6/25
Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2023 9:23 am
First I’d like to thank Dave G and Laurie for helping set this up. I have been fishing with Tony for a few months, he has Stage 4 Lung Cancer and needed some time on the water. I have been fishing Newport Bay with him, kind of training him to fish for Largemouth Bass. The skills you learn from fishing for Spotted Bay Bass transfer very well for fishing Largemouth. Casting accuracy, feeling the jig, setting the hook. Now Tony is a slow starter, so we didn’t make it to the Lake until 11:30 but that was OK because Dave allowed us the use of his rental Boat when he was finished and Laurie allowed us to come in late and use the boat. I’m a Hauser guy so we headed off to the Cove and I saw a lot of Grebes diving, many with Chicks hanging on to their backs. We trolled some small Shad Raps thru the birds and Tony was the first to hook up. He was very excited and his fish turned out to be a big Bluegill. The trolling wasn’t very productive for us so we switched up and started throwing 5 inch Shad Worms on 4/0 EWG hooks. A pattern developed where we could cast to live submerged Cottonwoods and let those Shad Worms sink out. The line would twitch and start running out. Tony hooked up first, and whooped and hollered at his first Barrett Bass. We worked that pattern, Me putting the boat in the right spot in the afternoon breeze, and Tony casting to the Trees for the rest of the day. I tried to set up on spots we could each cast to an individual Tree. Some Bass would dive deep in the branches, some came unbuttoned, but we landed 12 of our 20+ hookups during the windy afternoon bite. With no Pedestal Seats our Bodies gave out around 5 pm, our lower backs screaming and we headed back to the Dock. Tony was happy as a Clam with the most Largemouth Bass in a session than he has ever caught in California waters. The trip a total success, he will remember this trip and tell fish stories about it to his buddies. That is what it is all about.