king fisher

Crankbaits. Especially a chrome blue Rattle Trap. I realize they may only catch grass in many places you fish in South Florida, but if for no other reason, a full box of crankbaits looks good.

It wasn't me. Honest I wasn't even in the country. Should have been here yesterday is the explanation I have heard all of my life. Everywhere I go the fishing goes from record highs to record lows the minuet I get to the lake or river. Sometimes all I have to do is cross a state line and all the fisheries in the state take a nose dive. I fear some day the authorities might start putting up road blocks to keep me out of any state during fishing season. I was at a sportsman's show once and they had a fishing pond for kids to catch trout. I walked up to watch the kids catch some trout, and the bite completely shut down. I disappeared before any one figured out what happened. I hadn't seen all the show yet, and was afraid they would kick me out if any one put two and two together. This time I can guarantee the poor fishing at Lake of the Woods was not my fault. I was thousands of miles away in Alaska shutting down the king salmon fishing on the rivers of Western Alaska. Probably best to blame it on the moon cycle, that is what all the saltwater fisherman here do when the bite stops, and I'm not going to clue them in on the real reason.

Leave the bead. It helps keep weeds from interfering with the blade

Yes. If you ask my wife my kayak is full of junk and I keep buying more.

Electronics will cost the same regardless if installed on a boat or Kayak. Kayak with no accessories, and a small john boat with small outboard and no accessories, are about equal in cost. Start adding electric motors, and fish finders, and sky is the limit on the cost for both.

Yes I would fish, but probably wouldn't forget it again.

Yes, but don't set the hook. Slowly reel until line is tight. Circle hooks work best with live bait. The fish must take the bait deep in order for the circle hook to work correctly, and this can take time. If the fish tend to spit the bait out quickly, than you will loose more strikes using circle hooks. If they typically take the bait deep and hang on, than you will hook more fish with them.

Any day is worth fishing.

Your biggest mistake is underestimating the size of your fish. Any fish that gets away is at least five pounds 7 pounds if it jumps, and should grow bigger as time goes by. Other than that you catch some and loose some.

If you don't mind extending your search to lakes south of the border I have a few recommendations that have trophy potential. 1- Presa Calles Aguascalientes.- near the town of Aguascalientes in the state of Aguascalientes. This lake is at its peak, and is unique because of an abundance of aquatic grass.(many big bass lakes in Mexico have very little aquatic vegetation). Bass over 15 pounds have been caught in Calles this past year. Big bass are caught on almost any technique from punching mats, to cranking 10 XD,s. This lake gets mild to moderate fishing pressure, with a couple full time guides, but no lodges. It is close to the City of Aguascalientes, which has many quality hotels and a thriving tourist industry. 2- Presa Calderon Jalisco. - This lake is near the city of Guadalajara. It is a small clear lake with a restriction banning boats with motors. I'm not sure if electric motors are allowed. You have to drag your boat, or kayak a small distance to get to the lake. Being so close to such a large city the lake does get a fair amount of fishing pressure. Most people fish this lake from the shore. Many are not fishing for bass, but bass fishing there is getting more popular. There was a 17 pound bass caught there last year, and I wouldn't doubt if other truly huge bass have been caught. A common rumor is a diver speared a world record bass, and another rumor is another diver saw a bass he estimated was 25 pounds. Like most rumors of big bass in Mexico, I think tequila might have a big influence on the validity of the claims. Rumors aside, I am sure there is a chance at catching a bass over15 pounds, and numerous 12 pound bass are caught there each year. 3,- Presa Trigomil Jalisco- I have fished this lake a few times, and am impressed not only with the size and number of bass, but the amazing amount of forage available for the bass to gorge on. The biggest bass I personally know of being caught there, is 14.5 pounds but I am sure there have been larger ones landed. My PB from this lake is 9.5 pounds, but I saw many bass bigger than that on beds this spring. This is a larger lake that gets almost zero bass fishing pressure. On a busy weekend there will be one or two boats, and a half dozen shore anglers, in pursuit of bass. This is a deep high land Reservoir with many steep canyons and bluff walls. Primary food source for bass is Tilapia, but there are also bluegill, and freshwater lobsters for the bass to gain weight on. There are no lodges or guides fishing Trigomil. The owner of a lodge on Auguamilpa was going to start a lodge at this lake but decided against it because of its distance from any Airport. Guadalajara is 3 hours away, and Puerto Vallarta is a 4 hour drive. The road getting to the lake is rough, and can be washed out at times during the rainy season. There is a quality hotel in a town called Union de Tula about 30 minuets from the lake. There is a nice safe place to camp right at the launch and that is what I do when I fish this lake. There is some commercial netting for Tilapia at this lake, but very little compared to other lakes half it's size. All the nests are well maintained, and I have yet to snag an old ghost net. I had to pry information about this lake from a deck hand I hired, and it took me a long time to find the access road. The few people that fish the lake have tried to keep it a secret for a few years. Due to U tube the cat has been out of the bag for a year or two, so I don't mind sharing information about this amazing trophy bass fishery. This lake is probably the best chance of multiple DD digit catches in all of Mexico. 4.- Baccarac Sinaloa - Of course any recommendation for giant bass in Mexico would not be complete without mentioning this big bass lake. The lake record is over 19 pounds, and many people have caught 5 fish stringers over 45 pounds. There are a number of lodges with excellent guides operating on this lake from October until June. If you are on a due it yourself trip, don't rule out July though sept. This is the rainy season, but the bass are still willing to bite and you will have the lake to yourself. Due to a drought Baccarac has appeared to be on the decline the past couple years, but I would not write it off yet. It still has an amazing bait population, and more quality size bass than any other lake in Mexico. It could be back at its peak for DD in a couple years or less. Even at less than its peak, there are an amazing amount of giant bass in this famous lake. The drought ended last July so the lake should be on the rebound by now. Bass Resource member AJ can attest to the big bass potential of Baccarac. El Salto and Picachos get an honorable mention. They both can have giant bass, and the El Salto lake record is over 18 pounds. Both lakes have arguably been in decline for a few years as far as true giants go, but both lakes can still kick out DD bass at any time. Both have fantastic lodges, and guides and are probably the most popular lakes in Mexico to bass fish. There are many other lakes in Mexico with giant bass potential, but these are the ones I know of with your best chance at catching a true monster. I have only been fortunate enough to fish a couple of these lakes myself. Much of the information I have mentioned is from talking with friends, and reading fishing reports. I didn't list my favorite lake Presa Pocho in Nyarite because of its small size and difficulty getting to. The biggest bass I know of caught in this lake was 16.5 pounds, and I know of one 14.5 pounds. This lake is not anywhere near what it once was, but still has potential for big bass. There are numerous other small unheard of lakes are spread throughout Mexico, with giant bass, as well as larger more known lakes that are better for numbers of quality bass rather than true giants.

