Fish Chris

I do everything I can to avoid crowds, and I almost never fish weekends..... but sometimes I wonder how much I do this for my own personal pleasure, and how much the fish actually care ? Here's an interesting story. About 2 months ago, during my vacation, (the only time I would ever have a Saturday or Sunday off anyway) I decided to go out on a Sunday, really early to beat the crowds, then get off of the water early when things got stupid. I had stuck a few smaller fish before 11 am, but now the crowds were pouring on ! Speedboats, skiers, jet skies going every direction ! It was one of those days without as breeze, when you knew it would be like glass if not for the crowds.... but along with them, were huge waves hitting you from 19 different directions at any one time ! So I'm bouncing my way back to the ramp, when I see this one good looking, long tapering point. I had fished it on a few "peaceful" days, but had never had a touch. But ahhhhh... what the heck. Just a few casts (it's just about noon BTW) Wham ! I stick a really large framed, but completely spawned out bass which goes 11.6 lbs ! .....and she had one come up chasing her, as I fought her in, which was easily over 13 ! After photos, weighing, and the release, I make a few more casts, and Wham ! I stick a spawned out 8.6 (would have gone 10 plus herself, a few weeks earlier). Oh.... so here's the kicker; I go back out the next day.... the most peaceful Monday ever ! Flat as glass... 70 degree water temp.... Throw my Huddleston trout all day..... and not a freakin touch ! I guess the hot pattern was, "rediculous boating pressure, and water chopped into froth" ! Go figure. Peace, Fish

Not only will I completely back the 10 am to 3 pm statement by RW, but as I had said, I consider the hour between 11:30 am to 12:30 PM to be the "magic hour", and I always try to hit one or two of my favorite spots at this time. Peace, Fish

Choke Canyon ??? That's the place with the huge Gator Gars, is it not ? I'd pay you to put me on some of those ! Don't know why anybody would fish for wimpy little bass, when they had those radical prehistoric monsters to tangle with ! ;-) Okay... Okay... we have Sturgeon which can go 300 plus lbs, and although I do love to fish for them too, I still probably spend more time each year, chasing these "little ol' Bass" :-) Hard to say why I still love the green ones, with the big mouths, so much.... Peace, Fish

Of my 69 DD bass, I have not caught a single one of them on a soft plastic worm, a jig, a crankbait, or a spinnerbait. Instead, all of my 10 plus lb bass have been caught, almost equal thirds, between sightfishing with a bluegill pattern (Castaic baby sunfish in the old days... Basstrix bluegill now), trout patterned swimbaits (Castaic 9" trout in the old days.... Huddleston deluxe now) and live bait (about 16 on a live dad, and 7 on crawlers > either a single, or several at one time) Now granted, had I followed everything else on my top 10 list, "but only" fished with a plastic worm, then obviously, every DD bass I ever caught would have been on a plastic worm..... although I am almost certain that my total number of DD bass would be much lower. Works for me. Peace, Fish

How many of you put one of these on at the ramp, and take it off only at the end of the day, back safely at the ramp ? I sure do. I bought a So-Spenders auto-inflating life jacket about 3 years ago, and just loved it. One day, (not while I was wearing it) it unexpectedly deployed. I bought a recharge kit, which didn't work.... and it deployed again, wasting the kit :-( So I figured since the thing was 3 years old, and sweat stained anyway, I'd just buy a new one. I have to say, in the 3 weeks without an auto life jacket, I sure found out how much I would miss one ! What a pain, taking an old-school life jacket on and off at every single stop ! Anyway, some people are apparently just not that worried about drowning..... but hey, if thats the case, maybe they could still buy a pair or two of these auto-inflating life jackets for friends and / or family. Not trying to sell any products or brands here.... any brand would be better that none at all. Safe boating to all, Fish

As far as techniques go, I tell "pretty much" all that I know ;-) On the other hand, as far as giving away my favorite big fish spots, heck no. I figure, most of my spots are fished heavily anyway..... but ususally with small to medium sized fish, techniques. No since quadrupleing the number of Huddlestons being thrown on my big fish spots. On the other hand, if a guy gets out there and covers the whole lake a hundred times over, and deduces down to those same spots anyway, then he earned the right to those spots just like I did, and my hats off to him. Peace, Fish

