Author: reeltimewithtimm

1-17-21

Traveling out to Silverwood Lake for some fishing at night nowadays is tough.  As always, it is very rewarding to land any type of fish when these types of trips occur.  Arriving in the Marina near 8:30 PM, I was able to catch one Striper on a Rat L Trap Lure.  It took approximately two hours to land it, and it was the only strike of the night.  I wrapped up the short session, and left at 10:30 PM.

A few days later, I came back to Silverwood and I was able to hike in from Highway 138 where I parked.  This allowed me to be at the lake starting at 5 AM where I could fish for a couple of hours uninterruptedly.  There were not very many strikes as I targeted Trout with a jig, and Striper with a Rat L Trap Lure.  I was able to land one stocker size Trout on a jig.  The bite totally died when the lake opened and boats started to launch, so I packed up and left.

Heading to Vista Point Turnout #1 (Silverwood) with a few fellow fishermen a few nights later was a pretty solid night.  By Tying a jerkbait, I was able to land one Striper in the 1 lb. range.  Since the bite was slow, I switched my lure to a Rat L Trap and was able to land another Striper.  This actual catch was a result of my lure entangling with someone else’s old fishing line which was still attached to a hook in the fish’s stomach.  I wasn’t sure if it was just a random snag that I had caught, or if the Striper may have been curious about my lure and got a little too close as it swam by to check it out.  One of the fishermen I was with hit one Striper on a small type of trout swimbait. After a few hours, we all called it a night and hiked out.

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Knowing that I wanted to try new places to fish, a buddy of mine invited me out to Fisherman’s Retreat in Redlands, CA.  Arriving there at 6:30 AM, and not knowing what to expect as far as fishing at a new lake, I tied on a jig.  I walked around the smaller lake casting every twenty feet to see if I could get any strikes.  Nothing was hitting the jig, so after I walked around the lake, I tied a drop shot PowerBait Mice Tail (Orange) and was able to land one Trout in the spot we designated to fish.  By tying a Carolina Rig to another rod, I tried PowerBait on a very short leader for several hours with no strikes.

My buddy mentioned that a two-foot leader would be better than the one-foot leader from his experience fishing the last time at this lake.  Upon hearing that advice, I immediately made the switch.  I was able to land five more Trout, and I realized a longer leader was making all the difference.  Also, holding my pole and bouncing and reeling very slow produced a lot of short strikes for me where the Trout weren’t swallowing the PowerBait, but taking it in their mouth subtle enough for me to fill the bite.  Fisherman’s Retreat is honestly like a paradise for Trout fisherman.  There’s a restaurant within a few feet of the lake, and the biscuits and gravy I ordered from there really had me in paradise.

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Getting back to my home lake (Silverwood), I traveled to Vista Point Turnout #1, and made my normal hike to the spot where I have been able to have some success catching fish.  Sticking strictly to a jerkbait, I landed 3 Stripers in about one hour.  The fish definitely were more active on this night than any of the other nights I have had at the Vista Point location.

On my last fishing trip to Silverwood, I decided to head back to the Marina for a night fishing session.  Near the boat launch ramps, I was unable to get any strikes on a Rat L Trap Lure, as well as jerkbaits.  Sticking with the jerkbait, and switching locations to another spot in the Marina for a few more casts did the trick.  I landed my first Largemouth Bass of the year weighing in at 2.19 lbs.  I was very surprised because it was not until the middle of February of last year that I caught a Largemouth Bass, and here I was with one in the middle of January.

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The last two weeks of fishing (7 trips), I was able to land a total of 15 fish (7 Trout, 7 Stripers, & 1 Largemouth Bass) fishing from two different lakes.

Best of luck to you fisherman out there, and as always contact me for assistance on anything related to fishing.  Thanks!

Hello Fishing Enthusiast! I hope you had a wonderful New Year’s Day, and are ready to ring in the new year with amazing catches.  I know I have had a wonderful year of fishing last year, and I will continue to develop my passion for fishing this year, as well as share my knowledge with all of you.

My last Largemouth Bass catch for 2020 came on a very cold night.  As I was fishing the Silverwood Marina for at least two hours, I began to feel the chilly night air pressing against my face.  Not only did I feel the icy air against my face, but when I glanced up at the tip of my rod, I noticed that the guides began to ice up, making it harder to reel and cast.  In that moment, I knew I could make a few more casts before having to wrap it up for the night.

