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Thursday, March 11th, 2004

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    Water Temp: 59-65

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: West end of lake clear and east end is stained. Caught fish from 0-15 feet on cranks and rip baits at both ends of the lake. Largemouth to 5 pounds and smallies to 2 1/2 pounds (all fish weighed).

    Tips: Cover lots of water.

Sunday, October 19th, 2003

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    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Brian Kettler took me up to Cachuma or some bass ishing. Started o in Cachuma Bay in the morning. Fished the shoreline in one o the Eastern coves when Brian noticed some shad dimpling the surace back inside. He told me to throw up in there. I was using a 3 inch Prizm Blue 'chovy Big Hammer swimbait rigged on an un-skirted buzzbait head and it didn't make it 3 eet beore it was sucked under by a nice 3.5 pound bass - which turned out to be the best one o the day. The rest o the day was tough with just a ew ish in the 12 inch range on crankbaits and 3 inch Steve's Shad colored Big Hammers rigged on 1/4 oz. Hammerhead Jig Heads. A ew other anglers got ish on plastic worms but it appeared that overall the bite was relatively slow.
    City: Santa Barbara

Saturday, April 12th, 2003

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    Water Temp: 59

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Get to Lake Cachuma Now!!!Fish are on the beds and ready to go...Fished with my two boys on Thursday and Friday and 5-7Lb ish are common. Bed ish in the morning hours with white or brown jigs and when the wind starts to blow keep pitching towards anything that looks like a bed because the ish seemed to become very active when the wind was blowing. We threw 3/8 oz. spinnerbaits around rocky banks in the evening and hammered the smallmouth. Get in the truck and get up there, this lake isgoing o...
    City: Upland

    Tips: Please practice catch and release

Friday, May 3rd, 2002

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    Water Temp: 60?

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Fishing was great. Caught a 6-7 pounder over by sage/poppy/lupine huts. Lost one same size there also. Caught a 1 pounder small mouth 100 yards right o there. Caught a 6 pounder opposite side o the huts. Had my limit o bass. The rest were small around 1-2 pounders. Saw a lot o BIG ish checking out my stringer. All ish were caught with split shot night crawler.
    City: Goleta

Friday, April 12th, 2002

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    Water Temp: 53

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Bass ishing has been very good or the last 2 months. I reccomend you go an try ishign there!
    City: solvang

    Tips: Troll around Jackrabbit lats or great ishign results with a plastic zipper worm or an crankbait!

Friday, November 23rd, 2001

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    Water Temp: 61

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: To ull o apple smoked turkey to go to Casitas so I went to Cachuma. Went towards the island and started throwing cranks . I got several dinks a ew keepers and blam...Best ish o the day about 5-6 pounds. She really gave me a workout but I grabbed her by the lips so I guess she lost that argument. Played around with jigs or awhile and got some smallish smallmouth and 1 nice largemouth. Played around with dropshot junk and narrowed down by choices or Casitas WON tournament on Dec 1. I noticed that the grebe's are arther out rom the shore so about 11:30 I pulled out into 35+ eet on a break with nice meter marks on what appeared to be brush and put 6 NICE smallmouth in the boat in???5 minutes???? that was un. Went home early and I'm o to Casitas early in the morrow.....KELLY
    City: Santa Barbara

    Tips: I did notice that the redear isherman are slaying them. Give it a try. Hal a crawler will do ya!

Monday, November 12th, 2001

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    Water Temp: 62

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: I ished the WON tounament on Saturday And it was a very big ield. From what I hear the guys who preished had nothing going in the way o a pattern going into to Saturdays event. I was pretty sure I'd do ok but had my doubts ater the rumors start coming around. I decided while loating around in the marina to give up any thoughts on my topwater as it was late and the ish don't respond very well to that kind o presentation with the huge comotion going on. So I told my partner that we were going to crank. ALL DAY LONG. I igured that I would make at least a zillion casts in the time I had and we could average a ish per 1.5 hours and that would do it...But I'm spoiled and am used to ishing big expanses o water without interuption...That was not the case on this day and the area I ished had plenty o boats on it but most o the guys didn't ish the the stucture, they ished the area. Anyway I lost juice to the trolling motor and that was bad as I could not STAY in one spot. We ended up catch 20+ shorts and 3 keepers or something like 6.3 lbs. That included a nice smallie that my partner pulled rom some brush on his crank. We had 4 ish that were 12" and 7/8 and I made him dump them as I only have a willie-go board and Knew they'd never make it on a straight rule. Anway I wish everyone could have gotten something or there troubles out there but hey thats ishing. I'm toying with the idea o ishing this circuit but I have'nt been anywhere but Cachuma in years so we'll see.
    City: Santa Barbara

