My life Traveling and Fishing for Giant Bass

[ChrisCrawley]

Please allow me the opportunity to introduce myself, my name is Chris and have a great passion for bass fishing. In March of 2021 I quit my job to travel the country in search of Giant Bass. I sold my house in August and have been traveling since November. I have managed to catch some good sized bass but nothing I would consider what I set of in search of. 

Thanks for allowing me to introduce myself.

[WRB]

Welcome to BR Chris. 

You made a big commitment to catch Giant bass.

1st what is your weight goal..,12 lbs or 15 lbs?

Your neighbor State Florida is the most obvious place to start. Second would be Mexico followed by Texas, California today isn’t a good bet.

2 books come to mind; Bill Murphy’s In Pursuit of Giant Bass and Josh Alwine’s site member Lunker Lore.

I have made a life long pursuit of giant bass and PM me if interested.

Tom

[Drew1013]

I think your best bet is to fish small lakes that are managed well, fish lakes that are about 10 years old since the first bass stocked grow the largest, or lakes that have been down then come back up to full pool (like O.H. Ivie or Lake Falcon did, new lake effect). Then there is the new lake in Texas that is getting filled now and stocked with only Sharelunker bass fingerlings.

    And definitely make some trips to Camelot Bell near Cooldridge, Texas. Every fishing show I see there they catch one or two over ten pounds. 

   I recently came across some information that said like 43% of bass over 13 pounds are caught in March and 28% during February which matches my biggest catches too. 

[GaryH]

Good luck on your adventure. You sure are committed. ?

[Mike L]

Welcome Chris!!

I kinda had the same intentions as you when I retired. 
The older grandkids moved in the house and we bought a motor home and hit the road. 
 

The difference is that I wanted to fish in more National tournament trails, not so much specifically chasing weight. 
After 6 years on the road I hit most of my goals but health issues forced me to go home but with no regrets. 
 

I wish you the best of luck in your searching. As you probably already know it can get very expensive but if you have the time and means and keep the commitment you made I’m sure you won’t regret it either. 
 

One tip if I may….

Keep trying to learn as you fish different waters. 
Force yourself to evaluate your successes and failures as you go. 
Learn how to break down and evaluate everything where you go before you go. 


Best of luck and be safe. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike
 

[Mobasser]

10 hours ago, ChrisCrawley said:

Please allow me the opportunity to introduce myself, my name is Chris and have a great passion for bass fishing. In March of 2021 I quit my job to travel the country in search of Giant Bass. I sold my house in August and have been traveling since November. I have managed to catch some good sized bass but nothing I would consider what I set of in search of. 

Thanks for allowing me to introduce myself.

Welcome Chris. We've got some very good big bass anglers here on BR. Best of luck in your fishing!

[Darth-Baiter]

wow.  welcome!!

 

I'm hungry for more info.  how are you moving about the country?  big dually Mercedes Sprinter Van  towing a 21 foot bass boat?  or pickup truck with a rooftop mounted kayak?  I love reading all things logistics.  spill it newbie!  haha..  

 

welcome aboard.  and go to Florida.

[scaleface]

That sounds fun . Do you expest to be able to afford to pursue this venture  for an extended time ?

[Zcoker]

So you sold out and hit the high road for bass? Interesting. You rolling in a camper? I'm here in South Florida and we certainly have a nice bass fishery down this way. I've had days where back to back 9's are not uncommon. Multiple 6-7's abundantly all day long. 10 plus is caught all the time in places like Headwaters Lake--and that's not years ago but currently and up-to-date. I'd suggest finding out where the big bass are being caught "today" and focus on those areas. Rolling around and guessing where they are might be ok for some but I wouldn't bank on it, personally. One thing I've learned with bass fishing is to always put thyself in an advantageous situation, whether it be gear, tackle, or location, having the advantage is what it's all about to get the big girls. 

[Derek1]

Welcome. 
looking forward to reading more of this. 

