NAPA, Calif. – Joe Mariani from Winters, Calif. held the top spot on the pro angler leaderboard at the 2024 BAM Pro/Am Tournament of Champions (TOC), adding a Day Two limit of 19.87 to his Day One weight of 22.38 for a two-day total of 42.25. Just over two-pounds separates Mariani from the 22 other pro qualifiers competing at Lake Berryessa.
The top-10 have one final day of fish catching in the three-day event which will crown the champion on Sunday and award the first place prize that include a new Bass Cat Boat, Mercury, Garmin Eternal Lithium package.
Mariani felt the conditions made the bite on Day Two a bit tougher for him.
“High pressure and north wind on Berryessa always make it tougher,” he noted. I didn’t start catching ‘em until 10:00 or 11:00 am. They started moving up when the weather warmed up.
“I was primarily doing two things and after 10:00 am, I started dragging a jig around and that changed things.”
He believes stable weather will help him on Day Three; but he is not certain he will break the 20-pound mark as he did on Day One.
“Hopefully, I didn’t beat up my spots too bad,” he said. “I never really hit anything too hard. I’ve been bouncing around. One big bite tomorrow will make the difference for either of us. If I catch 17- or 18-pounds, I will be pretty happy, and anything over 20 will be really good.”
Mark White Extends Co Lead
Sacking up the biggest bag on the co side again for Day Two at 18.16, Mark White of Napa, Calif. topped the co-angler field with a two-day weight of 37.52. However, White is not resting on his nearly seven-pound lead.
“It feels good to have that kind of a lead; but knowing this lake, it’s anybody’s game,” he remarked.
White was paired with Greg “Double G” Gutierrez of Red Bluff, Calif. for Day Two and was pleased with their complementary fishing methods.
“Greg was fishing a very similar style to how I caught my fish the first day; so that provided me with several good opportunities,” he shared.
White relied on a jig and targeted both shallow and deeper water.
“The shallowest fish was in 10-feet and the deepest was 35-feet; so, it’s a big span of water that I am fishing,” he said.
White will be paired with Mariani for Championship Sunday and hopes to reel in at least 15-pounds.
Best of the Rest
Pros
Rank/Angler/# Of Fish/Big/Day 1/Day 2/Day 3 Total
1 Joe Mariani 05.71 22.38 19.87 42.25
2 Ryan Hall 6.28* 18.60 21.44 40.04
3 Asher Haynes 05.65 20.74 15.12 35.86
4 Chris Parks 05.27 15.74 18.31 34.05
5 Steve Hoover 18.03 15.70 33.73
6 Antonio Gold 05.82 10.04 21.26 31.30
7 Mark Crutcher 16.33 13.26 29.59
8 William Ponting 05.60 16.53 11.94 28.47
9 Kenneth Cleveland 14.95 13.35 28.30
10 Gregory Troughton 16.22 11.67 27.89
Cos
Rank/Angler/# Of Fish/Big/Day 1/Day 2/Day 3 Total
1 Mark White 06.40 19.36 18.16 37.52
2 Dante Ray 05.18 18.85 11.95 30.80
3 Kirk Marshall 04.94 17.11 11.88 28.99
4 Chris Trumbull 6.99* 19.08 09.74 28.82
5 Ugene Downing 13.17 13.30 26.47
6 Craig Main 04.14 15.45 10.99 26.44
7 Randy Marshall 05.02 11.55 14.42 25.97
8 Joe Cote 13.23 12.51 25.74
9 Rick O’callahan 08.43 17.28 25.71
10 Will Wyman 12.90 10.01 22.91
BAM Trail Pro Am Championship – Lake Berryessa Nov 15 – 17 2024
Daily weigh-ins at Steele Canyon Park 3:00 PM
Saturday afternoon we will announce the Tackle Warehouse, Bass Boat Technologies and Garmin Contingencies winners.
Sunday afternoon we will crown a champion and give away a brand-new Bass Cat, Mercury, Garmin, Eternal Lithium boat package.
About BAM Tournament Trail
The 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.
Proud Sponsors of the BAM Tournament Trail: Bass Boat Technologies, Tackle Warehouse, Boardman Chamber, Garmin, StorQuest, and, Bass Cat Boats, Ford Fairfield, Dish – Accel Marketing, Power Pole, Mercury Outboards, Bob’s Machine, Wood Bros, Sticky Graphics, Jean Deleonardi Real Estate, Valley Outdoors, Eternal Lithium and, Alpha Angler Rods, and our conservation sponsor Fisherman’s Warehouse.
BAM’s Esteemed Tourism Sponsors: the Boardman Chamber, City of Oakley, the Lake Almanor Chamber, and the Feather River Tourism Association.
The BAM Tournament Trail features the BAM Pro Tour, Pro-Am, and Kayak events, each designed to test the determination of western anglers in a competitive and environmentally conscious format.
To learn more about the BAM Pro Tour, Pro-Am and Kayak events. Visit: BAM TRAIL, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram
Media and Advertising Inquiries: Please contact Mark Lassagne for further information regarding media and advertising opportunities.
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