Deuceu72 Posted March 21, 2006 Posted March 21, 2006 Why didnt they just keep the fish alive in the livewell until it could be weighed on a certified scale, then release it? I would not have kept the fish but it still would have been on my wall! Quote
Super User Matt Fly Posted March 21, 2006 Author Super User Posted March 21, 2006 Flechero, I'll be a hypocrit when its a record, I do practice catch and release on all bass so far. If its a state record or WR or sharelunker, and none of the above means I'm killing the bass, the first place I want a fish like that is the hatchery so the biologists can study the DNA for future lunkers. They did what I hope I would do if I possessed an illegal fish, but sooner. As per the Cali fish and Game, it is illegal to catch a fish outside the mouth. (any season, whether in sight or not, its illegal to posses). Having this fish in their possesion could net them a ticket as witnessed from others who saw the foul hooked fish, supposedly with the with Jig, that had a stinger attached, a treble added to a jig. Quote
Super User cart7t Posted March 21, 2006 Super User Posted March 21, 2006 Bassmaster magazine did a nice piece on the big bass coming from the CA lakes some 15 or so years ago. Of course, it was Castaic at the time and not Dixon. Anyone that's followed these big fish coming out of CA will notice that the big fish tend to come from a specific lake for awhile and then it stops only for another lake to pick up the pace. If it's not these guys fishing for the fish it was guys like Crupi or Arruyo way back then. It's all genetics. This particular class of fish that's coming in now if probably part of a specific stocking by the CA Fish and Game people way back when. There is a timeline to catch them as these bass, like all bass, don't live that long. The genetic reason for putting the fish back doesn't actually ring true. This bass was as large as it was because it was part of a genetically unmixed original stocking. All the fish after this have crossbred with non-genetically superior fish. Just like Castaic's big bass boom came and went, so will Dixons. Quote
Super User Matt Fly Posted March 21, 2006 Author Super User Posted March 21, 2006 Nope, they don't actively stock bass. Trout is the money fish in that state, and the trout aren't for bass, its for all the trout fishermen and kids. Lots of trout fishermen in the state.$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$lots of money generated from trout fishermen. Quote
Vermonster Posted March 21, 2006 Posted March 21, 2006 Quote Nope, they don't actively stock bass. Trout is the money fish in that state, and the trout aren't for bass, its for all the trout fishermen and kids. Lots of trout fishermen in the state.$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$lots of money generated from trout fishermen. Matt's right. they do not stock anything but trout, and maybe some catfish there. The reason the fish get so big there is genetics, and abundange of nice fat 1-3 pound rainbows dumped in weekly over a 5 month period.... Quote
Vermonster Posted March 21, 2006 Posted March 21, 2006 Part of an article done about the lake.... Interesting read.... And Matt, notice the swimbait references..... --------------------------------------------------------------- SWIMBAITS SNOOKERED ALL 3 BIG BASS All three of these record catches came off a swimbait. Dickerson and Weakley landed their fish on 8-inch Mission Fish swimbaits. "I have had more luck fishing it slowly, like a worm, rather than swimming the bait," Dickerson offered. "Bouncing these things off rockpiles can be deadly." Long's swimbait of choice is the Castaic Trout. He says in clear water such as that at Dixon, "the more lifelike the trout the better off you are." Now that we know that bass in Lake Dixon can reach world-record proportions, let's take a look at how these fish can grow to such an enormous size, and why swimbaits are so effective in targeting them. The reason bass at Lake Dixon grow so big is rainbow trout, and more specifically, hatchery-raised rainbow trout. Trout are like a greasy double-bacon cheeseburger with large fries and a milk shake to a hungry bass. Dixon's big bass feed almost exclusively on trout during cold-weather months because these slow-swimming, one-shot meals are plentiful. Big bass don't like to compete with smaller, quicker bass as they pounce schools of shad or comb the shorelines for crawdads. Lake Dixon anglers are trying to land bass over 10 pounds, with 15-pound and bigger fish the actual target. Smaller fish, from 5 to 9 pounds, are much more aggressive than their older and wiser counterparts. In Dixon's clear water, you can see big bass cruising in 15 feet of water looking for that one- or two-trout meal. This is a bass that wants to get the maximum amount of nutrition for the least amount of energy. This is why bass in California grow as round as they do long. A bass that weights 5 pounds in a lake that does not stock trout, may double its weight if placed into a lake with trout. DEEP-WATER ACCESS Another factor for the explosive growth of bass at Dixon is that the bass can access deep water. While the lake covers just 70 surface acres, it extends to nearly 80 feet deep. A big bass feels safe in deep water, and will almost always choose a resting place with easy access to the deep blue. Big bass have gotten big by being around for a long time. In that time they have seen virtually every model of boat, lure, line or hook many times over. Conversely, they spook easily. Swimbaits range from 4 to 24 inches in length and are most likely patterned after rainbow trout. There are as many styles and designs of swimbaits as there are manufactures that make them. Some swimbaits are made of wood designed to crash along the surface. Many are a soft plastic and can be slowly fished down the contour of a lake's bottom. Many big-bass anglers won't fish a swimbait that is less than 6 inches long; most prefer swimbaits from 8 to 15 inches. The old adage "big bait, big fish" holds truer for big bass in southern California than most other game fish. A bass in Lake Dixon doesn't get that basketball-like physique streaking all over the shallows expending energy chasing a quicker, more agile prey than trout. In late fall the Department of Fish and Game starts to stock catchable-size trout from about 7 to 13 inches in length at Dixon and continues stocking them until warming water temperatures prevent their survival the following spring. Once Dixon is given its stocking schedule, it will usually be stocked on the same day of the week, every other week. When stocked into a lake, trout are disoriented and slow, and an easy meal for hungry bass. For the first or second day after being stocked, trout are acclimating to their new surroundings - an easy target for bass. In late fall and early winter big bass will hold off breaks or points, usually holding right on the edge of deep water. Then they can ambush a school of trout in shallow water or bolt to the deep if spooked. This ambush point a big bass will use will have easy access to deep water, but remember a big bass will be more than willing to venture into shallow water to chase a school of trout than any other prey. Quote