Fishing with a Rat L Trap lure, I felt a small tug on my line, and I landed a Largemouth Bass weighing 2 pounds 12 ounces.  It definitely felt good to catch one right before leaving the Marina.  The colder nights have made fishing more difficult, not only with ice on my rod guides, but along with intense cold air, as well as the fish seeming to be more lethargic, or not very interested in my lure choices.

Fishing in another area of Silverwood (Vista Point) with a friend in the early morning hours one day produced a ‘Skunk’ for both of us.  My friend and I were not even able to get one strike on our rods.  Another good fishing buddy of mine let me know by text that a Trout stock went in at the Silverwood Marina that day. As we wrapped up our early morning session at Vista Point, and upon receiving the message of a Trout stock, I let my friend know I would be trying to fish there for a few hours.  He also wanted to fish some more, and I’m glad he chose to.  We were able to get on some Trout immediately.  I caught two on a jig, and one on Powerbait dough.  My buddy caught two on Powerbait dough (Carolina rigged).  We both felt a lot better about that day of fishing.

Traveling to a new area to fish, I spent a day fishing at Mojave Narrows Regional Park located in Victorville.  Targeting Trout for the day, I tried a Carolina rig with Powerbait dough, jigs, and Powerbait Power Worms on a drop shot rig.  At the very end of the day, I was able to land 3 Trout on the drop shot rigged with a green Power Worm, and one on the same rig with a yellow Power Worm.  The Trout were some nice sized ones, as two of them were near the 1 1/2 pound range, and two of them near the 1-pound range.

Heading back to Silverwood Lake a few days later, I knew that the Trout were still near the Marina, as they spend a lot of time near where they are stocked.  I was able to land 9 trout in total during a short afternoon session fishing.  Four Trout were caught on green Power Worms on a drop shot, one Trout on a yellow dropped shot Power Worm, and another 4 Trout were caught with a jig.  All of the fish were released, as I was practicing catch and release for the day.  All of the Trout I landed at the Marina were all very small, nothing over a pound in weight.

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The next day, I hiked back down to the Marina for a short night fishing session under a full moon.  I was able to land one Striper on a Rat L Trap Lure.  I casted and reeled in my pole near 100 times before sensing a strike on my rod.  Feeling the strike, I immediately set the hook and landed the Striper rather quickly on the shore.  It was near 10 PM when the strike occurred which basically meant time to wrap up, as I could feel the cold weather creeping through my many layers of clothes.

A few days later, I went back to the Marina for an early morning fishing session.  There was not much action at all for the entire morning with only one Trout landed on a jig.  Since my last blog, I was able to go fishing 6 times (5 sessions at Silverwood, & 1 session at Mojave Narrows Lake).  19 fish were landed in total (1 Striper, 1 Largemouth Bass, & 17 Trout).

The recent trout stocks have been a fun experience for me.  I will continue to try to go to other local lakes in addition to my regular Silverwood visits, especially in this new year.  If you need any advice, please feel free to contact me anytime.  Thanks!!!

12-19-20

I’ve been fishing at Silverwood Lake for over 100 days this year.  By the way, what a year it has been fishing. I fished a new area last week near the aqueducts in Lancaster as well.  There are some nice size Stripers in the aqueduct, so heading out to that area just makes a lot of sense to me.  Also, I fished 5 times at Silverwood since my last blog.

The very first trip out was not exciting, and all the fisherman attending ended with a ‘skunk,’ as I had a two bite ‘skunk!’  There were a few bites to go around that night with no fish to show for the group.  As I mentioned earlier, I only ended up at the aqueducts because of the fisherman I have been fishing with.  I just kind of heard them talking about it, and when I asked them if I could join, they were quick to invite me out.  I let them know I would try it the next time they were going.  We all met up a few days later and got ‘skunked’ on that trip too, but honestly, I learned a lot about fishing in the aqueduct. The current is very strong.

While at the Marina, and trying to avoid a ‘skunk’ is when I hooked up with two Stripers in the one pound range.  Fanning one area, in other words casting in many different directions, I was able to land 3 Largemouth bass that night.  The first one weighed 3 ½ lbs., the 2^nd one was 2 ¾ lbs., and the 3^rd one weighed in at a stunning 6 ½ lbs.  I think I got into a school of Largemouth bass which were all hungry for them ‘good old’ jerkbaits for a very short amount of time.

