http://www.westernbass.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=33049&f=3





-Shane

Love the format. My wheels are turning. Would love to see a nor-cal contingent come down. The nor-cal guys don't have a spiff name, but there's a few guys up there who know how to fish.

shouldn't it be a 2 or 3 day T? kind of surprised...alot of recognition for one day of fishing.

Awesome idea, but I too agree it needs to be longer. Maybe 5 days. I mean anyone who is fortunate to catch a big fish will be more luck than skill based...

Either way can't wait to here the results!
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Go big or go home!

I disagree. I think one day, one fish, winner take all is a rad format. If you're that good, you'll get a big one during the course of the day at Casitas. There's enough big ones in there that even if it's a brutal tough day, someone will catch one. Odds are it will be someone who is good. If I can get the day off from school and Ron will let me fish in the putt putt boat, I'm in.

Hey Rob,

Do you think the 1 fish format is better than a 5 fish format where only fish over X lbs (where X would probably be somewhere b/w 7 and 10) can be weighed in?

If two competitors go out, and one gets 5 over 10 with the biggest going 13.0 and the other guy gets one bite all day and its a 13.05 should the second guy win?

--nate

I also think its a great format. Will it realy determine who is the best? no but its still damn cool. Sooo Rob when I come up for the tourney am I staying at your house or Mark's :P

www.mattlures.com

I like the format because it fits my mentality. If I go to the lake to catch a big one, I go to the lake to catch the biggest one possible.

Maybe the guy who catches the 13.05 in your scenario fished a big fish pattern all day, focusing on 3 key areas in deep water knowing that teener fish lived on those spots. Maybe he got one bite all day, executed on it and caught the fish.

Maybe the guy who caught 5 over 10 fished a shallow pattern, stumbled in to a wolf pack and loaded the boat in 30 minutes.

Who is the better trophy bass fisherman in this scenario? I'd say angler number one.

What's tough for any TD who puts a tournament concept online is that it's going to get picked apart. Usually (no offense) it gets picked apart by people who aren't even going to fish the tournament.

Whether this format works or not will be revealed on the day of the tournament. As a big bass fishermen, it appeals to me at every level so I'm going to try and be there. I'd much rather lose 200 bucks at Casitas throwing a swimbait all day than lose it in some worm dragging contest :)

Matt - you gotta stay with Mark. I'm living in Atascadero which is about 2 and a half hours from Casitas. Just don't give him all the good lures :)

deepsessions - I'm the kind of guy who gets to fish 1 day out of the week on average. I don't get 3 days in a row to figure it out. I get one day to go get one, and Monday I go back to work or school or whatever. Yea maybe someone lucks in to winning a tournament like this. But so what, the fact that it's one day will make it just like every other weekend for guys like me.

Anyone can be a star when they fish for 10 days straight :o

>deepsessions - I'm the kind of guy who gets to fish 1 day out
>of the week on average. I don't get 3 days in a row to figure
>it out. I get one day to go get one, and Monday I go back to
>work or school or whatever. Yea maybe someone lucks in to
>winning a tournament like this. But so what, the fact that
>it's one day will make it just like every other weekend for
>guys like me.
>
>Anyone can be a star when they fish for 10 days straight :o




I'm glad the one day format allows you to be able to fish it.I'm pullin' for ya! that's some coin for 50 boats! It would be more competitive however over 3 days with a carryover in weight.

and there would be more coverage!:-)

I hope to fish it. But school is always the #1 priority, and for many things in my program - there are no make ups. So we'll see. I'll do what I can to be there.

Too bad there was never a big bass derby on Pedro or any of the lakes I know up North :) Maybe that will be the next year. In the mean time I'm happy to gamble a little with the locals at Casitas. There's some awesome fishermen down there.

Awesome format!!! I wish we had a tourney like this up in Washington State.

"I'd much rather lose 200 bucks at Casitas throwing a swimbait all day than lose it in some worm dragging contest"

That is priceless, and true...Go get 'em, Rob!

http://www.calfishing.com/gallery/v/members/JIG-N-PIG/

I say 3 day T with the top 5 on day 3

I said I will shut up then... I can't afford it LOL!

Don.

http://calfishing.com/gallery/v/members/bassindon69/basspics/

Nothing like fishing!

Someone needs to sponsor Bassindon to get him down there.

What about Steve P., Matt Allen, Jake J., and Dan T.

I know Matt Peter's eyes are going to light up when he sees this. You should borrow Cam's boat and do it. Bring that poor kid Jeremy with you too :)

Its intrigueing. It would be more intrigueing if it was a lake I knew! But, 10K would be a nice downpayment for a real darn boat, my boat just aint cuttin for me anymore. However, I may sponsor Don for the tourney, hes got cabin fever big time!! If Don doesnt get his boat back soon hes gonna flip! Just kidding Don (hope this weather continues until next Friday ;-) )

I think there are enough guys from Central Ca and NorCal that fish swimbaits to make something like this work up this way. The problem would be finding somebody to put the thing together. Somebody tried a swimbait tourny at Pedro last year and I heard it turned out ok but it wasn't a winner take all format. If 10K is on the table a lot of people would come out of the woodwork to fish.
How about a swimbait only circuit, maybe 5-6 tournaments from November to April. That would definately prove who the best swimbait guys are around. And not just a one day shootout for a bunch of cash, anybody could get lucky and catch a big fish in this format. It would be cool but I doubt it will ever happen.

