My Fishing Ventures

Kayaker lands record yellowtail off La Jolla...

2011-12-15T12:54:00.000-08:00

Kurt Hoffman celebrated the recent lunar eclipse in a really big and memorable way.

Hoffman, an avid waterman who fishes from his kayak, landed what is believed to be the heaviest yellowtail ever caught by a kayak angler. His 55-pound yellowtail that he caught off La Jolla tops the 50.65-pound yellowtail landed by kayak angler Larry Laumann in November of 2005. Hoffman was fishing from his Hobie peddle kayak.

Hoffman said he was about to call it a day around 8 a.m. when he noticed a fellow kayak angler he had launched with at 4 a.m. The angler was fighting a fish, so Hoffman slid by. He had used his glow light to land 10 or so squid for bait, but he used them up on sand bass and calicos. He picked up a few more squid baits from the other kayaker and sent one down.

Hoffman said the yellowtail caps off an incredible fishing year for him from his kayak and his Boston Whaler. He and his son, Lucas, caught big yellowtail, white seabass and a 120-pound thresher shark from their Whaler.

Hoffman said he fished infrequently, but his trips were productive and produced 20 white seabass, including a 63-pounder, and 19 yellowtail that included the 55-pounder. He also caught and released black seabass, including one that he hooked the same day he landed the record yellowtail.

Paul Lebowitz, an editor with Kayak Angler Magazine, said he believes Hoffman’s catch is the best ever by a kayaker for yellowtail.

Hoffman checked with John Campbell, an International Game Fish Association representative who runs the annual Yellowtail Derby, and Campbell told him the largest yellowtail on record in the Yellowtail Derby was a 53-pounder.

Hoffman believes that this catch is a testament to the fact that the fisheries are very healthy and the current regulations are working very well to protect our great local resources.

Local Angler to Lead U.S. Team in International Fishing Tournament

2011-10-18T12:09:00.000-07:00

Local kayak angler Morgan “Roosta” Promnitz of Carlsbad will lead a group of four from the Hobie Fishing Team as they compete Oct. 27-30 in the inaugural Hobie Kayak Fishing World Championships in Australia.

In addition to Promnitz, who is Hobie Fishing’s product manager, the U.S. team includes Keeton Eoff, Hobie’s marketing manager, Jackie Smith, Hobie’s team ambassador and Jose Chavez, Hobie’s fishing team regional manager. They will be part of an 18-team competition, representing five countries that include the U.S., Singapore, Thailand, South Korea and Australia.

The event is by invitation only and will be held in Port Macquarie along the New South Wales coast. The competition will be on Australia’s tidal rivers, where the kayakers will fish for golden bream. They’ll be outfitted in identically-rigged Hobie Mirage Pro Anglers.

Plastic debris found in 1 out of 10 fish sampled....

2011-06-30T14:17:00.000-07:00

Source: SD Union-Tribune

Scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD found evidence of plastic in more than 9 percent of the stomachs of fish collected during their voyage to the subtropical gyre, a giant swirling water mass in the middle of the north Pacific. Study authors Peter Davison and Rebecca Asch detailed their findings in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series.

Of the 141 fishes spanning 27 species dissected for the study, Davison and Asch found 9.2 percent contained plastic debris, primarily broken-down bits smaller than a human fingernail. They said the number understates the true ingestion rate of plastics because fish may regurgitate the pieces, pass it through their digestive systems or even die from eating them.

Plastic debris can kill marine life and could have more insidious effects, such as concentrating poisons in larger species. The majority of fish examined in the study were myctophids, commonly called lanternfish because of their luminescent tissue.

Scripps officials have talked about another plastic-sampling voyage, perhaps to the southern hemisphere, but they said that none are planned.

Plastic pieces in the ocean are from garbage discarded on land and sea -- everything from plastic grocery bags to fishing nets. It eventually converges in an area known as the North Pacific Gyre, where trade winds can trap it for years.

The north Pacific gyre is rarely visited by ships and it has been understudied by scientists, leaving many open questions about marine debris in the area and its long-term effects on the marine environment.

Lake Poway - April 24...Fishing the Spawn

2011-04-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

Got to Lake Poway around 6:00 am. Got in the boat and headed straight out to the other side of the opposite the boat dock looking for late spawners.

Just cruised the shoreline for 4 hours and was able to pick off a few late spawners, mostly males biggest one was probably close to a 4-pounds. Weather was cloudy, cold and windy which made it hard for sight fishing. It made it tough to see but also made it hard to hold the boat in position.

It is also spring break so the lake was super crowded, lots of boat in the water and lots shore fishermen as well. Decided to leave between 10:30 to 11:00 am. Fishing was okay, some late spawners but I think the spawn is pretty much over at Lake Poway...

Bed Fishing - Lake Poway

2011-04-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

Since the weather was going to be warm, I decided to take off work and hit up one of my favorite fishing hole, Lake Poway.

Got to the lake around 7:30 am, yes I over slept a little. Asked the ranger how the trout fishing was and he said that it had shutdown because of the warm weather, but told me that the bass fishing was great. So, got my boat on the water by 8:00 am. Headed straight out across the lake from the boat ramp to the other end of the bouy line. Awesome, there were only three other boats in the lake.

A little breezy making the water a little choppy, so started out throwing spinnerbait. Got 3 bass in the first 15 minutes. The wind died down not too long after and the lake went glassy, I looked down on the water and there were spawning beds all over with fish on every one of the them. Tied on jigs and picked them off like crazy. I probably ended up fishing about 100 yard of shoreline and ended up landing 17 and had a few come unbuttoned. Definitely one of my better day of fishing in a while. Hear are some photos...

Quit fishing right around 12:30 pm, just got too hot out (90+ degrees) with no shades to hide the boat in. Plan to come back again this coming weekend or maybe during the week next week.

IGFA approves 405 pounder world-record yellowfin tuna

2011-03-10T08:26:00.000-08:00

IGFA president Rob Kramer has made it official on Monday, that Angler Mike Livingston's 405.2-pound yellowfin caught on Capt. Mike Lackey’s Vagabond on Nov. 30, 2010 is now the all-tackle, world record. The fish shattered what is the most coveted record of all for long-range anglers who take multi-day voyages for big fish on San Diego-based boats. It broke the mark of 388 pounds, 11 ounces set by Curt Wisenhutter on the Royal Polaris on April 1, 1977 at Clarion Island of the Revillagigedo Islands.

The official announcement will be made at at a press conference Thursday at the Vagabond booth at the Fred Hall Fishing Tackle and Boat Show in Long Beach from Wednesday through Sunday. It also will be at the Fred Hall Show in Del Mar from March 24-27 and at Day at the Docks in Point Loma on Apri 17. Also, the IGFA plans to honor the two Mikes at a reception Friday night when the IGFA will honor new IGFA Chairman of the Board Paxson Offield, the first Californian to be named to that position.

Michael Farrior, an IGFA board member and trustee, said he spoke to IGFA headquarters Monday and that the all-tackle tuna record had been approved. “It’s official,” Farrior said. “There were so many testimonials taken, and everything went great.”

The timing of the announcement couldn’t be better. Lackey needed to rent a box truck to pick up the life-sized mount of the huge tuna Monday at Lyons & O’Haver Taxidermy in La Mesa. Lance Lyons, a world-class artist who won the Breakthrough World Championship for fish carving and painting in 2001, worked overtime to get the mount done. Lackey had offers from other taxidermists who would have done the mount for free, but Lackey paid for the mount to be done by Lyons & O’Haver. Lackey plans to display the mount at his expanded booth at the Fred Hall Show that starts Wednesday at the Long Beach Convention Center and runs to Sunday.

Livingston felt good publicity from the catch, particularly from the East Coast-based Marlin Magazine, may have helped make a better case for his catch. In past years, tuna heavier than Wisenhutter’s were rejected by the IGFA for various reasons such as a deckhand assisted in the catch or an angler rested the rod on the boat’s railing. But this time, the IGFA found no reason to not approve the record coveted by long-range anglers and skippers.

