king fisher

This reminds me of a time 20 some years ago in Alaska, when I had a battery catch on fire. Two college age first year guides, and myself were sent to a stream with a portage around a water fall, to get a commercial clothes dryer that was to big to fly out to the lodge. The dryer had made the first part of the journey in an 18 foot John boat, and was waiting at the bottom of the falls. The plan was to drag the dryer with a 12 volt electric winch rolled on logs left from previous portages around the falls, where we would then load it in to a waiting boat, while the other guides and I would continue on in the airplane to another river for another project. The pilot of the plane going to the falls, and I were busy doing something else when the plane was loaded. When we landed at the falls, I went to tie the plane up to a tree, while the pilot and guides started unloading the plane. I had just finished tying the plane, when I heard one of the young guides, yell out that there was a fire. He was just standing there looking down in one of the float hatches pointing at a deep cycle battery that was on fire. The two guides loading the plane had placed the battery in the float and placed some of the cable with for the winch near the battery. When landing the cable had moved, and was connecting the two terminals. I jumped on the float, grabbed the handle on the battery, which luckily hadn't burned all the way through yet, and threw the battery in to the river. The guide just looked at me and said, Dude, you just totally polluted the river. The pilot quickly asked the guide how much pollution in the river he thought a burned down Dehavillan Beaver would cause? I thought he was going to shove the guide in to the water and tell him to get the battery, but in the end we had a good laugh and continued with our day. Luckily the ten gallons of gasoline in jerry jugs, ended up being in the float on the other side of the plane. We weren't sure at the time where the gas was or I might have tried putting the fire out with the fire extinguisher in the plane, while the battery was still in the float. As it was I didn't want to take the time to get the extinguisher out of the inside of the plane. After that all batteries had to placed in a container with a lid, that prevented that type of accident from ever happening again. If someone got lazy and tried to put a battery in to a float without the proper container, I would tell them the story, and they would never try that again. The young guide that objected to me polluting the river with the battery, was not the brightest kid I ever worked with, but he was a natural fisherman, that ended up becoming a good guide. All is well that ends well.

Crankbaits all of the time, Spinnerbaits if it is windy.

Soft plastics- June Bug, or some other shade of purple. Crankbaits - Chartreuse and black Spinner baits - Black, Chartreuse, White, or some combination these colors. Jigs - Black and Blue. Top water- White or Black. If the water clears up, I would try the same colors.

My lake Menderchuck south was discovered last year. The increased pressure forced me to either drastically improve my angling skill, or find another Lake Menderchuck South. The fact that this spring I was still catching big bass, while casting with the accuracy of a sawed off shotgun, means I have found a new lake, and and for once in my life am going to keep my mouth shut. I'll take luck and stupid bass over skill any day.

I'm not bass fishing because of a four letter word starting with w and ending with k. I am getting the boat I captain ready for a two week trip in late October early Nov. to Magdalena Bay on the Baja Peninsula. This will could be the fishing trip of a lifetime, if all goes as planned, or a total disaster, if I am not prepared. I am in the middle of a complete electronics upgrade, 5,000 hour engine service, and fixing all the other systems, that decide to break during the hot summers in PV. After the Mag Bay trip, I hope to have some time and money to chase bass. I haven't caught a bass since early June, and have been looking at all the big bass pictures posted here, makes me want to quit work and move to Maine.

Buzz Baits

I haven't tried their rods, line, or soft baits, but their crankbaits are not only better than other store brands, but some are better than way higher priced name brands. High highly recommend their 3/8 oz. square bill, and 1/4 oz medium diving Model M. They come with oval split rings, decent hooks, run true out of the box, and most important, catch bass as well as other crankbaits that cost twice as much. Down side is they wont ship to CA, which is how I get most of my tackle to Mexico.

