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Northern California’s Lake Berryessa is a well-known producer of king and kokanee salmon, three varieties of bass, catfish, crappie and rainbow trout throughout the year…but something special happens here in the fall and early winter: You can catch pretty much all species in the same day, in the same areas on the same gear. Sounds like fun, eh? [click to continue…]
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Our pal and pro basserBig Fred Contaoi (left) is normally seen ripping across bass lakes at Mach 3 in his Ranger at tournaments all over the country. But every once in a while, he likes to ditch the boat, lose the clown suit and leave the 3 metric tons of plastic baits he normally carries at home…and get back to basics.
He sent us this photo of he and a couple local buddies on some river near home in Tennessee with some dandy smallmouth bass they caught on live minnows. The only thing this shot is missing is a little Hank Jr. playing in the background…
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Okay, so I’m not sure where they keep records of such feats, but Bill Prince’s 5-fish limit of Trinity Lake smallmouth bass that went 27.7 pounds is certainly the California record in my book…
I know, it’s hard to tell from a photo of a replica mount (he let all the bass go) just how big the fish were, but take a look at that 13-inch rainbow trout that’s in there for scale and you’ll get a better idea. Prince was fishing a club tournament on Sept. 30, 2007 when he weighed in a 6.36 pounder, a 6.30 and the three little ones were all 5 plus pounds. [click to continue…]
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West Coast bass wizard Gary Dobyns has completely re-designed his entire Dobyns Rods lineup for 2009 and has a whole mess of technique-specific sticks to cover just about any bass fishing situation you’ll encounter. The Dobyns Rods’ new 702 SF spinning stick is a nice, lightweight and modestly priced entry aimed at finesse plastics aficionados. But how does it fish?
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Our man, Big Fred Contaoi is currently flying under the radar, gearing up for his third run at the Wal Mart FLW Tour which kicks off Feb. 12.
Big boy will be knocking heads with some of the best bassers on the planet at Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, AL, where the current forecasts are calling for cold conditions and bass that are in a pre-spawn/winter type of mode. The lake is one of the better largemouth producers in the region and it sometimes takes a 25-pound sacks here every day to win. Of course, in the cold all bets are off and the smaller populations of smallies and spotts may come into play.
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When Northern California’s Lake Pardee re-opens to fishing on Friday, Feb. 6th., 2009, anglers should see some white-hot fishing…if it’s anything like the action we encountered on Media Day on Sunday.
The preview day of fishing was open to a select few bass pros and media members (organized by Kent Brown of Ultimate Bass Radio and hosted by Pardee Recreation Co. owners Richard and Kerry Copper). Record-class smallmouth bass were the target de jour. Pardee is rapidly gaining a reputation of being a top-notch smallie fishery, and several bronzebacks in the 8 to 9+ pound class were taken there last season.
But’s let’s back up here…
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To mix things up, Ransom and I headed to Lake Berryessa Friday, where the bait was thick and the species diversity was..well…diverse! We only had a few hours in the afternoon, but got into creek channel that was filthy with shad balls and predatory fish. Check this ball o’ bait out! 
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JD,
I live in Yuba City and have been wanting to start fishing the Feather River for smallmouth bass. I am looking for some tips on baits, fishing techniques, ya know…..enough info to get started and be successful.
Thanks, Kelly
Kelly, there are plenty o’ smallies in the Feather near you! In fact, you can catch them from there all the way down to Verona. I’ve caught them on ripbaits and topwater poppers while fishing for stripers but the best way to get them is with small grubs and tube style jigs fished on 1/16-ounce lead heads.
Go with brown, motor oil or brown/orange to match the smallies’ favorite food…crawfish. Toss the jigs into rocky banks and hop them slowly down hill. With light spinning gear you’ll have a blast!
Good luck!!
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