Big Round Paint Brush

January1st thru June 31st, 2011
From the most recent to the oldest.

6.27.'11 Monday

Lake Skinner, Temecula
Me 3-, Paul O.5

85 degrees, sunny.

Met Paul at my house and we went to my shop, picked up the aluminum boat and drove the 1 1/4 hours to the lake. Heard it was on fire, I had not been there in about 7 years, just once. We heard the 20' depth was good, ika's, senkos, d/s, but nothing worked for us. I got one fairly quick on the frog, next to a rock heading to the shallow end of the lake. Only trolling motor, main motor not replaced yet, was stolen two years ago now.

We went father into the shallows, and I got one on a d/s off a point. We worked the tulles with frogs (me) and d/s (Paul) and Paul got two in short order back there.

Click photo to enlarge

First frog fish on my Bobby's Perfect Cicadia frog.

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6.23.'11 Thursday

El Capitan
Me -, Paul O.-

85 degrees, sunny.

Met Paul at the usual spot at noon, we went out in his boat. We worked the left side over by the dam, then across to other side, he got two on d/s. Then to bathroom cove for last hour and a half, I got blanked, believe Paul got a couple of more. He got about a 2 lb crappie on a crankbait. I tossed spooks and kermit 90% of the time.

Click photo to enlarge

Paul gave the lesson on this day, getting quite a few nice ones.

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6.20.'11 Monday

Murrieta Hot Springs
Me 6, John O.- 0, James O. -2.

95 degrees, sunny.

Met them at my frame shop and left by 11. Fishing by noon and set up d/s for James and 7' Senko for John (I'd been using it at the Delta), while I tossed top (S. Spook). After awhile I went to a spinner, white/chart, and got one in short order, but Barrett rigged cost me a 2 pounder at edge. Changed to barbed style and got two more within the next hour. We took a break about 4 and they went swimming, I sat in shade and watched.

After that I set them up with hula grubs for topwater action. I showed John how to work his black/blue flake and got a hit on the way in. James had a silver one. I went back to the S. Spook and got two on it. They had hits but improper hook-sets and working of lure kept the numbers from coming. James ended up with two, and was very excited (he's 9 or so). Finished at 8 and had a great dinner at the newly remodeled Sizzler.

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6.13.'11 Monday

The Delta (Calif)
Me 3, Cooch about a dozen.

Met him at his house at 6 a.m., after sleeping in the wife's car at a J.I.B. not far from his house. I'd drove for three hours from Pebble Beach at 10 p.m. so I could meet him on time. We started fishing at 7 (his cigarette run). Finished about 2 p.m., just before tide started up. He was pre-fishing for a guide trip that 'could' happen, he did not have one but they come last minute he says, and he has to know how the bite it. He'd responded off my plea on WeseternBass.com for a back seat, TUL. (I offered a piece of art to anyone, so I'm blessing him with a $1,000 piece).

We started at the east side of Frank's Tract (a couple of miles down Sandmound slough, where he lives) with top, me frogs and Punkers, he frogs and his Peacock Bass popper. (Cooch reported lots of 4's and 5's on top the week earlier, his expectations were high, so mine were too). I got one blow up on the frog. We fished this area for about an hour, working to the back corner, with gnats a real problem, getting into our ears, nose, hair, face and inside our clothes (one in Cooch's eye too- he had to flush it out). Then worked another tulle entrance a hundred yards east of that, more nada.

We made a run across to 'False River' entrance and really got even more gnats (some covered his black motor cowling and so thick the color looked tan instead). Cooch threw the 7' Senko around bedding bluegills and got some 1 to 2 pound bass, and I finally got two on a Super Spook on the outside brush/tulle line, back to back (was 10 a.m. at that point). That made Cooch excited to toss it too, but it was a fluke as no more hit after a 1/2 hour of our trying along the tulles. We fished another long tract of tulles and then we made a long run down the False River towards Big Break, turning left at the canal that went to Taylor's (back towards Bethel Island) and stopped about a mile down, about 1/2 way, on west facing stretches (stopping the wind problem that way). He got into some jig fish, not full on, but consistent. I tossed the top a lot still, and once and a while a 7' Senko, and got one finally trailing it behind the boat as we got into the dock areas.

Tons of signs of bass having been caught on frogs right one the bank, as every 50' a hole was evident and the cut line through the 'cheese' all the way to open water, which was about 50' away. He said they must have been coming up with the current, as we got zilch the whole time we'd tried.

Stayed

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6.9-12.2011 Photo Class in Carmel...
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6.6.'11- Monday
El Capitan
Me 3, Paul O. - 0

Went out from noon till 8 on my Skeeter 'Answered Prayer'. Paul had been nice enough to help get the two live well pumps replaced, they started leaking (about 10 gallons per hour, was going to ruin the bilge pump if not fixed as two minutes per hour needed to get water out.) It ran $300. He brought it down from Ramona, where the repairman lives. There was water in the bottom when I got home, forgot to check to see if it leaked, but it was not much. I think it came in when stopping too soon.

