tunaman

Why wouldn’t I? I have integrity and a strong work ethic, and while I am being paid to be a professional I’m going to continue to act as one.

^^^… and further and faster… Small boats can get into areas bigger boats can’t, however. I fished a WON Bass event on Havasu quite a few years ago, and drew a guy in an aluminum 17’-er who ran up river and took me into ‘Disneyland’… had to push pole over a couple of beaver dams through some channels which were only a couple of feet wide with a foot or so of water, but once we got back into the juice it was magical! Quite a few of those tournaments have been won over the years back in the backwaters.

I’m an old guy, and it is usually barefoot for me unless it is cold. I keep a pair of white ankle socks to put on when the deck gets hot, and I wear a pair of sandals when launching or walking on the dock. Don't understand what the big deal is…

Did it once about 15 years ago at Lake Casitas. We were camping out in the motorhome and had a nice BBQ and late night campfire with my buddy BD, and Dave (RIP) and Rob of Orso swimbaits fame, and we agreed to do a hangover turkey shoot the next morning. Rob hopped in my boat the next morning and Dave hopped in with BD, and off we went. Probably five minutes later my bilge pump came on and I realized my mistake. I opted to just continue to fish rather than hauling out, as we were in my Ranger Z20 (unsinkable) and figured the pump could use a good workout. Hadn't done it since, until a couple of weeks ago. Fortunately my Z521 has the remote drain switch so I was able to close it quickly and go park my Tahoe.

Awesome sir - well done. Looking forward to seeing more next year!

They did at one point… DVL (Diamond Valley Reservoir) was a prime example, and Mike Guisti did a masterful job of putting together a world-class fishery. Castaic was always a sh*tshow, due to the constant drawdowns and refills, and it always boggled my mind how it could have such a healthy population of big bass given the constant temperature fluctuations. Casitas was my home away from home - spent a lot of time there prior to the quagga fiasco with the wife and our motorhome. For anyone who isn’t familiar, go check out Big Bait Posse on YouTube, or some of Orso Dave’s (RIP) videos he posted (roberdave on YouTube). To see how far Casitas has been mismanaged just breaks my heart… they had a recent tournament where NO ONE weighed in a legal bass… unheard of. That is one of the reasons I am no longer a resident of Commiefornia.

A lot of the guys do, but go watch Hellman’s YT vid where he will never do so again… his screens got clogged due to the rotted foam and he lost his catch. If you’re using noodles, be sure they’re fresh and ALWAYS check your screens. Of course, that should be a part of the daily routine anyway. Another benefit to using them is reducing the likelihood that one rockets out when they see the lid open up. Everyone seems to be really casual about opening their lids to check fish or cull, but back in the day we always took care to block as there were numerous cases where a lively captive would rocket out and gain freedom before getting to the scale.

Depends… I use as few as four, and as many as six typically. I use more wraps for smaller diameters, and usually try to apply some Super Glue gel on the connection when I have the luxury of time. I was fortunate to get paired with Aaron (Martens) in the US Open in 2006, and at that time he was using the uni. For some of his lighter rigs he sometimes used 8 or 9 wraps. I’ve caught two double-digit largemouth on the Delta using 20# PowerPro to 6# Pline flouro, and 100# bluefin on 60# LineOne to 30# Seaguar Blue Label using the connector, so I have the ultimate confidence in it.

Yep… used it for more years than many here have been fishing, for all braid to flouro/mono for both fresh and salt, and it just works great for me. I can tie it blindfolded in gale force winds.

I just have to thank you for all of your contributions! I grew up in Southern California, moved to Northern California (Delta area) for about 7 years, and fished all over the State. In those waters, smallies were always a bycatch if they were present at all. I know largemouth well, and spots, but aside from occasional trips to Havasu, Mead and Mohave I never had the reason to target smallies. As the saying goes, “a bass is a bass is a bass”, but now that I predominantly fish Mohave I’ve discovered that isn’t quite true and have learned how much I didn’t know about them - they are quite a different beast. I stumbled on this thread while trying to get to understand them a little, and this has been a master class for sure. Please keep the discussion going - it is very much appreciated!

Socks are mandatory IMHO, as are lure wraps for treble hook baits.

I have in my Z521L. I can fit at least two rods per opening, in some cases three, so I have effectively more than doubled my rod storage. I did buy rod socks for all, as it makes it all possible, and it can be a bit of a challenge getting to a rod at the very bottom of the locker, but typically I have all of the current rods in use on the upper-most layers. I like the approach myself.

I’ve bought a bunch of Stick Jackets for all of the rods in my boat… they seem to be well made and are reasonably priced. The local Sportsman’s usually has them in stock.

Because… Delta. Punching, flipping, froggin’ - when I lived there most of the reels were spooled with 65#.

Surprised no one has a Berkeley Cyclone: I have one and have used it for many years. I also have a large Berkeley saltwater winder I bought off eBay many years ago for my saltwater reels, but that is a different story.

^^^THIS^^^, until it gets caught in someone’s prop and cuts their lower seal… ask me how I know this

If they want it, they’ll come from a long way to get it. I caught a good largie in Mildred (flooded island on the California Delta) throwing a wacky Senko in the open and watched the fish swim out of 2’ of water at Mach II for at least 30 yards to go inhale it. Largemouth love them, and I’ve always got one rigged up.

Been using it, fresh and salt, since I learned it in the mid-80’s. I use it as my main knot, and line-to-line connector, for everything from 4# to 60#. I can tie it with my eyes closed, and have complete and proven confidence in it. Often times I’ll use soft bait glue on the splice to mitigate guide drag.