Jake J

http://calfishing.com/gallery/v/members/jakej/

It does sound inviting...I am not a "Big Bass Fisherman", But then aren't we all when we go out fishing hoping to catch a big bass? I have only been on the lake like 3 days straight last year prefishing and fishing the Bass Fed event. I ended up with a 9th place (out of about 45) "dragging worms" lol....

To have a chance at 10 grand for a $200 entry is cool. But as I read the thread on Westernbass southern board it does sound like there are many holes in it that need to be addressed.

One of those "holes" is the fact that an local will have plenty of prefishing time to find the hot spots ....

"Maybe the guy who catches the 13.05 in your scenario fished a big fish pattern all day, focusing on 3 key areas in deep water knowing that teener fish lived on those spots. Maybe he got one bite all day, executed on it and caught the fish."

Rob, I would put money on this scenario being a local that fished the place regularly.

I am one of those guys that will probably not fish this event (that is if Ron would allow me to fish it from my kickboat ...lol)because I am boatless. So all I am doing is giving an opinion.

Bryan Vogt

To fish is to live!

The more I think about this the more I like it, and the more Im convincing myself to do it. Im sure many of you have received an email from Huddleston. If you havent ask a friend to forward it to you. Seems Ron Cervenka is organizing this "trail", and the first of 2-3 events is at Casitas.

I read the rules and nowhere did it state boat requirements. Its funny that the rules state that officials and cameramen can not bring GPS!! Now thats funny.

I hope some of us seriously consider doing this, us NorCal guys need a little more exposure.

I asked Ron about the boat rules. It sounded like he is going to follow WON boat rules, so my boat squeaks in. It would only bad if I drew some 300 pound dude lol.

After thinking about the format, I still like it. I'm not going to gripe about home lake advantage or anything like that. I am fortunate to have fished casitas 8-10 days in the past 7 years, but I'd go in blind there too, and Jake I promise that if they ever put a big bass tourney at Eastman - I'll be there. I've never laid eyes on Eastman.

Wouldn't consider this arrogance, but it's more the fact that when you go to a lake for the first time, you see things with crystal clarity. You avoid the bias that comes with experience.

I find this especially true for the first trip I take to a new lake in my own boat. I've had three first trips to a lake in my boat where I've caught big fish. That includes a 12 and two 15lbers. Makes me not want to put my boat on Casitas at all before the tournament. Might jinx :9

It's something about seeing things from the pointy end of the boat for the first time that makes you do the instinctually correct thing.

Well.... I got my boat back. WooooooooHoooooooo. I may have one of the smallest boats in this thing, maybe. But I am game! If things work out then I will see ya at bassathon.
I have already been looking at the map LOL!!

Don.

http://calfishing.com/gallery/v/members/bassindon69/basspics/

Nothing like fishing!

The Casitas sat map on google is very good. The photos were taken on low water. If you have not already checked it out:

http://www.calfishing.com/loc/casitas.html

Yes, Matt. Bring that poor kid Jeremy with you. I wanna fish !

http://www.calfishing.com/gallery/v/members/bigreenjobass/

The Big Bas Posse dvd and BBZ DVD show some good spots. I dont fish tournaments but if you consider that these bass fatten up on trout plants and that they plant from 1 of the 2 ramps that will get you off to a good start.
Remember that these trout have not seen deep water till they get to the lake and they usually follow the shoreline. The island is only a few feet under the water and is a good spot as well as the shoreline between Coyote ramp through Deep Cat on to Station Canyon. The area just south of Chismahoo including that point just south of Chismahoo is a good spot as well as the point by the buoy line on the west side by the dam. I appreciate all the help I,ve gotten on this site and I fish that lake 2-3 days a week so I thought I'd share my favorite spots.
Good Luck Rich

I LOVE this idea! It IS for the BIGGEST BASS, that's the whole idea, RIGHT? Winner take all and the rest jest wishin' they was the winna! I'm going to fantasy "fish" both the southern end saddles of the island/shoreline and that island point! I'll be attempting to lose a ROF 16 Megastrike and Kick-n-Bass Trout Flavor SLATHERED Hudd by fishing it like a football jig from the shore to 40 feet deep....... Wish Me Luck!! -- Alex ><> ><> ><> p.s. Let me know how I did.....(and how many Hudds I lost...)

I much prefer it when a woman leaves me, for then I know the mistake is hers. - Charles Bukowski

I love the format and the whole idea around it...I can't even entertain making that tournament...unless something dramatic happens here in the next month. Even then, I gotta think 50 boats will fill up in an hour, and likely wouldn't be in a position to even sign up.

If I could make it happen, I would probably hit my boy Dan Frazier up. He's got a boat in Arroyo Grande area that I'd try to borrow, and his truck! LOL

Jeremy, we'd have to really be lucky to come up with two boats, two trucks, and somehow sign up and make the list, etc.

And since I've never been to Casitas, I don't catch big fish (Matt Peters = SDM = Single Digit Master), and there is an off limits right before....I will likely re-arrange my schedule to fish the Southern BASS Open Series (Santee Cooper and Guntersville baby!) vs. coming out West for a slug fest..

MP