Slow bite, I got about three, spinnerbaits only. First on my way to 'my' honey hole in the back, next to a sunken bush/tree. None on frog or Spook, my main bait, on lots of good looking spots. Another on the SpBt in the far back, where it goes to 2' deep, shallower with the water drop. Lots of breakers, no takers and we worked our way out. Worked 'Paul's' honey hole, not far from mine, nada. Went to the shoreline on that same side, nada. Paul got blanked I believe.5.29.'11 -Sunday

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Barrett Lake
6.5.'11
Me 29, (mostly on frogs and ribbits), Vince O. 36 (mostly d/s and jigs).

In at 4.50, out at 8 pm. Sunny all day, up to 75, very nice.
Laurie did not have my name on the sheet, and the two tubers came in later, as they had not there checked in and we were near the end of the line. So I. got real nervous, but Laurie said they had a spare boat and would figure it out later, as I'd forgot the name of the guy I traded with to see if he had checked in -and we did not hear anything about it when we got in at dusk so all must have been ok. (NOTE: update, I called the city and found out I had indeed had my name on the list, not my goof up after all, nor 'Stinkypinky', the guy I traded with.)

Vince got a 6+ and a 4+ and a 3 at my honey hole, far end of Pine Creek right off the bat, on the Gunfish. He fishes it almost like it's a bobber, and a deadly one at that. I got one on the frog, but it took a while. He did not have one on, and the very far end was not conducive to treble hooks, so I went back to the more open area he'd got 'em on, but no more takers.

We slowly worked out, but the top was not happening like earlier. We worked out way all the way to the main entrance of the creek, to where it opens up, and then to the point on the right across from 'Herbert swim hole'.

Click photo to enlarge.

Vince got one right off the bat, a 6 + on a topwater plug.

Click photo to enlarge.

My Spro popper frog was in true form, but the ribbit went crazy producing later on.

Then to the rocky point over towards the honor camp, and Vince got a jig fish or two. After fishing the 'new island' across from rocky point I noticed how much grass there was and put on a horny toad, and started to get into fish pretty good. So good Vince borrowed one but his hook had a weight under it and took it into the weeds, so he gave up. I kept tossing the Ribbit and was having good success, but he wanted to throw the jig and d/s and he had us stop on points so he could concentrate on that. I did, trying to reach the shore with the Ribbit, mostly to no avail. We went to the honor camp cove and I missed one giant blow-up, then he knew of some submerged humps and we fished those, not too far back and across from the bathroom back there.. He got one here and there, but not like it used to be he said (it had been about 5 or 6 years since he'd been there, and he knew the spots quite well, as he had fished it for decades).

After trying over by the sunken island he said we should try Hauser. I figured the wind there should help us, as he trolling motor was history as my regular batteries were being 're-charged' in L.A. and my van battery lasted about two hours.

We let the wind blow us east from the main entry point on the right, but surprisingly the top was very slow, as in nada slow for over an hour. He kept tossing the jig along the outer weed line and would pick up one here and there. Eventually I got one on the frog, with some bigger blowups on the outer weed line/bushes too. I put on the jig myself and got one or two on it, and we went over to Becky's rocky point, and to the back, but slow there too. We hit the submerged island before Pine Arm as we headed in, and it was dry. Left at dusk, about 8 p.m.., exhausted but satisfied with such a nice numbers day, for the frog/Ribbit. TUL.

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N^
Diamond Valley Lake.

Diamond Valley Lake
June 2nd
Robert S. and myself/ his boat'

Robert about 10, me two.
Met at 4.45- Fished till 2. (Day before met at same time, but his motor
would not go down, stayed close to ramp for two hours, then left. No fish.)
Right off the bat I lost an 8 on my 6' bass pattern Lunker Punker over on flats by quarry, fought her to the boat while Robert tried to get the net ready and she jumped and threw the hook. Maybe should have surfed her in and slung her in the boat. It's a tough decision as the weight can go against you as the lure could tear out of her mouth. The water was about 18' deep, with tree tops visible to about 3 or 4' from the surface.

We then fished our way west along the deep quarry wall, Robert got two in a small area, then nada for 3 to 400 yards. Suggested we go back to his 'honey hole stretch', and we worked our way back, and he got another one or two there (1.5-2 pounders) then we went east from there, the whole 'bowl', for maybe one more. Saw some big cruisers. All the while I tossed the Punker along walls, nada.

We were headed out when I asked if we could work the spot I'd gotten the eight one more time, we found a little hump that came up to 6' from about 18', had a lot of smaller fish on the top, thought it's be a great spot to get some bigger ones around it in deeper water. Robert got three or four, but were smaller ones, from around it. I tossed an Ika into the tree stumps nearby, nada. Tossed Punker some more too. I got one on d/s there eventually.
We hit 'one last place' on the way back to the docks, a point that we worked for about 20 minutes on the north side, with deep d/s and me an Ika still, for nada.

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5.29.'11 -Sunday

Barrett Lake
Me 19, Mike C. 5, his adult son Marcos, 7.

