Difference Between Baitcast Reel & Spinning Reel!

A quality reel can greatly improve your casting distance and accuracy, whether it is baitcast reel or spinning reel,  it will make fishing a lot more fun.

Fishing: Lake El Capitan 10-17-09

When I got to work last Friday, my friend/co-worker Steve ask me if I wanted to do some fishing on the weekend. I said yes, ofcourse, and he then left me to decide on which lake to fish. Since I have not fished Lake El Capitan for sometime, it became my choice.

Met up with Steve at his house at 6:00 am Saturday morning and off to Lake El Capitan we were. Got to the lake at 6:30 am only to find out that there was a tournament going on. So we ended up waiting in line behind 20 boats before we could launch. Luckily, Lake El Capitan had a pretty wide boat ramp. Finally got on the water a little before 7:00 am.

Headed down and started fishing the north end of the lake, air temp was 71 degrees, water temp was 65. We started throwing some topwater to start the day but for nothing. I later switch to Senko worm and managed a dink. Switched to jigs for nothing, tried spinnerbait & cranks for nothing. 

It's now 10:30 am, fishing is tough and the burning sun was even tougher. Temperature was creeping up and is now over 90 degrees with no wind at all. So we jetted down by the dam and started fishing with a dropshot rig. Managed to catch 2.5 lbr on the first cast of the dropshotted Roboworm, but that was about it.

It is at noon time when we decided that we had suffered enough, not just from the heat but also from the frustration of the a tough day of fishing. We leave Lake El Capitan with the air temp at 97 degrees and water temp at 73 degrees. I ended up with a couple of fish and Steve got none. It may not have been a good day of fishing, but it was still fun just being out there enjoying the sport that I love.

Bass Fishing Tips

The best time for bass fishing is in the mornings and evenings inside three days before & after a full moon. I like to fish submerge structures and points. Bass loves points because it is easy access from shallow water to deep water.

When bass fishing, look for big flat areas around the lake and start throwing crankbaits and spinnerbaits early in the morning. Then, look for structures on the water such as submerge boulders, trees, weeds, etc.. Bass use these structures to hide in to ambush prey.

Fishing - Santee Lakes 4 & 5

After a stressful week of work, I decided to do some fishing for relaxation the next day which is Saturday. Got up early and decided fish Santee Lakes that morning.

Got to the lake around 6:15 am when the sun is just coming up. Headed straight to Lake 5. Started out throwing some topwater bait, but to no luck. Walked to the other side of the lake and saw some fish busting the surface. Rigged up a fluke in shad color weightless. Cast out, jerk..jerk..and BAM!!! fish on. Got the fish in a solid 2.5 lbr. Continued fishing the fluke for a couple of hours just walking around the lake and managed a couple of more. After a couple of hours on Lake 5, decided to try Lake 4. Saw a guy catch a fish with a spinnerbait, sadly, I didn't bring any with me. So instead, I tied on a crankbait in sexy shad color. With the second cast of the crankbait, fish on. Stuck with the crankbait for an hour, but that was the only fish I caugh with it.

After 4 hours of fishing, I decided to call it the day because it was starting to get pretty hot and I promised my wife that I would to a barbeque party with her. So another fine day of fishing.

Yellowtail Fishing: La Jolla Kelp

Got out on Sunday morning  for some calico fishing at La Jolla kelp beds. Launched at about 5:30 am with a my fishing bro, overcast and glassy to start. Started throwing some plastic swimbaits and managed a few calicos. When the marine layer burned off, sun came up, the wind kicked in and so did the bite. 

We went out in hope of catching a few calicos, but did not expect all of the yellowtail we would see. Every cast of the swimbait there would be 2 or 3 yellowtails following it. They are not be very big, may be in the 5lb class which are the best eating anyways. My bro was using a slug while I was using a swimbait. We both managed to land 1 yellowtail each, my bro hooked what looked to be may 10-12 lb but when I was about to gaff it, it made a mad dash to the bottom, got caught on the kelp and broke off. 

If only we had know there were going to be this many yellowtails around, we would have brought some live baits. Anyways, had a lot of fun and hope to get back out again next weekend. Just hope the water stays warm like it is now, at high 70s.