Let me take a moment of your time to explain the importance of catch and release, any resource can be severely damaged for years if we don’t practice catch and release with the large, genetically better bass. These “superior” bass are capable of producing more genetically better bass for years to come. If they are all removed, are your children ever going to be able to enjoy this sport we cherish so much?

My question is, if you catch a Trophy bass, why kill it? This creature has withstood the test of time and nature. Do you realize that a 10 pound bass has survived some outlandishly high odds? When she was born, along with several thousand others, they had to avoid being eaten by nest robbing carp and sunfish as eggs well as when they were “Fry”. Then once her “Dad” got tired of guarding then and hunger took over she had to avoid being eaten by him. Many of her brothers and sisters didn’t make it. When she made it to the fingerling stage, she had to watch out for more predators, other bass, birds, other species of fish as well as disease’s and parasites. What a tough life huh?

Finally she reaches “Adult” size, say 12 inches. According to scientific studies, out of the thousands of eggs laid only 10-20 will actually make it to this stage. Now she has to avoid being caught by fisher people or hope that is she does get caught, they practice catch and release. She also has to watch out for other bigger bass that attempt to eat her.

One day while tournament fishing I came across this big bass, about 7 pounds, floundering around on the surface with something sticking out of its mouth. I scooped her up in my net and to my amazement this 7 pound bass was chocking on another bass, still alive mind you, that she attempted to eat that weighed at least 2 pounds and of course she couldn’t swallow it. I realized then that as far as bass are concerned, “If I can fit it in my mouth I can eat it”. I pulled the smaller bass out and even though I wanted to stick them both in the live well my ethics would not allow me to. BTW, that day good karma shined on me and I weighed in a 28.4 pound, 5 bass limit sack and won the tournament.

Anyhow, back to the subject. As time progressed and she grew she became conditioned to her surroundings and “In Tune” with what seemed normal. She learned that if something was pulling her in one direction, a line connected to a fishing pole, to run to their “Feel Safe” area’s, which is usually the nearest cover, trees, rocks, etc. run in circles and this would somehow enable her to swim freely once again, because she just broke your line. As you can see, she has gone through allot to become the trophy she is now today.

So, if you are lucky or skilled enough to catch one or more of these superior bass, take pictures, measurements and weigh her. There is nothing more satisfying and rewarding than seeing the beautiful creature swim back into the darkness after a great fight.

Of course some will want a mount made of their catch but remember that now days most taxidermists will use an already made fiberglass replica of a bass, which looks so good when their done that you could never tell that it is a glass reproduction, right down to the gills. If you take in the actual fish, most of the time they will end up throwing it away or eating it themselves.

One word of caution. Your mount will only be as good as the artist preparing it is. Be it a skin mount or a fiberglass reproduction, it still must be painted. Make sure you see some of the taxidermists work before you pay the money to have it done. See if they are good at matching real life colors, etc.

Until Next Time, Good luck and tight lines to ya!

Wishing you all a safe and happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July!

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG, OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA , AND TO THE REPUBLIC, FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL!

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
And then he stood at ease.

I looked at him in uniform;
so young, so tall, so proud.
With hair cut square and eyes alert,
he’d stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him
had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil;
how many mothers’ tears?

How many pilots’ planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers’ graves?
No, freedom isn’t free.

I heard the sound of Taps one night,
when everything was still.
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times
That Taps had meant ‘Amen.’
When a flag had draped a coffin
of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,
of the mothers and the wives,
of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea.
Of unmarked graves in Arlington .
No, freedom isn’t free.

Enjoy Your Freedom.

Thanks for visiting my site. Be sure to tell all of your fishing buddies and come back soon

Until Next Time, Good Luck and Tight Lines To Ya!

While some may really enjoy this time of year and thrive on bed fishing, me personally, I don’t purposely fish for bedded bass. That’s not to say that I haven’t in the past targeted them, especially when fishing a bass tournament because at certain times of the year if you don’t target them you don’t stand a chance of cashing a check. Even when I’m out pleasure fishing and just making random casts towards structure I know at times the chances are that I have caught bedded bass on occasion however I do my best to get them back into the water quickly so they can return to their nest.

