Here's my take on the big bomber 12" hudd

http://www.calfishing.com/reviews/swimbaits/huddleston_deluxe_12inch/index.html

Rob have you cought any fish on the 12" hudd?

These really big baits like the 12" Deluxebow and the Rago Tool are the kind of baits that can take a long time to get bit on, especially in Nor-Cal. I'm not going to answer your question because sometimes it's good for me to leave a little suspense in the air :), but suffice it to say that if you put in your time with the huge stuff, you'll get the bite eventually. It may take a year or three years but the bite that you'll get on those baits is very like to be something very big. The key is long term patience and the willingness to not give up on things when they don't work 3, 6, or 12 trips or more.

To change the subject a little bit... I made the comment about the baits being harder to get bit on in Nor-Cal because the more I fish around the state the more I see that down South, fish just go for stuff by the surface more than in Nor-Cal. You saw the Butch Brown video of that monster devouring his bait right at the boat. That close range stuff almost never happens where I fish but it totally happens in So-Cal. And that's the same kind of bass attitude that will get you bit on a huge lure. So I'm not saying that giant bass don't eat giant baits in Nor-Cal, I'm just trying to give some perspective for the guys out there who are undoubtedly trying so hard to get bit on the big stuff up here and not getting much love.

I'm making these kind of comments in this thread and in the thread about following the trout plants because what I see happening a lot online and in print is that some regional fisherman whose entire approach is based on experience on a small set of lakes seem to think that certain things are true for big bass everywhere. They're just not, bass are very adaptable to their environs and fish around the state act incredibly different from lake to lake and from North to South. I keep seeing people looking for catch all advice and hard and fast rules for fishing, but that's just not the right mind set. It's so much better in the long term to go out there, try everything you can imagine, and let the bass be the judge. You'll 'waste' lots of time in the beginning but the better you get the faster you'll tune in to things that are working and things that aren't working.

Boy that was off topic, sorry :0)

Brilliant post. You are 100% correct. The bass up here are very different from their SoCal cousins. Not that I know what the hell I'm talking about, but if you try the same things here (NorCal) as they do down south it just will not be the same. Man, it is not the same from one lake to another 15 minutes up the road. Time on the water and experiance. Period!:-)