Interested in what the
cheeky-faced youngster was up to, he politely asked, “What’cha doing, Tim?”

“My goldfish died,” replied the boy tearfully, without looking up. “I’ve
just buried him.”

The neighbor was concerned. “That’s an awfully big
hole for a goldfish, isn’t it?”

Tim patted down the last heap of earth,
then replied, “That’s because he’s inside your dumb cat.”

Anyhow, on Christmas afternoon I got a text from my friend Zoli that lives down in the Antelope Valley asking me if I wanted to hit the California Aqueduct to see about catching some striped bass. One nice thing about duct fishing is it has easy access to good fishing spots. I then texted another friend who lives down there as well and asked if he was available to join us, which he did so we discussed what time and where we would meet.

I woke up bright and early and headed down to the AV duct. We met up at Zoli’s house, loaded up their stuff into the Silverado and proceeded to head out and see if we could beat the duct skunk. We worked over the first few spots we stopped at but nobody got a bite so we proceeded on. The rule of thumb when duct fishing is to work an area for 15-20 minutes tops and if nothing happens pack up and move on.

After hitting several more spots for nothing we moved onto another spot. I cast out, feel the tell tale thump so I reel down to catch up with the fish that was swimming towards me, feel the weight and swing, FISH ON, WOOOO HOOOO! While it wasn’t a double digit it was a good solid 6 pounder, into the ice chest he goes to become fillets. We continued on and hit I dont remember how many more spots but nothing doing. We called it a day at 2:30ish and I headed home after dropping the guys off.

All in all it was a good day, could have been nicer if we caught more but such is life when fishing the aqueduct.

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!

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 detail in these diecast are incredible! They all have opening rod lockers with poles painted in them, opening battery compartment with batteries, swiveling butt and rear deck seats, deployable trolling motor and wired, pivoting and tilting Mercury Outboard. The trailer has padded bunks, working suspension and tie down straps.

I’m asking $110.00 each, shipped TYD. I cannot combine shipping costs because they are pretty big and cost almost $30.00 each to ship when packaged properly. Of course if you pick them up, I’m in Ridgecrest California, I’ll deduct $30.00 from each boat making them $80.00 each.

That being said, here’s what I have: (Click on the Picture to Enlarge)

2003 Dale Earnhardt #3 GM Goodwrench/Silver Select 25^th Anniversary Nitro Boat w/Trailer. Only 1800 were made and this is number 871. The box does have some shelf ware as seen in picture’s above.
 
 
2003 Dale Earnhardt #3 GM Goodwrench/Bass Pro Shops Nitro Boat w/Trailer. Only 5981 were made and this is number 2970

2002 Dale Earnhardt Legacy Nitro Boat w/Trailer. Only 5206 were made and this is number 0143

2002 John Force Castrol GTX/11x Champion Ranger Boat w/Trailer. Only 1644 were made and this is number 0958

2002 Tony Stewart Home Depot Nitro Boat w/Trailer. Only 3210 were made and this is number 1831

 
 
 
 
 
 