Lackey said he’s really looking forward to sharing the mount with all who attend the Fred Hall Show in Long Beach. It runs Wednesday through Sunday. Lackey was given an extra, adjoining booth at the show in order to fit the giant, life-sized tuna in the space. It is over 50 across from the tip of one sickle to the other, and it’s 94 inches long. Lackey and Livingston will do seminars at the Long Beach Fred Hall Show and talk about the historic catch and special angling techniques aboard the Vagabond that allow anglers on that boat to hook and land the highest percentage of fish per trip.

Lackey also plans on displaying the tuna at the Del Mar Fred Hall Show from March 24-28, and at Day at the Docks on April 17.

Aquaculture Plan to boost fish-farming in oceans

2011-02-09T14:02:00.000-08:00

Federal ocean officials on Wednesday released draft policies designed to increase the supply of domestic seafood, generate jobs, spur innovation and boost coastal ecosystems. They have implications for the coastal waters of San Diego County, where a major fish farm was proposed about two years ago but since stalled.

The Department of Commerce said Wednesday that it aims to:

1) Create a business climate and technological base for industry to develop sustainable aquaculture in the United States that provides domestic jobs, products, and services while conserving aquatic resources.

2) Support environmentally sound and sustainable aquaculture innovation that increases the value of domestic aquaculture production and creates American business, jobs, and trade opportunities.

3) Advance scientific knowledge to develop and refine aquaculture technologies and methods to improve production, safeguard the environment, and sustain local food and cultural benefits.

4) Support the development and application of aquaculture technologies that provide economic and/or ecological value by enhancing or restoring depleted, threatened, and endangered wild fish stocks and restoring habitat (e.g., oyster reefs).

33-year-old tuna world record shattered with a 405-pounder

2010-12-08T08:15:00.000-08:00

Source: San Diego Union Tribune

Long-range fishing’s most coveted record, one that has lasted more than 33 years, was shattered Monday.

Pending approval by theInternational Game Fish Association, Mike Livingston’s 405.2-pound yellowfin tuna caught Nov. 30 on Capt. Mike Lackey's 80-foot sport boat, the Vagabond, will be the IGFA’s new all-tackle, world record. The previous record was the 388-pound, 12-ounce yellowfin caught April 1, 1977 by Curt Wiesenhutter aboard the Royal Polaris, owned then by Capt. Bill Poole.

Even if it’s not approved by the IGFA, Livingston’s tuna, which was weighed in at Point Loma Sportfishing on Monday, is the largest ever landed on rod and reel.

“This is a fish of a lifetime for Mike, for our crew, for me and the entire fleet, really,” said Capt. Lackey after the giant yellowfin was weighed in on Point Loma Sportfishing’s certified scale that was checked on Dec. 2 for certification. “When I think of all the captains like Bill Poole, Frank LoPreste and all the others who paid their dues down here, it’s just an honor to be part of catching such an incredible specimen. The whole fleet shares in this. I’m still in awe of this fish. It just sets the bar that much higher.”

Livingston, 63, of Sunland, Calif., north of Los Angeles, is a long-time angler who retired recently as a school superintendent. He called the fish “a fish of a lifetime,” and thanked Lackey and the crew for the job they did.

“It was my moment, my time,” Livingston said. “I’m certainly not the best angler, but I had enough skill to reel this one in. It was just my day.”

“That was a great moment,” Livingston said. “Mike honored all of the captains who have gone after this record through the years. Mike’s a great captain, a humble guy, great guy.”

Lackey said the giant yellowfin was caught last Tuesday at mid-day.

“Mike was one of the fortunate ones to get bit, and the fight was on,” Lackey said. “He fought it for 2 hours and 40 minutes, and we were fortunate to get a gaff in it.”

Livingston’s previous big fish was a 100-pound yellowfin, but he said the fact he never fought a giant yellowfin may have helped him. He said his mission was to catch a fish over 200 pounds, but he never dreamt of catching one over 400 pounds.

“I listened to the crew and took instructions,” Livingston said. “Someone asked me if it felt like 2½ hours, and I said it really didn’t. It felt like 45 minutes, really. It was cool. I just leaned back in that harness and took what the fish gave me. I didn’t even break out into a sweat. I didn’t have to put the reel into second gear until the last 45 minutes of the fight”.

Livingston’s tuna not only is the largest ever landed by an angler, but it also is the largest ever caught without any back-up reels or assistance from the crew. The IGFA’s strict angling rules usually trip up potential record fish caught by anglers on San Diego-based sport boats. But Lackey believes Livingston’s tuna will pass the test and be the new yellowfin king.

Jack Vitek, records coordinator for the IGFA, said the Florida-based clearinghouse for freshwater and saltwater fishing records is looking forward to seeing the application for the record. Livingston said he left the rod and reel with Lackey, who will handle the application.

“We started hearing about this fish before it even hit the dock,” Vitek said. “We haven’t received anything yet, but we already have seen pictures, and it looks spectacular, just a heckuva fish.”

Vitek said since the fish was caught in Mexican waters it will take at least 90 days to approve it as a record. Generally, all-tackle records with such notoriety get examined longer.

Livingston used 100-pound test Soft Steel Ultra line that he tied straight to a 9/0 Owner Super Mutu hook. He baited a sardine.

“I normally try and get the biggest sardine, but this one was a medium-sized one,” Vitek said.

He used a Penn International 30W reel that was upgraded by Cal Sheets attached to a 5½-foot rod that he custom-wrapped himself.

“I picked up the blank for $20 at the Fred Hall Fishing Tackle and Boat Show and wrapped it myself,” he said. “It was just a little no-name rod, and to think that after all these years I’d catch a fish of a lifetime on a no-name rod.”

Livingston said he wasn’t sure if his reel’s backing line was 100- or 80-pound test. The IGFA requires a sample of the line used and rigging.

“We’ve saved everything from the catch,” Lackey said. Also, the fish will be preserved by Lyons & O’Haver.

It has been a season of big fish for the San Diego sport fleet. The 1992-93 season produced four yellowfin over 350 pounds. This season already has turned up three over 345 pounds, and it’s only December.

Bass Fishing in the Fall

2010-11-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

Fall is a great time of the year to catch bass, if you're one of the many people who puts away those rods & reels during this time of the year, you're making a big mistake. Fall is the time for fishing and these fall bass fishing techniques will make you a much more successful bass angler.

Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year to be out in nature, especially doing what I love to do most, fishing. You can't talk about fall fishing without mentioning the beauty of nature. There is probably no better time of year to be out enjoying nature at it's best. To make you fall fishing more enjoyable, let's go over some techniques.

Top Water - Fall is a great time of the year for top water fishing. Zara Spook, Jitterbug, and floating Rapalas are all good choices when it comes to top water fishing this time of the year. For the best results fish top water baits in the early mornings, late afternoons in to the evenings. The best time is in glassy condition, meaning the water is as flat as possible.

Jerkbait - Bass make their fall transition along structures and contour lines. As they're moving along these structures, fishing a jerkbait can be a very effective strategy. Look shad busting the water or near the top of the water column. You can look for the shad visually or with your electronics. The bass school when moving along contour lines and feed on the shad. The bass will break the surface when feeding on shad and throwing a jerkbait into these schooling bass is a deadly. There are a lot of great jerkbaits out there, some of my favorites are a fluke or a Berkeley Gulp shad.

Crankbaits & Spinnerbaits - Fishing Crankbaits and Spinnerbaits along the same contour lines mentioned earlier is an effective technique in the fall. The key with Crankbaits is that they look as realistic as possible, that is as much like the bass' normal forage as possible. When it comes to bass fishing in the fall, matching the color of the forage is always best.

So get out those rods and try some of the techniques just mentioned. As the water temperatures cool and oxygen levels increase bass become very active and are susceptible to all of the techniques mentioned. But most of all, go out and enjoy nature at its best.

How the weather affects fishing

2010-10-19T09:19:00.000-07:00

All serious fishermen knows the how much the weather impacts fishing. The weather impacts the behavior of a fish, which in turn impacts fishing. Therefore, to be a successful angler you need to pay attention to the weather and how it relates to fish.

Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a given time and place, with respect to variables such as temperature, moisture, wind velocity, and barometric pressure. The part of the weather that we, as anglers, need to pay close attention of is the barometric pressure. The barometric pressure affects fish behavior to an amazing degree.

