I want you all to know that Jonathan was EXTREMELY thorough throughout the entire selection process. He asked about style of fishing, colors, eyes, placement, left handed or right handed, cork, blanks, etc…. It was obvious that he had done this many times before, and I was very confident that he’d put his heart and soul into his work, just as he had done for some of our other SJB members.

When I went to meet Jonathan to pick up the new rod my jaw nearly hit the floor. The work that this guy puts into these custom rods is amazing and his work is nothing short of an artwork masterpiece. He makes each of his AMAZING patterns, some of which look like their moving, by weaving each thread one by one. You have to see one of these in person to appreciate his work as a camera can only do it so much justice. Below are some of the pictured I took of the rod that he created for me, which was ultimately dubbed The Black Hole on account of me requesting Raiders colors.

His website can be found here: http://www.twistedcustomrods.com/

And here is an excerpt from his website:

Why Buy a Custom Rod:Many people ask me what the advantages of a custom rod are and why should they spend more money on something that doesn’t have a $15 over the counter warranty. The list of reasons as to why custom rods are better is staggering and I will outline some of the most important issues that factory rods have that the custom rod solves:

The Spine: Essentially, the way a rod blank is manufactured is by sheets of graphite, fiberglass, or graphite and fiberglass are wound around a mandrel. This is then placed in an oven where it cures the glues used to hold everything together. After the curing process, the mandrel is removed and the blank is trimmed to length. Because the material is rolled on the mandrel there is more layers on one side than the other (think about it like a paper towel roll) and this causes the blank to want to bend a certain direction. When put under load, the blank will naturally rotate to the same orientation every time; this spot is called a rods “Spine”. I mark this location and then assemble the grips and guides in accordance to the spine. Wrapping the rod on the spine helps to reduce twisting and torque on the rod while under load and is something many major rod manufactures ($200+ rods) do not take the time to do.

Guide Placement: Every singe blank, even if they are the same model from the same manufacturer, made one right after the other will bend differently. Rod companies average the bends and find the guide placement that will work for the range of flex’s that come off of the assembly line. Every rod that I am wrapping for someone has the guides placed in specific locations for that particular blank. This will give you the optimum performance available from the rod.

Grip Length: Since every person’s body type is different the length of grip will be different for every person. Also, the type of application will determine how long the grips are. A rod made for fishing 100# line for tuna if being used in a harness is going to be a lot shorter than if I’m building the rod for someone who likes to fish the rail. Same logic applies to bass fishing. A lot of people like rods with a bit of a longer butt if they happen to be a larger person, or if they want a little more casting distance or leverage for pulling fish out of cover. This rod is made for YOU and I want it to fit you and to fit the applications in which you employ the rod.

Components: This encompasses the type of grip setup you want, what type of guides, what guide inserts (alconite, SiC, Silicone Nitride II, Zirconium, etc). Most factory produced rods come with decent quality components but if you spend a lot of time on the water or you just want the best that is available, a custom rod is the only way to go.

Making it yours: This is where your style can come out. I can match your favorite sports team, your college colors, your boat colors, or just your favorite colors when wrapping the rod. Since this is being made specifically for you, this is where you get to truly make it yours. You get to pick the color of the grips, the reel seat and gimbal (if building a saltwater rod with aluminum components), the thread, and the guide colors (when available).

Application Specific Rods: The rod I build you will be built for where you fish, how you fish, what you fish for, and what you fish with. You will not find a better rod available from the factory for where you fish than what I can build you.

Nothing provokes the average bass angler to put away their crankbaits faster than constantly snagging submerged weeds or grass. Whether it is hydrilla, elodea, coontail moss, milfoil or any of the other aquatic plants that grow in the shallows, there is nothing more frustrating than retrieving cranks to find it coated in green salad. A poorly cast crankbait can even bog down in a heavy mass of weeds or grass to the point that you have to go in and get it.

So it surprises some weekend anglers to discover that many accomplished professional fishermen actually seek to make contact with weeds – INTENTIONALLY!

And no one knows more about this unique technique called “ripping” than FLW and B.A.S.S. tournament pro Bernie Schultz. Raised in Florida, this shallow water expert has successfully used ripping to further his career and put countless bass in the boat.

Ripping Defined

What exactly is ripping? Bernie explains, “Essentially, what you are trying to do with a crankbait is give it a quick pulse of speed to provoke a fish into a reaction strike. The technique works best on bass that aren’t really in a feeding mode; inactive or even lethargic fish.”

Though ripping can work on drop offs, or on lake bottoms that have very little cover on them, (repeatedly ripping it off the bottom and letting it fall), no other environment is better suited than submerged vegetation.

If your favorite lake has weeds or grass of any kind, it is a candidate for this unique technique. “Anything you can get a bait over the top of, or through, is preferred – regardless of the species of grass.”

Just a Spring Time Technique?

Those anglers vaguely familiar with ripping may have heard that ripping is basically a springtime technique, effective only until the grass reaches the surface. But Bernie says, “That’s kind of a misnomer. Yes, spring is ideal for ripping – fish will sit on top of grass, or up in the water column where they are in the highest part of the grass – in pre-spawn especially. But if you are talking about hydrilla, elodea, coontail moss, or milfoil, that stuff has a growing edge to it throughout the year.”

Seeking the ‘Stranding’ Grass

“And the edge is sometimes where you need to focus. Even though there might be large areas of matted grass, the new edges will be submerged, and ‘stranding’, and that’s what you want to work is the stranding grass.”

Stranding grass is the always growing up at the edge of the fields, and while it is growing towards the surface, it is still not too thick. Schultz elaborates, “Stranding grass is loose enough to work a bait through. It can be found year around – though its peak periods are in the spring.”

“Prespawn is when the technique seems to be best. And it is effective again at post-spawn, when the fish come off the beds and go out and suspend in the tall parts of the stranding grass.”

A Good Spot
When Bernie stops the boat and says “This looks like a good spot for ripping”, anglers would be wise to pay attention to his reasons for picking that location.