[roadwarrior]

Mexico

 

A-Jay

• 
• Super User
• •  28.2k
  •  18
• Location Northern Michigan ~
• My PB: Between 11-12 lbs
• Favorite Bass: Smallmouth
• Favorite Lake or River Lake Menderchuck ~ Lake Baccarac

• Super User

Posted Friday at 06:36 AM · IP 

  In October 2018, I was most fortunate to spend 6 ½ days fishing on Lake Baccarac in Mexico.

Shared the boat with good friend and truly great stick, Big Fish Jeff Howell.

This was my 7th trip to this special lake and once again Lake Baccarac showed out ~ Big Time. 

  Both Jeff & I are not ‘numbers’ guys – meaning we generally do not count how many bass we catch.  Instead we choose to fish for the biggest bass; an approach that may not always result is high numbers but hopefully bigger fish. However as this special week in Mexico continued and the numbers of true giants began to and continued to go in the net – we had no choice but to keep track.  In an attempt to simplify things, we decided that in order to be a “score-able bass’ the fish would need to be at least 7 pounds. These would be the ones we ‘count’.

The final count for our 6 ½ days (approx. 65 hours) for two guys fishing on Lake Baccarac:

Over 7lbs ~ 20

Over 8lbs ~ 16

Over 9lbs ~ 11

Over 10 lbs ~ 4

Over 11 lbs ~ 1

Over 12 lbs ~ 1 

 

So that’s 53 bass over 7 and of those, the average fish was right at 8 ½ pounds.

It’s also one score-able bass every 73 and a half minutes.

Jeff's biggest 5 of the trip were: 12.23(a PB), 10.58, 10.22, 9.96, 9.61 = 52 lbs 9.6 ounces

My biggest 5 of the trip were: 11.30, 10.22, 10.14, 9.83, 9.28 = 50 lbs 12.3 ounces.

That's Pretty Crazy. 

And so is this ~

I've watched the videos from this magic trip 'several times' and it still doesn't seem real. 

A-Jay

[Koz]

Welcome to BR! The record out of Sinclair is 13 pounds, but I have not heard of anything big coming out of there in the nearly two years I have been in the area. Oconee is worse. Florida is your best bet in this region of the country. But there are also DD bass in the lagoons throughout the SC Lowcountry and the Coastal Empire in GA.

[BassNJake]

Somebody is not married and has 0 kids

[king fisher]

     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.

     

      

[gim]

1 hour ago, BassNJake said:

Somebody is not married and has 0 kids

 

And sold his house...and quit his day job!

[soflabasser]

18 hours ago, ChrisCrawley said:

Please allow me the opportunity to introduce myself, my name is Chris and have a great passion for bass fishing. In March of 2021 I quit my job to travel the country in search of Giant Bass. I sold my house in August and have been traveling since November. I have managed to catch some good sized bass but nothing I would consider what I set of in search of. 

Thanks for allowing me to introduce myself.

Welcome to the forum @ChrisCrawley. I see you live in Georgia, which in my opinion is one of the best places in the world to catch big bass. Georgia also has the most black bass species in the world, so you live in a great place if you enjoy bass fishing. I strongly suggest you fish in Georgia and Northern/Central Florida if your goal is to catch big bass, along with many unique bass species.

[Darth-Baiter]

I'd hit a private lake where they raise giant bass.  like Camelot Bell Lake.  I think it is in Texas.  stop in Austin and eat a chimichanga to round out the experience

[RDB]

On 7/20/2022 at 4:20 PM, Darth-Baiter said:

I'd hit a private lake where they raise giant bass.  like Camelot Bell Lake.  I think it is in Texas.  stop in Austin and eat a chimichanga to round out the experience

Being your checkbook

[WRB]

Unless the OP replies to great advice offered considered this post a fraud.

Tom

[Darth-Baiter]

the dude sold his house....:D

[scaleface]

Dont know what to think . He has a youtube channel   .

[Fishingmickey]

Well he ain't saying much here. Haven't checked out his "U" tube channel. Wonder if he is fishing fer subscribers?

[Mike L]

I hate it when people do that..

If that’s the case. 
 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Darth-Baiter]

1 hour ago, scaleface said:

Dont know what to think . He has a youtube channel   .

I'm out!!  hahha...

 

 

[J Francho]

LIKE AND DESCRIBE!!!