Mark Pilgrim Takes Over Lead By Weight; Ish Monroe Retains Lead By Keeper Count: Day Two Of BAM Pro Tour at Almanor | Bass Angler Magazine
WESTWOOD, Calif. – The top-10 field cut for the BAM Pro Tour second stop of the season at Lake Almanor has been determined with Mark Pilgrim of Chester, Calif., taking over the top-spot for the biggest five with his two-day total of 32.21. Fellow California pro, Ish Monroe from Oakdale retained his position atop the keeper count leaderboard with 21 scorable bass. Both are confident in their Day Three strategies.
Pilgrim climbed one spot by weight for the Day Two cut by concentrating on the west side of the lake with the morning topwater being his most successful.
“I’m targeting those bigger fish in the morning before the sun comes up, and then I’m chasing some bed fish in the early afternoon,” he stated.
Pilgrim is throwing a couple different topwater baits, but most of the time it’s a Rapala SP7 popper.
“It’s a blue and orange color and a frog pattern and I’m alternating between the two,” he revealed. “And when I move up on spawning fish, I am trying to stick to a white tube – a Gitzit and then a Yamamoto hook tail in a white shad color.
“I’m throwing both of those on braided line. I’m not throwing any mono on that bait. I’m using the non-fade P-line 40-pound on those. The fish are not specific on that braided line. They’re just gobbling it up.”
Also focused on the shallower side, Pilgrim is in 7- to 10-feet of water. “I can see down 12 to 14-feet where I am and the fish are staged between 7- to 9-feet, the majority of them. You’ve got to look hard, but they are there. You’ve got to be in the right areas, and if you find them, you’re really going to find ‘em.”
Monroe Holds His Keeper Count Lead
“It’s early to mid-spawn here; it’s the right time of the year for me,” said Monroe. “I’m catching all of my fish in 10-feet or less on the Missile Baits Drop Craw, Bomb Shot and Ned Bomb.”
For those that tuned in yesterday to hear he was using lures that were no longer made, Monroe did divulge those today.
“I’m also catching them on a crankbait that you can’t get any more,” he said. “It’s an old school Wiggle Wart.”
Washington pro Jake Boomer of Spokane Valley also tallied 21 scorable bass. The heaviest weight as a tie-breaker ranked Ish’s two five-fish limits of 30.24 for the lead over Boomer’s 27.74.
Weights are zeroed out for the final day of fishing and the top-five from each side will make up the final field of 10 to fish for the crown of the BAM Pro Tour champion at Lake Almanor. Weigh-in begins at 3 p.m.
Top-10 BAM Pro Tour Lake Almanor Day Two
Angler / Hometown / Big Bass (if weighed) /Day 1 Weight / Day 2 Weight / Total Scorable Bass
Mark Pilgrim Chester, CA 16.30 15.91 *32.21 18
Ish Monroe Oakdale, CA 16.09 14.25 30.34 *21
Conrad Demecs Peoria, AZ 15.91 15.89 *31.8 17
Jake Boomer Spokane Valley, WA 4.68 14.68 13.06 27.74 *21
Colby Pearson Central Point, OR 15.55 14.84 *30.39 19
Luke Johns Folsom, CA 15.11 14.20 29.31 *18
Nick Wood Yreka, CA 14.95 14.01 *28.96 12
Zack Thompson Alameda, CA 16.47 11.25 27.72 *15
Hayden Lee Angels Camp, CA 13.76 14.05 *27.81 11
Nicholas Cloutier Oakley, CA 15.40 11.86 27.26 *15
BAM Pro Tour Lake Almanor Day Two Full Results
Note: BAM Pro Tour anglers are ranked in the Pro Tour events by both biggest five fish limit and numbers of scorable bass caught. First place is held by the angler with five biggest bass and second place is the highest keeper count. The standings then continue to alternate by weight/numbers. Anglers ranked by weight are denoted with an asterisk. Field will be cut at end of Day Two.
By Jody Only
2024 BAM Pro Tour Next Stop
The third BAM Pro Tour event will be held at the Columbia River. More info is available here.
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About BAM Tournament Trail
The Bass Angler Magazine Pro Tour, offers an unparalleled platform for anglers and sponsors, alike combining vast exposure opportunities that celebrate the skills of the top western bass anglers. The circuit garners extensive coverage across print and online magazines, websites, videos, television, and multiple social media channels.
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