OAKLEY, Calif. – Following a leaderboard reboot for Championship Sunday, Luke Johns of Folsom, Calif. fished his way to victory with a five-fish limit weighing 16.42, earning the first-ever champion title for the inaugural BAM Pro Tour TOC at the California Delta presented by the City of Oakley.
With the possibility of any cast as a potential double-digit on the Delta, Johns never thought that the mere 16-plus he had would be enough to put him in first.
“I kind of wrote it off and figured I would get 3rd or 4th – maybe make a little extra money and that would be cool; but no way did I think I would have a shot at winning this thing,” he shared.
Little did he know the rest of the field was also struggling to find size in the stingy bite of the tidal water fishery.
“At my first spot, I caught a quick limit, but it was only nine pounds,” Johns recalled. “Then I caught a 4 ½ (on camera), so I had 12 or 13 pounds on my scale, but I knew I needed more bites.”
That four-pound bass became the biggest of the day for Johns. It was tempted from a slough near a retaining wall.
“I had seen a bunch of bait getting pushed up against that wall for the last two days,” he stated.
A location and bait change were the final piece to Johns’ bass puzzle. The wind picked up, and he went to a ChatterBait, quickly landing one that went 4 ¼.
“That’s really the fish that set me over the edge – the final kicker fish I had for my day,” he said. “
Ultimately, LiveScope would be credited as Johns witnessed that four-plus under a bait ball, which led to pitching to it with a five-inch wacky Senko.
“I had never LiveScoped a fish on the Delta,” he said. “It was just on so I could find grass lines and stuff.
“That was just one of those moments when you’re tournament fishing and stuff like LiveScoping a fish on the California Delta doesn’t happen unless you’re having some sort of a special day.”
Two Baits to Win the Tournament
Two Baits to Win the TournamentJohns attributed his fish catches to a ChatterBait and Yamamoto Senko.
“For my Senko, I fished with a Daiwa Tatula Elite Cody Meyer Wacky Rig Rod with a Tatula Elite Spinning Reel Size 3000,” he stated. “It’s a great rod, if you’re in the market for anything wacky rig and a little bit heavier shakey head stuff.”
He spooled that Senko setup with Sunline AMZ braided line married to a 10-pound Shooter leader with an Owner Wacky Hook tied on. His vibrating jig of choice was a Picasso Shock Blade with a Yamamoto Zako trailer.
“It’s my absolute favorite vibrating jig setup, he said. “I used a Dobyns glass rod with a Daiwa reel and 14- to 16-pound Sunline Crank FC. That line is really abrasion-resistant.”
The TOC win is the perfect ending to a season that Johns felt started out rocky.
“I had some poor finishes that rattled me during the first half of the season,” he said. “In the second half of the season, I made three top-10s.
“Overall, for someone like me – to be able to fish something of this caliber on the West Coast without having to travel 20 hours to get to an East Coast event is phenomenal and it really means a lot to me. I’m looking forward to the Super 60 next year.”
In addition to $800 in contingency dollars, Johns’ feat earned the top prize of a fully-rigged Bass Cat Boat with a Mercury, Garmin, and Eternal Lithium package.
Thompson’s Strategy Relied on Two Days in Franks Tract
Zack Thompson from Alameda, Calif. came into the season-ending event looking to qualify for Championship Sunday by focusing on Keeper Count for the first two days and saving his flip fish for the final day. In the end, Thompson double-qualified for Day Three with not only the most scorable bass at 19; but also, the heaviest weight at 36.50. He sacked up 14.74 for his final five on Championship Sunday and earned $8,000 for his runner-up position.
Both top finishers are slated to blast off in the BAM Super 60 for 2025.
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 D1 Big Fish D2 Day 1 Weight Day 2 Weight Total Weight Total Keeper Day 3 Weight Place Winnings Big Fish $ BBT Garmin Total Winnings
1 Luke Johns 16.42 $500 $300 Bass Cat/Merc Valued at $65,0000 +$800 Cash
2 Zack Thompson 14.74 $8,000.00 $8,000.00
3 Ken Mah 14.1 $7,000.00 $1,000 $8,000.00
4 Beau Joudrey 13.9 $5,500.00 $5,500.00
5 Nicholas Cloutier13.21 $5,000.00 $5,200.00
6 Conrad Demecs 12.13 $4,500.00 $4,500.00
7 Ish Monroe 8.23 $4,000.00 $4,000.00
8 Earl Dalton 7.83 $4,000.00 $4,000.00
9 Greg Gutierrez 5.77 $4,000.00 $4,000.00
10 Jake Arbuckle 2.34 $4,000.00 4,000.00
Full Results 2024 BAM Pro Tour TOC California Delta Day Three ###
The Bass Boat Technologies televised BAM Pro Tour at the California Delta is presented by the City of Oakley.
Saturday afternoon we will announce the 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 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.
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