Supermat

I don't like to crank with the line for one main reason... stretch. Or rather, the lack of it! Everyone has their preferences but for me I want a line with some give when I am pounding rocks for big fish. That give is what keeps the hooks in place. For my cranking I use the P-Line CXX and for frogging I use their Spectrex. For everything else, be it jerkbait, blade, spoon, worm, etc... I use the Premium.

Did not mean to be harsh. By no means do I consider you to be ignorant, just that statement. I'm always caught off guard when people say that a product won't work for someone since every product works for somebody. The CXX is an excellent line... for certain things but under 90% of circumstances that Premium is phenomenal and just blows it away. I wouldn't be using the Premium if I didn't have full faith in it, both Fourbizzle and I have landed DD's on it in VERY ROCKY conditions, to me that speaks volumes about a line's capabilities. I respect your opinion and I'm glad to hear that you are experimenting to find what you feel is the best for you. My apologies if my original statement came across too harsh. Matt

Roadwarrior, Your comment about P-Line seems a little ignorant to say the least. I USED to use Yo-Zuri quite a bit of the time but have since switched to P-Line. I understand your decision to use YoZuri, its nice stuff, but its not the best for all situations. (or any in my opinion) I understand you're a good fisherman, I'm suprised that you'd be so stuck on something like that. Maybe you should give CX Premium a try... might change your mind. To get back on subject, I LOVE Premium. I use the 10 lb to dropshot, darthead, etc... because you can get away with the larger line weight due to diameter. If you're concerned about abrasion resistance just upsize the line weight (it will still be a smaller diameter than most other lines) The ONLY thing I don't use the premium for is cranking and frogging for obvious reasons. Other than that 10-30 lb covers all my various needs.

Who here does it and has success? If any of guys up North are getting fish fish I'd like to pick your brain about a few things. Its not exactly something we do out here in the warm California waters so there is no one to talk about it with.

Case not closed... According to another site KVD is CURRENTLY ranked number 1 in the world. Now THAT is case closed.

I don't think that your opinion makes you unpopular at all. Personally, I choose to fish for bedding bass under certain conditions and not under others. I don't believe that what I do is detrimental to my fisheries and that is my choice. At the same time I have utter RESPECT for any angler who chooses to leave bedding fish alone just as I respect any angler who goes out of his way to preserve bass fishing. Thanks for making that decision, even though we don't see eye-to-eye on the matter I will never bash a positive decision that promotes our sport and that guards the fish we all enjoy. Matt

Castaway, I actually stay with the same size hook but go with a 2X version. I've never had a single problem with hookup, just with bending nout light wire hooks. If you tend to be a light fisherman than you're ok, I fish aggresively so I have to go with heavier hooks.

Use 'em and love 'em! Throw them when you need to cull up, in deep water, or when the fish are eating larger forage. They're basically the same as any other lipless except they've got a great weight for the size at 1 oz. Get's down quick and hugs the bottom really nicely. Not as loud as say the LV-500 but they'll still be very audible.

Senile1, First off, I'm very competitive, I love the challenge, I love the win, I learn from the losses. Competition is in my blood, its why I fish tournaments. Now, I'm also a trophy hunter, I'm not the best, I'm not the "worst" (if there is such a thing), but I definetely watch how other people do. I LOVE to watch other guys sticking big fish, it makes my day! But its also motivation to get my butt back out on the water and get to work. All that said, I know Chris and I can honestly say he means what he's saying. The guy just isn't competitive and doesn't seem to care. I think he tracks his number so HE knows how HE'S doing, plus all the info tracking helps you apply tactics and ideas in the future. Chris doesn't seem to be out to impress anybody, make a name, or act high and mighty. He just loves to fish more than the rest of us can fathom! Chris was very instrumental in my catching my first double-digit... and the second... and, oh, alright, I still apply stuff he talked about back in the day! Point is, he's legit and he's friendly, you ever have questions, problems, etc... he's right there. I don't know how he maintains his friendly attitude in the cut throat world of big-bass but he does. Matt

Winter: Reaction Innovations DoubleWide Sweet Beaver in "BloodyBug" Spring: *** Beaver Craw in "Double Fudge Suprise" Summer: 6" Pro Worm in a variation of shad, dropshotted or dartheaded Fall: Zoom Super Fluke in "Smokin Shad"

Bass Mechanik, After you catch them they SHOULD go right back to the nest. I've seen big females return as quickly as 2 or 3 minutes, some take a while longer. If she's still needed she'll be right back in there. Mattlures gave you some awesome advice on how to irritate the female as well as what not to do. Personally, I'd heed that advice and never forget it... that guy knows how to catch 'em! Good luck out there, let's see the photos when you stick all those big girls!

The only reason I'd want them is to cover baits at weigh-in when I used something other people haven't thought of for those conditions but its just as easy to cut the baits off and put them under the deck!

You're exactly right, I wrote this above. Its a fact that at certain times of the year pickings get tough for trophy guys if they only stick to the big fish. During those times I'll take an occasional "normal" trip or fish a few tournaments to put a little dent in the long list of skunks! In the same light there are times of year when you catch a 7 lber and wonder, why did I get out of bed this morning? If I'd just stayed in bed maybe I'd have enough energy to come back tommorrow and catch a 10! Haha, unfortunately its not that time of year right now... I'd kill for another 8 or 9 to string me along. It really is a different world when you go for trophies but that doesn't mean that only elites can do it, anyone can catch a trophy with a little work. Also, your comment about the guy getting a good one on a buzzbait, that happens sometimes out here too. A young kid caught an 18 in a lake out here a few years ago splitshotting a 4" worm!!! That's crazy, but it happens! www.calfishing.com/gallery/v/members/supermat

I got to fish with a unit once and I would definetely say that it made an improvement in the bite. Its a fascinating device... doesn't work right away, seems like the fish have to warm up to it for 10 or 20 minutes.

