Mark Lassagne

Float-N-Fly Article

May 1, 2020 by Mark Lassagne

Appearing in the Summer edition of American Bass Anglers Magazine

SMALL BUT DEADLY SPRING TACTIC

By Mark Lassagne

That old adage “bigger baits catch bigger fish” is true—in most cases—but not with this one.

We’re talking about the float-’n’-fly—a small 1/16- to 1/8-ounce hair jig suspended beneath a small bobber using 4- to 6-pound line fished on a super-light spinning rod.

Before you say, “I’d never!” read on and see how this technique has accounted for some hefty tournament wins during the winter and early springtime, often outperforming other baits to catch above-average bass.

The technique—though it’s been around for a long time now—made headlines several years ago on the West Coast. Using the float-‘n’-fly technique, Ryan Friend first won an FLW tournament before backing it up with yet another victory during a televised WWBT event, netting close to $100,000.

Personally, I’ve caught a ton of fish over 3 pounds on waters where a 2-pounder is considered good. My largest fish on the fly is a 5-pound spotted bass, and last week I stuck a 4-pounder.

First of all, this is a really fun technique. Watching the bobber get sucked under the surface will, for most of us, trigger childhood memories of when we first learned to fish, really spiking one’s adrenalin. Then, setting the hook with light line and fighting a 3- to 4-pound bass, for what seems like an eternity, is downright exciting.

Not for you? Okay, but don’t be surprised when you get your butt kicked by your buddy who’s using this unassuming bait.

The hardest part of the technique is finding the right place to fish it. Lakes with steep bluff walls are perfect. I look for places with 15 feet or more of depth near the bank, with big rocks, waterfalls, and channel swings with cut banks all being prime ingredients. Be creative as this bait shines when the fish are in the 10- to 20-foot zone.

Though largemouth and smallmouth will bite the fly, it’s best suited for lakes with deep water and spotted bass.

THIS TECHNIQUE SHINES WITH GARMIN LIVESCOPE.

The other day I was fishing a 3/4-ounce jig in 55 feet of water on a long, flat point. I then noticed a few fish swimming in 20 feet of water about 25 feet ahead of the boat. If you have Garmin LiveScope, this is most likely not the first time this has happened so you should be prepared. I tossed out a Float-’N’-Fly, landing a nice 2 1/2-pound spotted bass before catching a few more out in open water.

LiveScope is simply amazing. Who in their right mind would toss a small fly over 55 feet of water 500 yards from shore?

THE SETUP

The rig for tossing a float-’n’-fly is a light-action spinning rod, spinning reel with a smooth drag, 10- to 15-pound braided line, 4- to 6-pound fluorocarbon, a balsa slip float bobber, and a fly.

Personally, I use a 7-foot, 4-inch medium-light Okuma Serrano paired with an Okuma Helios HSX30 spinning reel, Fins 15-pound white braided line tied to a 6-pound Seaguar Invisix fluorocarbon leader, Thill Balsa Oval Slip Float (make sure the hole for the line is small), and a SPRO Phat Fly.

I don’t use a bobber stopper because they tend to tangle the line and can get caught in the guides. Instead, I tie a Uni-to-Uni knot so that the knot is larger than the hole in the bobber, which stops the line at the end of the leader. This is more difficult to re-rig but fishing it is much easier. I’ll generally start with a 15-foot leader so that if I do snag the fly, I have a little room to re-tie. Once it becomes shorter that 12 feet, I’ll replace the leader.

FISHING IT

Similar to fishing a jerkbait, the hardest part is knowing how long to let the fly sit. I cast the fly close to the bank, letting it sink until the bobber stands upright. Finding that right depth can be tricky because you want to be as close as possible to the bottom without actually touching. Most often I’ll cast it a little shallower than my leader is long. If I notice my bobber isn’t standing upright, I’ll give it a little tug to bring the fly deeper until the bobber does stand up. At that point the waiting game begins. I’ve had days when the fish bite as soon as it gets close to the bottom and others when I had to let it sit for 30 or more seconds. Be sure to keep an eye on the float once it goes under set fast as they won’t hang on long.

BAIT COLORS AND SIZES

I mostly use the SPRO Phat Fly because it works great right out of the package. They make two sizes in 1/16-ounce and 1/8-ounce. I generally use the heavier of the two as it seems to fall at a better rate than the lighter fly. I’ve had the best luck with the Bluegill color, but at times the Blue Shad, Baby Bass or Grey Ghost outperform—in other words, experiment to see what’s best for that day.

The float-’n’-fly is a fun technique that might just land you in the winner’s circle. I hope you’ll give it a try.

Mark Lassagne, from Dixon, California, served our great nation as a U.S. Marine. He is a successful tournament angler competing on the West Coast. In addition, Mark is the editor-in-chief of Bass Angler Magazine. In 2016 he was the California Bassmaster Federation State Champion. He has qualified for the Bassmaster Top-150, West Coast Bass Classic, and FLW Costa Championship. As a tournament angler, Mark has cashed a check on nearly every lake across the West Coast.

Summer Transitions at Lake Berryessa

November 19, 2018 by Mark Lassagne

SUMMER TRANSITIONS

Day 1: 50 fish, including 20 3-plus pound smallies, spots and largemouths. Our best five went about 19 pounds with the biggest at 5 1/2 pounds.