While fishing near Vista Point Turnout #2, I had a lot of fun catching some Stripers.  There was nothing like catching Stripers on a Friday night.  Rocks can be slippery, especially if you’re up on a steep, rocky embankment fishing with dim light shining from your headlamp, hey just saying.  The jerkbait lure was working that night (3 caught), but there only seemed to be one fish in every other cove that I fished on the way back.  I landed one Striper on the Rat L Trap lure, but only caught it because another leader line from someone else who lost a fish connected with my lure with a Striper on the end.

My last trip was to the Marina, and it seemed like a great fishing session.  I landed one Striper on a jerkbait, and one Striper on the Rat L Trap lure.  I had many strikes on the Rat L Trap, but I was too slow on my reaction/hook setting skills, as I tried to determine when the fish was actually on the lure, pulled my rod back, and missed ‘the strike’ completely.

Many times, the bite or strike doesn’t happen, or at least you don’t think it does, but it, ‘the strike’ already occurred.  My point, pay utmost attention to your Rat L Trap lure at all times, especially as it sinks to the bottom, and as you pop and reel it in.  Most bites happen when the Rat L Trap lure is on the fall, and as you are popping the lure in, you will get many strikes.  I have missed so many bites/strikes on the Rat L Trap because the fish are really finicky.

If you’re wondering, my personal best Largemouth was landed during the last couple weeks.  My last P.B. Largemouth bass weighed 5.30 lbs., but this last Largemouth bass I caught was 6.45 lbs.  The way the bass pulled on my rod, I instantly knew it was a larger fish.  11 fish were landed in total for all of my trips combined, with only one fish landed on the Rat L Trap lure, and 10 fish landed on the jerkbait tied to eight-pound test line.

Special Thanks-

Thank you to everyone I have fished with for the 2020 year.  There’s still more time to catch your dream bass, but you ‘Got to be ready!’  Until next time, best of luck to you out there!

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12-6-20

Fishing at Silverwood Lake has been awesome the past two weeks.  I was able to go there, and land some fish on 5 out of 6 trips.  In my last blog, I shared how the Largemouth bass bite was picking up.  Knowing that the bite was ‘hot,’ I went back to the Marina focused on fishing with the same jerkbait lure (KVD) that I used last time to catch 2 Largemouth bass, and caught 2 more Largemouth bass (1 @ 4.36 lbs. & 1 @ 2.50 lbs.).  The water level was still very low, but the bite was definitely ‘On fire’ that night.

A couple days later, I went back to the Marina with a few fishermen.  The night was relatively slow for all of us.  After about an hour of fishing, I felt a small tug on my line, and was able to catch a Largemouth bass (weighing 2.60 lbs.).  Actually, that was the only fish caught on a jerkbait that night.  I made another trip to the Marina with my eye on catching Largemouth bass, yet I got ‘skunked.’  The night ended with no strikes.

Fishing at Vista Point Turnout #1 on another night, I caught two Stripers with Rattle Trap lures.  The bite was really slow, but using the Rattle Trap lure is what enticed the Stripers to strike.  A day later, two more Stripers were landed at the Marina fishing right off the docks.  The jerkbait lures were not working at all, but the Rattle Traps seemed to be the answer.  That specific bite was not normal as my retrieve was faster than usual.  That night, I went by myself, as there was relatively no wind in the Marina, and the lake surface was rather calm and still.

Arriving at Vista Point Turnout #1 with several fisherman, I was able to land a Striper on a Rat L Trap rather quickly to begin the night.  My buddy worked a jerkbait to perfection striking a Striper in the strong current.  Another two fisherman caught their first Rat L Trap fish of their careers.  I was able to catch 5 out of 8 Stripers landed that night.  I can say that the trip was successful, and it’s been fun trying to figure out what type of lures the fish have interest in.  The weather was super cold, just as all the nights out there this week.

So to wrap up, all the fishing sessions produced a total of 12 fish for me.  9 out of 12 fish were Stripers, and they were all caught with Rat L Trap lures.  The 3 Largemouth bass I landed were all caught on a jerkbait.

With nightly temperatures hovering in the low 40s, fishing has been tougher.  When the bite is on, and the action is flowing in a good direction, the cold weather is not very noticeable.  I am coming to a close for fishing the 2020 year as fishing licenses expire on December 31.

