Best Huddleston/ big bass lake in SD

[Lucky7]

Been doing nothing but saltwater/offshore for the the last decade plus after being a strict bass fisherman and I wanna do some Huddleston big fish fishing this winter with my calico gear. Which lakes still get trout stocks? Which lake would I have the best chance at 8 + pounder on a big trout swim bait? I wanna catch bass strictly on trout swim baits haha. Haven’t even fished a lake since before San V opened up again. Wouldn’t mind driving

[Fisheromen]

Lindo Lake?

[VinnyBass]

Just to throw my 2 cents in....
I would just guess that you may have better chance at catching a bass 8lbs or up throwing a swimbait at Lake Poway or Lake Dixon. I could include Lake Miramar, but since they are not allowing any type of watercraft(not even float tubes) the odds would be a lot less.

[foulhook]

DVL for stripers after a trout plant

[Mcfish]

Lindo Lake?

I can't find the launch ramp....

[Mcfish]

There definitely aren't as many 8lb+ bass as there was back in the 70s-90s! San V use to have them..then they stopped stocking trout! Rare to run into one these days

[Oh Da Shiz]

IMO... the best options would be the 3 lakes that have been mentioned plus another, Dixon, Poway, Skinner and DVL. San V has some too, but you'll probably be donating some baits in your endeavors, lol. You can throw either the Hudd 68 or 8" ROF 12 and with consistency and dedication to the grind/slow roll you'll be rewarded with something that'll pull back. Also, don't forget about the OG Baitsmith's or the newer version Hawg Hunters too.

Good luck on your journey and keep us posted on your progress.

[sawheeler52]

There definitely aren't as many 8lb+ bass as there was back in the 70s-90s! San V use to have them..then they stopped stocking trout! Rare to run into one these days

Mcfish,
Just a related comment to your mention of less big ones these days.
I am a Lake Dixon fisherman for 25-years.
I caught 3-10 lbers years ago (from shore); but haven't come close in a really long time.
Though certainly non-scientific, I contend it happened when Lake Dixon started stocking larger rainbows what seems like 15-years ago; not so easily swallowed, kinda the opposite of your San V reference.

[KillinTime]

There definitely aren't as many 8lb+ bass as there was back in the 70s-90s! San V use to have them..then they stopped stocking trout! Rare to run into one these days

Mcfish,
Just a related comment to your mention of less big ones these days.
I am a Lake Dixon fisherman for 25-years.
I caught 3-10 lbers years ago (from shore); but haven't come close in a really long time.
Though certainly non-scientific, I contend it happened when Lake Dixon started stocking larger rainbows what seems like 15-years ago; not so easily swallowed, kinda the opposite of your San V reference.

Correct me if I am wrong? The pure Florida Strain Bass Planted years ago are all dead and their surviving genepool is getting ever depleted spawn after spawn? Trout or no Trout? Hodges is the only non trout stocking lake west of the Mississippi that spit out a fish over 20lbs. So it can be done without trout. Just a lot more difficult=)

[camobass]

There is a rumor of a guy named JIMBO that consistently pulls 10+ pounders from shore at Murray on home poured black plastics. True story

[Fisheromen]

There is a rumor of a guy named JIMBO that consistently pulls 10+ pounders from shore at Murray on home poured black plastics. True story

The rest of that rumor is that he fishes at night.

[VinnyBass]

There is a rumor of a guy named JIMBO that consistently pulls 10+ pounders from shore at Murray on home poured black plastics. True story

Sadly after fishing Murray even back then very very often, I just never ran into (the "Man, the Myth") JIMBO. I even asked about him and told guys have they heard of this guy pulling 10's out consistently and nobody knew of that guy or anyone named Jimbo. Rangers, City workers, dock people, concession people and even a guy or two that were at the lake every day. I guess he kept things pretty low key and never even took photos of these beasts to share with us on the old SDFish. Somewhere....he is still pulling in huge bass...(in his mind).
Thanks for the reminder Camobass as the legend of JIMBO lives on.

[Lucky7]

Well looks imma throw the Huddleston religiously at Poway and Dixon this winter

[OOlicon]

Jim died a few years back, but the legend lives on!
I'll upload his advertisement when I get settled in to Washington.

Jim used quite a bit more than just his home poured worms to pull teens out of Murray, but I'm sure if he wanted you to know what he did or how he did it, he would have told you!

BTW, Jim's biggest bass was out of Otay, and just because trout aren't stocked doesn't mean there aren't mean mamas out there, you gotta be the one to show everyone though, do it!