I fish a lake where water clarity seems to be a big factor. I always measure the water clarity as soon as there is enough light to do so. If the water is less than a foot deep, I never catch or mark the fish deeper than 15 feet deep. They may be suspended in trees, that are in 40 feet of water, but the bass themselves always seem to be in 15 or less. They may be on the surface and 15 feet deep at the same time, but they wont be deeper than 15 feet. Much of the year there is no thermocline on this lake so it is not a factor. When the water has two foot of visibility or more I catch and mark bass in all depths. I can catch them right on the bank, and in deep water suspended or on the bottom. If there is a thermocline, they are always above the thermocline. When the water is 6 inches to a foot, the bass are usually along the shoreline, but can be suspended in the trees over deep water. When the water visibility is less than 6 inches, the bass are always in very shallow water and are never suspended over deep water. I realize this is just my experience in one lake. I am sure others have had different experiences, but from what I have seen, the chart is a good general guide line. It does not predict what depth the bass will be in, it only is a general guide to the limit of depth they will go. If the water is relatively clear, that doesn't mean they will be deep, it only infers, it is possible they will be deep, but does not rule out the possibility of them being shallow. If the water is pure mud, they probably wont be more than a few feet deep. If the water has more than 3 feet of visibility a person can probably catch bass at almost any depth in the lake on the same day, but if the water visibility is 8 inches, I would suspect the bass would not be on the bottom in 15 feet of water. My best luck for multiple big bass in the lakes I fish have been when the water clarity is 2-6 feet. The bass are not as spooky as they are in clearer water, can be found in schools of like size, and are susceptible to a large variety of techniques. I have caught DD. bass in 6 inches of clarity, but they always seem to be lone bass, and may be one of the only bites of the day. 1-2 foot of clarity is good for me on one lake, simply because that is what it is most of the time. With the clarity being constant, I concentrate on other factors more to determine depth of the bass. People that fish water with fairly constant clarity probably wont think it makes much of a difference. Some of the places I fish, I feel it is probably the biggest factor. That being said, those places have an almost constant water temperature, so therefore in my experience water temperature is not much of a factor. Where many places temp. is a bigger concern than clarity when determining the depth of the bass. The bass will always be near their prey. If the prey like a certain water clarity you can rest assured the bass will be near by. They may be a little deeper, or more shallow than the prey, but they will be at a depth they can easily ambush their next meal. One other thing to consider is the length of time of a certain visibility. If the water has had one foot of visibility for weeks, the bass may have a deeper max limit, than if the water recently went from 4 foot of vis. to one foot of visibility.

I only fish rock when it is windy, calm, hot , cold, clear, cloudy, raining, or dry.

I copied this from fishing gurus, and is the same as a video from Fish the Moment. I agree with the depths as a general guide line, but nothing in bass fishing is written in stone. 1) Water clarity 6 inches or less, bass will be less than 6 feet deep. 2) Water clarity 6 inches to 1 foot, bass will be less than 10 feet deep. 3) Water clarity 1 foot to 2 foot, bass will be less than 15 feet deep. 4) Water clarity 2 foot to 6 foot, bass will be less than 35 feet deep. 5) Water clarity 6 foot or more, bass will be less than 55 feet deep.

Mexico has many places with great golf and great saltwater fishing. Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, to name a few. Mazatlán has fantastic bass fishing with lodging and guides an hour away.

This load is for the soft plastics. Hard baits requires a horse.

Bass caught on spinnerbaits taste best.

They all have advantages and disadvantages, and will all catch bass for you. If you pick one and stick with it, you will become accustomed to that line, and it will become your favorite. Braid is strong, has zero stretch, great hook sets, and very sensitive. Down side is it is only sensitive if the line is tight. Any slack in the line and you loose all feel to your bait. Floro has stretch, but is still sensitive because it heavy and sinks. Floro is the best line for slack line sensitivity because of the weight even with a small amount of slack, with a, bow in the line you can still have contact with the bait. The down side is it must be replaced if you get a kink from a backlash or other professional angler type tangle. Knot strength is poor, and the line is very expensive. If I was a pro and someone was giving me line, Floro would be my choice for almost all bottom contact applications. Mono's advantage is it is inexpensive, very forgiving, has some slack line sensitivity,( not as much as floro) and while not perfect will work reasonably well in any situation. I use mono for many applications, including T Rigs, and jigs, or when I swear off using Floro, for the hundredth time, because I was to cheap to replace the line after a professional overrun, causing me to loose a big bass or my favorite balsa crank bait. I suggest you try them all. If you started fishing with braid, when you first try other lines, they will seam like fishing with rubber band. Give them some time and you may end up liking them. Make sure whichever one you choose, you develop a strong personal opinion for that line type. The winters can get long, and a good argument over what is the best line is always entertaining. Be careful what you say because if you end up being like me and constantly switching opinions, you will be quoted and rightly accused of being a hypocrite.