Bait monkey. You need a bass boat. My wife. Are you crazy? A boat to fish for a fish you don’t even bring home to eat. Me. How about a kayak?

I haven't fished any rivers in Mexico myself. Most rivers are hard to access, making the logistics of a launching and picking up difficult. I have heard rumors of the Rio Grande de Santiago River below the Aquamilpa dam has good numbers of bass, and I have a friend who has fished below the dam that creates the lake Cajon De Pena and caught bass, and snook.

I would get hooked, just trying to tie that on my line.

I have no idea which one the bass will want, but I would buy that jig. That is an awesome looking jig.

I know a kid that can out fish me many days, and all he has for gear is a soda bottle for a rod, reel and a home made lure made from a toothbrush. It's not the gear it is the fisherman. He also has time to fish every day and has endless patience. Two things I don't have. I am not going to give up my bait caster, or stop being friends with the Bait Monkey. I haven't tried to make my own lures from a tooth brush or start saving empty soda bottles. I have spent time watching his retrieve, and where he fishes. I pay attention to where in the water column he is fishing, how fast, his retrieve is and what time of day he takes a break. My point is you may not want to limit yourself to outdated tackle, but you should try and learn all you can from your friend. A good fisherman can catch fish on practically anything, but having good gear can make catching fish more enjoyable. A good fisherman's knowledge is worth more than all the tackle you can buy. Your own experience is even more priceless. Learn what you can from your friend, and experiment on your own. Observe everything you can on the water and read everything you can while you are at home. Also having a Rapala, and Mepps spinner in your box can keep the skunk away on almost any body of water any time of year.

Yes, and I hope it is me.

I broke a three piece Diawa travel rod tip. !00% my fault( not really it was the snags fault). I called Diawa to buy a new tip piece. They wouldn't sell me one. The man on the phone insisted I send the broken rod to Diawa and they would sell me a new rod for a discounted price. The hassle of sending a rod back and waiting for another one from Mexico wasn't worth the effort. I simply bought another brand new Diawa travel rod. Now I have a three piece rod that is a four piece rod in a tube just taking up space in my house. What a waste. Sure would have been better if they had simply sold me the piece I needed.

