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View Full Version : Tradition Big Structure Calico, Sculpin, and Great Structure Bass Fishing 1/29/11



Jackpot Jimmy
01-29-2011, 08:49 PM
We left the dock this morning hoping to have a bit of a repeat of last week’s fishing, if not, better in the bass department. Our first order of business would be sculpin, and then we would move on to the bass. Like a few others on board, I rigged up with two plastics – one was a big scampi with a four ounce leadhead, and just above it was a leadhead and a glow-in-the-dark B2 squid on a small dropper loop. Once we were at the spot, it was the usual instantaneous type fishing. We had to reset one time, but we were well on our way to limits. I didn’t get a double this time, but it was mixed for me. Most of the time the B2 squid tipped with real squid produced, but sometimes they were eager to bite that big scampi, and quite a few of these were jumbos. In a fairly short order, we were at our quota, so we moved on to the bass!

I brought three rods with different pound line – 20, 25, and 30 pound. I normally fish 25 and 30 pound, but I brought the 20 pound just in case the fish were acting finicky. Anyways, the first spot we fished was brutal. There were a lot of casualties here, but it got the blood pumping as there were plenty of bass bites. My friend Bill was fishing 20 pound test and got ruined, so he went up to 30 pound and couldn’t buy a bite. We also got some calicos that were a nice added bonus. After a while, this spot petered out, and we moved on.

At the next spot, a smaller triggerfish was landed as well as some more calicos. In addition, we were catching some nice sized sculpin that we had to toss back due to being at our quota. It was at this spot that Bill got rocked by a bass on 20 pound, but waited it out, and lo and behold it came out, and Bill reeled up a monster calico bass. Morgon netted it and we took a quick picture and put it in the bait tank for jackpot. After this, not much was doing so we moved on to try some deeper spots, but the deep spots weren’t doing much, so we headed in a little shallower.

By this point, I had three bass. At the next spot, I went down to 20 pound and landed two more bass, making that a half limit on the bass for me for the day. The bass definitely wanted to bite here, but only if you casted it out and brought it over a ledge, and it was an instant bite coming over that ledge. Also at this spot, our friend Chuck landed a big sheephead that we estimated to be about 10 to 12 pounds, but it was thrown back due to being out of season. After throwing on a few more bass for the boat, it was time to head home, and jackpot was no contest to Bill’s big calico bass, which weighed in at 7 pounds even.

The bass fishing could only be described in one way: if you were very fast on the draw, you would pull the bait out of their mouth, and if you would let them eat it, they would ruin you. It was a little frustrating but fun nonetheless. The fish wanted the straight leadhead and squid rather than the mogambos that we normally use, but I did get a couple on the mogambo early in the day. I think we ended up with about 40 on the mixed bass, limits of sculpin, one triggerfish, and that big sheephead (released). It was a nice day, and I hope it gets even better. Great times, great fishing!

Released
http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo358/Jackpot-Jimmy/001-66.jpg

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo358/Jackpot-Jimmy/002-60.jpg

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo358/Jackpot-Jimmy/003-64.jpg

Released
http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo358/Jackpot-Jimmy/004-53.jpg

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo358/Jackpot-Jimmy/005-70.jpg

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo358/Jackpot-Jimmy/006-54.jpg

JapanRon
01-30-2011, 09:01 AM
Hi Jackpot_Jimmy,

kudos to the usual gang on a great count...... special honors to your friend Bill for the CPRJP and maybe a species PB !! Would be for many an angler.

Glad to see those Triggers are still around to bite !

Appreciate the report and pics. Read it twice.

JapanRon

Tunaslam
01-30-2011, 11:07 AM
Some great winter fishing Jimmy and gang, way to go guys!

Jackpot Jimmy
01-30-2011, 11:10 AM
Hi Jackpot_Jimmy,

kudos to the usual gang on a great count...... special honors to your friend Bill for the CPRJP and maybe a species PB !! Would be for many an angler.

Glad to see those Triggers are still around to bite !

Appreciate the report and pics. Read it twice.

JapanRon

Thanks Ron! Not his PB calico, he caught an 8-1/2 pounder at the West End a year and a half ago. I think it's his PB calico for fishing structure though.


Some great winter fishing Jimmy and gang, way to go guys!

Thanks Cory!

troutdog
01-30-2011, 11:32 AM
GREAT report Jimmy, that is a beautiful calico...thanks for posting up!


TD

DockRat
01-30-2011, 06:17 PM
Thats a Toad Checker :Thumbs Up:
DR

FishinElectrician
01-31-2011, 08:14 AM
Nice! Good job and great report!

Im normally an MDR man, but Id like to check the Tradition out...

CRESTLINER16
01-31-2011, 04:37 PM
Another very nice report Jimmy! i really enjoy your posts and pics. Keep it up!

thanks!
Byron

murrieta angler
01-31-2011, 05:15 PM
Hi Jimmy,
Nice looking fish in your pics.
Half of 10 is better than a 3rd...:Smile:
Take care,
Robert
<><

ddoskocil
02-02-2011, 12:42 PM
Very nice report, super tips on that structure, thanks! How has the water been? For smaller boats?

ddoskocil
02-02-2011, 01:36 PM
I just realized this was from a charter boat, forget the small boat comment. (I tried to edit it but it wouldn't save.) But question...how does this spring and summer look? Better than last year, I hope.

Jackpot Jimmy
02-02-2011, 06:30 PM
I just realized this was from a charter boat, forget the small boat comment. (I tried to edit it but it wouldn't save.) But question...how does this spring and summer look? Better than last year, I hope.

I'm just hoping for a normal year. A normal year will definitely be better than last year, but I won't be greedy and hope for a better than normal year, not to jinx anything.