There are way too many "good-weather" fishing days...Let's not forget about the bad ones either!

Mulled over the decision to go fishing yesterday or not...the better half of me decided to GO! Was joined by Pookie and ended having an ok day on the water...got 6 and Pookie got 2 in a little over 5 hours. Rainy/Drizzly weather didn't stop the bite yesterday...all on the Oxblood. 

A collage of a few sequences... 

The biggest of the day...about a 5 pounder.

 P.S. There's nother update after this...from 2 weeks ago!
 To be continued....

No Boat, No problem! Lake Casitas 03/02/2012

Decided to leave the Pero Aquatico at home because OG triple OG Pookie said it would be windy...whatever, I'm game for whatevers.

Started off the morning at the Wadleigh Arm T-Dock...after an hour of chucking almost every color including the kitchen sink, Pookie hooks up and lands this beauty...a 3-3.5 pounder...not bad...looks like it's shaping up to be a nice day afterall

 After casting for 30 more minutes without another bite, we decided to bail to Crawdad Point...after 20 minutes, Pookie hooks up again and lands a peewee sized bass, about a 1.5 pounder. I've been observing what he's been using and decided to switch up. After dialing in, I landed a buck-sized male...my first bass of 2012...can you believe that?!!!??!!! I guess better late than never...

 About 20 minutes later, Pookie rolls out to try the other side of the buoy line. Another 20 minutes goes by...I'm casting in every direction imaginable...Pookie decides to rejoin me and on his very first cast...and wouldn't you believe it? He hooks up yet again!

 After quite a lengthy battle, a 4+ pounder comes aboard...not bad Pookie...

 We gave it another 10 minutes and decided to give the Coyote T-Dock a shot...I also get a call from Ryan with the "Word on da Street"...he says the Bass have been chewing on the FX People's colored worm lately. So I made the switch and threw that color. On the 3rd cast, I nailed a 2 pounder....damn Ryan, you know your shit and you ain't even at the lake!

 We called it a day after the winds crept up on us...5 Bass today from 6:30am-12PM was not bad at all...

Observations:
Today's weather was beautiful, peaked at around 65 degrees I believe. Water temps were still in the 50's it seemed like. Water clarity was anywhere from almost clear to stained depending on location. 
Fish #1 came off a large flat off Orchard Point.
Fish #'s 2-4 came off a depression accompanied by a gradual point. 
Fish #5 came off a rocky slope


The hot ticket today was undoubtedly the Texas Rigged worm...Pookie added to this mystique by using the bigger profiled "Fat" styled worm...the fish seemed to want the larger looking worms fished directly on the bottom. The color was Oxblood Light with Red Flake...in fact, the first 4 fish were caught using this color...
The dropshot technique today, for the most part, was ineffective. This is unusual because it seems to always catch the fish. This rig only accounted for one fish, the last one of the day. The color was the People's Worm in the FX variation. Who knows, this may have been the best pattern had I employed it sooner in the day...The FX People's was a color I hadn't tried all day until Ryan called...strange how this works...
The fish caught today were definitely transitioning to the pre-spawning stage. The fish were milling around the submerged brush piles at Crawdad Point today, as evidence of the 3 we caught in a short span. I'll be keying in on this and will be studying my map when I take the sled out next time. More and more Bass have been caught each passing day since my last outing according to multiple sources. It's about to go wide guys...just wait a tiny bit longer. 


All in all, I always have and always will enjoy the company of Pookie...he deserved all the praises today as he laid waste to me both in quantity and quality...All Fish were released to fight another day....


See you guys next time!

Celebrity siting and a new Tackle Box...

Went shopping last Sunday and we ran into Big Cat from the show "Rob&Big" and "Fantasy Factory"....here's Charlie posing with him, super cool dude...He was incognito and we spotted him inside the Nike store off Broadway....

And just yesterday, I scored with a SKB Tackle Box off Craigslist...while down in Irvine for training, I had some free time and decided to check out what's up for grabs in that area...I lucked out and couldn't have asked for a better situation...I've been on lookout for one of these boxes for a few months now...the MSRP on this box is $259.99...Let's just say I got it for waaaay less than that...and it's basically brand new...it even came with a bunch of hooks and a couple lures...sweeet...it's roto-molded, exactly how a Kayak is created...so it's damn strong. It also has a jig hanger area and tube "rocket launchers" for 4 rods...this box will give me the versatility of having a few select items for a quick reference during a hot bite...

 Oh yeah, today was the day that I offically became a "VTS" or Vehicle Technology Specialist for DCH Lexus of Oxnard...big things are coming for Lexus folks!!! Don't change that dial...

King of the Hammers(KOH) 2012

Where to start...what a crazy weekend...never saw so much raw power and carnage. Again, I was invited out to Johnson Valley(East of Victorville) for the King of the Hammers event. It's the most grueling single day race in America. You break, and you're out.

KOH is one of the most challenging races on the planet. Competitors negotiate several of the toughest rock crawling trails in Johnson Valley known as “the Hammers” with sections of open desert thrown in on a 165 mile long course. The racers/weekend warriors/spectators situate themselves besides the Hammers(Mountain ranges that are called "Sledgehammer" and "Clawhammer" to the east...with "Chocolate Thunder" and "Backdoor" at the corners for good measure. Some of these rigs cost well over 150K...daaaaammmmm!!!

