PBH Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Moderators: I am posting this in a couple different regional forums, please do not remove. So, my cousin is moving out to California in the beginning of March. He is driving out there and has asked me to come along for the trip. We are leaving out of Philadelphia and we plan on heading down south and making our first stop in Atlanta. From there we head straight to the west coast, traveling through Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and/or Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and possibly Nevada. Our final destination is San Jose and the only other stop we currently have planned is Phoenix. Now, I have a few questions and I hope some of you can point me in the right direction. We want to make a handful of stops to rip some lips. We will not have a boat with us so we are limited to bank fishing or possibly a boat rental, but that is unlikely as we are (obviously) on a budget. I am looking to find some decent spots that we can pull up to and fish for a few hours. Also, we intend to be camping out for the majority of our trip, so any lakes or ponds with a campground nearby are a major plus. I am aware that I will have to purchase licenses for most is not all of the states we intend to fish which is not a concern. I will be bringing my own rods and tackle as well. I am pretty much set on catching LMB and nothing else. What are some good public spots? I understand I could google my way around all of this, but I wanted an honest opinion from the fishing community to help eliminate any guess work. Any help or advice at all is greatly appreciated. You can either message me or post below with any information you'd like to share. I have about two weeks to get a final itinerary together, so let’s hear some suggestions! Quote
fisherrw Posted February 5, 2015 Posted February 5, 2015 Get over to sandy hollow in hurricane UT super good lake! Quote
BasshunterJGH Posted February 5, 2015 Posted February 5, 2015 I have a little experience with some of the western states you mentioned (California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico). I live in California. The fishing can be pretty tough in Arizona and especially NM. I personally think Colorado and Utah have better fishing but that's based on my limited experience. However the bass fishing at Roosevelt lake in Arizona and Navajo lake in New Mexico can be great for largemouth and smallmouth. In Cali the fishing at Clear Lake, Berryessa, New Melones, and the Delta can be awesome. Each about 3 hours from San Jose. Quote
Dyerbassman Posted February 5, 2015 Posted February 5, 2015 This sounds amazing. I'm jealous. I wish I could help ya out. Make sure to post details along the way! Quote
fisherrw Posted February 5, 2015 Posted February 5, 2015 This sounds amazing. I'm jealous. I wish I could help ya out. Make sure to post details along the way! x2 Quote
PBH Posted February 5, 2015 Author Posted February 5, 2015 Get over to sandy hollow in hurricane UT super good lake! Unfortunately we won't be making it up to Utah. Thank you for the suggestion though! I have a little experience with some of the western states you mentioned (California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico). I live in California. The fishing can be pretty tough in Arizona and especially NM. I personally think Colorado and Utah have better fishing but that's based on my limited experience. However the bass fishing at Roosevelt lake in Arizona and Navajo lake in New Mexico can be great for largemouth and smallmouth. In Cali the fishing at Clear Lake, Berryessa, New Melones, and the Delta can be awesome. Each about 3 hours from San Jose. Excellent input, thank you very much for that. I will be looking into these lakes and see if I can make a stop at them. Are they alright to fish from the bank, and do they offer boat rentals? This sounds amazing. I'm jealous. I wish I could help ya out. Make sure to post details along the way! Thanks man, I will definitely start up a new thread and post pictures throughout the trip! 1 Quote
BasshunterJGH Posted February 5, 2015 Posted February 5, 2015 Unfortunately we won't be making it up to Utah. Thank you for the suggestion though! Excellent input, thank you very much for that. I will be looking into these lakes and see if I can make a stop at them. Are they alright to fish from the bank, and do they offer boat rentals? Clear lake and the delta are definitely hard lakes to fish from the bank, just watch a video or two and you'll understand. However, bank fishing is possible in certain areas. Not 100% sure about New Melones and Berryessa, the bank varies a little because of the drought, but you should be fine. Reservoirs can be hard to fish (especially during drought years) from the bank because of mud, rock, steep shoreline. I believe all 6 lakes have good marinas and boat rentals. Navajo lake marina in Arboles has a good boat rental. So do the New Melones, Berryessa, and Roosevelt marinas. Also try Disney's boat rentals in Lakeport on clear lake, they have a good selection of aluminum boats and such. I don't know if you're open to a guide but if you are considering one Matt Allen will put you on big bass and teach you a lot about fishing in the process. He guides on the delta, clear lake and berryessa. I'm sure he could offer some very helpful info about the fishing on these lakes if you shot him a PM. His username is on this site is supermat. Quote
BasshunterJGH Posted February 5, 2015 Posted February 5, 2015 Thanks man, I will definitely start up a new thread and post pictures throughout the trip! That would be great. I'll enjoy hearing about your trip! Quote
Super User Oregon Native Posted February 6, 2015 Super User Posted February 6, 2015 Just food for thought but area's around dams and boat ramps will usually give you the most bank access on your journey. There's an app for your phone (sorry don't know name) that shows all the lakes and runs bout 15 bucks. Just to keep things easy I'd go with a lighter outfit and fish shad raps (SR5...silver) and some smaller plastics on say 8#. Should get some action just about everywhere. Have a safe journey Quote
brgbassmaster Posted February 6, 2015 Posted February 6, 2015 Hit me up with a PM i could take you to one of the rivers here in phoenix. i been laying waste with frogs. March they should be in full spawn mode. Should be pretty good. i been catching 3-4lbers. Let me know if you want to do it and when you will be in phoenix. Im off saturdays, sundays and mondays,. Quote
PBH Posted February 10, 2015 Author Posted February 10, 2015 Just food for thought but area's around dams and boat ramps will usually give you the most bank access on your journey. There's an app for your phone (sorry don't know name) that shows all the lakes and runs bout 15 bucks. Just to keep things easy I'd go with a lighter outfit and fish shad raps (SR5...silver) and some smaller plastics on say 8#. Should get some action just about everywhere. Have a safe journey You pretty much nailed it on the set up. I plan on throwing a few cranks and lots of plastics on a 6'6'' ML spinning rod. May also bring a flipping/frog rod for sloppy situations but that would be it. Thank you very much for your advice! Hit me up with a PM i could take you to one of the rivers here in phoenix. i been laying waste with frogs. March they should be in full spawn mode. Should be pretty good. i been catching 3-4lbers. Let me know if you want to do it and when you will be in phoenix. Im off saturdays, sundays and mondays,. That would be awesome, very nice of you to offer! I will be in touch with you when I have a better idea of which days we will be in that area. Quote
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