Nick Nourot wins the 2019 Wild West Bass Trail Duel on the Delta Presented by General Tire
Full Results
OAKLEY, Calif. – Following three consecutive years with 2nd place finishes in the Wild West Bass Trail (WWBT) Pro/Am’s on the California Delta, Nick Nourot of Benicia, Calif. takes the top-spot for the 2019 Duel on the Delta presented by General Tire.
In 2016, its inaugural year, the WWBT Delta event was won by Richard Dobyns with 44.40 and Nourot’s runner-up position was held with 39.64.
In 2017, the WWBT Delta victory went to Bobby Barrack with 66.26, while Nourot’s 2nd runner-up position was taken with 60.27.
Last year, the WWBT Delta champ title went to Bub Tosh for 65.07 and Nourot’s trio of second’s was earned with 57.70.
Nourot (the reigning FLW Western Division Angler of the Year) has highlighted his consistency with a three-peat of top-two finishes. Finally, this year, he broke what he called the “2nd place curse” and claimed the WWBT tidal water trophy as a crowning achievement.
His tournament-total of 62.08 beat out 119-boat field and the Day Two leader, Ken Mah’s three-day total at 61.60. The feat earned Nourot a total payout of $14,250, with the Lowrance contingency.
THE SECRET SAUCE
He credits his “big fish spots” for his success and reports running 55 miles per day – from one end of the Delta to the other – in order to reach them.
“When you fish the Delta, you can pattern different size fish,” he said, “It is like the giants only show up in certain areas. I kept myself in the areas that I knew the big ones were in and tried to catch ‘em.”
“I burned a ton of gas. I had about three to five areas and I spent about an hour or more at each one. They were just very far apart and it takes over an hour, in my boat, to make that run. I have a 150, so it just takes forever.”
He described the conditions of his big fish areas and noted they attracted both pre and post spawners.
“This time of year (April), especially this year –with the colder winter – the majority of the fish are in a spawning pattern and the full moon had just faded,” he said. “So, I was in spawning areas; but I didn’t catch fish off of beds. I was targeting the fish that were coming and going from those areas.
“Knowing that there are the 10’s and the giant seven-plusses spawning back in those areas, I was looking for those light current locations that were nearby. This is were I could catch the pre and post spawners that were feeding on baitfish.”
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A DIFFERENCE IN DAYS
Nourot reported catching between 15 and 20 fish each day, but not all were of the quality that he was seeking in his big fish areas.
“The first day, I was culling a lot of solid, quality fish; but the second day I only had one good bite.”
Tidal changes didn’t factor into Nourot’s strategy.
“In the areas that I fish, I try to have a plan for both tides,” he explained. “Especially in a three-day tournament, you can rarely rely on a tide window. The bite in a tide window can be as short as 20 minutes and that becomes impossible to repeat three days in a row; so, I have areas where I can catch them on low or high.”
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LURE SELECTION
Nourot reported he had the same four rods on his deck for the first two days and making an adjustment on Championship Sunday.
Day 1: “The weather in practice was hot and calm and I stuck to the topwater,” he said. “I got a 5 ½ pounder on a Snag Proof frog. The bite was better for me on this day.”
His other weigh fish fell to a 7-inch Senko and a Punch rig. The Senko was Texas-rigged and a watermelon color. His punch rig included a 1-¼ ounce Tungsten weight, a Paycheck Punch Skirt with a Missile Baits D-Bomb in a color he described as watermelon green and red.
Day 2: Again, Nourot reported froggin’ and the big Senko.
“My only better fish was on a Teckle frog,” said Nourot. “That saved my second day; because other than that, I couldn’t break 3-¼ pounds. I was living in practice on the second day and throwing a lot of topwater, when I should’ve been fishing sub-surface the entire day. I was chippin’ away at the topwater fish and I also caught a three-pounder on a Snag Proof; but the topwater bite was fading every day.”
“I stuck with the big Senko. I may have gone to a 6-inch; but I really should’ve just tried something different.”
Day 3: “I only got two blowups on my frogs; but I spent 90 percent of my day flippin’,” revealed Nourot. “I caught some fish on the Senko; but I also went to a dropshot with a big seven-inch worm – like a Bubba Shot. That adjustment saved the tournament.”
“I went on fire for about an hour and won the tournament. My co was catchin’ ‘em too. He won also. It was mid-day about noon, when that happened. If we were fishing a team tournament, our best five would’ve been about 31-pounds.”
Nourot’s dropshot rig consisted of an unnamed worm that he described as a unique, hand-poured, ¼-ounce cylinder weight with a hook-to- weight leader that was one-inch longer than the worm.
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MORE PROPS
With more to credit for his win, Nourot expressed appreciation for no boat mishaps/equipment failures in the wide-open 50-mile run each day and to his wife for watching their daughter while he was out having fun.
“Everything just worked out this year,” he said “Last year, when Bub beat me, he told me when it was my time, there would be nothing that could stop it. That is what happened this year. For me, they were just biting.”
Nourot grew up fly fishing and has been competitively bass fishing since 2009. He plans to save most of the winnings (with a little going to fishing equip)
Thanked WWBT for bringing a Pro/Am circuit to the West.
“Organizations like theirs need to be supported, so that we can raise the level of competitive bass fishing on the West Coast to the level of fishing on the East Coast.
REST OF THE BEST | PRO
- 2nd 61.60 Ken Mah $7,250
- 3rd 58.96 Mark Mello $6,200
- 4th 56.27 Tony Franceschi $6,250
- 5th 53.78 Greg Gutierrez $4,000
The 2019 WWBT Pro/Am Championship is at Clear Lake on May 31 to June 2
The WWBT debuted in 2016. The trail includes a Pro/Am circuit and two Teams circuits – one based in California and the other in Arizona.
A special thanks to all the WWBT sponsors – Ben Green Insurance, Dobyns Rods, Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits, General Tire, Genesis Graphics, Lowrance Electronics, Lucas Oil, P-Line, Power-Pole, Protect the Harvest, Ranger Boats, Super Clean, Top This Premier Accessory Outfitters, Vets 4 Hunting and Fishing.
For more information visit WildWestBassTrail.com and follow WWBT at Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram
The 2019 Wild West Bass Trail victors -Travis Williams Am (left); Nick Nourot Pro (Right)
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