One of my favorite quotes from a River Runs through it, by Norman Maclean. Yea yea I didn't get in until late. Paul: Well, I didn't get in at all but I was here. Norman: Neil. Paul: Neil, in Montana there are three things we are never late for; church, work, and fishing. My mother doesn't even know who Norman Maclean is, and hasn't read or seen the movie A River Runs through it, and isn't from Montana, but I am quite certain, he was plagiarizing her when he wrote the book. I heard and was required to live those exact words many times before I ever read A River Runs Through It. I am never late for anything, but rest assured, if I am late for fishing, it is because I am being on time for my funeral and if someone else shows up late for fishing, they better have been kept late at church, because even god may not be able help them if I miss the morning bite.

Many times the larger sizes get more bites. Depends on the lake, size of bait, and many other factors. I live in Mexico, and the bass seem to like bigger baits on average than in other places. The bass are less pressured, on most days a variety of baits and sizes will work. Bass where you are may be more picky, and a small size change might make a big difference. Even here there are days when the bass are very selective, and they like the 1.5 size best, when they do I throw the H20. It casts well for me, and might weight more than the 3/8 oz. listed on the the package.

I own way to many square bill crankbaits l have some made by almost every brand. My favorite in the 1.5 size is also the least expensive in my box. The Academy Sports H20 Express CRS. They are 3/8 oz. cast well on bait casting gear, and flat out catches bass. I get them when they are on sale for 3.99, but would gladly pay three times that if I had to. Normal price is $4.49 and in my opinion, the best bang for your buck in bass fishing. My favorite in a larger size are some old Bagely's Basla b's. They come through wood better than any I have used, but I cry every time I snag one. I use 6th. Sense most of the time, but only in the larger sizes. The H20 is by far my favorite in the smaller size.

I would start with a Jitterbug, just because fishing Jitterbugs in ponds makes me feel young again. If that doesn't work, then a #3 inline spinner, because an inline spinner will always catch something, including the biggest bass in the pond. If that doesn't work, than a weightless Senko, because that is what I should have started with in the first place.

All but one were caught on your favorite, a spinnerbait.

May 13 2023 Jalisco MX. 42.7 pounds.

When I was a kid, an uncle of mine made me a similar electric prod. It was about two feet long with a wooden handle and one wire attached to the mettle rod, with a standard male electrical outlet plug at the other end. I would water the lawn heavily, then stick the rod in the ground. Night crawlers would quickly come to the surface. If I plugged the rod into the outlet one way the rod wouldn't work, I would then turn the plug around and it would work. My Uncle would always simply touch the rod to see if the plug end was in correctly. I didn't like getting shocked by 110 volts while standing in a soaking wet lawn, so I would wait to see if the worms came up. Later on I learned to slowly pull the rod out of the ground, and feel for a vibration that would only be present if the rod was working. Last time I was at my moms house I found the old electric rod in the garage. She wanted me to go through the garage and throw out junk that had collected over the years. I couldn't get my self to throw it out, even though I know I will never use it again, and could make one for almost nothing if If I wanted to. At one time that electric rod was one of the most important piece of fishing equipment I owned, accounting for many of my fondest memories.

Fishing may be difficult, but the surf will be big. Grab your surf board and make your way to the ocean.

I believe more fish of all species are lost by over horsing, than playing to gently. There are times when you have to horse a fish, and learning when to apply the pressure and when to back off, is an ongoing lifetime learning curve. Remember pulling to hard on a fish can not only break the line, but can pull the hook, if the line is to strong to break. Just think of how many lures you got off of snags, simply by pulling hard. I'm not talking about the times you you bent the hook and got the lure back, I'm referring to the times the lure simply pulled loose with a hard pull on the line. Same can happen when pulling to hard on a fish. Also many fish are lost at boat side, because they are too still green to be close to the boat. When fishing for bass more than many other species of fish, there are times where horsing is the correct way to fight the fish, but in general, I like to take it easy more than horse.

I'm sure the bass that was 4 pounds 15 ounce was really 5 pounds. It must have lost at least an ounce during the fight. I admire your honesty, but remember the bass has feelings too. I'm sure she would take offense to being called anything less than 5 pounds. Congratulations, nice small mouth even without the ounce.