Went to Barrett Lake, first train in, last out, with Mike C. and his son. It was supposed to rain until 11, 30% chance, but it was 100% heavy mist/ drizzle and rain, with very cold winds, until then. We tried topwater up Hauser just past Becky's at the first major point, heading to the end and never left that 200 yards stretch for two hours. I got a couple, and so did the others. Mine on the spook.

The whitecaps were pretty strong by 9 so we headed towards Pine, but stopped in the back of Becky's to try more top. Marcos got some nice ones, but it was slow pickin' for us overall. I got one on the frog on 'bathroom point' while Marcos took refuge in the potty, his head popping out once and a while checking to see if the rain stopped. They did not bring rain gear (I had my 100 MPH Bass Pro Shop set, so I was dry and toasty warm, TUL), and their levis were pretty wet, the tops covered with rain jackets.

We worked to the main 'separation point' where I put on an Ika and got a couple of nice ones.

Mike put on a d/s and got into a couple, as did Marcos. At that point the sun came out and started to warm things, and them, up. It was noonish. After an hour we started working into Becky's, and I found an area just to the left of the 'sometimes island' and got another frog fish, missing two nice blow-ups. We worked deeper into Pine and I kept trying to coach Marcos in the placement, and the working, of the frog so he could get one. 15-20 mph winds, with gusts to 40, made it very hard for him. Finally, about 5 or so, he did, the bass going airborne and landing on his frog. He was sooooo excited about it after that. We went further back still, and at dusk hit the very end of Pine Creek, saving the best for last. All three of us got hit on the first cast on frogs back there, none stuck. Three more cast netted me two more bass, and Marcos got another frog fish on his last cast. They were still tossing them even after I got the boat going full steam headed back in.

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Went to China and Vietnam. No fishing from 5.2.'11 to 5.27.'11

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Took four Optima batteries to get 're-charged' in LA, but on return the fifth I took him, completely dead from Bill, did not get resuscitated, bummer. Don't know how well the re-charging went, but one battery that was pretty good last 7 hours at Barrett, but one that was so-so only lasted two, so I think nothing changed.
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4.21.'11 -Thursday

El Capitan Reservoir
Paul O. 2, me 2 (Senkos and top)
From 8.30 till 7.30 on water.
Water 72-73 in far back, overcast all day.

Met Paul at usual spot, the 7-11 at road to El Cap., at around 8:10. Wow, what a difference a few days make. Got 'em on everything on Monday, ending up w/ 11-solo, and basically nothing today. Paul threw as many varied baits as I did, but we did not d/s too much, me at all. Tried 'dirt road bay', the new one since water was up, the area I'd fished Monday, hardly any busters, no action. Worked back to my honey hole, more zippo. Paul finally got one back there, on a Senko. I kept with topwater, expecting that to work at any time, didn't. Tossed the blade quite a bit too, surprised that didn't work either.

Got slammed on the blade, but did not stick. Worked Paul's honey hole and got one on a Senko off a dead floating tree, a spot I'd gotten two the week before w/ Paul (that day I had 11 also).

Ran into Vince O. and James N. in the far back, both on their own boats, around 5 p.m., where the boats would go no further. Was fishing a Spro green/yellow popper frog and a couple of guys followed us in and the one fishing the black frog got one one in short order (guess the front guy w/ the Triton, Kevin Norling I believe) was cousins to the back seater, son of Frank, the owner of Fisherman's Outpost in Santee. The muscled there way further back in the debris and reported two more, darn, why didn't we try that (I was on the front of the boat at this time, my fault).

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4.18.'11 - Monday
El Capitan Reservoir
Solo on The Answered Prayer - got 11 (mostly on top)
From 8.30 am till 7.30 on water.
FULL MOON_ Water 74, (per Vince, my d/f left in car) overcast, threatening all day.

Saw James Nelson working the shore near ramp as I drove in, shot the bull on bed fish, it was full moon. Boat has been leaking, so a bit worried bilge pump would be overworked, but all went well. Turned on for two minutes per hour or so.

Click photos to enlarge

Found busters all day long in far back, was too fun. TUL.
Got 'em on Sammy, one by the floating bathroom on the way to the back, saw busters, third cast WHAMMO! Then another before losing it to a three, in between some trees in the way back- OUCH. Maybe it was only 10# braid on my spinner, guessed 20 but it broke too easy with the hard hookset to get it headed out of the base of the trees. Then on a scrounger w/ small fluke right away, then nada for awhile, then another.

At 1, got one on a curly tail fluke, slow rolled w/ small bullet weight. Gave up on lure floating back up, then worked back to MY honey hole, and got one on a S. Spook, then another on curly tail, then worked further back. Got two on Chart. spinner bait, (one dink while I jiggled it at boat to see if small blade would turn, then another on a found nose hook light green fluke w/ a bead in it- and on the Gunfish. Last hour w/ Punker on outside of deep trees and then S. Spook along windy bank on way in, nada.

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4.15.'11 Friday

El Capitan Reservoir
Paul O. 5, me 11 (Senkos and top)
From 12 till 7.00 on water.
Water 72-74, sunny all day.

