OAKLEY, Calif. – The past three-days were everything that pro angler Ish Monroe of Oakdale, Calif could have wanted as the final stop of the BAM Trail’s West Division’s Pro/Am presented by Tackle Warehouse and the City of Oakley played out on his home water the California Delta at his preferred time of year. By scales closing on Championship Sunday, Monroe had bagged another 23.48 for the day, notching a tournament total of 62.79, hoisting the champion’s trophy and pocketing $9,250 for the W.
“Everything went right, pretty much the whole week,” said Monroe. “This is my time of year. I love it because they’re always eating a frog and the punch. I don’t pick up a dropshot. I don’t have a spinning rod in the boat.”
Foregoing any type of finesse tactic, Monroe added a ChatterBait to his tournament arsenal and relied on it heavily for the final day of fishing.
“It was a JackHammer in B-Hites Craw, a brown and red color with a Missile Baits Spunk Shad trailer in Rotten Tomato, a color exclusive to Fisherman’s Warehouse, so you got to there to get it,” he said.
His punch rig held a Missile Baits D Bomb, and he rotated through three colors. Once again, the exclusive Rotten Tomato color from Fisherman’s Warehouse as well as Peanut Butter and Jelly and Monroe’s favorite Candy Grass. His frog fish fell to a River2Sea Phat Mat Daddy.
Although he managed to land more than two dozen keepers each day, Monroe’s fishing time was abbreviated as he made a 160 mile trek daily to his fishing location.
“I got into an area that you really cannot get into on super-low water; but we had the perfect tides; we had low incoming water to get in and high outgoing water to get out,” he said. “I used my Yamaha to burn 40 gallons of gas every day, and I am getting 4 MPG.”
Monroe was excited to finally get the BAM Delta victory as it had just slipped away from him the year prior when he finished 2nd on the tidal water fishery.
Hunter Schlander Scores Runner-Up
Trailing Monroe by just over three-pounds was another NorCal pro Hunter Schlander of Modesto. Schlander secured 59.62 over the course of the three-day event to claim the 2nd place position. His biggest bag at 21.55 came in today when the conditions changed.
“The first two days there was no wind, and that made it really difficult,” said Schlander. “The fish were just not wanting to eat and cooperate; so, I punched and frogged the first two days and today completely changed it up. I threw a red ChatterBait most of the day.”
The ChatterBait that Schlander referenced was also a red and brown JackHammer. It was a ½-ounce version, rigged with a Missile Baits D Bomb trailer. He fished it with 20-pound fluorocarbon on a 6’8” ChatterBait rod and a Daiwa casting reel.
“Today it got windy; so, I ran around a little bit and tossed that thing (the JackHammer) around, when the reaction bite picked up.”
Schlander’s position earned $3,674.
Christian Ostrander Rounds Out Top Trio
A formidable opponent on the Delta, Christian Ostrander of Turlock, Calif. finished his event landing in the third place spot with 52.22. Ostrander’s largest limit of 20.40 also came with the Day Three condition changes.
“I struggled the first day,” Ostrander recalled. “I had too much water on my mind.”
After dropping 13.55 on Day One, Ostrander regrouped and prepared for a comeback. He returned each day increasing his weight and catching fish on a variety of baits.
“I caught fish out of Frank’s Tract, out of Big Break, out of Mildred, I caught ‘em all throughout the Delta,” he shared “I punched and threw a Plopper, and threw a ChatterBait, and flipped around through the tules with a ½-ounce weight. Today, I threw a squarebill with the wind.”
Although he transitioned through baits, he stuck to basics on colors. “It seems like a lot of the fish are eating bluegill and want that green color,” he said.
Ostrander shared that in addition to the ChatterBait which like the others was a JackHammer, he also employed a Missile Baits D Bomb, and a Yamamoto Flapping Hog for weigh fish.
A payout of $2,858 came with 3rd place for Ostrander.
Shane Martin Goes Wire-to-Wire For The Co’s
Going into the final day paired with Ish Monroe, Shane Martin of Discovery Bay, Calif got a lesson in OG fishing style and sealed the deal on his wire-to-wire win for the co-angler side with a tournament total of 40.03.
