THE BASS COLLEGE

Well, the game and fish is stocking Rainbow Trout this week. And a forecasted cold front coming through on fri-sat. So, I am thinking, I will head out before the front on Friday and chuck a big swimbait all day looking for that one bite! I'm kinda getting excited. Maybe this is the trip for a double digit bass!!!

Good luck I hope you get it bud if not at least a pig but ether way cant wait for the report Ive been waiting for one from you AZ guys seeing how you water doesn't have 4in of ice and 30 degrees outside lol.

Tom I wish you luck out there.....Action has been hit & miss. Seems it's all about getting your bait noticed in the crowd so to speak out there. It's not that alot of swimbaits arent being tossed, it's that not alot are throwin em in the right places in the right ways...Get parallel to everything. Always have your boat inches from the rocks & always "clear the way" with your bait as you move the boat along.  You'd think those big ole pigs would be deep...Some hover in inches of water inside the reedlines waiting for a dumbass trout to swim by....I think those fat girls sit in that warmer water revving up the heater to go grab one of those snicker bars & circle back to it's lair to digest it's meal...Do not over look trying to skip a hudd up under the docks in the marina either. There are some trout that hang in the marina & some big bass have been seen chasing in there.  I like a  10" floating castaic platinum trout with a trap hook on the back. No belly hook.  Slobber it with pro cure  trout scent !!!  Or hot sauce !

Ive heard the trout release is amazing on Canyon. GOOD LUCK

LOL Keep throw'n Tom.

Canyon Lake is a BIG Bass Lake.  On average, I camp at and fish CL 6 - 8 times a month.  I prefer to camp lakeside so that when not on the water I can watch and listen to the water.  Its amazing what the water and wildlife can tell you at CL.  I love waking up in the winter and being the only person in the entire campground.  Its at that time when I drink my coffee, gather and record weather data, water temps, review my maps, logs, ect and put my game face on before heading out so that I'm sitting on my favorite point before sunrise.  In my opinion, if there is a trophy bass lake in AZ its CL.  You will get your double digit at CL Tom.  Stick with it.  Its a great lake!

Yeah, it is a great lake for big fish. I used to fish it all the time before they drained it for the dam maintenance. And that year I started tournament fishing so I kinda quit going there between since it isn't a tournament lake and fish kill, drawdown and all. So, I go back now, and it is like an old friend. A stingy old friend that is.

Hey well it beats a day working right. What swimbaits did you throw and what where you throwing them on at what depths.

good luck

Yes Cody, it really does beat a day at work! I understand the nature of big bass hunting and throwing the big swimbaits as a feast or famine deal. I am not upset about not catching any, cause I know, I could have caught the biggest bass of my life at any cast. So, I am ok with going out time and time again waiting for that big one. I was mainly throwing a huddleston 12rof in rainbow trout color. The rod I use is a Shimano Crucial 7'11" swimbait rod with an old Diawa Millionaire reel that was my first Baitcaster from over 30 years ago. It still works good and it holds alot of the 25lb mono that I use on it. I fished everything in the lake.... from docks, to cliff walls to underwater humps and dropoffs, and points. Nada.... A couple days ago there was a couple of guys that got 12 out of canyon with the biggest 5 going 42lbs!!! One of them was out there yesterday and he was doing the same thing I did with the same results. He said the day they caught them all was right after the stocking and they just found them stacked up on top of each other. Yesterday was a different story. I think I will try to time my next trip to be there when the stocking truck pulls up.

Tom I throw them with my old Daiwa Millionare also. lol I like it.

Tom Inmon at January 8, 2011 at 10:14 AM

Yes Cody, it really does beat a day at work! I understand the nature of big bass hunting and throwing the big swimbaits as a feast or famine deal. I am not upset about not catching any, cause I know, I could have caught the biggest bass of my life at any cast. So, I am ok with going out time and time again waiting for that big one. I was mainly throwing a huddleston 12rof in rainbow trout color. The rod I use is a Shimano Crucial 7'11" swimbait rod with an old Diawa Millionaire reel that was my first Baitcaster from over 30 years ago. It still works good and it holds alot of the 25lb mono that I use on it. I fished everything in the lake.... from docks, to cliff walls to underwater humps and dropoffs, and points. Nada.... A couple days ago there was a couple of guys that got 12 out of canyon with the biggest 5 going 42lbs!!! One of them was out there yesterday and he was doing the same thing I did with the same results. He said the day they caught them all was right after the stocking and they just found them stacked up on top of each other. Yesterday was a different story. I think I will try to time my next trip to be there when the stocking truck pulls up.

Hey Tom.  You probably already know this but the next time Canyon Lake is scheduled to receive a stocking is January 31st.  The AZG&F has a New Year Incentive Stocking scheduled for all program waters this coming week but they weren't very clear if it was only the Urban Lakes or if they were going to include Canyon, Saguaro, Lower Salt (Phon D. Sutton), ect and I haven't received a reply to my email asking for clarification.  If I hear back and you'd like the info I'd be happy to send you an email.  

On your last outing did you try throwing the Hudd around Beaver Landing?  Another location I've had success at is just East of the Laguna Boat Ramp.  It's a short, not very wide point and I think most people miss it because you really have to be watching the graph or you'll be over it in seconds and not even realize it's there.  Plus, it's not shown on any of the maps that I use.  I found it at 2:37PM on March 21. 2010 when she broke the water and then like a freight train dove towards deeper water and made a short run North East towards whats left of the island in Mule Skinner Cove.  Of all things I was throwing a 3/4 oz, 5" BPS XPS Extreme Suspending Minnow, #13 (Brown Trout) when she blasted it.  After we got her in the boat, she weighed in at 10.22.  A little over an hour later my brother who was with me landed a 7.49 at the same location.  I haven't caught anything over 4 lbs on that point since that day but I still work it each time I go out.  Might be worth checking out.  Another place you might be familiar with is a quite large underwater hump just to the South off Teddy Bear Hill.   I realize that with your experience and knowledge you probably already work these locations but just in case I thought I'd try to throw out just a couple of locations in the main body where I've had some success over the years.  I've only just started tossing Hudd's/Swimbaits so I don't have much experience or success to show for it yet but I do believe that they will work at those same spots.  Keep us posted and let me know if you want that info from my contact at AZG&F.  Take care buddy.

Tom Inmon at January 8, 2011 at 11:58 PM

Yeah, I want to know the exact day they are dumping those things in there! I want to be there as those trout hit the water!

No prob Tom.  I'll email you with the info.