Took Paul's boat, his new repair guy found a bolt out of his motor, said gasses were leaking into cowl and fouling the intake air, sure enough, it ran great.

We hit the north end, the far back left side, nada on d/s, top, cranks for first couple of hours. Worked further back to his, then my, honey holes. (Flooded dried brush, was in 5' two weeks ago, now 7'). Senko's worked well in deep flooded trees, outside edge dropped. 5' Pumpkin and Watermelon both.

Click photos to enlarge

Sammy worked well towards dusk, and missed one on the frog. My honey hole was on fire. One guy and his two kids were killing 'em on fly-lined flukes.

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4.12.'11

Discovery
From 3 till 6
Sunny.

Went to honey hole, tossed frog, Punker, and spinnerbaits, all for one hit on frog. Left early so I could go home to try and get Barrett lake tickets for May.

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4.9-10,'11
Ensenada, Mexico
Herbert and Gitta's new 2005 Hunter 45, cool sailboat.

Left at 10 a.m. Sat. morning with Mikel Walton, got there about 2. We went to Todos Santos, nada trolling out, and sailed back in, nada trolling in.

Next day left for Todos Santos about 10 a.m., same, nada, top or bottom for the few minutes we tried, Herbert could not keep us from blowing too fast (about 20 mph starting at noon) across the surface, our 1# weights could not stay on 80' average bottom, w/ squid for bait. Got back about 6 p.m., had 'all you can eat' at El Cid.

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3.28.'11

El Capitan Reservoir
Paul O. 12, me 10
From 7 till 6.30 on water.
Water, sunny all day.

Started close to dam, left side, Punker and spooks worked back to main point/honey hole, nada.
Went back to North end trees, worked first main tree tops, nada. Paul various plastics, me topwater. Nada.

Along main submerged trees Paul gets d/s fish, again and again. We worked to his honey hole (right side) where he got one on top (getting me all excited and I threw for nada for about an hour- already had most of the morning, THAT didn't help my top-addiction one iota), and more on d/s, then I went d/s and caught up. Ended up with 22 total, he got about 12, me 10.

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3.24.11

El Capitan Reservoir
Mike C. 1, me 5
From 12 till 7.00 on water.
Water 50 in new water flowing in, 60 in warmer.

Click photo to enlarge

5 bass me, Two on Gunfish (found and put new hooks on right then an there, a 'sign from the Lord' I always say), two on Red 1.5 square bill crankbait, Bomber,
one black-blue hula grub, c/r 3/4 oz tungsten,
one Mike, t/r fluke

Met at ramp 7:15 (had to go back for gas) fished till 3.30. Sunny in a.m., got cloudy by 11 a.m., windy and chilly. Rained day before, water down to 49 at entrance of far trees, went to far end, which with water 10' shy of filling, was WAAAAy back. TUL Went back a few hundred yards to warmer water, had blow up on frog, and then nada until getting one on an 'American' Gunfish I'd found and put new triple grip red trebles.

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3.22.11
Discovery
Started 4 pm-7.
Frog, and Punker and spinnerbait and d/s white grub, most of afternoon, from docks for an hour, then honey hole, nada.
Then spinnerbait (chart Terminator) got a 1.5 at H. Hole. Left at dusk, 7'ish.

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3.3.'11
El Capitan Reservoir
Vince O. 7, me 9 (all on c/r)
From 10 till 5.30 on water.
Water 59-60, cloudy most of day.
Met Vince at the usual spot, 7-11, and car pooled w/him and his aluminum boat at 9 am. Launched and off to the bank on the left side of the island (although not much of one anymore as the lake has risen about 13' now in past month, T.U.L.). Vince got one on the c/r, wave orange, brown claw after about a 1/2 hour. I tossed the Punker a bit and the jig every once and a while. Worked to the corner, and went and said hi to Ted, over on the island, Vince had met him and helped him out a week or two earlier. Made a run to the floating bathroom 1/2 way to the north, worked the point just before it on the left, metered fish, nada action. Worked to the back of the cove, water pouring in down the boulder slewn hill, nada.
Ran to the north, set up on a spot that had worked for Vince recently (he'd gotten into days with 25 fish averaging 4 lbs., and a couple of time an eight and even a 10, but last two trips he got skunked.). After anchoring along a drop off at ‘right back honey hole' we worked it w/ c/r, and me jigs, nada after an hour, with 13' dropping to 17' now. Last year guys got 50 to 100 in a day -shad balled up and not moving, I got a few, they mostly on L.C. shad. That spot was now deeper, but close by spot wise.
We then hit the left shore, straight across, tons of carp doing their thing on the shore. I tried to hit them w/ the Punker, snagging them, no luck. Another hour went by fast as we motored along that shore a couple of hundred yards.
By 2.00 we went back across where we'd anchored earlier, but a bit further north, deeper into the trees, past the honey hole side by about 100 yards, just off a flat that had been about 1-2' of water last year, and still about 200 yards before the arm opens up again. Vince casts out and gets hit immediately and breaks the line on the hookset, he's not retied all day and quickly pointed it out. Picks up another rod w/ similar bait and does the same thing with that one less than a minute later, too funny.

