Mattlures

I never got an email or Pm? my email is mattlures@yahoo.com please send info Thanks

How much does one of these trips cost? Or can anybody give me a link with the prices and details? sounds like fun

I love Buzzers. I fish them as slow and perfectly steady and fish them parallel to the shore line. I usually fish them 3-5ft out from the shore. The best buzzers for me have always been the loudest squeekers. I don't like clackers. I don't like double blades or long arms or anything extra. Just a good basic design that squeeks loudly. Color has made no difference.

Thanks fellas! Speed I have to disagree with you. The original bluegill does not swim better then the CURRENT ultimate bluegill. The original did however, swim better then the first version of the ultimate. That's why I revised it. The current version has been out for about 2 years now. I point this out because I assume you experience is with the first version of the ultimate vs the original. If I am wrong then we just disagree and I am ok with that to

I used to buy my online stuff from #1 Bass pro and then Cabelas. But I haven't bought tackle from them in years. Tackle warehouse ships faster and cheaper and their prices are usually better ecpecialy when they have their sales. plus they have a better selection of higher quality stuff. Bass Pro, Cabelas and Wal mart tend to stock a lot of low end gear. If I have to have something now there are a couple good small tackle shops close to me that are really good like East county bait and tackle and Lakeside bait and tackle. I usually check the clearance stuff at Wal mart when I am there and every once in a while I find something to buy. Tackle Warehouse is my #1

I cant comment about the paddle tail tubes like the Basstrix. When it comes to what I call "real swimbaits" in general they perform best the way the bait maker sends them out. If they don't have a snap. don't put one on. If they do have a snap leave it on.

Most bass fisherman spend their whole lives learning how to catch small bass. Older, wiser, bigger bass act differently then young, dumb, small ones. Learn how to target big bass and you will catch them. Obviously you will catch fewer fish because there are a lot more small bass then there are big ones. If you commit to it then you will catch big bass. Big being relative to your area. Also trust me, you guys see the glory pictures and assume that its easy in CA or that all good bass fisherman out here catch DD bass. That is not the case at all. Its the same as everywhere else. A very small percentage of guys catch the big bass out here, its just the top end bass is bigger then other states.

They way you are suggesting....NO it will not float. If the bait is hollow PVC like a spro bbz and you add a cork or foam you will make the bait heavier and it will sink faster. What you would be doing is filling the empty space which is AIR, with something more heavy like foam or cork. You will make the bait less buoyant. Now if the swimbait is solid like a resin hard bait then it probably will come out about the same because the resins used to make hard swimbaits already float. the easiest way to get a little buoyancy would be to use lighter/smaller hooks and a floating line like mono. The only way to pull off the mod you seem to be talking about is to remove part of the bait that sinks ( the ballast weight) and replace that with something that floats. If you know where the lead is then you could drill some out and replace it with a floating material. Then the bait becomes lighter and more buoyant. Adding foam to a an "air" space makes it heavier and less buoyant. Think of two beach balls. One filled with air and one filled with foam. Which one will weigh more? which one will be more buoyant? Obviously the one filled with just air. It is much easier to add weight to a bait then it is to subtract weight. If the bait is expensive then I don't recommend drilling it.

Very nice Speed

At some point I will get some decals made so I can give them to customers. I will do this because the cost should be minimal. On the other hand I get asked all the time for free shirts and hats. Guys say they will wear them if I give them to them. Now this just doesn't work for me. Hats and shirts are expensive and that type of advertising does not sell product. I don't think anybody ever buys a bait because they saw the name on a hat or shirt. It would be just a huge waist of money on my part. Honestly most advertising is a waist of money. Now I have sold shirts but I make it so I break even. I think this is fair. The customer gets a shirt at a good price and I think its cool when I see them being worn. If I sponsored everybody that asked. If I gave away free stuff to everybody that asked. if I paid for advertising to everybody that asked I would be out of business within the year. Most advertising is a loss. Good product, good prices, and good customer service are the best advertising. If any company giver their customers those 3 things then the customers will talk about their products. seriously I get asked on almost a daily basis If I will sponsor Joe fisherman. He will wear my shirt and hat ( that I give him free) he will put my sticker on his boat and truck ( that I give him free) and he will use my baits (that I give him free). He will even put my logo on some event banner!!! a lot of guys just don't get it. If I like a shirt or hat from a company that I use then I do buy them and wear them, not for any advertising purposes, just because I like the shirt or hat. If a guy has a bunch of stickers on his boat or truck and he likes it then good for him. I don't have any decals on my boats or trucks because I don't like to draw attention. The only time I think this stuff matters is if your a top elite angler and the big companies pay you.Then you probably shouldn't have non sponsor products decals on you, your boat or truck.

about 3 feet but it was a bed fish. my biggest non bed fish was in about 15-20ft the bait was my soft bluegill swimbait so no hinges or rattles but my biggest non bed fish was caught on my hardgill which does have joints. The colors are very natural. I don't remember the moon. I have read Hannon's book and it was interesting. His opinions and observations are clearly made from his experiances fishing weedy shallow florida lakes. A lot of his opinions would not be the same had he grew up out west fishing deep clear resivoirs. Bass do not act the same in different types of bodies of water. While some of their habits seem to be the same others change depending upon location. It appeared as though he based his opinions on bass behavior, from a very specific environment.

