The Best Bass Tournament (BBT) regular season is complete, but some fishing remains. The annual Tournament of Champions is set for Oct. 11-12 on the Delta out of Big Break in Oakley. The fishing should be great, according to tournament director Randy Pringle, who says the qualified teams will be fishing for big money and plenty of prizes.
Pringle also looked ahead to next year with an additional region for the anglers. Here’s more about what anglers can look forward to at the T.O.C.
More “Golden Mussels”
The discovery of golden mussel threw a wrench in the plan for anglers and tournament anglers across the state. It created new challenges for anglers looking to go fishing and forced organizations like BBT to scramble to host events with rescheduled and relocated events the norm. This was the reason for the “Golden Mussels” division, which only fished the Delta this year, and this idea will be expanded next season.
“New year, we are going to do one division with six events on the Delta again and another division with six on Clear Lake,” said Pringle. “Until they figure out the problem with the mussels, we’ll keep doing these events. It’s not fair to ask guys to spend another hundred dollars to get their boat checked every time they fish another body of water.”
This idea for a region that focuses on just one body of water has been a big success and is why it’s being expanded. “We run so many tournaments on different fisheries that guys can’t fish them all because of all of the quarantine periods between events, it’s just impossible,” said Pringle. “Guys who have an expensive bass boat are not just going to stay home and not fish in it, so this allows anglers to compete at a reasonable entry fee without having to do all the additional stuff for the boat inspections.”
The T.O.C. on the Delta
Every year, the location of the year-end championship is kept a secret until the season is well underway, and this year, it’s the Delta out of Big Break. Anglers from the Central, Coastal, Delta/Wine, Motherlode, Northern, and SoCal divisions will compete for big money and prizes.
“The city of Oakley is sponsoring us for this event, which is nice because it allows us to use a different ramp than we normally do, and it helps spread out the released fish into different areas of the system,” said Pringle. “We’re expecting to have around 120 teams in this event and we are paying $20,000 to the winners. The winning team will not be eligible for all the options to help spread the payouts down the field, and there should be some great payouts for the options.”
The night before the event, all the anglers will come to check in and register and partners of the BBT will be there to show off their products. “It’ll be a fun event with anglers checking in between 2 and 4 o’clock and then the reading of the rules after,” said Pringle. “We’ll also have many prizes to give away, and anglers can win rods, lures, or things like an ice chest. There will be a lot of prizes that we’ve been gathering all year from our sponsors.”
How’s the Fishing?
Pringle, a guide on the Delta, knows the fishery very well and expects the fishing will be great with many different patterns in play. He’s banking on it being an event where moving baits will shine, but also thinks the grass bite could lead to a victory.
“That time of year, the topwater bite should be very good with baits like the ima Little Stik,” he said. “As those water temperatures drop, more shad will appear instead of just the bluegill bite, and moving baits like topwaters and crankbaits and squarebill should be excellent.”
Pringle also things the punching bite could produce some bigger bass. “If the sun is out, punching a creature bait can be very good in October,” he said. “That won’t be the only pattern, though, especially if we get wind. That’s when the reaction bait bite picks up with spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and those topwaters. It’s a time when you can fish a lot of different ways and still have a chance to bring home the win.”
The 2025 BBT season was a success with many highlights and great performances from the teams fishing across the state, but the championship for all of the marbles is still to come. That event will feature a great prize to the top finishers, and the Delta will be a fitting venue to crown a champion.
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