By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor
Talk about getting stuck with the leftovers.
That’s how the field for the California Delta Western Rayovac Series last week must’ve felt after seeing the Elite Series field and two other local tournaments take their best swings at the sprawling tidal fishery the prior week.
The Rayovac field featured some of the best Delta anglers, many of whom are used to seeing the Delta in all of its various stages, including after it’s seen sustained fishing pressure. Needless to say, they found plenty of fish throughout the system even though it seemed like they between spawning waves.
While there were no massive bags weighed in, the Delta still produced plenty of 20-pound sacks, including a couple in the 26-pound range. The result was a final day that saw the Top 10 stacked up with less than 2 pounds separating 1st from 10th.
Here’s a rundown of how runner-up Ken Mah and 3rd-place finisher David Valdivia went about their business.
2nd: Ken Mah
> Day 1: 5, 22-06
> Day 2: 5, 18-00
> Day 3: 5, 19-03
> Total = 15, 59-09
In all of his years fishing tournaments at the California Delta, Ken Mah had never seen a Top 10 so bunched up after two days of competition as what transpired at the Delta last week.
Heading into last Saturday’s final round, a mere 1-10 separated leader Joe Uribe Jr. from 10th-place Wade Curtiss. Mah found himself somewhere in the middle, sitting in 4th, 10 ounces behind Uribe and a pound ahead of Curtiss.
“I don’t remember that happening in the last … ever,” Mah said. “I’ve never seen it like that. Typically, first or second will have a 6- or 7-pound gap over third and fourth.”