Click photo to enlarge.
My first was about a 3, as was this one on the left.
On the right is my 4-11 -all shots on my iPhone 4.

In the meantime, I think it's about time to ask to borrow one of his baits, I'd not gotten hit on all the plastics I'd tried (not that he had much either in that respect), like the black/blue flake lizard, pumpkin lizard, brown/orange jig, etc.. But thought what the heck, keep trying my black/blue flake twin tail Yamamoto grub since he'd got two hits so fast, maybe they didn't care what bait was there. Sure enough, fish on in no time, a nice 3. Let Vince keep it (he eats them and his earlier catch was not a keeper) and then I got another 3+ in short order, which I tossed back, as I did with all the ones I got after that.

Click photo to enlarge.
My quality kept going, all these were very healthy, fought like crazy.

We anchored and settled in for the long haul, and Vince got on them 1/2 hour later (they came and went as a school, nothing under 3 either) and I lost a big one in the trees. A bit later I lost the whole set-up, Tru-Tungsten 1 oz weight, which worked so much better than the regular big round lead one I replaced it with (the harder weight scoots through, and over, the millions of limbs you hit), the lead, being softer, grabs the stuff. Besides, it's much smaller for the same weight, helping it get through the bushes.
I also had a 25 lb mono leader (cut off the Punker rod) as my leader for my new BPS 14# fluoro, on my new Daiwa Viento reel. The BPS XPS line worked just great, never breaking on very hard hookset with the reel cranked down. Need to go to 12# mono leader- note to self, and then back to the tungsten. The heavy leader is why I'd lost the whole rig, usually just the leader breaks.

Click photo to enlarge.
Vince gets one about 5, just before the sun went behind the mountain.
I got a couple of more after the sun started to set, thus the softer light.

Farmed two more right away, and we figured out I needed to reel down a bit more and then swing, more like start fighting them and swing, that stopped me from missing most after that. The action would continue like that until 5:30, when we left. I ended up with 9, the biggest went 4-11, and a few others were just about 4's, T.U.L.!

Click photo to enlarge.

One towards sunset, they just kept coming.

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2.22.11

Murrieta Hot Springs

Solo- 12
From 2 till 8:15, 10 on white chatterbait, some on top, and then 2 on small popper after dark (7 till 8:15).

Air was chilly, clear skies. Arrived at 2, started with Texas rigged black/blue lizard, small pond, 20 min. nada. Threw the white chatterbait with white twin tail grub, had a feeling, and fish on first cast- 1-10oz.

Continued to the large pond and slowly worked my way around, picking them up in all locations. Worked it more like a buzzbait, swimming it along the top trying not to break the surface, as wobble would stop when I did that. Was fishing it on an older Curado 200 SF when a bad backlash put that rod out of business. Picked up the new Daiwa Viento and used it, mostly for that top water effect (from about 5 p.m. on). Got a 4-4 at dusk, 6 p.m.) and for that lake it's a monster (heck, a 4+ most anyplace is a monster).

Click photo to enlarge.
This beauty, a 4-4, slammed the white chatterbait on the surface.

At about 7 I put on a small popper I'd found there a few trips back and got two, plus a monster on and off it twice on the outside edge of the island, close to umbrella point. Worked the small pond before leaving w/ the popper, nada.

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2.7.'11
Murrieta Hot Springs

Me 7, Mike C., 4

Air was nice, about 75, scattered clouds, slight wind. Got cold at dark, but hey, it's winter.

Mike drove us there and we were casting by 10.30 a.m.. Big money bet for two categories, big fish and most fish ($1.50 ea.). Yours truly rocked, beat him with a 4-1 over his 1# and 6 to 3 at ending time (5 p.m.) although we stayed till about 6.00 and got a couple more.

Got mine on spinnerbait (chart/white), a sq. billed shallow crankbait (crawdad), and a small swimbait for the biggie (female bed fish, don't know where male was). Zippo topwater (frog, Spook) the little I threw it, which was right off the bat and at dusk for the Spook.

Click photo to enlarge.
This beauty, a 4-1, came off a bed,
she ate a white swimbait dead sticking.

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1.27-2.1'11
Novillo Lake, San Pedro de la Cueva, Sonora, Mexico
Rick W. 40-50, me 25-30

Air about 80-85 daily, water about 67. First day no wind, next day very (15-20 w/ 30mph gusts).

Went down w/ friend Bill C., he has a house and boat down there. Left on Thurs. the 27th at 9 a.m., stopping at Anglers Edge in Lakeside to pick up our $50 annual Mexican fishing license we'd reserved. Got to Tucson and had dinner at the Texas Roadhouse by 5 p.m., where we had great steaks and then walked Bill's English Springer Spaniel Rusty, then went another hour So. and spent the night on the border in Sierra Vista at the Candlewood Inn (Holiday Inn shoot-off) , nice w/ full kitchenette.