“I am going to use my depth finder, and I am going to look in areas that are shallower than 10 feet. That’s generally speaking, because I have made this technique work in 18 feet of water. But what would be the ideal is where grass has grown halfway to the surface in 10 feet of water.”

Deeper Water?

That does not mean that the technique will not work in deeper water. Many clear water lakes and reservoirs may have grass beds whose edges don’t stop until the depth is 18-20 feet. Our Florida pro insists it can be done with any weed bed, “…as long as you are not throwing in matted grass or grass that is too thick to literally rip the bait through, it could be very effective.”
In deeper water, Bernie does point out, “The type of crankbait you use might change. Instead of using a lipless bait that we most often use in the southeast, you would perhaps use a deeper diving crankbait.”

The Ideal Scenario

“The most important thing,” insists Schultz, “is to have the right density of grass; stranding is the key. If the grass is stranding, it doesn’t matter what depth it is. Even so, the best scenario I can think of is a lipless crankbait fished in 6 to 8 feet of water with grass growing halfway to the surface.”

If an angler attempting to rip crankbaits through the weeds is coming back with grass snagged all over their lure, Bernie says “The bait may be running too deep or the weeds are too thick. In that case, you need to move or change lures to reduce the running depth.”

The Lipless Crankbait

But when an angler finds themselves fishing the ideal scenario for ripping crankbaits, (again, when the grass top is growing half way to the surface in 6 to 8 feet of water), lure choice is easy. “In that situation you are most often going to use a lipless crankbait. The lipless crankbait I like a lot, is the Rapala ‘Clack’n Rap’.”

The Billed Crankbait

“But there are times when I also like billed crankbaits that run at the depth designated to the top of the grass – like a Rapala DT 4 or a DT 6, (or whatever model runs at the depth the grass is at). I try to pick a crankbait that will dive just below the top of the grass so I can make contact and rip the bait through the grass.”

Triggering a Reaction Bite

Ripping is a technique that exploits the instinctive ‘predator’ characteristic of bass. As long as the fish are in the right places in the weeds, there is a good chance they can be triggered into a reaction strike regardless of their activity level.

Bernie unpacked some of the reasons ripping is effective, “Well, the fish are positioned just right. Naturally their position can be relative to the day, the season, or the type of grass they are in. (There’s no way to pin that down). But I can tell you that working a bait over the bass’ head, even if they are bedding in loose grass on the bottom, will trigger a reaction bite by ripping it through the grass.”

Contact!

“The response is similar to what happens when ‘bumping the stump’ with a crankbait. Usually when an angler bumps the stump, the bait will hang and then it pops free with an initial burst of speed; that’s when the bass nail it.”

“Likewise, when you are ripping the bait through the grass, you make contact with the grass, the bait gets balled up for just a second, and you snatch it free – that’s when you are going to get bit.”

Water Clarity

The reaction bite that occurs is primarily triggered by visual stimuli, so water clarity is a big factor in its success. Bernie explains, “The water clarity can be clear to off-color, but it can’t be real dirty.”

Naturally, fish in clear water can see for quite a distance, so “In clearer water you want to keep some distance between you and the fish, especially if you are fishing shallow. You must make a long cast, and you are going to need some specialized equipment to make that happen.”

Noodle Rods Need Not Apply

Ripping is not a technique that will work if a rod is too limber – leave your flimsy noodle rods at home. “You are going to need at least a medium-heavy action rod. In extreme situations you want a heavy action rod. But generally the medium-heavy will give you the backbone you need to ‘snatch’ the bait out of the grass.”

“A slower rod, or a softer tip rod will simply result in the grass balling up on the bait. And you really don’t want that.”

In terms of rod length, “I’d recommend a 6’10” to 7 1⁄2 foot graphite baitcasting rod,” says Bernie. “The length is largely going to depend on the size of the baits that you are trying to throw, and the distances you are trying to reach.”

High Speed Reel…

When throwing lipless crankbaits, speed is important. Bernie says, “I like a high-speed gear ratio reel – at least 6:1, though I have gone as high as a 7:1. I use Shimano’s Calais.”

…Non-Stretch Line

To ‘snatch’ a lipless crankbait free from stranding grass, requires a line with little stretch. Mono would react too much like a rubber band and frustrate the angler’s ability to tear the crankbait free.

Fluorocarbon and braid are Schultz’s lines of choice. “I almost always use fluorocarbon with a diving lipped crankbait, but I will use both fluorocarbon and braid with the lipless bait.”

Fluorocarbon

“Generally,” explains Bernie, “I am always going to try and use fluorocarbon, especially in clear water situations. I only go to the braid when the water is off colored or the grass is so thick that it is essential I have something with zero stretch.”

“On a long cast, (and in Florida we make long casts because the fish are so sensitive to boat pressure, and the water is so clear), I use Sufix 100% Fluorocarbon – no less than 17 lb test, and no more than 20 lb test. Unless you are throwing a big bait, (in which I might go up a little more), 20 lb test will cover it.”

Braid

When the water is off colored, Bernie will throw lipless crankbaits on Sufix Braid. As to which pound test is used, “That depends on the size of the bait and the kind of cover, but usually 20-40 lb test works well.”

Why so high? “Just to help snatch the bait,” says Bernie. “And after all, the diameter of 20 lb braid is not that thick.”

Deep in the Mouth…

An angler who begins to experience the rewards of ripping will eventually begin to notice that the bass are rarely skin hooked or hanging on by a thread. “With this technique,” explains Bernie, “the fish usually get the bait down deep. It really doesn’t sound like they would, but believe me, when you snatch a bait free over grass and a fish bites it, it’s usually in the back of his throat. The tendency is not to lose these fish.”

…with a Little Extra Help

Even so, that doesn’t stop our tournament pro from increasing the hook setting odds in his favor. “There are times when I might upgrade the hooks one size, or one gauge in diameter, (so at least they are a thicker or stronger hook). I don’t upgrade to the point that I might retard the action of the lure. At most I may upsize the hooks one size. And I usually do that on at least one of the two hooks. Needless to say, you don’t lose many fish.”