Then you have the people who look for bedded bass with the intention of poaching them by snagging them off the beds and taking them home to eat. Not only is this morally wrong and detrimental to our sport it is illegal as well.

From the 2011 CA Department of Fish and Game site;

Fishing Methods and Gear Restrictions (CCR, T14, Chapter 2, Article 1)

2.00. Fishing Methods — General.

(b) Snagging is prohibited. Snagging is defined as impaling or attempting to impale a fish in any part of its body other than the mouth by use of a hook, hooks, gaff, or other mechanical implement. This definition does not include activities otherwise authorized under these regulations for the lawful use of a gaff, bow and arrow, or spear.

If you ever witness a person attempting to snag fish or doing anything that breaks the law at anytime of the year it is our responsibility as sportsmen to do something about it. While I don’t suggest approaching them and take a chance of getting in harms way I do suggest, if possible, getting some kind of description of them, their vehicle license, what they look like, etc. and reporting them to the DFG. With technology today a person could very easily take a picture and place a call to report them. Again, don’t put yourself in harms way. Remember when someone is poaching, they are breaking the law, therefore they are a criminal and might not hesitate to retaliate right then and there if they feel your reporting them. Then again, if you make it known that your aware of there illegal activity they might stop, at least for the time.

Here in CA we have a program called CalTIP, Californians Turn In Poachers and Polluters. This is a confidential secret witness program that encourages the public to provide Fish and Game with factual information leading to the arrest of poachers and polluters. CalTIP was introduced in California in 1981 in order to give Californians an opportunity to help protect the state’s fish and wildlife resources. The toll free telephone number, 1 888 DFG-CALTIP, 888 334-2258 operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You do not have to give your name.

I figure some were hoping that this would be a “How to” article on catching bass on beds, sorry to disappoint you. Like I said above, we need to try and practice catch and release even more so during this time of the year, especially if you want your kids and grandkids to be able to experience the thrill of catching them in the future.

Thanks for visiting my site. Be sure to tell all of your fishing buddies and come back soon.

Until Next Time, Good Luck and Tight Lines To Ya!

As it turns out, due to all the rain we received recently the 178 through the canyon between Bakersfield CA and Lake Isabella is currently closed due to land slides

And Sierra Way, also known as the Kernville cut off, which runs along the north shore of the lake is closed due to a huge sink hole in it. The road is almost completely gone. Could you imagine being the one to find this? I’ve drove that road thousands of times and the crazy part is that I have come around that corner many times at a pretty high rate of speed.

Here are some of the pictures. In my opinion, the people standing in the middle of it are not too bright. I would think as much as the road is destroyed that it wouldn’t take much for the rest to go.

Thanks for visiting my site. Be sure to tell all of your fishing buddies and come back soon.

Until Next Time, Good Luck and Tight Lines To Ya!

2010 has been quite the experience for me. As most of you already know I have had knee issues for quite awhile. Back in my younger days I thought I was invincible, just like most boys huh? Anyhow, between football, wrestling, martial arts and a few meniscus surgeries along the way my knees were pretty much shot. For the past few years I had been getting cortisone shots religiously and eating Celebrex and pain pills like candy just to be able to walk. So early last year I decided that enough was enough and in April I had a total knee replacement, Vauguard Knee Systems, on my left knee.

I went through several weeks of intense physical therapy and I cant deny that there was a lot of pain involved and at about 2-3 weeks out the pain was so intense that more than once I asked myself why did I go through with it. As time went on, the pain got less and I regained strength back in my knee.

After about 3 months of really pushing myself during physical therapy I was able to take the Champion back out on the water. With the assistance of my fishing buddy to assist in launching, parking of the Chevy in the parking lot and recovering the boat at the end of the day. While my left knee was feeling better my right knee was hurting even more than it used to because it had to do all the work during rehab so walking up and down the launch ramp was tough.

