Bass N Fly Challenge

This past Friday i attended the Bass N Fly Challenge down on the California Delta. The event was put on by the Bass N Fly Team that consist of John Sherman, Kevin Doran, Keith Kaneko, Ken Hanley and Jerry Siem. It's a team event. There are two anglers to a boat. The object is to catch and bring in 5 live bass to be weighed then released. The team with the most total weight wins. There is also a pool of money for the biggest fish caught that day.

I fished with Robert Johnson of Walnut Creek. I was paired with Rodger last minute on a recommendation from John Sherman. We met the day before the event and pre fished for a couple hours in the evening. Robert and i hit it off and had a blast cruzing around, throwing line, talking trash and telling jokes. His boat goes over 60 mph, so just getting to the fishing spots was a rush.

The morning of the event was nice and calm. Perfect conditions for fishing the Deltas Large Mough Bass. We netted 6 fish in the first hour. It was a huge thrill when that first fish exploded on the fly. All our fish were caught top water using poppers. For the rest of the morning it was a matter of trying to get a couple bigger fish. Fishing slowed down a bit as the sun rose higher. We caught fish on and off in a variety of different water. All and all we boated at least 15 fish. Most around 1 to 3 pounds. In the last hour, with a hail marry cast up under an overhanging oak tree, Robert hooked and landed a nice fish weighing just under 5 pounds. With that, we packed up and headed for the dock for weigh in.


Perfect calm morning for fishing the delta.
Robert reading the electronics and working some fish while i roll some tape. A California Pond Turtle watches as we fish his favorite hole. Robert Johnson with our biggest fish of the day. This is what it's all about, Delta Large Mouth Bass. The official weigh in station. The fish were quickly weighed then released back into the water.Kevin Price and Jake McKittrick take 5th Place. That's KD rollin some film in the background. Robert Johnson and Mikey Wier taking home 4th. Keith Westra and JR Hubbard take 3erd.Mike Baisdon and Russ Owens looking calm and cool. They took 2ed place overall and also won the biggest fish of the day with an 11 pounder . Steve Potter and Chuck Sterni took home the grand prize. Ken Hanley did a great job announcing and John Sherman was there to get the shot!

Top Team Standings and Winnings follow:

1st Place - $1985 - Steve Potter & Chuck Sterni Total weight (18 lbs. 8 oz.)
2nd Place - $1050 - Mike Baisdon & Russ Owens Total weight (18 lbs. 4oz.)
3rd Place - $560 - Keith Westra & JR Hubbard Total weight (13 lbs. 9 oz.)
4th Place - $250 - Robert Johnson & Mike Wier Total weight (11 lbs. 9 oz.)
5th Place - $200 - Jake McKettrick & Kevin Price Total weight (11 lbs. 4 oz.)
6th Place - $175 - Willie Cook & Bob Arwine Total weight (11 lbs. 2 oz.)

Big Fish - $300 – Mike Baisdon (11 lbs. 10 oz)

All 32 team standings will be available on the bass-n-fly website: www.bassnfly.com