Confused ?

[Ron T.]

Why is it Swimbait Nation failed to mention the fish caught in the recent video from Casitas were caught in the forbidden zone, Why is it the western outdoor news failed to mention the recent report was based on fish from the forbidden zone, Will ESPN disclose their footage was also filmed in the forbidden zone. Let's report only on public waters and not on special privledges. Better yet let's keep our big days to ourselves and friends, maybe then these fish won't get pounded to the point these videos have to be taped in a closed area.
Dont get me wrong, I would be the first to jump at the chance to do the same but dont misslead the good people who eat this stuff up that these fish were all cought in the same water we all fish.

[muskyman]

There are quite a bit of fishing videos that have been filmed in So Calif and alot of them were done " behind the line " - a.k.a. buoy line and when the lake (s) closed. They do it for the footage I guess. Kinda blows too, did you see the DVL piece where they are fishing right along side the inlet / tower. Must be nice. But ya, I am with ya dude. If there was one off limits in any lake in So Calif that I could fish ; hand down, behind the line at Casitas.

[Brian D.]

Sure it may not seem fair to the general public who normally can't fish in an off limit area, but in the grand scheme of things it is really good for California's reputation for BIG fish. Heck, just seeing a monster bass caught gets an anglers heart racing. When people across the world hear a of big fish being caught, three states come to mind: Florida, Texas, or CALIFORNIA.

Lets face it, television and print media love this stuff. On an economic scale it helps sell magazines, guide trips, and fosters the growth of the swimbait business. Companies like 3:16, Huddleston, Osprey, Rago, Matt's Lures to name a few are created because of this excitement. Rod and reel manufacturers create specialty products, rods, reels, terminal tackle, etc. Tackle shops and marinas move product.

Yes, there are lake rules, but will the rest of the country care, maybe, but I doubt it. What they don't know won't hurt them. And, even if our little secret does come out, so what. An off limits area is usually very small in comparison to the whole lake. Fish are not restricted by a bouy line.

[Guest]

Sorry for not disclosing the exact location of where they were fishing... However, if they were fishing any hump, point, rock pile, brush pile or other location on the lake we wouldn't go spreading that information around either. It's just some fun footage of one of the best angler's in the world out west catching some fish like us western guys. Also, just maybe for those of us who don't catch swimbait fish regularly we can find something in those videos that will help us catch and/or land more fish on the swimbaits.

For example:
> Not playing the fish.. Horsing them to the boat (Very important)
> There is no such thing as too slow a retrieve
> How to position the boat and which angle to make a cast on point, bank etc...

Fishing is detail oriented and hopefully these videos will help someone find that one detail that could make a difference for them.

The website is also about spreading the word on swimbaits and showing what they can do! Heck, if you'll go fishing with me, I'd be glad to drop some footage of your fish on the website! I know you whack 'em with the swimbait all the time!


There are a few things that make spreading this information around hard.

#1 Most guys aren't to informative to how and where and why they are catching fish like these! Truthfully, I have been told no when asking for some of these guys to give me some insight to their swimbait fishing for the site more than I have been told yes.

#2 It's tough to even know who is getting them on swimbaits. So often guys say they caught their fish on Crankbaits or Worms when in all reality they are catching them on Swimbaits.. I know for a fact this has happened on more than a few occassions! So its tough to really know who is on swimbait fish and who isn't!

Back to the buoy line thing:

Anyone can get behind the buoy line. There is just a fee that goes with it, and a process to get back there. The fee is hefty, the insurance is expensive and the process is a pain in the butt! Granted we had some help getting this done.. but, its still doable by most.