Bernie adds, “But I don’t go up in hook size to increase contact with the weeds, I go up in size to increase hook percentage. As long as you have a medium-heavy rod and a line with zero stretch, you are in control, not the weeds.”

Which Knot?

Whether Bernie is throwing a lipless or billed crankbait, he ties directly to the split-ring using a double improved clinch knot. “I like this knot because it bites the split-ring real tightly and it doesn’t move around. It’s the same knot I would use on a jig and a worm.”

Sound

Though Schultz readily admits that there are a variety of lipless crankbaits that will work for ripping, “In the 1⁄2 ounce range I like the smaller size “Clack’n Rap”, because it has a unique sound. It’s got a big single knocker in it, and none of the others do. It’s not packed with rattles, making it different. And big fish react to it. That’s why I like it.”

Color

Bernie believes in simplicity when it comes to selecting colors, and doesn’t believe that an angler must carry an endless variety in the boat. He lists his favorites as being “Chrome, gold, any shads or baitfish matching patterns, and red. There’s something about early spring – the bass like red a lot. And I have also made chartreuse work very well. These I have confidence in.”

Changing Color or Changing Water?

A common question many pro anglers get asked is “How long do you wait before changing out or fine tuning size or color?” When addressing the ripping technique, Bernie’s answer catches many off guard.

“If the lure that I am throwing is working through the cover the way I want it to (that is, if I’m not having too much problems getting it through the cover, and I am getting a nice crisp snatch of the lure whenever I perform the technique), I’m going to stick to that lure and cover water – more so than I am going to change lures.”

“I’ll usually start with chrome or gold. If it is early spring I’m going to have both a red and a chrome tied on. And if I am in a lake or a river where gold is a factor, (if they have golden shiners like they do in the south), then I’ll use gold.”

“Most of the time I’m using chrome and reds in the spring. That transitions into chrome, a baitfish matching color, or chartreuse later as the year progresses. But more important than changing colors, is changing water.”

“Ripping is a search tool, and you need to make it work for you. Put the trolling motor down and if it is windy, work with the wind. Fish and cast downwind. The less you disturb the grass bed the better. Especially if it is shallow.”

(Permission granted by the author/editor of Crankbait Central – CrankbaitCentral.com – a site dedicated solely to crankbaits.)
To Be Continued…..

I guess this is a true testament as to how important the weather is to fishing, and this is the true reason why I wanted to write this article. Before I begin I’d like to offer up my typical disclaimer: Please keep in mind that I am not a professional and everything that I write is based on my own experiences. Basically, I’m just a guy who enjoys fishing like the most of you and our website was in desperate need of a new article.

As most of you know the weather in the Bay Area has changed over the last few weeks. We find ourselves in the mid 70′s during the day and at night the temperature drops into the low 60′s. To us it means that Fall has come about, and that soon we will find ourselves pulling out the jackets and rain gear. To the fish, however, it means one thing: GET FOOD and GET FAT! With the Winter months approaching rapidly largemouth bass instinctively begin to hunt more often during this time of year (other than the pre-spawn). And this is for good reason, because soon it will get cold and the weather will become more sporadic and inconsistent. This is when largemouth bass seek deeper water and “the bite” slows down tremendously. I’ve read conflicting articles about fishing for largemouth in the winter. Some of which say to fish deep and others say to fish the shallows. Whatever you would like to believe there is one thing that hold true – largemouth fishing in the winter is much more difficult than fishing any other time of year. This is why fishing in The Fall is so important…

I’d say over the last three weeks I’ve gone fishing at least six times, and each time I’ve caught fish. I’ll post some photos of what I caught below but for now I’d like to focus more on some of the things I’ve noticed on the while on the water. You can pick any of our local lakes and show up either in the morning or in the late afternoon and you will see why largemouth bass are some of the best hunters on the planet. There is so much action going on – everywhere. First, I noticed an abundance of crawdads walking the shore or swimming the shoreline. In all of my years of fishing I’ve never seen anything like it. I have no idea why, but I do know that they are one of the largemouth’s favorite morsels. Just look at all of the jig trailers and such that mimic the craw sitting on your local bait shop’s wall. There are a TON of renditions of the crawdad, and almost every one that I have tried has produced big fish (especially the jig).

Enough about the craw, let’s talk about the top-water action that’s going on. At any given point during the day, particularly in the fall, you will see and hear largemouth bass hunting bait-fish. Just walk a bank and look around, you’ll see the swirls and hear the splashes. While fishing at Uvas last week with a fellow SJB member we heard a splash that sounded like someone threw a five pound boulder from a helicopter (slight author exaggeration). My buddy immediately threw a topwater bait and it was attacked by three or four smaller sized largemouth. I myself have taken notice and have had GREAT success using Roboworms that mimic shad patterns on my drop-shot setup. With that given combo – the drop-shot and a Shad-Patterned Roboworm – I can pull out fish on any given day. Mostly dinks of course, but just last Sunday I pulled out a five pound bass using that exact setup. Catching anything over three pounds on a drop-shot is awesome, but the five pounder had me running up the shoreline while it pulled line. There are also some swimbaits that look almost identical to baitfish (Basstrix, Huddleston, etc..), and I wish I had more of them but for now I’ve been doing so well with my jigs and drop-shit that I haven’t really added more tackle.

When you get a chance, read some more articles about fishing in the Fall. You’ll find plenty of information out there, but like I said in the forums – THE BITE IS ON IN SJ! GET OUT THERE!

Some of what has been working for me:

1. Drop-Shot with Shad Colored Roboworm
2. Crankbait
3. Jigs
4. Wacky-Rigged Senkos

Here are some photos of some of the fish I caught in the last three weeks at Uvas and Coyote:

Having said that, I wanted to take a moment to highlight my own experiences out at Coyote, and explain to everyone why I love/hate this place. And then I also want to share some stories I’ve had out there, some of which were captured on film…

Disclaimer:  As most of you may already know, I’m not a professional angler by any means, and most of what I know I’ve learned from friends that fish a lot more than I do. So if I say the wrong thing, or if you completely disagree with what I’m about to write please take it up with management.

