Fish Chris

and hey Bassnleo, I rigged the Huddlebug (in mudbug color... my favorite) on a 1/4oz, Owner football head jig... hook into the tail end, with the claws facing away from the lead head.... Peace, Fish

Hey Burley, those dang things look so much like the real thing, it's just flat amazing ! Live crawdads are not even allowed at this lake, but I have so much experience (especially back in the old days) fishing with the real thing, that sometimes I'll reel in my Huddlebug (mostly when I nose hook the ones that are pre-rigged) and I find myself trying to avoid the claws ! Doh ! :-) Remember I stuck a few nice Smallies on them earlier this year too ! Very cool little lures. Peace, Fish

I fished for about 9 hours today, without a touch. Mostly just threw the Hud, as usual. A few hours into the trip I made a cast to a spot that just about always holds big fish, and sure enough, I have 4 big followers ranging from 9 to about 12 lbs, come up, then just stop about 4 feet from the shore, mill around a bit, then leave. A few hours later I had one of those fish (I believe it was the biggest one) follow me in again...... But geez, these fish must have seen a Hud about 9000 times by now, and they are just SO clued in :-( So anyway, all boats must be off the lake by 7pm. I was off by 6pm..... but the park doesn't close until 8pm ;-) So I go back to my spot from the shore, and flip out a Huddlebug, rigged on 1/4 oz Owner jig hook. I just know there are fish looking at my Huddlebug...... So I let it sit. Every once in a while I tick it, and drag it a few inches, but I'm talking about 1 cast taking 10 minutes. At 7:50 pm I give it a little pull, and tick.... my line starts to ease out.... Swing ! Fish on ! It end's up being a nice, healthy, 11.8 lb'er :-) BTW, this is kind of a first for me.... I didn't catch it on a swimbait (about 1/3 of my DD's) I didn't catch it sight fishing (another 1/3 of my DD's) and I didn't catch it on live bait (the remaining 1/3 of my DD's). Basically I was just blind fishing with a small fish lure (kind of.... although as I have said, I had every reason to believe there were some good fish right where I was casting, even though they were too deep to see). Once again, who cares if you have fished all day without a bite :-) "One more cast" can just change everything ! Peace, Fish

Welcome aboard yaHoo :-) Hey when you say > mudfish < are you talking about a Bowfin ? ....or, what they call in Louisiana and Arkansas, a Grinnel ? Those thing are coool ! Don't get me wrong, I think I'd prefer a 10+ lb bass, but hey, those things will flat smash a lure, and they pull like mad ! Bass are great, but any other species that will bite my hook and give me a fight (especially the big, strong ones) are a close second :-) Peace, Fish

But seriously, to break it down to the simplest level; Fish specifically for big bass, and do it a LOT ! :-) Fish

Sorry, almost missed your question... At the trophy bass trout-ponds, yes, I pretty much throw the swimbaits all day. I mean I'm always prepared to throw a live nightcrawler or a small soft plastic bait, but only under very specific circumstances {like I see a big cruiser that won't eat a swimbait.... or, I see a big one glued to a spot, like its going through the motions of spawning, > even way late in the year}. If I just went down the bank blind fishing with small baits, I'd feel like I was totally wasting "big fish" time. Even if I did catch a few small ones, I'd still feel totally skunked at the end of the trip, because I would have failed to meet my goal.... A DD bass. To break the monotany ? Uhhh... Eat a sandwich, or do a little wildlife / outdoors photography.... Especially with my new camera :-) It's very important, and needs to be easy, to "not catch fish", as this is a big part of the trophy hunting game. Personally, I just LOVE to be outside, floating on the water, under a blue sky, surrounded by nature. This is what makes it easy for me. In fact, I find it a lot harder to be most anywhere else :-) Peace, Fish

Hey Syfer, no secret at all. I was using a Hud ROF #12, regular trout pattern. The #1 question I get about that lure is, "Do you get a lot of fish on that thing" ??? To which I reply, "Nope. But I get some BIG ones" :-) Peace, Fish

I'd say just the opposite. The frame of a bass, and its head, grows at a much more predictable rate, pretty much depending on the number of years its been alive. Bass with a big frame, and a big head, but not much weight on them, are older fish, which have already used up some of there potential growth years. On the other hand, if you catch a fish with a smaller head and frame (a younger fish), that's already stacked with fat and muscle, that's the kind of fish that has a lot more potential to get huge ! Check this one that my buddy caught a couple weeks ago.... Small head.... Not that long... I bet this fish was not a day over 8 years old, meaning it could still have 4 or 5 more years to get HUGE ! But it already weighed a whopping 15.1 lbs ! All the potential in the world to top 20 plus lbs ! Whooo Hooo ! :-) Peace, Fish