Sorry to change the subject, but you had mentioned being from Louisiana, and about Crawdads being a bass' favorite food..... Well, if you have looked over my site, you will probably see how much I like fishing with live dads.... although I don't get to do it much anymore. Also, I lived in Louisiana for 3 years, from 93' to 96'. I tried Crawdads for bait down there a few times, but didn't do well on them. In fact, I can't really remember catching anything at all on them. Just wondering if you ever tried them, down there, and if so, what were your experiences ? BTW, those Crawdads sure were some great eating :-) ......course I'm part fish, so its probably no surprise how much I like em' ! :-) Peace, Fish

Yes.... I will try to get some stainless nuts and bolts for the plate holder soon..... and try to touch up the red that shows through the letters. Fish on !!!!! ZZZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ :-) Fish

for the big bass, I'd have to agree with Road Warrior. In fact, I call the hour from 11:30 am until 12:30 PM (noon) the magic hour ! I always try to be on one of my best big fish spots during this time. Also, I make sure I have already eaten my lunch.... lines retied... hooks sharp, etc. Don't want anything interfering with my fishing during this time. Interestingly, I have agree with most of the other posters about early morning and evening, for more bites from small to medium sized fish. BTW, I have caught more than 80% of my DD bass between 10 am and 2 pm...... even though I most often start early, and fish late. Peace, Fish

as a few have said, I always have fun, so that is not really a goal for me. If I'm bass fishing, my goal is pretty much always, to catch one over 10 lbs. Then when I do, I can just kind of skate through the rest of the day, feeling like the pressure is off :-) If I'm sturgeon fishing with the micro-light gear, I'll shoot for a keeper (46").... with heavy, traditional gear... an oversizer (72" and about 100 lbs). Channel catfish... 20 plus Crappie... a bunch of them, with at least a 2.0... but I really want a 3.0 ! Carp..... Just one darn 24 lb'er ! I've caught like 8 over 23, but can't seem to break the 24 lb barrier. A 30 would be really coool ! Striper.... a 31 would break my two way tie of 30 lbs..... but a 40 would be bombastic ! :-) California Halibut.... 30 In a nutshell, I'm always looking for a new PB, of whatever species I'm fishing for. Individual lake PB's are secondary, but kind of nice too. Peace, Fish

But first off, before anybody starts coming up with ideas for a personal plate for their boat trailer, I have to tell you this part too; Okay, I hate to go to the DMV in the first place anyway (doesn't everybody ?) But I got up early, and got there before they opened.... like 3rd in line. So I get to the window, and tell the lady I'm here for my personal license plate. She pulls it right out.... "Here ya' go... what do ya' think" ? Cooool ! I love it ! Then she starts having trouble with the paper (PC) work. So while shes struggling, I notice that my new plate says "California" across the top, instead of "Permanent Trailer" ! I mention this to her and shes like, "Oh.... Yea.... Huh".... So she gets on the phone to Sacramento, where somebody tells her, that they did not issue personal plates for boat trailers ! So now what ? I have to hand her this plate back ? What about the money I paid for it ? Oh.... well you will have to fill out these forms !!! UUURRRGGG !!!! Needless to say, smoke was starting to pour from ears ! Then, this "very cool lady" right beside her (her co-worker) says, "Just give him a PTI (permanent trailer identification) sticker for it"...... So the lady says, "But I called Sac, and they said......." The other lady cuts in with, "Who cares what they said.... You already have the plate... just give him the PTI sticker and be done with it" ! Geeez ! I really like that lady :-) So anyway, after paying my dollars, waiting 10 weeks, dragging my self to the DMV, and then enduring some very tense moments, I finally ended up with a personal plate that I just love ! :-) Oh, and on a funnier note; On my paper work, it said, "If this plate is intended as a gift, please send the recipient to the Ca DMV with this form"......... Yea' buddy ! Your such a good friend, I'm going to force you to go to the DMV" !!! Ha ! Geez, what would you do for your enemies ??? LOL Anyway.... Peace, Fish

I think I want to fish with a lure size, that matches whatever the actual food item that lure imitates. Now granted, I have been fishing with a relatively small swimbait (The Hud, at only 8", and just under 6 ounces) but I will likely go straight to the 10" or the 11" as soon as Ken Huddleston comes out with them.... hopefully soon. Granted, their are plants of 8" trout sometimes, but more often, they are at least 10" or 11"..... and besides, if I miss a few 5's or 6's because they couldn't get the 11" in their mouth, that's totally okay. As for "normal" bass, in much of the rest of the country, I think day in and day out, a bigger bait will catch a bigger bass, but their is a time for finnesse too. Peace, Fish

