For Mason McAbee, Championship Sunday at Clear Lake ended the same way his first tournament day began — with another 27-pound bag on the scale.
Across three days of shifting conditions on the legendary big-bass fishery, McAbee’s unwavering consistency separated him from the field, stacking weights of 27.40 and 27.27 to lead the top-10 field cut and a Championship Sunday leaderboard topper of 27.19.
Gapping his nearest challenger by nearly three pounds, the Bakersfield, Calif. pro sealed his victory at the 2025 BAM Super 60 Pro Tour Championship hosted by Konocti Vista Casino, presented by Tackle Warehouse, and backed by conservation sponsor Fisherman’s Warehouse, earning a $70,000 Mercury-powered BassCat Boat grand prize package.
The win wasn’t just a title for McAbee, it was a moment he’d dreamt of his entire life.
“I am beyond grateful,” he said. “Words don’t explain it.”
Although his weights were steady, it didn’t mean the task was an easy one.
“On the first day, I hit most of the spots I thought I was going to catch ‘em on and didn’t catch anything,” McAbee admitted. “I started hitting the little sneaky stuff – like the secondaries on the sides and caught a five pounder. I started putting together a pattern and figuring out what they were doing.”
That first day he caught half of his fish on a crankbait and the other half on a minnow, and by Day Two almost all of them ate a minnow and only one big fell to a crankbait. Even with that change, McAbee stayed locked into his two-prong approach for Championship Sunday.
“It took me three of four spots to catch one,” he shared. “I finally ended up crankin’ one. But about 1:30 I was going to scratch everything and leave my whole plan because I couldn’t get bit. Something told me to make one more stop where I been catching some big crankbait fish.”
Listening to his gut paid off. Back-to-back five pounders rewarded his decision and a seven sealed the deal on his final day.
McAbee threw his minnows on a Stealth Stixx Lil Pete paired with a Daiwa Tatula 3000 MQ spooled with 8-pound Spin-X braid and a 10-pound 100% fluorocarbon leader.
“I went through a couple different ones,” he said about his minnow. “A Sakamata, a fluke – just random stuff.”
His crankbait was a Strike King 6XD with Gamakatsu Round Bend hooks tied to 12-pound P-Line 100% Fluorocarbon on a Stealth Stixx 4 Fathoms 8’ cranking rod mated to a 7.5:1 Shimano reel.
“I’m just really blessed and appreciate BAM for giving us a chance to fish for a boat,” McAbee concluded.
Manterola Masters The Shad Overload
Ty Manterola finished in the runner-up position with 24.54 for Championship Sunday. For his effort, he will return to his hometown of Pasco, Wash., with $13,000 in earnings, including a Bass Boat Technologies $500 contingency bonus.
Manterola worked through the Clear Lake bait situation to find his bite.
“There is so much shad in the lake – an insane amount of shad,” he explained. “If you could find an area with some bait, but not too much that was the key.”
Manterola relied on a Forward Facing approach and credited a five-inch Strike King Arkansas Z-Too on a Gamakatsu Horizon LG 1/8-ounce jighead.
“It was critical to not let the bass see the bait sink,” he revealed. “You had to surprise them with it. If they saw it sinking to them and then you started working – it once they saw it, then they wouldn’t eat it. They were too smart. You had to bring it from behind them and jerk it up into ‘em, to where they would be surprised by it and it was kind of a reaction bite that way.”
He was very appreciative of BAM and reflected on his season as “a helluva year” saying, “It has pretty cool being 22-year-old and being able to fish at this caliber. It has been a blessing.”
Madden Makes Mid-Day Pivot
Tyler Madden of Brentwood, Calif. rounded out the top-trio with a limit, locking down 16.65 and banking $7,500 for the event.
His Championship Sunday wasn’t without challenge, and without a fish in the box by noon, Madden scrambled to make an adjustment, leaning on two specific presentations and focusing mid-lake in the Rattlesnake area.
“One was a four-inch G-Ratt Rocker minnow with an1/8th-ounce head, the other was on a Vision 100 jerkbait +1,” he said. “The smaller size was key, I think, due to the size of the bait that is in the lake right now.”
Madden threw the jerkbait with 10-pound P-Line Tactical on a 7’ Evergreen Combat Stick. His minnow was rigged on a Deps jighead and fished on a 6’10” medium-light Evergreen Combat Stick spinning rod with a Vanford 3000 reel spooled with 10-pound P-line EndurX to a 10-pound P-Line Tactical leader.
“It was a total change from the first two days to catch those better than average sized fish,” he recalled. “Today (Day Three), I went deeper for rock piles. Some of them were in the 10-foot range but most of the fish were in the 12- to 18-foot range – most of the bigger fish.”
Madden’s late-day adjustment was just the final-day rally that boosted him into that top-3 standing in the BAM Super 60 2025 season-ender.