“I got new age fishing and Ish has got the old school technique,” Martin stated. “He caught ‘em good and basically, I was junk fishing. I tied on 10 different baits.”
A frog, a dropshot, a gold Colorado-bladed underspin with a 4.8 Keitech, and a ChatterBait that Monroe gave Martin were just some of what the co-angler tried.
“Ish pointed out a fish when I was waiting to get the net and I pitched (a dropshot) in there and that was around five pounds,” Martin said. “I fished it on a Dobyns spinning rod I bought for this tournament specifically with a Lews reel and 15-pound line. You cannot go under 15 or you will break off fish and a big shoutout to Pline Tactical that stuff doesn’t break!”
The BAM event was Martin’s first-ever big stage tournament. With a win at his first Pro/Am, he will pocket $4,670 and the memory of being a champion. It is hard to imagine he won’t forever have tournament fever.
This event concludes the BAM Pro/Am West’s circuit for 2025. Angler of the Year standings will be announced shortly.
Rest of the Best
Top-10 Pros
PLACE PRO HT BIG BASS D1 BIG STRINGER D1 BIG BASS D2 BIG STRINGER D2 D1 WEIGHT D2 WEIGHT D3 WEIGHT TOTAL PLACE WINNINGS BIG FISH $ BIG STRINGER $ TOTAL PAYOUT
1 Ishama Monroe Oakdale, CA 4.37 21.64 17.67 23.48 62.79 $9,000 $9,250.00
2 Hunter Schlander Modesto, CA 19.59 18.48 21.55 59.62 $3,674 $3,674.00
3 Christian Ostrander Turlock, CA 13.55 18.27 20.4 52.22 $2,858 $2,858.00
4 Logan Huntze Discovery Bay, CA *12.7 23.86lbs 23.86 12.57 14.66 51.09 $2,722 $360.00 $360.00 $3,442.00
5 Randy Pierson Oakdale, CA 7.58 22.11 15.11 12.73 49.95 $2,449 $2,449.00
6 Rodney Funston Oakdale, CA 5.76 17.07 15.54 16.98 49.59 $2,313 $2,313.00
7 Aj Azevedo Snelling, CA 8.57 20.31 10.21 18.61 49.13 $2,177 $2,177.00
8 Kelly O’Ward San Geronimo, CA 18.53 17.66 11.62 47.81 $2,041 $2,041.00
9 Joseph Price Discovery Bay, CA 16.95 13.03 16.28 46.26 $1,905 $1,905.00
10 Vincent Bernal Los Banos, CA 16.29 13.26 16.05 45.6 $1,633 $1,633.00
Top-10 Co-Anglers
PLACE CO HT BIG D1 STRINGER D1 BIG D2 STRINGER D2 D1 WGT D2 WGT D3 WEIGHT TOTAL PLACE WINNINGS BIG $ STRINGER $ TOTAL PAYOUT
1 Shane Martin Discovery Bay, CA *7.12 16.94 16.94 12.58 10.51 40.03 $4,000.00 $335 $335 $4,670.00
2 David Zavvar Concord, CA *16.04 4.41 16.04 15.38 35.83 $1,451.00 $335 $1,786.00
3 Aaron Vasquez Porterville, CA *7.95 6.7 13.96 14 34.66 $1,161.00 $335 $1,496.00
4 Ronnie Orbaker Madera, CA 12.59 9.39 11.85 33.83 $1,045.00 $1,045.00
5 Isaac Gray Elk Grove, CA 12.15 11.62 8.19 31.96 $929.00 $929.00
6 Kirk Marshall Discovery Bay, CA 9.52 8.32 12.03 29.87 $755.00 $755.00
7 Curtis Thornhill Hughson, CA 5.21 7.58 15.37 4.75 27.7 $697.00 $697.00
8 Paul Howard Sacramento, CA 12.81 9.32 5.14 27.27 $697.00 $697.00
9 Joe Cote Santa Monica, CA 8.42 12.29 3.19 23.9 $639.00 $639.00
10 Thaddeus Vinson Medford, OR 6.98 12.04 2.38 21.4 $639.00 $639.00
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Big Bass, Big Stakes on the Iconic California Delta
California Delta – Big Break Marina, Oakley, CA — The West’s top bass anglers will compete May 30–June 1, 2025, on one of America’s most legendary bass fisheries — the California Delta. The BAM Pro-Am, presented by Tackle Warehouse and the City of Oakley, promises an action-packed weekend with trophy-class bass, big payouts, and live tournament coverage streamed on BAMTrail.com, Facebook, and Instagram.