2002 Dale Jarrett #88 UPS/Race the Truck Ranger Boat w/Trailer. Only 4238 were made and this is number 0244

2002 Hank Parker Signature Series 2001 Ranger Boat w/Trailer. Only 3273 were made and this is number 0016 -

2003 Elliott Sadler #38 M&M Ranger Boat w/Trailer. Only 2852 were made and this is number 2097    -

2003 Sterling Marlin #40 Coors Light Ranger Boat w/Trailer. Only 1728 were made and this is number 0262

 2003 Ryan Newman #12 Alltel Ranger Boat w/Trailer. Only 1608 were made and this is number 1200

 2003 Dale Jarrett #88 UPS Ranger Boat w/Trailer. Only 2996 were made and this is number 1765

2002 Rusty Wallace #2 Miller Lite Ranger Boat w/Trailer. Only 3100 were made and this is number 1713

 2003 Jimmy Johnson #48 Lowes/Power of Pride Ranger Boat w/Trailer. Only 1608 were made and this is number 247

 2002 Jeff Gordon #24 Dupont Ranger Boat w/Trailer. Only 6212 were made and this is number 568

2002 Kevin Harvick #29 GM Goodwrench Service Nitro Boat w/Trailer. Only 2821 were made and this is number 2074

 2003 Dale Earnhardt Jr #8 DMP Nitro Boat w/Trailer. Only 3556 were made and this is number 0466

 2002 Dale Earnhardt Jr #8 Looney Toons Rematch Nitro Boat w/Trailer. Only 3320 were made and this is number 1518

Anyhow, we met up at the duct and started tossing lures. Across the duct there was a blue heron sitting on the opposite shore and he’s catching little fish, then a striper busts the surface. We make several casts and nothing as we are talking, BAM, Fish On! Yolo hooks up, as he is fighting the fish, which was a good solid 8 pounder, we see another one the same size trying to take the Rattle Trap out of his mouth. Yolo hesitates in pulling his fish up because he’s waiting for me to cast out and see about catching the other one, which didn’t happen. Finally he starts to pulls him up the side but the fish flipped again, got off the hook, slid back into the duct and promptly swam away. We tried for a few more minutes then take off to another spot.

Yolo let me make the first cast so I tossed my LC Pointer out, gave it 2 jerks and BAM, Fish On! As I’m fighting the fish Yolo looks down and there are 4 more of them, the same size, chasing the one with the lure stuck in his face. I get him to the side and do the duct slide, he’s mine! Not a DD but he went 8, not a bad fish so into the ice chest he goes. We continue to work the area but nothing doing so its time to make a move.

Next spot nothing so its onto another spot. Met up with another duct fisherman who was not having any luck but I figured seeing how I was there I might as well make a few casts but nothing doing. Time for Yolo to take off but I figured I’d fish on. At his advice I went back and hit the spots where we had caught our fish as well as another that we skipped.

I get back to the spot where I caught mine at and tossed out my 128 Pointer, jerk, jerk, BAM, Fish On! As I’m fighting this fish it suddenly gets very strong and started peeling drag, remember how I mentioned there were 4 others with the one I caught earlier, yep, double hookup. I fought them for what seemed like forever, then one of them gets off. I get the one that didn’t get off to the side and do the duct slide, he’s mine! This one only weighed a little over 6 pounds so I didn’t bother taking a picture but he went into the ice chest to become fillets.

Onto another spot, 3^rd cast with a Zoom Fluke BAM, Fish On! Damn this is a great day. This one took off, peeling drag, it then turns around and takes off in the other direction again peeling drag, he’s heading for the buoy line and bridge so I figure I have to turn him so I apply my thumb to the spool, the rod bends then BINK, he comes unbuttoned.

Welp, time to head home. Striper count in ice chest, the 1 Yolo gave me, thanks again buddy and the 2 I caught for a total of 3 so not a bad day at all. Too bad not all ducts days are as productive.

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!

Its easy to use, just slide the record switch, and you’re instantly filming in 1080p. Its rugged aluminum body is designed to withstand some serious abuse. Features include a 170° super wide-angle lens, built-in, multi-direction microphone, a laser that helps you level the camera and is its waterproof to 1 meter.

From the Contour Web Site; “The ContourROAM is made to withstand encounters with everything from eating mud puddles, to monster barrels at Teahupoo, to drops down the Khumbu Icefall. The rugged aluminum body withstands serious abuse, while the waterproof design keeps everything safe and dry up to one meter”

Another huge advantage to this camera is at only $199.00 it’s very affordable. Check it out and let me know what your thought are on it.

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!

I have to admit that from time to time I have found myself distracted thinking about something else, yes, Asleep at the Reel, and ended up waiting to long to set the hook and gut hooking bass but I’m always prepared and very rarely have killed any bass. While I do destroy some hooks with my process the bass usually survives unharmed.

