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View Full Version : Colorado River: La Paz County Park 9/30/10 - 10/3/10



BigBass777
10-05-2010, 06:07 PM
Colorado River CA/AZ border
9Th Annual Guys Camp-out
La Paz County Park, Parker Arizona
9/30/2010 – 10/03/2010

Went on our 9th annual camp-out (19 guys this time) with friends and it was quite mellow this year with unpredictable weather. My main focus is fishing and babes in bikinis if they go by. This time the fishing for the smallmouth bass had me guessing and guessing. Yeah! It was a much different type of bite this year despite the weather. Most of the fish were smaller compared to last year. The river water was warm by all means. We have yet been to the river with the water being that warm and the air temperature hovering at 107 degrees. It didn’t feel like it because of so much cloud cover. We had thunder and lightning each night and it poured very heavily on Saturday throughout the day. Try fishing in heavy rains with fierce winds! Screw that! During the last month, La Paz County Park had 110 degree air temperatures.

My catch ratio was 16-2 without breaking any fish off. After I lost 15 fish, trying to keep count wasn’t worth holding onto. Of those 16 fish 7 of them jumped off. I caught 6 smallmouth bass with 10lb Trilene clear line, with Shimano Chronarch reel, 6ft G Loomis GL3 rod, 1/4oz Water Gremlin black bullet weight, and a brown (with black flake) 3.5 inch Gitzit tube bait, on a 1/0 Gomakatsu offset shank worm hook. Big 5 Sporting Goods sells a pack of 4 for $3.29. This bait is a dominant one for the smallmouth bass in the Colorado River. All fish caught or missed was in 6ft of water or less.

Why were so many fish being lost? I switched from 10lb line to 8lb line. The fish were being hooked, take off down river towards me then jump, dig in the grass beds, or jump off. The 8lb line wasn’t getting a solid hookset into the fish. The bite ratio on 8lb vs 10lb line was astonishing! Trent was also having a difficult time landing fish on 8lb line. The river water was really flowing from Lake Havasu Dam this time so it makes it much more difficult to hook them. The 8lb line was thrown on a Shimano Sahara 2500FB (coffee grinder) and a 6ft Shimano Compre rod. The drags in these Sahara reels don’t impress me tho.

None of my fish were landed on a plastic worm. The other bait that works well is a 6inch Robo Worm in black grape. No worm of any color worked this time. The fish were waiting for the bait to come to them rather than chase it. When the bait was dragged through any grass bed, they were there waiting for it. The bite wasn’t easy to detect either. 90% of the bites were dead weight so you didn’t know if it was grass or a fish. By the time you try to hook the fish with 8lb line it was too late. The 10lb line had much more control and hooking the fish.

Out in front of our campsite is rocky, has grass beds (with pebble sized rocks everywhere) and to the left is a high spot (sandbar) where you can venture out pretty far. The fish hang out on the other side of the sandbar where it meets with the grass. To my surprise the water (being let out of Havasu Dam) was flowing faster on Thursday morning because it’s usually flowing faster late on Friday’s. Rather than go to sleep it was easier to stay up and get in the water after 4:30am. My first 2 fish came 10 minutes before 5:00am. Walked in the water with a shorts/shirt on and to my surprise was warmer than ever otherwise I would’ve got out. Last year I had a jacket on in the 6:00am hour.

After catching 5 fish (with 10lb line) the bite completely changed to no bites at all. Dragging the bait a few inches at a time is the best retrieve/method. Because the water was moving faster you’d had to let the bait come to them. When the pebble rocks/grass beds were not working, I went over to the sandy beach area (to the right of us) with heavy grass beds. This is where the bite took off big time with the Gitzit tube! Throwing the bait up river then dragging it with the current through the grass beds got their attention quick. The 8lb line wasn’t working on the hook set and the 10lb line had too much drag by the current. When you felt 3 ticks or if the bait stopped pull back because it was a fish. These smallmouth bass are so much fun to catch and they fight really hard.

I landed 8 fish this time and here are a few pics:

Always seem to get a fish on a crainkbait each year. This is a Mega Bait and it didn’t float to my surprise. Once the bait ticked the grass it was paused.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Picture029-2.jpg

The Gitzit tube bait has caught me more fish than any other bait at the river. The 6inch Robo Worm in black grape has caught the bigger smallmouth bass tho.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Picture028-2.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Picture018-7.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Picture019-8.jpg

This was my biggest fish. I lost a much bigger fish on the 8lb line when it shook me off. I was heading down river in order to catch up with it. The 8lb line had no match for it at all. When it jumped to say bye bye you know what fisherman think?
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Picture004-19.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Picture003-24.jpg


This is the mud flat with heavy grass I was taking about when the bite was good. This section is on the right side of the launch ramp and stretches all the way down to the next launch ramp.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Picture022-6.jpg

This is a big grass bed on the right side of the dock. When you find these areas farther out in the river, the fish hide in them and use as ambushing spots. Cheaters! The bass always gotta hide huh?
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Picture037-2.jpg

This big patch of dirt with grass around it is another productive spot. This is directly in front of the dock.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Picture042-2.jpg