Fast forward a few months. The left knee still hurts from time to time but it’s a different kind of hurt than prior to the surgery. Of course seeing how I my right knee has been doing all the work lately it hurts more than it did before so its back to the doctor for yet another cortisone shot. So I get to thinking, seeing how my right knee is hurting more than before and I know that it’s only going to get worse and I had already met my maximum out of pocket with my insurance I might as well pull the trigger and get the right one done so I scheduled the surgery for early October.

About 2 weeks prior to my scheduled knee surgery I attempted to lift something while in an awkward position, slipped and felt an intense pain in my abdomen. I look down and my belly button that’s been an “Inny” all my life is suddenly on “Outty.” I attempted to push it back in but to no avail so its off to the emergency room where I get admitted for emergency hernia surgery so this in turn delayed the date for my knee surgery.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention, it was during this time my wife Cindy had to have ankle reconstruction surgery so that was yet another complication and then Marilyn, my cockatoo got sick twice this year and had to spend some time at the vets office. The second time she had to spend a week there because she developed an egg that was larger than her opening and she couldnt pass it so they had to wait until it dropped before they could drain it so it would collapse and she was able to pass it.

November 1^st I got my right knee replaced and once again I’ve been doing intense physical therapy and things are going well. I didn’t remember just how much pain is involved in the whole process. Cindy and my physical therapist tell me that I went through the same thing the last time so I guess I believe them, HA! While I am still in pain, it seems to be getting better with every passing day although there are days when it seems to hurt more I know that’s part of the game.

While I have been able to get in a few fishing trips this year I can honestly say that I have spent less time fishing in 2010 than any other year I can remember. I know that previous year’s I’d try to get out and wet a line at least once a week so with not being able to get out nearly as much cabin fever has been an issue. Good Lord willing I’ll be spending more time on the water in 2011.

In spite of it all I still count my blessings. I have a good woman that has stuck by my side through the tough times when I had been, let’s just say, less than pleasant to live with. Thanks Cindy, you have no ideal how much your appreciated.

Well all, that’s what I’ve been up to and why my monthly drawings have not been done taking place. I’ll be having 4, yes 4 drawings on January 1, 2011 so be sure to check back on to see if you’re a winner.

Thanks for visiting my site. Be sure to tell all of your fishing buddies and come back soon.

Until Next Time, Good Luck and Tight Lines To Ya!

First off from the sounds of things WON will not be filling charges against Mike Hart for cheating at the US Open even though it has been verified that nine, 2 ounce torpedo-shaped sinkers with hooks attached, were removed from bass turned in by Mike Hart. According to reports Mike even admitted to cheating and placing the weights in the bass. However it does sound to me like the Nevada Wildlife Department might pursue something.

The following are quotes from WON publisher Bob Twilegar

“We caught someone at the US OPEN with 5 fish that all had weights with hooks in them. This is pretty factual information which we reported immediately. On the surface the evidence is overwhelming as to what happened, and we went to much effort to make that be the case. We did so with the help and oversight of the Nevada Wildlife department who were on site at the time it all was happening.”

“We do not have the option of “pressing charges”, etc. It is up to the state or federal government to prosecute a criminal case and it is the state versus whoever is charged in a criminal case. All we can do is cooperate or not, but we have no say in whether a case is prosecuted. “

“The Nevada Wildlife department was involved with the initial sting operation in the matter, so obviously we have been more than willing to cooperate with them and any other legal authority involved. But we do not get to “press charges” as some are suggesting.”

“We were told at that time, and again since, to not discuss the case in public, other than to report the facts in our own publication. So we do not really have an option to give you opinions on what should be done by others, or speculate on whether this happened in the past.”

“Our main focus at the US OPEN, and since was not to catch a cheater. We had hundreds of great and honest anglers battling it out in an amazing battle under the most brutal conditions you can imagine. It was an incredible tournament, a unforgettable Tribute to the Legends dinner program, following a great I-cast show. That is what we would like for people to remember about this years US OPEN, and many will for sure.”