The Largemouth bass weighing in at 4.30 pounds I landed during this time was a huge blessing, and a surprise that will be cemented into my mind forever.  Silverwood Lake has some very quality fish, and with patience and practice more goodness will come.

Good luck out there fishing!!!

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11-23-20

While I was at Vista Point #2 Turnout last week, I caught a fish off the ‘good old’ Rat L Trap.  Obviously, I hiked down from the turnout to the shore and realized that most of the shore was accessible as the water level has dropped further down from last week.  Hiking along the shore for at least 1 ½ to 2 miles, I started the fishing session with a jerkbait.  With this lure tied on, I was able to land some very small Stripers (3 total all CNR).  A buddy of mine landed a nice ‘school sized’ Striper on a jerkbait, his first one from this area.  Towards the end of the fishing session, I finally tied the Rat L Trap lure and somehow picked one off the bottom after missing a strike on it.

One night at the Marina, I was able to land my first limit of Stripers since catching nine just a little over a week ago.  All of these fish were harvested (donated to people for food).  The Rat L Trap lure really came through big producing eight Stripers on that night.  I was able to land 2 Stripers on jerkbait lures to close off my fishing session, as I noticed the fish starting to boil near the Marina docks.  I began to realize that I need to tie on the Rat L Trap lure more than I have been, it has been about a month since I caught a Striper on it (besides the one I caught @ Vista Point Turnout #2 location).

A few days later I met up with some fellow fisherman.  What a nice fishing session we had as the break through occurred…. So, I noticed that scented baits were getting more strikes at some points during the night.  My biggest Striper weighed in at 1.60. lbs.  Between my friend and I, we had landed 15 Stripers.  He started to claim that he was fire.  I didn’t disagree, but I realized the scent he used to douse his Rat L Traps was rather putrid smelling (night crawler flavored sauce).  I know that I caught 2 on the Rat L Trap lure before realizing he was putting scent on his lures, and when I tried it out my catches went from 2 fish to 6 more fish.

Managing to get out one more opportunity to fish last week, I realized that the jerkbait lures worked when the Rat L Trap lures weren’t.  So, I continued switching back and forth on both rods trying to entice a fish to bite.  I landed one Striper from the boat dock when my buddy suggested, “Let’s try the spot we hit last time.”  My mind went back to that particular moment when the Stripers were biting off the weightless flukes rigged with a water bobber/swivel and leader line.  Reluctantly at first, I began to realize that one fish landed in 3 hours was not the best situation and by moving for the last hour of the fishing session might just be a good idea.

Moving to that location with a jerkbait lure to start, I felt a small tug and landed a Largemouth Bass (2.13 lbs.) and continued to fish catching 2 Stripers in the 1 lb. range.  My buddy also tied on a jerkbait, and he proceeded to land a Striper the first fish of his night to break ‘the skunk.’  Choosing to cast a few more times is when a nice sized Largemouth Bass (3.66 lbs.) surprised me by striking my jerkbait and jumping out of the water.  I thought to myself in that moment, there’s something about the pull of a Largemouth Bass compared to the Stripers I was catching.  The Largemouth Bass tap my lures ever so slightly and once hooked swim downward and that creates an awesome pull on my rod.  Stripers, on the other hand put a good fight but once they’re hooked, they tend to swim in rather quickly.

After landing both Largemouth Bass, I felt extremely blessed to have caught 2 in one night.  The last Largemouth I caught was approximately one month ago in the Vista Point Turnout #1 location, and I was honestly starting to think that the bite may be over for the year.  I’m glad that it isn’t and that they are still biting.

In four fishing trips for the week, I landed a total of 27 fish (25 Stripers & 2 Largemouth Bass).  10/27 fish were landed on Jerkbaits, and 17/27 fish were landed on the Rat L Trap lures.  Switching back and forth on the two types of lures, every couple of casts helped produce some fish for me.  Adding scent to my lures helped me land more fish one of the nights.  Jerkbait lures helped me bring in 2 Largemouth Bass even though it’s been over a month since I landed one.  If you decide to go, have a good experience out there.  Try out new lures because they just might hit, and switch locations when the bite is not what you expected it to be.  Bye!

