Captain Cali

Excellent rule and so adopted. I hereby appoint you masterbait.........errrrr.......I mean Baitmaster for life! Question...does one have to be married to a BAM member?

Raul...You really know how to C.Y.A. ;D

Are you serious or are you just willing to take the heat?

Exactly! I show my buddies how to lip a bass and take the hook out but they are on their own after that. I'll jump in if they have problems but they have to touch the fish at some point if they want to fish. Now if it's a little kid that's a different story but this dude is 21!

How is it poaching if you don't harvest anything? You would have to shoot and kill something if you wanted to poach. So if I take a gun into to woods for PROTECTION and have no intention of shooting for the sake of hunting, I'm poaching? I don't get that... :-?

California does the same thing. 2 free days each year. 1 Day California License = about $11 2 Day California License = about $17 1 Year California License = $34.90 2nd Rod Stamp = About $4 Saltwater Stamp = About $4 The license must be worn above your waist and visable for anyone to see. I think if you're under 16 or a minor you can fish without a license if you're with a licensed adult. I've heard rumors of fines being anywhere from $150 to $700 for fishing with out a license. I really don't know what to believe but I've heard the $700 number from a lot of people. I'm guessing it's up to the judge.

Another thing I carry besides a couple of long nose of pliers are some good heavy duty cutting pliers/dikes. You can cut the hook in half and it will make taking it out easier. I have yet to do this but have come close and probably should have in a few occasions. If you see the point, sometimes you can pull the hook out backwards with pliers if you cut the line.

;D One step ahead as always!

I myself haven't kept any freshwater fish but a friend of mine does on occasion. He would probably keep more if it wasn't for me. When I used to fish for "bass food" I'd sometimes give my catch to another angler but I never kept any.

;D Thanks! LBH dubbed me "Captain Cali". I don't know about being dubbed " a champion of west coast bass fishing" just quite yet though. I'm flattered by the comment but there is a long way to go for that. There are a lot of great anglers out here with a lot more experience than me. They have earned that title. Maybe when I have a few years of experience under my belt, I'll give 'em a run for their money! BTW, I would much rather catch big bass over small bass. One 5+ pounder gives me more satisfaction than ten 2 pounders. I can't imagine the feeling of a double digit. At this point I go after both numbers and size to gain experience.

I'm not sure on the regs for your state but in California you can not transport any live fish. It doesn't matter what your reason, unless of course you legally buy one from a pet store or breeder. Taking fish from one body of water to another is against the law here. Check the your local regs or you could get in trouble.

bigtex, thanks. That's what I thought but wasn't sure.

Both. It all depends on where and how I'm planning on fishing. If I know a body of water has 10+ pound bass in it...I usually target those fish by throwing nothing but big baits, mainly swimbaits unless I hear they are biting something else. I don't want 2 pounders out of a lake that holds 10 to 20 pound bass. But if a lake has nothing but dinks I go for numbers. I will agree with you that nothing builds confidence more than catching a boat load of bass with a new technique or lure.

WOW!! That first one has a huge gill plate. I'm curious again...why do some state the bait/lure used and some don't. Is it up to the angler to let that become public info?

That is a BIG bass. I'd say 10+ with a full belly. Without seeing it's belly I think it's around 8 to 9 pounds. Great job!

10+

One of mine was to get confident with soft plastic baits. Mission accomplished! Second was to commit to throwing big swimbaits. I've been slacking on that part so far mainly because I'm having so much fun with different soft plastic baits.

Yes...Obsessed comes to mind as well. I think Crupi was more obsessed than Long is. Long seems to know when to take a break and when to turn up the heat. Crupi always had the heat turned up and never really took a break. He is a cop so I don't think he knows how to turn down the heat. That's the biggest difference and the fact that Crupi fished primarily with live bait.

I just started Sowbelly. Got through the first 2 chapters last night (1. Bob Crupi 2. Mike Long). I have a new found respect for those 2 men after reading it and I had huge amounts of respect before reading. If there was a picture for the word PASSION in the dictionary it would be of Bob Crupi and Mike Long. Anyone who believes these men are/were in this chase soley for money I suggest you read the first 2 chapters of this book. Up next, chapter 3, Jed Dickerson and the boys. 8-)

Interesting. Which swimbaits are made out of composite wood? The only wood "swimbait" I own is the MS Slammer, which is made out of cedar wood I believe.

::)Oh boy...do I have to bust out my cape! ;D

Yes. You are correct. Same lake the 19.75 came out of last week.

I usually start with some sort of search bait unless I know the fish are snapping on a certain bait. I find that a lot of times, I'll be fishing a search bait for nada only to switch to a finesse bait and get bit right away. It all depends on the day.

BINGO!!!!!!!! Ditto! 8-)

;D No problem...I was going to...but decided to spare everyone, including myself! :-[ ;D