Day 2: 65 fish, including one 5-pounder, four 4s, 10 3s, and a bunch of decent bass. Most fish were largemouths, but we also had one good smallie and one good spot. Our best five went a little over 20 pounds.

Day 3: 61 fish with a few 3s, some 2s, and a 6-pounder. Our best five were about 17 pounds.

On the first day there was a good shad spawn going on in the main lake. We targeted fish busting shad for the first couple of hours, though once the sun came up the surface activity subsided. We continued to target the same areas, but instead dropped to a depth of 10 to 20 feet using a Revenge Deep Runner spinnerbait in a shad color with silver and gold willow blades. We’d cast the spinnerbait and let it fall to the bottom, then reel it back slowly until a fish to loaded up on it. The spinnerbait bite lasted an hour or so before tapering off. After that we pitched dropshots and worm-dressed shaky heads to the bank, working them down to about 20 or 25 feet. The worm bite lasted most of day but slowed down in the end.

On day two we focused our efforts in the main lake. There was a slight breeze blowing and we couldn’t find a shad spawn, but, it being summer, I pretty much throw topwater every morning looking for a big bite anyway. We only connected with two fish this day, but one was a 4 1/2-pounder.

After the sun got up we tossed spinnerbaits and jerkbaits. We got a few on the spinnerbait and none on the jerkbait of any quality. After seeing only small fish on subsurface reaction baits, we went to the same drop shot and shaky head as the day before. And suddenly, the action heated up. By mid-morning we were fishing deep main lake points, catching both a largemouth and spot over 3 pounds each. After hitting a dozen main lake points we moved north looking for a slightly deeper water (10-20 feet) on the flats and the fish were stacked there. We landed about 40 fish between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., including a couple of 4s, a 5, and quite a few over 3. Most were largemouth but a few nice smallies were mixed in.

We launched near the dam on day three and ran to some steeper banks dotted with rocks and brush. We quickly got a 3-pound largemouth on a white Yamamoto D Shad in followed by a 3-pound spot on a DUO Pencil. After that it got a little tough. We jumped around from point to point and cove to cove through the narrows and only landed 18 more bass. Eighteen fish isn’t bad, but they were small and much harder to catch than the bass in the main lake.

We fired up the Mercury and headed to the main lake, avoiding areas we had previously fished. I like to keep things fresh unless in a tournament, and in that case I’ll pound it.

Using the drop shot and shaky head, we hit main lake points and coves from 5 to 20 feet and landed 43 additional fish by 3 p.m., including a 6-pounder.

MID-SUMMER

As summer progresses the bite will slow; a decent day will yield 10 to 20 bass rather than 40 to 60. You’ll have to move around and hit more of the high percentage spots until you find some active fish.

For example, we fished laydowns in the main lake during the mid-summer. I could see fish on my Garmin

7612, but they weren’t biting. So, I lowered the Aqua-Vu and there were about 20 bass just outside the laydown. With this knowledge, we then slowed down and scaled down our baits, fishing them where we knew the fish to be holding. Still no luck.

We then ran to the next tree. There were fish there as well but no takers. Now that we knew where the fish were, we ran similar areas. Switching up to a 1/6-ounce ball head jig with a 2.8 shad-colored Keitech, I let the swimbait fall slowly to the bottom. Once on the bottom, I would life and drop. Wham! A 3 1/2-pound spotted bass inhales the small swimbait, followed by a 2-pounder. Believing the fish to be suspended and wanting a small slow-moving bait, we continued on with the Keitech, but included a 5-inch wacky Senko to our presentations. We hit another tree, and bingo, we got one close to 5, a 3-pounder, and another small keeper.

We were now starting to figure things out, but unlike in the early summer, the fish are finicky and only biting in certain areas. With this knowledge we can hit these high percentage places, making a few casts before moving on, covering more water and catching more fish.

Once we edged towards the afternoon the fishing changed yet again and we were no longer catching them outside the tress. On the prowl once more, we headed toward the western shoreline and started working points with a spider grub and a wacky Senko. This worked well for the smallmouth and we landed about 10 fish during the mid afternoon, many of them in the 3- to 4-pound class.

Fishing changes constantly. Paying attention to the seasonal patterns and keeping an open mind will help you to become a better angler.

Mark Lassagne is the creator of Bass Angler Magazine, a professional tournament angler, and guide on Berryessa and the Cal Delta. More about Mark can be found here: www.marklassagne.com.

Catching Spotted Bass This Summer at Lake Oroville

July 3, 2018 by Mark Lassagne

By Mark Lassagne

Lake Oroville State Recration Area can be fun or frustrating, depending on your goals.

If you’re looking for a nice lake – clean water, camping, boating and fishing – that also has a ton of fish, then Oroville is a fun and enjoyable place to be.

However, if you’re looking for an easier shot at quality fish, then you might want to head to Clear Lake, Berryessa, or the Delta.

Lake Oroville sits at 900 feet of elevation and is approximately 25 miles long, end-to-end, with about 150 miles of shoreline. Located an hour north of Sacramento, Oroville is a relatively short drive from just about anywhere in the greater Bay Area.