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11-15-20

Hello Fishing Family,

I’ve had a whole lot of fun out there fishing Silverwood Lake in the past two weeks.  It’s been awesome connecting with other fisherman in the area who are passionate about fishing.  There’s something about learning from and sharing with others that really promotes positive vibes for everyone involved.

In the past two weeks, I was able to go fishing eight times.  I landed a total of 23 fish (22 Stripers & 1 Largemouth Bass) on those trips, as well as using 3 types of lures/baits for those catches.  I fished two locations at Silverwood:  Marina, and Vista Point, and for my first time ever, I ventured out to Quail Lake.

At the Marina (3 fishing trips), I was only able to land 6 Stripers.  4 of the Stripers were caught on jerkbaits, and the other 2 were landed on jig-headed Fluke Jr.  I thought for sure the Marina would have a lot more action, but one thing truly changed that bite (water level is down at least 20 feet).  The Marina is relatively deeper water for the fish to hang out, but with the water level down lower not many fish were in this area. 

At the Vista Point locations (Turnout #1, & Turnout #2), I had a great deal of action.  I landed 16 Stripers in 3 fishing sessions in these areas all caught on jerkbaits.  Now when the water level is down at Silverwood, the shore is so exposed that it’s easy to hike and get to coves where most fisherman can’t access when the water level is up, especially at Vista Point.  The Stripers were everywhere in Vista Point/Chamise Area.  Most of the bites were about 10 feet out from the shore, and I’d say about every 5 casts I had a bite slowly reeling my jerkbait in.  Both at the Marina and Vista Point, I spent some time with some cool fisherman.  I want to give a special thanks to Bryan, Ben, Alex & Adrian for linking up at Silverwood with me in the past 2 weeks.

My visit to Quail Lake is an experience that will last in my mind for a long time.  The drive there, the hike to get to the desired spot, the wind whipping my face, honestly nothing was going to hold me back that day.  The Striper bite did though as the only Stripers landed were by a friend’s brother way before I arrived.  He had two 4-pound Stripers (That’s right!). I tied on jerkbaits, threw on flukes, as well as trying out a Hook Up Bait and had no luck.  After several hours of this, I tried a drop shot rig with a night crawler.  I was able to land a very small Largemouth Bass, probably the smallest one I’ve caught all year.  I glanced at my buddy and he stated, “Fish is a fish, no skunk today.”

I really wanted to believe him, eventually I felt better about it.  The actual highlight for me was getting to Quail Lake and fishing the new area.  There is nothing more challenging than fishing an unfamiliar body of water for the first time (Thanks Anthony)!  Until next time, “Fish on!”

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11-1-20

As I struggled to find what the fish were biting on that night, I knew one thing.  If I tied on a Rat L Trap lure, I had a good chance of a strike.  As I continued to cast, I began to doubt that any fish would want the lure until, “Bam, fish on!”  “Stop doubting yourself!”  I yelled out loud.  The bite on this night at the Silverwood Marina was far from good action, or should I say the beginning of the fishing session was rather slow, but picked up by the night’s end with some tackle adjustments.

“Just maybe,” I thought as I tied on a jig-headed Fluke to see if the fish wanted that lure instead.  Cast after cast, the only action I had was from holding my fishing rod in a vertical position.  I realized the fish didn’t want any lures on the direct bottom.  I began to think that I could catch a few more fish, maybe if I tried a new presentation. Something where my lure was not directly on the bottom, and maybe just below the surface of the water.

I didn’t come up with the concept on my own, but with the direction of a fellow fisherman.  We met up to do some fishing that night, and he showed me how to set up a weightless fluke when I questioned him about it.  Basically, he inspired me to try a weightless fluke for at least the hour and a half of fishing we had left in us.  At the end of the fishing session, I landed 3 more Stripers to end with a total of 4 Stripers.  I was happy that I tried something new for once, usually I get stuck on one lure and do not change.

Most of the fish I caught last week were landed on this strategy/technique (7/13 Stripers).  The tackle needed:  1 water bobber, small swivel, one off-set hook with a 4-inch Fluke.  Honestly, I was so hooked on this fishing method, I tried it out in all of my fishing sessions for the week (3 total).  In every outing it worked, and that says a lot about what lures are working best.