Interesting subject. For starters, I have fished between 1200 and 1400 hours a year, for the last 10 years. I don't guide. I don't fish tournies, I just fish because I love / live to fish. Not married, and no kids. I don't ever get tired of fishing in general, but I have experienced some 'burnout' on occasion, when fishing specifically for trophy bass.... 10 hour days, day after day, throwing nothing but the same exact swimbait all day.... and here's the kicker... getting skunked time and time again ! I remember 1 stretch about 4 years ago, in which I fished 18 trips, for at least 150 hours total, without sticking a single fish !!! Talk about will power to make myself keep going ! Nowadays, I don't beat myself up near so bad. If the bite is not at least decent, I will look for something else to "pull my string" :-) ....in other words, it doesn't have to be a giant bass so much anymore, just as long as I'm on the water, playing with anything that swims, and having fun :-) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ But now, I have the easiest job on the planet.... very low stress.... I only work about 30 hours, and 4 days a week..... Yet I am completely burnt out by my 4th day ! Why does it work like this ? :-) Peace, Fish PS, Oh, but remember that 'fishless' 18 day stretch I mentioned ??? Okay, well here's the fun part :-)..... So, I finally (reluctantly) decided to downshift, and just relax. I went back to the same lake, but in a different spot, dropped an anchor, and flipped out some crawlers on my micro-light, trying for a big ol' catfish...... And what did I stick ??? A 13.0 lb Largemouth !!! Go figure ! :-) You just never know, huh ?

I don't know about everybody else, but if I happen to look towards naked men, I immediately turn the other way. Had it been gorgeous babes, I'd look twice, then maybe three times.... then maybe once more before I put the mag down..... But I'd still have no reason to buy the product. I don't believe Berkeley makes Huddleston trout lures, or Owner hooks, do they ? Fish

That sounds like a nice pond, with pretty good visibility. I think I would start by throwing something big and obnoxious, like a 9" MS Slammer (if I wasn't really trying to catch them, but just to shake them up, and call them out.... I'd use the Hud if they were actual trout eaters) but the big thing is, getting them to come up and follow the thing, thereby giving themselves away. Always wear some good polarized glasses. Every time you see a good one, mark that spot on the map in your head. Put together a rout of all the known big fish spots you have found. Then when you hit the lake, you can just go through your rout, focusing on spots that you already know (at least at the right times) will hold big fish. You might try those spots at night too. Anyway, you gotta' find them first. Then just keep going back, and back, and back. Eventually you will hit one of those spots when that big girl is fired up, and then you will put her in the boat ! :-) Peace, Fish

Once again, I'm proud to be the oddball here. I use one lure.... The Hud.... and I have 6 or 8 of them laying around in various states of destruction. Probably won't need any more this year. Oh.... I use the Bastrix Bluegill in the Spring.... but bed fishing was so crappy this year, that I still have plenty for the next. I'm sponsered by a line and a reel company (I don't think I'm allowed to advertise them, right ?) so that's covered. Anyway, I think I bought $30 or $40 worth of hooks in Febuary..... Oh, and $30 on some Crappie jigs way back then too. But bitten by a bait monkey ? Certainly not me :-) I spend plenty money on gas to get me there. Peace, Fish

These guys have already given you some good advice on hook setting..... but just so you won't feel quite so bad, believe me, all of us have had our share of "really stupid hooksets" ! I don't know how they do it, but fish seem to have some kind of six sense, that tells them when your not paying attention. Fact is, your odds of getting bit seem to go up by about 90% as soon as you reach for a drink, or go to scratch your.... well, you get the point :-) Anyway, you will get better, and better, with practice, but if you fish for 40 years, you will still miss one now and again. Just part of fishing. Peace, Fish

Now this is an interesting question, because if you ask a whole lot of Nor Cal guys who fish tournies, or who fish with normal "numbers" techniques, they would probably tell you that an 8 lb'er is pretty darn big, and that a 10 lb'er was a hawg ! But you asked, "what was a big fish for the area"...... Well, hardly a trip goes by that I don't 'see' a 10 to 12 lb'er... or 2, or 3 of them (I tend to sight more big ones than most guys, because of my oddball positioning up in the shallows). Of course catching them can be quite a different story :-) So I guess what I'm saying is, a 10 lb'er, or even a 12 is not really that big for this area, but it is "very big" for most of the guys that fish in this area. The top end size in many / most of our best trophy bass lakes seems to be somewhere around 18 lbs. Personaly speaking, I have caught several fish in the 8 to 9 1/2 lb range, that I did not even bother to photograph, in the last couple years..... then when I get a low 10, I might feel like, "Okay..... I guess I have to get a few shots, as I have a photo of every other 10 plus I have ever caught, so I can't ruin that record now"...... But for me to get all whacky, jittery, dry mouthed, and just generally freaked out, it needs to be a 15 plus. As always, I have to reiterate, "anybody" who lives here, who fishes as much as I do, and who fishes specifically for big fish, would catch at least as many, and probably more double digit bass than I have. I have just been really fortunate / blessed... or whatever you want to call it. Great fishing to you guys, Peace, Fish

