Tom shared these incredible catches in the forum a while ago.

A-Jay

 

Coming up on February 9th the day I caught my 1st bass over 18 lbs at Lake Casitas 1981.   

Like this week, it was very windy, but on Monday light rain was forecasted, mental health day from work! I decided to fish from my 14’ Lund to park near shore, and to fish uphill all day using hair jigs. About 9:30 after trying a few spots arrived at a major lake point with a saddle; the light wind and rain to my back made a very long cast. I watched, feeling the line and nothing when taking up slack to move the jig. Kept reeling faster until a head shake, then sweeping the back as hard as possible. The rod loaded, and then nothing until the bass jumped completely out of the water. I am thinking maybe a DD but the fish was moving very fast, unlike a big bass, and right at the boat, then turned, and luckily the drag wasn’t too tight. Now the bass acted like a big fish running deeper, looking for anything to wrap the line in. The bass came up to the surface about 10’ away; my heart nearly stopped at the size of the bass. Backed the drag off slightly and managed to hand land the bass using both hands.

On my scale the bass weighed 18 lbs 11 oz. Put the bass in my cooler aerated “livewell” and run to the marina for an official weight.

3 weeks later Ray Easily catches a 21 lb 3 oz state record bass. 

Tom

PS, to be continued.

 

The Easly 21 lb 3 oz Casitas is the 1st 20 lb+ Bass caught outside of San Diego lakes and stirs a lot of excitement.

Lake Isabella in north-central California produces an 18 lb 13 oz and several other 18 lb class giants in 1984, fueling more excitement that California could break the world record standing since Perry’s 1932 record.

Wednesday, January 27th, 1988, is another light rainy day—time for another mental health time on the water. Castiac has been producing some giant bass for the live bait anglers, Crupi. Kadota, Samson, etc., and I have dialed in a good jig bite.

The light wind is out of the NE with a drizzle. Every place I want to fish has a live bait angler anchored fishing crawdads.

So decide to try Sharon’s rest area points, but need to cast into the wind, try it anyway. There is a center point off the middle of the ledge area that drops into very deep water. I make a cast using my jig and miss where I wanted it to land and loose line to pull out. Turn the reel once after taking up slack; the jig doesn’t move. Getting ready to shake the jig free and feel movement. Drop the rod tip and reel fast with rod sweep; a strong, heavy bass runs into deeper water. All I need to do is fight this bass; there's nothing to get into. The bass doesn’t jump but stays deep until I try to land it, then it makes a head-shaking surface run. This bass lets me open its mouth and grab it by hand without any fuss. Weigh it 17.4 lbs on the digital scale. 2nd giant bass takes 7 years after the 1st.

Tom

PS, to be continued.

 

The 90’s at both lakes, Casitas and especially Castaic, start the circus when Bassin Magazine offers 1 Million $ $$$ $$$ award for a new World Record LMB.

March 6th, 1991, is a Wednesday, and I decide to go to Castiac early and get in line for the lake to open. Arriving there is a line up over a mile long at 4:30A. Disappointed because Castiac fishing has been good. The lake is with limited parking, so decide to drive up to Casitas instead.

I hadn’t been fishing at Casitas that year, and when I got there, about a 1/4-mile-long line was waiting for the lake opening. Casitas has 2 lanes, 1 for annual permits and the other for day use. My tag is still good, so get in right away. March Casitas Bass are in the spawn cycle, so decide to run up to the dam area for cooler water, hoping to find pre-spawn bass and look for bed fish later in the day.

The first stop is the west end buoy line point, and I try my Huddleston wooden trout lure that has been hot at Castaic and is ready to go. Fished for about an hour, catching 2 good bass. Move the east end of the buoy line, make a cast, and decide to try my hair jig casting over the buoy line parallel to the steep ledge wall where a tree is underwater. Make several casts trying to get the jig right next to the rocky wall, and get a solid strike after retrieving about 10’; set the hook and pray the bass doesn’t run out into the tree. The bass comes up and stays up before diving back down but away from the tree. My 2nd 17.4 lb bass and 3rd giant.

Tom

PS, to be continued.

 

March 4th, 1992, is stormy, rainy, and windy, so I try Castiac knowing it’s a circus, but the bad weather should keep the traffic down. Only about 30 boats in line but not opening due to wind. Some people leave! Around 8A they open the lake.

The NE wind puts whitecaps sideways to the main ramp, and we get redirected to the west ramp, which is normally closed on weekdays.