Rest Of The Best
PLACE NAME HOMETOWN TOTAL WEIGHT TOTAL WINNINGS
1 Mason McAbee Bakersfield, CA 54.67 $70k Bass Cat / Mercury Package
2 Ty Manterola Pasco, WA 39.77 $13,000.00
3 Tyler Madden Brentwood, CA 26.03 $7,500.00
4 Randy McAbee Bakersfield, CA 46.23 $6,000.00
5 Austin Bonjour Templeton, CA 51.23 $5,000.00
6 Sean Minderman Spokane, WA 31.63 $4,500.00
7 Bryant Smith Roseville, CA 30.69 $4,000.00
8 Colby Pearson Rogue River, OR 52.85 $3,500.00
9 Robert Riehl Stockton, CA 22.71 $3,500.00
10 Luke Johns Folsom, CA 41.53 $3,500.00
BAM’s Biggest Season Yet To Come
The bass angling fun may be over for this year; but getcha popcorn ready because BAM is blowing the doors off 2026. Four regular-season bass battles are scheduled at Havasu, Brownlee, the Columbia River, and Don Pedro. Each building toward a season-ending Classic at an undisclosed location. And the 2026 stakes are skyrocketing with every stop on the tour paying $100,000 for a win… and the BAM Classic will crown its champion with a jaw-dropping quarter-million dollars.
2025 Bass Boat Technologies Clear Lake BAM Super 60 Championship
The Bass Boat Technologies BAM Super 60 Pro Tour Championship on the legendary Clear Lake from November 14-16, 2025. Hosted at Konocti Vista Casino and presented by Tackle Warehouse, this elite, pro-only event is the final stop of the 2025 BAM Super 60 series.
Event Overview
- Competition days November14, to November 16
- Location: Konocti Vista Casino
- Weigh-ins: Daily at 3:00 PM (Konocti Vista Casino) – Open to the public
- Title sponsor: Bass Boat Technologies
- Presented by: Tackle Warehouse
- Top Ten compete the final day November 16
The Super 60 will feature the 32 best of the best western anglers battling on the legendary waters of Clear Lake. Each afternoon, watch the weigh-ins www.bamtrail.com or live at Konocti Vista Casino showcasing big Clear Lake bass. Fans and spectators are encouraged to attend and witness the action live.
Media & Press Invitation
Media representatives are invited to cover the BAM Super 60 event, offering a wealth of story angles, live-action visuals, and exclusive interview opportunities. Whether capturing the morning blast off, weigh-ins, or interviewing top anglers, this event is a perfect venue for local media stations.
For press credentials, interviews, or additional media support, contact:
Mark Lassagne | 925-787-3474 | mark@bassmag.com
Event Schedule
Clear Lake has been off limits has been Off-Limits since October 13, 2025 until the first day of competition, event competitors may not be on the water or gather outside information during this time.
Practice Days: There are no practice days for Super 60 events
Friday November 14 and Saturday November 15 anglers compete in a hybrid format (keeper and weight) vying for a spot in the top ten where the weight is zeroed on the final day.
Field Cut on Saturday – Only the Top 10 Advance
The $500 Tackle Warehouse Contingency will be awarded Saturday
Championship Sunday the Weights Zero and the top ten BAM Super 60 Anglers compete for a $50,000 first place prize.
- 3:00 PM: BAM Super 60 Championship Weigh-In
- Crown your 2025 Super 60 Champion
- Award the Bass Boat Technologies $500 contingency
- Top 10 Pros receive final payout
About the BAM Tournament Trail
Powered by Bass Angler Magazine’s nationwide print and digital reach, BAM offers unmatched marketing opportunities through its tournament trail website, print magazine, email campaigns, podcasts, social media, YouTube, and TV series — creating year-round exposure for anglers and sponsors alike.
BAM Tournament Trail Features:
- BAM Super 60 Pro Tour
- BAM Pro-Am Series
- Scholastic High School Series
- Kayak Series
BAM Trail is honored to be associated with its title sponsor, Bass Boat Technologies, and presenting sponsor, Tackle Warehouse. The trail is also supported by Storquest, Chicken Ranch Resort, Bass Cat Boats, Ford Fairfield, Power Pole, Mercury Outboards, Black Bear Diner, Bridgford Foods, Bob’s Machine, Anderson Auto Group, Sticky Graphics, Jean Deleonardi Real Estate,, Valley Outdoors and our conservation sponsor Fisherman’s Warehouse.
BAM TT tourism sponsors: Lake Don Pedro, City of Oakley, Lake Almanor Chamber, the Boardman Chamber, and the Feather River Tourism Association.
Tournament events include BAM Super 60 Pro Tour, Pro-Am, Scholastic and a Kayak Tours which can be viewed on YouTube. Learn more here: BAM TRAIL, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
To or learn more:
Visit www.bamtrail.com
Watch Live: BAMTrail.com, Facebook & Instagram
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