What I do is whenever I go fishing I always carry a pair of side cutters and strong needle nose pliers with me, which are both readily available at any hardware store. In the event that I do deep hook a bass I just reach down to the hook, either through the mouth or up through the gills, being very careful not to damage the gills, with the side cutters and cut the hook below the barb and then just slide out the hook. I then put them on detention in the live well, aka, “The Box” for several hours, add some “Please Release Me”, turn on the aerator and continue to fish.

After several hours of fishing I’ll check on him and almost always they are screaming and kicking to get out so I reach in, grab em and toss him back in the lake. The only drawback I can think of is when I release him, which can be quite a distance from where I originally caught him is he might be thinking “Where in the heck am I”

I do try and practice catch and release with largemouth bass but of course there are going to be times that no matter how hard you try and how careful you are, some will not make it but don’t worry, I prefer the taste of crappie or striped bass, even though  because bass can be good eating.

So get out and enjoy everything the great outdoors has to offer.

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!

A genie appeared and thanked the man for letting him out. The genie said, “I am so grateful to get out of that bottle that I will grant you any wish, but I can only grant one.”

The man thought for a while and finally said, “I have always wanted to go to Hawaii and fish along the beautiful beaches of Hawaii. I’ve never been able to go because I cannot fly. Airplanes are much too frightening for me. On a boat, I see all that water and I become very claustrophobic. So I wish for a road to be built from here to Hawaii.”

The genie thought for a few minutes and finally said, “No, I don’t think I can do that. Just think of all the work involved. Consider all the piling needed to hold up a highway and how deep they would have to go to reach the bottom of the ocean. Imagine all the pavement needed. No, that really is just too much to ask.”

The man thought for a few minutes and then told the genie, “There is one other thing I have always wanted. I would like to be able to understand women. What makes them laugh and cry, why are they temperamental, why are they so difficult to get along with, when they want attention, when they don’t. Basically, what makes them tick.”

The genie thought for a while and said, “So, do you want two lanes or four?”

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, a little more history. Lake Isabella was initially stocked with Florida Strain Largemouth bass in 1972 then in 1983, only 9 years later, the first giants began to show up when a gentleman named Joe Weaver caught the new Lake Isabella record bass that was 28 inches long and weighed in at 18 pounds 13 ounces. It’s the prime conditions at Isabella, as well as other California lakes, that caused these original Florida strain bass to become giants.

As I’ve stated time and time again, Isabella is by far my favorite bass lake. Partly due to the fact that it’s the closest body of water but mostly because I’ve caught well over 100 bass that have weighed over 10 pounds from her waters. While its true that catching giant bass is very rewarding it can also be very boring because your targeting specific structure and usually fishing very slowly. Bottom line, your fishing for just a few bites a day. I talked about big bass fishing in a previous article so this time I’ll give more information on quantity vs. quality. By the way, to help you understand more about catching big bass I highly recommend reading Bill Murphy’s book, In Pursuit Of Giant Bass, available from Amazon on the lower right side of my site, and apply what you learn at Isabella.

Just in case you didn’t know, the bag limit at Isabella is 2 bass per day and they must be at least 15 inches. While I personally practice catch and release I see nothing wrong with a person keeping a bass or 2 for dinner but please remember that the bigger bass should be released. I tell everyone that I take fishing that all bass 5 pounds and over must be released because they are the genetically better fish that produce better off spring and besides that the best tasting bass are going to be the 1-3 pound ones. OK, time to climb off the soap box and proceed with this article.

Whenever I take the Champion over to Isabella, anytime of the year, there are a handful of lures that I always have tied on and ready to go. These are my confidence lures that I know will catch Isabella bass. A Custom Yamamoto Spider Grub, I purchase the twin tail grubs and mini skirts separately to create my own colors and place them on a Revenge Football head, a 128 Lucky Craft Pointer, a Lucky Craft Sammy or a Spro Frog, a Yamamoto Senko, a big trout swimbait, I like the Huddleston Deluxe myself, a Norman DD22 Crankbait, a Texas rigged worm in 6-15 inch, yes I said 15 inch worm, a 4 inch worm on a drop shot and of course a 3 inch worm or reaper on a split shot rig.