You would think this place was specifically designed for largemouth bass due to the abundance of shad, rocky points, vegetation, submerged trees, planting of trout (not in 2009), etc… It’s also one of the only reservoirs in Santa Clara County that hosts the infamous Florida-Strain, which always makes for some good fishing.

When I initially started San Jose Bass we decided to host our first “gathering” at Coyote. It was when the water level had dwindled so low that they didn’t allow any boats on the water. It was absolutely wonderful, and it pretty much even the playing field for everyone. In the end there were about 15 anglers out there that decided to join us, and to this day it still stands out as one of the best “gatherings” we’ve ever had. That day I caught my new Personal Best of 6.5 lbs. on a shaky head while fishing a rocky point.

That was also the day that I became “hooked”, and after that I knew that I needed to visit Coyote on a regular basis, but I had no idea how difficult the fishing would be at times. Which is why I want to let all of you know one thing – This place has one of the toughest bites in the Bay Area. Now, let me repeat that – THIS PLACE HAS ONE OF THE TOUGHEST BITES IN THE BAY AREA. Ok, I’m off my soapbox for now, but don’t ever say I didn’t warn you. For example, this past Wednesday I spent 11 hours fishing this place and I only caught 1 fish – a 3 lb. largemouth that was nestled in between 30 carp near some early-staged weed bed. My fishing partner Kevin, who I consider to be one heck of a fisherman, wasn’t able to bring in a single fish. If I’m doing the math correctly, that’s 22 hours of fishing and just one fish to show for it.

On the other hand, I’ve personally witnessed Kevin catch a double digit-bass on a shaky head, and historically there have been several tournaments (Bass-N-Tubes.com) with bags that held more than one double-digit bass. The big ones are definitely in there, but they can be extremely elusive at times.

As for what works out at Coyote – you can pretty much catch fish on swimbaits, jigs, senkos, crankbaits, and everything else in-between. There are also plenty of carp, crappie, and bluegill for the little ones. They used to plant trout on a regular basis, but this year due to some environmental lawsuit the County opted not to.

A couple of more interesting tidbits about Coyote reservoir is the wildlife and the fact that it’s one of the only reservoirs in Santa Clara County that allows for overnight camping. You need to take your boat off the water before sunset, but you’re able to fish from the shore all night. They also have a pretty nice Ranger station that displays a wild boar, bobcat, mountain lions, and various local reptiles (rattlers, etc…). Just this past week Kevin and I saw a pretty nice sized wild boar on the western shore and about a year ago my brother and I saw an adolescent mountain lion cruising the eastern bank.

Anglers wishing to make a visit to Coyote Reservoir should also keep the following in mind:

1. Your boat will be subjected to the standard County mussel inspection.
2. On the weekends this place gets pretty busy with personal watercraft, wakeboarding/ski boats, and other fishing vessels.

If you decide to make your way up to Coyote Reservoir be sure to stop by Coyote Bait and Tackle on the way up. They have EVERYTHING you need and more…

For information on park facilities, call the Visitor Center at (408) 842-7800.

My knowledge about catching linesiders is somewhat limited. I learned the small amount of information about how to catch stripers by talking briefly with Steve LaRussa at Coyote Bait & Tackle, reading quite a few articles on the web, and getting out as much as possible during the striper season.  At first, I quickly grew frustrated. It felt as though I was ‘blind’ casting my way through the Delta while hunting for these fish. What I really needed was some direction from someone who knew what they were doing. I decided to search for a guide who knew how stripers migrated through the delta. A professional who could take me out to show me what it takes to find and  land big fish. I didn’t want to take the trolling route, I wanted to go with someone who knew how to plug for these beasts.

After researching on the web, I came across Bobby Barrack’s website. It is stated on his homepage that he does guided striper trips. I then took a look at his photo gallery. His clients have caught some hogs…big, big stripers. Some of the photos show his clients holding their fish like a sack of potatoes. After looking at those photos, I assumed that this is probably the guy I needed to talk to.

Bobby Barrack is a Bay Area born fisherman. He decided to move near the California Delta because he spent so much time out on the river anyways. I asked him how long he has been guiding and his response was, “Oh, only 12 years.” That’s longer than I have been an avid fisherman! I also asked him what draws him to striper fishing and he stated that it is because he has been doing it since the 80’s.  It felt good to fish with Bobby on the Delta for the linesiders because you can see that his passion for largemouth bass fishing spills into his techniques for catching the Big Mo’s. If you were to ask a trolling fisherman to plug all day for these freight trains, he would probably laugh in your face. Some people cannot grasp investing an entire day into plugging for stripers and that is because they are not ‘bass fisherman’.

I decided to split the cost of the trip with my stubborn father to learn that plugging for stripers can be fun. My Dad loves striper fishing as much as I do. Except, he likes to baitfish and troll for them. Getting him to use a bait caster is hard enough so selling him Bobby’s services was going to be tougher. Once I showed my Dad Bobby’s photo gallery, he quickly decided that it might not be a bad idea.

The plan was to meet at Russo’s Marina at the butt crack of dawn, the best time to catch these fish on topwater lures. Due to my fathers desire to take long morning showers, we were late by about 15 minutes. Who knows, that fifteen minutes may have cost us a 30 pounder. Maybe two. If you were to ask me any question about striper plugging, I would reply with this statement, “BE ON THE WATER RIGHT BEFORE THE SUN STARTS TO LIGHT UP THE SKY IF YOU WANT TO CATCH A BIG STRIPER ON A TOPWATER LURE”.

When we arrived, I was very excited to see that we would be navigating the Delta on a 21 ft Ranger dubbed, “El Sappo”. Before this trip, I had never been on a bass boat of this size. Deck room, lots and lots of deck room.