    Tips: Tough bite, Top 5 guys really got there ish on everything rom optimums to jigs...And I just eliminated the optimum the week beore... That east wind will do it to you every time

Saturday, November 3rd, 2001

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    Water Temp: 62-66

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: It's a good thing I got up early to go to Cachuma on Sat. it seemed like a very busy place with multiple tournaments and a bunch o ellas preishing. I went down the lake to try out my topwater thing...A little slow but there was no og or cloud cover to speak o I did get a ew...Then I played around a bit and inally got some plastic and jig ish to go.These where some o my better ish. It seemed to me that the size was down a notch rom last week but that could be a lunar thing and these jig ish will only get better.One thing I'm not understanding is the shad in the lake. While I know that they spawn on ull moons and are capable o multiple spawns in a year.They are extremely small like 1 inch plus or minus an eighth. Are these just a late spawn or is that my orage base this year. It's so dierent rom Lopez where you can catch shad on little jigs or nail one by accident while cranking and rippin.I am perplexed about this as I don't see balls o shad I just see a layer???? I guess it will keep my winter interesting. Anyway, I played with my optimum out in the breaks or no takers " a bit early but I like to keep them honest" and threw my A.C. up between Johnson's and Clark's and had some serious ollows but no takers and got o the lake at noon.
    City: Santa Barbara

    Tips: I think the worm and jig thing is going to get much better and soon!

Wednesday, October 31st, 2001

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    Water Temp: Not bad

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: What do you Know? I got out on Sunday... YAHOO! "the 28" I was irst down the lake to try out my topwater bite. I ished about 10 minutes when I heard a noise over my shoulder and turned to see that a branch had snagged a rod and as I moved along it was pulling it out o the passenger area. You know that o course the reel handle had snagged a multitude o other rods and now 6 or 7 rods where getting ready to plop in the lake in the next second . Splash went the rods and without any hesitation with my rod still in my hand.....Mannn over Boarddd! I hit the water like the lame duck that I am but, I did garner all o the 3000.00 dollars or so worth o rods and reels and get them back in the boat. I wish I didn't keep the darn thing so highly polished that darn wax makes getting back in across that telon/carnuba surace more than a little tricky. So I swam to the outboard and climbed up/in and pulled o my down jacket"as it was cool that morning" and shucked my clothes and wrung them out as best I could. But the sneakers and the jeans were very cold when I put them back on.Actually the water was warm relative to the water temp. About this point I lapsed into my Chumash Indian trick o shivering and shaking.Well the only dry thing I had in the boat was a pair o skimpy shorts or the summer thing and while there was a dry coat in my truck the thought o driving back to the marina made big jim and the twins wince and get even smaller so ...I decided that I I pulled out to where the sun was trying to shine through the little bit o mist that there was and i no wind came up I would be OKAY. Daunted but not out o the game, I ired up the main motor and idled out and I igured that I could throw crankbaits to keep warm until I was a little less rozen. Nothing or 2 hours and I was just getting a little more daunted when I got the irst ish o the day ...at least 5lbs. and then a 4 and then a 21/2lb. smallie all in about 5 minutes! Now I'm eeling a little better"THANK GOD FOR WOOL" and I ended up with 3 smallmouth and 8 largemouth and got the heck o the water by 11:30.I would like to take this time to make a statement: Ater last week's post I recieved a phone call rom my mentor..."WE ALL HAVE THEM!" and he expessed his concern over my last message " I didn't know the old CogKnocker had a computer, much less the ability to access ino on it. In a nutshell he expressed concern over the act that I had actually mentioned WHERE SPECFICALLY I had been ishing the week beore and pointed out that the weights or Saturday where hal what Sundays where. I don't think I have that big o crowd reading these posts but NCBF.Com has in act had about a million hits now and well GEE GUYZ! I could barely get in past the gate into the lake last week or all o the tourney"s and I did in act, not see one single post rom all o that activity. Including any posts rom the people I had advanced inormation to....It's unney but I keep tabs on Clearlake and while everyone complains about all the ishing pressure on that lake very ew people with the exception o Larry Hemphill keep you guys posted on recent developements....WHATS UP WITH THAT ?????? So in light o a request o a personel nature. I will no longer be as speciic with my inormation or advise to all you bassmasters out there. I will strike you a deal. I you e-mail me...I'll e-mail you....Until I see a change in everybody else I can't really be doing all the work....it's a shame because I really love this lake and ater 20+ years on it I have alot to share and learn but.....I have been asked and I will comply with my mentor's wishes to spill less in the way o beans to any and all.
    City: Santa Barbara

    Tips: Keep slugging it out and perseverance will pay o on whatever you have conidence in and i not then at least you were'nt at work.