Fish can detect barometric pressure changes through their lateral lines and as the weather changes the barometric pressure changes. As the pressure changes the fish will tend to react differently. When the barometric pressure is stable, meaning that there are no fronts moving in or out of the area, the fishing will tend to be normal. On the other hand when the barometric pressure is falling (which many times means that the weather degrading or becoming worse) fish tend to become much more active. And when fish become more active the fishing tends to be much more productive. When the pressure is falling and bad weather is on the horizon, fishing can be epic.

A lot of people makes the mistake of looking outside, checking out the great weather, you know those great days with almost no clouds and and nothing but blue skies. This is when the barometric pressure is high, although these might seem like great days to go fishing, in these situations fish tend to be in deeper water and tends to be inactive. So when the weather seems to be great, the fishing can tend to be slow.

The bottom line is that the weather and fishing go together to a much greater degree than you might think. Investing some time researching the weather and how it affects fishing will make you be a better angler.

Dropshotting For Bluegills

2010-08-11T09:47:00.000-07:00

I was on a fishing forum the other day and ran in to this question, "Will a dropshot rig work for bluegills?". It's strange that I saw this question because I just tried this rig a few weeks ago in Lake Hemet.

Well the answer is yes, it works great. My wife and I were fishing for bass at Lake Hemet using dropshot, I was using a plastic worm and my wife was actually using nightcrawlers. Unfortunately, I only got a couple of bass that day. My wife were getting alot of strikes but none would take and everytime she reeled in, her crawlers are cut in half.

Looking at the water, we notice a lot of shadows darting underwater. So, I decided to downsize her hook and cut a nightcrawler in half. Sure enough, first cast and she hooks a really nice sunfish...then the second cast she hooks a nice bluegill. So I downsized my setup as well and we ended up catching sunfish and bluegills the whole time we were there.

So yes, the dropshot rig works great on bluegills, you just need to downsize your tackle and bait.

Could Be A New World Record Blue Catfish!

2010-07-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

The 130-pound Blue Catfish caught by Greg Bernal in Missouri will not only break the world record by 6-pounds, but could break 3 other records.

If the report was correct that Bernal caught this big monster on 40 lb monofilament line then this big fish will break the IGFA's (International Game Fish Association) Blue Catfish all tackle world record, line class world record and the Missouri State record.

According to Bernal, he fought the big monster for 30 minutes and took him another 30 minutes just to get it in the boat. The big blue catfish is awaiting confirmation by the IGFA, Bernal said that he would mount it on the wall next to the 74 lb blue catfish that he caught previously.

Lake Fulmor - July 14th

2010-07-19T09:28:00.000-07:00

This was the last day of our visit at Idyllwild. Checked out of our cabin at 8:00 am, had breakfast in town and headed over to Lake Fulmor to spend the rest of the day before heading home.

We've never been to the this lake before, but have heared a lot about how beautiful this place is. As we drove up and saw this lake, I would have to agree. Though is not the biggest lake, it sure is the most beautiful pond that I have ever seen.

We pulled up the parking lot accross the lake and find that there were only 2 cars there, which was awesome meaning we'd pretty much have the place all to ourselves. We walked accross to the lake and saw that there were a lot of structures such as weeds, grass, submerged trees and boulders. Although trout is the main fishery here, this definitely have the look of a prime bass & bluegill lake, the only problem is that the water on the whole lake is green from the algae bloom which happens in the warmer months. This explains why we did not get one bite in the 2 hours we fished. We just about tried everything: frogs, spinnerbait, senkos, jigs, dropshot and even tried live nightcrawlers for nothing...not even a nibble. I would guess that the best fishing here will be in the colders month, winter and spring. I would not recommend coming here in the summer for fishing, unless you just want to come up and enjoy the tranquil surrounding and relax.

Anyways, stayed here for a couple of hours and headed home. Although we did not catch any fish, Lake Fulmor is the definitely a jewel in the mountain. We truely fell in love with this fond and will definitely come back here in the future.

Lake Hemet During the Earthquacke

2010-07-12T14:08:00.000-07:00

After the 4th of July holiday, my wife and I decided to go away to Idyllwild for a few days. We got the on Tuesday morning, check in to our cabin and just checkout the town the rest of the day. Beautiful little town..

We got up the next morning and headed down to Lake Hemet, which was about 10 miles away from where we were staying. Got to the lake late in the morning, rented a boat and started fishing some the small coves we found. We fished from the boat until a little after noon when the wind started blowing hard.

When the wind started howling, it really made it hard to control the boat so we decided to turn the boat in and fish from shore.

We headed outside the fenced in area and drove over to the end of the lake and found this little cove all to ourselves. Started fishing for bass for awhile but to no luck, but then started seeing lots of frys on the swimming around, they I see this shaddow on the water chasing each others. Got the light gear out, tied on a small hook and cut up nightcrawler.

First cast, hook a nice sunfish then another, the another. It stayed that way for a couple of hours, it seemed that we found and spawning bed for sunfish and bluegills.

We were on a hot bite for awhile, with fish on every cast until the earthquacke hit. I've never experience an earthquacke while fishing. All we heard was this rolling noise, cracking rocks and birds flying. We weren't really sure what was going on till the ground started shaking, which was pretty cool. Anyways, the bite somehow turned off after that, so we headed back to Idyllwild.

It was fun fishing a lake for the first time. Weather was nice, it was warm but not as hot as it usually is this time of the year.

Sightfishing Dixon Lake

2010-06-03T09:16:00.000-07:00

Decided to fish Dixon Lake on Friday, a day after a full moon. Got to the lake about 6:30 am, got the boat and I was on my way. While I made my way over to Bass Point, I reached in my pocket for my polarized sunglasses and realized that I had left it at home. I was very angry at myself at that point, what is sightfishing without the polarized, especially with this lake being a little windy.

Anyways, I had no choice but to make do without them. So, I started fishing bass point, could not see any fish but went ahead and did some blind casting with the spinnerbait. Managed to get 2 bass right around 2 lbs. Headed over to bass cove and saw a lot of fish over 5 lbs just cruishing around, just could not get them to hit. I pretty much fished this area almost the whole day, managed to hook 4 bedfish here and also caught some on flukes and jigs.

At around noon the wind picked up and my battery went dead, so I had to paddle back to the boat dock. If any of you fished Dixon Lake before, you know how hard that wind blows. So paddling back to the dock when you're on the other side of the lake is no fun at all. The gentleman at the dock asked me if I wanted a new battery put it, but after all the paddling, I was beat. Decided to call the day, with 9 fish caught & release, all solid fish. My take was that, it was just the first leg of the spawn and will continue during this month, Dixon is always one of the last lakes to spawn around here. Lots of fun, hope to get back again next week.

Lake El Capitan-Thurs. April 29

2010-05-03T11:44:00.000-07:00

Got up at 4:30 pm and started my drive to Lake El Capitan. On my way there, it started raining and the wind was picking up so I had a feeling that this was not going to be a fun day out in the water. El Capitan get pretty crazy when the wind is blowing, and the forecast for the day was high wind.

Anyways, met up with a couple of friends there at about 5:45 am. The wind was not bad when we got there and the rain seemed to have stopped. We launced the boat and started fishing a cove, we managed to hook 1 on a fluke.

We then made our way back to the north end of the lake. The water level was way up so a lot of sunk down trees around. We pretty much spent the whole day in this spot to get out of the wind and fished around the trees. We caught a lot fish tight to the banks on frogs, flukes, dropshot and flylined senkos. We fished from 6:30 am to 1:00 pm and managed to catch & release around 25 bass, all were solid fish between 2 to 4 pounds.

Fun day and definitely one of my better day at Lake El Capitan.

Lake Dixon 3/22/10

2010-03-29T08:37:00.000-07:00

Dropped my nephew off to Wild Animal Park to meet his grandparents, while I headed down to fish Lake Dixon. Got there around 10:00 am, the lake wasn't as crowded as I thought it was going to be. The lake is usually very crowded during springtime with fisherman looking for those big spawning bass, but it is still pretty early in the spawning season for Lake Dixon. Lake Dixon is usually the last lake in southern California for spawn.

