skekoam

I'm willing to pay the exorbitant fee. ?

Hey OP. Have you tried DVL yet? I got skunked there a few weeks ago on a boat at well. I mentioned in another post that boat fishing is really hard on a large lake unless you know exactly where to go or have some electronics. I may as well had a blindfold on that day because I didn't have a clue. I will stay the staff and rental people were very friendly at DVL. I only hooked one LMB, but he knew I was a novice and spit the hook on a head shake as he charged the boat. With regards to @Hammer 4 advice, my son and I went to Laguna Niguel lake on Sunday afternoon and the place was pretty packed since it seems like there is limited areas to fish. Guys were there all day and took up most of the shoreline. It seems like there might be good areas on the other side of the lake, but not sure it is accessible. I saw a guy catch two LMB, but looks like he was going for catfish using a weight and nightcrawler. I made about 50+ casts with a senko and not even a bite. Went near the docks and let my son catch a few bluegill there, but even the docks were super crowded. Some guys there were catching bluegill and casting them out again for bait.

Thanks Tom. Anyone hear of Todd Krine? He's a friend of a friend and comes highly recommended. I think he charges about $500 for full day (2 fishers).

Awesome. Only issue is, now I will want to buy 7 more rods to fill the rack. ughhhh

Thanks for the advice. I still have not caught a fish on a crank bait yet. I need to work at it though. Had no idea of all the intricacies involved.

Is there a nice rod rack that you guys recommend? We have storage cabinets along the walls so there isn't really room to do any drilling. I guess I probably need to opt for some sort of free standing apparatus. I started the year with one rod, but now have 5 and they just lay against the wall for now. I want something to protect them and keep them out of the way. Thanks

My son and I are avid golfers. Is it bad that during every round, we are scoping out every pond to see bass? LOL

So my son was telling me that for his next birthday, he would like nothing more than going bass fishing with a guide. I have no idea about who, when, where, and cost of such an endeavor. Any suggestions and tips would be appreciated. Thanks

So my son and I went to DVL yesterday. Hit the water about 11 am, which is much later than I would have liked. It was such a different experience for me since it was out first time bass fishing off a boat. Not only that, but the water there is really deep. We started off in a cove and anchored about 15 yards from the shore. My son was using a drop shot, which again was tough since he as using a baitcaster and I have no idea if he ever reached the bottom. No luck for him. I switched to a weighted senko and started casting towards shore. I had one or thought I did until he jumped and shook the hook. I'm not sure how many times I will lose fish until I get it through my head that I need to properly set the hook. Large lakes are really hard to navigate with no electronics and a small boat that is difficult to keep in one place. The current was hard to deal with as well.

I'm going to try this set up at DVL next week. I hope to get rent a boat, but will try it off the bank too if need be.

Thanks Tom. I'm going to the local tackle store tomorrow and grab those items. One question though, how do you rig the robo worm? Nose hook? Also, why do some guys use a swivel to hold the weight up for Carolina rig and others use bobber stopper?

Nice. thanks for that. is there a gripper/scale in one?

Never fished bass until a few months ago as something to do with my 9 yr old son. I don't have a scale yet, but curious what you think the weight on these two are. The second pic was in the dark so the fish was actually quite a bit larger than it looks. My son is about 4ft 6 for comparison.

I'm curious if drop shotting is recommended in a small lake/pond from the shore. It seems a lot more effective from a boat in deep waters where the bait isn't at a severe angle.

Thanks guys. I'm looking forward to learning a lot and hopefully meeting some of you guys to show me how its done. My son and I are golfers and started going for bass a few months ago and we are both hooked. It has come to a point where my kid would rather fish than golf now. ughhh!!!

To answer your questions: I've mainly been using a Senko with size 3 or 4 offset hook. As mentioned, I really like throwing the Fat Ika as well, but have only caught one LMB on it. I also have a chatter bait lure and billed lure that looks like a bluegill, but have never even got a bite on these. I currently use a Shimano SLX DC with a gear ratio of 6.2:1 I believe. This is my first baitcaster. I have the casting down, but not sure I'm doing much else correctly. Rod is a Phenix 7ft med-heavy. Line is just regular 8lb test. I went to a local golf course lake a few nights ago and lost two on the Senko. I think my problem is that I'm not setting the hook correctly. Also, I've been trying to hand my pole to my son to reel in when I have a fish. In a split second, the fish jumps and spits the hook. I appreciate all the info thus far. So far, I've tried the following lakes: Laguna Lake- So far we caught 4 here all in the 1-2 lb range. Ralph B Clark Park- 1 Dink Yorba Regional- 1 Dink Irvine Lake- 1 Dink, but had two much larger that spit the hook A few weeks ago, my son go this one on a golf course. I need to buy a scale, but I'd say it was about 4-5 lbs.

I drove by that lake yesterday. I assume fishing is reserved for residents and guests only? Looking forward to see how the catch is there.

Hey guys, my son and I are fairly new to LMB fishing and I'm looking to explore some lakes within an hr or so that aren't overly pressured. We have been to Irvine Lake once and I had two nice ones on, but they spit out my Fat Ika on both occasions. Feel free to pm me if that works better. Oh, and we don't have access to a boat so we are shore only. Thanks!!

Hey guys, I'm from Orange County, CA. I was originally from Oregon where I fished a lot of salt water as a kid. Just started fishing local lakes here in California with my son. We love going for LMB. Only issue is the lakes here are severely pressured. I look forward to learning more about different fishing techniques and possibly finding some new spots where my son and I can actually catch a few when we go out. Thanks!