UPDATED (3-1): Haven’t done so well predicting the weather this winter, but with Monday’s elevation at 1248.64, it would seem we have reached the zenith in water conditions at Lake Elsinore. The big cold front (and storm) over the weekend caused Canyon Lake to spill yet again, with peak flows in the San Jacinto River hitting about 700 cfs late Saturday night as you can see on the chart. (more…)

Think there isn’t a huge gulf between what you use and what’s popular throughout the United States? Once again, AnglerSurvey.com has released its list of the “brands and products anglers purchased most frequently in 2010.” Included here are brands most common to bass fishing, however the broad brush list was “compiled from the 31,082 internet-based surveys completed by anglers who volunteered to participate last year in AnglerSurvey.com polls.”

So, the envelope, please: (more…)

WILL HE MAKE IT?

Longer days, warming water and soon you’ll be throwing Senkos in the brush. Dead fish at the weigh-in? Ain’t gonna happen.

And yet, in the deepwater lakes, when we have to go after them deep, and haul them up for the weigh-in, some of them die. And they do so whether they are vented or as we like to say, “fizzed.” There are studies on the matter in freshwater–though nothing like they have in saltwater–but if we’re really worried about mortality, then we better consider the data. (more…)

DOESN'T MATTER what brand you run, you need to deal with ethanol in your fuel.

I’ve been doing quite a bit a research on the pros and cons of ethanol from its costs to its benefits, and frankly my head is spinning. I can’t tell where politics starts and science ends. But what I really want to know is, how can I keep my big motor running right?

For that reason, I went to someone who’s right there in the outboard shop dealing with the realities of ethanol in our fuel. (more…)

WEST MARINA showing latest lake level

A look at the morning tables and the San Jacinto River was still running over 10 cubic feet per second into Lake Elsinore–several days after peak flows topped out close to 200. That may not mean a lot in some regions, but here it was somewhat unexpected, following the big hit in December.

The net result (although some showers are forecast in the next few days) is the natural lake has hit an elevation (more…)

We can debate his annual dominance as portrayed in his Angler of Year totals, but in a sport that puts so much emphasis on one contest, Kevin Van Dam’s career has reached historic eminence with his fourth Bassmaster Classic title, yesterday–by a 10-pound margin.

And while I will forever admire Rick Clunn for his 32 World Championship appearances, (more…)

Sorry if I’m not upset that there will be no live TV broadcast of the Bassmasters Classic, starting Friday. I could barely stand 15 minutes of today’s EverStart web weigh-in with all the “Thanks for coming out” and “Better luck tomorrow.”

There are two kinds of tournaments that are nightmares to cover live. (more…)

I guess in one sense, everything that happens before the male nudges his mate onto the nest is pre-spawn. From the extreme of inactivity in winter to any full moon-driven, shoreward movement from February to June, depending your locale, it’s all pre-spawn. But it’s not a fluid movement, and least in the deeper reservoirs in this part of the country. In fact, it’s full of hesitations.

In generic terms, when bass finally begin to stir with the season (and all the implications that entails) the first part of the pre-spawn is about “staging.” (more…)

As some the upper middle-aged are trying to moonwalk back in time, we continue to hear the expression, “40 is the new 30 (or something).”  The idea is that a healthier life-style and a younger outlook might bring back one’s “cool.”

But when I look at the team tournament numbers, they’re going in the opposite direction: (more…)

On the brink of what many anticipate as a surprisingly potent set of winter storms, Lake Elsinore (Elsie) also got a nice little Valentine gift from the Department of Fish & Game. It came in the form of a stock of 48 largemouth bass that were delivered with little fanfare earlier today.

The storms, which depending on how much precipitation they actually create, could further lift the level of the natural lake, which reached a height of just over 1248 feet, or three feet higher than at any time in 2010. (more…)