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[Video report, report with new photos!] Will I ever get tired of urban creek fishing? Tired of fish eager to bite, the thrill of finding a new spot smack dab in the middle of suburbia with no other anglers in sight? Tired of bass and sunfish fishing that doesn't cost me a ridiculous $12-$15 (cough Diamond Valley Lake cough) just to fish? Received a friendly tip on this new urban creek from a great fellow angler. Tales of eager bass were readily received and I quickly hit the road. The creek had recently overflowed its banks, spilling the trash of modern wasteful life across the banks and leaving gross suds in the water. Still, the fish were incredibly eager to bite. I had a hit on my first cast, with a black  Mangler 4'' swimbait  (not my favorite lure but it got the job done), then landed another on the swimbait on my second cast. Nothing amazing, just typical urban creek bass (10'' or so). I continued fishing the rest of the afternoon, catching green sunfish and l...

Secret Pond. Big Crappie. Success! Nailed on a Yamamoto Swim Senko, White.

 Hooked up with a couple of chunky largemouth bass. One of my best spring SoCal fishing outings yet. The bite has turned on and I'll be on the water!

Dynamic Lures Fishing in Action Dynamic Lures is a new company on the proverbial fishing lure block. They offer an impressive range of affordable jerkbaits and swimbaits. Based in Colorado, their products have been heavily advertised online and recently picked up by several large fishing tackle retailers, namely Bass Pro Shops, Sportsman's Wharehouse, and Cabelas. I was particularly interested in their HD Trout series of hardbait lures . After getting in touch with the company, I have several of these fine jerkbaits to show you along with them in action on video. Design These HD Trout jerkbaits are 2.25'' long and weigh in at 0.10 oz. I was most impressed with the unique patterns these lures come in. With 12 different patterns, ranging from Glimmer Trout to Fire Craw, you can be sure they have something for every water type. One of my favorite patterns they offer is the Ghost Perch, a semi-translucent brown baitfish pattern. Bass readily hit this and the Trout patterns t...

There's something about discovering a new spot on Google Maps, driving to it and actually finding it both fish-able and accessible that really turns up the adrenaline. I've scoured the Inland Empire for new spots to try within a reasonable driving distance and just recently came across a really amazing fishing location. Poles and fishing gear in the car, I hit the road, parked in a safe area, find a clear path with apparently public access, and headed in. After a 10 minute hike, I was on the water-and what a spot! Clear, clean water with very little trash on the bank (quite a difference from my usual urban creek fishing spots), and lots of great bank access. It's hard to describe in words just how exhilarating this is. For those living outside of Southern California, let me throw in a little more explanation. When living in an area of high urban density, especially in the more populated regions of Riverside, San Bernardino, etc, finding even a public park to fish in can be ...

Had a few hours to enjoy last Sunday. Not worth spending the $$$ to fish for such a short period of time at Diamond Valley Lake in Hemet. No way was I going to fight the skunk at city park lakes like Fairmount or Seccombe. Didn't care to try and catch deep water (50+ feet?) largemouth and sunfish from the shore at Lake Perris. Wasn't interested in chasing stocker trout or wild 'bows in the San Bernardino Mountains. Still, I needed a fishing fix, close by and with a fun bite. Solution? Urban creek fishing time! The action wasn't fast and furious, but I caught 4 fish of two different species (largemouth bass and green sunfish) on small jigs in a little over an hour. Hey, it's January, and I'm catching warmwater fish, I can't complain. This last one (also in the video above), put up a nice fight on 2lb test monofilament. This particular urban creek also had a lot of used fishing lure wrappers on the ground, a new find compared to the regular dirty plastic bags,...

All too often I'll go fishing and leave the resulting photos on my computer for months before uploading them. This is one of those scenarios, from a trip back in October 2011. I went hunting for bluegill at a favorite lake spot (let's call it "Hill Lake"). Had to hike in, but it was worth it. Managed to land numerous healthy bluegill on microjigs tipped with mealworms. Getting down to the water can be a challenge, especially at spots like this. I love the fight even small bluegill put up. On ultralight fishing tackle (2lb mono, spinning rod/reel), they are a blast to catch. Tight lines and Happy New Year!

