BridgerM

We’re flying into the area this week and will be in Dania Beach looking to target some bass in canals or ponds nearby. Any suggestions on where to look or avoid within 30-45min? And does the Dania beach pier require a license to fish from?

It’s rare that I’m the angler catching all the fish. But when people do ask or need help, I’m happy to share what I know or offer a plastic bait if that’s what the fish want.

I've got nothing really helpful to add. Haven't been on the forum for a while and saw this thread, being a bass angler in Bountiful it seemed appropriate to chime in. Like the others, my best bass days have been at Sand Hollow. Its like the bass want to be caught. Actually going again in about a month. The waters here in the northern part of the state are usually much more hit or miss. Usually miss. If there is a pattern on any given day for bass up here, it has eluded us. Sometimes I think there may only be 5 or 6 bass in some lakes.

After a couple of years of not fishing, my dad, brother and I went out one afternoon and we all used my tackle. Naturally the most expensive crankbaits were chosen and subsequently lost on the cast. 4-5 baits were lost in a few hours, a few were LC. Not sure about the rest. I don't recall us catching any fish that day. I have one Pointer 78 left from those days and rarely use for fear of losing it also.

I've fished it twice and did well both times. I don't know what the weed growth will be like in July, but plastics worked for me both times. from the shore and boat. Drop shot and weightless plastics Fun place. Can't wait to go back

I don't have much helpful advice to offer. I've fished it more than a few times and been skunked most of them. The handful of smallies I've caught have been with rage craws on a crig and drop shotted in about 25 fow in late summer. They are good size too. They do have tiger muskies which I haven't targeted yet. But they can be big and fun. There is a big fishing forum with a utah section that has more specific info. Check that out.

I have used my less expensive freshwater spinning setup when I've gone to the coast. I used a medium power rod with braid. It worked just fine and rinsed it when i was done. However, between the weight and bait on the line it overloaded the rod a bit. A MH might do better for me next time. I don't know if you plan to use bait or lures, so just choose the right rod for whatever you plan to throw. You should be fine with the equipment you have, just keep it out of the sand and rinse it well after each use.

Does anyone know if Casey made the locations of the brush piles available to the other competitors or if he kept the locations to himself? Did those locations allow him to catch more bass than his competitors?

I thought it was more than a few years old. Oh well, it should work just fine. There is enough soft water here to throw some baits and get a feel for it. I hadn't thought of a frog. That will be something to try also. Thank you for the input

Hey, I bought this rod from someone locally and have couple of questions I think you all might be able to answer. Its a 7' Heavy XF crucial, crc x70h. full cork grip. Fuji ecs reel seat. 1. how old is this model/series? I couldnt find much info googling. 2. In the picture of the guide it looks like the epoxy is separating or something. Is this something that needs to be repaired or just normal wear and nothing to worry about? 3. What would be some good uses for this rod? I was thinking heavier jigs, crigs, maybe even swim jigs. There isn't a lot of heavy cover where I fish so I haven't had the need for anything stouter than a MH rod. But this seemed like a good deal and I figured I could find a use for it. Thanks

From your list, I have only fished a triumph ML. that rod had been my go to for many years. It has caught me a few fish on a few techniques. I quite like it and would buy another.

It isn't me. That much is sure. They're all the best on one day or another.

I should've included that it's online. My nearest store is about 7 hours away

Hey, I searched a few pages back to try and find an answer to no avail. I got a few gift cards to bps that will take a nice chunk out of the price for a 201HG. But they are on backorder, with no date for expected return. Does anyone know when they might get them back in? Weeks, months? Thanks

I should've guessed it. Varied responses just like 'what bait to use for x?'. lol. I think im going to go try out a drift sock. At 40 bucks, its worth it if it allows me to fish more instead of trying to maintain position constantly. Thanks for the input. I i'll post back when i've tried it out.

I fish out of a 14' tin boat and only have a trolling motor for now. There isn't much weight on the boat even with two of us, so its hard to stay on a spot when the wind picks up. We have two anchors and use those when we want to stay put. But I wondered if a drift sock would be of use when we want to move at a more controlled pace. I don't see them mentioned much on here. Anyone care to share pros and cons of them? They are on sale at bps and am considering buying one.

This is my third year bass fishing and my first year was better than the second and my third so far. I jokingly blame it on knowing too much. However, I think there is some truth to that. I've learned alot being on this forum and a local forum. Some info comes from guys who have fished for decades and really know from experience. Some stuff comes from guys who don't know as much as they think they do and seem to just regurgitate what others have said before. The trick is keeping your head from getting filled up with 'knowledge' that isn't helpful. When you are on the water trying to read it, you don't want to base your approach on bad intel. I think to some degree I have learned enough to confuse myself. Everyone has different ways of fishing the same spot. you will get many opinions. We got a small boat last year and had to learn how to fish all over again. It certainly opened up more water to fish, but more options meant more variables to work with. Or try and figure out. Namely a fish finder. Whether on a craft or shore, the key is finding the fish. It can be frustrating at times when you fish a spot that has the characteristics of a 'good spot' but no bites. Are they really not there? What am i doing wrong? Maybe I need to try x bait? I guess what I'm saying is learn what you need to learn, try to filter the useless discussions as they will only cloud your mind while you fish. Focus on leaning how to find the fish. Bottom contours, cover, seasonal patterns, etc. Its much easier to catch the fish if they are in the area you cast to. I try to fish as much as I can and learn as much as I can when doing it. Hard to say if its working, I get the skunk more than not.

