OAKLEY, Calif. – The Wild West Bass Trail (WWBT) returns to the Golden State’s 1,000 miles of waterways on June 4 – 5 for the General Tire Duel on the California Delta, the final Pro/Am event of 2016. Over 150 pro and co-anglers will blast-off for the big bass battle at Big Break Marina.
The tidal water fishery is known for big, big bass and while a Day One limit topping 30-lbs and a tournament total exceeding 50 is always a possibility, Lucas Oil pro Jason Borofka believes many anglers will be challenged by quality over quantity.
“There is a ton of 1 ½- to 2-lb fish all over; everyone is catching ‘em,” he explained. “The big ones are going to be harder to come by; because it’s a full on post-spawn bite now – at least 95 percent of the fish are post-spawn. There might be a few scattered, straggling spawners; but I don’t think the bed fish will be a big player.”
The daytime highs during the event are forecasted to spike over the 100-degree mark. Borofka believes the heat wave will only enhance the bite.
“We haven’t had any hot weather all year,” he said. “With the heat and the overall dirty water color, that’s going to turn on the reaction fish and the topwater fish, throughout the whole day. A lot of those post-spawn fish are going to be hot and tucked up under the mats; so the punchers are going to do good in this one too.”
Fishing an outgo most of the day, Borofka revealed a solid Delta strategy – targeting the fish tight to the banks during the higher tide of the morning and moving to the outside points of the grass as the tide drops out.
“The Delta is all about the right place at the right tide and if you start shallow and go out as the tide moves, you’ll catch fish all day long,” he said. “I think the bluegill beds are going to be a factor too. They are really getting’ fired up – especially in the heat, the bluegill spawn should be in full swing. The big ones are going to turn right on to those bluegill beds.”
Borofka believes it will take at least 48-lbs to be a contender for the title.
“I don’t think a finesse bite will win this one,” he added. “It’s going to be a swing for the fence kind of a deal. I think the winner is going to blow everyone out.”
Spectators can observe the anglers each day at the weigh-in scales to cheer on their favorite fishermen and hometown heroes as part of the WWBT fully-televised event to air on Fox Sports and the Pursuit Channel.
The public is invited to the event daily for a meet-and-greet with the West’s all-time leading money winner – bass pro Gary Dobyns, and free on the water Ranger Boats/Evinrude motor demo rides.
Anglers will blast off and weigh-in at Big Break Marina, 100 Big Break Rd, Oakley, Calif. Blast off time is safelight and weigh-in will kick off at 3 p.m. Both are free of charge and open to the public.
Host lodging for the event is the Best Western Plus Delta Hotel, 5549 Bridgehead Road, Oakley, Calif.
The WWBT debuted in 2016 with 17 events that include two Pro/Am and two Teams circuits – one based in California and the other in Arizona. Each Pro/Am circuit consists of three tournaments and a combined, year-end qualifying championship event. The Teams circuit includes four tournaments and a year-end championship.
For complete details and updated information, visit WildWestBassTrail.com. For tournament news, event updates and more, follow the WWBT on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Wildwestbasstrail/
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