OCdockskipper

One thing about Boyd Ducket that rubbed me the wrong way was how he went about filling the BPT roster. Had he started that organization at a time he had no affiliation with BASS, and attempted to recruit anglers based solely on the tour he had created, that would have been fine. He didn't, what he did was start his organization at the same time he was still affiliated with BASS, using his contacts and relationships with other anglers up until the very last moment. Nothing illegal about that, just from an owner perspective it is a bit chintzy. I'm sure if 10 years from now, if BPT is still around and flourishing & Jacob Wheeler heads a group that poaches most of BPT's roster to form a new tour, Boyd might be a bit ticked off.

Yeah, many of the residents at LF II are protective. Funny thing is most of them don't even fish. It is that old thing about a few ruining it for everyone else. Some guys sneak in, start bombing these huge swimbaits and bouncing them off of boats & docks and when they snag on private property, they just break it off & leave the hooks & line where some unsuspecting homeowner ends up coming across them. If they just threw some weedless lures and left no mess, no one would mind.

LF II. That is the one on Jeronimo & Lake Forest, that you can see from the street. LF I is hidden from the street a bit, you have to get into the neighborhood to see the lake.

Not sure why you are choosing to attack me, my interest was the source of the information. Glenn cleared it up and admitted it was insider talk. If you are having a tough morning, my condolences, but no need to take it out on the forum members.

It looks like 2 of them were caught at night. My experience is that the top fish is an open water, more pelagic fish while the bottom fish is more of a homebody, hanging out under cover type bass.

It is indeed a fact that Glenn was repeating an opinion. However, I asked if he had facts about the accusation, which he doesn't. I accept that 100%. If people at BassResource tell me that J Francho uses live bait in tournaments and I repeat it to other people, that does not make it a fact. Heresay is not a fact.

You are correct, the number one priority for any for-profit organization is making money. That goes for BASS, MLF & FLW. What I was listing is how those organizations, in their pursuit of making money, prioritize the 3 groups - Fans, tournament anglers and advertisers. BASS uses the model of catering to the fans in order to attract & keep advertisers, with the tournament anglers being the lower priority. MLF has a different model, they operate in a manner where they cater to the tournament anglers, hoping that will attract and keep advertisers, and that that combination means the fans will come without being catered to. BASS is the guy who courts a girl by bringing her flowers, opening doors for her and treating her as if she was the only woman on the planet. MLF is the guy who ignores the girl he is interested in, instead focusing on his motorcycle and bad boy image in hopes that that motivates the girl to come to him. Both styles work, they just attract different girls.

Ok, so your accusation was an opinion, not a fact. Just trying to separate the chaff from the wheat. And I really have no interest in your sweaty back...?

The gatekeepers at Lake Mission Viejo are very strict, they will not let expired guest passes in. I never lived there, I only fished it with a guest pass, but once that expired, you would not be let in. Lake Forest has 3 lakes, LF I, LF II and the community pond off of Ridge Route. The latter most likely has no fish, they just did a renovation of it and the focus was to keep the bird population down to eliminate the massive amounts of poop. LF I & LF II are private, but people sneak on all the time. Since I live on Lake Forest II, I don't want any poaching on my lake, so I recommend you go to LF I ?. RSM reopened, but there is no stable fish population yet. I believe there is a Youtube video floating around showing what used to happen when there were trout stockings. Big (over 8 lb bass) would cruise the perimeter like sharks and when the trout went in, it was mayhem.

Your 2008 description is right on. Since then, they have also instituted a rule that no angler or any portion of his gear (rod, lure, boat) can be within 15 feet of any private dock. That kind of makes the bite tough on cloudless days, which is 98% of the time. However, there is cover other than the boat docks. Way back when the lake was being built (bulldozed), old, used tractor tires and concrete pipes were cemented into place in many of the coves. You can find alot of them visually if you don't have a depthfinder, but they have ended up being community holes. My experience on that lake was the other anglers have no issue horning in right on top or in front of where you are fishing.

