The tournament bass fishing season is in full swing, and circuits like Best Bass Tournaments (BBT) are busy putting on tournaments across California. There have already been plenty of memorable moments in the season, but the best may be yet to come, according to longtime tournament director Randy Pringle. The bass are biting, and the upcoming events in all seven regions should showcase the excellent bass fishing in the various fisheries.
A Light Switch Going On
Due to the changing weather, bass fishing can be unpredictable early in the year. It’s also a time when there are big weights at the top of the standings, but it can be much tougher overall. This is about to change, according to Pringle.
“March and early in the year can be hit or miss, and then in April and May, it’s like a light switch goes on,” he said. “The fishing becomes phenomenal, and all the lakes start to pop. You start to see everyone catching fish because the bite is so good and so many lures are working; it’s no longer that half the field does well and the other half struggles. Everyone starts to find them.”
This is also prime time for big bass, and Pringle expects to see plenty of them coming to the scales in the next few weeks. “The biggest fish of the year are biting this time of year; that’s how Mother Nature does it, and we should see a bunch of them weighed in this month,” added Pringle.
Clear Lake, the Delta, McClure, and Don Pedro
All of these fantastic bass fisheries will be hosting events in April, May, and June, and each should be great. Clear Lake, especially, has been fishing incredibly this year, and Pringle expects that to continue as the lake is in excellent shape.
The Mother Lode and Central Region will be hosting events on McClure and Don Pedro in the coming weeks, and Pringle said both should be in their prime of the year.
“You are going to see a lot of two and 3-pounders caught at Don Pedro because that’s how it’s setting up,” he said. “The spring weather and water coming in from the mountains always affects them early in the year, and then it balances it out around this time of year, and the fishing gets really good. Once they stabilize, that’s when the light switch goes on at all of the Motherlode lakes, and you’ll be able to catch them on just about anything.”
Stable weather will also help the fishing quality on the Delta, according to Pringle. “Once it starts to clear up, that’s when the fishing improves across the entire system,” he said. “When the water is dirtier earlier in the year, those few clear areas get beat to death by fishing pressure because everyone knows where those places are. The other thing you start to see this time of year is all of the grass coming back, which also helps to spread out the anglers and improve the fishing quality.”
Looking to Lopez and Pyramid
In the SoCal Region, Pyramid Lake hosts all of the events, with one in April and another in May. The Coastal Region fishes various lakes, and Lopez is set to host an event on April 19th. Both of these fisheries should fish very well, according to Pringle.
“Lopez is going to set some records; I mean, 4-pounders will be cheap,” he said. “I think it’s going to take 24 or 25 pounds to be in the ball game. It’s fishing very well right now, those lakes on the coast are going to pop. Lopez and Margarita are both fishing very well this year.”
After a cold start to the year, Pringle is expecting big things from Pyramid. “Earlier this year, we almost got snowed out there, but it’s warmed up on that hill,” he said. “The weather has been right lately, and that’s a lake that goes off. We had a 12-pounder weighed in a couple of years ago, so there are opportunities for that lake. As the weather stays consistent, I think we’ll see some excellent fishing there.”
The 2025 BBT season has already created some memorable moments and great winning totals, but plenty of fishing remains in the season. All seven regions have a full schedule of great events to come as anglers fish and gear up for the annual Tournament of Champions at the end of the season. That big event will be held on October 11th and 12th, and the location will be announced in the coming months.
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