[otaymichael]

Jim died a few years back, but the legend lives on!
I'll upload his advertisement when I get settled in to Washington.

Jim used quite a bit more than just his home poured worms to pull teens out of Murray, but I'm sure if he wanted you to know what he did or how he did it, he would have told you!

BTW, Jim's biggest bass was out of Otay, and just because trout aren't stocked doesn't mean there aren't mean mamas out there, you gotta be the one to show everyone though, do it!

About 12-15 years back they stocked trout in Otay one winter. Wish they would have kept it up. I think the largest stringers of the world came out of it back in the 60 & 70's. My largest was a 8.25 shore fishing just past the buoy line (shush), rebel popper. What a fight.

[VinnyBass]

Jim died a few years back, but the legend lives on!
I'll upload his advertisement when I get settled in to Washington.

Jim used quite a bit more than just his home poured worms to pull teens out of Murray, but I'm sure if he wanted you to know what he did or how he did it, he would have told you!

BTW, Jim's biggest bass was out of Otay, and just because trout aren't stocked doesn't mean there aren't mean mamas out there, you gotta be the one to show everyone though, do it!

Just curious if you actually knew Jim?
He used to post on the old Sdfish under a few different names. Anyone that knows me knows I fish Lake Murray often and back in
those days when JIMBO was posting I was there. The lake is small and I was on the lake the same days he said he was there. I never
met or seen him and nobody that fished the lake or worked the lake ever heard of him. While some guys can keep it low key, it just
seemed strange that nobody I know at the lake ever ran into him, know him or saw these double digit fish. In fact not one person on
the old SDFish ever met him fishing or could verify his catches. Strange...don't you think?
He even told me in a PM what he would be wearing the days I was there and I never saw him. So I just want to make sure that this is the
same JIMBO(or other names he used). One time he did send me a PM with pic of him with a 3lb bass and he was a young guy. May he
rest in peace if you did actually know that this is the same JIMBO that did pass away.

[camobass]

He may be talking about Jim Henderson who was a local legend. Equal to Murphy. I used to sit and stare at his living room wall as a child that was floor to ceiling, left to right with teener mounts. Mostly Otay

[OOlicon]

Jim died a few years back, but the legend lives on!
I'll upload his advertisement when I get settled in to Washington.

Jim used quite a bit more than just his home poured worms to pull teens out of Murray, but I'm sure if he wanted you to know what he did or how he did it, he would have told you!

BTW, Jim's biggest bass was out of Otay, and just because trout aren't stocked doesn't mean there aren't mean mamas out there, you gotta be the one to show everyone though, do it!

Just curious if you actually knew Jim?
He used to post on the old Sdfish under a few different names. Anyone that knows me knows I fish Lake Murray often and back in
those days when JIMBO was posting I was there. The lake is small and I was on the lake the same days he said he was there. I never
met or seen him and nobody that fished the lake or worked the lake ever heard of him. While some guys can keep it low key, it just
seemed strange that nobody I know at the lake ever ran into him, know him or saw these double digit fish. In fact not one person on
the old SDFish ever met him fishing or could verify his catches. Strange...don't you think?
He even told me in a PM what he would be wearing the days I was there and I never saw him. So I just want to make sure that this is the
same JIMBO(or other names he used). One time he did send me a PM with pic of him with a 3lb bass and he was a young guy. May he
rest in peace if you did actually know that this is the same JIMBO that did pass away.

This would be a different Jim.
Jim Darland, I didn't know of him posting even in the good 'ol (Paul Miller) days.

Jim was a crusty old guy even back then in the 2004ish days. Had several large bass to his name, many teens out of Murray, and other descriptions in this thread that matched.

He died suddenly of a heart attack, but was a well known angler from sportboats and beyond.

When I get settled in to WA state I'll edit the video he used to call his 'advertisement' and post it up, it'll bring back memories for some.

[Queue]

Been doing nothing but saltwater/offshore for the the last decade plus after being a strict bass fisherman and I wanna do some Huddleston big fish fishing this winter with my calico gear. Which lakes still get trout stocks? Which lake would I have the best chance at 8 + pounder on a big trout swim bait? I wanna catch bass strictly on trout swim baits haha. Haven’t even fished a lake since before San V opened up again. Wouldn’t mind driving

Morena 100%.

[Queue]

There definitely aren't as many 8lb+ bass as there was back in the 70s-90s! San V use to have them..then they stopped stocking trout! Rare to run into one these days

Anglers also killed 30-35% of the harvestable bass population annually back then...something else much more influential on bass growth than "trout plants" has changed since then.