I really enjoy exploring small urban creeks and runoff channels. While often covered in graffiti, heavily polluted and located in questionable locales, these concrete jungle streams can be a fishing shangri-la . Multiple species, all eager to bite and little fishing pressure keeps such trips enjoyable.  Recently, I tried out a new creek in the Inland Empire. I'll keep it a secret for now, given its small size and easy access, but I'll toss out one hint: It's all that remains of an old lake that was a popular local fishing hole. Poison oak, litter and plenty of graffiti kept the trip interesting. Oh, and so did plentiful bites from green sunfish, bluegill and small largemouth bass. Also present were numerous large common carp, but they turned up their proverbial noses at my hardbaits and microjigs. I think the only pressure this spot received was from local kids, tossing earthworms under bobbers. I didn't get to spend much time at this new-found fishing hotspot, but I...

As the weather transitions from the sweltering days of summer to the crisp, clear days of fall, bass fishing traditionally picks up. At least, that's what I told myself as I drove to yet another fishing trip this Sunday.  However, after a few hours on the water, my efforts weren't exactly paying off. I had nailed two fish, one a total dink and the other a ~1 lb fella (pictured above), but I had been dreaming of non-stop bass action and this wasn't it. The better fish was caught on a Texas-rigged Gary Yamamoto Ika , a really ugly lure that catches a lot of fish for me. Finally, as the sun set, I switched up to a Gene Larew Three-Legged topwater frog . I initially tried some Sizmic Toad Jr. frogs, but I after missing two blowups, I decided to change lures. Finally, as I was casting near some reeds, I heard the tell-tale sounds of a large fish hitting surface forage nearby. I flipped the frog out, and three seconds later- BAM! Hooked this big largemouth bass, 4 lb category, 17...

Somewhere in the San Bernardino Mountains... Fished a small lake in the San Bernardino Mountains with a friend. Beautiful scenery, crystal clear water, trout and largemouth bass. It's amazing just how idyllic a lake less than an hour away can be, with a wonderful feeling of isolation from the rat race of the IE. Little bass were all over the lake. Hit 'em on cranks, soft plastic frogs, Senko's, and a topwater BAss Pro popper. Lost a mama largemouth thanks to a thrown hook.  Also managed two rainbow trout on a micro crankbait (Strike King Bitsy Pond Minnow) of all things. This one was around 13 inches, full tail, beautiful colors. Great trip. 

Look at the date of the last post. Back to this post. Back to the last post. Now back to this post! Sadly, it's painfully obvious that updates have been few and far between as of late. Bass fishing hasn't been terribly amazing these couple of months. I have two recent trips to Diamond Valley Lake down, several to Lake Perris, and countless stops at the local city parks. Most of the bass have been fairly small and caught on jerk baits or wacky-rig soft plastics. I'll post pictures of these trips shortly. In the meantime, enjoy this short video I shot using a makeshift head cam (note to self: STEADY when filming) at a local quarry pond a little over one month ago. I'm throwing a Strike Kind Bitsy Pond Minnow, one of my favorite micro cranks, on 4lb test. I mostly caught chunky green sunfish, but a few largies came along for the ride as well. Enjoy the video! Anything is possible when you go fishing.

Look at the date of the last post. Back to this post. Back to the last post. Now back to this post! Sadly, it's painfully obvious that updates have been few and far between as of late. Bass fishing hasn't been terribly amazing these couple of months. I have two recent trips to Diamond Valley Lake down, several to Lake Perris, and countless stops at the local city parks. Most of the bass have been fairly small and caught on jerk baits or wacky-rig soft plastics. I'll post pictures of these trips shortly. In the meantime, enjoy this short video I shot using a makeshift head cam (note to self: STEADY when filming) at a local quarry pond a little over one month ago. I'm throwing a Strike Kind Bitsy Pond Minnow, one of my favorite micro cranks, on 4lb test. I mostly caught chunky green sunfish, but a few largies came along for the ride as well. Enjoy the video! Anything is possible when you go fishing.

Despite my astounding lack of updates to this blog, I have been fishing. Unfortunately, the bass bite hasn't been the best for me as of late. Still, whenever that happens, I turn over to my friends the sunfish. Fishing at dusk with topwaters is my preferred method for angling for sunfish. While they don't inhale a lure with quite as much strength as a beasty largemouth bass, they are certainly plentiful and fun! Dry flys, homemade topwater jigs, Yo-Zuri lures and soft plastics have all been my go-to lures for these plate-shaped fish.   Check out the fantastic colors on this Fairmount Park sunfish I landed! Here's a few more fun bluegill from the last few weeks. While I haven't been doing too stellar on the bass, I did manage this hefty chunk from Fairmount Park in Riverside, California. I didn't get to weight it, but it was around 15'' long. Got him right near the bank on a senko, far side, and he put up a super fight before I landed him. Here is one of my ...