Hey Swimbait,

I don't want anyone fishing where I'm fishing!!! The 'club' tournament guys are still 'running 'n gunning', flipping to cover with conventional gear. They're hooking an horseing the dinks to the carpet. I haven't thrown any primary lure under 6" in a year. The 'followers' will hit a 7" Senko if I don't spook them as they move away from the boat.

I feel for you guys who can walk from boat to boat across a lake. I boated a 10.2 Bass (certified scale) at daylight on Memorial Day. I was dragging a 9" pearl Tsunami up a ridge. She whacked it as I bounced it over a stump. She took it tail-first and had the front hook stuck with about an inch of the bait out of her mouth.

Oh...., this was on a two-mile by fourteen-mile pond with....five, maybe six other boats on the water. Half of those were fishing for trout and crappie. There were fish fries at the boat ramp parks. I quietly weighed my Bass and put it back.

I don't catch huge numbers of big Bass like 'Super-Matt' but I have boated six Bass over ten lbs. in the last year. Can't seem to break the eleven barrier but I'm retiring in a few months and my time is coming. I'm wanting (presumptous?) to nail the State record. It's only 12lbs 2oz. (pond it came out of is eight miles from where I'm sitting) and I have six chunks of water that, for sure, have ten-plus Bass. I have lost fish that were (saw them) definitely bigger than a ten. In my mind, catching an 'eleven' here is like you California boys catching an eighteen or twenty.....Oh so close...and I can't touch it.

After I (dreaming here) nail the State record I'll post directions with GPS numbers. Until then, you fellas all need to stay South of Shasta. I have more competition than I want already.... One of those damn Crappie fishermen will probably snag a big Bass and beat me out.

Luck to all of you.

Bud in OR

Edit; I wouldn't presume to teach you guys to 'suck eggs', but until I read Bill Seimentell's book, I did not have a clue! Who would have thought retrieving a lure 'uphill' on a ridge, would make that big a difference?? Guess I'm not too old to learn. I've read the book....at least ten times.