Anyways, I went cruising around in the shoreline for spawning bass. I saw some early spawners but definitely not a full blown spawning season yet for the reason being that the water is still cold. I did see a couple of big females cruising around on the north side of the lake.

As I walked down the shoreline, I found and worked a bed with a female and a male bass on it. I could not get the female to bite, but the male was very aggresive. The small male bass had taken my lure about 4 times without me setting the hook hoping that the female does not get spook. By the 5th time, I finally got frustrated with the male and set my hook on him and released him a few yards down the shoreline. So I walk back to try and work on the female bass only to find that the male bass was back, that's when I decided to walk away and do some blind casting with the spinnerbait instead.

Ended the day with a couple of small bass caught on spinnerbait and senko worms. Fun day, it was warm and little breezy at the lake. Hope to come back in about a month for the full-blown spawning season.

KVD Wins The Bassmaster Classic

2010-02-25T09:26:00.000-08:00

Source: ESPN.com

Kevin VanDam puts on another clinic; he started big and finished big as he wins his 3rd Bassmaster Classic title. With the great career that he has built, there is no doubt that he will go down in history as the best angler ever.

Kevin VanDam grabbed the lead with a limit weight of 19 pounds, 8 ounces. KVD said that he was using a trio of baits to effectively cover the range of water in the area he was fishing. With the lake temperature remaining in the low to mid 40s, KVD said he found the fish mostly concentrated in small areas, which explains why he fished that same area in all three days of the tournament.

Congratulations KVD, you really are the greatest.

Japanese Angler Ties World Record Bass

2010-01-12T08:25:00.000-08:00

Source: ESPN.com

The IGFA has officially certified and approved Kurita's application for record status a little more than six months after the catch. The IGFA's regulations require that a record fish weighing less than 25 pounds be surpassed by two ounces or more. Technically, Kurita's 22-pound, 4.97-ounce largemouth bass from Lake Biwa in Japan is tied with a bass nearly 1 ounce lighter that was caught 77 years ago in Georgia.

Many believed that a world record will be coming out of California, all were stunned to learn of Manabu Kurita's catch in July of 2009.

The largemouth bass is native only to the eastern United States and transplanted to every state except for Alaska as well as other parts of the world including Japan.

The previous record was caught in 1932 by George Perry in Lake Georgia. It's one of the longest standing records in the IGFA, lasting over 77 years.

Congratulations Manabu Kurita on a great catch.....

Trout Fishing - Lake Poway 1/2

2010-01-05T13:35:00.000-08:00

Woke up at about 4:30 am, packed up some food and off I go to Lake Poway to try my luck again with the trout.

Got to the lake around 5:30 am, driving up to the parking lot to find out that it is almost full. Looks like it's going to be a busy day, which turned out to be just that. After getting my permit, I started walking the very limited shore access due to high water level and the numbers of anglers fishing the shorelines.

Finally, I settled on a spot just before Boulder Bay and pretty much stayed in the spot for 6 hours. Ended up catching 3 small trouts soaking Powerbait in rainbow color. Left the lake at about noon, never did see many people catching fish. I think that I only saw 1 fish in a stringer while walking back to the car.

A very disappointing day for me, 3 fish in 6 hours, but it beats working so I take it any day.

Trout Fishing - Lake Poway 11/27

2009-11-30T14:27:00.000-08:00

Got to Lake Poway kinda late at a little after 7 am, over slept. Fish the Half-moon Bay most of the day. Managed to get 2 little ones, but lost a big one.

Sitting there soaking Powerbait in rainbow color when this fish started taking line, took about half a spool of my 4lb. test line. Seconds later the fish leaped a foot out of the water and snapped my line. I don't know how much he weighed but got a good look at him, I would say that he had to be at least 6 to 7 pounds. That really hurt.

Anyways, I only saw one angler leave with a limit (4 fish) at about 11:30 am. He said that he was there at the crack of dawn, apparently they were biting early then died off when the sun came out. It looked like he had a couple of fish that were over 5 pounds and the others are probably around 2 to 2.5 pound. I caught one of fish with the rainbow Powerbait and the other with a nightcrawler & Powerbait combo. I maybe going back to Lake Poway again this coming weekend and I'm going to make sure that I there super early.

Fishing: Lake Poway 11-14-09

2009-11-16T13:06:00.000-08:00

Got to Lake Poway around 7:00 am, a little cold and not many people on the lake. Got my permit and walked all the way to boulder bay.

Right away I saw bass chasing shads, so I thought it's a good time to try this rig I saw on FLW last week, the "double fluke." Third cast and got fish on, fish landed but a dink, maybe a pound. A few more cast, produced another one of about the same size, maybe I tiny bit bigger.

About 10:00 am, 2 guys walks up and set camp next to me to fish for cats. Moments later, one guy started coughing out his lungs, I turned around and saw that they were smoking some ganja, so I thought it was time to leave.

Worked my way back to the boatdock and fish the chainlink fence on the left of the dock. Saw bass busting on shad on the no fishing zone, but could not reach them with my cast. So I switched to a senko and managed 1 more fish, about a 2 lber. Left the Lake Poway at 11:30, ended up with 3 fish in 4 hours, not good but beats the skunk.

A Closer Look At Fishing Rods!

2009-11-06T08:13:00.000-08:00

Fishing beginners or even experience fishermen often don't know how to select a fishing rod to match the type of fishing they plan to do. Before deciding which is best, an angler should know about the power and the action of a fishing rod.

The fishing rod action refers to how much a rod bend when casting or when reeling in fish. An extra fast action rod will bend just at the tip, while a slow action rod bends all the way into the handle. A fast action rod puts more force into your throw for longer casts, while a softer action rod has less force therefore giving it less chance to throw your bait off the hook.

Light Power, Fast Action: For smaller fish like panfish & trout, a light power, fast action spinning rod is a good choice. These fishing rods are the best choice for lines of 8 pound test or less.

Medium Power, Medium Action: For larger fish like the bass, walleye and catfish, a medium power, moderate fast of fast action rod works well. These fishing rods are the best choice for lines of 10 pound test or higher.

Heavy Action: Get a medium heavy or heavy power baitcasting rod with a fast actions for the big boys such as strippers, musky, pike and the bigger type of catfish. This is also great for flipping or pitching jigs for bass. Choose a moderate or slow action rod with medium-heavy power rating if you plan to use live bait. These fishing rods are strong enough to land big fish and can handle the heavier lines and lures.

For beginners, a medium-light power, fast action fishing rod with a spinning reel is a great choice. Spinning reels have an open spool, mounts on the bottom of the fishing rod and is easy to use. This is a great choice for catching bass and panfish, but also strong enough to land catfish and bass up to 5 pounds. Spinning gear is easy to use and allows you to cast farther using light lures.

Difference Between Baitcast Reel & Spinning Reel!

2009-10-26T10:23:00.000-07:00

A quality reel can greatly improve your casting distance and accuracy, whether it is baitcast reel or spinning reel, it will make fishing a lot more fun.

LOW-PROFILE BAITCAST REELS are favored more by expericenced bass fishermen. Such are the Abu Garcia Revos, Daiwa Excelers and others. These reels are contoured to fit the hand, making them extremely comfortable to use. Low-profile baitcast reels have fast retrieve ratios and are well-suited to fishing spinnerbaits, crankbaits, jerkbaits and topwater lures. The more expensive models features more sophisticated braking systems to reduce backlashes.

SPINNING REELS in the other-hand have a larger diameter spool and a smooth drag system. Such reels are Daiwa Exceler 1500, Abu Garcia Cardinal, Pflueger Medalist and others. Due to their superior ability to handle light lines, spinning reels excel in clear waters, making them an ideal choice of many anglers here in southern California. Many anglers use spinning reels spooled with 6-10 pound flourocarbon line paired with a stiff rod for finesse fishing soft plastic lures.

Both reel styles have their pros and cons. Baitcast reels, while prone to backlash, are more accurate than the spinning reels. The spinning reels can cast light lures farther than the baitcast reels but can cause line twist.