I met some of my friends in the Cleghorn area to do some fishing, and believe it or not I was able to land one small Striper there on a jerkbait.  One of guys was not feeling well within the hour, so we all packed up and hiked back out to let our friend go.  One friend was not feeling the idea of catching nothing and stated, “I want to fish some more.”  Upon hearing that, I jumped at the thought of fishing just a few more hours.

We decided to switch locations to the Marina, I was instantly surprised to catch a few more.  I caught a Striper instantly on a weightless Fluke, but not only did I tie the weightless Fluke I tied a jerkbait as well.   The Stripers showed more interest in the jerkbait, as I was able to land 4 more Stripers off the dock.  It was nice to see that my buddy caught one on a Rapala jerkbait as well.  It was an awesome night out there gazing at a pretty cool looking full moon, but filled with sounds of various creatures of the night which had me on the edge.

I spent one night fishing session at the Marina for a a few hours on my own. I landed 3 Stripers on the weightless Fluke technique. All of these fishing sessions this week helped me to realize that I can at least fish a fluke two different ways and have some success.

If you’re looking to land some Stripers soon, go get this tackle:  jerkbait lures (any kind), 1/8-ounce jig heads and some 4-inch Flukes, or the weightless Fluke option (water bobbers, swivels, and off set hooks with 4-inch Flukes).  Best of luck to you out there, I hope you land your personal best.

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10-24-20

Welcome Fisherman!  I hope you have been well, and staying healthy.

It’s been two weeks since I posted my blog.  Definitely, a restful time for me as I have had a week off from work last week.  I was able to go fishing 5 times in a span of two weeks, and I have noticed that the fishing temperatures at night are obviously dropping.  Dressing warmer has helped me to stay out fishing just a bit longer to try an entice a strike of a nice fish.

I had the opportunity to see my sister and family in Imperial Beach, and as anytime I am near the beach, I always bring my rod, reel, and some basic tackle to try and catch anything.  Do you know anyone like that?  I tried jerkbaits to no avail, and I was satisfied to catch some Mackerel off of the pier applying cut squid to my drop shot rig (5 total).  Many people were catching Bonitos, Anchovies, Lobsters, as well as Mackerel all around me.  Not more than a few hours were spent at the pier, as I do understand family time is precious.

My other 4 fishing sessions were spent at Silverwood:  2 at the Marina, and 2 at Vista Point.

The Marina has been a very good experience for me as I know the action has slowed down recently.  The last time I went there was a little over a month ago, and I was able to land one Striper in a spot I thought relatively few fish existed.  These last few times though, have been pleasantly surprising in relationship to Striper action.

In my last two trips to the Marina, I have been able to land 7 Stripers in total.  6/7 were landed on a jig-headed fluke and 1/7 was landed a jerkbait.  The largest of those Stripers was about a 1 ½ lbs. caught on a jerkbait.  A friend of mine that joined me was able to land his first Stripers (2) of the year on jerkbaits.  That was definitely an awesome experience to witness!!!

Vista point has had okay action lately as well.  Deciding to fish at Vista Point #2 on one of those nights with a fellow fisherman and his son for the first time was a cool experience.  It was fun to show them how easy it is to get from Highway 138 down to a spot to catch some Stripers.  After about an hour of casting a jerkbait, I was able to tap into 3 Stripers (1 lb. range).  Opening the eyes to fisherman to view the potential in this lake brings me nothing more than pure happiness.  I wish nothing but the best of luck to them as they embark on their fishing journeys, and I hope they explore/fish Silverwood more in the near future.

At the Vista Point Turnout #1 Location, there is a very nice fishing spot accessible to anyone with just a short hike (1.5 miles).  While I was there, I only got one strike on my rod.  Within that moment I knew I had either a Catfish or Largemouth bass as the fish pulled my rod down in a way quite different than a Striper bite.  Being that the fish was rather small, I landed it on the shore in a very short amount of time.  To my surprise, it was a Largemouth bass (weighing 1 ½ lbs.).  Catching that fish was a nice little way to end the night being that it was my only bite, and the usual Striper bite was off. I had a very good time with my team.

Overall, I landed 16 fish on my fishing trips (5 Mackerels, 1 Largemouth bass, & 10 Stripers).  Best of luck to you out there!!!

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10-11-20

Hello Fishing Enthusiasts,

I hope you are all doing well.  A few months ago (2 ½ months) to be exact, I shared that I caught over 50 Largemouth bass since the start of this year, but that I also wanted to land a Largemouth bass over 4 pounds.

