Fished Puddingstone Friday night and Saturday night, both times with Kenny, Mike and a couple of other guys from the shop.
Friday night we fished the Picnic Island but we had to park down the street and walk in because they won't let you hop the gate anymore? Anyway, my day starts out lovely, first cast I hear a wretchid sound and examine my reel for the problem. I soon realized I had lost my bearing cap! Fortunately it was right by my feet and I found it with the flashlight. Absolutely everyone was fishing some kind of worm the whole night and we were hardly getting bit. At about 9:30 I switched to a black 5/8 ounce jig with a black/red brush hog trailer (I wonder where I got that idea from? :) ] to get some practice in for this winter. To my surprise, second cast I get an animate bite, set the hook and within a couple of minutes I lipped a #5.1, a personal best for me. I fished that until the park closed at 10 with one more bite around a piling. Kenny got two that night, one on a senko and one on a hula grub.
Saturday night I bought a couple more jigs and got out there. I intended to fish a jig and a worm due to last night's fish and the weather we had been having but there were fish jumping and birds diving in the overcast, stormy conditions. We fished Picnic Island for about 15 minutes before getting kicked out all together? The officer said this whole area of the lake is closed? When we asked him why he said some fishermen pissed off the sheriff. I think they just don't want to have people getting into the lake for free. So anyway we fished the finger between the Picnic Island and the Boat Rental docks. I started throwing a white buzzbait, I have never had so much as a blow up on a buzzbait but it just felt right. All of the sudden I get blasted and to my surprise the hook sticks and I land a 3#. What a rush, that thing hit it a lot harder than they hit the Pop-Rs. I periodically fished topwater, either a buzzbait or a frog, throughout the night but nothing happened. I threw a jig on the right side of the finger where the bank drops off rapidly. I was standing on a rock and fished the jig all the way in until it was directly under me in about 4 ft. of water when it gets slammed! I set the hook, took maybe three cranks and had him on a slightly submerged rock within seconds. All of the sudden, I get a true idea of what size this fish is when I see about a bowling ball sized boil as the jig comes flying vertically out of his mouth almost hitting me in the face. I just laughed it off because I'm just happy I'm getting a feel for jig fishing. One more missed bite on the jig and that was it. Kenny missed maybe 4 bites, Phil got a 2.5 and missed a nice one on a crank and Mike caught one small one on a curly tail worm. OK I'll shut up now.
Tommy

Hey, I was wondering, Have you ever had a run in with a mountain lion in the area around the RV Park? I have onlywalked through that area once and i think it will be the last. It looked at me made a loud meow and i was outta there in no time.

Right on TC your well on your way to becoming a well seasoned angler. You'll have a double digit fish before you know it. I fished the lake last week one small bass- 10" 8(. it was dead which is what I had expected from the fullmoon. I would get picked up once in awhile and they would spit my plastic instantly. Good job on that buzzbait fish too. That's with out a doubt got to be one of the biggest rushes in freshwater fishing.

During the week I fished Legg after work. It bit real good for 2 days until the colder weather rolled in. I'm kicking my self because on Tuesday evening we had a good bite going and after catching 4 fish within about 20 minutes all 12" to 2 lb stuff. I thought to myself I should probably retie my hook then I'll just catch one more first. I cast right into a branch and after a couple quick shakes my line was free. I take one look at my 6lb line and notice a few small frays. Should I re-tie, hmmm against my better, anxious to back out I'll re-tie after the next fish. What the hell was I thinking! I threw it out and of course hook a much larger fish instantly. I'm standing there getting frieght trained asking the man above for some help on getting this fish. Come on I even brought the camera today. I never even got one crank the mo as he lit up and jumped completely of the water my friends and I all let out a woooooooowwwww! As he landed he shook his one time and SNAP! Ouch F^8( that hurt.

Oh well it's better to have hooked and lost then to have never hooked at all. I caught 4 big fish this season including a 12lber which is my personal best so I can't complain.

I started fishing jigs on Friday. I fished it for an hour and I got 1 jig fish so far. It looks promising. I give it another three weeks and they will be going off on the crawdaddy. I know bait fishing sucks but it will produce when nothing esle is worth the time investement and it brings the big fish out to play.

JerryG

Oh yeah on the lions. I used to fish the area your talking about quit a bit. Never saw a lion but I was talking to one of the regulars at the time and he told me saw one the night before in that area. A few days later I was talking to a couple guys and they told me that they were fishing the same area at night and had a run in with a couger. I'm not to interested in having an encounter myself. I did see a huge taranchula in that area once. This thing was huge with lots of fur. I felt very lucky that I was watching my step that day.

JerryG

last time i went to puddingstone a week ago i went at about 6:30pm when its free and some fool wanted to beat me and my cousin up for supposedly casting over his bobber that was around the sailboat dock and halfway onto shore at night

what i didnt get it how was he using a bobbber at night when he was on shore and his pole leaning against the rail of the dock

anyway beware of the drunk idiots out there he was drunk and smoking a cigarette and was reeking up a storm when he was in my face

i was very tempted to stop by the park ranger station on the way out and report the guy

12 ft aluminum "Smally Roger"

we build mini choppers!!!
http://www.smithminichoppers.com

Andrew, I have never seen a mountain lion there, thanks for the heads up though.
Jerry, good to hear you are getting a few at Legg and Puddingstone. I have been throwing a jig for quite some time for no luck, I guess you just have to keep throwing them until you establish some confidence in them, glad to hear it didn't take long for you. Sorry to hear about that big fish!
SanDimasGuy, sorry to hear about your experience, a lot of creeps come out there at night. LOL to your comment about the bobber.
Rob, after reading your Rancho Seco post, I think I will give Mike Shaw a call real soon!

Tom Cod, that's cool you got a good one on the jig. Jigs catch bigger fish period! There's a simple formula to catch big bass. Trout plugs, jigs, and sight fish. Every time you see a big fish caught, take note of what it was caught on, I'd bet 2/3 are on jigs or trout plugs :-) Keep getting 'em.

-Rob

Good Job! I fished the lake today from mid-day until just before dark for a 8'',10'',11'',18'',20'' and 22'' Bass. Things are really starting to turn on. Jerry what days will you be at Legg lake this week?
Anthony

That's Grrrreat a 5,1 bass. I have been fishing there quite
a bit lately but have had no luck. where exactly is this finger
between the boat rental docks and picnic island is that by the
east shore entrance? And how were you working that jig. thanks

not positive but it sounds like the finger sticking out between picnicers cove and the south dam where pretty much the only lilly pads in lake are

but i may be wrong if not im gonna try that point this week

12 ft aluminum "Smally Roger"

we build mini choppers!!!
http://www.smithminichoppers.com

SanDimasGuy is right. Fish the point or the side facing the boat rental docks because thats where the least amount of weeds are and where most of the activity was. What I do is smother the jig in scent, I don't think the flavor matters much, I'm using Anise! Anyway, just shake the jig in place and then use the reel to hop it(just like the article on the freshwater page) Try a bunch of different retrieves and see what works for you.
Good Luck!!!
Tommy