Saturday, October 20th, 2001

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    Water Temp: 66.4

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Water temp started at 62 or so and was not really a actor.My new best BUDDY Chris Washington o the Wasco bass Club e-mailed me a ew days ago to inquire about the conditions at the Big C. Well I've been dinking around with some saltwater stu and had not been out or ...something like 6 weeks so I e-mailed him back and said I'd get the dope...I was told that the buzzbait bite had died...wrong...here is how it worked out...Went down the lake to an allegeded killer spot and threw rattle traps until it dawned on me that it was not going to happen, went to my numero uno,Ichi ban, topwater spot and slapped out 3 buzzbait ish, that while they were'nt big they were ish... gooed around some more and then went back to the rattle trap spot and nothing until I lost the biggest ish I personally have ever hooked on a trap....It's like a horror movie that keeps replaying in my mind what could I have done dierently????I changed the hooks I had her or a good long time up comes the head and there goes the trap.....NO...No....NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Sweet suering mother o christ she be gone....So I start looking around and there is baitish everywhere in the shallows...Really shallow...1 oot shallow throw the buzzbait "it's 11:00 o'clock ...Wham one ...wham two....thats it go till 11:30 throw out the rattle trap arther out but at the same depth "I was on stork lat" wham ...wham!!!!Ok time or lunch...I run into Chris Washington and his partner and they have 1....FISH....ollow me....I show them my spot and they just slapped 4 ish or 10 or so pounds....My second limit went about 12+ lbs.....or so I sure would have liked to see her in my LIVEWELL..pardon me as I digress....Chris and his partner came in 2nd I think ...they're best o the year...I could be wrong.....And Chris i you ask me a question I WILL ALLWAYS TRY TO GET YOU AN ANSWER...I am so sorry that I can't remember your partners name thats prolly why I ain't in MANAGEMENT.....
    City: Santa Barbara

    Tips: Go ahead and throw topwater right o the bat....the rattletrap conditions are not the best until the wind kicks in...turns out that a chart/craw or a solid chartruse is best ....go igure ....Later gater

Wednesday, July 4th, 2001

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    Water Temp: upper 70's

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Went out expecting a normal hotter than heck o the water by 9:00 kind o day instead ,I ran into a strange cool overcast situation ...Blew down the lake Got a our on the third cast...Had to move imediately because o a novice new commer who drove up within 25 yards and started ishing...iredup the main motor went around him a kept on sluggin away at the end the tally went 14 buzzbait ish to 6lbs...They were still eating the buzzbait at 11:00???It was a blast I split ater 2:00 when the sun inallycame though and out with the sunscreen but to no avail nothing but micro-ish which is to be expected ...I will try to get out on the 21st we'll see
    City: Santa Barbara

    Tips: I used 2 buzzbaits white and chart/white both had the same results

Sunday, July 1st, 2001

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    Water Temp: 78

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Fished rom 6:30 to 12:30. Kind o windy, very hot! I only caught 5 ish, but they were all quality. Picked up two 3's and a 5.3 just beore you get to the blus heading towards the narrows. I got a 3.5 on the irst point on the let as you enter the narrows. The last ish was 4 pounds. It was caught on the right hand side o the entrance to Cachuma bay. All the 3-pound class ish were nailed using a Normans crank in baby bass. The bigger ish were caught with Senkos in some (wake) o colored water. My partner got hooped! He had zero luck trying down shot or Jigs. I couldn't get a Buzz bait bite going. Best 5 went or 18+.
    City: Whittier

    Tips: Today was weird. Just keep throwin

Saturday, June 2nd, 2001

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    Water Temp: 75

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Gin clear....Bad lunar inlux... armed my irst Buzzbait ish then three solid 3's that was it until I armed an eight on a Fin-s shad color I could have done better on small ish but Hey! thats just not my style...Working on a new secret bait that garnered one dink and one 3 at 2 in the aternoon ..which given the circumstances was pretty good...back in a while Keldawg...Just got back rom clearlake "NorCal" awesome worst day 27 pounds or ive best day 34 or better not bad or a ten day trip TaTa Rip
    City: Santa barbara

    Tips: Topwater will only be getting better stick with it ..be patient and slap those bigger ish around...They should be embarressed being that gulible in clear water but...They are ater... all only ish. Don't give them to much credit...Small ish? Try a rippin a minnow on the lats in the wind or splithot and dare I say it Dropshot..yuck!