There are four river arms, or forks as they’re called here: South Fork, Middle Fork, North Fork, and Lime Saddle. The South Fork and Lime Saddle are where many of the elusive largemouth tend to be found. The North Fork and Middle Fork generally have cooler inflowing water, and on warm days you may find a refreshing breeze in the North Fork.

Spotted bass is the predominant species in Oroville, but the lake also holds trout, sturgeon, salmon, and catfish, along with crappie and bluegill. The forage base consists of pond smelt, threadfin shad, crawfish, and whatever else might be unfortunate enough to slip into the water that the bass can get a hold of. There are a few smallmouth and largemouth, but don’t expect to catch many of them.

As summer begins, the spotted bass have just finished spawning and are working to fatten up. More often than not they are fairly easy to catch. However, the average fish is a skinny 10- to 12-inches long. There are a number of quality bass at Oroville, and at times they may reveal themselves, but I believe the lake conditions compel many of the bigger fish to suspend offshore, making them difficult to locate and catch.

This time of year, the fish seem to scatter and can be caught on a variety of cover. The river arms are usually a good place to start; this past week we averaged 40 fish a day from the North and Middle Forks. The South Fork and Lime Saddle had fewer fish of similar quality.

THE COVER

Points leading into creeks and coves are generally a good bet almost any time of year. Lately the pockets have been holding more bass, however. Choose any of the river arms and begin a mile or two toward the back. Start by targeting pockets or coves that show noticeable signs of recent water having washed into the lake from above. During the early morning hours focus on pockets on the eastern bank providing the most shade. Most of the river arms have plenty of small pockets in which one can travel down the bank, hitting the points in between, and then the sides leading into and out of the pockets. Once the sun gets high don’t be afraid to fish in direct sunlight and up shallow.

After fishing down a bank for a bit you should have an idea where the fish are located. Spots usually bite pretty quickly, so if you’re not getting bit, move. Move down the bank, to the other side, or to a deeper pocket or small creek channel.

HOW DEEP

This time of year, the fish are in mere inches down to thirty feet. Spotted bass move frequently, so don’t get fixated on one depth; they can move at any time.

WHAT TO THROW

If you want a lot of action, dropshot a small 2- to 4-inch worm in a shad or green pumpkin color. This combo will yield a lot of small fish and an occasional good one – but be prepared to go through a lot of worms. Moving up the food chain to target better fish, a weighted wacky 5-inch Yamamoto Senko in green pumpkin, cinnamon, or clear is a good choice. A shakey head with a 6-inch worm, rigged weedless to come through debris, works well for tossing right in the middle of the cuts. A football jig with a Yamamoto Spider Grub is another good choice for keeping the little ones away – this is also a good choice to see if the fish have moved deeper. Small Keitech swimbaits and Yamamoto twin tail grubs rigged on a darter or ball head jig produce fish here.

TOPWATER

There’s generally a good topwater bite in the mornings. A River2Sea Bubble Pop, Zara Spook, small Whopper Plopper will all work. If you’re targeting big bass the spook or larger Whopper Plopper are viable options.

REACTION BAITS

Reaction baits work well on Oroville early and late in the day, if there’s a mud line, cloud cover or wind. And … sometimes for no reason these spotted bass go shallow and bite. Spinnerbaits like a 1/2-ounce Revenge Deep Runner in shad with gold and silver willow blades work on almost any day. Additionally, a white Revenge Deep Runner spinnerbait with white blades works well on cloudy or windy days.

Crankbaits also produce good numbers of fish. I like the DUO Realis M11A in a crawfish or shad pattern. It dives to about seven feet and easily deflects off of bottom cover.

Ripbaits and jerkbaits play here, too. The DUO Realis 110SP in ghost minnow or Threadfin Shad are productive choices for me.

WORKING THE BAITS

Considering that the spots may be anywhere from shallow to deep, I’ll start right on the bank and work out deep. In the early hours I’m generally focusing on only the top ten feet before going deeper as the sun gets up. Also, when targeting the bank, I’m generally working at a 45-degree angle until I find the right depth, then adjust as I go.

Dropshotting: Toss your bait to the bank and work it out, giving a little shake as it slides out deeper. Remember to manipulate your line to keep the bait on the bottom as you work it into deeper water.

Wacky Senko: Cast to the bank then lift and drop your rod, leaving a bow in your line. Pay close attention to the line as the bait shimmies to the bottom. Once it hits bottom, lift and drop again, working the bait out to 10, 20, and even 30 feet.

Football head: Cast the jig to the bank, hop it up a few feet and let it fall to the bottom. Repeat. If you’re one who prefers a faster pace, this is a fun technique as the fish are biting the jig on the fall. Another way to work the football jig is to drag it. Try hopping it down to 5 or 10 feet or so, then drag it – this will let you know if the fish want it on the bottom or not.

Shakey Head: You’ll toss this to the bank then drag it, shake it, moving it out deep. Try twitching the bait without moving it too far just by shaking the slack in the line. The shakey head, since it’s rigged weedless, is a good option when fished around underwater trees or debris.