When asked if WON was still going to ban Mike Hart from fishing their tournament circuit for life Bob Twilegar stated the following.

“We would not allow someone who attempted to cheat in this manner to fish any of our future events. This was obviously done with advance planning and with the intent to cheat to win money, and with it comes the maximum penalty that WON BASS can hand out, which is a ban from fishing our events.”

 I would tend to believe that in light of the ban from WON tournaments Mr. Hart will also be banned from fishing in any other tournament organizations. In my opinion, regardless of any legal actions I believe that Mr. Hart’s days of fishing, even if its just for fun, have come to an end.

Several reports indicate that Hart had fished in 100 team events over the years, finished in the money an estimated 75 percent of them and earned more than $200,000 in addition to a few bass boats. While he wasn’t going to win the U.S. Open Hart likely would have won $1,000 or more had the cheating not been uncovered.

I have not been able to verify the authenticity of the following but according to several online reports, the statistics below are just for the American Bass Tournament circuit. Take note of the amount of dead fish weighed in by Hart. I don’t know about you but that number seems extremely high to me.

Total Number of Tournaments Fished: 103

Number of Tournament Cashes: 85

Career Cash Winnings: $37,103.00

Number of 1st Place Finishes: 10

Number of Top 5 Finishes: 44

Number of Top 10 Finishes: 61

Total Number of Fish Weighed: 441

Dead fish: 126

Through out the years I have fished over 75 tournaments, some of them in extremely brutal conditions and during all that time I can count the amount of dead bass that I weighed in on one hand.

I also find it a little suspicious that just for the ABA tournaments listed, he finished in the money 85% of the time. While it’s true that he is a good fisherman that number seems just a little high to me.

While most tournament anglers are good honest people as sad as it is, I know for a fact that anytime money is involved there will always be someone that will attempt to find a way to get the edge over other competitors. While some ways are fine other ways may be unethical but still legal, other ways, like Mr. Harts way, is not only unethical but illegal as well.

In my years of tournament fishing I personally witnessed on more than one occasion, anglers attempting to cheat. I saw anglers disqualified during boat inspections for having bass in partitioned off live wells. I’ve seen live bait, minnows and crawdads in live wells as well as in coffee thermos and water jugs. I witnessed people attempting to conceal night crawlers in hidden compartments. I’ve heard of people getting caught filling their live wells by removing bass from submerged cages that were placed there prior to the tournaments.

I have personally witnessed bass spit up lead weights while in the weigh basket on the scale. When I said something to the director he just laughed and said, “The bass must be really hungry if they are willing to eat lead.” While the majority of tournament anglers and directors are standup people, there will always be those who just don’t have enough confidence in themselves as anglers and will attempt to find a way to cheat. Even though I enjoyed the competition and comradery of fellow anglers its events like I mentioned above that made me finally decide to stop tournament fishing. Who knows, maybe now that Mike Hart got caught it will keep other’s that might be considering cheating to think twice about it or maybe they just wont enter.

Below is a video that usgambler posted on You Tube that he filmed at the US Open.

Thanks for visiting my site. Be sure to tell all of your fishing buddies and come back soon.

Until Next Time, Good Luck and Tight Lines To Ya!

Below is a picture of one of the actual weights, as you can see, its not something that he just happened to throw together quickly. Click the picture for a full sized image.

I don’t feel sorry for him but because he willingly cheated and deserves anything he gets but I do feel for his former team partners Personally, I don’t believe they were aware of Mike’s actions but because of his actions there will always be the Stigma of “Did they Know”.

I am glad that WON Bass is taking action on the matter and as I find out updates I will pass them on.

Thanks for visiting my site. Be sure to tell all of your fishing buddies and come back soon.

Until Next Time, Good Luck and Tight Lines To Ya!

The following was posted by Bill Egan WON Bass Director of Operations on a popular Western Bass Fishing Forum.

“Mike Hart was suspected of placing unnatural items in the bellies of fish presented to our scales at the third day of fishing of the US Open, at Lake Mead, Nevada.”