Weather called for 107 degrees but no rain, heavy clouds, wind, lightning or thunder was mentioned in the forecast.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Picture026-4.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Picture025-6.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Picture019-7.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Picture024-6.jpg

The dock with a launch ramp next to it.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Picture036-1.jpg

What good is a dock without a boat? One of the tools we bring with us.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Picture017-8.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Picture011-12.jpg

Don’t forget the waverunner either!
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Picture005-19.jpg

Rick doing a burnout on the waverunner.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Picture027-4.jpg

Rick being a true “REDNECK” by tying his tent to his truck so the wind won’t blow it away!
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Picture014-9.jpg

Rick found this dead carp and placed it under Trent’s tent. Trent was smelling this thing for 2 nights all night long but didn’t know where it was coming from. He thought it was mildew from when rain got into his tent. Trent may have not had a rain fly. When we packed up on Sunday morning the air just filled with laughter when Trent found it. It was hilarious! When Trent found this under his tent he was like where the *** did this come from? No wonder something smelled real bad! He thought I had placed it there at first.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Picture001-22.jpg



Our 3 year old golden retriever Lucky loves camping and chasing the ball into the water. She wouldn’t stay out of it!
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Picture031-3.jpg
Lucky and Gracie (Rick’s dog) sleeping in the truck on the way home.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/LuckyAndGracie.jpg

Our camping neighbor found this stranded blue healer at Circle K so she took him into her arms.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Picture010-13.jpg
Lucky made a new friend.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Picture007-16.jpg

The campground at La Paz County Park located right on the river has all the amenities that you need for camping. With Rv hookups, water hookups, clean restrooms, shade, bbq, table, launch ramps, docks, fires allowed, pets allowed, Bluewater Casino, and with stores like Safeway and Wal-Mart close by. With rates at $18.00 per day why would ya go anywhere else? If you need a firepit please ask one of the maintenance guys driving around in the white trucks. People were stealing them so this is what they do now. Word has it that a decent amount of this campground will be shops and stores in a few years. We’ll see what happens.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/Picture016-8.jpg

A couple of videos.
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/th_Picture046-2.jpg (http://s992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/?action=view&current=Picture046-2.mp4)

http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/th_Picture047-1.jpg (http://s992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/BigBass777/?action=view&current=Picture047-1.mp4)


Swimmers ***!
So I learned a valuable lesson this year. When standing and fishing in the river, I had on denim shorts as to stay cooler from the heat when I got out. The shorts ended up rashing my butt cheeks very badly. My butt cheeks look like a million mosquitos bit them. My *** hurts so badly it hurts to even sit. I had this problem the last few years while wearing light swim shorts but nowhere near this bad. So if ya go to the river take some regular swimming attire with you. You’ll be glad you did and your wife won’t be second-guessing you!

For some reason I ended up getting sick this time as it could have been related from the heat. Every night the weather was perfect and all you needed was a shirt/shorts. My head felt lightheaded/kinda hurt and headaches are not normal for me. My body felt very weak and I got cold easily at night while the temperature was only 74. On Friday night while trying to sleep I was shivering. On Saturday night when the shivering started, I put on pants over my shorts, a shirt, a sweater over that, a light jacket over that, and than a sweater over that. Yep! 4 pieces of clothing worn. Jeff looked at me on Sunday morning and says what the heck do you have on?! My body was shedding a lot of heat but I don’t feel sunburned at all. I had on a white shirt at all times (even while fishing) and covered myself with quality lotion from the sun a few times per day. I sat in the shade all day too and drank water. I went on the waverunner on Thursday and didn’t go tubing or for a ride in the boat at all. Was it heat exhaustion and possibly my body fighting the bad pain in my butt cheeks?

So I’m not feeling well and was walking real slow when one of the guys in our group took it upon himself to be a complete dikhead. I was walking towards the restroom and there was a big puddle of muddy water from the rain. He took his truck (when coming back from the store) and drove through the puddle. He splashed me all over with that dirty water. I went up to him and said that wasn’t cool man. It also wasn’t funny. Had I not been feeling well, he would have been punched before getting out of his truck. I don’t fight but guys like this need someone to show them the rules. He deserves it because he treats me like that and other at times. You need to get into his face so he shuts up and stops what he’s doing.

Other than not feeling well it was still fun. Missed a lot of fish but that is fishing for ya. Tried for catfish each night using the Amy Lu Gouda Cheeses Chicken Sausage with a drag run on Thursday night but then the bait was dropped. Does someone have any idea what works well for the catfish in the river? I caught 2 catfish (6lb,8lb) on stinky shrimp in 2007 but none since then. Both fish were released. Tried Du Mongs catfish bait (mackerel) in shrimp flavor last year with no bites either. All of the smallmouth bass I’ve caught at this place since 2001 have been released as well. C ya on the water!

Nessie Hunter
10-06-2010, 09:24 AM
Awesome trip Dave..
What a cool adventure buddy !!!

Bait at the River??
You can legally use live blue gill there, and I hear its super for the flathead cats (Big ones)!!!

Troutman65
10-06-2010, 10:58 AM
Nice report . Thanks for taking the time to post it . Sucks about your ***** . LOL ! I know not really funny .