OAKLEY, Calif. – The final event in the Wild West Bass Trail (WWBT) California Teams division will be held on the California Delta, Saturday, May 14.
Holding a spot in the top-5 of Bassmaster’s “Best Bass Lakes of 2015:, the Golden State’s tidal water treasure is home to many a teener, the possibility of multiple double-digit bass in the same sack and frequent fish-fish limits that bust through the 30-lb benchmark.
With a seven-fish limit for the WWBT teams, a single day total could very well teeter near a 40-lb victory.
Tournament pro Ken Mah is no stranger to the 1000 miles of waterways that make up the tidal fishery and is a frequent check casher here – on his home water. Last spring, Mah and team partner Jason Austin brought home victory with five bass that weighed in at more than 36-lbs. Mah talked about his thoughts on repeating that success for this event.
“Overall, I think the field is going to catch a lot of fish,” he began. “There is a lot of fish biting in the system and they are literally biting everything. They’re biting moving baits – crankbaits, ChatterBaits, topwater, flippin’. You can catch them on almost ahnthing and I think you will have to use several different things to catch a good bag.
“Recently, there hasn’t been a day, where I have really caught ‘em that it has been with one bait. I had a day where I caught a big one on a frog and then a big one on a flippin’ stick and then a crankbait. Unlike typical, the person that wins or does well in this tournament will probably have to mix it up.”
A plan to junk fish wasn’t the only atypical condition that Mah discussed.
“The water clarity is good in most areas; but for May, it is a little darker than normal,” he explained. “It isn’t dirty; it is just darker. Sometimes, this time of year, you can see down 4- to 5-feet; but this year, I would say there is only about 2 ½- to 3-ft of visibility.
“Regarding vegetation – in some places, it looks like summer already. Other places there’s nothing. That is very unusual. Typically, if the grass is behind, it is just behind everywhere; but that’s not the case this year.”
Mah believes the majority of weigh fish will be pre spawners and although there will be bed fish available, he doesn’t think they will be a big part of the equation.
“With the off-limits, you can’t really go out and pinpoint beds; so I just don’t think a team will win on it,” he said. “It also goes back to my thought that it is going to take multiple patterns to really bring in the best limit.”
His Delta advice is to concentrate covering water with a crankbait or a ChatterBait and noted both a dropshot and a Senko will always catch big fish, even on the Delta.
Barring any unforeseen weather patterns, Mah predicts 34- to 35-lbs to win.
“It has been taking 29-lbs with five fish, so add a couple of three pounders to that and that is what we’re looking at,” he added. “I think 21 and change should be able to get a check.”
Anglers can still sign up to be a part of this big bass battle.
Registration will start 5 a.m. at the lake, prior to take off. Same day sign-ups will be taken at that time with a late fee of $20. Same day entries are only accepted for team events.
Anglers will blast off and weigh-in at Big Break Marina, 100 Big Break Rd, Oakley, Calif. Blast off time is safelight and weigh-in will kick off at 3 p.m. Both are free of charge and open to the public.
Host lodging for the event is the Best Western Plus Delta Hotel, 5549 Bridgehead Road, Oakley, Calif.
The WWBT debuted in 2016 with 17 events that include two Pro/Am and two Teams circuits – one based in California and the other in Arizona. Each Pro/Am circuit consists of three tournaments and a combined, year-end qualifying championship event. The Teams circuit includes four tournaments and a year-end championship.
For complete details and updated information, visit WildWestBassTrail.com. For tournament news, event updates and more, follow the WWBT on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Wildwestbasstrail/
Advertising