“Here is what happened and how it played out!”

“As I was leaving the Callville Bay Marina Bar and Restaurant and weigh in location. I wanted to run by and check on our anglers whom were having motor or boat issues. As I drove to where Mark Niccoletti and Jordan from Anglers Marine, were working on some angler boats, I was flagged down by the Nevada Fish and game. They were filleting the fish that were collected after the weigh ins, which came to the scales “DEAD”. I told them that I would return in a minute or two, as I wanted to check on a few of our anglers. When I was able to return to the area where the staff was cleaning the fish that are to be given to local area homeless families, I was pulled aside and told of two different issues. One was regarding a AAA, that dumped a whole bottle of Rejuv in a livewell, and ended up killing all of his fish due to over Rejuv. Then the Nevada fish and game agent seemed to have a lump in her throat and a plastic bag in her other hand. It was mentioned, that they happened to be talking about the fish that were being filleted, and what the fish happened to be eating. One of the staff, decided by random to open up the belly of a fish and instead of finding a crawdad, a lead weight, with a fixed drop shot hook was found in stead. There were a total of four 2 oz ( not confirmed ) weights in the bellies of three separate fish at day two weigh ins.”

“I was sick to my stomach when I saw what was in the bags, it was like someone hit me in the stomach with a hammer. I decided to make sure that nobody, other than the people that were at the fillet station, found out that we had discovered the weights. Headed to the hotel to check in with tour stat girls, so they could look up the number of anglers, who happened to weigh in 3 dead fish on day two. There were only three anglers that day that brought three dead fish to the scales that day. It was decided between Harvey and myself, that the best way to handle it, was to pretend that we never found out, so that whom ever was responsible, would feel as if they had gotten away with it. We placed some paper clips to the said anglers weigh cards, as we were confidant that the AAA’s in no way had anything to do with what had happened, based on our findings.”

“Day three started at the scales and things were under way for the final day of the 2010 US Open. As the anglers approached the stage, I would look at the weigh cards waiting for those that had been clipped. As I look over, I see the first weigh card come up with a paper clip attached and nothing was found in his fish. The second clipped card came up, and same deal. As the third weigh card that was clipped came up, I saw Mike Hart at the bottom of the stage. I got on the mic, and announced his name, and made comments regarding the Castaicanator. Signals were given, and Mike’s fish were placed in the holding tank. As the fish are tested to make sure they are dead, I was called over by my TD, John Cassidy. As I approached the area, to feel the belly of the first fish I grabbed, it was obvious that there was something hard, and unnatural in the belly of that fish. I asked Mike to step to the side, as there was something we needed to talk about. The five fish were immediately set aside in a separate bag. Mike was escorted to the side where we had officials waiting. All five fish that had been presented to our scales by Mr. Hart where then gutted, and as most of you have seen, the lead weights where in all five fish. As I continued to keep the scales going, it was said that Mike had run. I was not made aware of the fact the Mike Hart was still around, until an angler came to me and said, that Mike was still here, but was hiding in a friends truck. I was taken to the truck, as Mike had requested to talk with me. I opened the driver side door, as Mike Hart was in the passenger side with the air on. As I got in the car, all the signs were there…… He was slumped in the chair with his hands on his face. He confessed to adding weights to the fish and was completely demoralized regarding his pour and completely unacceptable decision he had made by cheating. I mentioned that he had made it to easy for us to figure out, and it was only due to the fact that the Nevada Fish and Game happened to fillet and donate the meat to the local homeless families. I asked him, if he wanted to take the stage and face his friends family and fellow anglers, and he said he could not face it. I explained that we as a tournament organization will go after him with everything we have, and that I was troubled that we would have to make an example of him.”

In my younger days I thought I was pretty much invincible. As a kid I used to play tackle football in the streets of my neighborhood and do some pretty crazy things on my bicycle, used to worry my mom to death. Then when in school I got involved in football and wrestling. I also got into martial arts. During these times I abused my knees but I didn’t think anything of it.