We stayed there instead of continuing to the lake as Bill does not like driving in Mexico at night. The border is closed from 10 p.m. till 6 a.m. and we were in line behind the first car at 5.45 a.m.. Drove the 21 km to the visa checkpoint and got our visas. $21 for maximum stay of 6 months, although we planned on being there for just over a week (same time and money if coming back before it expires). He also got the vehicle permit. We did all this in about 30 degree weather, mostly done outdoors but even the places indoors were freezing and without heat (poor workers). At that point I'd wished I brought more than a light jacket, but on checking the temp with reported lows of 45, and highs of 85, I figured it would not be needed.

After stopping again to be inspected we stopped at the Elba Restaurant in Santa Ana, which is about an hour down, and Bill's regular stop for breakfast- nice, clean and food was tasty (get the Ranchos Rancheros w/ bacon!). We then continued on to Hermosillo, the main town two hours further south, on a nice four lane, two way hwy. We then headed east on a two way paved road, but a very dangerous one in that the shoulder was a steep 3 or 4 foot drop off in many cases, and many crosses dotted the curves and some straight a ways memorializing some less fortunate drivers and passengers ;/0. We got to town about 11 a.m. and Bill started right away getting his place ship shape, and after not being there for 9 months took some doing. I'd hoped to get on the water in the afternoon, but Bill said we'd have plenty of time and would probably go out the next day ;/(.

Click photo to enlarge.
The lake looked so pretty and the end by the town, pictured here from the town, it loaded with tilapia nets. The town is named after that big cave in the background,
which over the years has caved in so much there is not much of one left.

We did go to the afternoon weigh in of the first of a two day annual tournament at the ramp, which was two miles from town. They were mostly folks from Arizona, but some from California and New Mexico, with a couple of locals, and the report was lots of fish, not many biggies. Biggest was a 7 for 23 boats. Average angler weighed 12 pounds for 5.

The next day, about 9 a.m., the weather was great, clouds and no wind, looked like an all day topwater bite, my kinda deal. After we got into the boat be backed in, and a man got into Bill vehicle to do so, Bill asked last minute if any of the kids watching spoke English, they all said no. He then continued by saying in English and 'sign language' that they should let the driver know about the emergency break release- that might hit his knuckles if not done with hand up, not down (I did not even know exactly what he meant, and I suggested my explaining it in Spanish instead of trusting kids motioning with heads saying yes and smiles on their faces (something I'd learned in my years of traveling world-wide for years of time meant 'I hear you and don't want to offend so I'm motioning this way'!). But Bill, not wanting to waste time over something he thought he'd communicated well enough said 'no, they'll handle it, and then warned me if I got out of the boat to explain if further we would just go back home'.

I was flabbergasted and thought heck, saving this guys knuckles from getting broken may be worth it, so I started to get out to do so.

Bill then said 'that's it', then got out of the boat and took us back towards his house to go home, some four miles away. I was totally discouraged about this behavior, and got out a short ways before he got there, stunned at my misfortune. I took my camera and went to shoot the old town (separate from where the area the 60 homes owned by gringos were), and hoped he'd calm down. Upon returning two hours later I found he had not, and was planning on taking me to the border the next day to the bus depot!!!

So after thinking through my options, and having traveled the world without anyone else's help, I packed up and 'moved out'. I'd already found out, looking for options for possibly coming back someday, that the local motel- 10 rooms, two beds each and clean, was $45. Then, the lady at the only restaurant in town, Maria's, told me of a B&B with 'Maria' in the old town for $10 per night! Cool, TUL (thank you Lord) upon showing up I found it to be sleazy but a good enough place, hot water and TV, and all the spiders one could want (not that I'd wanted ANY).

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The 'Novillo bass fishing club'
building has a funny sign on it, check it out.

Upon asking the price, it was suddenly $20 (gringo price, and to be expected I guess), but I said it was needed for a week and offered her $10 a night for seven nights. She was thinking hard ( 'he's a gringo, he should pay more, but seven days?, and I'd be $70 richer' kinda thinking) so as I saw the wheels in her head still turning I stuck out my hand to encourage a handshake for a deal. She slowly, hesitantly, reached out and took it, 'thank-U-Lord' I said to myself, and enthusiastically shook that hand (the wife was not happy that I skipped out and closed the gallery for 10 days, so saving money was saving a marriage at this point, all expenses were supposed to be paid, i.e., staying with Bill and not taking a bus back for example). She was understanding when I got a hold of her, she knows my heart and understood my wanting to protect a stranger. We prayed about the whole deal, and left it in the Lords hands.

After getting settled in I grabbed two of five poles and hitched a ride back to the ramp, watched the second and final day of weigh in, then fished the float on the back side of the ramp area, Punker and spook, a little c/r too, nada.

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The lake looked so pretty I had
Bill stop on the way there for this shot.

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The lake from the float, worked
this for an hour after getting my own room, nada.