Captain Cali Posted March 21, 2006 Posted March 21, 2006 There are too many reasons to get into why Castaic fell off the map. Part of it was all the pressure it received and part of it is Stripers. A lot of trophies were kept and mishandled when thousands flocked to the lake in hopes of catching the next WR. Then came the stripers. I know some don't agree that stripers put a hurtin' on the LMB but when those stripers eat the same trout the bass could be eating I don't see how it can be good for LMB. Quote
Rattletrap Posted March 21, 2006 Posted March 21, 2006 Quote There are too many reasons to get into why Castaic fell off the map. Part of it was all the pressure it received and part of it is Stripers. A lot of trophies were kept and mishandled when thousands flocked to the lake in hopes of catching the next WR. Then came the stripers. I know some don't agree that stripers put a hurtin' on the LMB but when those stripers eat the same trout the bass could be eating I don't see how it can be good for LMB. Stripers eat both trout and bass. It will hurt the bass population. Getting their dinner and themselves eaten has to hurt their population. Quote
Super User cart7t Posted March 21, 2006 Super User Posted March 21, 2006 Quote Nope, they don't actively stock bass. Trout is the money fish in that state, and the trout aren't for bass, its for all the trout fishermen and kids. Lots of trout fishermen in the state.$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$lots of money generated from trout fishermen. You're right, they don't actively stock bass but those Florida strain bass didn't walk there. Quote
Captain Cali Posted March 21, 2006 Posted March 21, 2006 Quote Quote Nope, they don't actively stock bass. Trout is the money fish in that state, and the trout aren't for bass, its for all the trout fishermen and kids. Lots of trout fishermen in the state.$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$lots of money generated from trout fishermen. You're right, they don't actively stock bass but those Florida strain bass didn't walk there. : They didn't walk to Japan or Texas either. I see your point but it's not news to anyone that LMB are not native to California. Quote
Super User Matt Fly Posted March 21, 2006 Author Super User Posted March 21, 2006 Quote Quote Nope, they don't actively stock bass. Trout is the money fish in that state, and the trout aren't for bass, its for all the trout fishermen and kids. Lots of trout fishermen in the state.$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$lots of money generated from trout fishermen. You're right, they don't actively stock bass but those Florida strain bass didn't walk there. No, they were stocked at one time, but the fact remains, they don't actively stock bass. Ca has relied on the old fashioned method, its natural reproduction from the fish already stocked. Quote
Super User flechero Posted March 21, 2006 Super User Posted March 21, 2006 Quote Flechero, I'll be a hypocrit when its a record, I do practice catch and release on all bass so far. If its a state record or WR or sharelunker, and none of the above means I'm killing the bass, the first place I want a fish like that is the hatchery so the biologists can study the DNA for future lunkers. They did what I hope I would do if I possessed an illegal fish, but sooner. As per the Cali fish and Game, it is illegal to catch a fish outside the mouth. (any season, whether in sight or not, its illegal to posses). Having this fish in their possesion could net them a ticket as witnessed from others who saw the foul hooked fish, supposedly with the with Jig, that had a stinger attached, a treble added to a jig. Maybe I misunderstood things... I thought all the talk of "legal" meant for record purposes, if I'm wrong and it is against the law to keep the fish- well Duh, he had to let her go. Either way I don't care, I just think it's great that she was released. I am confused about one thing though, if it is truly illegal, how could it even be considered for the record? And if it's illegal, how can all these people be upset for the release? Makes no sense to me. Where did you read that he had a treble attached to the jig? I haven't seen that. I have foul hooked a bass on a jig so that part makes sense... especially since he was sight fishing in 15' of water. Even clear water at that depth could be tough to see things clearly. I haven't ever added a treble to a jig though. Quote
Rattletrap Posted March 21, 2006 Posted March 21, 2006 I need to take a week off and fish California. This Georgia boy will show ya how to earn a quick million. The Cali boys can't seem to get it right. I can read the headlines now," Georgia boy catches WR LMB in Californy". ;D Quote
Vermonster Posted March 22, 2006 Posted March 22, 2006 I live 4 miles or so from the lake. I'll rent out my extra rooms at a reasonable rate...... ;D ;D ;D Quote
Rattletrap Posted March 22, 2006 Posted March 22, 2006 Quote I live 4 miles or so from the lake. I'll rent out my extra rooms at a reasonable rate...... ;D ;D ;D I would love to fish those Cali waters. One of these days I might hold you to that offer. Quote
zerokev Posted March 23, 2006 Posted March 23, 2006 I completely agree. Why not just toss her back in the lake to be caught again another day the right way... no controversy. Quote
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