WRB-2.0

Bass can easily travel up and down in the water column, they suspend at the depth where their airbladder have reached nuetral bouyancy. Bass prefer to look up and attack from below, but they often follow wounded bait down into deeper water and eat them laying on the bottom. Generally the range is plus/minus 30, meaning a bass suspended (nuetralized) at 30 feet can go up to the surface or down to 60 without much trouble. The airbladder expands too much to go much beyond a 30 foot rise and still be able to eat something. WRB

Interesting, how cold do you think the water was? Threadfin shad, the size big crappie can eat, die off when the water drops below 45 degrees. Sliversides, a samll baitfish similar to Threadfin shad can take a few degrees colder water arounf 42 and the bigger gizzard shad can survive 40 degrees water for short time period. There are all kinds of things bass eat that can damage their mouth tissue, soft tissue baitfish like shad isn't something that should be reddening the mouth. Whatever it turns out to be, seeing red mouth crappie is a good observation and gives some food for thought. WRB

Most of the lakes in SoCal are 100 to 300 feet deep. You simply need to determine at what depth the bass are using, usually close to the initial thermocline layer. Use you sonar unit to meter the thermocline depth or ask you local DFG/DNR person who works at the lake. 35 feet is fairly common depth, you need to figure out your lake at the time period. Fish outisde main lake points, islands and hump that interscet the thermocline depth and you be near bass. Drop shotting is an excellent presentation, structure spoons, underspins and jigs all work well for deeper water areas. WRB

You need to post a picture that clearly shows the entire inside of the basses mouth. If the entire soft tissue is inflammed red, then it's may not be caused by eating crestaceans like crayfish. Rosey lips and crunchers located in the top and back of the mouth will turn redish from eating crawdads. Nest building can also cause some mouth damage, bass don't have hands. WRB

The biggest loss that I have heard of is 4 compete bass rigs, including tow vehicles, to Mexican bandits. Aaron Martens forgetting to check in, lost a Classic. How many rod/reel combo's have been kick overboard or blew out of the boat, can't recall. A few cell phones and complete tackle bags and boxes that were left on the back deck. Yes bass fishing can get expensive when we get a careless. WRB

native Californian, SoCal area. Under the weather or I wouldn't be wasting my time answering this, should be on the water. WRB

The ponds, too small to b a lake, are nearly featureless. They may be over stocked with too many varieties of pan fish. They stock rainbow trout; try a #5, 6" Huddleston swimbait. Otherwise forget about these ponds and find yourself something that can sustain a good bass population. WRB

JC, answered your PM, good luck. Senko's are designed to make slight wiggle movements as they sink using a 3/0 to 5/0 worm hook, no weight. Today Senko's are fished nearly every way possible. The wacky rigged, drop shot technique works well and a small rubber O-ring slid over the worm and back about 1/3rd will save some Senko's from being lost. Think slow saturation fishing a small area. WRB

Call Don Iovino and he will set you up for our local lakes, including the Castiac lagoon; 818/848.6180 8" to 10" plastic worms or 6" & 8" Huddleston swimbaits are good choices for the lower lagoon. PM me and I can give you some specific in formation that will work for both you and your young fisherman. WRB

Fish a 10" Power worm or buzzer at night. Darkness gives you a big advantage fishing a pond. Good luck. WRB

Bluegill wake bait like Tru-Tungsten or if your budget can afford a Mattslures hard bluegill floater. Make sure your tackle is up to speed to both cast lures and handle the larger bass. The bass you watched was telling you what it wants to eat, listen to it. WRB

When you bring up the space for tying in a post or response, it's just outside the box, upper right. "Check spelling" in blue. Hit to check, hit again to resume typing. I see said the blind man, thank you. WRB

Spell check? please explain where it is and how to use it on this site! WRB PS; what do you do with the critically injured bass?

