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swimbaitTue Nov-10-09 08:25 PM
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#11479, "The state of the trophy bass union"


  

          

So what's up with Nor-Cal trophy bass fishing these days? There's a lot I don't know and a little that I do. Has the heyday passed? It feels like it. Could the giant bass and the crazies who pursue them rise again, no doubt. Where were we, and where could this deal be headed now?

The year was 2000 and I was a grom with a boat that required regular bailing. Yes, Traveler is a brand of boat I owned one, vintage 1976. She lives in Brian Long's parent's side yard these days - I think. Sorry about the time you almost sank at DVL Brian #1.

I caught a big bass that year. Just one. Not a lot seemed to be going on with bass of the giant variety in Nor-Cal at the time but there was energy out there. It was energy waiting to be tapped.

In 2001 I saw a 19 pound bass on a bed. Maybe 19 and a half. I had a vague understanding of how to catch bedded bass. Some article I'd read said to use toro tubes. Had that stupid piece of plastic laying on this bass' back and it didn't care a bit. A time machine and a Big Hammer would be nice sometimes. The next day that fish could have been caught. My next two fish over 10 came the same day later that fall. Iaconelli had nothing on me when the second one hit. I was wearing a plaid flannel shirt.

Paul Duclos was the big name in Nor-Cal. Paul, where are you now man? Berryessa night fishing, or sleepy Spring Lake? Would always have liked to have met you. Saw some photos of you by the ramp at San Pablo with giants long before I came along.

I met most of the people who became known in Nor-Cal trophy fishing in the years that followed. Fish Chris, Nico Raffo, Steve Pagliaguchi, Matt Allen, Josh Declusian, Don Osborne, Don Moorman. A dozen tourney guys who fished for big ones too. Guys like CV and Joe Bruce and Johnny C and Robert Marxmiller.

Then there were the lure makers. Met most of you guys at some point. I used to have to watch my cell phone minute usage and it wasn't me doing the talking. Jerry Rago, Mickey Ellis, Mike Shaw, Scott Whitmer, Matt Servant, Nathan Bettencourt, Jeremy Anderson, Ken Huddleston, Jason Scott, and 20 other dudes all building piles of sawdust and donning respirators for our fishing pleasure. Maybe I've had some impact on this industry, but lure makers are an independent bunch that like to do what they want to do. Don't blame ya.

OK, So-Cal - I hear you knocking. Sorry for the lack of love. Mark Rogers, you'd downplay it but you taught me a lot. Matt and Cameron, friends since 1st grade. I didn't learn much about big bass from you guys but tournaments - yes please and thank you. Cam is my first call when I need guidance on how to just get bit. Matt remembers Santa Margarita in May with the AC Minnow. Cam remembers the first subsurface hudd bite he ever got. Some memories will stick with you till you are old.

I met three hundred other people who just liked to fish or talk big bass. Erik Patzner caught a 17 at Pablo. I still like your signature about pretending to be a swimbait fisherman. That's funny. I pretend to be too most days.

In the back of my mind (and probably your mind too) there's always been a question about whether there are other guys out there doing it. Catching giants - really big ones - and not saying anything. There's a few in So-Cal for sure. But I don't think there's many in Nor-Cal. One or two. I think I would have seen you some time. Or Nico would have seen you. Being single and single-minded in pursuit of fish, Nico is my eyes and ears these days.

The real heyday ran up until 06. And 2005 was the killer year. The hudd made swimbait fishing easy for the first time. Let's be real. If you took a huddleston deluxe 8 inch to a lake where the bass hadn't seen it you were going to catch bass. I even caught bass at Chabot, and that lake sucks. Sometimes you'd see a bass and cast at it and it would actually eat your swimbait. That never happened before.

What happened next? Every tournament was a swimbait festival. Every shore pounder had just got the hot dope from Walton's Pond and was out there hucking. The high point of the stupidity for me came one day at Don Pedro fishing with CV. We were on a point, a good one. A boat ran around behind us and cut it. Out went the trolling motor. Here comes the flipping stick with the big swimbait tied on. Here comes the cast aimed 50 feet from my last one. Heave, snap, sail........ sploosh. Souvenir for the shoreline scavenger on low water next fall. Should have known that it was done right then and there.

2006 was a toughie. Fish got caught but not in the numbers like 05. Maybe the same number of fish got caught but three times more people caught them. The euphoria wore off for me in 2006, I wanted it easy and it wasn't any more.

2007 I moved away to the central coast. The fishing that spring was OK before I moved. I was on it, really on point. Making moves, timing it - focused. It's like when you get in the batting cage and start cracking one after the next. The best feeling in the world.

I heard they founded Jamba Juice and Clif Bar on the central coast but they didn't bother to plant any florida strain versions of the bass I love.

Spent time with grad school, studying and spotted bass. Damn spotted bass. Taught taught myself about ice jigs and rubber frogs. Took friends out fishing who knew nothing and enjoyed it. Hooked a 10lb northern at Margarita and dumped it. In 2008 I drove to Nor-cal one morning for spring break and caught a 13 and a 14 the same day chuckin. It was like the stock market going up during a recession before it crashes back down. The death throes.

