The Best Bass Tournament (BBT) season is nearing the end for each of the six regions, but there is still plenty of fishing left to go. In addition to the final tournaments, BBT anglers can look forward to fishing two specialty events and a Tournament of Champions on a lake that BBT has never been to for their championship event: Lake Berryessa.
Tournament Director Randy Pringle updated us on the season so far and what anglers have to look forward to for the rest of the season. Some great events are in the works and will be held this summer and fall.
Rebounding After a Slow Start
The start of the year was unusual for tournament fishing, with the lakes behind schedule and plenty of crazy weather. This forced Pringle to reschedule several events and made others very tough fishing.
"The bad weather from this spring forced us to change some dates, but there are only so many dates," said Pringle. "My wife Sheri and I have been running all four Northern California divisions and we had to have some back-to-backs with tournaments on Saturday and Sunday, but it was the only way we could get them all in.
BBT did this to help the anglers fishing both events and for logistics for themselves. "We tried to make it easier on the pocketbook for anglers who are struggling in this economy with high fuel and food prices," he said. "If you go to a tournament, you can fish back-to-back days instead of going two weekends in a row. This saves travel time and money and frees up another weekend for an angler or their family."
Things are starting to turn around, fishing-wise, after a series of curveballs from the weather. "The weights were a lot lighter than usual in the early part of the year and we scheduled the lakes for those that are usually best early," said Pringle. "We were a month behind on the spawns across the board and as a result, we saw smaller limits winning than usual. That happens every once in a while when Mother Nature changes the course of the tournaments, but we are hoping for better weather to start next season so there are more and better fish getting caught."
Clear Lake and Delta Summer Fun
Of all the lakes in the region, Pringle said Clear Lake may be fishing the best, and there are still more summer events on tap. He believes the action should be just as good at these, and it should take big weights to win.
"All year long, 20 pounds on Clear Lake will only get you a handshake, and you need more to win," he said. "The fishing there has been red hot and everyone has been loving it. You need 23, 25, or 27 pounds to win; it's been solid. The two July events should take similar weights and the topwater bite will be very good."
Those events are scheduled for July 27th in the Delta/Wine Region and July 28th in the Northern Region. Several summer events are also to come in the Delta.
"All of the lakes have picked up since the slow start to the year, but the Delta has not been fishing very well," said Pringle. "Several things are happening, but the sea lion problem has to be the worst problem in the central part of the Delta. The anglers must re-learn the fishery and start looking for new areas to find more fish, but they are still there.
Update on the TNT Series
BBT started the TNT series this year to give youth more fishing opportunities. It offers young anglers a great way to get a taste of tournament fishing, and there are still three more events to go to, all on the California Delta.
"We have three more, and both on the Delta; two will be out of B&W, and the other will be out of Russo's," said Pringle. Those events are June 30th, July 21st, and August 11th.
So far, they've completed events on Berryessa, with Austin Barnes winning with 12.89 lbs, Nick Cheng winning on the Delta with 11.81 lbs, and Austin Barnes and Mateo Garcia both weighing 15.56 lbs to tie for the win on Lake Camanche.
Despite the weather and date changes, it's been another excellent season for the BBT and all of the anglers competing in the six regions and TNT series. There is still more fun to go, as all regions have events left, plus specialty events like the Snag Proof Open in August and a topwater-only event in September on the Delta. BBT's TOC is also coming this fall and will be held in October on Lake Berryessa.
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