Yamamoto grub or Keitech: I like these baits on a small 1/16- to 1/18-ounce ball head jig, which I’ll cast shallow and then swim back with a steady retrieve through the middle water column of 5- to 20-feet.

Topwater: With walking type baits like a Zara Spook, cast it close to the bank, let it sit for a few seconds, then twitch the slack in the line to sashay the bait back and forth, varying the starts and stops.

Retrieving the Plopper is straightforward: Cast to the bank and retrieve at a steady pace, keeping the bait on the surface and the tail rudder chugging.

A Popper I’ll cast close to the bank, giving it a short twitch, causing the lure to produce its signature pop and spurt of water. Then I’ll let it sit for a brief moment and repeat, varying the time I pause and pop the bait.

Spinnerbaits: Similar to other baits, I’ll cast it to the bank at a 45-degree angle, bringing it back with a slow and steady retrieve. When getting bit during the retrieve you may feel a strike, but don’t set until you feel the weight of the fish. Spots tend to slap at the bait several times before getting hooked.

Crankbaits: I like casting cranks up shallow, keeping the boat fairly close to the bank. This way the bait can hit bottom or strike other shallow cover with a medium slow retrieve, all while staying in the strike zone longer.

SPECIFICS

Dropshot: Use a 3/16-ounce cylinder-style weight, and a 12- to 20-inch drop leader with a #1 or #2 Gamakatsu dropshot hook.

Senko: I like a 1/0 Gamakatsu dropshot hook for 5-inch Senkos with a 1/16- to 1/8- ounce nail weight pushed flush into the flat end of the Senko.

Shakey head: A 3/16- to 1/4-ounce Frenzy Baits Nail jighead with a 6-inch Robo worm rigged weedless.

I hope this article helps you put a few more fish in the boat and have good time getting there.

About Mark

Mark Lassagne, a professional tournament angler and guide, is the creator of the popular quarterly publication BASS ANGLER Magazine. To book a trip Click here

March and April at Berryessa

April 8, 2018 by Mark Lassagne

March and April found great fishing at Lake Berryessa

The warm weather after the last storms brought the fish up shallow to spawn giving us many choices. Early March found the fish on points leading into coves then once the water warmed into the high 50’s the bass moved into the coves along the sunny walls. The north facing walls with full sun were the best. It didn’t matter if you fished the main lake or the narrows the fish moved up and were biting.

In early March we were getting 20to 30 fish a day and now in April it’s 30 to 70 a day and should be good for another month or so.

The best baits were 5″ Senko in Baby Bass and Dropshotting a 4″ Fat Robo Worm in Aaron’s Magic or MM3 fished in 3 to 20ft. When you run a cross a bed fish the Yamamoto Shad Shape worm was the trick in Baby Bass color.

We rigged the senko wacky with 1/16 nail weight and a O-Ring and a Gamakatsu Aaron’s DropShot Hook 1/0 size and the same hook on the dropshot only in #1 size. Using an open hook snags a lot more but we got more bites and landed more fish. If you’re fishing the trees you’ll have to switch up to a Texas Rig drop shot with a Gamakatsu extra wide gap hook #1 or 1/0

If you want to fish a little faster there been a good reaction bite on jerkbaits, spinnerbait and S-Wavers.

The jerkbait I like is the DUO 120SP in Threadfin Shad color – toss it out 5 to 10 ft form the bank jerk it down twice and let ti sit for 10 seconds then repeat. The fish are in 5 to 20 ft and will come up for it if you let it sit for a bit.

Spinnerbait by far the best one there is the Revenge Deep Runner in 1/2oz Shad with gold and silver willow blades. Like the jerkbait toss it 5ft from the bank but don’t stop it just a slow steady retrieve has been working letting the bait go down to 10ft or so then when you feel a bite don’t jerk because you will miss the fish, let it load up (feel the weight of the fish) then jerk.

There’s also a decent jointed swimbait bite where I was using the River2Sea S-Waver 120 in light trout. This bait toss it up close to the bank and reel it back slow with a twitch or two mid way back to the boat. Keep an eye out because you’ll have a lot of big followers. Sometimes you can get them to bite with speeding it up and stopping it.

Feel free to contact me if you’d like book a Delta or Berryessa trip.

Weather or Not

February 20, 2018 by Mark Lassagne

Radar, Clouds, and Lightning on the Garmin

By Mark Lassagne with Ish Monroe

Undoubtedly the most important consideration when going fishing is the weather. Weather not only affects how the fish bite, it also lets us know what to wear and how to prepare for the day. Imagine not knowing what it’s like on a given day, showing up in shorts and a tee to find it 45 degrees and blowing 30 mph – you’d probably have to head back home.

Most anglers now have smart phones and the internet – so they have a general idea of what the weather is going to be – but what about on the water when conditions can sometimes change in a hurry? I can remember several times where the conditions went from slick calm to being nasty very quickly.

INFORMATION IS KING

When you’re fishing for a living information is key. You need good information from every source possible or there’s no paycheck at the end of the day.

You might ask how important is the weather? Let me tell you – I use it all the time, every time I go fishing.

A few years back I won an Elite event on Okeechobee by staying out of the rain

. Using my Sirius weather on my Lowrance, I could watch the areas where it was raining and anticipate where the rain was heading.

