Nick Cloutier of Oakley, Calif. fished his way into Championship Sunday as the leader of the third stop of the BAM Pro Tour at the Columbia River Presented by the Boardman Chamber of Commerce / Boardman Parks and Recreation with a two-day weight of 37.14. His total combines five-fish limits of 17.29 and 20.14, which includes the event’s only big bass contender at 5.69.
The increase in his Day Two bag pushed him from 10th to the top-spot for Day Three. Following the top-10 field cut, anglers blast off with an even playing field as all weights zero for the final day of competition.
“I’m sitting on one area,” said Cloutier. “It’s the second time I’ve been on this river system. I’m not a smallmouth guy. I live on the California Delta – 65-pound braid, big rods – so to come out here and catch 20-pounds of smallies is pretty awesome.”
Cloutier has been sharing water with multiple boats. For the final day, he will only have one other angler in his area.
“I will pretty much have it to myself,” he said. “But the issue is, I’ve pounded that spot for two days and I’m worried they’re not going to hold up. A lot of the fish that I was scoping (on Day Two), they were really keyed into what was falling in front of their face and they weren’t reacting like they were the first day.”
A change in presentation and strategy for the expected wind are on Cloutier’s radar.
Gunnin’ For A Three-Peat
As the back-to-back BAM Pro Tour champion of the first two events of the inaugural season, Colby Pearson is the only contender for a three-peat. As an Oregon angler, Pearson traveled six hours from Central Point to compete at the Columbia River as a follow-up to his BAM Pro Tour wins in Arizona at Lake Martinez and California’s Lake Almanor.
“It’s super funny, everyone thinks I am a local up here; I’ve been here like three times,” Pearson said. “I smallmouth fish a bunch. And I’m always comfortable when I get to go chase those things around.”
Pearson double-qualified for the final day landing the most scorable bass with a TourneyX verified 111 fish for his first two days. Additionally, his two-day weight of 36.19 ranks as the second heaviest on the leaderboard.
“I’ve never caught so many fish,” he said. “My hands – I can barely make a fist they are so tore up from catching fish. I weighed in 18 pounds today just culling fish; but I have lost some giants. Going into tomorrow, if I can get those fish connected and land ‘em that’s going to be a really tough bag for this pool in the river.”
By Jody Only
Top-10 BAM Pro Tour Columbia River Day One
Place Pro Big Bass D1 Weight/D2 Weight/Total Weight/D1 and D2 Keepers
1 Nicholas Cloutier 5.69 17.29 20.14 *37.43 48
2 Colby Pearson 18.11 18.08 36.19 *111
3 Hayden Lee 16.44 18.99 *35.43 19
4 Jake Boomer 18.60 16.52 35.12 *102
5 Greg Gutierrez 19.41 15.87 *35.28 50
6 Bill O’Shinn 14.87 16.71 31.58 *64
7 Conrad Demecs 18.49 16.38 *34.87 31
8 Jason Hickey 17.80 16.02 33.82 *63
9 Ish Monroe 16.64 18.22 *34.86 56
10 Karl Okerman 15.57 16.35 31.92 *54
BAM Pro Tour Columbia River Day One Full Results
BAM Pro Tour Columbia River Day Two Full Results
Note: BAM Pro Tour anglers are ranked in the Pro Tour events by both biggest five fish limit and numbers of scorable bass caught. First place is held by the angler with five biggest bass and second place is the highest keeper count. The standings then continue to alternate by weight/numbers. Anglers ranked by weight are denoted with an asterisk. Field will be cut at end of Day Two. All weights are zeroed to start the final day on Championship Sunday.
Anglers blast off at 5:45 a.m. and scales open at 1:30 p.m. Join your favorite angler at the Columbia River weigh-in or watch the tournament weigh-in live as top western pros weigh in live Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
BAM Tournament Trail Weigh-In Links
BAM Website: www.bamtrail.com
BAM YouTube https://www.youtube.com/bassanglermag
BAM Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BassAnglerMagazine
BAM Live Updates from The Lake
Get real-time insights and stay in the loop with all the tournament action by following along each day with live updates anglers on TourneyX https://tourneyx.com/
Media is welcome to attend. Filming is allowed, angler interviews are allowed and encouraged, interviews with the BAM staff are also encouraged.
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.
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.
#bamtrail #bassanglermagazine #bamprotour
