Looks like New World Record Fly Rod Bass!

[flyfisherjoe]

BREAKING NEWS:

Just talked to my friend Larry Kurosaki, via cell phone, after hearing the news from Eric of the Artful Angler and he has a 16 lb Largemouth Bass (28") in his live well! He caught this monster a short while ago on 6 lb tippet. The fish was caught in Castaic Lagoon, California. While this still all has to be officially verified, it seems he has a new world record! Larry is a fly fishing guide specializing in Largemouth. You may have seen Larry in the new film Bass: The Movie.

I finally got some pictures:

[mashtom]

WOW! Let us know more as the story unfolds, along with some pictures.

[Red Diamond]

just goes to show you that if it swims and eats it will eat a fly . congratulations on a great fish pose pictures if you get some

robin:

[ducksterman]

I understand that they plant Lake Casitas with 12" rainbows mainly to feed those bass......

[DShock]

A Guide that I hired in San Diego, told me the Bass watch the Hatchery Trucks unload rainbow trout. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA280_.jpg
Doug

[flyfisherjoe]

I will post more details when I can. I am traveling right now, I'm in San Diego. You guys are right, the big bass in California do love those planted rainbows! That's one of the reasons the biggest bass in the world come from California lakes. And, the fly fishers here often out catch other anglers.

[saltydancindave]

The 9 & 10 pounders in the lake across the street are already off the spawning beds, so have to wait until next year to catch a bigger one !

[Buddy Sanders]

Many, many years ago when I worked for the San Diego Police department I worked an area that included one of the San Diego city lakes, Lake Miramar.

This lake was only open to fishing three days a week back then (don't know about now)..Tuesday, Sat & Sun....So, they stocked the trout on Thursdays...

I had keys to the gates, so if I had the time I'd drop by to watch the stocking....

They'd back the stock truck down the boat ramp and just lift the fish out with a big net and dump them into the water...occassionally they'd use a truck that 'dumped' the fish....

This lake had really clear water...you could see the bottom in twenty feet easily...

As soon as that truck started down that ramp, you could see the bass coming. By the time the first trout hit the water, there were bass everywhere...many of trout never made it to the lake, they were caught in midair by the bass.

Big bass...15 pound plus fish in abundance....hundreds of fish over ten pounds..all gorging on trout. Amazing feeding frenzy. Incredible to see.

I'd estimate that only about half of those trout made it away from the ramp...

Guy named Zimmerlee caught a 20-15 out of this lake back then.

Buddy

[ducksterman]

Have you seen the silicone replicas of rainbows that they use for lures down there? .....no way you could cast one with a fly rod.....

[Buddy Sanders]

I was actually still there when the 'big trout plug' revolution began...

The 'first' guys to do this were a couple of saltwater captains that fished out of San Diego bay..this was back in the 70s....they took large Rapala minnows, I'm talking foot long things, and cut the heads off...made rubber bodies that looked sort of like a trout and glued them on, they trolled them with lead core line or downriggers for bass on some of the San Diego city lakes...I saw one of these guys bring in a five bass limit that went 70 pounds one day from San Vicente Lake back in the 70s.

The 'Castaic' trout was made in a similar manner, they caught a stocker trout and used it to make mold.....the first ones I saw had a wooden head with a diving lip....things were 12 inches long and weighed 8 ounces....they cast them with surf gear...lots of guys tried to use flipping sticks to throw these...broke a lot of flipping sticks...

The 'AC' plug was designed by taking a shovel handle and turning it to shape on a lathe...it was jointed and they cut a split in the back portion and inserted a rubber 'shrimp tail' to add action....first one of these I saw was about 15 inches long...the face was just cut on an angle so it would dive a bit...

No question they are effective big bass lures. What I found interesting was that even the wooden AC plug, which really didn't look much like a trout, was just as effective as the 'life like' imitations.

Now, they have custom swim bait makers that are turing out 6 to 20 inch long 'trout' and full 'life sized' bluegills, crappie, and shad....and they are catching lots of big fish with them....and you can buy realistic rubber trout at most bass tackle shops up to around 12 inches long....

Big bait, big bass.

Buddy