If you fish for smallmouth much you’d know they bite better when it’s sunny, so during our last Elite on Champlain event I used Sirius to stay in the sun – and I ended up cashing a $10,000 check.

Fall: this is the time of year the fish bite better during a storm. Say you’re sitting at the ramp. You can use your weather to get an idea of how and where the fish will be biting. If there’s a storm coming in you can see the intensity, location and direction – then head that way for a possible reaction bites and use finesse fishing where it’s flat and calm.

It’s well known by pro anglers that “the wind is your friend.” A good steady breeze can break up the surface clarity of the water, which stirs up the plankton and microorganisms that make baitfish go on the feed. These factors affect gamefish which make them easier to catch. Knowing where to find the right conditions can help an angler catch more fish and being able to see where the wind is having the right kind of impact on a shoreline can help them be there when the fish are the most aggressive.

HOOKING IT UP

While my Lowrance units help me see the bottom clearly; help me locate schools of baitfish and ultimately help me find fish on any body of water, there are more features that help me stay ahead of the game.

Going back a few years, Lowrance introduced their SiriusXM Marine Weather receiver that connects right to an accessory port in the back of my unit, or combined with the SonicHub for Sirius XM Radio. Of course, if you know

me, I want to enjoy my music on the water whenever possible, so I installed mine with the SonicHub. This combination lets me listen to beats while I’m fishing, and see weather coming that can help me make the necessary decisions.

CURRENT CONDITIONS AND FORECASTS

Knowing the current conditions are not only key in putting together a good fishing plan, it also plays a big role in being safe on the water.

Here are some of the things your Sirius XM weather will show:

GREY – Shows cloudy areas

GREEN – Shows where it is currently raining (Light Green is light rain / Dark Green is heavier rain)

YELLOW- Rain mixed with possible thunder and lightning

ORANGE – Conditions are worsening

RED – Shows things are bad and time to move – Rain is most likely so heavy you won’t be able to see more than few feet and can also be mixed with wind.

LIGHTNING BOLT SYMBOL –shows where lightning is occurring. (You can also set up a guard zone to stay away from the lightning)

WIND SYMBOLS – Shows you the wind speed and direction for the entire lake or region.

STORM SYMBOLS – Shows you each storm cell within a larger storm – where each smaller storm is heading and the speed it is traveling.

Another great option is the forecasting selection where you can look up to 36 hours ahead to determine where you’re going to fish and what you might expect in certain areas.

In the ocean and Great Lakes region you also have the ability to see wave height and water temperature.

OPERATION

The SiriusXM Marine Weather receiver displays an overlay with up-to-date weather information via satellite on my chartplotter that is highly visible at the helm. The signal is not dependent on a cell signal which is often patchy on the lakes, inshore, and coastal areas. When I’m looking at my Insight Genesis maps, I can see what the wind will be doing. It tells me the direction the wind is coming from and how strong it is. It also provides me with NOAA Marine Zone weather forecast and gives me the most recent buoy reports. Combined with the NOAA weather reports, I can watch the progress of high-resolution NEXRAD radar tracks storms across my screen.

Having the SiriusXM Marine Weather receiver and its capabilities has helped me make better decisions on the water. It has helped me put more fish in my boat no matter what part of the country I am fishing, or whatever species I am after. It has also helped make sure I have the information I need to get home safely, while I listen to my favorite channel. It’s like having a weatherman in the boat with me every time I go fishing.

Mark Lassagne of San Ramon, California is professional angler competing in the events across the West Coast. Follow Mark at www.facebook.com/marklassagnefishing or www.ezbass.com.

KEEP YOUR HAT ON

December 16, 2017 by Mark Lassagne

Mark wearing the Eyzgear retainers while fishing

GEAR TEST – Eyzgear glasses / hat retainer – never lose a pair of glasses again.

This product was intended to hold you glasses from falling off the top of you hat which it works perfect for but I also found that wearing the Eyzgear retractable retainers when your hat flies off it will stay right behind you hear and not in the water.

The retainers clip to your hat with a small but sturdy clip and then a loop that connects to your glasses.

Comfort – With the retainers installed you won’t even know they are there.

Style – The black finished model is stylish but really is barley visible when on.

Durability – After a month of use there has been no issues even testing them at 50 – 60 MPH letting my hat fly off.

Installation – As expected it takes a little work getting them on to your hat and finding the right position but once installed they stay on.

Cost – at $14.95 they may seem expensive but most hats are over $20 and a pair polarized glasses run from $50 to $200 where the $15 is like cheap insurance.

I found the Eyzgear to be a simple yet innovative product saving you from losing your glasses and hat.

You can purchase Eyzgear here

Catching Bass After a Front

December 6, 2017 by Mark Lassagne

Post Front Bass

By Mark Lassagne

An 8lb bass caught on a clam flat post front day. This fish came on a 4″ dropshot fishing a main lake point leading into a cove and a ledge that went from 10 to 30ft

You’re now on your fifth spot and haven’t gotten a bite!

Saturday morning, mid-November and it’s a beautiful day. Cold but bright blue skies with puffy cumulus clouds and barely a breeze.

