A CHUNK for Rusty Brown...

This weekend will probably see a bigger crowd than opening day (Wednesday, Feb. 1) but word trickling in suggests there are some fish to catch as long as the weather holds. Although you may be able to root out fish on cuts or rockpiles from the narrows to the dam, the most common denominator of reports I’ve received are the deeper tules or reeds.

Orange County guide Rusty Brown  offered this, “I’d say, eight to 11 feet, on the isolated, deeper tules with a little rock.” In the case of his biggest fish of the day–an 8 1/2-pounder– (more…)

There are hard decisions for the traveling bass fisherman today. Do you pull your boat back and forth, or do you leave it and your tow vehicle at the site and fly home? Towing, you have 4-dollar gas, suspect road stops and sleep deprivation. Flying, you’ve got crazy baggage fees, unreliable connections and you always need someone to pick you up.

This could help (a 30-second video).  Just click on the screen when you get to the site–it’s very brief. (more…)

HODGES could shine...

Even since the “reopening” of Lake Hodges in 1979, there have been about as many opening day booms as busts. Wednesday, Feb. 1, the near 1200-acre reservoir’s 2012 season kicks off and I don’t think anyone is sure of the prospects.

For those who were still hoping the lake would shake out of the doldrums since the pipe to Olivenhein Reservoir was completed, most got mixed signals last year. In late summer there were some square-bill cranking action, as well as  Senko or wacky jig fishing in less than 10 feet, but even that was short-lived.

In fact, the City Lake reports were showing less than a dozen bass a week at times throughout the year–just awful. But the potential is there. (more…)

After some deliberation I am pleased to announce that all those involved in the scouting and ranking of California bass fishermen will continue to apply the same standards that have been in place since the Top 40 List was first conceived.

All fishermen who call California their primary residence (more…)

In what was a pivotal event for anglers in Southern California (or other distant reaches) the hill got suddenly steeper as the “locals” dominated the top 40 spots in the standings at Lake Shasta, which finishes up today with the final 10. You might argue some are not “next door” close to the big reservoir, but I count 30 of the top 40 anglers with Upstate addresses. And of those 10 outsiders, several are far out–as in Washington, Nevada and Arizona.

The only compelling story I see (more…)

BRETT MILLS of the RCRCD holds a 6 1/4-pounder transplanted in Lake Elsinore...

UPDATED, Jan. 27, (new photo)–Well, here’s the very latest bass report from Lake Elsinore–and it ain’t bad.

According to our outgoing, Region 6 biologist Ben Ewing, the 3400-acre natural lake just got a population boost. His email reads: “Today, the Department with the help of Riverside-Corona Resource Conservation District (RCRCD) was able to plant 65 largemouth bass into Lake Elsinore.The average size was 1.22 pounds with the kicker being 6.25 pounds.” (more…)

LOTS OF TARGETS may require shorter rod and more casts to cover...

I guess nobody on the Left Coast would argue the point. When you’re lofting 12-inch swimbaits with your 8-foot specialty rod (or a cluster of baits with an A-Rig for that matter) you don’t make a lot of casts in an hour. Certainly you can’t make as many as you would throwing any typical crankbait or spinnerbait with a typical 7-foot rod.

But I don’t know that we always think of the relationship of rod length and casting pace.  And not just because everyone is drop-shotting and doesn’t care (more…)

LAKE MEAD--will petitioners stay home?

UPDATED, [FLW responds]–Of course, the U.S. Open rules have not been altered at this writing, but will recent petitioners–those calling for the elimination of the Alabama rig, AKA umbrella rig in several circuits–now have a new excuse for missing the annual summer challenge on Lake Mead?

The Arizona regulations (which are typically shared with Nevada) say this: “Angling” means the taking of fish by one line and not to exceed (more…)

Never ask a celebrity for their opinion because 99 out of a 100 times they don’t know what they’re talking about. But now, we’ve come to learn, in the realm of bass fishing the same applies to the celebrities of the Bassmaster Elite Series. They’re definitely not as smart as they think they are.

In case you hadn’t heard, the Rules Committee (more…)