LA GRANGE, Calif. – The first day of the 2025 BAM Tournament Trail Bass Boat Technologies Super 60 season-opener at Lake Don Pedro was one for the record books as Washington State pro from Green Acres – Sean Minderman – stretched an early lead to more than eight-pounds over his nearest competitor with a five-fish limit that weighed 24.48, bolstered by a big bass that hovered around the teener mark at 12.92. Sacking up the only bag to break 20-pounds, Minderman is well on his to way to qualify for a top-10 Championship Sunday spot to fish for the $50,000 grand prize in the event presented by Lake Don Pedro, Chicken Ranch Casino Resort and Tackle Warehouse with Conservation Sponsor Fisherman’s Warehouse.
“I’ve never been on this lake; I was really excited to fish here though,” shared Minderman. “I didn’t have any expectations.
Minderman locked in a limit with five in the box by 10 am.
“About 9:30, I was going down the bank and crossed over a rockpile,” recalled Minderman. “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.”
His second pass didn’t result in his prized Big Bass biting; but Minderman continued his day.
“I figured out a bait that I could really get ‘em to bite on and then it dawned on me, that I needed to go back and see if I could get that big one that I saw,” revealed Minderman.
Making long casts with light line, he again targeted the tweener, that resulted in his new PB.
“I landed it 200 yards from where I hooked it,” he said. “It was like fighting a salmon.”
His big fell to a sculpin imitator tied on a 7’ G-Loomis 782 spinning rod paired to a Shimano Stradic spooled with 14-Pound Power Pro Braid married to a 6-pound Trilene pure fluorocarbon leader.
Minderman plans to return to the area for Day Two; but also wants to expand to spots that follow his current pattern.
“I don’t know that I will start there; I’ve got to learn more of the lake and not isolate myself,” he said. “I’m going to stay dialed in on the bait that I found successful today. The main thing is that I don’t have a plan (for tomorrow). I didn’t have one for this morning – just to keep an open mind, watch the conditions and go with instincts. I’m going to put today away in the file cabinet and open another file cabinet for tomorrow.”
Securing a second place standing with 39 keepers for Day One, Greg Gutierrez of Red Bluff, Calif. found a slow start to his fishing day in the morning.
“As the sun got higher, I think the fish were moving up, trying to warm their eggs and so it made them easier to access,” he said. “I ended up staying on a little pattern I found and workin’ it.”
As the day went on, Double G continued to add quantity as well as quality, when attempting to upgrade from the three-pound class that he was catching.
“I culled out three later in the afternoon; but then decided it wasn’t that prudent to keep catching fish that I may need on Day Three,” he added.
Gutierrez, well-known for the Frenzy Nail he created for Frenzy Baits, was throwing finesse presentations. His down baits were tied to six- and eight-pound Gamma Fluorocarbon
“A lot of catches had to do with sensitivity; so, I was using really light (setups),” he said. “The rods I’m using are IROD. Also, I did use a couple of my homemade dart heads to help out. It is not something I’ve released into my Frenzy line (yet).
“I was shakin’ a Nail here and a dart head there and a lot of the bites, I would never feel,” he said. “The fish would just swim off with it and it was key to feel the pressure change.”
Gutierrez feels it will only take another 10 to 15 catches to make Championship Sunday. He is confident his effort will put him in that top-10 cutline.
Note: BAM Pro Tour anglers are ranked in Pro Tour events by both the heaviest five fish limit (Weight) and numbers of scorable bass caught (Keepers).
First place is held by the angler with the five heaviest bass and second place is the highest keeper count. The standings then continue to alternate by weight/keepers.
Anglers ranked by weight on the leaderboard are denoted with an asterisk.
Anglers add to both of their Day One rankings on Day Two as an accumulated two-day total. Once both days are tallied, the field is cut to the top-10, all results are zero-ed out and the final 10 anglers fish for the five heaviest bass on Day Three to determine the champion.
Best Of The Rest: BAM Super 60 Don Pedro Day One Top-10
Place PRO Hometown Big Fish Day 1 Weight Day 1 Keepers
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* 15
4 Aaron Britt Yuba City, CA 14.03 23*
5 Tyler Madden Brentwood, CA 17.44* 20
6 Tony Franceschi Granite Bay, CA 10.38 23*
7 Bryant Smith Roseville, CA 17.34* 8
8 Dylan Maxon Sun City, AZ 16.81 22*
9 Jason Crone Kalispell, MT 16.54* 17
10 Randy Pierson Oakdale, CA 14.85 22*
Full Results 2025 BAM SUPER 60 Lake Don Pedro Day One
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About the BAM Tournament Trail
The Bass Angler Magazine Tournament Trail (BAM Trail) offers an elite platform for anglers while providing exceptional media exposure for sponsors. The BAM Trail receives extensive coverage across:
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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.
The 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 or follow: BAM TRAIL, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Media / Advertising Contact Mark Lassagne
BAM’s Trail Sponsors
- Bass Boat Technologies
- Tackle Warehouse
- 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
- Fisherman’s Warehouse
BAM’s Tourism sponsors:
- Lake Don Pedro
- City of Oakley
- Lake Almanor Chamber
- Boardman Chamber
- Feather River Tourism Association.
- Choose Redding
For more information, visit www.bamtrail.com.
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