It was not until years later that I realized the damage I did in my younger days. My knees would hurt at times when I stood up or after long rides in cars. Over time the pain became more constant and intense. A few years back I went to the doctor and after some tests it was determined that I needed a total knee replacement in my left knee and would need my right knee done in a few years.

Now I’m about to share my deep dark secret with you, I am scared to death of needles! I know that nobody likes needles but for me it is well beyond not liking them. Everyone has their weakness, Superman’s is Kryptonite, and mine is needles. I realize that sounds kind of funny coming from a fisherman seeing how we get stuck with hooks from time to time.

So I’ve been putting off having it done for awhile now. I’ve been taking anti inflammatory and supplements and while they do lessen the pain it never went away. From time to time my knee would pop out of place making it very painful to even walk. It was at that time that I did some extensive research on orthopedic surgeons and found who I felt was the best in California. Then with some influence from my wife I finally decided that I really needed to get this done so I could get back the quality of life I had let slowly slip away over time.

I was told that I will get back full range of motion and best of all, the knee pain will no longer exist so I’ll be getting The Vanguard Complete Knee Replacement System this coming Monday April 5^th 2010.  You can read more about it here.

 http://www.biomet.com/patients/vanguard_complete.cfm

Oh yeah, I’ll be starting intense physical therapy on the following Friday, April 9th to ensure a full recovery.

Anyhow, my main reason for sharing this with you is to let you know that for at least the next few weeks I’ll kind of be “Out of it” due to the pain pills and physical therapy so please bear with me. While I will do my best to keep things updated here I cant promise anything. I believe that what I’ll miss the most is that I wont be able to go fishing for at least the next 3 months therefore I’ll be missing out on the spring bass bite. Oh well, that’s the price I’ll pay to get better.

Thanks for visiting my site. Be sure to tell all of your fishing buddies and come back soon

Until Next Time, Good Luck and Tight Lines To Ya!

While the majority of the show centers around salt water fishing ff course they will have my favorite section, the Bass Zone where countless vendor booths are setup with great prices on great tackle.

There are tons of things to see and do. One of my favorite is the bass tank. Boasting the Largest selection of fishing boats in California you can see a lot of different makes and models, You can check out the Quantum Kayak Center, See the Fin Nor Fashion Show, Visit the Triton Boats Freshwater Tank, Learn to Use Your Electronics at the “Hands-On” Lowrance Learning Center, Check out the Archery Lanes, Virtual Fishing Arcade Truck, Enter to Win various fishing trips around the world and the list goes on and on.

While I normally make it down to the show every year, this year I will not be able to attend. I recently found out that I’m going to need a total knee replacement. Between football, wrestling and martial arts in my younger days I abused my knees to much and now I’m paying for it. The doctor was actually surprised that I’m even able to walk as much as I do. Seeing how there is so much to see at the show I know my knee wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Admission is $15.00 for adults, $14.00 for military and seniors and free for kids 15 and younger. Tickets can be purchased in advance online or at the door. In my opinion if you’re a fisherman, salt or fresh, the total cost, including gas driving down, parking and admission fee is well worth it. Having everything a fisherman could want in one place is just like Christmas!

Thanks for visiting my site. Be sure to tell all of your fishing buddies and come back soon.

Until Next Time, Good Luck and Tight Lines To Ya!

This Friday February 12, the world will gather to watch top athletes from around the globe compete in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver British Columbia, Canada. This of course is the 21st Winter Olympics and the official Olympic moto is “With glowing hearts.” Our athletes from Team USA have been training their entire lives will take the stage to represent our country in hopes of taking the gold.

As I’m sure everyone knows, the United States is one of the very few countries that does not fully fund their Olympic team.  Your support of Team USA will be deeply appreciated.

Anyone who registers on Teamusa.org will have access to the latest info and will receive exclusive updates throughout the games

When you click on the below link it will take you to the Official Team USA home page where you can view Olympic updates, check out the profiles of our Olympic team, purchase Official Olympic gear and make donations to help support Team USA.