starcraft1

At this time of yr. both are full of wake boarders & pwc's. Best times to fish are from 4 am till maybe 10 am. After that any boat or yak would be dangerous to fish out of. Both have big spots in them up to 9+ lbs. and over 9 lbs. Both lakes have low water levels right now and neither are concidered "big" lakes and a yak should take you where you need to go. Top water (buzz baits, spooks, poppers) first, then jigs later. The jig colors I'd use are G.P./org. or G.P./brn./ org. or purple. 10 lb. F.C. leader (6') on 20 or 30 lb. braid should do the trick. Cokes and crawdads are the primeary food right now so a white or silver sided blue back swimbait should work good also. Word of advice, I wouldn't fish either one right now because of the safty factor. I've yet to find a wakeboarder or jet skier that has any knowledge of water safty and a yak would be very dangerous to be out in around them. Look for smaller lakes closer to Grass Valley, or the Yuba river below Collins lake. Please be careful, I don't need to read about another yaker being drowned.

You might want to also add a few rock piles off shore and on one bank. Buy a few dozen crawdads (4 or 5)and they'll find the rocks. Plant life will grow on the rocks and they'll also give the crawdads a safe place to breed.

This method has been around for quite some time. Out west it's called a "split shot" rig & your dad knows his stuff. It works great in the heat of the day pitched into the hole in grass mats or pads. The slow fall drives them nuts.

88 in the last two trips, 80 one day on Oroville (normal for this time of yr.) and my best day on our after bay as far as size, 8 keepers over 5 lbs., with a 7+ kicker. Nice 6 hr. trip. Let them all go of course.

Frist thing is not to wear any thing that shows your there for a tourmanent. Look like Joe the weekender and walk into the best local bait shop and ask a couple of "I'm not sure about this" questions before you get into the real questions you have. You'll be surprized at all the good info you'll get. Also buy the local topo lake map. Time on the water never hurts either. Good luck in your tourney's

The latest & greatest! Who knows? Looks to be another way of taking $$$ out of your pocket, but who knows?

Sliced my thumb open with the point of the hook once, spit and duct tape, back to work!

Spain, France, W. germany, Itialy, S. Africa, S. Korea, but I don't reminder catching any in England. Carp and pike are the biggest tourney draws in Europe, bass have a small growing window there. I read somewhere that Russia has a bass plan to stock some of their more southern lakes(?) but pike are there biggest game fish. Huge big rubles to made at two of there touraments on there largest lake. 48 hrs. - 3 teams - 8 hrs. each team. The boats would scare the heck out of you concidering the size of the fish and weather they fish in. The reason i got to fish so many countries is the Army. I had a job that took my Captain and myself all over Europe. S. Africa I read about, check it out for yourselves on line. Interesting fishing, stay off the banks! Your not on the top of the food chain!

Jigs, jigs, & more jigs! also top water, frogs, crank baits, "T" rigged, Carolina rig, "A" rig, senko, ect. Anything but drop shot!

I believe so. I was up there last fri. and they where having a sale on the entire store, a mad house! Grab some Dry Creek tubes and got out!

ron Gandolfi, he'll have everthing you'll need plus a ton of knowledge, lunch, water, snacks, and a all around great guy. He's both a guide and tournament fisherman. Ph. # 530-872-0907 H 530-520-0281 Cell You will enjoy the day, give him a call.

Use the Triline for backing and put 50 yards of braid on then tie a better F.C. as a leader. You might want to try SeaGuar or Halo.

I like the sounds of nature and being able to get close to the wild life on the lakes. Where i fish, mainly mt. lakes, if you have the need for music, there's always some clown in a wakeboard boat with a boom boom box blasting away.

Bass tackle depot will have another 25% off sale, watch the web site.

Thanks all for the tips. I bought a 1962 Valco -14' last winter and I know it doesn't leak, it was full of water, oak leaves, and pine needles. Dry as a bone on the out side! I think some hippy owned it at one time because of the paint job - oh boy, it's got some paint job! I'll check into tin boats.net Thanks again

Tarleet, afterbay can be great one day and a pile of junk the next. The place is great for practice for delta or clear lake and you just might stick a double digit.

Tom's right, call Phils prop shop 1-800-462-3917

I'm tring to remember just how many teener fish I've lost on the bite? I pulled this one the other day fishing with our local guide and best friend Ron "the one I missed was bigger than the one you caught!" swordsman, congrats on the jig day, and it's just as Bluebasser says, you'll end up with a ton of jigs because "this one will work well at this time of yr., and this one this time of yr., ect. A 50/50 hook set on the first time out is far above the norm. Keep up the good work!

I've seen this happen wat to many times myself. Yea a stern talking to most likely went in one ear and out the other. Parents that are to busy to raise their kids right or they just don't know themselves are (imo) are at fault here. I had the C.A.S.T. for kids yesterday and instead of a parent or guardian going with the kid, I had a young man from the C.C.C. (Cal conversaion corps) with me to help. I not only got to give the "challanged" kid "the thrill of his young life" this was said by his mother, but to (just as important to me) teach a young man not only about fishing but a few lessens on life. My little guy has ADHD and the boat ride was good enough for him, "I want to go fast!", so we did, all the way to 40 mph! The older young man was awed at just looking around at the lake, mts. the few deer, eagles, and turkey buzzards. "There's nothing like this where I came from" came out of his mouth and then he started to open up about where he came from - L.A. area - and how much he loved living up here. Right now lake Oroville is a mud hole, to him it's the biggest body of water he's ever been on. I put this on this thread instead of the C.A.S.T. thread to show there's hope for all youngsters if givin the chance. A little time, effort, and experance on our part can go a long way in a young person life.

On the west coast we have a lake that had a 12" to 15" slot limit. For tourney's they got a deferment. The norm for tourney min. size is 13" 5 fish over 13"

Next time take 4 pics. top, bottom, & both sides, leaght, girth, & fan tail size. This way you can have replical made and the old gal can live to fight another day. Real nice toad though! You've gotta show me these ponds!

David, your missing out. No boat in Texas, isn't there a law there that states "Thouest must own a bass boat in the great state of Texas!". My captain in the army lives on San Rayburn and we fish the delta half way around the world! I have no idea what we were catching, but they had gills and fins, so they must have been fish?

If I want #'s, I'll hit Oroville hard for a day. 100 spotted bass in a day out there is fairly common. If I'm targetting toads, it's all about the Cal delta or Clear lake.

Went out yesterday (thrusday) and did real good on the rocks, not the coves. The water birds are nesting in the coves right now, so don't bother with them. Jigs and spinnerbaits are working, no top water bite in the morning. Top water and frog bite turns on in the heat of the day till evening. Fish to 7+ lbs. on jigs and smaller (biggest - 4+) on blades and Tremors (a better type of chatter bait - I make). I'd be willing to bet a swim bait in a rainbow trout or steel head would work also. Water level is staying high (135 1/2 ft.) and is going to stay there for quite some time!

Anyone else do this? For those who don't know, it's a day on the water for speical needs kids. We supply the boat, gas, and time. The kids and a guardian or parent get to fish and/or have a boat ride in a "hot-rod" We also get a pancake breakfast, some B.S. time other anglers (some you haven't seen sinse last yr.). C.A.S.T. stands for Catch A Spical Trill. I concider it a honor to be picked for this event (the last 10 yrs.) because theirs only 30 boats used in the event. Believe me, the shirt and hat are worn with great pride!They also give us those. Anyone else?