Start of the race....look at that crowd...this picture only depicts a tiny percentage of racers and spectators. Picture this place as the SEMA of desert rock/sand warriors. Vendors were on in full force, displaying their products. Photos courtesy of Offroad.com and pirate4x4.com...

 Your typical rig...Shannon Campbell's Monster sponsored Monster

Another Rig negotiating rough terrain...and I mean ROUGH!

The "Hammers" will claim their share of victims...

The race goes on, even if you've rolled...nobody waits, they go around you...or over you!

Stuck...pshhh...I've got my 1,000 ponies to get me unstuck quick!

Not just navigating over rocks and boulders, but sand and dirt too!!!

When we were out here, we figured we might as well bring the toys along...of course, my uncle brought his Rhino...Here's Charlie and his nephew Michael

Cruising...

One of the major vision crippling sand storms I've ever been caught up in...

 Plenty of Amateur enthusiasts were out doing a little bit of everything...here we have a Lexus LX450 trying to crawl up "Backdoor"...he wasn't able to make it :(....sorry, the picture loaded sideways due my damn iPhone

My toy of choice at the end of the day, the Yahama Rhino that is out-fitted with Walker-Evans Shocks,custom rims, Maxxis tires, and 4 custom fitted HID lights...

Last but not least, the Tacoma got a little dirt time...mobbing through the bomb craters in the dry lake bed was bad ass!!! Toyota builds a fine product and the stock Bilstein suspension held up...

Bonus content...came home to some Hundreds goodies...

 Wow, you guys got a special treat this weekend from me...2 blog posts in 3 days...must be some sort of record...outro!

First Trip of 2012 for the Pero Aquatico

Plans to fish today were laid out 3 weeks...it couldn't have come at a better time. The weather was absolutely gorgeous...even after a storm had passed through 3 days earlier. Ryan couldn't make it, so a call was made out to Rick, a.k.a "Uncle Bruce"...he gladly joined.  After meeting up at my place, we all high-tailed to get some java...saw our woman at Avenue Donuts. Chit-chatted and then rolled to Chevron to get some petrol for the Pero...then off to the Corner market...but this vato was closed...it's after 6am...c'mon man! Oh well, double backed to Shell...picked up some Spitz seeds,Monsters,Rockstars,Chicharones, and an 18 pack of Bud Light...ah yes, Breakfast of Champions!!!

Got to the lake around 7am...fired up the Merc on the first attempt....damn I love this Motor. Launched and blasted off to Shithouse point. Nice and smooth ride...too bad my Go Pro was set on Camera mode and I was unable to record the launch and roll out process. That, however, proved to be a blessing in disguise. I was able to roll enough footage to capture Mario landing the only Bass of the day. I also found out my that my SD card was about to run out of space(again, bonehead on my part to delete previous videos to free up space). Good thing, because I would have never gotten Mario catching his Bass on video.

We actually did not get another bite until Noon. A 4 hour gap between bites is not what we hoped for. Again, Mario was the hot stick...garnering both bites...the second fish spit his hook right at the boat...looked to be a 2-3 pounder. Wrapped up things @ 1:30 and headed for the barn. 


The water temp started out @ 57.1 degrees...then ended up rising to about 59.2 degrees when we called it a day. There was plenty of sunshine and the winds were light. If the water temps continue to rise to a consistent 62-64 degrees, we could see the Bass going wide open. This of course, should be in another 2-4 weeks. We'll be keeping a close eye on this. The fish were biting in the 15-20ft zone according to our estimations. The hot ticket was a drop-shotted 6 inch Oxblood Roboworm, fished slow. Shithouse point is a saddle-point off the main lake, adjacent to an underwater creek channel. Although only 1 fish was caught here, look for this spot to blow up soon. It's only a matter of time. That underwater creek channel is like a highway for fish...once they move shallower for the spawn, they'll push up all over this point. We also explored my favorite spot, Shell point as we call it due to the scattered rocks and old clam shells. It's a flat expanse, with drop offs on both sides AND bordered by underwater feeder creeks(mini creek channels). This spot is loaded with fish when they roll up to spawn. I can't wait for that water temp to rise...by then, so will my blood!

The Beers flowed like Wine....'Til next time dudes!

New Workhorse...

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I present to you...the Shimano Talica 12II 2-Speed reel...I can't wait to put her into action when paired with the "Tuna Tamer"...6 Shielded Ball Bearings, E.I. anti-corrsion sirface treatment, High Efficiency Gearing and silent Twin-Pawl Anti Reverse

 Check out this Promo...Shimano Talica Promo

The beginning of the "Tuna Tamer"...

Got the ball rolling today with a new project...dubbed the "Tuna Tamer". It'll start life as an 8 foot Carbon Fiber Blank made exclusively by Phenix...Black Diamond Hybrid model # PHD809XH...rated for 30-80lb test lines. Super light and ultra strong. 'Nuff Said. Will be paired with ALPS reel seat and gimbal and Fuji SiC Titanium guides...After this project, project "Whopper Stopper" will commence...As for Reels, Shimano Talica 2's will be strapped onto these bad boys...stay tuned

 Also picked up a Tiburon frame and reel clamp for the 'ol Penn 500 Jigmaster...the reel I call "Frankenstein"...OG factory side plates,CarbonTex drags,Pro Gear Handle, and now the Tiburon frame...not bad for a beater/loaner reel...

 Saw these Robo's and had to pick em up, I'm looking to throw these bigger worms this year to try and hang bigger Largemouths...

Did I mention...STAY TUNED?!