Hopefully my comment is not too far off track from the original post, but when reading this (above) I thought I'd jump in. In terms of dissolved oxygen, the O2 levels are greatly dependent on sunlight penetration, are they not? If you have murky water, for example, and its summer time- sunlight will only penetrate the first few feet of water, so photosynthesis is limited to that space, and the thermocline should also be pulled up closer to the surface due to limited light penetration, true? And, if bass rarely go below the thermocline (baitfish feed on plankton and other things that depend on the sunlight & photosynthesis, better O2 levels, visiblity issues, etc) then, at least in quite stained water, should this not position bass fairly shallow 'naturally' as a consequence? You factor in wind, sprng water, streams, creeks and rivers. Moving water via wave action or tumbling over rocks etc., oxygenates the upper water column. Sun light drives photosynthesis, however aquatic plants consum Do during the night. The water would need to be very dirty to reflect sun light penetration to a few feet, most off color water will still have a depth of light about 5 to 6 feet. If the alke doesn't have deeper water, a lot of low land and natural lakes in Florida for example, restrict the bass from finding deeper water and must adapt to the water they live in. The bass in shallow lakes use heavy weed mates that provide shade that cools the water under them a few degrees. The bass will still seek the coolest water possible, under hot water conditions. If the wind stops and the heat continues to over heat the water, the bass will die off from lack of DO. Threadfin shad eat phyto planton, gizzard shad and some other baitfish eat zoo plankton, vegetable verese animal. Most baitfish eat small water or airborne creatures that live in or near the weed cover. The one constant that you can depend on is; bass will not be far from prey. The thermocline (metalimnion) is located where the upper layer cools about 3 to 4 degrees within a few feet, in most lakes. The idea that lakes only have one thermocline and no DO below that layer can be miss leading. Lakes that have current can and do have multiple thermocline layers with sufficent DO level between. The lowest layer (hypolimnion) will be void of DO. Where I fish the lakes often have 2 or more thermocline layers and bass populations living at those different depths. It's not uncommon for bass to be at 60 feet and 30 feet, moving up to spawn and at night. Like the shallow bass in Florida, the same bass have adapted to the ecosystem. I think we are drifting way off topic. WRB

There is no reason for big bass and carp to be suspended together, unless they are both feeding on the same forage. Carp are very wary fish, much more than bass, and will bolt at any sign or danger; a shadow from a bird for example. I wouldn't bother much with bass that are in plain sight and migrating or cruising. You need to get back far enough so you can't see the bass. Then try presenting whatever the bass are feeding on or a lure that represents the same color and profile. My gues is some minnows or bugs are being pushed down with the current and the carp and bass are feeding on them. Try a small crankbait or Basstrix BaitFry or forget about those bass and target pre spawners that you can't see. I agree; the night crawler will work fly lined! WRB

The surface water temperature doesn't necessarliy indicate the water water temperature down a few feet. Have you swam in a lake and notice how fast the water temperature changes, even down a few feet? Contrary to what most bass fishermen believe, bass can not survive 90 degree water temperature very long. It's not the warmth of the water, it's the ability of water to hold dissolved oxygen at a level the bass can survive. Bass need a minimum of 3 mg/L of DO to survive. 85 degree water is the maximum temperature that will hold 3 mg/L of DO. The green weeds produce DO during the day time and the weed cover helps the bass to survive in warm water, however given a chance the bass will move down into deepr cooler water with higher levels of DO. The ideal temperature is between 65 to 70 degrees with 7 tp 10 mg/L of DO and that is where the big bass will go, during hot water conditions, if they can. What you may have witnessed was a big bass that was in poor health for whatever reason and the little bass were curious and following to pick off any bits and pieces the bass spit up as it swam along. WRB

What appears to lost in the translation is; you can't predict a bass weight bassed on age. Mature female bass always out weigh mature male bass of the same age, when everything else is equal. Every bass is a little different in how aggressive it may be. The more aggressive, the more they eat, the bigger they can grow and the faster, however they can also be harvested faster because of their aggressive behavior. Climate has a major impact on growth rates; cold low water conditions verses warm high water has a major impact on recruitment and prey sources in the same lake. To say a 15" bass is 4 years old is simply wrong, it could be 2 or 12 years old! The only way to know for sure is to examine the inner ear, scale rings are not reliable, you can estimate the age with a scale exam. The fastest bass growth rate that I know of was lake Isabella during the late 80's; several 18 lb bass were 8 years old, varified by biologist examination. However the Isabella bass never had a chance to grow larger due to severe drought and over harvesting. WRB