I’ve tried spinnerbaits, crankbaits, jigs, jerkbaits, even a drop shot and Senkos , and I can’t get bit. Last weekend I caught 20 fish!

WHAT’S GOING ON?

Post front bass is what’s going on. The weather’s nice now, but last week it was storming.

Unless you’re a bass you won’t ever know exactly why it is—whether it’s high pressure, pre-frontal gorging, sunlight or some other reason—but fall bass fishing gets tough after a front rolls through.

THE GENERAL SCENARIO

Before and during the front largemouth and spotted bass generally move shallow and feed. Shallow is a relative term and depends on the lake you’re fishing. If the fish were in 50 feet they may now be in 20 feet, or if they were in 20 feet they might now be on the bank.

The day after the front, even with high pressure and blue bird skies, the bite is usually fair. Not quite as good as pre-frontal conditions, but you can usually get a good number of fish.

The second day after the front is usually the toughest day. It’s as if someone flipped a switch and shut off the bite. If you do get a bite it’s usually an unnoticeable tap and they’ve spit out the bait before you can set the hook.

Things start to return to normal on the third day after a front.

FISHING THE WEEKEND

Mid day 3.5lb smallie on a main lake point leading into a cove. Caught on a 5″ 1/18oz nail weighted wacky rigged Senko in 30ft of water working it very slow. Notice the high sky’s and no wind.

For many of us, we don’t get to choose the days we can get out to fish. It seems that the only time we can get out fishing is on the weekend during post-frontal conditions, and many times it’s the second day when fishing is the toughest. So, let’s see what we can do to improve our odds.

WHERE ARE THE FISH?

Think about it… when you’re driving down the street where does traffic stop or become congested? Almost every time it’s in an intersection, and the same holds true in lakes. It’s like this: fish commute just like us, going from one place to the next. Only their home is mobile, meaning they’re like snowbirds living where it best suits them for the season. In the winter time Arizona and Florida are more congested than Minnesota, similar to how main lake points are better than shallow flats.

So now you know we’re looking for major intersections like main lake points. But there’s a ton of them, so where to start?

I’m looking for two types of points: major points and points leading into a cover or creek. Major points are those big long points that extend out into the lake; the points going into a creek or a cove are pretty obvious.

These two types of points are what I call high percentage places. Yes, these are not the only places that have fish. Road beds, ledges, offshore humps can all have fish, but these points are a good bet 75% of the time.

HOW DEEP DO I FISH?

The fish are there many time it take a super slow presentation to catch um.

Hopefully you have good electronics. I use Garmin 7600 units with CHIRP sonar, ClearVu, and side scan so I can see the depth with the most activity. Scan the point shallow-to-deep in order to locate the fish, then you’ll have a starting point. Check each point thoroughly as fish can be at different depths on different points. Don’t be afraid to look deep, too. I’ll look out in 40, 50, sometimes 60 feet to see if that’s the deal for the day.

Often times, once I locate some activity, I’ll lower my AquaVu to be sure the fish I’m seeing are bass. I’ll also confirm what type of cover there is, and how far off the bottom they might be.

HOW DO I CATCH THEM?

Well, after tossing the kitchen sink at the fish with no luck, we’ll need to change up. It sure is nice to toss a spinnerbait down the bank or hop a jig off a bluff wall, but not today—this is post front fishing.

This story was spurred by a post front Saturday bass club tournament during which I caught 17lbs. No one else caught more than a couple bass.

Slow down and stay in the high percentage places—it’s just that simple.

Once you find a good point and the depth that seems to hold fish, work it slow. Start shallow, ten feet or so shallower than where you’re marking fish. Drag your bait down through them to about ten feet deeper than where the fish were marked. Start on the tip of the point with the boat out deep and make a couple casts to the point. Go off to the side of the point and make a few casts, then work the other side before going shallow and dragging your bait uphill. Try this on a few points until you get bit and then work to duplicate it. Keep the bait in contact with the bottom. Use the lightest weight possible as this will help you fish slower.

WHAT BAITS SHOULD I USE?

What I prefer in this situation is a bait that I can fish slow and on the bottom. I like a four inch or smaller worm on a drop shot, a wacky-rigged five inch Senko with a nail weight, a six inch worm on a shakey head, or a Carolina-rigged Brush Hog or Yamamoto Spider Grub.

Next time you’re out during post frontal conditions and the fishing is super tough, keep it simple. Slow down and stay in high percentage places.

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Mark Lassagne is a professional angler and bass guide. Follow Mark on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/marklassagnefishing/

Bass Location Through Validation

November 19, 2017 by Mark Lassagne

By Mark Lassagne

Winter bass generally travel to the main lake in late fall and stay there until the water warms and then make their way to the shallow to spawn. Though this is the general path not all fish follow these rules.

Since fish are a living breathing creature they can travel as they need to maintain their own way of life whether or not it fits into our idea of their normal travels.

On one cold winter day on a reservoir in Calif the water was in the mid 40’s and we were struggling to catch fish so several times we lowered my Aqua-Vu down attempting to locate the bass.

What we found after several drops was there were a large group of smallmouth in the back of a cove about 20ft deep. Many of these fish were so close to the bottom that it was difficult to tell even with the state of the art Garmin with Chirp Sonar and excellent target separation. Without an underwater camera, we never would have known.