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2001

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    Water Temp: ?

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Went out early, tho my pals are telling me best bite is ater 4 PM. Startedin Santa Cruz . Nailed 3 smallies on grub. Moved to narrows and nailed three more in stained water ishing slow and deep.
    City: Santa Ynez

    Tips: I you go out early, beore the wind comes up, ish slow.

Friday, April 20th, 2001

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    Water Temp: 68?

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: I camped at Cachuma or our days. Each day i took my boat out or some ishing. The water was very clear at spots and i cought about our trout each day, ishing near the entrance o Santa Cruz Bay, good ishing there because o underground river running through. All trout there are large because o depth i think. Bass ishing was slow but i saw most o the action around the submerged islands (it goes rom 80'-15'). Trout ight hard here. Good luck!
    City: Redlands

    Tips: Trout- lashers on swivel with 2 1/2 oot leader with night crawler. Also, the original weight and power bait set up.Bass- I used small lures but then again i didn't have too much luck.

Wednesday, March 21st, 2001

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    Water Temp: Did not measure

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Fished or trout. Nothing still ishing or trolling with leadcore. Used needleish, spoons, rapalas, you name. Metered plenty o shad and larger ish chasing them. Nothin.Finally switched to bass poles with 12lb mono and moved rom the east to the west end. Fishing was great rom then on. Trout were on terror chasing anything lashy. Just had to crack the code.
    City: Goleta

    Tips: Keep changing until you ind the right pattern that works or you. Others we talked to at the cleaning tables did well using needleish where we did not.Some o them tried mono and did not do well. Most ished the same depth. One explanation could be speed o troll, dierent lures perorm best at dierent speeds..

Thursday, January 25th, 2001

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    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Checked out the Mohawk area and saw a couple o people ishing rom shore. Noted them catching a couple trout just ater sunrise. No action or me though...Moved over to Harvey's Cove and bumped into a couple o locals. They had gotten the same word as me... Harvey's a little ater sunrise. I hung around or a short time. Did see someone on the ar side o the cove (ar side rom the parking lot) hook up a couple o times using hardware... looked like a Kastmaster (he got good distance on his casts).[I you're wondering why I keep going to the Mohawk area... its simple. When that area o the lake opens up or trout, it means the whole lake is pretty much open. Thats when some o the larger ish begin coming up closer to shore. O course this also means that the word will get out and the lake will soon be crawling with weekend anglers. I you're local, let me give you a word o advice... ish weekdays i at all possible.]
    City: Santa Maria

    Tips: When the bite opens up... ish close to shore in the early morning hours, going deeper as the sun rises.

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    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Trout report: I'm a shoreline isherman and like to walk the banks when they seem to be spread out. This year the bite has not yet opened up or shoreline anglers. November and December produced days o patience and an occasional 1-1.5 lb ish. January has begun to pick up but not yet in a serious manner. Had a buddy o mine ish there 3 days ago and caught his 5 limit... but had to work at it or about 6 hours. He said they were at Harvey's cove between 9am and 1pm when they got the bites (spent 2 hours near Mohawk in the morning with no luck). Finally got more rain in here the last ew days. Checked the doppler weather report and looks clear or later this morning. Going to head down there early and try a ew spots where rain run o comes into the lake.
    City: Santa Maria

Saturday, December 2nd, 2000

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    Water Temp: 54

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Fished a club Tournament this Sat. 8 teams no limits 1 guy had 4 ish or 11.44# all his ish came rom brush along the banks in 25 to 10' o water. One team had some success with cranks in the shallows o the narrows ater 10:00 no more on cranks. Most other teams and individuals had 1 or 2 ish.
    City: Castaic

    Tips: Morning try cranks in the shallow water. then switch to ox blood redlake worms in the brush.

Friday, November 24th, 2000

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    Water Temp: 57

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: It was cold! My buddy caught 1 dink. We graphed ish in some spots but wouldnt bite. I should have stayed home and slept in. It would have been cheeper.
    City: Castaic

    Tips: Only ish that was caught was on a purple drop shot.