Through out the entire day, we fished an area of the Delta that I was already familiar with. I previously had only fished for largemouth bass in this area, so fishing for stripers here was all new to me.  The most important thing I learned about fishing for stripers was to move around a lot. We would give every spot a good 10-30 minutes of plugging, and then move on. Even though we bounced around, Bobby definitely proved to me that you are able to recycle a spot. If they were there earlier in the day, hit your baits, then left. They may return.

All in all, the trip produced a 13 pounder, a few around 10 and a bunch in between shaker size to 5 pounds. I missed a big one, which straightened the eye of the hook holder on my Lunker Punker Jr due to a heavy drag setting, and my Dad missed another big one because he set into the fish too early. Those fish were definitely in the 10 plus pound zone. Who knows, maybe bigger. There was also a time when a fish followed Bobby’s bait that was “BIG!!” Unfortunately, we couldn’t get her to commit to our baits.  Bobby also explained that sometimes the big fish grab the bait with a ”slurp” and when you hear that sound, you know she is big. Sure enough, another striper missed my bait later in the day which made this sound.

I learned a lot fishing with Bobby Barrack. The most important things were to be patient when searching for stripers that are willing to commit to topwater baits, do not be scared to fish water as shallow as 3 feet, find some moving water, and move if you aren’t catching anything. When you see those linesiders busting bait on the top, cast those lures out towards them and hang on!

I do plan on doing a trip with Bobby in the future. Maybe I’d book a trip in September when you can still catch some largemouth on frogs and stripers on Lunker Punkers. Thanks Bobby for convincing my Dad that plugging for stripers is awesome.

If you are interested on booking a trip with Bobby, check out his website, http://www.bobbybarrack.com. You can also call him at (925) 684-9904. Be sure to tell him that Mario and Marce Sr. sent you.

Bobby’s Gear:

Lunker Punker Jr.

• ROD: Falcon Cara T7- Bobby’s Perfect Frog Rod/CC-8-2710XHT/ 7’ 10”
• REEL: Shimano 200DHSV
• LINE: 65# Spiderwire Stealth

Lucky Craft 127 Rip Bait

• ROD: Falcon Cara T7/CC-5-17MH/ 7’
• REEL: ABU Garcia Revo 7:1
• LINE: Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon, 15# test

Pencil Popper

• ROD: Falcon Cara T7/Swimbait/CCB-8-173SW
• REEL: ABU Garcia Revo 7:1
• LINE: 65# Spiderwire Stealth

It would take a big 8.05 pound kicker that would lock Gary Wratten and Dave Uyeda into first place on the final day with an outstanding bag weighing 16.23 pounds. With the big fish option, winner take all option and first place check, Gary and Dave brought home a total of $3,510!!

Thank you Coyote Bait & Tackle for keeping the thrill of competition bass fishing alive in the Santa Clara County.

Results provide by Coyotebait.com. Click here to view photos.

Coyote Bait & Tackle’s Two Day Team Tournament Shootout
Anderson Reservoir, Santa Clara County
November 8th & 9th, 2008

1st Place – DAVE UYEDA/GARY WRATTEN
Day 1: 6.83lbs., Day 2: 16.23 lbs.
Total Weight 23.06 lbs.
$2200

2nd Place – RUS SNYDERS/CHARLES RIM
Day 1: 7.66 lbs., Day 2: 10.50 lbs
Total Weight 18.16 lbs.
$1000.00

3rd Place – JIM GIANCOLA/ CINDY SILACCI
Day 1: 8.92 lbs, Day 2: 8.56
Total Weight 17.48LBS.
$700.00

4TH: CHRIS ZALDAIN/ STEVE ERICKSON 7.98,9.00= 16.98LBS . $500.00
5TH: DARREN SHIMA/ ALEX MEZA; 7.93,8.53= 16.46LBS. $400.00
6TH: BRIAN CARLSON/JEFF KAWAGUCHI: 7.51, 8.94= 16.45LBS. $300
7TH: RODNEY IO/ REID ANDERSON: 9.59,6.23= 15.82LBS. $200.00
8TH: MATT KIM/JOE MACRENARIS: 8.11,7.61=1 5.72LBS. $100.00
9TH: JOHN HAGEN/BRIT BRITON: 7.00,8.10= 15.10LBS.
10TH: BILL LEE/ BOB GRENEVALD: 8.23, 6.65= 14.88LBS.
11TH: JUAN ACOSTA/ MIKE GUTIEREZ: 6.81, 7.63= 14.44LBS.
12TH: DON WELCH/ RON HUNNEWELL: 8.07, 6.24= 14.31LBS
13TH: JASON & GENO LAZZERINI: 6.15, 7.95= 14.10 LBS
14TH: WEYMAN KWONG/JERRY ROUSE: 7.88, 5.92= 13.80LBS.
15TH: MIKE WOHLGEMUTH/RAZE REEZER: 7.49, 6.19= 13.68LBS
16TH: JEFF LAMY/RICHARD PUENTES: 6.52,7.09= 13.61LBS
17TH: CHRIS COSTELLO/ CHAD HULBERT: 6.89,6.67= 13.56LBS
18TH: JAVIER MARTINEZ/TONY CHRISTIE: 8.81,4.73= 13.54LBS.
19TH: SCOTT CARTER/JOHN EDMUNSON: 6.24,6.23= 12.47
20TH: TED TENCATI/DAVE TENCATI: 5.22,6.97= 12.19LBS.
21ST: MIKE JOHNSON/ CLARK FOSTER: 6.57,5.59= 12.16LBS.
22ND: RYAN WAKE/ ADRIAN PAGAN: 5.40,5.46= 10.86LBS.
23RD: ADAM McANREWS/ JUSTIN BALDASANO: 5.10,3.62= 8.72 LBS.
24TH: JOESPH& JOE LAVERY: 5.68,2.73= 8.41LBS.
25TH: GREG BORG/DERIK ALLRAD: 4.54,2.00= 6.64
——————————————————
26TH: MOE MARTINEZ/ADAM KERN: 2.97LBS
27TH: CODY REMICK/NEIL BUSHMAN: 2.78LBS
28TH: MARK SARIN/ ALEX MEZA SR.: 2.74LBS.
29TH: DAVID COFFURO/ JULIO OLIVEEN; 2.45LBS
30TH: EDDIE KING/MIKE SCHLEY: 2.37LBS.
31ST: KENNETH KNIGHT/ ZACHERY KNIGHT: 2.34LBS.
32ND: DALE RODONI/ SANDI RODINI: 1.62LBS.
33RD: MIKE & JOHN AMOROSO: 1.52LBS.
34TH: RICHARD TRUJILLO/ ANTHONY: 1.45LBS.
35TH: DAVE THOMPSON/RICK SCHWARTZ: 0.00
36TH: JIM RUE/JOE NICOLAI: 0.00
37TH: JERRY SMYTH/ JOSH HANOKA: 0.00
38TH: ROBERT YOUND SR./ ROBERT YOUNG JR.: 0.00
39TH: JERRY BOYD/ KEN BALDWIN: 0.00
40TH: KELLY & CARRIE SPRAGUE; 0.00
41ST: JOHN MESKER/ TINO FLORES: 0.00
42ND: ANTHONY CARLSON/ JASON GOODPASURE: 0.00

