Delta Challenge '09
May 15th, 2009 at 5:54am, team Ric Rudgers/Todd Alday blast-off from Buckley Cove in Stockton, Ca. to initiate the start of the second Delta Bass-n-Fly Challenge bass tournament. The Bass-n-Fly Challenge is a flyfishing only event and this was the second event of it’s kind ever held on the California Delta. The inaugural event was held in May ’08. Pre-fish drama was in full swing hours before blast-off with multiple competitors scrambling at last minute to find mechanics for repairs or a loaner boat to keep their place in the lineup. Those in need found friends indeed, and once the dust had settled, all 39 teams had blast-off in search of big Delta bass and top prize money. Unsettled weather, and an unusually slow bite leading up to tournament day would certainly have it’s effect on competitor’s weigh-ins. Despite the less than perfect conditions, all of the contestants had a great time and some really nice fish were caught. One notable fish caught included the near 3lb. Smallmouth Bass taken by Matt Greene and team partner Gregg Holland. This fish helped them secure a 7th place finish and the final payout position. Another great catch was the 8lb 9oz fish Russ Owens landed while topwater fishing the mats or “cheese” as it is known in the Delta. Russ’s fish would launch him and team partner Mike Baisdon right to the top of the leader board with a winning weight of 17lbs. 6oz. Team Ric Rudgers/Todd Alday would fish a solid topwater game all day to land themselves the 2nd place title with 12lbs. 7oz. Todd traveled from Arizona to compete in this event. Third place trophies went to team Robert Johnson/Mikey Weir. They stepped up their showing from last year’s event despite having last minute mechanical problems during pre-fish the day before. Cash payouts were awarded to the top 7 teams. The team of Joe Marini/Anthony Iaccarino locked in a paycheck with 10lbs. 15oz and a 4th place finish. Bob Souza and team partner Bill Loughlin fished consistently to a 5th place position. Team Daren New/Shane Kolhbeck moved into 6th with just 5oz over 7th place team Matt Greene and Gregg Holland. Matt and Gregg slid into 7th place by weighing their tie breaking Smallmouth edging out team Marty Adrian/Joey Adrian. That Smallmouth proved to be worth $282! Anglers came from throughout the Golden State as well as competitors from Utah, Arizona, and Wisconsin. The Bass-n-Fly team sincerely thanks all of the anglers, industry sponsors, and the volunteers that help to make The Bass-n-Fly Challenge the best it can be. We hope to see you at the next event! A special thanks to our volunteers ‘09: Dan Busby, Peter Blackman, Lee Soares, Susan Bostwick, Tony Serpa, Leslie Kaneko, and Andy Guibord(photography) The Bass-n-Fly Team
 
The Delta Bass-n-Fly Challenge
2009
photo by John Sherman
The Delta Bass-n-Fly Challenge
May 15th, 2009
©Bass-n-Fly 2009/All Rights Reserved
See the complete tournament results here!. ’09 Tournament Video link...click here...