http://www.calfishing.com/dcforum/User_files/3c1963745d0f6494.jpg

You guys might remember these fish being reported about two weeks ago from Coyote. A couple of very nice fish, no question. But what bugs me about this is that when these fish were caught, no boats were allowed on Coyote. In fact, you couldn't launch a boat at all because the ramp was 20 feet of the water. But this pic isn't taken at Coyote, it's somewhere else and I'm 99% sure it's Calero. And if I recall correctly these fish were not caught on the same day. I think the 12 was caught one day and the 15 the day after from the story I heard. Which means both of these fish spent some time somewhere else in a tub. Well you can read the caption and take a guess where that was. Now I don't particularly have a problem with transporting fish around even if it illegal, and if you want to get some pictures, that's cool, but I think releasing big fish in a different lake is awful bad form and something that should not be done under any circumstances. And I don't really like the idea of taking trophy fish and keeping them in a tub for a day or two. And hell, I wouldn't say anything about it, but when it's on the front page of the Western Outdoor News with a bunch of product hype, that's pretty weak, and you're asking for it.

I Knew something was wrong the minute I saw it also. Good catch as we SoCal Boyz wouldn't have known the dope on this...You should send a little note to WON asking about it. I kept wondering the same things,,,That the lake had been closed and Gee? How did this guy manage to fin around? with 25+ pounds of fish on What? a stringer? until someone he Knew showed up in a boat,with a camera Which couldn't have been launched and had these fish look,,,,well fresh?

I always wear jeans and a belt and my shirt tucked in under my waders. First thing I thought when I read that was "Bastard! Fishing for a year and he nails those giants!!!" I had no clue about the lake or anything, thanks for the info!

I don't know the guy with the fish, but I do go to Coyote Bait a fair amount and I like the people I have met there. The thing about that that really bugs me is letting the fish go in a different lake. Doing stuff like that can be dangerous to fisheries because it introduces the possibility of disease. I doubt that the fish in Coyote have a disease (unless it's a fatness disease) but it just is not a good thing to be doing. There ain't no trout in Calero and I doubt that 15 pounder is going to have the food source to get any bigger. If they just left her in Coyote, who knows what could happen? San Pablo kicked out an 18+ this year, and I think Coyote could do it too. Let's be smart about our fisheries here people.

Not only that, he was using Floroclear... That can't be right, 12# floroclear would've broken way before he turned those fish... har. I agree with Chris. My shirt is always perfectly wrinkle free when I take off my waders too. Somethin ain't right. We need to get to the bottom of this. To the batmobile.
-Brian

Yea, that's definitely Calero all right. As far as I'm concerned that dude as good as killed those two bass.

If the FishSniffer story is correct. He caught the 12 pounder at 3pm on day and the 15 pounder at 4:30pm the following day. What he was doing with the 12 pounder all that time is beyond me.

http://www.fishsniffer.com/dbacher/120601coyotelake.html

Nico

And also if the FishSniffer story is correct (which I'm beginning to think it's not)... If he caught the 15 at 4:30pm that'd give him only 30 minutes before sunset. Which means that photo was taken the day AFTER he caught the 15, which means the 12 was sitting in a tub for almost two days.

Nico

Geezo,

What a kook!

Not to offend anyone, especially Ryan Thoni, but I've always been suspicious of guys who work at lake marinas and the fish they catch. I'm not saying they're all bad...

I've seen these guys do too many kooky manuevers...fish inside the off limits (under the marina docks where no one else is allowed), or hold large fish in tanks, or fish with trout and bluegill, fish when the lakes are closed to the public, etc.

I can't believe releasing a fish in a different lake than it was caught. This guy's actions definitely sound like those of a guy with a years' experience.

Coyote Bait and Tackle isn't actually on Coyote Lake. It's about 25 minutes away from Coyote lake and 5 minutes away from Calero. I assume they kept the big fish in the live minnow tanks at the store and photographed the fish at Calero since it's so close.

Still though. It doesn't seem like the poeople at Coyote B&T give a damn about the fish or Coyote Lake.

Nico

I would certainly like to hear this angler defend himself against these allegations.

By the way, In-Fisherman did a tagging and tracking study which showed that large bass which are caught and moved long distances, especially to other lakes, have a very large chance of parishing within 1 year. It seems that giant bass have gotten that way, as a result of fitting perfectly into there own little niche. Apparently, they don't take to a new lake very well.
To quote In-Fisherman ..... "Relocating a big bass to waters other than it has grown in is usually no less than a death sentance". Also, "They seem to be much more likely to be caught and subsequently removed by catch and keep anglers"
hmmmm......

What is it about a giant bass that makes a guy lose his mind ??? My best advice...... Go through all of the possible scenarios that could possibly happen while you are on the water, and decice how you will handle them, AHEAD OF TIME !!! Then when it eventually does happen, you can play it off like an old pro who does it all the time :-)

Great fishing to all of you guys,
Peace,
Fish Chris