Odd fish find at Casitas

[Kelly Ripa]

So I launch at Casitas and am warming up the motor at 6 a.m. when I see a heron making for shore stop and circle back on something floating. I drive out 100 yards from the launch ramp and cut the motor. I have not seen a legal bass since May and their is a 4 pound plus largemouth upside down swimming slowly belly up. It's still alive but it's belly is swollen big time. I was originally thinking it was caught deep so I pulled out a needle and tried through the crushers and on it's side but not one bubble of air???. So I look at the belly of the fish and it is rashed up and red something fierce basically pink. Other than the belly on the thing it was a green fish....But dying for sure. There was one boat on the lake other than myself at that time so I know it didn't just happen. I can't begin to guess what took it down...I am allowing for a swallowed plastic bait or something of that nature but there were no obvious problems except the belly. I should have taken it to the bank and cut it open in retrospect. Do a little more than just go Damn. I now have 110 hours in on the lake without a keeper and am looking forward to my Oct. trip to Clear Lake. If I don't find them by the depths of this winter I'm going out on a limb and figure they all croaked like the one I just found. I don't think there is enough forage for all the bass fry which are now to be seen boiling any and everywhere...It's looking like a remake of what happened to Cachuma. We obviously had four spawns this year just by the different sized yearlings in the lake...I would have said it was over in 8 weeks but the fry sizes don't bare that out. I don't burn much gas as the fishing has become mechanical to me...I just search for a keeper in the crowds of fish behind my baits. Zip