Winner Take All Option
DAVE UYEDA & GARY WRATTEN
$930.00

November 8th Big Fish
JERRY ROUSE 5.30 Pounds
$380.00

November 9th Big Fish
GARY WRATTEN, 8.05 Pounds
$380.00

This bait looks amazing on the top of the water. The Lunker Punker looks more like a real fish skimming across the surface of the water than to it’s comparisons by ten fold. I once witnessed seeing an Osprey eagle attempt to capture this bait off of the surface thinking it was a tasty trout. It’s action is unlike no other walk-the-dog top water bait that I have seen. It seems to add some spice to it’s walk by rolling on it’s sides when you yank down on your rod, then up righting itself once it stops it’s zig or zag. This action is what greatly contributes to the amount of disturbance that this lure can create while cruising across the top of the water. Rattles are not needed in this bait for it to capture the attention of any feeding fish that may be in the area. Fished fast or slow, this bait is a deadly weapon when pursuing the top water bite for hungry Blackie’s or aggressive Linsiders.

You may be curious about what rod to use when throwing the 4 ounce Lunker Punker or the smaller 3.5 ounce Lunker Punker Jr. I throw the 3.5 ounce Lunker Punker Jr. on a Kistler flipping stick(KFS76) which has a medium to fast tip and a semi-stout body. This rod works great with this bait and it only cost me $99.00! I have heard from others that the Dobyn’s 735c will also work when hucking the Junior around at your local waters. I was throwing the Junior on a Dobyn’s 736c when I bent out one of the hook holders while fighting a 10 pound striper. This lead me to begin using a lighter rod. Although, I would like to note that if the only heavy rod you have is a broom stick, use a 5 foot 20lb mono leader at the end of your braid to help cusion the stiffness of the rod.

I am sure that one of the Okuma Big Bait rod’s will also work for you as well. My buddy, Jerry “Jerbs” Smyth, throws the Lunker Punker Senior on his 7’6” Okuma Big Bait heavy rod and seems to not have any trouble making his bait walk properly across the top of the water.

When using this bait for the Linesiders, I have Spider Wire’s 65 pound braid tied to my high speed Curado 201 reel. I buy this line at Wal-Mart, it’s only $14.99 there. You did not hear the from me…Using a high speed reel is necessary to have just in case the biggies start swimming towards you after they are hooked. You always want a bend in your rod or the fish just might unbutton.

I have also followed the advice that I have read on other websites by replacing the split rings and hooks to insure that my fish do not bend out any of the hardware attached to the lure while hustling them in. I found me some 1/0 Owner 2x hooks and some 70lb split rings to replace the factory hardware. Although, I have read that you may want to put on the 4x hooks if you are using braid that is as strong as what I am using. You know what? Just loosen up the drag a little bit if you can’t find that size.

I mentioned above that I bent out one of the hook holders while fighting a fish. Thankfully, the other hooks were stuck firmly into the fish’s mouth and I was able to net it. I was hoping that Black Dog Bait Co. may be able to help me out with a replacement due to the high cost of the lure. I made two attempts to contact them via the contact form on their website to report the issue and received no response. I hope that this is not true for others out there who may have experienced any other problems with this bait. I assume that they may be too busy to address the issue. Luckily, Mel Cotton’s Sporting Goods replaced the bait at no cost. Thanks Glenn!

(Authors Note added 11/13/2008: Grant at Black Dog Baits stated that he attempted to contact me and I believe the email must have been lost. After getting a replacement from Mel’s, I bent the hook holder out again on another big fish the following week. I contacted Grant and he stated that they would repair the bait at no cost. All I had to do was sent it back to them.

Following this second incident, I brought back my drag quite a bit. I believe that my drag may have been too tight while using the 65lb braid. Be sure your drag is loose if you are using 4x hooks and 65 pound braid.)

I have yet to hook a Largemouth on the bait although I will definitely be throwing this bait at a local lake for the the Largies next year. The Lunker Punker from Black Dog Bait Company is a good investment to make if you like watching fish crush top water lures. This bait will never be left home when I am heading out for a trip and hopefully, this will be the bait I catch some personal bests on in the future.

The author with a California Delta Striped Bass caught on a Lunker Punker Jr.

Low tide is probably the toughest tide to fish for most guys. The one reason is, we all like to chunk our baits up to the bank and work it to the weedlines, heck that’s where we ALL have the best results, up in that shallow trough. But when that window of opportunity disappears, what do ya do? It’s simple really, ya gotta know when, where and how to adjust to the fish movements and their activities.

