The normal start of the cold weather season begins in October and really sets in about mid-November.
Here in the Kern River Valley, that meant the Lake Isabella Trout Derby and all the prizes, fun and excitement. What happens during this time is that thousands of pounds of rainbow trout are released into the lake, offering anglers the chance to catch a tagged fish to win. That and the normal stocking programs put a lot of trout into the lake every single year.
Largemouth bass are indeed one of the biggest apex predators in fresh water, mainly in warm water lakes where trout are stocked during the colder months. The colder weather brings out the big lunkers looking for an easy trout meal or two. These big lunkers know that their next meal is only a truckload away.
Many bass anglers take total advantage of this known trout-stocking program and aggressively go after the larger lunker bass that will be feeding on a freshly stocked trout. You cannot use trout as live bait, as they are a game fish and it is illegal to use them for bait. That is why the very competitive swim bait market has evolved into the big business that it is today. There are hundreds if not thousands of big brand names competing against the little guy making lures in his garage. Never a shortage of swim baits to choose from. There are even fly-fishing anglers who have adopted extremely large furry flies that look like stocked trout, and they are very successful.
You must have the right equipment to use large swim baits and to go after lunker bass. These rods, reels, lines and other equipment cost a pretty penny, mainly because of what the equipment can do. You don’t want to be using a $40-plus lure and have it get broken off or snagged on something only to be lost. So do your research, listen to some of the pros out there posting videos and learn from their mistakes.
A good rod, reel and line will cost some cash; however, there are always marketing sales during this time of year to get more products into consumers’ hands. So, start looking for those holiday sales and take advantage of some good savings. Some of the best investments are using the proper type of lines. Braided fishing lines are the only way to go when using larger swimbaits. They are tough, have a better cut and tear resistance to them and won’t break.
There are many different types of swim baits as well: sinking, semi-sinking, floating, attached rear tails, weighted heads, double hooks, triple hooks and multiple moving joints for better swimming action. A lot of experience goes into making these lures. Now, just because it costs a lot doesn’t mean it will work the way you expect. There are different prices for different levels of experience, so please do your homework and go have some fun!
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