If legal to fish with two baits Keep the hooks on the front deep diving crank bait. Attach it to the main line with a sliding dropper, or three way swivel, make the dropper line 4 to 6 inches. Attach a floating Rapala to a four foot leader and troll. I have had good luck with a Rapala but you can substitute the Rapala with many different baits, only limited by your imagination. Many times you will double with fish on both baits. A heavy sinker as the dropper works well too. If they kick you off than I guess I'm gone too

If I gut hook a fish, so deep I don't think I will be able to remove the hook without injuring the fish, or if the fish is bleeding badly, I eat the fish. If I were fishing a place where it is illegal to release the fish, I would try my best to remove the hook, or cut the line depending on the situation. wound and release does not help the fish population. It doesn't hurt to keep a bass now and then, and they taste great.

Does he have a boat? Does he take co workers fishing in his boat? If the answer is yes, than give him the crankbaits for free.

I was randomly watching bass fishing videos. Imagine my surprise after a couple minuets of watching this video I recognized the lake. It is my favorite lake, and is only about a mile long. The lake has been discovered since this video was made, and the fishing is not as good, as it once was, but big ones are still there. I lost a monster there recently. The bass were illegally planted in this lake, so no idea where the original stock came from. The commercial fisherman have been trying to eradicate the bass, but thankfully haven't succeeded yet. I'm glad I got to fish it during its peak. I'm positive there are more undiscovered lakes like this in Mexico. I'm hoping to find one before videos like this are made. Not sure where to post this, I just thought members might like to see some big bass caught on buzz baits.

I went bass fishing for the first time in a month, at my favorite big bass lake near Tepic. I ended the day with 8 small bass and one 4.5 pounds. I didn't catch any big bass due to poor angling skill. The rainy season started early this year, and when I got to the lake the visibility was less than a foot. The water was still low, making it tough to decide where to go. In the past when the lake is high and dirty, the bass move in to the flooded pasture flats. Meaning bomber casts with buzz baits and frogs to cover lots of flooded grass. When the water is low, with better vis. I find them on humps drop offs, and suspended in off shore trees. After trying a variety of locations and techniques I found the bass tight to the many barbed wire fence lines that are submerged, or partially submerged depending on water depth. I have found this pattern before at this water level, but always with clearer water with larger strike zones further from the fence. I dread fishing the fence lines for many reasons, including barb wire shreds any kind of line. ( Bait Monkey loves fences), When I do fish the fences, I usually am able to catch bass with buzz baits, spinnerbaits, or square bills fished parallel to the fence line passing close by many posts with one cast. With the moving baits, I have more of a chance keeping the bass out of the fence once hooked, and if they do get tangled it is usually in the top wire giving me a fighting chance. Yesterday the bass wanted nothing to do with moving baits. I found they would bite a weightless 7 inch Senko on the fall or immediately after hitting the bottom, tight to fence posts in 4 to 5 feet of water. I was proud of myself for finding this specific pattern for getting big bites, but I failed to land the bigger bass. If I fished parallel to the fence line I got less bites, and the bass quickly tangled me in the bottom wire. Casting perpendicular to the fence at each individual post worked best, but I still lost all my big bass in the wire. The problem was they wouldn't hit the Senko, unless it fell straight down within a couple inches of the post. I would cast well past a post and reel the bait on the surface until it was on my side of the wire, and give it slack to fall straight down next to the post watching the line to detect any strikes. I tried faster sinking T rigs, witch would have allowed for a vertical presentation with a tight line, but only got bites with a slow weightless fall. The problem was the strikes were quick and aggressive. The bass instantly would grab the bait and move to the other side of the fence wrapping the line on their way. By the time I set the hook and felt the bass I was tangled in the wire. I lost 3 big bass that I didn't even fight long enough to see. If I didn't give the bait slack and kept the line tight in order to instantly move the bass away from the fence, I didn't get bit. Finally I got a bite from a bass that was easily over 10 pounds and could have been in the teens. The giant grabbed the Senko the second it hit bottom, ran away from the fence to open water, and jumped. My rod was almost jerked out of my hands do to my lack of concentration. After it jumped it slammed my rod tip down to the water and was gone. When I reeled in the worm, I saw the hook was still skin hooked. It hadn't even penetrated the worm. It was then realized I hadn't even attempted to set the hook. I was so surprised, I just held on for the ride. I let the bass of a lifetime play me instead of me playing the bass. After crying and throwing a temper tantrum I switched to wacky rigging my bait, and I landed a 4.5 pounder, plus a couple smaller bass but still lost a couple more in the wire. This is the second giant bass I have lost this year due to not paying attention. When the strikes are few and far between, I have the tendency to day dream. I need to learn to concentrate 100% of the time if I am going to fish for trophy bass. Like my little league coach used to always say. If you are going to play the game, you need to always pay attention, even if you are in right field. I should have listened to my coach he was a wise man.

Glad to hear your fishing gear is ok. Did the Bait Monkey come along?