Cabela10, My perception on the matter is simply this, Why? Why would guys on argueably the best water in the world want to leave to fish lakes with smaller fish? Why would they want to go half way across the country to prove something? Mike Long specifically is an incredible fisherman. If I'm not mistaken, he did go to Texas and promptly set a record there. I'm not attacking you at all either but what I'm saying is, where is the motiviation? California guys have no issue with the rest of the country so why go East, set records, etc... for respect? Naw, all you'd end up with is a bunch of guys telling the Cali boys to go home after they realized all their records had been nabbed! ;D What most of us do out here in nothing special, its just another technique. If any one of you got as good with a swimbait as you are with a jig or spinnerbait you'd be knocking out your own records just as fast as you could go. That's a FACT, its all about building the confidence because while there is no "sure thing" when it comes to record setting, swimbaits are about as close as you can get.

I've done really well on the Flat CB MR's in the "Aurora Black" color in our tidal waterways. I'm sure the usual colors would work really well also. Its a nice bait, has a nice, tight wobble but kicks out a lot of flash.

Fourbizzle hit the nail on the head! You said it yourself bro, they're chasing away the Tilapia! So... why not throw a bait that looks just like a Tilapia?! I know the baits are a bit pricey but if you pick one up and throw it into those beds you're going to see reactions you've never seen before. And I don't mean after 10 hours, I mean swim it through the bed a couple times then leave it in there and you're going to see a really angry female in a matter of seconds! Go big, they'll eat it! If price bothers you just think... how much money do you have invested in bass fishing? Is it worth 22 bucks to give yourself the best shot you've ever had at catching the biggest bass of your life? http://www.mattlures.com/ultimatebluegill.htm

Needemp, I'm new to this site so I'm not going to go on ranting and raving but I want to put some things out there. It seems like you've just got some misconceptions about what we Cali guys do. Its true we catch big fish in deep, clear lakes. Its also true that we catch big bass in shallow fisheries like Clearlake and the California Delta. Some of these areas are 5 feet deep for a quarter mile and yes, you'll find us in the very back corner flippin' jigs in 6" of water for those big green girls. When times get tough you might even find us dragging 4" worms on Carolina rigs, dartheading, dropshotting, etc. Not to mention, Clearlake and the delta do not and have never recieved any trout stockings. Additionally, not all "big bass" guys fish tournaments but a LOT of them do and many have done very well! Also, something you might not consider is that you see the picture that we portray for you. You say your bad day is when you blank and a good day is when you catch some? There are six months out of the year where a good day was getting a single bite on a swimbait, regardless of whether or not I landed her! Yes, there are awesome days and you see those photos but you don't see the 1, 2, 5, or 30 trips in between where there are no photos to show. Is swimbait fishing "different" out here? You better believe it! We're blessed to play with some of the biggest bass in the world. That said, there is no reason you can't pick up a swimbait that imitates the forage in your waters (www.mattlures.com) and catch the biggest bass of your life too! And finally, you don't seem to think that trophy hunters make it in the "big circuits". Consider Ish Monroe and Michael Iaconelli for a moment. While I wouldn't say that they're both true California trophy hunters they definetely have learned the art of catching giant bass and no doubt, you've seen them on the circuits! Here are those two fine examples of guys who catch big California bass that have also put a wee bit of a dent in the tournament world. Well, I guess I lied, I did do a bit of ranting! But I don't blame you one bit, there a lot of common misconceptions about what happens in this state. Fishing is low on the very long list so its all good.

I was going to say the same thing, Ginrin Peche can get just about anything you need!

I must agree, Matt's stuff is top notch! Not only do I throw his baits all the time, I've got a whole cardboard box of "back-ups" so I never run out when I've got a hot bite going!

I agree that in most conditions you don't need a belly treble. If you get yourself in a position where you're getting a lot of bites but they aren't hooking up then go with a size 2 on the bottom. I'd recommend a 2x hook in this situation to give you a little added strength with such a small hook. Matt

Chris! You never told me you lost a bigger one. That's awesome! I've got to hook one of those things some time. BTW, talked to IGFA and you're all clear with the braid, that just applies to the line classes.

The biggest fish I've ever lost that I got a clear look at... I'd put her right at about 15 lbs. I was swimbaiting on a crisp February morning and she hit HARD, one of those bone-jarring bites. I survived the first 3 jumps but on the 4th jump right out of net range the 1/0 Gamakatsu trebles just couldn't hold up and that bait when wizzing by my head! She sat there wallowing for a few more seconds before she realized she was unhooked, those were the longest seconds of my life! All in all I've lost 5 or 6 fish between 13 and 15 lbs. Lost another girl that I couldn't control on 25 lb line but she may have just been a tempermental double digit, not necessarily a high teen and I never got to see her. Those fish still haunt me but hey, that's how we learn!

Of my top 10 Double-digits, 8 came on swimbaits while the other two came on texas rigged plastics. It should be noted that the two on plastics were both spawning fish. www.calfishing.com/gallery/v/members/supermat

The LV-500 in Ghost Minnow or Chartreuse Shad.