I like the movie. I don't think there were many Huddleston fish. Most were caught on Rago's but there were several other baits in the movie that produced huge bass. Its not that educational but there is a ton of footage with a ton of big bass caught. You can pick up a lot of things if you know what to look for. If your looking for a "how to" video then you probably wont like it. If you like seeing legitimate trophy bass being caught then you should love it. You can see which baits are being used and how they are being used so there are definately things to learn by watching but its not spelled out for you .In my favorite clip, Oliver snaps off on a hard hookset and then a couple seconds later you see the huge bass in the background jump out of the water trying to throw the bait from its mouth, It was cool! And of course I liked the one where there was underwater footage of a school of bass sizing up one of my baits and then one chomps it

One more thing to add. Lube your baits. It will increase your hook ups and it will help your baits tare less

bass and gills coexist. If the gills ate all the bass eggs then they would eventually kill off the bass. If the bass just went around eating all the gills they would eventually kill off all the gills. Its kind of like the lions and antelope. They can be fairly close to each other without the lions even trying to catch one. The antelope know this and they don't run away but they always keep an eye on the lions. Then something triggers the lions and its time to hunt and the antelope know the mood has changed and they get much more spooky. Bass and gills live close to each other most of the time and just like the antelope the gills head for cover when they sense the bass are getting hungry. Its a perfect balance. Also I don't believe bass like to eat larger gills. I think when that happens its a reaction or they couldn't pass up an opportunity. If the bass are close and watching larger spawning gills, they probably know its dangerous to eat them. Now if the gills were smaller then the bass were probably just hanging out until feeding time.

Yep a lot of good advise, Especaily agree with Fish Chris. The question was how big is big enough? I will let every big fish go except 1. If I was to catch the world record I would keep it. Any lake or state record or new PB gets released without even thinking about keeping it.

In CA its about the water, not the fishing. All the reseviors are for drinking water. Its a billion dollar industry. The fisherman are not the priority. When its trout stocking time it brings out a lot more people. The shores are lined with trout anglers and the lakes actually make a profit. The rest of the year the lakes make less money with just the bass fisherman. CA politics are anti hunting and fishing. Despite all that if you want a cjance at catching a bass over 17 lbs then CA gives you the best chance.

What most people fail to realize is the CA bass eat trout about 4 months out of the year. The rest of the year they eat bluegill, craw fish and other regular bass prey. Lake Hodges produces a 20 pound bass without ever having a trout in it. Clear lake doesn't have trout and teen bass come from there regularly. You could put trout in all the lakes in the states and it would help some but they still would not produce world class bass. Ca bass grow all year long and they live long lives. Mexican bass and FL bass start growing fast but they live short lives. If CA tried to grow big bass like TX does there would be 20 pounders caught every year. with the right conditions it would be easy. Have a slot limit where no big bass are kept. Stock trout for the 4 months that they can and then when its warm enough stock tilapia which are almost as good as trout. The Cali bass would be monsters. The bass in CA get big by accident. The trout are stocked for tout fisherman to catch. They only survive for a few months. There are no slot limits and there are no bass stockings with superior genetics like in TX. If the CA fish and game tried they could easily produce world records but they don't care.

That makes no sense. The bass in Japan and Cali get big because its the perfect storm. Many many variables come together to create the perfect enviornment to produce world class bass. Its more then just food. Non trout lakes in Ca have produced bigger bass then any place on earth except Japan. Add trout to those lakes and that's just one more ingredient to help them grow. Trout are extremely high in protein. They make big perfect weight gaining meals, much better then mammals and baby gators. Every lake in southern Cal has a lake record over 16lbs and most of them are over 18lbs. The trout definitely help but they are just one element. It takes more then just trout. They have the perfect climate for growing. Not too cold during the winter so they slow down but are still feeding and growing. The summer is not too hot where they are burning calories. Super deep clear lakes where they can hide from anglers and possibly the most pressured lakes in the USA so the fish learn to avoid danger which allows them to grow. Plus in Ca it is frowned upon to keep a big bass which gives them a chance to reach their maximum weight. The only other similar place to So Cal??? Japan. Sorry but the odds of any other place producing a 20lber are not realistic. If you think its cheating then that's your opinion and you entitled to it, but the facts are facts. When was the last time a legitimate 20 lber was caught outside of CA or JP? 80 years??? 50 years?? A few fish in the high teens( over 17) are caught here every year. Only Japan can match CA. I wish you luck on your quest of the WR but realistically you live in the wrong place.

Japan has the best chance and southern CA has the next best chance. I don't think there are any other current contenders on the planet

#1 confidence #2 Aproach..........how you set up and approach each spot #3 game plan #4 stealth #5 location. #2,3,and 4 overlap and are all kind of #2

That's a great fish Speed. Nice and fat Thanks for posting it. Hey doesn't your beard get itchy and sweaty in the summer? I only grow mine in the winter. Of course mine doesn't look as cool as yours!

I usually take my pictures at angles that hide my fishing spot. I also hold the fish about 1 foot away from me. Not sticking them all the way out but not hugging them either. Kind of a happy medium. Pics with fish stuck all the way out don't bother me at all. Now if its a 3 lber and the guy says its 6lbs then I have to admit, the lying does bother me. But just a pic doesn't at all.

Carp tend to spawn at the same time as bass and they thrash around in the shallows spreading their eggs and milt. If the bass are bedding in the same area then the bass beds get destroyed by the carp. The carp do eat bass eggs but the greater threat is all actual damage the carp do to the bass beds. Even when the beds don't get directly destroyed they can still be ruined by the mud and silt covering the bass eggs.

Sad day in the bass fishing world.

13 inches long and 14 oz