HUMBOLDT CO. BASS CLUB INTEREST?

stlhd0521 · Post by **stlhd0521** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 7:56 pm

HUMBOLDT CO IS WITHOUT A BASS CLUB, NEED SOME INPUT ON HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD BE INTERESTED,IF ANY

HUMCO · Post by **HUMCO** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 4:32 pm

I would be very interested, It would bring together a good # of local bass fishermen, Tournaments, monthly meetings, local sponsors. I know a few people who would be interested.

Gator · Post by **Gator** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 5:27 pm

Sounds like a good idea for you....make sure you talk to someone who has or does run a bass club. Get an idea of what is involved. And whatever you do, make sure you plan insurance into your fees, it is a must have to keep all protected.

bazs · Post by **bazs** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 8:03 pm

If you get it together as a HSU alum I would love to make some of your meetings and give some tried and true truths about tournament bass fishing.
Zack Thompson
AKA Bazs

RichThiel · Post by **RichThiel** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 9:12 pm

My Son is at HSU for 3 more yr or 2? He'd join if called..

His phone or cell is 925-321-1855 (Tim Thiel)

RichThiel

Ps. He also has a boat up there.

BassManDan · Post by **BassManDan** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 2:19 pm

I just spent over an hour typing up a long response to this question and during that time my Westernbass account logged off so I'm going to retype this in a few posts in and abridged and more concise version.

Disclaimer: I am assuming a "worst case scenario" situation with this Bass Club idea. Please let me know if your ideas vary from what I assume and please correct me when I am wrong.

Humboldt Bass Club has some serious flaws.
First, I think you would be hard pressed to get together more than half a dozen boats to regularly fish. There are plenty of boats but there are some poeple who do not want a club organization regularly fishing FW Lagoon.

Freshwater is already exploited by the "lovely" residents of Orick who commonly hravest fish out of the lagoon to eat, that is the reason why there are no 6's and 7's caught there anymore. Add the pressure of us C&R anglers, and I could see some serious changes happening.
To introduce the concept of "pressure" to the lagoon would be just wrong. In many ways Freshwater is a Mini-Clear Lake, smaller size, smaller fish (not by much) and smaller fishing pressure, increasing pressure could have some very unfavorable effects.

BassManDan · Post by **BassManDan** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 2:26 pm

Part 2

Think about the logistics of the club and your tournament schedule.

Running a serious club is work, and if you are on a similar format to other tournaments, you need permits and all the other stuff associated with it.
Now think about your geographic location. O.K. where the hell else you gonna go? Trinity is at least 2.5 hrs and Ruth and Whiskeytown are 3, those are the next closest places besides FW.
Trinity, inaccessible in Winter, same with Ruth, Whiskey you could fish, but the road better be plowed.

A little more on FW Lagoon...
Do your really want 6 bass boats out on FW? Can you launch them. You need high water to launch, high water is from January-May (at best), you're certainly not gonna fish FW when the water is low and the Elodea (aquatic veggies) are really thick, motors dont tend to runn too well in that stuff!

I don't think any of us resident anglers want to have to spend a whole day out there to scratch together a limit.

Freshwater is a good fishery from March - June, before its still pretty cold and after, there's not water and a bunch of weeds.

BassManDan · Post by **BassManDan** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 2:41 pm

So what has been written sounds like more of an attack than what I wrote previously, but really, in part, I am trying to rain on your parade

So...Here is what I think.
(You may think I'm some know-it all, jerk-off, BMF (not the hook!)
But I'm gonna tell it to ya straight. I've got 2 years of bass fishing in Humboldt county, 10 years of hardcore bass angling and a Fisheries Biology degree backing me up. Ive spent long hours contemplating the feasability of a serious Hum-bass Club, and I just don't believe it has to happen.

Humboldt does not NEED a bass club, Bass are a rare resource up there and we need to respect that. Freshwater Lagoon IS close and HAS quality fish, those aspects have lead to the overfishing of just about everyfish that has been caught. Now that really applies to commercially important fish, but it also applies to the #1 pursued gamefish in the world!

By no means am I saying don't fish FW, but utilize FW in moderation, and use it throughout the year. Don't go out in Spring with a dozen buddies and catch fish all day just because you can! Spend a morning or afternoon on the water, catch a good 15-18 lb limit, that'll be 3-5 fish in the 3.5-4.5lb range and probably 5-8 fish in the 2-3lb range. Go out in early spring, when its still cold, fish hard for a couple nice fish and maybe a couple smaller ones, challenge yourself, don't just have a hayday in spawning season!