Here's the post. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1213780421/6#6 Suggest reading the entire thread; Lusk clearly states the bass's growth is controlled by the available food source. San Diego's average year around temperature is 70 degrees, rarely above 90 or below 60, day and night, right in the middle of Lusks optimum temperature growth range. The big issue with northern bass is the extreme water temperatures; ice over to high temp/humidity. Little growth going on when the water freezes over and good growth for a few months before high temps/humidity take over. California purduced 15 lb NLMB before the FLMB were introduced, due to optium growth conditions for bass. WRB

You can figure length to weight, there isn't a accurate formula for length to age, too many variables. Mass can be calculated, the IGFA formula doesn't work well for bass, it was developed for tuna. Use L x L X G/1200 for bass as a basic formula weight to length formula that is appropriate for bass. L = length with mouth closed to center of the tail, G= girth around the widest area with the dorsal fin down. Age is dependant on the water temperature during the yearly cycle, available food, cover and species of bass. For example a bass could live for 10 years and only be 2 or 3 pounds, if the lake or pond was over populated for the food available. The longest living bass recorded was 23 years, a smallmouth bass in Mass, as I recall. The longest living largemouth would be about 18 years. In California the Florida strain bass live about 15 years maximum, 12 years on average. Northern strain up to 17 years, both under ideal conditions. WRB

Lunar affects on all living plants and animals is a topic of great debate and discussion, several books have been written on this topic. Most bass fishermen will agree that the full moon affects the spawning period. IMO lunar cycles have a major affect on bass activity year around; with the 3 days before and after both the new and full moon periods being good for bass fishing, depending on the seansonal period. Keep in mind any day on the water is a good day, some days are better than others. WRB

First you need to locate bass. Use you electronics to find fish on the major point before wasting a lot of time fishing it. Keep your rod on the deck and meter the point; start at the shallow water and follow the point out as far as possible, then make a loop turn and follow the opposite side of the point back to shore. Now you have a some idea of what the point has to offer and where the bass or bait are located on or near the point. No bait, no bass, then go to the next major point and repeat your survey. The main reason bass hold on main lake points is to ambush baitfish that swim over or around the point; no bait = few or no active bass. Bait fish tend to hide in shore line wood or weed cover during the night, then move out into deeper water as the sun rises. So go back and vist the main lake points during the day, bass tend to follow the bait fish and trap them agianst the structure or push the bait up towards the surface. A point can have no bass at 7AM for example and be covered with bass and baitfish at 9AM. Right place at the right time or camp out and wait for the bass. WRB

Suggestion; learn to fish a jig where you know the bass bite is on. For example you are catching bass on a Texas rigged worm, then try the jig in the same area. Start by using a spider type jig; Yamamoto or Chompers twin tail hula grub on the stand up style jig head. Also give a shakey head jig/worm combo a try. Fishing any lure more than an hour without a bite is not the way to learn, you will loose confidence, concentration and miss bites. WRB

This topic will take more time to answer than I have at this moment. First remember that your sonar is displaying a history of what you have already passed over, so the target is already behind you and could be off to one side or the other. Slow downand use your trolling motor to get on top of the target before marking a GPS way point or mark 2 way points; 1 as you first pass over, then turn around and mark a 2nd when you pass back over. The actual target should be in between the 2 way points. Depending on the depth and type of structure or cover, plus the seasonal period should help to determine what presentation or lure to use. WRB

Black bass family are sunfish. LMB, SMB are very similar, short stocky body shape that has evouled to make sharp turns and short burst of speed to catch prey in or near cover. Compare a true bass like a striped bass, longer body designed to make fast forward speed to catch prey in open water. Musky or pike are both long body predators deigned to make quick starts, fins near the tail and fast longer runs to chase down prey in open water. Good luck with your study. WRB

Lake Dixon is all about bed fishing and Dottie was caught off a bed every time she caught. I don't have a problem with that, it's just not for me and a few other trophy bass fisherman. Bed fishing is a major part of this topic. I will end my participation on the thread. Thanks Matt and everyone else, it's time to fish. WRB