Event Overview
- Event Dates: May 30 – June 1, 2025
- Location: Big Break Marina, California Delta, Oakley, CA
- Weigh-ins: Daily at 3:00 PM – Open to the public and streamed live on BAMTrail.com, Facebook, and Instagram
- Title Sponsor: Bass Boat Technologies
- Presented By: Tackle Warehouse and the City of Oakley
This premier three-day event features professional and co-angler divisions competing on the ever-challenging California Delta. Spectators are welcome at Big Break Marina or can tune in live online to follow the leaderboard drama as it unfolds.
Media Invitation
Media outlets are encouraged to cover this high-profile event, with exclusive access to boat launches, weigh-ins, angler interviews, and on-the-water coverage. Live streaming will be available on BAMTrail.com, Facebook, and Instagram.
Media Contact:
Mark Lassagne | 925-787-3474 | mark@bassmag.com
Competition Schedule
- Off-Limits: May 27 – One day only due to Memorial Day
- Practice Days: May 28–29 – Off the water by 4:00 PM on May 29
- Angler Check-In: May 29, 4:30–6:00 PM – Location TBA
- Angler Meeting: May 29, 6:30 PM – All anglers must attend
Competition Format & Key Dates
Friday, May 30
- All anglers compete in full-field Day 1 of the Pro-Am
Saturday, May 31
- High School Angler Champion crowned
- Field cut to Top 10 Pros and Top 10 Co-Anglers
- $250 and $500 Tackle Warehouse contingency awards
- $100 Ford Fairfield contingency
Sunday, June 1 – Championship Day
- 2:00 PM: BAM Scholastic College Anglers Weigh-In
- 3:00 PM: Final Pro-Am Weigh-In –
Watch live on BAMTrail.com, Facebook, and Instagram
Lodging Info
Lodging is available at:
Best Western Plus Delta Inn & Suites – Conveniently located for easy access to Big Break Marina and tournament activities.
Visit www.bamtrail.com for booking links and angler discount codes.
Payout & Awards
- Saturday:
- Top 10 Cut Announced
- Tackle Warehouse $250 and $500 Contingency Awards
- Ford Fairfield contingency award
- Payouts for places 11 and beyond
- Sunday:
- Championship Crowning of Pro & Co-Angler
- Bass Boat Technologies $250 Contingency
- Final Top 10 payouts
About the BAM Tournament Trail
The Bass Angler Magazine Tournament Trail (BAM Trail) delivers elite-level tournament competition with unmatched sponsor exposure and high-quality digital content.
Exposure Includes:
- Bass Angler Magazine (print + digital)
- Live-streamed weigh-ins and on-the-water coverage
- BAM Podcast and Web Features
- Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and more
BAM Tournament Series:
- BAM Pro Tour
- BAM Pro-Am Series
- Scholastic Series (College & High School)
- Kayak Series
BAM Proud Partners
Bass Boat Technologies | Tackle Warehouse | City of Oakley | Ford Fairfield | Chicken Ranch Casino Resort | Bass Cat Boats | Mercury Marine | Power-Pole | Dakota Lithium | Bob’s Machine | StorQuest Storage Solutions | Sticky Graphics | Fisherman’s Warehouse | Valley Outdoors |
To register or learn more:
Visit www.bamtrail.com
Watch Live: BAMTrail.com, Facebook & Instagram
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
#BAMTrail #CaliforniaDeltaProAm #BassFishing #BAMProAm #TackleWarehouse #CityOfOakley #BigBreakMarina
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