After three days of fishing, boater Phil Tilbury of Oakdale, Calif., finished out the 3rd stop of the BAM Tournament Trail Pro/Ams on the California Delta adding 16.88 to his three-day total for 61.41 and taking home the first-place pro payout for the 41-boat field at $7,709.54.
The tidal water fishery gave up fish in all stages of the spawn and was as stingy to some as it was as generous to others. Tilbury was one of only three anglers to weigh a 20-pound sack on Day One, securing a 2nd place position for his 21.67 and trailing by more than six-pounds. Increasing his weight to 22.86 on Day Two, he not only made up his six-pound deficit, he also put nearly a six-pound gap of his own, between him and his nearest competitor.
It turned out to be a lead large enough to negate the decline he had in his five-fish sack on Championship Sunday. A hard-fought fishing fight to the finish Tilbury feels incredibly rewarded to become the first Delta BAM Pro/Am champion.
“Anybody that fishes competitively, knows there’s a whole lot more down days than good,” he said. “To finally win one and beat some of these guys that are here this weekend is pretty amazing. And I say this weekend because you can’t catch ‘em tomorrow like you did today.”
Tilbury’s pattern included slow rolling a ChatterBait in sparse grass in lower tide. “A little bit of my problem today was too much water,” he shared. “I needed a lower tide to squeeze those fish into the grass line I was fishing. I knew I was losing it (the low tide) more and more every day as the tide (change) got later and later.”
Targeting post-spawners was his focus. “It’s been an eye-opener really finding out where these bigger fish go after post-spawn, because while you’re on top of the bank, your boats on top of the fish, he shared.”
Tilbury credited the majority of his weigh fish to a Z-Man JackHammer with a Yamamoto Zako trailer in an undisclosed size and color. His ChatterBait rig was tied to 20-pound Gamma Fluoro Edge spooled on a Shimano Chronarch paired to a 7’4”, medium-heavy St. Croix rod.
He also threw a Bass Patrol Jig with a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver as the trailer and mentioned both Green Pumpkin and Black and Blue for preferred color options.
Top-10 2024 BAM Delta Pro/Am Boaters
PLACE PRO TOTAL TOTAL PAYOUT
1 Phil Tilbury 61.41 $7,709.54
2 Ish Monroe 57.16 $2,673.00
3 Ryan Hall 54.19 $2,202.73
4 Clint Groenewold 48.93 $2,392.45
5 Chris Parks 48.19 $2,172.18
6 Mark Mello 47.45 $1,541.91
7 Ken Mah 45.89 $1,321.64
8 Beau Joudrey 44.34 $1,401.36
9 Jason Bradshaw 42.28 $1,101.36
10 Jason Austin 41.92 $881.09
Rodney Brown Bests Co-Angler Field
With a wire-to wire win Rodney Brown of Sacramento, Calif., was crowned the co-angler champion in the draw-partner event for a tournament total of 49.70, earning $3,774.71 for his effort.
Brown rode a rocket to the co-angler top spot, weighing 17.51 on Day One for a lead of more than four pounds. He added 15.27 to Day Two and widened his cushion to roughly seven-pounds, although he didn’t need it. By event’s end, Brown sat nearly 14-pounds over the co-angler runner-up.
“It feels awesome; I can’t believe it,” said Brown of his victory. “I’ve been fishing many, many, many years, and these wins don’t come often. These fishermen are so good and I’m so excited to have won the BAM tournament.”
For the first two days on the water Brown fished Yamamoto Senkos and Kut Tail Worms in Green Pumpkin Blake Flake. “I was fishing those very slowly,” Brown added.
For the final day, Brown had his limit by 7:30 a.m. and then his bite died. He threw a ChatterBait in Black and Blue and Blade Runner Spinnerbaits. “I fished them with Abu Garcia rods and reels,” he said. “My line was from my sponsors Berkley and P-Line / 1st Gen Fishing and thanks to Gone Fishin’ Marine.”
Top-10 2024 BAM Delta Pro/Am Non-Boaters
PLACE CO TOTAL TOTAL PAYOUT
1 Rodney Brown 49.7 $3,774.71
2 Chris Trumbull 35.85 $1,125.05
3 Scott Wightman 31.93 $1,217.78
4 Sean Omalley 31.13 $920.50
5 Anthony Stanko 30.81 $818.22
6 Dante Ray 29.83 $715.94
7 Michael Rincon Jr 29.42 $613.67
8 Joe Cote 28.51 $511.39
9 Brad Mccarthy 23.14 $511.39
10 Jason Bubier 20.86 $409.11
Full pro and co-angler results can be seen here.
The next BAM Tournament Trail Pro/Am will blast off Friday, June 28 at the Columbia River. Registration is underway.
About BAM Tournament Trail
The Bass Angler Magazine Tournament Trail (BAM Trail) offers an unparalleled media platform for anglers and sponsors alike combining vast exposure opportunities that celebrate the skills of western bass anglers. The circuit garners extensive coverage across television, print magazine, podcast, websites, video, digital magazine, and multiple social media channels.
Delta Pro-Am Event Sponsors
The BAM Pro Tour proudly welcomes the City of Oakley, Oakley Ace Hardware Bass Boat Technologies, Tackle Warehouse, Bass Cat Boats, Mercury Outboards, Garmin, Storquest and our dedicated conservation sponsor, Fisherman’s Warehouse.
Proud Sponsors of the BAM Tournament Trail
BAM TT is honored to be associated with its title sponsor, Bass Boat Technologies, and presenting sponsor, Tackle Warehouse. The trail’s also supported by Storquest, Garmin, Bass Cat Boats, Mercury Outboards, Ford Fairfield, Dish - Accel Marketing, Power Pole, , Bob’s Machine, Wood Bros, Sticky Graphics, Jean Deleonardi Real Estate, Valley Outdoors, Eternal Lithium, Alpha Angler Rods, and Fisherman’s Warehouse.
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The BAM TT is grateful for the support of its tourism sponsors: the City of Oakley, the Lake Almanor Chamber, the Boardman Chamber, and the Feather River Tourism Association.
Tournament Circuit Details
The BAM Tournament Trail features the BAM Pro Tour, Pro-Am, and Kayak events, each designed to test the determination of western anglers in a competitive and environmentally conscious format.
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