After locating these fish, I worked the school with several baits but was unable to hook up. Next, we went to the closest point and bingo we got a 3lb smallie plus a few more, realizing they were living in the cove but feeding on the point.

At Lake Berryessa in Calif we would struggle to catch fish until the sun came out for several hours where we could catch plenty of fish in about 20ft of water on main lake points. In attempt to figure out what was going on we lowered the Aqua-Vu down to the 20ft range and found no bass but after we lowered it down to 50ft they started showing up.

Armed with this knowledge, we moved out to the 50ft range and started catching fish early following them shallow (20ft) to the afternoon. Another lesson learned that day if the sun didn’t come out those fish stayed deep.

Fishing Lake Camanche another Calif lake during the winter we found drifting across a large main lake flat we could pick up an occasional fish but not more than one. This is winter time and fish “generally” school up this time of year but we could only get one at a time.

Lowering the Aqua-Vu down and drifting across the flat we would see a single bass, aggressively moving around and even following the camera. These bass were loners up feeding on the flat and easy to catch – once we would see one on the camera we could lower down and catch that fish.

We learned a couple things that day, one is they used that flat to feed meaning we could cover water search for the active fish and two we saved a lot of time by moving instead of camping in a spot trying to activate a school of bass where there wasn’t one.

Over the last year there’s been many such occasions where an underwater camera has changed the day from bad to good.

A good depth finder will tell you a lot about what is going on underwater but a camera will validate exactly what is down there.

Tight Lines

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August 2017 Delta Bass Fishing Report

September 2, 2017 by Mark Lassagne

Jeremy with a nice buzz bait fish Aug 30th

Over the last couple months we averaged over 20 fish a day

Most days have started with a good topwater bite. Early August was all about the River2Sea Whopper Plopper 90 in Monkey Butt color but then moving into mid and later August the Gold or White and Chartreuse Revenge buzz bait was better especially when there was a lower tide early in the morning.

On the higher tides fishing the rip rap banks with current the weightless wacky Senko (green pumpkin) was the best lure.

There has also been and off and on wht/cht Revenge Viberator (chatterbait) and River2Sea Biggie Spring Craw crankbait bite fishing shallow on the higher tides and the outside weed line on the lower and outgoing tides. The Viberator usually gets the better-quality fish while the Biggie catches all sizes.

The punch bite is also off and on – some days we are catching 15 fish and others only one or two. The state has been actively spraying the vegetation killing off the better areas so usually when we locate a new area it’s only good for a week or so. I did fish a club tournament in mid-August where in practice I had 20 bites then in the tournament I caught 15 fish punching for 13lbs finishing 2^nd.

Honestly over the years I never used my electronics much but when you’re on the water every day and things shut down you need all your resources to stay on the fish.

As we moved into the later part of August the shallow Senko bite slowed down some so I started using my electronic a little more especially my Aqua-Vu underwater camera coupled to my Garmin 7612 and noticed quite a few bass out in 10 ft and deeper. After that we started using a weighted wacky rig with green pumpkin and morning dawn 6’ trick worms to target those deeper fish. This method has been pretty fun and accounted for 10 -15 fish a day over the last two weeks in August.

AREAS

We usually launch from three different marinas Bethel Island – Sugar Barge, Brentwood – Orwood Resort or Byron – River’s End marina. Generally, the tide and the wind dictate where we launch. If it’s windy we launch south at Rivers end if the wind lays down then Bethel Island and Orwood if it’s in-between.

Daniel enticed this one on a Revenge Buzz Bait

The south Delta can get tough on and outgoing tide if they are pumping water, meaning on an outgoing tide the water is being drawn from the pumps and also the ocean causing a lack of current. Summer bass bite much better in the current.

In the South Delta – Old River, Middle River, Victoria have all been pretty good. Around Franks has been fair with the better bites around Quimby Island and Connection Slough mostly on the higher tides.

The sloughs just off the main San Joaquin River have also been good, fishing the rocky banks on the higher tides and the weed edges on the lower tides.

ROD / REELS

Wacky Senko – 7’ medium Okuma Helios spinning rod with a 20 Helios reel – 8lb mono

Weedless wacky worm – 7’1″ Medium Okuma EVX spinning rod with a 20 Inspira reel – 8lb mono

Chatterbait – 7’.3’ Heavy TCS rod with a Helios 7:3.1 reel – 17lb mono

Crankbait – 7’ medium heavy TCS rod with a Helios 7:3.1 ree – 15lb mono

Buzzbait – 7’.3’ Heavy TCS rod with a Helios 7:3.1 ree – 45lb braid

Punching – 7’11” TCS Matt Daddy rod with a Helios 7:3.1 ree – 65lb Spiderwise stealth braid

BAITS

5″ Green Pumpkin / Watermelon Senko

6” MM3 Margarita Mutilator Robo Worm

6” Moring Dawn Zoom trick worm

1/8th oz Gamakatsu G-Finesse wacky worm

#2 Gamakatsu weedless wacky

Revenge Viberator

Revenge Buzzbait

River2sea Whopper Plopper 90

River2sea Biggie

Open Your Eyes to a New World

February 26, 2017 by Mark Lassagne 1 Comment

Open Your Eyes and See…

By Mark Lassagne

Have you ever bought something and then wondered how you ever got along without them?

