Preparation Lands a Trophy Spot

There are many variables in the bass fishing game that are beyond our control. What are you to do when a front blows through a day early, a big fish wraps you around a log, or a local angler sits on your primary spot all day? In most cases, your hands are tied and you’re at the mercy of the fish.
With that in mind, why not control every possible variable that is within your control? I’m shocked every time I watch an angler lose a big fish because they bend hooks, break line, or give the fish slack. Its not that I don’t make mistakes, I do, and they’ve cost me dearly over the years. The point is that if you leave these variables unchecked you are choosing to be at a disadvantage. I firmly believe that what sets a truly great angler apart from everyone else is a keen attention to detail.
Spend the time to loosen your drags, replace bad line, and tie fresh knots as soon as you need them. If you catch yourself saying things like, “Eh, what are the odds” these words will be haunting when a big bass humbles you.

I hope you enjoy this video because its drives the point home so clearly. I was blessed to land this bass on a recent trip. When I got her into the boat I was shocked to see a full dropshot rig still stuck in her mouth. Someone had the good fortune of hooking this bass but due to lack of preparation, broke her off. How do I know it was lack of preparation? Whoever it was had a major nick in their line just above the hook. I can almost hear whoever it was looking at his partner and saying, “What are the odds” as he cast the damaged rig back toward a likely spot. The rest is history.
Remember to keep your hooks sharp, your line fresh, and treat the bass with respect.

Beware: Off-Limits area in the Delta

While on a recent trip to the California Delta I found myself in the middle of an unfortunate circumstance. It appears that I unknowingly fished in an area that is closed to boat traffic. When situations of this nature happen there are two options. The first and most attractive is to hide the mistake and hope other anglers don’t hear about it.
The second option is to step out and make an example of your mistake in the hopes that other anglers can learn from it and not fall into the same situation. With this post I am choosing the later.
Let me begin by stating very clearly that the small stretch of 7 Mile Slough that parallels the East shore of Brannan Island State Park near 3 Mile Slough is closed to boat traffic.
I’m sorry to admit this came as a surprise to me when an officer met me at the Brannan Island launch ramp to discuss where I had been fishing. The officer was understandably upset and I drove home with a hefty ticket in my possession.

I was quite surprised by the situation as I had never realized this area was closed. There are marked buoys at the mouth of the slough but they appear to clearly define a seperation between the swim beach and a boat lane. No other signage is present but that does not change the fact that despite the appearance, the entire slough is closed.
It seems that if I choose to fish this area again in the future it will be from shore. I hope my error finds each of you before you make a similar mistake.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this matter. Were you already aware of this off-limits area or does it come as a surprise to you? I hope that through this post we are able to have improved signage placed at the confluence of 3 and 7 mile sloughs to help prevent similar occurances in the future.

Solo Swimbait Fishing

After my previous post I feel its important to remind everyone that swimbaiting is not always difficult. Through the ups and downs remember that another “up” is on its way. This video was from my very next trip to the water. I pulled up to my first spot and made the very first cast of the morning. One spot, one cast, one fish. Sometimes its that easy.

The rest of the day was slower but I was able to get a second swimbait fish later in the day. Spring is approaching and the bite is improving. Get out to a lake near you and give it all you’ve got. Here is a link to the bait that this bass fell for: Mattlures Channel Cat Swimbait

Swimbaits Part 5: Endurance

When watching this site or reading forum discussion its easy to fall into the trap that big fish are always easy to catch. Don’t get me wrong, there are periods where it is a cinch and anyone can do it, but there are also those “other” days.
The other days are the ones we don’t talk about, the ones where the camera never gets turned on, and the big-fish-logs don’t get updated. The reality is, they happen.
In the spirit of keeping this site real I thought I would share one of those days with you. By the time I filmed this I was worn out, beat down, and mentally exhausted but I refused to give up.

After filming this video I finally got a bite. It HAMMERED my swimbait but when it came close to the boat it wasn’t my target species. These days happen, that’s reality. If you let them get you down, you’ll never be successful. I picked myself back up, went to another lake two days later and had a great time catching fish.
The moral of the story is, don’t give up. If you want a BIG bite its going to take some dedication, but you can do it. Get out there and keep slinging those baits. Endure the tough days and you’ll be rewarded with giant bites.