Californian Bob Crupi caught (and then released) this 18.56-pound largemouth bass in Southern California. Photo courtesy Bob Crupi, www.castaiclakefishingguides.com © 2001

California's and Florida's
(REALLY) Big Bass:
Come and Get 'Em
[REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM BUDWEISER's^© BUD AFIELD PAGE FOR SEPTEMBER 2001]

Most bass fishermen who've enjoyed their sport for several years or more likely know that the world-record largemouth, caught in 1932, weighed in at 22 pounds, 4 ounces.

Mammoth, eh?

Those same bass fishermen also would tell you that if you want a legitimate chance at catching a largemouth bass that weighs 10 pounds or more, you'd do well to head to Florida and fish for those big boys with live shiners (baitfish).

That's a fact and has been for decades. But since the early 1990s, another state - California - also has been making headlines for its big bass population. The talk, however, is not of 10-pound bass.

It's about 20-pounders and those weighing in the high teens.

Are 20-pounders being caught regularly in California? No, not at all. But the fact that the state has even produced 20-pounders in addition to accounting for more than 80 percent of the top 25 largemouth bass recognized by the International Game Fish Association is reason enough to think California also is worth considering if you have visions of catching that 10-pounder next spring.

So what do you need to know?

In California, 10-pounders are "a dime a dozen," says Dennis P. Lee, a senior fisheries biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game. Lee's genuine enthusiasm for the state's largemouth fishery is based on observation and fact.  But by no means are 10-pounders as plentiful as, say, 2- or 3-pounders. Still, he puts the "dime a dozen" characterization in perspective.

"Virtually every California lake that has any appreciable bass fishing has a state record largemouth that's more than 10 pounds," Lee says. "For the type of big bass many Californians are looking for, largemouth bass 14 pounds or more still draw a few oohs and aahs. But the big bass 'hunters' are looking for bass 18 pounds or more. These guys do a lot of graphing and realize they won't get many strikes in any given day. But the hits they do get are likely to be super-quality fish."

Where in California would someone fish for these huge largemouth bass? Primarily three general areas, Lee says.

1) The San Diego city-managed lakes. Locals who know their stuff regularly fish live crawdads and imitation rainbow-trout crankbaits, such as those made by the Castaic Soft Bait Company. Castaic's rainbow-trout soft crankbaits are 9 inches long and weigh 4½ ounces. And there's no question these baits (costing about $30 each) regularly fool California's big bass, which discovered long ago that rainbow trout offer some mighty tasty eating.

2) The second specialized big-bass fishery in California lies where the San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers meet near Sacramento. "The number of 10-pounders coming out of this region is phenomenal," Lee says. Most of the big bass in this part of the state are caught on live crawdads. Other noteworthy information: This region has lots of good fishing waters and much less fishing traffic than is found in Southern California.

3) The third fishery is scattered throughout the state and really can't be pinpointed, Lee says. Huge bass are found in golf course ponds as well as subdivision lakes and other community waters.

Fish Chris Wolfgram, an avid big fish 'hunter' who lives in Northern California, has built an extremely cool website that shows, among other species, photos of the latest California trophy bass. The site also has a big bass forum, where visitors can exchange information on the ins and outs of big bass fishing. To access Fish Chris' site, click here.

Professional bass fisherman Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., admires a 10-pound, 13-ounce largemouth bass he caught in a B.A.S.S. tournament on Florida's Lake Toho in early 2001.  His 108-pound catch was the first time in B.A.S.S.' 34-year history the 100-pound mark was broken.  To learn more, click here. Photo courtesy B.A.S.S., © 2001.

FLORIDA's BIG BASS HAVENS

Down Florida way, Bob Wattendorf, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's marketing and special-projects coordinator, says fishermen seeking big largemouth bass shouldn't forget about the Sunshine State.

According to freelance writer Herb Allen and the Florida Division of Fisheries, Florida was 'The Place' to catch a "wall-hanger weighing anywhere from 8 to 14 pounds" from the 1920s through the late 1970s and has now recovered its status. In partial response to angler requests, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission implemented a new regulation in 1992 reducing the daily creel limit from 10 bass of any size to five bass, with a minimum size of either 12 or 14 inches, depending on the body of water, and a special 1 bass over 24 inches restriction.

Lakes in Florida that have been drawing attention for their 10-pound bass population include Lake Okeechobee, Farm-13 and Rodman Reservoir, according to Sports Afield magazine's 100^th anniversary issue.

Lake George and Lake Tarpon also are getting well-deserved recognition. For more information on Florida's current top 10 bass fishing lakes, click here, and to learn more about
and here.

So there you have it. Both California and Florida can and should rightfully boast of their big largemouth bass populations. Keep in mind, too, that both populations are growing, in part, because anglers are increasingly catching, then releasing, their big fish.

Here's hoping that you hook onto the big bass you've been after. If (rather when) you catch a hoss that's worth keeping, no one would fault you - and most anglers would expect it - if you mounted a truly big fish. But remember that the catch-and-release concept is a great way to help a fishery naturally produce really monster bass.

Good fishing to you.