Now there are two real key factors that I relay on to make these adjustments, seasonal patterns and barometric changes. Keeping in mind that the bass is a predator and feeds a lot, except in early spring during the spawn when most strike come out of reaction, ya need to understand their level of activity at that specific time of year.

The Seasons

Summer, in the early stages fish are just coming off the spawn and are spent. They move deep into areas were they are very difficult to catch for a number of weeks. At this time of year, you have just got to pound, pound , pound and hope for the best. In the later summer months of July, August and September, the fish recover from the post spawn doldrums and move into the shallows and become very active.

Fall, the fish now have detected that the temperature is dropping and begin to move into the current and feed heavily, preparing for their winter time of low metabolism. The Delta can be at it’s exciting best during this time of year, just for the shear number of 3 pound fish that can be caught. Fish are everywhere!

Winter time marks another tough period for most anglers. Many fish move very deep and congregate in large numbers chasing the bait fish, shad actually. Some very large concentrations of fish can be found in the middle of sloughs buried in the deeper grass, others in the deep holes of dead end sloughs and marinas.

Spring time, finds the fish moving shallow again for the spawn, they are very active and easy to catch. BIG fish are caught in the Delta from late February to mid May. Fish are located in any area lacking current that provides ample spawning locations. Spring, well it’s like you and me, when we head to bed with our favorite partner, they only got one thing in mind and it ain’t food. The fish are gonna be very aggressive and will attack anything that disturbs this ritual.

Barometric Factor

During all four seasons, these fish are active and catchable here on the Delta.

The tough part comes, when we get a barometric change. A falling or low pressure generally brings with it overcast skies and cloud cover. During this time the fish will scatter and be very active. Now when we get a rising or climbing pressure change, we tend to see bluebird skies. Fish will then tend to hunker down very tight to cover or structure. Both of these changes tend to have an effect on how a bass is living at that moment. One good, falling pressure and cloud cover tend to give a bass more security in his ability to roam and seek prey, to be an efficient predator. The other not so good, rising pressure and clear skies, seem to make a bass very uncomfortable, doesn’t like his visibility, hence they seek shelter and become inactive.

The Low Tide Factor

Now that we’ve talked some about how these changes in barometric pressure affects the bass, as well as the bass’ reaction to seasonal patterns, we can now take a look at the puzzling piece. This is the piece to figure out . What do they do when the tide bottoms out and their high water haunts are taken away during either of these situations? How do we catch em?

If we have a falling or steady barometer, with overcast skies, those fish are gonna be very active and roaming. This is when I concentrate on weed clumps, the ones that look like big mushroom clumps, they have little avenues all around them. They exist in very shallow areas with some current all the time. Jigs, spinnerbaits, cranks and buzz baits can be fished through these, very effectively, to draw those aggressive strikes. I also like the outside edge on deep weed lines, jigs and cranks are the ticket here. Barrack loves to blade the shallow tulles islands, big white/chartreuse blades, right on the outside edges, bumping the tulles the whole way. Under this condition the fish will be real aggressive and are roaming, look for areas at low tide that allow them to do this, roam around freely. Look for open pockets and avenues, allowing the bass plenty of space to do this.

One real good example of this is the Sherman Lake area. This area is always good for me on the falling to low tide. Sherman is an area than has a vast growth of tulles with many cuts, channels and miniature sloughs. These tulles grow on soft mud flats. Throughout the years, with the coming and going of the tides, the edges of these tulle flats have been carved out creating breaks and cuts at the base of the tulles. There is a trough that runs here between the tulles and the weeds, creating perfect holding areas for bass at low tides. It is a flippers heaven.

As the tide is falling look for the bass to be at the inside base of the weeds. As the tide ebbs at it’s lowest point, they tend to be just sitting in what openings you can find. Again they may be roaming freely through out these troughs. In areas where you can’t flip these openings, work the outside edges of the grass or tulles with a blade. Very slow retrieve just under the surface. Let that blade create a slight wake on the surface, especially in the summer time.

One of my favorite techniques for low tides, especially in the summer, is throwing poppers. I have two I use, one is a fire tiger by Excell and the other is a white with chartrues back Splash It. These are best tossed on the outside of the weed mats. Especially those that have the yellow and green cheese growin on them. This bite is really good when ya got low water all day long. Use a very slow pop and rest retrieve. The longer it sits, generally the better the fish is that eats it. I will also toss that popper up into the openings between the matts and the rocks or tulles, right on the bank. One thing I do with all my poppers is remove the factory hooks and replace em with Gamakastu. Generally one size bigger than what has been installed by the manufacture.

Now in the late fall and winter times, I specifically key on the grass clumps. I look for areas where there is lots of current and two sloughs create a T or major intersection. Kinda like down around the Victoria canal area. Key on the inside or outside points that are opposite or out of the direct current flow. Look for the clumps of grass in that 6 to 8 foot range. I work that jig, very rapidly down to the grass clumps, and begin to entice them with the Claw Wave! Fish will stack up in these areas. They will move with the bait as the tidal flow changes. Go to the next spot.

Now on the other side is the rising barometer and bluebird skies. Just like that of the TopSix tournament. Everyone else was strugglin, while we fished areas where nobody would even think to fish under these very low tide conditions. Course bigger problem is, ya gotta know what the area is like at low tide and how to get around with no water. That part can only be learned through experience on the water. But what we looked for was very shallow structure, any kind of structure, a pipe, wood, old car, washing machine, sunken boats, it must be solid and isolated. The fish will hunker very tight to these pieces of structure.

You look for small openings in the grass to pitch to, where the grass lies right up next to the structure, it creates a canopy over the bass. The key is presentation, your not gonna catch crank, blade or buzzbait fish very often, you can’t quietly present your bait to these fish. Your entry must be precise and quiet, oh, so quiet. And it sometimes takes repeated presentations to get that fish to bite. That second big fish I caught the day of the TopSix, as well as another that I caught in the WON the week before, 6.97, was on the 3rd flip into the same exact whole, both tournaments. Repeated presentations.