Hey Matt, another one on the Hud. No surprise, huh ? Not much of a story..... got there at 6:30 am (don't know whyy ? I never get big fish before 9 am anyway) and sure enough, I got my "one bite" at 10am. I guessed it WAY light too. I wasn't even sure it would go 10 lbs.... But I kind of talk myself down "just in case" it's not a DD, then I won't be too dissapointed. Anyway, that was #80. I really want to stick 100 bass over 10 lbs, but I won't feel like I'm on the home stretch until I get in the 90's :-) .....and then honestly, one 19 lb'er would be a biggerr deal to me than catching my 100th DD anyway :-) But of course, fishing is fishing. All you can really do is keep putting a line out there and see what happens. Peace, Fish

Hey Biz, nice fish ! Every time I see a really long, slender fish with a really big frame, I have to wonder if it really would have been "fat" in the pre-spawn ? But I have to believe that fish are a lot like people. Some will just always be longer, and thinner, while others will always be shorter and fatter.... Just like, you have been slender all this year, and I've been fat :-) I think the spawn does matter, but maybe not as much as some might think. Either way, looks like you had fun :-) Congrats, Fish

So, was it worth it ??? You tell me :-) This one went 10.9 lbs. She was a really odd color... kind of pale yellow. She looked pretty old, with a tattered tail, and fins, but she's obviously still catching her trout :-) Peace, Fish

Thank you guys. Great fishing to all of you, Fish

A bunch of "normal" people ? ;-) I used to be out there at the crack of dawn every time... But over the years I began to see that I caught the vast majority of my BIG bass between 10 am and 2 pm anyway. So now days, I normally get on the water between 9 and 10 am. Granted, I ususally don't get off of the water until they kick me off... or its too dark to see. This morning is an exception though. I plan to be casting a line by 6:30 am, as I wanted a maximum amount of time on the water, before the clouds and fog clear..... Wish me luck, and the same to you guys :-) Peace, Fish

Thanks buddy. I hear ya'...... but I could just feel it today. More so as the day went on. Because had I woke up feeling like that, I'd have been on the water right now, no matter what ! But hey, everything happens for a reason, right ? In fact, on that note, here's a story I hadn't told anybody until today; A few weeks ago, I snagged one of my Huds, while fishing from the shore. Now granted, I'm doing okay on my Hud supply.... but still, I put a lot of value on every single one that I have, and I hate to lose them. So I pulled, and pulled from every angle that I could. But it just wasn't coming. So finally, I lower the rod tip, get a grip on the spool, and lean back (with however much of my 250 lbs it was going to take) and thunk... It pulls loose ! Cool ! Turns out it straightened one of the hooks on my 2/0 Owner ST 36 hooks ! Holy #$%$ ! I couldn't believe nothing broke ! So, a week or so later, I snag another Hud while fishing from shore in the same general area. Remembering my luck the week before, I figure I might get it back. I lowered the rod tip, grabbed the spool, and had just started to lean back..... when pop ! I broke the dang thing right off ! I couldn't believe it broke off with 1/4 the pressure it required to pull it free the week before ! Well heck yes I was bummed :-( I think that was a pretty new one too. But here's the punchline to this true story. I went on a tied on a new leader, and a new Hud, with a brand new hook. A couple hours later I hooked "and landed" that 15.60 lb'er that I posted here ! Thank God I snagged that previous Hud and "easily" broke it off ! Heck, that 15.60 was worth 10 Huds to me :-) Yes, everything certainly happens for a reason :-) Peace. Fish

Yes, my back has been bothering the heck out of me..... but I can still stand up. Yes, my e-mails were stacked a mile high.... but not the first time. Yes, I had some website, and photo work that needed to be done. But nothing I couldn't have just ignored, or put off until later though....... The fact is, the longer this day went on, the more I could just feel it ! We are having this really weird tropical storm blowing through, and everything is all whacky ! I just know the pigs are on a total feeding binge today :-( If I don't stick one tomorrow, I'll know I missed it, and even if I do stick one, I'll feel like it was a straggler to the 5 DD's I could have caught today ! It's one thing when I miss a day like today because I have to work. But at least I can blame that on the boss ! This screw up, on the other hand, is all on me ! Urggggg ! :-( Deep sighhhhh.... Fish

Nice looking fish ! Congrats :-) But I have a feeling their's an even bigger one out there waiting for you. Go get her :-) Fish

Had a pretty decent trip yesterday. Stuck a nice one on the Hud, on the first stop, and about the 5th cast. Ended up going 11.1 lbs. Couple hours later I stuck a 9.1, but it was a really messed up looking fish.... had some kind of spinal issue going on. Still fought pretty good though, and had a nice belly on it. After that, I fished for pretty close to 8 more hours without a touch. Then, right before I had to get off of the water, I stuck a clean, healthy 7 lb'er. Three bites in one day ! That's a lot of action for this pond. Anyway, had fun :-) Late start to day..... Peace, Fish