That is quite an accusation. Do you have any facts comparing 2019 to previous years (crowd sizes, advertising dollars, etc.) to back it up or are you just repeating "trade show whispering"? One thing I think alot of people overlook when comparing B.A.S.S. to M.L.F. is exactly what each organization is. MLF is basically a labor union, where those who perform also run the organization. Their number one concern is the well being of the anglers, followed by pleasing the advertisers and with the fans the lowest priority. BASS is the nations largest fishing club. Members do not own the organization, but can participate in tournaments that the organization puts on. If it held no tournaments, BASS would still exist. Their number one concern is the well being of their members, followed by pleasing the advertisers and then the tournament anglers being the lowest priority. MLF's format is more attractive to the beginning angler or non anglers. More enthusiastic anglers, ones who would pay to be a member of BASS, find the largest five format to be more interesting. With the sudden departure of well known anglers, there currently is more name recognition at MLF, but how long will that last? Us old folks remember when Larry Nixon & others left BASS to go to FLW, but those under 35 years old would ask "Larry Who?". The organization makes the names and in a few years, anglers like Brandon Cobb and Patrick Walters will be just as well known as Jacob Wheeler and Brandon Palaniuk were when they had their early success. The one question that I haven't heard asked is what happens when 2 or 3 or 10 anglers leave the BPT in order to re-qualify for the Elites? It is going to happen, not everyone was happy with the inaugural BPT season.

The original Golden Algae bloom & fish dieoff was indeed five years ago, but they couldn't get any hatchery trout or catfish to live in the lake for another 2 years after that. There is still Golden Algae in the lake, but they are working full time to control it to a level where it won't bloom & kill off the fish again. The only bass currently in the lake are those that survived the Golden Algae bloom or ones that were born afterwards & survived. The HOA isn't going to try to stock bass fry until the other species show they can live without being killed off by the algea. There are so few bass in the lake right now that the regulations have changed to immediate catch & release of any bass, where you caught them. The only fish that are being caught & reported are Tilapia, Catfish, Bluegill & Crappie. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it could be worse. You could have spent 7 figures & bought a house on the water in the summer of 2014, only to see your trophy bass fishery disappear weeks later.

I believe Rick Clunn won a US Open on Lake Mead using that philosophy. The water had 20 plus feet of visibility, some bass were holding in isolated scrub brush (imagine just a few short branches). The anglers could see the bass, but getting them to bite was difficult. Clunn got them to bite by bringing a spinnerbait up to them from positions where they couldn't see the bait until it was on them. If you can imagine it from the fish's perspective, they feel some thumping caused by the spinnerbaits blades, but don't see anything until suddenly there is a flash of blades & skirt right in front of them. That would make them strike out of hunger, territory or even fear!

Southern California is a tough place to find public lakes that aren't overly pressured. Millions of residents living in a desert without much water isn't a great combination for what you are looking for. The public lakes in Orange County where you can fish for bass from the shore will be overcrowded and difficult. One potential private spot would be Oso Reservoir in north Mission Viejo (it is the lake that feeds Lake Mission Viejo). If you son is of the right age and is a Boy Scout (or wants to join), I believe that will give the both of you access to that lake. There is decent shore access, especially on the dam and they may even have a couple of boats for you to use. Other than that, you may want to find out if any friends or acquaintances of your son live on any of the residential lakes in the area (those small lakes completely surrounded by homes). You could get access and fish from the greenbelt areas without worrying about being chased away. Also in those lakes, fishing from a small pedal boat works, so if they had one and would let you use it, that would be a plus.

I understand the point you are getting at, I prefer to fish fast as well. However, I prefer to catch fish over fishing fast, so I have learned over the years that what I like or don't like is irrelevant. What matters is what the bass are telling you they prefer that day or hour. As far as weightless Senkos, I tend to fish Sluggo's or other soft plastic jerkbaits instead of Senkos when the situation calls for it. Nonetheless, a weightless wacky rigged Senko will skip better & farther under docks than any other bait. Once it gets to the target, it has the ability to attract fish without you imparting any action to it or pulling it away from the dock, a trait only rivaled by a Ned rig (which I also use to skip docks). Further, the process of skipping docks with a weightless wacky senko is one of the most efficient methods available, a hurry up & wait routine. Hurry to the next dock, execute a great cast and wait a few seconds to see if it pays off. No bite? Reel in quickly and repeat.

