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Thread: Being open minded on DVL

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Winchester,CA
    Posts
    868

    Default Being open minded on DVL

    Made it a big focus this year to get back to fun. I'm not fishing for "Big Fish" per say but am working on identifying Big Fish migration. I don't care if I have a spinning rod in my hand all day and most certainly don't care if I'm not hanging with the cool crowd. Not that I ever do. Needless to say, in doing so, I've been putting a great deal of thought into fish movement based on seasonal, daily and hourly patterns. While fishing the swim bait without a doubt does and will teach you a lot about quality per spot, it can often cloud your judgement as you'll fall victim to being okay with not getting a bite all day. The ultimate goal is to keep your rod bent and in the process catch big fish! So late last year I asked a question to myself and this is what it was.

    "Do 3000 unproductive casts with a swim bait equal 3000 perfect casts with the right bait?"

    In general, with the swim bait, I do my best to target the best possible piece of cover and structure in the fewest amount of casts various times of the day under different conditions I'm given. Sounds like a lot but it's very simple. I pick productive water and rotate ALL DAY, EVERY DAY. While a Swimbait can be fished at all parts of the water column and at various speeds you still have to count on a fish to commit when they are ready to tackle a big meal. Often times we're faced with horrible conditions where we continue to throw the "Big Bait" for hours only to chalk an unproductive day as "Just how it goes...." when it doesn't have to be that way.

    Why not go straight to the fish. If you know the fish are there; Scale down.

    The last few months I've been focused on Structure. I've been diving back into the "Old School". Methodical, perfect casts and perfect presentation.

    In doing so I've come up with a better average of fish. While still not giants, the fish are averaging 3-6 pounds and are coming FREQUENT. All I had to do was scale down a smidge and fish a big bait but not a swimbait. I'm throwing baits in the 8-13" range. The key is understanding bottom content. Just because it looks right doesn't mean it is right. Hell, even if you find the spot or be like many anglers that spot me across the lake and then come cruising over the spot when I leave, it's all about the angles and how you manipulate the bait. Be patient and understand what the fish are wanting.

    For the guys that are "on the fence" about fishing DVL right now, get out there. The bite is ON and if you're open minded to any and ALL techniques whether they be the drop shot or the swimbait absolutely do not settle for a bad day. The lake is as healthy as it's ever been in recent years and the amount of 3 pound fish is mind boggling. Lots and lots of beautiful bass.

    The key lately has been focusing on 30-40' of water. There's a big push of pre pre spawn bass working their way up. Ignore the fish on beds. Fish the deep ones and above everything else, keep care in fish handling. Many of the deeper fish are transitioning from deeper depths to shallower 25-30' spots all day long in different waves. Much of these fish need to be needled. If anybody has any questions I'll be more than happy to answer.

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  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Palm Springs, CA
    Posts
    95

    Default

    Great post Matt!

  3. #3

    Default

    Great read Matt. good info

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Beaumont, CA
    Posts
    503

    Default

    Matt,

    Thank you for a post on fishing. It seemed to me that this site in the last few months was void of fishing reports and just full of comments from the Haters! It is refreshing to read a legitimate fishing report. It is appreciated!

  5. #5

    Default

    89 boats when I was there yesterday. I hadn't been out in a few months and I can agree with you on that average size.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Where the fish are
    Posts
    3,493

    Default

    Good stuff! I can agree with you enough on fishing your favorite bait and working it adamantly for that one bite. But, in someways to be a productive angler is to just catch fish regardless of the conditions and which lures you have to throw in order to entice those bass.

  7. #7

    Default

    Nice Report Matt, and thanks for tips on Saturday. We caught few bass and the lake should be blowing up in a few weeks. Thanks for the report.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Menifee
    Posts
    456

    Default

    Nice Matt. Thanks. We'll be getting out there soon...

  9. #9
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Baldwin Park, Ca
    Posts
    133

    Default

    Very nicely said Matt. I lve visted the lake a few times in the past 10 days. It has been a while since my last visit. I was able to figure it out on my third visit. I just stuck to the old patterns fishing shallow in the morning and a bit deeper uphill in the afternoon. I was pleasntly greeted on Saturday with a beatifull day full of a nice 3-5lb grade of fish that were just as willing as I was to seek them out. Man oh man that lake is healthy.

    I always look forward to your views and reports. I'll stop in day bellow next time I'm in town.

    Thanks; Big Ed

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