Following recent extreme weather conditions coupled with slow and low summer season tournament fishing, the 7th annual Yamamoto Big Bass Challenge took to the tidal waters of the California Delta ready for a battle.
With Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits in hand, over 200 anglers blasted off on a bass hunt with a strategy to weigh the biggest, during any hourly period from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., over the course of two-day event.
After six hourly weigh-ins each day, Scott Hellesen of Whittier, Calif. etched the biggest mark on the Challenge, winning three hourly top-spots, two other hourly cashes as well as the Big Bass check AND the Super 12 Grand Prize of $6 K for a total of $9,500 at the event.
His partner, Nick Nourot of Benicia, Calif. also claimed three hourly checks for another $1050. The team plans to share their combined prize money.
Hellesen and Nourot weighed in two bass over nine and two more over seven. It was an epic showing at the Yamamoto only baits event.
The anglers reported targeting areas in the North Delta where the current was prominent. They landed all of their weigh fish with two very different Yamamoto baits.
BAITS, PATTERN AND STRATEGY FOR THE YAMAMOTO BIG BASS CHALLENGE
“We were using the smaller Senko – the five-inch – and the new Zako on a ChatterBait,” said Hellesen.
They noted the key to their success was the current and the lower-light conditions.
“Mostly we were flippin’ tules,” said Hellesen. “When the water was high in the morning, they would just get up and eat in the current. A little bit of grass around the tules was helpful for the ChatterBait. You could kind of run off the tules in the grass with that; but with the Senko, you’d have to get right into the tules.”
Hellesen revealed their strategy was to catch their big bass early and hold them for a couple of hours before going to the scales.
“Today, we came in on an early hour with a four to check the weights out; but waited to bring in the big one” said Hellesen.
In addition to the two nine-pounders that Hellesen weighed, there were three other nines that hit the scales during the event. Two fell to a Senko and one to a Flappin’ Hog.
Senkos swept the event, accounting for over 40 percent of the catches. A complete bait tally is below.
The following are the winners, weights and baits for each hour of the event.
The Yamamoto Big Bass Challenge Super 12
Click each winner for the top-5 and pix of each hour.
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Day 1 | 9 a.m. Kevin Chen 7.09 Flappin’ Hog
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Day 1 | 10 a.m. Nick Nourot 7.16 5” Senko
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Day 1 | 11 a.m. Terry Odom 9.30 7” Senko
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Day 1 | 12 p.m. Scott Hellesen 9.83 5” Senko
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Day 1 | 1 p.m. Joey Price 7.40 Kut Tail (Scott Helleson 7.64 5” Senko won the hour, but had already qualified)
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Day 1 | 2 p.m. Tay Miguel 6.70 7” Senko
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Day 2 | 9 a.m. Casey Vanier 6.41 Flappin’ Hog
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Day 2 | 10 a.m. Ken Mah 9.18 Flappin’ Hog
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Day 2 | 11 a.m. Joey Roland 9.55 5” Senko
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Day 2 | 12 p.m. Seth Bowman 5.65 Yama Frog
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Day 2 | 1 p.m. Dillon Waldrop 7.39 Zako (Scott Hellesen 9.07 5” Senko won the hour, but had already qualified)
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Day 2 | 2 p.m. Lenny Espinoza 4.77 7” Senko (Dylan Waldrop 5.84 Zako won the hour, but already qualified, 2nd seat was Nick Nourot and third seat was Scott Hellesen who had both also already qualified; so Espinoza claimed his spot in the Super 12th with a 4th seat bass)
At event’s end, the following bait tally was made:
- Number of Hourly Big Bass Caught on Senkos – 25
- Number of Hourly Big Bass Caught on Flappin’ Hogs – 10
- Number of Hourly Big Bass Caught on Zakos – 7
- Number of Hourly Big Bass Caught on Yama Frogs – 5
- Number of Hourly Big Bass Caught on Yamamoto Buzzbaits – 4
- Number of Hourly Big Bass Caught on Spinnerbaits – 2
- Number of Hourly Big Bass Caught on Kut Tails – 2
- Number of Hourly Big Bass Caught on Cali Rolls – 2
The following Yamamoto Baits caught one of the hourly big bass
- Yama Jig
- Chikara
- Swim senko
The Senko size breakdown follows:
- Senko 7” – 7 Big Bass
- Senko 6” – 8 Big Bass
- Senko 5” –10 Big Bass
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