Hit my local ponds again last night. Tried Santa Margarita? first for nothing but a lost Rattletrap. Then drove down to the ponds in San Juan. I had 4 fish for 2 1/2 hrs. Lost a really nice one too. The first one went around 3#, the next was tiny, the last two were around 1# 1 1/2#. Here's my first question. Do Largemouths weigh close to the same as a Calico, or a Sand Bass. I would say no where near a Bay Bass. But the larger fish last night would have been a solid 3 - 3 1/2# if it was a Calico. But, it just didn't seem that big. A spotty that length and girth would've gone an 4#. These LM just seem kinda soft compared to their saltwater bretheren. Any one got a good guess?

Second question, would some like to post a dissertation on how air pressure and weather fronts effect Largemouth? Last night I was getting bit on a regular basis, kept me very happy. Now last night there was a building high pressure system (strong Santa Ana winds). Last week, I had 1 fish for two nights fishing, w/ barely any bites. Both these nights the air was very unstable, w/ the better bite (though no takers) while it was raining. Can I consider this a normal pattern?

Amish Ed

Ed,
Hahahaha, these largemouth are gettin to ya aren't they??? I told ya it's a different game, you're right on track as far as trying to figure out patterns and weather. On the small ponds I don't think they're effected as much because the bass in smaller bodies of water tend to have their own little cycles because of the lack of options, such as varied cover, deep structure, etc. normally found in large bodies of water. Bass in little ponds have to kinda make do with what they've got, which makes it perfect for a guy like you cause you can learn to catch some bass, and figure stuff out, only on a smaller scale. Those fish WILL still have patterns, and they'll still do stuff with weather conditions, but not as drastically as on big water. As for largemouth weight, I've found the calicos are heavier for the size also. Larry's 4.5#er the last time I was out with him looked like a 3, 3.5# largemouth. I'd guess calicos have more muscles, or stronger, or denser muscles. They do fight harder, so that seems like a logical explanation. Glad to see you're having a good time with those largemouth, you'll be a yamamoto ho before you know it.
-Brian

Getting to me big time. I'm going again tonight. I really do wish I had some Senkos. I'll have to pick some up soon. In the mean time I'll stick to the June Bug Zippers, and wait for the spawn. From what I've heard they are like Sandies, which are like people. They get horny and lose all sense of reason.

As far as the Marlin goes, I'll get to it after Saturday night. I am in the middle of preparing for a big (for me anyways) show on Sat. night. I'm the only student in the show, every one else is somewhat established, many show internationally. So, I need to put out my best work, and be in the right frame of mind for the evening. When I'm not working on this and other art at school I'm trying everything I can to forget about it. So, after the show I can put some quality time in w/ your drawing.

Speaking of shows, are you going to the Fred Ho Show? What day? I'll probably go Sat. night.

My brother is going to join us on the Mustang. I can't wait. He's never even caught a YT, let alone a WSB. He's laid back and loves to fish when he has the time. He's just too lazy to make a habit out of it. I can't wait, it's going to be sooooo, fun.

Amish Ed

Awesome awesome awesome. Spawn is my favorite time to fish largemouth, cause unlike sandies or calicos for that matter, you can actually see the fish on their beds and hit em with stuff till you piss em off and they bite it. It's a completely different kind of fishing (it's called sight fishing in case you didn't know). The males will typically guard the nest, and they usually won't move for anything. You really gotta piss em off sometimes cause you're trying to get them to eat out of anger rather than hunger. They'll often spawn in only a couple feet of water, so you can see the fish right there, and throw lures at it, and eventually catch it. It's lots of fun. Take your time on that marlin, I just hadn't heard anything back from you about it. I think we'll be hitting the FHS on Wednesday. That way we not only get to have first picks of stuff, we also get outta school... :-) Man, tell me about getting ansy for that trip... I'm so set to pull on some yellowtail. I love wsb too. Ahhh, can't wait. I'm gettin b-day money tomorrow, and it's all goin toward a narrowed 4/0. Can't quite justify the progear 454 since I won't be using it that heavily. Plus Eric showed me his YTS that he got the spool machine drilled on. That thing spins like no other. It's like the japanese YTS, very awesome. I'm gonna see if I can do something like that too, I've got the tools to do it. I don't think I could bring myself to drill holes in a progear. Anyway, have fun with those bass, I expect a report after tonight's activities.
-Brian

Well, you know the saying,"Different day, different ocean." Substitute pond for ocean and you've got what I got. A bunch of words. Had a few ticks, and missed one good one. Swung too early on it. They were all on the June Bug Zipper of course. Tried every pattern I could drum up. I even sat down on the bank so that I would slow way down. Did see one jump right in front of me. I'll try again next week some time.

What is it you're planning on drilling out on that 4/0?

Amish Ed

Eric (at Eric's Tackle) showed me his YTS and he had taken the spool to a friend of his who has a machine shop. Have you ever seen the japanese bass reels like the scorpion, or even the new Calcutta TE/GT. They've got those holes drilled in the spool. It lightens up the spool so that it casts easier. Kinda an easy fix to a heavy aluminum spool without the lack of strength of a graphite spool. I'll probably try it on my jigmaster before I go drillin up accurate parts.
-Brian

Ed,
If you are going to wait for the spawn I might have a good suggestion. Try a crayfish presentation when you see a bass on the nest. Preferably one with a good rattle in it. Crayfish will feed on fish eggs and present a credible threat to the bass. In addition, crayfish are a large part of a bass' diet and having a few crayfish lures in the tackle box will serve you well year-round.
This is based on fishing back in Ohio but, as long as there are crayfish here in California, I think it will hold true.

Deaner

Deaner, thanks for the scoop. I don't know if this pond has them but I think most do. I need to did out my craws, I have some of the Wham ones.

Brian, what is maintenance like on a drilled out YTS? I know Shimano and I think everyone else that sells reels w/ wiffle spools recomends against using them in the salt. Just so many more ways for the water to get in. But, then again like me you probably won't use it so much that it will be an issue. That's how comw I've got the PG Paciffica. For as often as I'll use it, it'll be worth the time cleaning.

Amish Ed

Ed,
The problem is in drilling through the anodizing. The spool only has a thin coat of anodizing which protects against corrosion, so once you drill through the annodizing, the bare metal is exposed to corrosion. I think if I just soak the thing in corrosion X or something before I stick it on the reel, and after every trip scrub the holes with corrosion X it'll be ok. I'll probably drill most of the holes as close to the middle of the spool as I can because if they're up next to the rim of the spool water can get into the sideplate just with everyday use, but if they're down toward the center the line will be covering them for most of the time and act as a water guard. If I can have at least 1/4, 1/2" between the rim and the first hole, it should be aight. I'll definitely talk to Eric about this and experiment on my jigmaster before I do anything drastic.
-Brian