I'd love to help, but I need to know several things first. I assume your lake holds Northern strainers, huh ? Are there trout in this lake ? What is the lake record, and what is the biggest bass that you here of being caught from there, with any regularity ? How clear is your water ? Do you know of anybody who catches the larger fish from this lake, that you are after, with any regularity ? If you can please answer these questions, I think I might be able to help. Great fishing to you, Fish Chris

That is a really good question (remember, I pretty much only fish with 1 lure nowadays... the 8" Huddleston trout). But my buddies and I have gone back and forth about the best way to rig them. Recently my one buddy says, "Yea... but whats your hooking percentage... about 30%" ? Ouch ! So in my defense, I would like to explain it this way.... Yes, small fish (like 1 to 4 lb'ers) will often try to eat a trout lure. Sometimes they give it all they have, but usually can get it in there mouth to hook themselves. Other times, a big fish will come up and give it a little half-hearted swat, or a nip, just to see 'what the heck is up with that trout' ? If you call the above "missed hits".... then yea... I miss a bunch of them. But when a big ol' 10 plus bass flat decides its going to eat that trout (lure), and inhales it, my hooking and landing percentage is over 95% ! My buddies sometimes use multiple, and / or smaller hooks on there swimbaits, and they hook more of those half hearted swatters... mostly the smaller ones that I miss, which is good for them, especially if they are fishing tournies. But for myself, I'd rather miss the smaller ones, if my hook rigging gives me (at least in my own mind) a slightly better chance of landing the monsters. Peace, Fish

for you guys to consider. Do you like to catch big fish ??? Okay... forget about everyone else, just for a moment. Allow yourself to think selfishly for just a minute. It's okay :-) I know a lot of guys have a hard time believing it's hardly possible, let alone likely, that they might C/R a fish, then someday down the road, catch that very same fish again ! I know my trophy bass buddies and I used to think this was just an incredible, amazing, bombastic thing ! ....... but as time has passed, and we continue to re-catch (and positively identify) fish which we have C/R'd before, we have come to see how we are single handedly, and directly inproving our own fishing ! Here's one I caught last year, then again, about 3 weeks ago: Here's a whole article on the subject of C/R's, and re-catches and releases: (make sure to scroll down, for several more examples) http://www.trophybassonly.com/id50.htm Anyway, regardless of what the next guy does (because whatever he does, that is his personal right) I release the big ones, because I like to catch big(ger) ones. For me to do anything else would be counter-productive, and simply illogical. Peace, Fish

I love ultra-light fishing for "anything that swims" ! In fact, the only reason I use a heavy rod so much nowadays, is that I have no choice when throwing 8", 6 oz swimbaits. Peace, Fish PS, Ya' gotta' hook em' first, then you can worry about landing them :-)

I think there are just infinite variables to your question. To begin with, I don't particularly care for the taste of Largemouth bass of any size. However, I know that generally speaking, the meat from fish of any species tends to get courser in texture, and often times, stronger in flavor, as the fish get larger / older. Also, certain lakes produce fish which taste better than others, with the size of those fish completely aside. But here's the kicker...... The longer a fish has been alive, the longer it has had for heavy metals and others toxins to build up within its system. Have you ever seen warnings from your F/G about how many lbs you can safely eat, of a certain species per month ? Then you might have noticed some that say you can eat more of that species if its under a certain length, and less if its over ? This is why. Also, it should be noted that Crappie have one of the shotest life cycles, and consequentally, they rarely have health warnings attached with them. Conversely, our Sturgeon out here have a very long life span..... and I sure wouldn't want to eat a fish that had been sucking up heavy metals for 100 years ! Even though they are great eating, I decided last year that I would not keep any but the smallest legal size.... 46" to say 52", or about 20 to 30 lbs. Peace, Fish

As much as I preach about the C/R of trophy sized fish, I certainly have no problems whatsoever, with someone keeping a few small to medium fish (best eating size anyway :-) Selective harvest is where its at ! Good fishing to you :-) Fish

I'm not sure I would want a T-shirt with me on it ! Maybe for haloween. If my face didn't scare em' the T-shirt sure would ! :-) LOL Peace, Fish