As it was getting dark I met some nice local gents getting off the water, from Hermosillo, whom invited me to a fiesta at 'Allan's house', a local, well to do gent, and they gave me a lift back to town. I walked back to my home, and then back to Allan's house, about a 20 minute walk from the 'old town' where I was staying.

They made one heck of a great Carne Asada plate and it went down well with the cold beer they blessed me with. It was nice socializing and I cut out early, not wanting to wear out my welcome. They invited me out on their boats the next day, but as they each had 3 already I turned them down, hopefully I'd find a backseat in a much less crowed boat.

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The beginning of the best carne asada dinner I ever ate.

The next morning at 7.30 Bill called to see if I was still in town. I said yes and he thought it wise if we put our differences about the brake warning behind us! I agreed and he picked me up and I re-settled into his nice home again. I thought he might still be mad though as he said he wasn't feeling well and wanted to go home the next day and not fish again today, but at least he said that I could borrow his old green truck, the one he leaves down there for local travel, and go the ramp and see if I could dig up a backseat, so I did.

A few empty trailers were there, no out-of-towners were around, most of the tourney guys had gone home, so I fished the ramp. Got a huge blow-up fairly fast on the Super Spook, TUL, and then fished the docks, nada. Back to the ramp and got one on the 6' c/r black/blue flake lizard- first cast with it. Next cast broke it off. Worked through the mesquite bushes, thorns and all, along the shore, finding a spot here and there where I could reach the water, but it wasn't worth the effort, too hot and thorny, I went back to the truck and took a rest and got a cold water.

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A 2-8, the beginning of the great
fishing that was to be had.
C/R 6' black/blue flake lizard.

After eating my sack lunch and chugging a bottle of cool water in the cab of the truck, under a tree in the shade, I was daydreaming when a guy drove by behind me with a boat, AND HE WAS SOLO! I prayed nobody was going to join him and he'd take me out.

'Nobody is', he answered when asked, and I asked if he would, in trade for a piece of art, let me backseat, he agreed, TUL! Loaded up in minutes and we were off. He introduced himself as one Rick Williamson, of Alamogordo, New Mexico, mostly a Pecan farmer, but also a builder. Found out he had been coming down for 30 years and new the lake at every level, sometime so low it took 2 hours of dirt roads to get to the 'river' portion of the lake to launch, some 12 miles south of the town! (The lake had been 'full pool' for a year and a half now, but for 10 years it'd been down). He'd just come over from working on his 32' boat at the San Carlos harbor, about an hour west of Hermosillo, a popular place to deep sea fish.

First place we stopped at, a point about 2/3rd of the way to the 'river', about 8 miles away, I got a nice 2 pounder on the S. Spook in short order, and then another one back in the back of the cove. Now THIS WAS FISHING, topwater action in January, that's what the 'good life' is all about, how I'd envisioned this all my life, now I was living THE DREAM, TUL!

He started getting into them too, with a crankbait, his 'go to' bait, a spinnerbait, had not produced. We shot across the arm to another favorite spot of his, picking up fish now on the rattletrap, me one here and there on the spook still.

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Rick gets into a lot of fish, and took a break to get a shot of the
mountain seen on the south end of the arm. The weather was short of being in heaven, and the light was that type I pray for when traveling the world, giving 'half-shadows', soft but directional.

We then hit the main river section, with him pointing and telling me about the lake- turning into a professional guide, and he really tore it up at each stop now. We'd stopped off a brush point I'd suggested after tearing by it, (knowing it a perfect spot for the Punker to call one up) and he continued to work it to the back after my three or fours casts went hitless, and got a fish every four or five casts on a small 5' swimbait, he just killed them. My spook had stopped working there, weird. We hit and circled one more spot on the way back, a mile from the ramp; a sunken church with it's top still sticking out- it looked perfect for the Punker. After zippo results we got back at dusk He'd ended up with about 25 fish, me 10 or 12 all on top, what a blast. He said he had a friend coming down in two days, but I was welcome to come back out the next day- YIPEE!

I had to see if Bill was still headed back the next day, and Rick said I could stay at his giant place if I'd wanted, I'd just have to take a bus back; worth it to fish this place some more I figured. BUT when I got back I found Bill to be truly sick, having a hard time breathing and coughing. And since he needed help to drive the long 12-13 hour trip back (he's 71) I decided to cut out early with him, what a bummer. I checked in with Pat, the boat repairman that works for/stays at Ray Scott's house across the street, he'd just returned from fishing and was unloading a ton of bass (a lot of the guys from AZ come down for meat fishing, over-fishing it as nobody checks for proper limits- too bad. While chatting Bill came out and said heck, he'd thought about it and could be sick here as well as at home, he'd wait a day to go home, allowing me a day more to fish, TUL! So I reported back to Rick I'd join him, we planned on leaving his home at 6 a.m. sharp. Life was beautiful!