It does have that bullhead look for its head & tail. Big head & tiny eyes. Squared off short tail. I have never caught a bullhead over 12", so i have no idea if they keep that same look when they get big.

The older Heddon Bayou Boogie is a good lipless bait for ponds, but it will take a little work to find them (usually ebay). Another option is any of the blade baits on the market such as the Silver Buddy. They are essentially smaller versions of lipless crankbaits and I have had success with them on my home lake (100 acres).

So for the St. Lawrence event, I had Cory Johnston as a pick. Day 1 he has mechanical problems with his boat, loses a ton of fishing time and despite a great sack on day 2, misses the cut and finishes 36th. For this weeks event, I had Chris Johnston. Once again, Cory has mechanical issues with his boat, but this time, he gets hold of his brother Chris and they swap boats. So now Chris loses valuable fishing time and is sitting in 39th place out of 50 anglers. Every time Cory Johnson has boat issues, it costs me even if I don't pick him!! I wouldn't be surprised if Cory's motor gets stuck wide open tomorrow & he ends up ramming and sinking the boat of one of my other 4 picks...

Very good, there are a bunch of 2 - 3 lb fish, 14 to 17 inches long. I run into 1 or 2 big ones every year, I have had 3 over 8lbs and another 2 over 7 lbs. Most years have a healthy spawn and the numerous big catfish (10 to 15 lbs) keep the smaller bass population in check to avoid them stunting. If you fish there, I'm the only Pond Prowler with a front casting deck. Look forward to meeting you.

Welcome!! Lake Forest II is still kicking, we were lucky to not get the yellow algae issue that wiped out Mission Viejo & RSM. Although a half dozen residents on LF II have purchased pond boats in the last year or so, fishing pressure is still relatively low. Most Saturdays, I'm the only fishing boat on the lake and I will see only 2 or 3 folks fishing from a dock or greenbelt area. I had a 50 fish day last Saturday and am looking forward to a rainy, cloudy day this Saturday to get the fish really active ?!

They are stable, they are much wider than a canoe or kayak, so tipping isn't an issue. Depending on the version you have, the gunnels can be fairly low to the water, but you would have to have most of your weight on a corner of the boat, leaning out, to get it low enough to let water come in. Like any boat, they are more stable when you are sitting than if you choose to stand. Check the specs on the model you are looking at, most of the 10 ft models can carry 550 lbs or so. My 10 ft Pond Prowler has about 40 lbs of plywood in it (floor & casting deck), the battery, electric motor, 70 lbs or so of tackle and myself at 200lbs and I haven't had any weight issues. Electronics are no issue, but I would shy away from a gas motor. These boats are not made for big water and if you need a gas motor to get to & from where you want to go on the water, then I would suggest a different type of boat (such as a johnboat). I fish a 100 acre lake & the Pond Prowler with a 46lb thrust electric motor gets me around quickly.

You beat me to this response. When the thread title is longer than the post, the author may want to rethink his strategy. The title should be just a short summary of the post. The post is used to get into the details. Doing it the other way is like trying to listen to a 4 year old telling a story. The beginning, middle & end are all mixed up, important details are left out, kind of like a Tarantino film. The title of this thread should have been "Live Bait vs. Artificials". The experiences you had talking with seasoned anglers should have been part of the post.

How long did the pastor wait until he went down to the dock & brought you back to finish the ceremony?

Bass from Florida usually fight dirty, wearing a wifebeater with a cigarette hanging out of their mouth. They are often drunk and have an arrest record for run-ins with the manager of the local Wendys. Northern bass tend to fight by the rules and are very persistent, to the point of being annoying. They believe their home lake is the greatest in the world and their sports teams are wicked good. They are usually found near a Dunkin Donuts.

Roland Martin has also been fishing some of the BASS Opens, I am assuming he is trying to catch lightening in a bottle, win and get another shot at the Classic. He could fish the Elites if he wanted, he has the best resume out there for one of the 2 legends exemptions. I would guess the Elite series is too much of a grind for his old bones.