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Summer 2017 Summer 2017 Hi All, Welcome to the summer issue of WesternBass Magazine. With all of the rain we encountered this past winter, we have the possibility for fishing lakes that have been low for some time plus, with the snow pack these waters should remain hi throughout the summer. I hope to the season finds you all out fishing these great conditions. The year has seen large attendance for many of the circuits - Wild West, Best Bass Tournaments and Future Pro Tour, WON Bass, which are all site advertisers. I want to thank you all for supporting our advertisers, without them, this site and the WesternBass.com digital publication that you are reading wouldn’t be possible. Please continue to support them as they make all of this possible. We have many things to look forward to during our summer season. Something WesternBass always enjoys is the trip to ICAST. As usual we be on the floor to bring you a glimpse at the new items coming from your favorite manufacturers. We will be excited to finally here what the top secret Yo-Zuri product is that is being covertly advertised in this issue (click to see!). I also am excited for the upcoming summer specialty events that take place each year, like the Yamamoto Big Bass Challenge, the Snag Proof Open and the Ultimate Frog Challenge. As always good fishing - see you out on the water.
Spring 2017
Spring 2017 Hi All, Looks like it’s time to kick off a new season of fishing. For some of us in California, that may be on hold due to the high water levels. We are excited to see the fishing trips and tournaments resume in areas that have been affected. I would like to congratulate the Wild West Bass Trail for their record attendance 181 boat draw at their Shasta event and to Best Bass Tournaments for their 128 boat draw at their Northern Region opener at Berryessa. Like longtime WesternBass viewer Jeff Huth said – I think we are safe to say that the fisherman in and around NorCal are ready to fish!!! And, how exciting is to watch – what seems to be an endless supply – of world record-sized spotted bass be caught and sent in to IGFA for certification. Who knows where the next one will come from, what it will weigh and who will catch it – could it be you? Lastly, I want to share my thoughts and prayers with those, such as the Clear Lake, Oroville and Delta residents, that are facing uncertainty and loss due to flooding and evacuations that have occurred because of the rains.
Winter 2017
Winter 2017 Hi all, As we wrap up the fall season and get ready to jump into winter bassin’, I want to congratulate Angler’s Marine on their 30th anniversary of Bass-A-Thon. As always the “West’s biggest bass fishing show” did not disappoint. It is always one of the greatest bass events of the year. If you missed out on the action, you can catch up with some of the pros and vendors in the forums and you can stay tuned to WesternBass.com. We will be bringing the pro seminars to you on the site, courtesy of Angler’s Marine. We are anxiously looking ahead to the next sports show on the agenda – ISE Sacramento, coming Jan. 19 – 22. We are also excited as all of our tournament organizations get geared up for the new season. The tournament calendar can help you get your schedule together. As a Holiday bonus, WesternBass.com is serving up this extra issue of bass catching action to close out 2016. Check out the whole year in the WesternBass.com Magazine Library. Finally, I would like to congratulate George Kramer “job well done” on 20 years of Kramer Gone Fishing! George has decided to close down the blog and pursue more fishing time and also plans to continue writing on Westernbass. Enjoy!

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2005 Triton TR196 REDUCED to $18,250 by BassNDucks Wed Jul 26, 2017 7:28 pm
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Recent Forum

WTS Dobyns rods by Lexfili Wed Jul 26, 2017 10:27 pm
CA boat/luxury Tax by SLOreefer Wed Jul 26, 2017 9:53 pm
Chuck Russo's 60th birthday ji by Dfuson Wed Jul 26, 2017 8:53 pm
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Industry Press Releases