A few years back I installed Power Poles thinking these are cool but now after using them I will never have a boat without them.

Underwater cameras have been around for a while now but it seems there’s a lot of bass anglers haven’t embraced them like the ice angler’s do and you might wonder do I need one or is it just a cool thing to have.

About 15 years ago I purchased my first Aqua-Vu a somewhat cumbersome piece of equipment, it had a battery, case, monitor, camera and long cord. Equipped with a hood because the sunlight would washout the screen – it was like looking down a tube to the underwater world. Unless you had two people in the boat it was difficult to look down the tube and maneuver the boat at the same time. None the less it opened my eyes to a new world.

FIRST REAL EXPERIENCE

I remember fishing Frazier Point at Clear Lake in Calif and after fishing the entire point for 30 minutes or so without a bite I lowered the camera and to my surprise I saw a school of five-pound plus bass swimming around without a care. After seeing this I backed off and tried again to catch them, this time with confidence they are there but still no luck, however, I learned a valuable lesson.

These fish were there, they are living there it just wasn’t time for them to feed. Armed with this knowledge I’ve returned to the spot many times over the years and caught a number of great fish. If I didn’t lower the camera down I wouldn’t have known for sure those fish where there or had the confidence to fish it.

THINGS HAVE CHANGED

Move to present day, now my Aqua-Vu (AV Multi-Vu) is connected direct to my Garmin (7612) (12” graph), no more tilting the screen to get the right angle or looking down a tube, just flip a switch, lower the camera and get a look at what’s below. See the video how to hook up your Aqua-Vu

With the camera hooked to my depth finder I can compare what I’m seeing on the graph and what I’m seeing on the camera in real time.

You’ll be amazed how different things look. For example, you might think you see a giant school of bait in 50ft of water just to find out its debris suspended in the thermocline or you’ll see fish only to find out they are carp and not bass. An underwater camera might sound like a fun toy but in reality it’s a valuable tool.

Here are some ways the camera has helped me over the last year.

LAKE MEAD

Lake Mead using my graph I could tell there was a good amount of grass located in 15 -20 ft. deep but it was hard to determine just what the grass looked like. Was it thick, sparse, it was difficult to tell how tall it was but after lowering the camera down I could tell the grass was between a one foot and two-foot-tall with areas where it was thick and others where it was sparse. Then once in 12 ft. or so there was no grass.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L4RHuoWtbI&w=720&h=360]

The bite was tough during this time and a finesse presentation was the best way to catch these bass’. So, with the knowledge of the grass height I adjusted my dropshot rig to about two ft. just above the grass height and fish in the 15 to 20ft range where the grass and the bass were which helped me land several fish that I would have passed up.

CALIF DELTA

Over the past year, I’ve been eyeing the underwater cover at the Delta learning new places the fish might hang out that otherwise I wouldn’t have found.

A killer new spot in the fall of 2016 I found an underwater car in the middle of a channel with grass growing around it, then mixed in were several large bass. Looking at the depth finder you couldn’t tell it was a car, it looked like a pile of grass that you would normally pass over.

In a marina, I dropped the camera and went to the middle of the bay where I found sparse thick weed patches in 12ft of water with good size bass on them.

I call them drains, places where flooded islands drain into a slough, using the camera I’ve found several small places that hold fish, right in the center heading to deep water I’ve found bass mixed with striper, crappies and bluegill all together on small pieces of cover.

Bridges in the Delta, many of the bridges have old cover mixed in where you would never know unless lower a camera.

AMISTAD

Driving through Texas on our way to the B.A.S.S. Nationals we stopped at Lake Amistad. We launched and fished for an hour or so with no bites, wondering what things looked like we headed to the bridge – the best-looking bank around and lowered the camera.

With the camera, down in 15ft we noticed several smallmouth on the rocky bottom. Being the first time at Amistad we had no idea there were smallmouth. Now we had a clue and started drop shotting, catching several fish.

Heading to a cove we lowered the camera again and found weeds in 10ft of water with largemouth mixed in where we caught some slow rolling a spinnerbait and dragging a Senko. Again, the camera let us know the real scoop aiding in a few more bass.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4R3dsjpD_U&w=720&h=360]

CAMANCHE

January at lake Camanche we found feeding loners that otherwise would have gone unnoticed. Using the camera, we would go along the old mine tailings (river rock piles) and see a lone spotted bass, once we spotted a bass on the camera we could toss out and catch that bass. Without the camera, we had no idea if there was a school of bass with only on biting or what was actually going on. Armed with the info we knew to cover water locating those loner feeding fish and not camp out in a single spot.

Bass fishing is a game of figuring out what the fish are doing and how to catch them using all your resources.

The camera has opened my eyes to a new world, learning new spots, what things look like on the graph vs what they really are, how to rig baits for the terrain and learning how the fish move and locate on different piece of cover.

The Aqua-Vu is one of those things you never knew you really needed until you used it.

If you have an experience with an Aqua-Vu I’d like to hear about it

Good luck and good fishing.