Under bluebird days and on a low tide, you have got to slow way down, be thorough and make repeated presentations. You have got to stay off the trolling motor until you have completed dissecting the target area, otherwise you will blow it out with mud and other crap. Doing this will spook and scatter your fish. Remember, on the low tides those fish are there, they have no where to go.

Now in the late fall and winter time, I look for these fish out in the deeper grass beds, under bluebird days. I will generally start in these areas with a Manns BB Shad, in Chrome and Black. This allows me to cover a lot of water. Once I find em though, and have picked off all the real aggressive fish, I will then drag, hop, scoot, crawl, swim and shake a jig until I catch em all. I will then follow this up with a Rodstrainer Blade with a huge #6 Gold Colorado blade. I will slow roll that blade out in the middle of these no current sloughs. Dragging that blade right through the tops of the grass on that low tide, but ya gotta be slow. This will generally get those bigger fish unwilling to take the crank bait or jig.

If all of the above techniques and patterns fail you, I have one sure fire solution. This comes from a highly regarded Delta expert, it is also something I used in the November Pro-Am of 97 with great success. Look for new rock that has been laid on the levee. This new rock will generate a new grouth of zoo plankton and stuff that attracts baitfish and generates a whole new food chain, The bass will be around this kind of stuff. This bank must have sparce tulle clumps and a defined weed line out to about 4-5 foot of water. Get out that 6A or 7A Red Craw Bomber and crank the open trough between the water line and the weeds. The red Speed Trap will work as well, but does not dig into the rocks and grass as well as the Bomber. The Trap will work if the fish want it just ticking the top of the grass, let the fish tell ya what they want. And if they won’t hit the crank toss a white/chartrues blade, especially on the tulles.

Now, if all this fails, get out your white rat or frog and go get a sun tan!

Cooch

I had a similar story, not like I was handcuffed or anything and going to prison, but I surfed a 50 year storm….with my fishing pole.

All my life I wanted to catch a big 10 plus pound bass. Not just catch a 10 pound bass bass, but a 10 pound bass on a 8 inch trout swimbait. Knowing that bass fishing can produce a 50 year storm once or maybe twice in your life (but if you know what’s up, it happens frequently, I give those guys mad respect. Except those who take it to their heads.), I had heard from a close, short, hairy friend that an epic bite was on at a specific lake. I don’t need to disclose any names because if you know, you know.

I would like to point out that this friend had only been fishing for 1 year and caught a 45 pound bag during this epic swell. A 45 pound bag on jigs! Jigs! This feat will probably never be repeated for the rest of his life, but who knows, maybe it will….scum bag. (just kidding).

Well, I decided to go out with him 2 days following the amazing day that he had on the water. On this day, I brought my Crucial 7’11” Heavy swimbait rod with a Cardiff 301 rigged with 25 pound P-Line maxima and a 12 ROF Huddie tied on the end.

We hit the spot where he hooked his fish with minimal luck (nothing, except he unbuttoned a toad earlier in the day) and decided to move on. Once we hit the next main lake point, I was determined to keep hucking that Huddie for one of these hungry pre-spawn Florida strain largemouth bass. Low and behold, I got bit. I could not believe it. A bite on a HUD! That was enough to get my heart pumping faster than I have ever experienced while fishing. I love adrenaline, and this was the perfect fix. I kept repeating in awe, “I got bit on my Hud, I got bit on my Hud!”
The next cast was the start of my 50 year storm. Slowly rolling my Huddie on the lake bottom, the Hud was nailed by a 7.5 pounder. Best fight ever. I even was lucky enough to catch it on film.

[youtube]DDNeJAYkUqU[/youtube]

Blissssssssss.

Immediately after I let this fish go, I thought to myself, ”Wait, I read once where there is one big bass, there is usually another…” Two casts later, I caught my new PB and my first 10 pound plus, a beautiful ten and a half pound, trophy sized bass.

Following that day was one month filled with the best fishing of my life. Multiple 9 pounders each day I went out, a humongous bag over one weekend, landed another ten plus fish that may have been my new PB(forgot my scale), watched two other Turdz get their PB’s and I experienced it all with some of my favorite people to go fishing with. Was it for the taking, I will never know…we were always the only ones on the water!

After thinking about the why this occurred, I came up with a list of things that helped align the stars…

• Lake closed to boats (Except when you launch them by hand. This allowed us to bring a 14 ft. Aluminum with a 15 hp 4 stroke)
• Pre-spawn
• Trout hungry bass
• Weekly trout plants for one month straight
• No trolling motor so we were constantly anchoring our boats making no noise what so ever
• Many types of Huddlestons available at the local shop
• Proper gear investment before the storm
• Moon was just right

Without all of those elements being perfectly aligned, I would have never experience the bite that I had. I actually do not know if it will happen again. Of course I hope it does, but I swear, I feel like if I were to die now and look back upon my life, I would be proud to have accomplished the goal that I set for myself in Largemouth Bass fishing; to catch trophy bass on trout swimbaits.

Be prepared for your storm. Have the right gear, go to the right spots, research, ask questions, and most of all, HAVE FUN! Thank you, BassTurdz.

Here is the definition directly from their website:

Uvas dam and reservoir are located on Uvas Creek about two miles upstream from the intersection of Watsonville and Uvas roads in southern Santa Clara County. The Spanish name for grapes, “uvas,” is preserved in a number of place names, all apparently referring to the abundance of wild grapes. Uvas Creek got its name from the land grant Cañada de las Uvas (grape ravine) dated June 14, 1842. Uvas Dam was a part of the South Santa Clara Valley Water Conservation District. It was completed in 1957. The reservoir’s capacity is 9,835 acre-feet of water. The surface area is 288 acres.

The only real negative aspect about this fishery, is that the water level fluctuates tremendously throughout the year. I feel that this plays a huge role in keeping the fish somewhat small here. I can say that they are very aggressive as the small bass were attacking my spinnerbait on the fall.

It’s a nice drive out here and being that it’s Calero and Chesbro’s next door neighbor you can easily fish all three in the same day.