Fishing: Lake El Capitan 10-17-09

2009-10-19T12:23:00.000-07:00

When I got to work last Friday, my friend/co-worker Steve ask me if I wanted to do some fishing on the weekend. I said yes, ofcourse, and he then left me to decide on which lake to fish. Since I have not fished Lake El Capitan for sometime, it became my choice.

Met up with Steve at his house at 6:00 am Saturday morning and off to Lake El Capitan we were. Got to the lake at 6:30 am only to find out that there was a tournament going on. So we ended up waiting in line behind 20 boats before we could launch. Luckily, Lake El Capitan had a pretty wide boat ramp. Finally got on the water a little before 7:00 am.

Headed down and started fishing the north end of the lake, air temp was 71 degrees, water temp was 65. We started throwing some topwater to start the day but for nothing. I later switch to Senko worm and managed a dink. Switched to jigs for nothing, tried spinnerbait & cranks for nothing.

It's now 10:30 am, fishing is tough and the burning sun was even tougher. Temperature was creeping up and is now over 90 degrees with no wind at all. So we jetted down by the dam and started fishing with a dropshot rig. Managed to catch 2.5 lbr on the first cast of the dropshotted Roboworm, but that was about it.

It is at noon time when we decided that we had suffered enough, not just from the heat but also from the frustration of the a tough day of fishing. We leave Lake El Capitan with the air temp at 97 degrees and water temp at 73 degrees. I ended up with a couple of fish and Steve got none. It may not have been a good day of fishing, but it was still fun just being out there enjoying the sport that I love.

Bass Fishing Tips

2009-10-14T13:48:00.000-07:00

The best time for bass fishing is in the mornings and evenings inside three days before & after a full moon. I like to fish submerge structures and points. Bass loves points because it is easy access from shallow water to deep water.

When bass fishing, look for big flat areas around the lake and start throwing crankbaits and spinnerbaits early in the morning. Then, look for structures on the water such as submerge boulders, trees, weeds, etc.. Bass use these structures to hide in to ambush prey.

Although there are many way to catch bass, early morning and night is topwater lure time for me. This is when I like a floating bait such as rapalas, zara spook and toads & frogs in the warmer months. Look for boils around the lake when the bass are schooling and feeding on shads, then cast these topwater lures out and twitch & stop along the top of the water. When the fish goes after your bait, then you'll see why these are some of my favorite lures to use.

In the cooler months from late fall to early spring, bass are more likely to be found in the shallow water such as along the shorelines and under overhanging trees. However, when it gets warmer bass tends to move to deeper water where it is cool. This is when you need to change your strategy. This is the time for plastic worms, jigs and tubes.

Plastic worms are the most versatile bait in an anglers arsenal and the most effective lures when it comes to bass fishing. You can rig these in numbers of ways such as texas rig, carolina rig or a dropshot rig. You can fish the plastic worms fast, slow, drag them, bounce them or just plain swim them. Let the bass dictate how you fish these baits.

Good luck and enjoy your next fishing trip.

Fishing - Santee Lakes 4 & 5

2009-09-28T11:51:00.000-07:00

After a stressful week of work, I decided to do some fishing for relaxation the next day which is Saturday. Got up early and decided fish Santee Lakes that morning.

Got to the lake around 6:15 am when the sun is just coming up. Headed straight to Lake 5. Started out throwing some topwater bait, but to no luck. Walked to the other side of the lake and saw some fish busting the surface. Rigged up a fluke in shad color weightless. Cast out, jerk..jerk..and BAM!!! fish on. Got the fish in a solid 2.5 lbr. Continued fishing the fluke for a couple of hours just walking around the lake and managed a couple of more. After a couple of hours on Lake 5, decided to try Lake 4. Saw a guy catch a fish with a spinnerbait, sadly, I didn't bring any with me. So instead, I tied on a crankbait in sexy shad color. With the second cast of the crankbait, fish on. Stuck with the crankbait for an hour, but that was the only fish I caugh with it.

After 4 hours of fishing, I decided to call it the day because it was starting to get pretty hot and I promised my wife that I would to a barbeque party with her. So another fine day of fishing.

Yellowtail Fishing: La Jolla Kelp

2009-09-09T10:45:00.000-07:00

Got out on Sunday morning for some calico fishing at La Jolla kelp beds. Launched at about 5:30 am with a my fishing bro, overcast and glassy to start. Started throwing some plastic swimbaits and managed a few calicos. When the marine layer burned off, sun came up, the wind kicked in and so did the bite.

We went out in hope of catching a few calicos, but did not expect all of the yellowtail we would see. Every cast of the swimbait there would be 2 or 3 yellowtails following it. They are not be very big, may be in the 5lb class which are the best eating anyways. My bro was using a slug while I was using a swimbait. We both managed to land 1 yellowtail each, my bro hooked what looked to be may 10-12 lb but when I was about to gaff it, it made a mad dash to the bottom, got caught on the kelp and broke off.

If only we had know there were going to be this many yellowtails around, we would have brought some live baits. Anyways, had a lot of fun and hope to get back out again next weekend. Just hope the water stays warm like it is now, at high 70s.

Fishing - Lake Murray 8/15/09

2009-08-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

Decided to hit up Lake Murray last Saturday morning. Got there at about 6:30am and fished the west side of the lake by the baseball field. Started out with topwater using the Rage Toad, awesome bait. Got a few blowups but only managed 1, a nice 3.5 lbr, I guess I should be a little more patient and not set the hook too soon. Switched to a dropshot, using Roboworm MM and manage a couple of dinks. Left the lake at 11:00 am, ended up 3 fish. Like always, fun time.

Gear:

Abu Garcia Revo S w/50lb Power Pro braid on 7ft med-heavy Fenwick HMXT70MH baitcast rod. Lure=Strike King's Rage Toad

Daiwa Exceler 1500 with 4/lb flouro on a Fenwick HMXS70 spinning rod use for dropshot. Lure=Roboworm MM

Bluegill Fishing: Santee Lakes

2009-08-03T11:39:00.000-07:00

Went down to the Bloodbank to donate blood at 8 a.m. on Saturday. Came home and rested for awhile, till my wife walks in the room and asked me if I wanted to go bluegill fishing. I jumped right out of bed and grabbed the rods, packed up some food & beers and off we went.

Got to the lake at around 2:00 pm, got some nightcrawlers and we were ready to go. We asked one of the rangers where the good bluegill spot were in pointed us to a spot. Cut down the crawlers to small pieces, rigged up a bobber and handed off the rod to my wife. Before I can start rigging mine up she was already hooked up. Just constant bite after that, none were really big but plentiful and fun. We stayed at the same spot all day, well, the 4 hours that were there. Caught lots of fish and got to spend some quality time with wife, it was a great day.

Fishing The Drop Shot Rig!

2009-07-23T08:34:00.000-07:00

One of the most popular techniques in bass fishing right now is the Drop Shot rig and is my go to rig when the bite is slow. The advantages of the Drop Shot rig is that the bait is always suspended, the depth is easily adjusted and it is very simple to fish.

Drop-shotting is a new technique for freshwater bass fishing and has become very popular among anglers. It’s not difficult to setup and very simple to fish. It is said that the rig originated in Japan and the rig has also been used by southern California anglers for some time.

GEAR OF CHOICE!

When I fish the Drop Shot rig, I usually bring 2 setups with me:

1. When fishing deep drop offs or deep structures I would usually go with 6.6-7 ft. medium-light action spinning rod like the Fenwick HMXS66ML combined with a Daiwa Exceler EXC1500 spooled with 4 lb. flourocarbon line.

2. Many believe that the Drop Shot rig is only used for deep water fishing. I like to use it in shallow water as well, mostly along the weed lines or tullies. When fishing near the weeds I like to go with a little heavier setup like the Fenwick HMXS70M combined with a Daiwa TD Tierra TDTR3000 spooled with 8 lb. flourocarbon line.

Whatever set up you want to use is totally up to you. These are just my preferred set up, others fish the Drop Shot with a lot heavier setups. But I like to use the lightest setup that I can get away with, especially fishing these clearwater lakes in southern California. The only advice that I can give when fishing a light line is to have your drag set properly.

RIGGING THE DROPSHOT!