It’s around 9A before I get on the water. Decide to fish my favorite spot, the “old folk’s home,” up the ski arm. It’s a miserable day with cold wind and rain and I decide to detour into Slalom Bay to get out of the wind and regroup. Fishing is good, and I catch several good bass. Notice the wind has shifted and whitecaps have laid down on the main lake. 

Wet and cold I decide to try the old folk’s home. 

I like to fish this spot up against a wall, casting out into deeper water and working the jig slightly uphill, up and over big boulders.

Fish for about 30 minutes, losing 2 jigs, and moved around to the opposite side. The wind has been blowing in, and it is easier to detect strikes with the wind and rain against my back instead of my face, plus I am cold.

Make a longer cast than planned due to the wind, reel in about 20’ of line, and let the jig sink when slammed before hitting bottom. The problem now is the fish is on the other side of a rounded point in deeper water than me. Start reeling fast and on the TM to move out past the point and let the wind blow me down lake to fight this bass. It works, and the bass is away from the point in deep water. This bass isn’t coming up and making hard runs, wearing itself out. Tired bass when I grab the mouth. 17.6 lbs, #4.

Tom

PS, PB is next.

 

March 3rd, 1993, Lake Castiac.

The Bassin Magazine circus isn’t at its peak anymore, but boat traffic is still high, but not as crazy, with anglers from every state with high expectations.

I am back in line and watching the early bird launch and run. Up the Fish Arm to old outhouse bay and Elizabeth Canyon where Crupi and Kodata fleet of baits are located.

The ski arm isn’t well known for giant bass, good for me😎.

The weather is good, no wind and overcast with light showers. A little wind would be nice, and it will come later. I run to the old folks home and fish awhile, but nobody is home. Try a few other areas with no success. Ponder joining the Fish Arm crowd but decide against it. 

I run up to the Fore bay buoy line and cast my swimbaits, the breeze starts up, and I catch a swimbait bass. Better jig weather than swimbaits, and return to the old folks home and plan to stay. Start on the wall side, make a halfhearted cast getting ready to settle in. Take up the slack and turn the reel handle a half turn and shake it. The line jumps slack, I know what that means and reel fast, sweeping the rod back and setting the hook. This bass runs and jumps a full body length out of the water and runs straight under the boat out the other side. I push the rod tip down below the TM prop and swing around to fight the bass going fast away from me. I never had a LMB make a 100’ run before. It’s all deep water along the walls, and I just need to keep in control. This bass doesn’t want anything to do with the boat, and I must net this fish.

19.3 lbs, short of my lifelong goal to catch a 20+. So many giant bass are being caught; I am still confident The 20+ or WRB is possible back in 1993.

Tom

Thank all for the positive support, really appreciate it.

Just thought to tell my untold history behind the bass in my avatar.

It’s hard to comprehend what Bassin magazine’s million-dollar circus caused for Lake Castiac, you had to be there.

Castaic is a V-shaped lake, 2 arms; fishing and ski arms. The dam is nearly a mile long and 300’ high, riprap-faced, and off-limits to fishing. The lake is small, each arm about 1 1/2 miles, steep rocky banks and a few 1/2 mile long creek arms.

People came from several states with motor homes and boats to get in on the prize money.

Castaic opens 1/2 hour after sunrise, closes 1/2 hour before sunset. The lake is maxed out with 300 parking spaces.

The motor homes can park in an overlook area, setting up spotting 200 power scopes to watch anglers and phone information to the boater. Catch a bass and boats show up.

This went on every day for nearly 3 years at Castaic.

For these reasons I fished out of my 14’ Lund w/15 hp Evinrude with my older Lowrance paper graph and Humming Bird super 30 flasher. My Skeeter bass boat stayed home because when you launch a bass boat, all eyes follow you.

Castias wasn’t as easy to snoop or as pressured, but it was about the same size lake with a big island separating the lake into 2 arms.

The big difference is Castias has camping areas to accommodate hundreds of anglers that can stay for months. The pressure was about equal for 3 years.

 

 

 

 

I wondered about that last one that was in his avatar for many years. He had an issue with his account so he created a new one, and never put that photo back up on his profile. But I can still see it in my memory.

That’s incredible. Tom mailed me out 4 of his hair jigs which I received this very day & you better believe I’m going to fish them. Thank you Tom. ✝️

Maybe we can try to recreate Tom’s signature jigs with the help of @Siebert Outdoors 

I tied one up this afternoon in appreciation of him

He emailed me all his info about the jigs a few years back…

Heading out to Casitas on Tuesday to fish it

1 hour ago, F14A-B said:

That’s incredible. Tom mailed me out 4 of his hair jigs which I received this very day & you better believe I’m going to fish them. Thank you Tom. ✝️

That’s too cool 

Did they have his signature viper head too?
 