So, 5:45 a.m. Bill drove me to Rick's, where I introduced them, and we were off. We woke the launching man up as it was dark out still (he lives right there in a small shack), and we scooted across the lake in the dark at 50 mph, in 38 degree 'coolness'. Luckily Rick loaned me his jacket, as he'd donned a full length rain suit before departing. I zipped it up over my nose and ears and peered out to see bits of light reflecting off the still water, light was just getting visible showing the outline of the mountains. I'd wished I'd brought my narrow life jacket at that point, we could hit a tilapia fisherman and never know it.

We got to 'runway island' 10 minutes later and took the shortcut, left side, which we found to be deep enough, 9', to use. (He'd warned me there might not be enough water, my thoughts of the jacket came to fore-front again!) We continued our speed across the lake, now on the river portion. About 2 miles down we pulled over and started to fish. I don't know how he could feel his left hand, it had been exposed the whole way, with wind chill that 15 minute run must have been at 30 degrees!

I noticed a nice hump to an island not far away, and said I thought we should pull a couple off of it. A while later, as I tossed the Punker over it, I got slammed by a nice 3-8 or so, and a while later a two pounder ate it, same area/hump, TUL.

Click photo to enlarge.

I get a 3 1/2# largemouth fairly fast, still getting light out,
on the trusty Lunker Punker, over the hump I figured would hold fish.

We fished a few islands and worked out way back north. The wind came up at about 10 a.m., 10-15 mph, and I prayed it'd die down out loud, as Rick said if it didn't we'd have to head back in, as the main arm would be dangerous. It laid halfway down minutes later, TUL- ('your wish came true' he said! :/) we continued fishing.

Took a lunch break at noon, and fished some more, he jigs and lost a lunker in the trees, having only 15# braid, I suggested 65 next time, those bushes with big bass demand that at the least, or instant loss of fish. Wind came back up and we went in around 1.30, about his usual time when his wife is along, and usually is he said. Sure enough, the main arm had about 3 to 4' rolling whitecaps covering it, wind coming from the north, straight at us, and we took one over the bow when he stopped to baton down the trolling motor which started knocking around; thank God I'd just put my camera behind us in a box, as the floorboard spot it was on got flooded by that wave and would have ruined a $700 camera, TUL.

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Rick Williamson gets a nice one right off the bat too.

Bill and I got up at 4 and left at 5 a.m. the next morning, and we made it back in good time, stopping at the Elba Restaurant in Santa Ana again in the a.m.. As I drove most of the way, at one spot a Mexican Hwy Patrolman was sitting in the center divider area and a truck sped by me at about 75 mph at the same time his radar hit us (Bill has a detector) and the guy was pulled over. I'd been doing 66 mph in a posted 65 mph zone, but you never know down there, he might have tried to get a bribe... glad I didn't have to find out.

Bill says he'd like me to show him Clearlake and the Delta later in the year, so hopefully that will happen. He's a good guy and I like him a lot, just sometimes personalities clash. I'm an extrovert and he an into, but we are both perfectionists, it all makes life go round huh?

2.29.'12 NOTE: Well, we decided to try our luck again a year later, and had a wonderful time on the water for many days, see Feb. of 2012 for my report.

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1.17.'11
EL Capitan
Vince 6-7 and me 2, 75 degrees, water about 60.
Met Vince at 11 and launched and throwing c/r and t/r by noon. Nada, although he had been doing well lately, got an 8 too. We tried a few other spots, incl just before boulder bay, and working 1/2 back in the trees, nada. Finally close to his honey hole, along shore in 10-20' dropoff from last summer and he got a couple. I finally got one on a c/r 6 blue/blk lizard, 20# fluoro w/ 25# mono Izor leader (mussel resistant). Nice 2-8 chunk.

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I got a nice one one the c/r6' black/blue flake lizard. His friend tools along next to us on the way to the buster action and Vince holds one up minutes later. She hit after it fell through the shad ball.

He'd reported buster at dusk and I couldn't wait for that, and sure enough after the shadows fell on the back area the water started to explode all over. He got a couple of nice ones right away, on a smaller kastmaster. I tried various lures, underspin, topwater spooks, etc., and only got one. He ended up with about 6 for the day and me 2.

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1.12.'11
Murrieta Hot Springs
Solo, 65 degrees, water about the same.
Ended up with 9, nothing over two lbs, but got four on top, buzzbaits and ripping the spinner, the other 5 were w/ spinner on bottom. Can't beat that.

Lake Perris Nutcase Rally, Jan. 2nd, 2011

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Smelled so good even the State Park Rangers were drawn in!

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Group shot, taken by the State Ranger we'd just fed.
Back row, first five: ? Pete Marino, ? Brian Day, and ?
Back row, second five: Scott Dipman (ASD), Gary 'Obi-Hub' Collins, Macinckirk,
Tony Stoltz, Mike Robinett
Mid. row: Merri and John (nunyo business), and ?
Front: Michael and Barry, the winner, most fish, and 'odd nut' (non-bass) fish.

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Super size for printing (36' wide).
Open, save and then reduce size to 8x10 at 250 dpi.

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Enjoying the good eats and fellowship.

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The clouds got pretty spectacular as the storm got more intense.

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Mike Robinett takes a break from reeling in fish to get a mug shot!