Chesbro Reservoir

Contributed by: Marce

After dropping my son off at pre-school today I decided to take a drive out to Chesbro Dam to se just how low it was. I’ve been keeping an eye on the Santa Clara Valley Water District Reservoir and Rainfall Status Report and as of the last report issued Chesbro was listed at only 4.8% capacity. We’ve had very little rainfall this year and some of our local reservoirs are hurting. To help put things into perpective as of 10/15/07 Chesbro has less water than Vasona Park. I don’t remember it ever being this bad but then again I’ve only been fishing seriously for over a year. Read more

Bass Fishing 101 - Part I

Contributed by: Marce

I’ve been a fisherman all my life, so I thought. Back in 2006 while fishing with my brother I realized there was a whole new level in bass fishing and with very little effort on his part, I became “hooked”. I’ve taken on many hobbies ranging from RC airplanes and cars to motorcycles and atv’s and nothing has captured my interest as much as bass fishing Read more

Kids & Fishing

Contributed By: Marce

When I was around five or six years old I used to fish with my father and his friends all the time. I can clearly remember jumping into our family dune buggy and heading out to Chesbro, Uvas, or Calero. Back in those days I was more of a crappie kid since they were plentiful and easy to catch. Who would have thought that those simple yet enjoyable afternoons would stick with me forever. Sometimes on my way home from work I’ll jump off on Bailey and take the back roads home and reminisce about the times we used to spend out there. Now that I have kids of my own I know how important it is to do things like that and hope that when they have children of their own they’ll do the same things with them as well Read more

The Pontoon’s Maiden Voyage

The only time I have ever fished on the water was from a boat. It was either an aluminum boat, fishing boat, wakeboarding boat, houseboat - I think you get the picture. That was up until this past weekend when I had a chance to christen the pontoon I purchased on Craigslist last week. It’s an eight foot Bucks Bag pontoon and since I have never tubed before I can’t really compare the two but what I can do is share with you is my very first tooning experience Read more

San Jose Bass Continues to Grow….

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed to SanJoseBass.com. We now have 79 members signed up to the forum and most of you who signed up sent me positive feedback on the site, which I fully appreciate. Like many of you anglers out there I thought it was time for someone to create a site dedicated to the lakes and reservoirs we visit so often. As I stated in my previous post, I grew up fishing these places and now it’s time for us to share our experiences with one another in our quest to land the big one (10+). Read more

Going Weedless with the Carolina Rig

After my somewhat successful fishing trip to Lake Tulloch I realized that I had to add some techniques to my arsenal. While I was fishing in shallow water it occurred to me that I didn’t have anything really to throw into the weeds. I had grown so used to throwing jigs and crank baits that I forgot about one of fishing’s oldest techniques - The Carolina Rig.

During a fishing trip a couple of weeks ago with my brother he immediately went with a carolina rigged brush-hog. Needless to say, he was the first to bring a fish in the boat that day. That’s when we got to talking. He agreed that it was one of the best weed-less techniques out there and he said that the brush-hog is a bait that almost always produces strikes. I did some investigating when I got home. I looked at some photos online and how the brush hog sits on the bottom is a tell tale sign that it’s designed to draw attention.

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Lake Tulloch & The Four Day Hall Pass

My journey to Lake Tulloch last weekend will definitely go down as one of the most memorable. The scenery, the fish, and the overall learning experience was like no other fishing expedition I’ve been on. If you ever get a chance to get out there make it happen.

A big thanks to my buddy Jay for extending the offer and for cooking some of the best damn tri-tip around. Thanks Jay, really. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate my brithday Read more

SanJoseBass.com Gains Momentum

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed to SanJoseBass.com. We now have 23 members signed up to the forum and most of you who signed up sent me positive feedback on the site, which I fully appreciate. Like many of you anglers out there I thought it was time for someone to create a site dedicated to the lakes and reservoirs we visit so often. As I stated in my previous post, I grew up fishing these places and now it’s time for us to share our experiences with one another in our quest to land the big one Read more

2005 Crestliner 1700 Mirage

I guess you can say that my Dad received the best Father’s Day gift last year - A brand new Crestliner with some electronic goodies to go with it. My Mom approached my brother and I with the idea last year and being that he and I enjoy spending time on the water I feel we were both on the same page from the start. We wanted a boat that was versatile and could be used in a variety of different environments and could also act as a “family” boat when needed. We did tons of research - I looked at the Trackers, Lunds, Ranger, and couple of no-namers. I checked out the construction quality, warranties, and motors and in the end - I felt the Crestliner was right for us. We all did and luckily we located one at Salinas Valley Marine.

Since we’ve almost had the boat for a year, I thought it was time to give my

100% honest opinion on the Mirage. First off, I really like the design - the storage is great and the configurable bench seat is a must have in a smaller boat like the 1700. The only issue I have with the seat, is that it had a design flaw. When the bench seat was flipped over, it rubbed against the sidewall and tore the vinyl. Our dealer made some metal brackets to cover up the sides and protect the sidewall. This should have been addressed by Crestliner at the factory. The instrumentation is nice and we added a Lowrance fishfinder and GPS module at the driver’s console and bow. Since most boats come with nothing but the standard gauges you usually have to spring for the good stuff. Some manufacturers offer packages but you can usually negotiate the boat price down and buy the stuff yourself later and still save money. We also added a boat charger and Minn Kota trolling motor. We added the 55lb thrust model (per the dealer suggestion) and I wish we would have gone with something with more thrust and voltage. It does also have a livewell and rod locker. We rarely use the rod locker but I do like the fact that they made it accessible if the bench seat is up or down. This was well thought out so they get a plus on

that one. We also chose to go with the vinyl type flooring instead of the traditional astro-turf like material. It’s user friendly and cleans real easily. The seats are comfortable and they remove with the click of a button. You have the option to buy additional seats but with the bench seat already installed I don’t really see a need to purchase them. The boat did not come with a boat cover so I went online to boatcovers.com and they had our particular model on file. You just choose your engine model size (115 4-Stroke in our case) and location of your trolling motor and they take care of the rest. It’s fits like a glove and was delivered in roughly 10 business days. Overall, we are extremely pleased with the boat. It does have it’s quirks (see below) but it handles very well and the craftsmanship is some of the best out there.

Model: 2005 Crestliner 1700 mirage

Pros: The boat handles various types of water great. The workmanship on the aluminum hull is near perfection and the interior is nicely designed as well. Does not have that “cheap” feeling when you grab and shake the console or windshield. It’s a very sturdy nicely designed watercraft and could be one of the top in its class.

Cons: Bench seat tore the sidewall vinyl. Steering seems to be a little on the stiff side. Moving from neutral to forward sometimes seems like it’s grinds into gear. May need some adjustments from the dealer. Livewell pump went out on us while in the delta.

Dealer: Salinas Valley Marine - These guys are pretty good. They have been responsive to our needs but I do wish they would have recommended a larger trolling motor. Like I said, the 55lb gets us moving around but something with a little more power would be optimum.

Hidden Treasures - Calero Reservoir

Being that Calero Reservoir is only at 47% capacity it gives us the opportunity to view structure(s) that aren’t usually visible. Hidden treasures is what I like to call it. Take a look at some of these photos and keep in mind that this is just the tip of the iceberg. There must be tons of hiding and breeding places for these bass. Typically Calero is full of vegetation and quite often you’ll find yourself spending quite a bit of time on cleaning your lure. However, right now it’s a different story. You’d be lucky to find anything green in that lake at the moment and most of the fish we caught today were actually feeding on muddy banks out in the open.

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