As to colors for plastics, I prefer something that looks more natural, cinnamon blue, different shades of purple, watermelon, shad colors and of course browns and blacks. For crankbaits I’ll throw either Shad or crawdad colors and I like to throw trout colored Huddleston Deluxe trout baits all year round. Other effective baits are Spinnerbaits, Fluke Style lures, Zoom Brush Hogs and Tail Spins.

Isabella bass seem to have an attitude and they are known for their strong fighting ability and with all the structure available, trees and rock piles, for them to run to you cant horse them in on light line so you have to wear them out. Now of course if your throwing a big swimbait on heavy line you want to get them in as quickly as possible so they don’t have a chance of throwing the hook.

As to which line I would suggest, for the Sammy, or any surface lure, I like to use a braided line because it floats, my choice is 50 pound Daiwa Samurai Braid. For all other applications I like to use various sizes of fluorocarbon line because it sinks and has nearly the same light refraction rate as water, which would explain why it disappears once beneath the surface, so you can get away with using heavier line. I prefer the Seaguar AbrazX and Sunline. Of course everything has a down side and fluorocarbon tends not to be as abrasion resistant as monofilament or copolymer lines so be sure to check your line for nicks or abrasions often and retie.

Spots to give a try are Rocky Point, Piney Point, Boulder Gulch, French Gulch, Camp 9 and Free Air Point. When the water level is up like it is this year, be sure to give the following spots in the south fork a try, Lime Dyke, Browns Cove, Jophin and of course the trees in both the south and north forks.

Well, I hope I’ve helped you unlock some secrets of my favorite lake. Please remember to practice catch and release of the bigger bass, especially any over 10 pounds.  First off, they wont taste good and if you want to mount a trophy bass now days most taxidermists don’t even do skin mounts, they use a fiberglass mold so weigh the beast, take pictures and measure the length and girth and give all of the information to your taxidermist.

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!

We met up at The Dam Corner, a local Diner in the town of Isabella, to have a hearty breakfast and go over our game plan for the day. Due to the fact that I had been there a week prior and had found some active bass then, I had a game plan set for the day. After finishing breakfast we proceeded to the launch ramp, got things loaded up, splashed the Champion and off we went.

We arrive in the area where the bite was hot the week prior and I picked up my Loomis rod/Shimano Chronarch loaded with 50 pound Daiwa Samurai and made my first cast with a Spro Bronze Eye Frog, twitch, twitch, BAM! The water exploded, I took a deep breath and set the hook hard, FISH ON! Yeah buddy, its gonna be a good day. As I’m fighting in my bass my buddy tosses out a Zoom Super Fluke and BAM, we got a double on. Just like the previous week, the bass are in wolf packs and feeding. My bass was a little over 4 pounds and my buddy’s was almost 3.

We hurry to release the bass because we can see more of them, all about the same size, swimming around. Second cast for me and its fish on again, a carbon copy of my first one. It only took my buddy 2 more casts to get his second one. It went on like this for about 15 minutes then it shut off. I was not concerned because the week prior they would hit like this, the pack would move on then come back within 20 minutes. It was during this down time that my friend tied on a frog as well because I caught quite a few more bass.

About 15 minutes pass then DING, DING, Round 2! Just like round 1 the fishing was fast and intense. I remember one cast I made and got a slight backlash, as I’m pulling the line out a bass engulfs my frog off the surface and takes off. By then I had worked out the backlash so I reeled down and set the hook.

When they slowed down on the frog I got them to hit a Revenge Spinnerbait, a 6 Inch Weedless Huddleston Deluxe and a Lucky Craft Pointer, yes they were hitting just about everything I threw. We lost count of how many hits we got and missed but it was a lot of fun. Its days like these that bass fishermen dream of. It continued on like this for about 2 hours then it was over. We moved out to a little deeper water and I started tossing a Yamamoto Jig and a big worm while my buddy was tossing a Yamamoto Fat Ika and a Senko, we picked up a few here and there but it was nothing like it was earlier.

We finished the day by landing 18 bass with the biggest being 6.5, several in the 5 pound range and the smallest was a little over 3, all good quality bass.

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!