San Diego & SoCal Fishing Forums

Well, I don't fish the lakes as much as I should. Ocean fish just taste so good=)
I had a good friend (A saltwater guy too) ask if we could get his Granddaughter out on the lake. San V being my favorite, that where we headed.

Got there at 5:20 Thursday, 2 boats ahead of us. They let us up hill about 5:30.
We were the second boat on the water, ran out to a good looking spot, where I fished topwater (becuse I stubborn and just crave that blowup) Missed on the Lucky Craft (don't know how, it was an explosion, and waited a second before swinging), then after nothing else for around 30 min, switched to an IMA and got a 2 pounder on the 1 cast. 30 more minutes on the IMA and nothing.

Switched to the drop shot and game on. Lost track but we got over 20 to the boat. The bite was very steady until 9:30ish and then it slowed way down. Went through a ton of plastics (Any one know how to minimize plastic loss while drop shotting? I was fishing a offset hook weedless. ). Also had about 6 or so take me across the mussels on the trees (cut off like a knife), and farmed a few more. Done fishing by 11:00.
Most were 2 lb clones, with one around 3.5 and another around 4.0 Lbs.
I would rate the bite Very Good.
All the fish are eating Silversides and have good bellies on them. Saw a bunch of very large schools of Silversides close to the shore. They were also showing up on the sonar.
We fished a 100 stretch area and did not have to leave.
Could of boated a good deal more than I did if I did not throw topwater for an hour.
Hooked fish from 1 to 25 feet deep, most around 10 to 20 feet range.

Happy Friday to All!

Cropped the photo out of respect for a minor. [/size]

Very nice report!
Have you tried putting a clear hot shrink tube on your bait. Keeps it on longer.

Sweet!!!! Heck yeah!!!
Great report and nice bass in the pic too!
So glad to see you out in the freshwater catching bass and having a darn good day to top it off. Your report makes many fishermen out there want to hit the lake.I fished saltwater for years with my father and one day just decided to stick to freshwater. I need to get back out there one of these days for some spottie action. Anyway, after your fishing trip, I am pretty sure the bass at San V will be happy when you return back to fishing saltwater....ha ha
Thanks for posting and tight lines wherever you toss a line.

Fisheromen wrote: ↑Fri Jul 21, 2023 1:53 pm Very nice report!
Have you tried putting a clear hot shrink tube on your bait. Keeps it on longer.

No, but that sounds genius!

Nice work! I always expect I’m gonna lose a lot of worms and terminal tackle dropshotting at the V. The best plastics are almost all high salt which compromises durability. On a good day like yours I will easily burn through 2-3 bags of Roboworm

CorsoEnthusiast wrote: ↑Fri Jul 21, 2023 3:38 pm Nice work! I always expect I’m gonna lose a lot of worms and terminal tackle dropshotting at the V. The best plastics are almost all high salt which compromises durability. On a good day like yours I will easily burn through 2-3 bags of Roboworm

Yep; that was the story. I was rifling through them.

You need a light touch when dropshotting San V. Anytime you feel resistance, shake your rod tip lightly until you feel it come over the branch. Never pull hard..you'll be hopelessly snagged! I rarely lose dropshot gear to the trees, unless I hook a big fish in the middle of them. I also fish a short tag line to my weight (5"), comes through the brush smoother!

Mcfish wrote: ↑Tue Aug 01, 2023 11:07 am You need a light touch when dropshotting San V. Anytime you feel resistance, shake your rod tip lightly until you feel it come over the branch. Never pull hard..you'll be hopelessly snagged! I rarely lose dropshot gear to the trees, unless I hook a big fish in the middle of them. I also fish a short tag line to my weight (5"), comes through the brush smoother!

Those are great tips @McFish…..very cool.
That last time I saw you at San V, I just thought you had a nervous twitch watching your rod shake while you were fishing.

Mcfish wrote: ↑Tue Aug 01, 2023 11:07 am You need a light touch when dropshotting San V. Anytime you feel resistance, shake your rod tip lightly until you feel it come over the branch. Never pull hard..you'll be hopelessly snagged! I rarely lose dropshot gear to the trees, unless I hook a big fish in the middle of them. I also fish a short tag line to my weight (5"), comes through the brush smoother!

Thank you for the tips! A lite touch for sure=)

I also noticed that if I let the bait fall on a simi tight line, like a pendulum and not fall straight down, it would come to a rest on the top or side of the cover and not fall down into the cover. This made it easier to work over the tops without snags.

I was losing the majority of my baits while fighting the fish. It seems like the palomar knot and tagged end seem to cut the top of the worm during the fight. So I came up with this. The screw head should keep the line from cutting the worm during the battle??? Time will tell. Need to get back out there. Ocean is hit or miss within 30 or 40 miles of Point Loma.

Thanks again!!

They make a screw lock worm hook that will work better than the long shank worm hook. I’ve used them, the top of the worm still gets damaged but may last longer

Mcfish wrote: ↑Tue Aug 01, 2023 11:07 am You need a light touch when dropshotting San V. Anytime you feel resistance, shake your rod tip lightly until you feel it come over the branch. Never pull hard..you'll be hopelessly snagged! I rarely lose dropshot gear to the trees, unless I hook a big fish in the middle of them. I also fish a short tag line to my weight (5"), comes through the brush smoother!

That shake triggers bites too!

camobass wrote: ↑Wed Aug 02, 2023 9:34 am They make a screw lock worm hook that will work better than the long shank worm hook. I’ve used them, the top of the worm still gets damaged but may last longerIMG_5269.jpeg

There you go! Thanks!