Oakley, Calif. (Aug. 6, 2021) – Toyota Series angler Andrew Loberg of Rocklin, California brought a five-bass limit to the scale Thursday weighing 23 pounds, 6 ounces to win the three-day Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. at California Delta in Oakley, California. Loberg’s three-day total of 15 bass weighing 55-11 earned him the win by a 6-pound, 12-ounce margin over second-place angler Michael Moreno of Salida, California and earned Loberg the top payout of $21,556 in the second tournament of the 2021 Toyota Series Western Division.
“I had a really good final day and everything fell into place,” said Loberg. “I’ve been trying to hit new water each day. I pulled up to one spot on Day 3 and they were there. Normally the Delta gets the best of me, but I had a great week. I’m really happy with it.”
Falling water temps, changing tides and short tournament days all forced Loberg to think on his feet to take home the top spot.
“The Delta is always changing, and I was able to adapt with it,” he said. “Going into this week, I just wanted to strictly punch, but I knew as each day of the tournament went on we’d have higher water in the morning. It got a little scarier each day.”
High tide required Loberg to trigger a reaction bite early in the morning before turning to punching vegetation later in the day.
“Each morning I’d start off throwing a ChatterBait, buzzbait or spook of some sort,” Loberg explained. “I focused on a lot of current, just trying to catch a limit. Once that tide dropped out, I’d go punch the rest of the day.”
He put his Powell Endurance Rods to work, punching key vegetation with a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver or Missile Baits D-Bomb. Loberg alternated between a 1- and 1 1/2-ounce tungsten weight, depending on the wind and thickness of the vegetation.
While still early in his career, Loberg’s first major MLF victory was a result of many hours on the tournament trail.
“I started fishing the regional high school tournaments, then fished the FLW Collegiate Series and got to travel the country with my buddies,” said Loberg. “Then, once I graduated college, I decided it’s time to step it up and fish out of the front of the boat.”
No stranger to rolling up his sleeves, Loberg was able to put his passion and work ethic to good use this week.
“I’ve worked really hard since I was younger. I just absolutely love tournament bass fishing,” he said. “Winning one of these means so much.”
The top 10 pros on the California Delta finished:
1st: Andrew Loberg of Rocklin, Calif., 15 bass, 55-11, $21,556
2nd: Michael Moreno of Salida, Calif., 15 bass, 48-15, $9,353
3rd: Jon Strelic of El Cajon, Calif., 15 bass, 47-0, $6,467
4th: Christian Ostrander of Turlock, Calif., 13 bass, 46-10, $5,389
5th: Phillip Dutra of Antioch, Calif., 15 bass, 45-11, $4,850
6th: William Hume of Vacaville, Calif., 15 bass, 42-14, $4,366
7th: Gregg Leonard of Wilton, Calif., 15 bass, 41-7, $3,772
8th: Clayton Eslick of Gilroy, Calif., 14 bass, 36-5, $3,233
9th: Randy McAbee, Jr. of Bakersfield, Calif., 14 bass, 35-15, $2,694
10th: Blake Dyer of Concord, Calif., 14 bass, 34-6, $2,156
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
William Hume of Vacaville, California took home an additional $55 for the Day One Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division, with a bass weighing 7 pounds. Ed Arledge of Valley Center, California won the Day Two Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division, bringing a 6-pound, 12-ounce bass to the scale.
Pro Michael Moreno of Salida, California took home an extra $1,000 as the highest finishing Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $35,000 per event in each Toyota Series tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
Keith Hurney of Oakley, California won the Strike King Co-angler Division Thursday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 37 pounds, 12 ounces. Hurney took home the top prize package of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor.
The top 10 Strike King co-anglers on the California Delta finished:
2nd: Colby Huntze of Discovery Bay, Calif., 15 bass, 35-6, $2,844
3rd: Brandon Gee of Yuba City, Calif., 15 bass, 33-5, $2,400
4th: Rachel Uribe of Long Beach, Calif., 15 bass, 31-4, $1,991
5th: Rommel Bagay of Concord, Calif., 14 bass, 29-7, $1,743
6th: Jack Farage of Discovery Bay, Calif., 15 bass, 28-3, $1,422
7th: Scott Bern of San Rafael, Calif., 15 bass, 28-1, $1,138
8th: James McNeely of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., 15 bass, 27-3, $995
9th: Aaron Seay of Spring Valley, Calif., 14 bass, 26-2, $853
10th: Camron Diatte of Salinas, Calif., 13 bass, 23-2, $711
The Toyota Series at the California Delta was the second of three regular-season tournaments in 2021 for Western Division anglers. The next event for Toyota Series anglers will take place on Aug. 26-28 – the Toyota Series at the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York. For a complete schedule, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The 2021 Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and Western – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International division. Anglers who fish all three qualifiers in any of the eight divisions and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. Championship for a shot at winning $235,000 cash, including a $35,000 Phoenix MLF BIG5 Bonus for qualified anglers. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard.
The 2021 Toyota Series Championship presented by A.R.E. will be held Oct. 28-30 on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee, and is hosted by the Hardin County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. on the MLF BIG5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.