I have a box of hand-poured soft plastics that I bought from him a few years ago.  Western Plastics, Don Iovino, etc. that were made in the 80's and early 90's that are no longer in production.  Great finesse baits and Slug-Go knockoffs.

 

I'm a little choked up thinking about fishing them now.  I guess it's just new and raw right now.  But I'll still fish them in his honor, and thank him for every fish caught.

3 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Tom shared these incredible catches in the forum a while ago.

A-Jay

 

 

 

Thanks for posting. Tom went by “Old school” on another fishing forum (not knowing if posting is appropriate) and there are a lot of his stories and articles from years ago still searchable.

These are lessons told in story form leaving a trail of methods, techniques and mentality which is valuable fishing knowledge.

 

Thanks again…..

Here they are.. @BC VC basser @bulldog1935

8 hours ago, 10,000 lakes Bassin said:

Maybe we can try to recreate Tom’s signature jigs with the help of @Siebert Outdoors 

✋️ I'll be a buyer of many of these jigs. @Siebert Outdoors

@A-Jay Thanks for posting these great reads.

11 hours ago, BC VC basser said:

I tied one up this afternoon in appreciation of him

He emailed me all his info about the jigs a few years back…

Heading out to Casitas on Tuesday to fish it

That’s too cool 

Did they have his signature viper head too?
 

Well done!

 

I'm looking for the jig head and want to replicate as well. He sent me pics and info about a month back, so looking forward to tying a few.

 

Good luck and let me know how the are!

48 minutes ago, Jigfishn10 said:

Well done!

 

I'm looking for the jig head and want to replicate as well. He sent me pics and info about a month back, so looking forward to tying a few.

 

Good luck and let me know how the are!

 Tom gave his jig mold to a jig maker up in Central/Northern California 

He posts pictures of his jigs on another site

He’s retired from jig making pretty much and just makes them for himself and a few old customers of his…

Love to see some jigs that you tie up…..

F14 A-B That’s awesome

Thanks for sharing the pics!

 

“F14 A-B” did you fly Tomcats for the Navy 

My Dad spent his whole career with Grumman

His last 20+  years on the Tomcat project

24 minutes ago, BC VC basser said:

Love to see some jigs that you tie up…..

In the spirit of maintaining this thread and not hijack it, I sent you a PM

31 minutes ago, BC VC basser said:

 Tom gave his jig mold to a jig maker up in Central/Northern California 

He posts pictures of his jigs on another site

He’s retired from jig making pretty much and just makes them for himself and a few old customers of his…

Love to see some jigs that you tie up…..

F14 A-B That’s awesome

Thanks for sharing the pics!

 

“F14 A-B” did you fly Tomcats for the Navy 

My Dad spent his whole career with Grumman

His last 20+  years on the Tomcat project

Not a Pilot for the F14, a maintainer, flight deck troubleshooter, Collateral duty inspector, Aircraft Final Checker, Quailty Assurance Representative & a host of other fancy Naval jargon..

There is no other Aircraft on ANY Carrier that was more powerful than the F14. The afterburner on the A series was required for catapult launch or airfield launch so I sported 2nd degree burns on the neck any number of times.. we wore bandannas on the deck, around our face & nose to help protect us from that & blowing non-skid, bits of safety wire and other potential FOD, approved by the Airboss of course 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 no AB required on the B model. Unless, it was packing a John Wayne load..😝

My Dad was a technical writer.  We were in the Houston area for the Apollo programs then in 1970 they sent him out to Pt Mugu for Tomcat support. 

 

Let’s not side track this thread guys. Thanks!

I can try to tie some of those.

From the pictures, it looks like there’s a brown, brown & purple, and a red/green/ brown one, all on brown jig heads.  

No idea what those heads are as I’ve never seen that shape myself. 
Any idea what the weights are?

I can probably get some type of heads from Mike at Sieberts.

 

 

On 12/30/2025 at 3:32 AM, SC53 said:

I can try to tie some of those.

From the pictures, it looks like there’s a brown, brown & purple, and a red/green/ brown one, all on brown jig heads.  

No idea what those heads are as I’ve never seen that shape myself. 
Any idea what the weights are?

I can probably get some type of heads from Mike at Sieberts.

 

In Tom’s Horizontal jigging article he says 7/16 oz

He designed and produced his own head called it the viper head.
Here’s another picture of one of his jigs he liked to use

brown black purple

He also sent me a picture of the jig with his home made pork trailer