BAM Super 60 Sean Minderman Leads
BAM Super 60 Sean Minderman Marks Massive Day One Lead with Double-Digit Don Pedro Bass at Season Opener
Greg Gutierrez Racks Up More Than Three Dozen Keepers for 2nd Place
LA GRANGE, Calif. – The opening day of the 2025 BAM Tournament Trail Bass Boat Technologies Super 60 at Lake Don Pedro was one for the books. Washington State pro Sean Minderman, hailing from Greenacres, rocketed to an early lead with a five-fish limit weighing 24.48 pounds, thanks to a show-stopping 12.92-pound big bass—just shy of the elusive “teener” mark. His bag was the only one to break the 20-pound barrier, putting him firmly in contention for a Championship Sunday spot and the $50,000 grand prize.
The event is presented by Lake Don Pedro, Chicken Ranch Casino Resort, and Tackle Warehouse, with Fisherman’s Warehouse as the conservation sponsor.
Minderman’s Monster Moment: Landing a PB on Light Line
“I’ve never been on this lake; I was really excited to fish here though,” said Minderman. “I didn’t have any expectations.”
Minderman secured a limit by 10 a.m. “About 9:30, I was going down the bank and crossed over a rockpile,” he recalled. “I saw a big giant bass swim off it. Fifteen minutes later, I came back. I cast at it and came back across it. The fish was still there.”
After his initial cast didn’t get bit, he stuck to his plan—until instincts took over. “I figured out a bait that I could really get ’em to bite on, and then it dawned on me—I needed to go back and see if I could get that big one,” he revealed.
Targeting the fish with long casts and light line, he finally connected with his new personal best. “I landed it 200 yards from where I hooked it,” he said. “It was like fighting a salmon.”
His big fish came on a sculpin imitator tied to a 7’ G-Loomis 782 spinning rod paired with a Shimano Stradic reel, 14-pound Power Pro braid, and a 6-pound Trilene Pure Fluorocarbon leader.
Minderman plans to return to the area on Day Two but also hopes to expand on his current pattern. “I don’t know that I will start there,” he said. “I’ve got to learn more of the lake and not isolate myself. I’m going to stay dialed in on the bait that worked today. I didn’t have a plan for this morning—just an open mind and instincts. I’m putting today in the file cabinet and opening a new one for tomorrow.”
Gutierrez Downsizes to Rack Up the Keepers
Greg Gutierrez of Red Bluff, Calif., grabbed second place with a staggering 39 keepers on Day One, thanks to a methodical finesse approach.
“I had a slow start, but as the sun got higher, I think the fish moved up to warm their eggs, and that made them easier to catch,” Gutierrez explained. “I stuck with a little pattern I found and just worked it.”
Gutierrez, also known as “Double G,” continued to upgrade throughout the day. “I culled out three later in the afternoon, but then I decided it wasn’t smart to keep catching fish I might need on Day Three.”
A master of finesse, Gutierrez leaned on the Frenzy Nail, a bait he created for Frenzy Baits, along with a few of his homemade dart heads—a prototype not yet released. His rigs were tied to 6- and 8-pound Gamma Fluorocarbon on IROD rods.
“A lot of the bites, I wouldn’t even feel,” he said. “They’d just swim off with it. It was all about feeling that subtle pressure change.”
He believes another 10 to 15 fish on Day Two will be enough to lock in a Championship Sunday berth.
Understanding BAM’s Unique Scoring Format
BAM Pro Tour anglers are ranked in each event by both:
- The heaviest five-fish limit (Weight)
- The total number of scorable bass caught (Keepers)
First place is held by the angler with the heaviest five-fish bag, while second place goes to the angler with the most keepers. The standings then alternate between weight and keeper count.
On Day Three, the field is cut to the Top 10, weights are zeroed, and the final 10 anglers battle it out for the heaviest five-fish limit to determine the champion.
Day One Standings – 2025 BAM Pro Tour at Lake Don Pedro
| Place | PRO | Hometown | Big Fish | Weight Day 1 | Keeper Count Day 1 |
| 1 | Sean Minderman | Greenacres, WA | 12.92* | 24.48* | 9 |
| 2 | Greg Gutierrez | Red Bluff, CA | 16.62 | 39* | |
| 3 | Bill O’shinn | Auburn, CA | 18.09* | 17 | |
| 4 | Randy Pierson | Oakdale, CA | 14.85 | 23* | |
| 5 | Tyler Madden | Brentwood, CA | 17.44* | 20 | |
| 6 | Aaron Britt | Yuba City, CA | 14.03 | 23* | |
| 7 | Bryant Smith | Roseville, CA | 17.34* | 8 | |
| 8 | Tony Franceschi | Granite Bay, CA | 10.38 | 23* | |
| 9 | Dylan Maxon | Sun City, AZ | 16.81* | 22 | |
| 10 | Randy McAbee | Bakersfield, CA | 16.53 | 22* |
*Denotes anglers ranked by weight.
About BAM Tournament Trail
The Bass Angler Magazine Tournament Trail (BAM Trail) is an exclusive, West Coast pro-level tournament circuit, offering top-tier competition for elite anglers. It provides multiple opportunities to showcase the skills of Western anglers across various professional platforms.
As the BAM Trail continues to evolve, it delivers premier events that attract top-level competitors while offering sponsors a direct connection to West Coast anglers.
Dedicated to maximizing exposure, the BAM Trail provides a complete package of advertising opportunities, including on-site activation, social media and internet campaigns, and a widely viewed YouTube and TV series.
BAM Trail is honored to be associated with its title sponsor, Bass Boat Technologies, and presenting sponsor, Tackle Warehouse. The trail is also supported by Storquest, Chicken Ranch Resort, Bass Cat Boats, Ford Fairfield,,Power Pole, Mercury Outboards, Bridgford Foods, Bob’s Machine, Dakota Lithium, Sticky Graphics, Jean Deleonardi Real Estate,Valley Outdoors and our conservation sponsor Fisherman’s Warehouse.
BAM TT tourism sponsors: Lake Don Pedro, City of Oakley, Lake Almanor Chamber, the Boardman Chamber, and the Feather River Tourism Association.
Tournament events include BAM Pro Tour, Pro-Am, Scholastic and a Kayak Tours with a no entry Championship can be viewed on YouTube. Learn more here: BAM TRAIL, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Media / Advertising Contact Mark Lassagne
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BAM Trail is honored to be associated with its title sponsor,
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