It's probably a bit misleading when I pop in every now and again with a 10 to 15 plus monster, but not tell you about my skunk trips in between :-) I fished all day last Monday, and had 1 small tap on the Hud. As I reeled in, the fish continued to follow it up to the boat, but it was just a dink. That was it for 10 hours. Went back Tuesday, and fished 10 more hours, and only had one nice 10 to 11 lb follower. That was it for Tuesday. But guess what ? I'm not even the slightest bit deterred ! :-) We have had a real nice cool down in the weather (especially at my pond near the ocean... actually wearing long johns today :-)), and I have ALL the confidence in the world for the next 3 days :-) Fixin' to stick a pig ! Whooo Hooo ! :-) Come on 19 plus !!! :-) Please wish me luck..... Fish

been playing on the camera forums.... since I just bought "two" new ones :-) First off, what an absolutely gimongous Smallie ! Congrats to the angler who caught her. Nope. Absolutely NOT the same fish. That fish is much more impressive than mine was ! A fish cannot lose a huge pre-spawn belly, and "gain" 1 to 1 1/2 lbs at the same time. Pretty much an impossibility. That fish just had a WAY bigger frame on her. Honestly, I bet that fish weighed in the low 11's, in April, while me and Ryan were playing with that "little ol" 8.5 to 8.94 lb'er :-) Yea' its pretty goofy when they said, > the fish was weighed on the certified scales at the Pardee Lake Marina, and was taken to Sacramento today for official measurements by California Department of Fish and Game officials < Huh ? They couldn't get an official measurement right their at the lake ? Now, I know their are actually some other stuff they do too.... Like get a small DNA sample, scale counts, fin ray counts, etc, but so far as I know, they don't do anything which could not be performed at the lake. Put it this way, if it were me, I'd have kept the fish alive, and drug all of the Ca DFG officials that I possibly could to the lake. I'd let them weigh her, measure her, scale counts, fin ray counts, etc.... Whatever they thought they had to do, but when they were all done, back in the lake she'd go. I'd be really surprised that the Ca DFG actually has some kind of internal regulation handed down from Arnold, that says a State record fish "has to be killed". I'd bet any amount of money that this is simply for their conveniance. I'm sure that "IF" the Ca DFG wanted to, they could let a state record fish be released, and still certify it. .......if not, I'd tell them, "Okay, I'll pass on the state record for whats behind door # 2"...... The possibility that I might catch that fish again when it has grown to be the new All tackle World Record Smallmouth. And BTW, I'd have no problem (well, I might have some problem... but I'd still do it if I had to) killing the World Record Smallie, Largie, etc, as that fish has no greater thing to achieve. A world record, is a world record. Wouldn't matter if it were 12 lbs.... or 23. So anyway, that ones gone..... But my 8.50 will be 10.0 when I stick her again next year, and she becomes the "new" State record Smallie :-) Peace, Fish

BTW (and sorry to 'drag' this out :-)) but one more thing I wanted to mention; And I'm not being fecetious here either; I swear if I make 300 casts in a day, I probably reach up and pull a foot of drag from my reel litterally 200 times in a trip ! And I probably do a slight readjust, 20 times in a trip.... every trip ! The other "overboard fanatical" thing I do, is to check my hookpoints 20 plus times a day ! "Pretty sharp" just won't cut it ! Those hooks had better be surgical 'sticky' sharp, or I just can't make another cast, and keep my mind straight too. Now are these some serious personal issues, or what ? :-) Peace, Fish

Hey Avid, actually, even at that lake, I still use a leader. As for my drag setting.... That's always hard to explain in type print. I'd call it medium light. As for pounds, it's definately less than the "1/4 of the rated lb test" rule for mono. I'd guess 6 lbs or so. Fish

Forget the bass tourney ! I'd be out there Musky fishing ! :-) Hey Boss, I'll trade you a 10 lb Bass for a 3 ft Musky ! Not sure about a 15 lb bass though ;-) Good fishing to you, Fish

Hey File Mob, congrats on the great catch ! BTW, if you cradle the bass further back under the anal fin, the belly will hang down more, and make the fish look fatter, bigger, and more comfortable. Just a little fish photo secret. Hey T-Rig, that's not a Perch, or a Bream, it's a Chinkipin :-) .... no wait... I think it's a Shellcracker.... hold on.... I'd say its a Red Ear Sunfish :-) In reality, any of these names could be used just as easily, because what it really is, is a Lepomis Microlophus. Okay... I cheated. I had to look up the second half of this name :-) Peace, Fish

That video is of such poor quality, and from one single "lame" angle, that it tells basically nothing. Based on that video, I'd say the fish was somewhere between 8 and 80 lbs. Doh ! ;-) Fish

Hey Cajun, good eye you got there :-) That was taken about 3 years ago "right before" I started using an auto-inflatable PFD. Even then, I always wore one of the big, bulky, uncomfortable life vests when I was running.... but this place allows no gas motors, so I used to just keep it on the boat. It only took me about 1 trip with an auto-inflatable PFD to start hounding everyone about "why doesnt EVERYONE wear an auto-inflatable PFD from start to finish of every trip" ??? Peace, Fish