Short bites and terrified bed fish. Crummy water conditions and quagmire mussel inspections. Barriers to entry everywhere. San Justo - closed. Coyote closed to boating several months out of the year. San Pablo still drained for a dam retrofit. How damn long does it take to fix a dam. Ruination! 3 pounders winning 10 grand at Pedro. Nico still caught 'em a little. You guys have no idea how good Nico is. He's the best in Nor-cal today, period. Let's talk teenagers, not 10's.

This year. I've been admittedly distracted. Derek is 8 months old now. Don Moorman is trying to sell his rig and his stuff, hope you are doing OK Don. Steve P, still here after all these years. Hope you're catching a few. Matt Allen, dude you are like the only guy still catching a lot of 9 to 11's. Don't worry, I don't go to your lake. Fish Chris is in to car stereos. Jake J, I used to have this neighbor in Fremont I should have turned in to you man. Ha. Hope you're still around.

Not many new guys out there. Greg Ross knows how to fish. There's a few motherlode guys that do too. Taylor Parsons, Alex Niapas. Never met you guys but clearly... With so much attention still spoiled on swimbait fishing Greg feels like the only true trophy only angle guy in the last few years. Did I forget someone - don't know?. This isn't the top 40 list. Now-a-days anyone who wins a tourney on an osprey is a big bass expert. OK.

Which brings us to now, today. It's November. I used to catch some decent jig fish in November, and the green 12" worm, and even swimbaits if you timed it just right. Wish I had the energy and time to go check my old haunts. I know Nico would go. We do lame stuff now like prefish at lake McClure with our high dollar digital scales at the ready to see if the spots we are catching are 1.4 or 1.6's. I bought two Stradic C-14's last month. Gotta get your jollies somehow. What happened? Demoralizing.

Life is full of cycles. Waves and wind and weather. It's like some perverse math equation - I always hated statistics but saw the value. The economy is down, fishing for giant bass is down, the water is down. It will come back around but slow like a bottomed out real-estate market. Meanwhile we'll weigh our 1.4's and put fancy bouys in them with pounds on one side and ounces on the other.

Ten years later I'm as passionate as I ever have been about giant bass. I'll never quit this sport and never give up the chase (yeah you know THE CHASE, the one in all caps). Maybe all that's missing is a new flannel shirt.



  

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The state of the trophy bass union [View all] , swimbait, Tue Nov-10-09 08:25 PM
  RE: The state of the trophy bass union, Bassinboys, Nov 10th 2009, #1
RE: The state of the trophy bass union, swimbait, Nov 11th 2009, #2
      RE: The state of the trophy bass union, Marcus, Nov 11th 2009, #3
           RE: The state of the trophy bass union, supermat, Nov 12th 2009, #4
                RE: The state of the trophy bass union, Nico, Nov 12th 2009, #5
                     RE: The state of the trophy bass union, fr0g, Nov 13th 2009, #6
RE: The state of the trophy bass union, Slough Crew, Nov 14th 2009, #7
RE: The state of the trophy bass union, swimbait, Nov 15th 2009, #8
      RE: The state of the trophy bass union, Urban, Nov 15th 2009, #9
           RE: The state of the trophy bass union, Nico, Nov 16th 2009, #10
                RE: The state of the trophy bass union, magmaster, Nov 17th 2009, #11
                     RE: The state of the trophy bass union, crotalus, Nov 17th 2009, #12
                          RE: The state of the trophy bass union, crotalus, Nov 17th 2009, #13
                          RE: The state of the trophy bass union, magmaster, Nov 17th 2009, #14
                          RE: The state of the trophy bass union, swimbait, Nov 18th 2009, #15
                               RE: The state of the trophy bass union, crotalus, Nov 18th 2009, #16
                                    RE: The state of the trophy bass union, bassindon69, Nov 20th 2009, #17
                                         RE: The state of the trophy bass union, Terra Ferma, Nov 20th 2009, #18
                                              RE: The state of the trophy bass union, dockboy, Dec 28th 2009, #19
                                                   RE: The state of the trophy bass union, swimbait 24-7, Dec 29th 2009, #20
                                                        RE: The state of the trophy bass union, swimbait, Dec 29th 2009, #21
                                                             RE: The state of the trophy bass union, swimbait 24-7, Dec 29th 2009, #22
                                                                  RE: The state of the trophy bass union, dockboy, Dec 29th 2009, #23
                                                                  RE: The state of the trophy bass union, Nico, Dec 30th 2009, #24
                                                                       RE: The state of the trophy bass union, CA Swimb8er, Dec 31st 2009, #25
                                                                            RE: The state of the trophy bass union, basshunter4u, Jan 02nd 2010, #26
                                                                                 RE: The state of the trophy bass union, flipit, Feb 02nd 2010, #27

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