Colby Pearson Prevails as Inaugural Angler of the Year
by Jody Only
OROVILLE, Calif. – The final day of the season-ending bass battle of the BAM Pro Tour concluded today as Ken Mah of Elk Grove, Calif. cruised to a blowout win at the Thermalito Afterbay with a five-fish limit that tipped the scales at 29.82 pounds, outpacing the runner-up by more than 12 pounds. Mah’s effort earned him a $12,073 payday.
“Today was crazy,” said Mah, reflecting on his second major victory at the Oroville fishery. “I’m humbled, I’m blessed, and I’m thankful. It’s so hard to win even one of these multi-day events. It’s crazy to win anywhere, even once, but to win here again – I’m speechless.”
Mah qualified for Championship Sunday with the second-heaviest weight of 32.69 pounds, accumulated over the first two days of fishing. Blasting off with a leaderboard reset to zero, the top 10 anglers launched for their final limit to determine the winner. Fish management was a key part of Mah’s strategy.
“The first day I fished a ChatterBait with a Big Bite Baits Kamikaze Swimon trailer,” he said. “It wasn’t easy, but I caught them fairly early, and once I reached my target weight, I was able to fish more freely.”
A finicky bite on Day Three forced Mah to adjust for his Clear Lake-sized bag. He credited the River2Sea Phat Mat Daddy frog and a flippin’ stick for the big bites.
“I glued a 1-ounce weight and 80-pound Sunline braid to a 7’11” Loomis flippin’ stick and went to work,” he said.
His flippin’ plastics included both a YoMama and College Craw from Big Bite Baits, along with a Missile Baits Craw Father. A specific, slow retrieve with a subtle shake after bottom contact was essential for Mah’s success.
O’Shinn Flips for Five
Auburn, Calif. pro Bill O’Shinn qualified for the final day with 12 scorable bass, placing him in 8th with a two-day total of 20.56 pounds, averaging 10 pounds per day. On Championship Sunday, he upped that to five fish for 17.10 pounds, securing 2nd place and pocketing $5,644.
“Today was slow,” O’Shinn shared. “I was getting one fish every hour or two. I only got five or six bites all day, but mid-day, I figured out something else about where they were positioning, and I was able to get a few key bites that catapulted me into 2nd.”
Every fish for O’Shinn came on a flippin’ stick.
“I flipped a Pro Point Lures The Bug,” he revealed. “It has little tentacles like a Twin Tail Grub, but it’s compact enough to get into the thick stuff. It has good action, and with a 1¼-ounce weight, I was getting way back in there, and that seemed to work.”
O’Shinn mentioned his biggest challenge was finding fish that hadn’t been pressured over the course of the tournament.
“Staying mentally sound through that was important,” he concluded.
Monroe’s Water Turned Cold
Fishing shallow, Ish Monroe from Oakdale, Calif., led the event for each of the first two days of competition by both weight and keepers. His two-day total of 41.00 pounds left him more than five pounds ahead of his nearest competitor. With no leaderboard carryover to Championship Sunday, Monroe’s final standing locked him in 3rd place with 16.79 pounds, earning $4,715.
“It was a good tournament, leading the first two days with 20 pounds,” Monroe said. “Anytime you have a tournament like that, it’s a great event. The best thing was being able to catch ‘em froggin’ and flippin’ – especially when you’re catching good ones doing it.”
Monroe felt his biggest challenge was adjusting to the venue’s fluctuating water temperature.
“Today I had water coming in that was a little bit colder, and I knew I should run a little further away, but I didn’t because I felt like the area I had didn’t get as much pressure as the warmer water,” he said.
Over the course of the three days, Monroe relied on two main presentations.
“I threw my (River2Sea) Phat Mat Daddy frog on the first day, and then mixed in Missile Baits the next day,” he said. “Today, it was all Missile, except for one frog fish that didn’t weigh.”
Monroe tied his frog to Daiwa’s 70-pound Samurai braided line spooled to a 7.1:1 Daiwa Zillion reel, paired with a Daiwa Tatula Elite Series 7’4” frog rod. He flipped with a Daiwa Tatula Elite Series Ish Monroe 8’ Punching/Flippin’ rod and a Daiwa 7.1:1 Pitch/Flip reel with the same Daiwa Samurai braid.
His flip rig featured a 5/0 River2Sea New Jack Flippin’ Hook, a punch stop, and a 1-ounce Angler’s King tungsten weight. “The weight is exclusively available at Fisherman’s Warehouse,” added Monroe.
Pearson Claims Angler of the Year Title
Heading into the final BAM Pro Tour event of 2024, Colby Pearson of Central Point, Ore., was leading the Angler of the Year (AOY) points race. Monroe was hot on his heels, with only seven points separating them. The title remained up for grabs until the final day of the Thermalito competition.
“If Ish would’ve won (Thermalito), we would’ve tied for AOY, unless I got 9th or better,” said Pearson. “I had four top-10s, and the fact that there even was an Angler of the Year race after four top-10s is amazing in itself. So, props to Ish. We’ve been duking it out all year, and I couldn’t have gone against a better guy.”
With Thermalito as the bookend to the BAM Pro Tour 2024 schedule, Pearson was thankful to finish the year strong.
“This place was a thorn in my side,” he said. “Coming from Oregon, we don’t punch for bass, and I knew I was far out of my element. So, I was a little nervous coming in.
I figured I would be holding on for dear life; but I knew if I got another top-10, it would put a little bit of pressure on Ish.”
Pearson’s four top-10 finishes included back-to-back wins at Lake Martinez and Lake Almanor to kick off BAM’s season.
“Martinez was my first major win,” exclaimed Pearson. “This year has been amazing, and I can’t wait for next year and the BAM Super 60.”
Note: BAM Pro Tour anglers are ranked in Pro Tour events by both the heaviest five-fish limit (Weight) and the number of scorable bass caught (Keepers).
First place is awarded to the angler with the five heaviest bass, and second place goes to the highest keeper count. The standings then continue to alternate by weight/keepers.
Anglers ranked by weight on the leaderboard are denoted with an asterisk.
Anglers add to both of their Day One rankings on Day Two, as an accumulated two-day total. Once both days are tallied, the field is cut to the top-10. All results are zeroed out, and the final 10 anglers fish for the five heaviest bass on Day Three to determine the champion.
Place/Angler/Big Fish/Day 3 Weight/Place Winnings/Contingency or BigFish Dollars/Total Payout
1 Ken Mah 29.82 $11,573 $500 $12,073
2 Bill O’Shinn 17.10 $5,144 $500 $5,644
3 Ish Monroe 16.79 $4,715 $4,715
4 Nicholas Cloutier 15.84 $4,286 $4,286
5 Luke Johns 15.45 $3,858 $3,858
6 Jake Boomer 13.73 $3,429 $3,429
7 Jason Bradshaw 7.19 12.57 $2,572 $675 $3,247
8 Hayden Lee 11.84 $2,572 $2,572
9 Colby Pearson 8.64 $2,357 $2,357
10 Greg Gutierrez 4.27 $2,357 $2,357
FullResults 2024 BAM Pro Tour Thermalito Afterbay Day One
FullResults 2024 BAM Pro Tour Thermalito Afterbay Day Two
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