In the late 1960’s anglers sat on Rocky Point at Irvine Lake, casting to deep water. Their worm, hooked in the middle, was inched along uphill. “The Irvine Rig,” some called it.

During the same era, a few San Diegans took the same 6-inch straight tail, and hooked it in the center as a jig trailer. I heard it referred to as “fishing on the drape” or with the worm draped on the hook.

Out of Texas, somewhere late in the 1970’s or maybe later in the 1980’s, the method was actually called “wacky” style, and the worm was usually a 6-inch Creme Scoundrel, though a conventional Sproat style worm hook was still standard.

Today, it’s definitely a wackier world. (more…)

UPDATED 10:30 a.m. Super Bowl Sunday: The last leg from Canyon Lake to Lake Elsinore showed a surge of water earlier this morning almost 90 cfs, see chart. (With 3600 seconds in an hour, it gives you an idea of how much water could flow down the San Jacinto). And if the dam keeper holds to form, the lake level upstream may be lowered more (water released) in advance of Tuesday’s forecast storm.

SATURDAY: Los Angeles up to Santa Barbara County got the heavier rain–and some say, surprisingly heavier amounts–but the “cells” that hit parts of Riverside and San Bernardino counties still got the streams flowing. (more…)

There was a time, winter fishing at Lake Havasu was like walking the plank. You might see the water, but you wouldn’t need a fishing rod.

But the arrival of smallmouth bass has changed everything. Guide and competitive angler Rusty Brown just got back from three days on the water: one for the WON Bass team event and two for just for the heck of it.

Well, not quite. The Rapala pro staffer and his partner David Grant of Newport Beach were taking some time to test out some new baits from the sponsor company. And wouldn’t you know it, (more…)

I hope you saw it, Bassfan.com’s recap of the major pro tours and what methods worked in what months. Editor Jon Storm, a former westerner, does a heck of a job over there keeping track of the pros and this latest two-part feature is sports bar perfect. That is to say, the stuff is interesting, but also open to lots of debate over what the heck it means.

If you look at the big numbers, and I do, then you have to realize (more…)

While the global calculation of sea temperatures near Indonesia and the implications of temperature anomalies is far less interesting than choosing plastic worm colors, the fact is, the whole ENSO issue really does affect us.

ENSO? That’s the “El Nino Southern Oscillation,” which, for people who understand such things, helps in making long range climate predictions. Of course, for most of us who just take what comes, we’re really more interested in the bottom line. So let me excerpt (more…)

The bass fishing landscape has changed drastically in this bad economy, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some great destinations–especially for smallmouth.

Guide Bill McBurney (ambassadorguides.com) reminded me that already, even at that latitude, there are fish to catch and it’s going to get steadily better in the coming weeks. I pressed him about what the locals might be doing and what can someone expect if they go.

I’m sure he was smiling when he responded, (more…)

I still like their concept, but even a magnetic water like Diamond Valley Lake was not enough of a ‘carrot’  for the second round of the California Bass Championships, on tap tomorrow.

I’m not saying 40 anglers (of a possible limit of 50) is a bad showing, because it’s not. But even at a bargain basement $118 entry fee with Diamond Valley’s lure of 20- to 25-pound bags for the top 10, CBC could not claim a full house (according to their website). Of course, 40 guys is a dump truck more than the 18 anglers at Castaic a week or so ago, (more…)

After qualifying 28 times for the Bassmasters Classic I guess it’s hard to be surprised. Former Oroville native Gary Klein has just about seen it all in his attempts to reach the pinnacle of the sport.

Some say he’s already done that. After all, he has twice earned Angler of the Year honors on the tour. But public sentiment, and knowledge of the long history of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, suggests that winning the Classic–the World Championship–is a crowning feat.

Coming to Lay Lake, Feb. 19-21, for certain, there will be no surprises. This is the fourth time (more…)

UPDATE: And of course, less than 48 hours following the patent announcement below, Humminbird did file suit against Lowrance in Federal Court for patent infringement.

No, there’s no new bankruptcy action that I’ve heard about, but news of a new patent in the electronics field might end up in litigation, if things go like they usually do. The reason? Humminbird has just been granted a patent on its sidescan sonar unit, and that is bound to have an effect on the market place, possibly regarding existing units or perhaps new entrants into the market, if an infringement is suspected.

The official announcement today went like this: (more…)