On a drop shot, the lure is fished above the weight, I like to have the lure about 18-24 inches above the weight. You'll also need a small hook, size 1 light-wire hook.

To rig the drop shot, tie the hook approximately 2 1/2 to 3 feet up the line with a Palomar knot. Then, after you get the knot tied, it’s very important to take the line and bring it back through the eye of the hook one time, and pull it until it’s tight. What this does is make the hook stand out and makes it straight.

Then, with the remaining length of line, you stick the end through the drop-shot weight and pull it up. You don’t have to tie the line to the weight; it holds it automatically and also this way you can control the depth at which your lure will be suspended by sliding the weight up or down. The weight comes in a lot of sizes, I prefer the 1/2-ounce weight most of the time. Weights come in ball, teardrop or diamond shapes and you can also buy drop-shop kits that come with the necessary weights and swivels for easier rigging.

One of the only disadvantages of the Drop Shot technique is heavy line twist, and it gets hung up in heavy cover. I like to put a swivel on the weight to reduce line twist.

BAIT OF CHOICE!

Whichever bait you use, a Fluke, a worm, a grub, a tube, etc., you hook it through the nose with the hook exposed. Smaller, slim-type baits are best in clear water, such as the roboworm. There are numerous types of plastics that you use for drop-shotting, and it all depends on what the fish are biting that day. It may take a little experimenting, but you will find what’s working that day. This can be a little frustrating when fishing for bedding bass. Typically it’s best to try two or three different things and aggravate the fish until you get him to bite one of them. Sometimes you have to show them something different. You can also put a tube jig on the drop shot. Just hook it through the nose. Sometimes when I am fishing a bed, I would usually tie on an offset worm hook with a creature bait or lizards just to give the fish a bigger presentation.

There are certain worms that are built just for drop shot rigs, my personal favorite is the RoboWorm 4.5” Straight Tail worm in either MMIII or Oxblood colors. If these colors doesn’t work on your lake, then try the other wonderful colors the Robo Worm has.

BAIT PRESENTATION!

The object of drop-shotting is to make your bait move, but not the weight. When you’re bed fishing, you cast your weight past the bed, and then you pull the weight up to where you want it. The weight is past the bed, but the lure stays on the bed itself. Let the lure sink down to the bed, twitch it a little bit until you feel the weight, then stop. You can just hold it there if you want. Then just let it sink down and lay in the bed a little while.

This is what makes drop-shotting so effective -- you can always keep your bait on the strike zone. In other words, if you cast a Texas rig to a structure and a bass is there, each time you raise your rod tip up, you’re moving that bait away from the fish. That is not the case with the dropshot rig, it keeps the bait right where you want it -- in the strike zone.

Next time you go out on the water, try some drop-shotting and you will be pleasantly surprised. It has worked for many anglers, it’s simple to rig and easy to fish -- but most of all, it produces fish.

Fishing: Lake Miramar

2009-07-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

Went fishing with Steve, a friend from work, last Saturday. We decided to fish Miramar since there have been some good report lately. Got there at around 5:20 am and on the water at about 5:35. The lake looked awesome, lots of grass underwater, tullies surrounding the whole lake and there were hardly any boats on the water.

Started out throwing topwater baits. Steve went with a popper and I went with the Rage Toad. We both managed to catch a couple LMB each. Continued topwater fishing till about 10:00 went the temperature started to heat up. We switched to crankbaits and plastics and managed a few with those. Come noon time, we were done, temperature was at 100 degrees so we were out of there.

Had a good time, lake was beautiful, caught some fish and just plain relaxing. I just wished that I had brought my flipping stick with me to fish some of those underwater matted grass. It has been a while since I fished Lake Miramar so I didn't really know what the lake condition was going to be like. Anyways, hope to get back there in a couple of weeks. PS... sorry Steve for missing that fish with the net, I never was good at netting someone else's fish...haha!

Humboldt squid wash-up!

2009-07-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

Weird happenings Saturday morning in the shores of La Jolla, Calif.

Dozens of dazed Humboldt squid, which were roughly in the 40 lb range, were found flapping around on La Jolla Shores beach after a 4.0 earthquake hit just 19 miles off the coast of San Diego.

Whether the earthquake cause them to wash up shores, nobody knows. But it didn’t take long for the seagulls to swoop in and start feeding on the squids, when some good semaritans saw what was happening they were quick to try to help the squid back in the water.

A spokesman for Scripps Institution of Oceanography said that they do not see a connection between the squid and the earthquake, but plan to look into it.

Is It A New World Record Largemouth Bass?

2009-07-06T09:57:00.000-07:00

Certified weight: 10.12 kg. = 22 lb. 5 oz
Length: 29.4 inches
Location caught: Lake Biwa, Japan

Congratulations to Manabu Kurita, 32, who reportedly is the fortunate angler. Early reports are that the fish was caught just before noon on July 2 on live bait (either a bluegill or a native fish similar to a bluegill).

There is sure to be a lot of controversy over this fish. If it really weighed 22 pounds, 5 ounces it will be considered a tie with Perry's 22 pound, 4 ounce bass since the International Game Fish Association requires a fish to outweigh by 2 ounces one it beats.

A 25 1/2 lb. bass was also reported netted by a fisherman earlier in the year, so many thought it would be just a matter of time before a record size fish was taken from Japan's largest natural lake.

Congratulations to the angler on a great catch.

87lb Blue Catfish Caught On 4lb Test Line

2009-06-16T08:24:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Adam Hinkle of La Mesa, who caught a 87-pound Blue Catfish with 4lb test line in Lower Otay Lake. Adam was fishing for bass when the big blue hit, in which apparently took him over an hour to land.

At 87lbs, this fish exceeded the breaking strenght of the 4lb rated test line by over 20 times. It also shatters the current International Game Fish Association line-class world record for that test line. Adam could have applied that record, but chose not to because he said that the fish was caught accidentally.

Fishing: Lake Poway

2009-06-15T10:13:00.000-07:00

Decided to fish Lake Poway, but got up kinda late so I was a little mad at myself leaving the house at 6:00 am. Usually, I'll have the line on the water by now.

Got to Lake Poway at about 6:30 am. As I was pulling up I saw a car outside the gate with the gate still close. As I pull up to the gate, I saw the sign saying the lake opens at 7:00 am, so I wasn't mad at myself anymore but mad that the lake opens so late. Had no choice though but wait, so sat around talking to other anglers waiting to be let in.

Finally, the gate opened at 7:00 am and got to start fishing. Weather was a liitle cool, drizzling and a little windy. As is walk up to the lake, saw that the water level was up, the highest I've ever seen it. So walk all the way to Boulder Bay and fished there pretty much the whole time. Managed to catch a couple of small bass on dropshot rig using Roboworm MMII on a 7-ft med-light rod, shimano spinnning reel w/6lb flouro.

It was starting to drizzle again, I was wet, cold & hungry so I decided to call it the day around noon. Fishing was tough, with the water level so high there was really not much shore access, would have been great if I was in a boat. But as I always say, any day of fishing is a great day!

Rough Day On The Water!

2009-06-08T11:13:00.000-07:00

Fished the kelp beds on Saturday. Got on the water at about 6:30 am and line on the water about 7:15 am. As soon as we got on Mission Bay channel we could already see that water conditions were going to be pretty rough, so we kinda prepared ourselves for some beating.

We started out at La Jolla kepl beds slow trolling irons & swimbaits in hopes of catching some yellowtails, but to no luck. So started casting out soft plastic swimbaits & slugs weedless in to the kelp and started hooking up some calicos. Nothing of the size we were looking for though. So after an hour, we decided to hit up our honey hole somewhere in Point Loma.

Took about 20 minutes to get to the honey hole after manuevering through all the kayakers out on the water. My first cast produced a nice sandbass and then my buddy at the same time hook a really nice calico. This went on for a couple of hours. The honey hole really produced for us this time. Ended up catching 3 sand bass and 9 calicos most in the 5-6lb range.

After a few hours of just getting beat up by the rough water condition, we decide to call it the day. It sure was a fun day, I just wish that the water was a little calmer so we could have stayed out longer.

How To Fish The Spawn!