St. Lawrence River Kind to KVD
St. Lawrence River Kind to KVD WADDINGTON, NY - Plano Pro Kevin VanDam won his 24th B.A.S.S tournament this past Sunday along the US/Canadian border at the Huk Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River presented by Go RVing. KVD lead the first three days of the tournament during relatively placid conditions, and then the Michigan native proved at least two things when the weather changed on Sunday: his knack for adapting quickly to changing conditions, and his ability to consistently fool bronze bass.
PRADCO Outdoor Brands Seeks Top Performing Sales Rep
PRADCO Outdoor Brands Seeks Top Performing Sales Rep PRADCO Outdoor Brands Seeks Top Performing Sales Representative Sales Representative Needed for Lower Michigan and Indiana
World Fishing Network and other Outdoor Show Highlights
World Fishing Network and other Outdoor Show Highlights Conservation and Wild Game Cooking on Outdoor Channel's "Nick's Wild Ride"; Hunting with Comedians on Sportsman Channel's "MeatEater" and
Simms Wins Big at ICAST/IFTD New Product Showcases
Simms Wins Big at ICAST/IFTD New Product Showcases Multiple Awards Validate Promising New Product Line BOZEMAN, Mont.– Once again, Simms Fishing Products returns home from Orlando, Florida decorated with multiple New Product Showcase Awards, adding to its industry-leading tally.
Action Channel Airs New Hobie Outdoor Adventures Show
Action Channel Airs New Hobie Outdoor Adventures Show The Hobie Outdoor Adventures show airs on The Action Channel on Friday's at 7:00 PM/ET. About Hobie Outdoor Adventures:

Lake Reports

New Melones Lake
New Melones Lake By Summer is definitely here and on many days the temperature has been over 100-degrees. The water temperature is also very warm and is ranging from 79 to 84-degrees, with the water level dropping slightly each week. These are not considered to be great conditions to target bass, however the bite has been picking up. We have been hitting the water multiple times each week and even when the bite was slow we caught some really nice bass on each trip. The topwater bite has been slowly tapering, but it can be one of the best techniques to catch some of the giant bass during the summer months. Try using Whopper Ploppers and walk-the-dog style baits to coax fish to the surface. Mitchell Robbins landed a giant largemouth bass first thing in the morning on one of our guide trips. This beauty crushed a Whopper Plopper and weighed just shy of 8-pounds. If the surface bite seems slow try using some reaction baits. Small swimbaits, spinnerbaits, ripbaits and crankbaits will work best. There is an abundance of small bass, sunfish and shad and it is good to keep this in mind when selecting colors. I spent an evening fishing with Tony and his son Spence. We hit the water for an evening guide trip for Spence’s sixteenth birthday. He had a great time and caught some awesome California bass. I had him and his father fishing dropshots and crankbaits to find success. The flooded grass is breaking down, but is still preventing us from using any bottom bouncing baits. A long leader dropshot or a Texas rigged worm seem to be the most productive rigging methods. We have been catching a number of small fish on each outing along with some really nice bass. 5-year old Devun Stewart is already an accomplished angler. He caught over a dozen bass on a spinning rod, many of which were unassisted. His dad Trevor Stewart caught fish on a fly and good friend Sam Davey picked up many nice fish on a dropshot rig. Some would say it is not a good time of year to fish, but for the dog days of summer, we are having a blast catching bass!
Oroville Lake
Oroville Lake By Launched about 5:40am at Lime Saddle, stopped fishing at 10:15 am when the heat began to get to me. Seems the lake is back to dropping a foot a day like the old days, now down to 800.65, now 102 feet down from full pool. The ridge at the launch now shows well, all above water line. Should have gotten a picture. Great fishing spot when it's 15-25 foot under water. Fish the drop off side, even when it's shallow, might surprise you. Water still about 80 degrees, got 79 in a few locations. Managed 29 fish today, with about half the fish in the 12" dink size, the rest mostly 13 13 1/2". Getting ready to call it quits, and got a fatter 15" and a second 14 1/2" right after. Spots seem to be adding weight again, not looking quite as skinny as after spawn. Did most of my fishing 20-35 foot today, shore line crawling with dinks under 12" As of 8am, only 2 other boats had launched, seems the heat is driving away fisherman. Sure wish I knew how to get a hold of the park rangers, parking signs need lowered so us old farts don't have to walk half way up the ramp. Sorry about the water spot in the pictures! Picture in fishing forum.

From the Blogs

UFC-3 River2Sea Bounty
UFC-3 River2Sea Bounty By Buy a River2Sea Frog from 7-1-2017 to 7-30-2017 Win the UFC-3 and Cash in on a $1000 Bounty in the Pro Division! See www.Anglerspress.com for details.
Bass-A-Thon…and calling it quits
Bass-A-Thon…and calling it quits By The next two days you have a chance to experience the 30th annual Bass-A-Thon at Anglers Marine, in Anaheim. It is one of the most intense (and enjoyable) two days of seminars, tackle exhibitions and boat and gear sales anywhere. Click here. I am going to be there tomorrow (Saturday, Nov. 19) to celebrate those […]