OTHELLO — The Bass Angler Magazine’s Vexus Pro-Am Bass Tournament at the Potholes Reservoir was held over the weekend bringing top anglers from across the west to local waters. The anglers began their competition at 5 a.m. Friday and competed through Sunday afternoon. 

“Everything went good,” said Mark Lassagne, CEO and Tournament Director for BAM Tournament Trail. “The weather was nice, fishing was good, it was just altogether a smooth event without any issues.” 

On the pro side of the tournament, Aaron Ecthernkamp from Moses Lake earned the title of Pro Champion for the weekend to earn the grand prize of the $40,000 Mercury-Powered Vexus 1880 fishing boat. Ecthernkamp caught 19.08 lbs the first day, 18.63 lbs the second day and 18.15 lbs the third day for a total weight of 55.86 lbs.  

The Co-Champion Amateur angler is Adrian Ghione from Oakdale, Calif., and won the top prize of $4,000. Ghione had a top catch of 4.97 lbs the first day to add to his 19.61lbs day one total then caught 14.27 lbs the second day and 13.59 lbs the third day for a total of 47.47 lbs. 

Full results for the tournament can be found at bamtrail.com. 

Chris Parks from Eugene, Oregon caught the largest individual fish at the tournament with a weight of 6.25 lbs.  

“No giant ones, but a lot of good quality fish,” said Lassagne. 

Over the course of the weekend, he said the average catch weighed about three pounds. 

“I think it took like a 3.5-lb average to get a check in the event, and it took a 17 or 18-lb average to win the tournament,” the director said. 

Lassagne said the weather and surroundings for the tournament provided variety for the anglers throughout the weekend. The tournament started overcast with still waters Friday, then had full sun and wind Saturday and concluded with a mix of calm waters and wind Sunday. 

Despite the varying conditions, the competitors had no trouble adjusting and staying persistent in making catches throughout each day. 

“Potholes is just an amazing place with so much vegetation and there’s so many things to throw at,” said Lassange. 

The co-anglers had a strong showing at Potholes as it took an average of 14 lbs to make it into the top 10 for the amateurs. For the pro-anglers, the average for top10 placement was 17.19 lbs. 

“Usually there’s a big gap between the pro and co, but there was not that big of a gap here,” said Lassagne. 

After the conclusion of the tournament, Lassagne thanked Mardon Resort for hosting, Willie Nelson from Nixon’s Marine in Pasco for transporting the prize boat and the help of Grant County for providing a small community marketing grant. 

The BAM’s next event will be a Super 60 invitational June 26-28 at Brownlee Reservoir between Oregon and Idaho with a grand prize of $50,000 on the line. The tournament will feature multiple anglers that competed at Potholes and is open to spectators attending weigh-ins at Memorial Park in downtown Huntington, Ore. 

This event will be run different from the Pro-AM's format and will be focused mostly on catching smallmouth bass. The Super 60 tournament will feature a keeper count format along with a weight format. 

“Guys can make it into the top 10 by catching multiple keepers or they can make it to the top 10 by catching the top 5 heaviest weight,” said Lassagne. “It’s kind of a mixed bag and they have to really strategize to figure out how to make a top five either on keeper count or on weight.” 

The boats will launch from Farewell Bend State Park on Friday, June 26, at 5 a.m. and weigh ins will begin at 3 p.m. each day of the tournament. 

    Bryce Quinnell, a co-angler from Kalispell, Montana, holds up his catch Friday morning in the first day of the tournament. Quinnell went on to take second at the tournament.
  

    Pro-Angler Joey Walton from Lewiston, Idaho holds up his largemouth bass caught at Potholes Reservoir.
  

    Ron Mace, a pro from Kennewick who is also known as the Wrangler Angler, fishes off the side of his boat along with his co-angler Friday morning.
  

    Two anglers speed across Potholes Reservoir in search of a good fishing spot during the BAM Fishing tournament.
  

    One of the competitors in the Pro-Am tourney pulls a largemouth bass out of the water during the first day of competition.
  

    Sean Minderman, a pro from Spokane, holds up a fresh catch during the Pro-Am tourney.
  

    A co-angler holds up a good-sized largemouth bass alongside his pro-angler partner during the first day of the Pro-Am tournament.