As I began to catch Largemouth bass (averaging about 5 a month since January) I had no idea I would catch anything more than Stripers, especially using strictly artificial lures.  Stripers were a sure “win-win,” while fishing with jerkbaits.  Largemouth bass were fish I caught far and few between the Stripers I was targeting from the shore.  Basically, all of that changed in January when I landed my first Largemouth bass of the year (weighing 3 ½ pounds) on a Rat L Trap lure.

As I caught my 50^th Largemouth bass, I set a personal goal of landing a 4-pound Largemouth bass.  Most of the Largemouth I have landed this year were all under 3 ¾ pounds with at least 3 bass hitting this mark.  Honestly, I thought for sure that catching a bass at 4 pounds would be the ultimate for me probably happening later than sooner, but was at least a goal I could shoot for the rest of this year and finish out 2020.

This last week, I fished 3-night sessions in one general location:  Vista Point Turnout #1.  I was able to land a total of 15 fish (14 Stripers & 1 largemouth) all caught on jerkbait lures.  Although I tried using different types of lures, I was unable to land any fish on them on each of the nights.

The first night fishing session I went out this week, I was able to land my Striper limit (10 1- 1 ½ lb. range).  As I wrapped up and left, I handed my jerkbait lure to a friend as he wanted to stay longer.  To my surprise, he sent me an enormous Largemouth bass picture, one of the biggest ones I have seen in a while. I’ll just leave it at that, oh and on that same lure…So, his journey is just beginning and he landed a nice one.

On another night in that same area, I landed 4 Stripers meeting up with my fishing buddy.  The bite was a bit slower than usual on this day, but still a fun and productive bite with Stripers all weighing in the 1-1 ½ lb. range.  My last fishing session was an amazing experience, as I landed my personal best Largemouth bass caught on a jerkbait lure.

This particular strike occurred within my first 20 casts, and hit really close to shore about 5-10 feet out splashing sporadically, pulling down to swim for cover.  After that strike, I had no more strikes for the night.  It was relatively slow action as the Striper did not come out to play.

To my surprise, I hit my goal of catching a Largemouth bass at or above 4 pounds.  Mission accomplished!  The bass I caught was actually over 1 ¼ pound more.  I ask you this question, “Where are you in your fishing journey?” and “Have you set a goal?”  Good luck out there to you.

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10-4-20

Hello Fellow Anglers,

I do not have much to share this week, as I was able to land very few fish on several trips to Silverwood Lake (3 total trips).  Two of those trips were to the Vista Point Turnout #1.  On one of those nights, I was able to land a Striper on a jerkbait.  Not much action was going on, as I had one strike for the whole night fishing session (3 hours).

The other night fishing session I spent in this location, I had two strikes.  I was able to land two Stripers with my lucky jerkbait on just those two strikes.  Once again, the bite was amazingly slow.

I spent one-night session fishing with some friends at Vista Point Turnout #2.  In this area, the bite was completely dead for all of us.  The skunk definitely happened that night, as we walked away thinking out loud what we could have done better to at least land one fish.

As I reflect back over the week, I noticed a few things.  One, the lake water level is the highest it’s been since the beginning of the year.  Fishing is usually not good from shore when the water is too high.  Two, the weather has been very hot, causing there to be an overwhelmingly large amounts of algae in most of the coves.  As I think back over these observations, it helps me to realize ways I can catch more fish in my future outings by making changes to the way I am currently fishing.  I definitely see the need to break out and try topwater lures, but also I see the need to find deeper coves to fish.

I was able to fish Lake Skinner for a few hours this week too.  This was actually my first-time fishing at this lake, and I only ventured out there courtesy of an invite from a Striper fisherman.  I was not able to land any fish at this lake, but witnessed some fisherman catching their limit of one-pound Stripers with bait (chicken livers).

Also, I met some very talented fisherman who used kayaks to target larger Striper in the 3 to 4-pound range.  From the shore, I watched them land two one-pound Stripers on very large topwater lures.  They caught several Stripers from their kayaks, and with their catches from shore, they easily got their limits (20 fish total).  I learned from talking to them the Striper in this lake come from the Colorado River.  I will definitely come back with a new game plan to catch fish in Lake Skinner.

Best of luck to you out there, especially when you get the chance to go fishing.

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