2009-05-26T13:09:00.000-07:00

From March to the end of April, in some lakes it could last into June, big bass spawn on shallow, sandy beds.

Lures: A lure to trigger a reaction bite is required; light-colored jigs or plastics are easy to see on the bottom. An imitation plastic trout lure can also be used. My personal preferences are: white creature, white jigs and my favorite the Banjo minnow frogs in white color on a texas rig or dropshot rig. Anything white for me would work, so it make it easy to see underwater.

Weapons of choice: When I'm sightfishing during the spawn, I usually carry 3 rods with me.

1: Abu Garcia Revo-S reel with 12lb Flouro on a 7ft Medium-Heavy action baitcast rod use for texas rig

2: Abu Garcia Revo-S reel with 8lb Flouro on a 6.5ft Medium-Heavy action baitcast rod use for texas rig

3: Shimano spinning reel w/6lb flouro on 7ft medium-action spinning rod use for dropshotting.

Cast directly onto or over the sandy spawning beds and work your way into it. Typically, the large female bass is accompanied by a smaller male, whose job it is to clear the bed & guard it. There will be this 1 tiny spot the size of dollar coin that you need to get that lure on. This is what I call the strike zone, you get the lure on that zone and guarantee that you will get hit.

Now is the time that you need to show patience. The male will most likely be the first to hit, when this happens, do not set the hook. Let the male take it and spit it out away from that bed. If the hook is set on the male, it will startle the female. Keep casting in to the bed, eventually the female will get irritated enough where she'll push the male and hit your lure.

If you can't get her to hit after working the bed for awhile. This is when persistence pays. Leave the bed for awhile if not getting bit and return later to try a different lure. When the female does take the lure, be sure to get a solid hook set and hold on.

Fishing - Lake Murray 5/16/09

2009-05-19T09:33:00.000-07:00

Fished Lake Murray last Saturday. Launched the boat at 6:00 am w/line on the water at 6:15 am. Started out throwing crankbaits but no luck. Switched to dropshotting roboworm and got 1 right away, small but good fish to start the day. Ended the day at 1:00 pm with only 3 fish with 2 of them over 3lbs. and 1 dink. Caught them all wit a Roboworm margarita mutilator color on a dropshot. Caught some casting out next to the tullies and caught the biggest out deep. Weapon of choice: Diawa Exceler (EXC1500) spinning reel w/6lb flouro on a Fenwick (HMXS70M) medium-action rod. Lure: Roboworm (margarita mutilator color).

Tournament Schedule

2009-05-07T18:51:00.000-07:00

Tournament director John Cassidy has announced the preliminary dates for the 2009 San Diego Saltwater Bass Showdown. The dates are not finalized yet, as Cassidy is inviting anglers to bring forth concerns of conflicts before firming it up.

Unfortunately, I did not get to fish any of the tournaments last year because of schedule conflicts. I sure hope that I get to fish at least one of the tournament this year. My buddy Doug and I fished it in 2007, the tournament that had a 5 bass limit in the combination of spotted bay bass, calico and sandbass. Although we did not win, we caught our limit with some nice fish and it was a lot of fun.

So once the schedule is finalized, I'll work it out with mine & my teammate's schedule and will look forward to the competition.

Lake Barrett Opening Day!

2009-05-05T08:35:00.000-07:00

My congratulations goes out to the approximately 100 anglers that got to fish Lake Barrett on opening day this past weekend. The first anglers of the 2009 season to have a chance to fish for those fiery northern-strain largemouths.

Fishing reports are out on sdfish.com and looks like an epic day on the opener. I was reading reports on 2 anglers in a boat catching & releasing over 200 fish. It sounded like the anglers who were fishing on boats were averaging over 100 fish a boat. I have not read the reports from the float tubers but I'm sure they did well.

Anyways, I was not fortunate enough to get a ticket for opening day, not even the opening month. I guess I'm just not skilled enough with the touch tone phone or just plain not lucky enough. But hopefully I can get a reservation for June, tickets for that month goes on sale on May 12th so can be sure I'll be on that phone at 7:00 pm.

Again, congratulations to those fellow anglers who got to fish opening day. I can't wait to get back to Lake Barrett again and hopefully I will next month.

Lake Murray With The Boys!

2009-05-04T07:55:00.000-07:00

Got out to Lake Murray yesterday with a couple of fellows at work, Mate (Graeme) & Steve. I got there at 5:45 am to find out that they have already lounged and they're lines on the water, but they were nice enough to pick me up at the boat dock.

We started fishing the shallows for spawning fish, but the water was stained and skies were cloudy, so we couldn't really see under water. So, we all switched to the dropshop, not too long after, Mate & Steve got double hook ups. I got kinda worried cause I didn't catch my first fish till a couple of hours later, but ended up the day with the most fish. We fished from 6:00 am-1:00 pm and managed to catch 8 fish between us. Final fish count: Me=4, Mate=3, Steve=1. Most fish were caught on a dropshot and also caught some on the weighted Fluke.

It would have been nice to catch more fish, but it was a great day to hang out with the fellows. Thanks guys, for the fun day.

Catching Bass After The Spawn

2009-05-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

After the female bass has deposited her eggs in the nest, the male will stay near the nest to protect it for about a week after spawning. During this time the male is not a feeding fish, however, he can be provoked into attacking a lure which is presented very close to the nest in a defensive effort. After spawning both the male and female become active feeders again.

An abundance of minnows and crayfish combined with sufficient cover will keep the adult bass near the spawning area for an extended period of time. With adequate food and habitat there is no need for them to leave, especially if there is deep water close by such as a creek channel or a sharp drop off. After the spawn the individual fish begin to shift into their summer rhythm. They begin to gather into schools and move from individual feeding to foraging as a school. During this time of transition a variety of bait or lures will be effective.

As the fish move away from nesting their appetite will be increased and as a result the zone in which bait will be effective will be enlarged. This is referred to as an enlarged strike area. Both spinnerbaits and buzzbaits can be quite effective during this time since the bass are more inclined to "chase" than at other times of the year. This again is the result of their increased appetite after reduced feeding during spawning. The color of the bait used should be determined by the clarity of the water. Hard or soft plastic jerkbaits also work well after spawn into early summer. Rig a soft bodied lure weedless and it can be used in the thickest of covers. This bait will also create less noise as it enters the water and can be used in a drop bait technique.

While the fish are in shallows after the spawn, topwater baits will produce well. When using a topwater bait during late spring and early summer a smaller sized lure should be used. This is because the food supply which the topwater bait mimics is still small during this time of year.

During the time following the spawn until the fish move into deeper water and adapt their summer behavior fishing can be quite exciting. It will be necessary to spend a little more time formulating your fishing strategy and refining your bait presentation. Depend upon the bass themselves to dictate your fishing technique by being aware of their varied behaviors.

Back to Lake Dixon

2009-04-18T19:36:00.000-07:00

Got the day-off from work yesterday, so I decided to fish Lake Dixon again. I got there at 7:00 am, which surprisingly work cause it has been cold the last few weeks.

Knowing that the wind is going to pick up later in the morning, I decided to sight fish. Found fish right away by cruising the shoreline on the west side of the lake. Lots of fish on the beds, but mostly males, didn't see many females. Managed to catch 9 fish in 3 hours by flipping texas rig Zoom bedbait. The wind picked up at 10:00 am which made it hard to sight fish. It made it hard to see under water with the ripple created by the wind. It was also hard to keep the boat still, especially with 30 lbs thrust trolling motor that comes with the rental boat. After 1/2 hour of frustration trying to look for bed fish, I gave up and started to do regular fishing. Managed to catch 2 more fish tossing a fluke close to the tullies.

At about 1;00 pm, got tired of fighting the wind, it got hot and I got hungry so I decided to call it the day. It was definitely a fun day with 11 fish caught & released, mostly 1.5 to 2.5lbs, biggest one at maybe 3.5lbs. Not a bad day at all, sure beats working.