Thanks to all for the input. Things didn't go exactly as planned. The day we started the trip the motor on my wife's Rav4 decided to throw a rod about an hour into the drive. After a long tow, a few hours later and a rental car, we were on the way, again. Not the best start, but many people stopped to offer help on the side of the road. Its good to be reminded that people aren't all bad. Here is a brief recap of the fishing highlights. After reading about the low water levels and high temps recently, I wasn't feeling too confident at Hodges. I found that Dixon Lake was about the same distance from where we were staying and they currently don't require a CA license. So that saved a couple of bucks and the chance to fish where Dottie lived sealed the deal. I stopped at Pat's bait and tackle in Vista and got some roboworms and megastrike shake2 heads. Long story short we fished crigs and drop shots for a few hours off the dock and a rocky point without a fish. The scenery was nice, the water super clear. I was surprised at the depth of the algae when fishing the crig. It was a nice outing for sure. Maybe next time conditions will increase my odds of landing a bass. We drove north to Dana Point and camped the last two nights in CA. I bought a license and squid for bait at Dana Wharf sport fishing to try the next morning. I rigged my 7ft medium spinning rig with a double drop shot type setup and a 1oz pyramid sinker. The rods max weight rating is 1/2oz. A MH would've been better, but I don't own a two piece MH and didn't want to buy one to use for one day. I was able to cast it out far enough to keep it in place for the most part. It was so cool to wake up at 6am grab my gear, a beer, and walk 100yds to fish in the Pacific. I managed to catch two leopard sharks, two spotfin croakers, and a round stingray throughout the day. Some other guys were fishing with mussles later in the day and had a bucket full of yellowfin croakers. This was my first time surf fishing and it was a blast. It was exciting to not know what you might reel in. On the way home, we stopped to fish at Sand Hollow State Park in southern Utah for a few hours. I managed 3 small bass in about 2 hours. The biggest being a small female close to 3 pounds. Using a Rage lizard on a crig. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I can't remember the last time i've caught that many bass in a day. or at least such a short period of time. So, I was pleased with the result. All in all, it was pretty fun for not being a fishing trip and such a crappy start. My wife was a great sport about all of the fishing. As I sat here typing this out, I realized last night I accidentally clicked 'restore' instead of 'backup' with my iphone connected to itunes. All of the photos and stuff from the last ten days are gone. Except for the few I sent to other people and am trying to get back. d**n. As far as I can tell there isn't a way to undo a restore. I will add the pics as I get them.

For southwest Utah, Sand Hollow State park is rated one of the top LMB waters in Utah. I actually just fished there for the first time a few days ago and managed to catch 3 in a couple of hours fishing off the dam. There is also Quail Creek about 10 miles or so from Sand Hollow. Both lakes are about 15 mins north of St. George. Not sure how far up you mean by north east. But Pineview Reservoir, Mantua, and Hyrum are fairly close to each other and just a couple hours drive north east from Salt Lake City. Pineview has SMB, LMB, and tiger muskies. Flaming Gorge is on the border with Wyoming is a popular place. Never fished there myself though. I don't believe there are any bass in Bear Lake however. Good Luck

Thanks Tom and Matty for the help. Regarding Hodges, I learned that my parents took my brother and I fishing there when we were young. Too young for me to remember and no bass were caught. So, it looks like Hodges will be where I target my first CA bass. On a Wednesday. I read the regs and learned you can only fish on certain days. haha. Utah allows fishing 7 days a week, but no live bait. Is Hodges a stereotypical CA lake? Clear and pressured? I'm thinking finesse tactics will be the ticket?? I checked out the Laguna Nigel and wow. Those are some big rainbows. Trout fishing is big in Utah and have seen a few fatties here. But I would not have expected to see them so large down there. It seems the odds of catching a bass there would be fairly high, but also very pressured. We might have to check it out if Hodges gives the skunk.

The wife and I will be down there from the 20-24 of May. Staying in the Encinitas area early in the week followed by a couple of nights beach camping at Doheny State Park. I lived in Fallbrook as a child and camped there and am familiar enough with the coast. However, only fished off the pier at Oceanside way back then. I am going to do some fishing while there, I just am not sure what to do or where to do it. I would like to catch a fish from the ocean and a bass. This is what I was thinking but Im open to suggestions and ideas. While in Encinitas area: Find a lake nearby and shore fish for bass for a few hours. Will the bass be in post spawn by then? Doheny camping: My understanding is that beach fishing is allowed just north of where we will be camping. I don't know about the tides or anything but it seems convenient, if my understanding is correct. This is my vague plan. Im hoping someone can help me refine it. As in better places to try, where the fish might be, baits to use, gear etc. I generally just have bass tackle, but don't mind exposing some lower end stuff to saltwater. Also, I am open to guides/charters if you guys know of any. Thanks

I vote carp.

My wife of almost 6 years just told me tonight I am obsessed with fishing. When Im not fishing im reading about it or buying gear or tackle. And she said I get excited like a child when I leave for a trip. And come home bummed out if we get the skunk. I always invite her to come along, sometimes she will and sometimes she claims she doesn't even like it. Women are women. Sometimes the things they are mad about are our fault. Sometimes it has nothing really to do with us. Just be nice and accommodating, they will find something else to be mad about in a minute or two.

Im in.

If the efforts are actually successful in producing a 20lb+ bass, then great. I think that would be an accomplishment just for it to actually work. It would be interesting to see just how big a LMB can get. Utah DWR puts a lot of emphasis on trout fisheries. They go through alot of effort to ensure our blue ribbon waters stay that way. They introduce new forage fish, predators to control other species, slot limits, etc. Is this natural? No. It seems every state manages its waters for a reason. I doubt there are many waters that have not had some kind of modification at some time. Like many things in life, its a matter of degree. Not black and white. I don't see any problem with creating a water for a specific purpose and being clear about it upfront.