possibly a frog rod. The same methods that were credited by fellow NorCal anglers Bill O’Shinn from Auburn, sitting in 2nd and Ken Mah of Elk Grove, currently in 3rd.
O’Shinn Flips Nine Scorables
In the alternating Five Biggest / Keeper Count leaderboard, O’Shinn’s nine scorable bass put him just behind Monroe. His five biggest went 12.58 and he caught them all flippin’.
“I rotated between three tule berms all day,” said O’Shinn. “I had to make exact casts – slow down and make every cast count.”
Mah Breaks 20 Pounds
By weight, Mah filled out the top-three on the alternating Five Biggest / Keeper Count leaderboard with 20.96 for eight scorables.
He noted that the fishery setup much like a cross between his home water the – California Delta and the famed big bass fishery – Clear Lake.
“Today they were pulling a lot of water, so it was similar to a tide; and that plays to my strengths,” Mah shared. “I can power fish, put a flippin’ stick in my hand, throw a lot of topwater and that’s basically what I did.”
After a 30 day off-limits, this three-day bass battle just may be turning into a flip fest. More will be revealed tomorrow, as the last day of the full field will be whittled to the top-10 for Championship Sunday.
The results will determine the final addition of points to the Angler of the Year (AOY) standings as well as the qualification in the 2024 Tournament of Champions (TOC), set to take place on the 1000 miles of waterways known as the California Delta.
Note: BAM Pro Tour anglers are ranked in Pro Tour events by both the heaviest five fish limit (Weight) and numbers of scorable bass caught (Keepers).
First place is held by the angler with the five heaviest bass and second place is the highest keeper count. The standings then continue to alternate by weight/keepers.
Anglers ranked by weight on the leaderboard are denoted with an asterisk.
Anglers add to both of their Day One rankings on Day Two as an accumulated two-day total. Once both days are tallied, the field is cut to the top-10, all results are zero-ed out and the final 10 anglers fish for the five heaviest bass on Day Three to determine the champion.
Place Angler Big Fish/Day 1 Weight/Keepers Day 1
- 1 Ish Monroe *22.02 11
- 2 Bill O’Shinn 12.58 *9
- 3 Ken Mah *20.96 8
- 4 Luke Johns 16.65 *8
- 5 Jason Bradshaw 7.19 *19.67 5
- 6 Nicholas Cloutier 14.56 *8
- 7 Hayden Lee *16.59 5
- 8 Colby Pearson 13.29 *6
- 9 Jason Austin *12.45 5
- 10 Greg Gutierrez 9.72 *4
Full Results 2024 BAM Pro Tour Thermalito Afterbay Day One
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The Bass Boat Technologies televised BAM Pro Tour at the Oroville Afterbay is presented by Tackle Warehouse, Gold Country Casino and the Oroville Chamber of Commerce
About BAM Tournament Trail
About BAM Tournament TrailThe Bass Angler Magazine Tournament Trail (BAM TT) provides an exceptional platform for both anglers and sponsors. It combines extensive exposure opportunities, celebrating the skills of western bass anglers. The circuit receives broad media coverage across print and online magazines, emails, podcast, websites, videos, television, and multiple social media channels.
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