Bed Fishing Lake Dixon

2009-04-09T10:14:00.000-07:00

Had time for a few hours of fishing this morning, and since it is full moon tonight, I decided to hit up Lake Dixon for some bedfishing. It was a little cloudy when I got there so I couldn't really see the beds, but later in the morning, the some came out for a little bit and I managed to find a few beds. I ended up catching & releasing 6 fish, all were right around 2 pounds, no big ones. As always, I could not get the big females to bite and I didn't really have much time to spend working on a fish. Wind started to pickup, got cloudy and cold so I got out of there by noon. Since there is a full moon tonight, it should make for good spawn fishing tomorrow, but there is suppose to be a storm coming tonight, so I won't be out there. Caught all fish dropshotting a white Zoom Bed Bait on 6lb flouro.

Shores of Lake Murray

2009-04-05T19:23:00.000-07:00

Hit up Lake Murray this morning for a few hours. Spent the whole time walking down the shores in search of spawning bass. I was really tough because the water was stained, but managed to find a few beds and managed to hook a couple of males. I did try to catch some of the females, there was a time when I spent an hour on 1 of them, but could not catch her. I kept throwing lures at her, but the male just kept pushing her off, taking my bait away from the nest and spitting it out. Didn't want to set the hook on the male to avoid spooking the big female, so maybe she'll get mad enough to get her to bite, but she never did. Anyways, managed to get 3 fish, all males at about 2-2.5 lbrs. Weapons of choice: 6'5" med daiwa rod, daiwa spinning reels, 6 lb. Berkeley flouro line and robo bed bait in dropshot rig.

Tough Day in Lake El Capitan

2009-03-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

Got to the gate at 6:00 a.m. only to find out that there was a tournament, so there were 50 boats ahead of us. After, being in line for awhile we finally got to launch at 7:30 a.m. The lake looked beautiful and the water level was up. Unfortunately, the fishing was tough, it was overcast, cold & windy.

We tried just about everything but could not get a bite. We saw quite a few fish, just could not entice them to hit. After 4 hours of frustration and getting beat up by the cold wind, we called it the day. Oh well, that's why they call it fishing and not catching!

Fished Santee Lakes this morning!

2009-03-07T19:37:00.000-08:00

Hit up Santee Lakes this morning. Got there at 6:30 am and it was pretty cold, hands were frozen, probably missed hits cause I could not feel them. I know, some of you from the midwest who are reading this are probably calling me a whimp. I undertand, but I grew up in SoCal and born in the islands, so anything below 70 degrees is cold.

Started out at Lake 4, those of you who are familiar with Santee Lakes, there are 5 chain of lakes. Started out tossing weightless Senkos next to the tullies without much luck. Moved to the end of the lake and saw shad busting the surface, so I tossed the Senko in and right away I got hit but missed it. I snagged a shad while reeling in, so I tied on a lipless crankbait to match the shad color. Sure enough, threw it out and hooked a small largemouth, but that was about it. So moved over to Lake 5, but had no luck with the crankbait. Switched to Senkos and jigs tossing next to the tullies & logs, but no love there.

After 2 hours of fishing with just 1 fish, I was getting a little frustrated. So I moved on the Lake 3. As I was walking up I saw a guy hook up on a dropshot rig, so I switched to a dropshot with my go to bait the Roboworm (Margarita Mutator). First cast, hooked a 2 lber, not bad. After a few more cast, nothing. Moved back over to Lake 4 by the paddle boats and caught 1 there about the same size.

It 11:00 am and it was starting to get hot and all picnikers are starting to arive, so I called it the day. 4 hours with 3 fish, usually that is a bad day, but for me at 3 largemouths at Santee Lake is not bad. I've caught lots of trouts, catfish & bluegills there in the past but the bass have not given me much love. So 3 fish there, I was happy.

Can't Wait To Fish Lake Barrett Again!

2009-03-05T08:31:00.000-08:00

It is now March, 2 more months and Lake Barrett will open. Ending months of waiting to fish it again. I fished Lake Barrett for the first time last year and fished it once more after. First time I fish it, caught a few fish only because I was not familiar with the lake. The second time was so much better, found some great spots. We found a cove that was just loaded with fishes. We were pitching plastics (lizard, worms, creatures, beavers) next to tullies. We were fishing them texas rigged with weights & weight-less on the Senkos. But the most productive was the dropshot rigs with roboworms in margarita mutator color.

Lake Barrett is unique among publicly operated reservoirs, located in locked gates in a remote area of San Diego County. It is one of only two reservoirs in the region that operates under strict regulations to protect both the quality of the fishery and fishing experience. The fishing regulations at this "zero kill" fishery calls for the use of barbless hooks and artificial lures only with all fish release.

This is a great place to fish if you are able to get reservations. Ticketmaster handles all reservations for Lake Barrett fishing. The lake is open only on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays during the fishing season of May through September. Reservations are available a month in advanced, always beginning on the second Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm. One reservation is good for up to four people and boat & motor included. I found it to be a good idea to bring in a trolling motor & battery with it. The boats are your regular aluminum lake boats which is really not ideal for four anglers, so what usually happens is that 2 people with fish on the boat & the other 2 fish from float tubes or from shore. Also, due to the fact that road to the lake passes through private property, all parties must be escorted on and off the premises. To find out more about Lake Barrett regulations visit http://www.sandiego.gov/water/recreation/barrett.shtml

Springtime is probably the best time to go and also the toughest to get reservations. You will get quantity in the spring (30+ days), but quality in my opinion is during the summer when you get the bigger fishes. The only thing about summertime that people have to deal with is the heat. Temperature can get very hot during the summer season, so we usually go at first train in and out at noon-2pm. There are no concessions at Barrett, so make sure to bring your own food & lots of water.

If you've never fish Lake Barrett before, try it. I guarantee that you'll fall in love with it just as I did!

Awesome Fishing in San Diego Bay

2009-01-02T08:16:00.000-08:00

Fun day of fishing with my 2 brother-in-laws, Doug & Bill. We got out on the water at 7:45 am, line on the water by 8:00 am and done fishing by 1:00 pm. High tide was a 11:15 am, so we hit the incoming tide. Temperature was little cool for San Diego and a little foggy but not much wind so that made for a calm & glassy water condition.

Anyways, started out slow for me and Doug, but Bill started out on fire, he got a few fish right away. It was really funny how it worked out, it was not constant hook up for everyone at the same time, it was like we took turns on getting the hot bites. Like I mentioned, Bill started out hooking up fish then I went on a run and ofcourse, Doug as always had a great finish. We were all pretty much using the same type of gears. 6 1/2 - 7 foot medium action rods with light spinning reels w/8lb test lines. We were using swimbaits with either red or yellow color leadheads. As far as swimbait colors, we caught them on variety of different colors, we were using ghost shrimp, greens and I had good luck on the salt & pepper curly tail grub, but only brought 3 of them with me so after few fishes they were all torn up.

By 11:30 am, tide stopped moving, the bite slowed down and ended packing it in at 1:00 pm. Doug and I ended up even at 29 fishes each and Bill at 28, all were spotted bay bass with 1 Halibut for Bill. Even if we didn't catch any fish it would have been fun just being out on the water with the boys, the good fishing just made it so much better! THANKS FOR THE GOOD TIME BROS!

Epic day of fishing in San Diego

2008-10-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

Went out fishing in La Jolla kelp a couple of days ago with my brother-in-law and fishing buddy. I've been doing a lot of freshwater fishing lately, so I was really looking forward to do some saltwater fishing for a change.
We launch on my buddy's boat, a 22 foot Skeeter, at about 6:30 am. Got to the kelp bed and line on the water by 7:00 am. Not much action for 1/2 hour, till we moved over where some lobster traps were. Short time after we got there, saw lots of baitfish boiling, so we followed them the whole time catching fish after fish. We were hooking up big 5lbs calicos, big mackerels, bonitos, baracudas, sand bass and small white seabass. We fished for 4 hours, lost count on how many fish we actually caught. What an epic day of fishing, water was glassy the whole time, warm sunny day. I've forgotten how fun it was to saltwater fish, can't wait to get out again next weekend.
Weapons of choice: 7' medium-heavy action rod, abu garcia baitcast reel with 10lbs maxima line
Lures of choice: I was using 4" swimbait in sardine color, but tried other colors & they work just as well. Had the swimbait on a 3/8 ounce hammer head in yellow color. My buddy was using slug in green color with the same kind of leadhead.