Well I hope you consider my view on this topicand please let me know what your ideas are, I would love to hear a full synopsis of your plans and put you in touch with the contingent of HSU bass anglers.

All the best,
BassManDan

lobina · Post by **lobina** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 2:42 pm

I'ts amazing to hear about FW lagoon as much as i do on this site, as a local I fish there as often as anyone else, In fact 80% of the time it seems like I got the lake to myselfe. So hearing about a club starting up seems like a bad idea at first but definetly want to be part of it if it happens. let me know

BassManDan · Post by **BassManDan** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 2:51 pm

Just a little more...
if you are talking about a club for casual fishing and very fish-friendly tournaments (catch, weigh, realese) Great!!! That is the kind of club that would do well and with smart decisions about when and where to fish, the club would be quite successful.

That is what we had set up with our HSU club, but the real deal was meeting at Hum-Brews one Thursday a month, talk bass fishing, try to put together a small tourment, drink some beer and just hang out. After fishing we would usually end up at Carmela's in McK Town for some tacos and blackberry margaritas.

A kick back club would be the way to do it, don't get serious, because you don't have many people to be serious with and not enough places to get serious at, leave that to the folks who wanna be pro.

All the best,
BassManDan

SethB · Post by **SethB** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 8:04 pm

I think your club idea could work. I don't think we are all interested in who can catch the most 4#ers from our local lagoon. Trinity/Wiskeytown/Ruth one a month. I would think about that.

BassManDan · Post by **BassManDan** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 2:10 pm

Agreed Seth,
Fish March-June, that's all around "the good season" for bass in our parts.
Fish Trinity in March, Ruth in April, Freshwater in May and Whiskey in June.

BassManDan

RYAN · Post by **RYAN** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 4:13 pm

I THINK YOU GUYS WOULD BE SURPRISED ON HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD BE WILLING TO JOIN. I WOULD BE INTERESTED AND I KNOW ABOUT 8 TO 10 OTHER PEOPLE THAT WOULD ALSO BE INTERESTED. AS FOR WHERE TO GO TRINITY, SHASTA,RUTH AND WHISKYTOWN IN THE HOT MONTHS AND CLEARLAKE, SONOMA,IN THE COLD MONTHS AND JUST MAY ONE OR TWO DAYS ON FRESHWATER.

smaples · Post by **smaples** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 5:31 pm

I believe that a bass club in Humboldt is a very good idea. I know quite a few guys who would be interested in joining. As for Freshwater, everyone I know who fishes there would want to keep that place for a fun casual place to fish and not for tournaments. Nobody wants to see it get hammered. With Ruth Lake 2 hrs. away, Trinity 2 1/2 and Clear Lake 3 hours away I don't think anyone has a problem fishing club tournaments at those places. Remember, clubs aren't just about tournaments either.

Dorado_33 · Post by **Dorado_33** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 9:31 pm

Leave FW Lagoon alone. A club would be a great idea. If you want to fish for bass you must travel. I travel to fish all the time. As long as Tom H is not in the club I will fish

Jason Milligan · Post by **Jason Milligan** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 7:13 am

Well it sounds like more yays than nays... That's a great thing! How could having a bass club ever be a bad idea? I agree FW is too small and valuable to hold tournaments. One more lake to add to the list though is Selmac. Not sure if I spelled it right but I hear it's the same distance as Ruth, correct me if I'm wrong. It holds the Oregon state record LM twice over. I'm really looking forward to fishing this lake some day.

BassManDan · Post by **BassManDan** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 5:14 pm

I didn't know that Oregon had a good bass lake that southerly...interesting.

I'm glad to see that the unanimous vote for not messing with Freshwater. The folks who know FW well appreciate this, for those of you who are new to the area, you have certainly experienced FW and know that it is something special, and something we need to keep special. I think that fishery is way too important to pressure the hell out of it.

Like I've said before, we've got about half a dozen folks at HSU that are avid bass anglers, and agreed, its not all about tournaments, its about kickin with fellow bass freaks and enjoying the sport.

All the best,
BassManDan

Jason Milligan · Post by **Jason Milligan** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 4:43 pm

Agreed it's not all about the tournaments. Clubs are a great way for people to learn and share information. It's a great venue to bring new-comers into the sport. Remember with a boater/non-boater format you can get people fishing who don't have boats. This would only be fare through a draw system. Exceptions maybe for father/son pairings being the kid is under 15. This would bring more people into the club and spark interest in people new to the sport.