San Diego & SoCal Fishing Forums

Have not fished the SD river since Halloween which is scary, but been pretty busy and was out of town for a bit. Went down for a morning session and morning it was as I arrived at around 8:30 a.m. The water was even greener than last time and started off working a number of reaction baits(crank baits, underspins, small glide baits, spinnerbaits). Every cast I kept hoping for something to hit and this is the time of year where things get tough so I thought to myself that if I was going to get skunked, it would be today. I then started flippin' and covered large areas with no bites. Suddenly my Tokyo rig with a double tail grub attached got tapped. I landed a bass that was not that big but healthy with a full stomach. I was relieved that the skunk was off. So I kept flippin' with different size worms and baits and finally got my second bite, and landed a bigger bass on a Texas rigged craw bait. Not much later,I was daydreaming looking at a small turtle on a log, I didn't realize a bass picked up my craw bait and boned that opportunity as the bass headed into the tulles. I was not planning to stay much longer but just had to work that craw bait some more. I flipped it over some stick ups next to some tulles and my line immediately started heading into the tulles. I set the hook hard and finally was able(and lucky) to horse out a nice healthy 4 1/4 lb bass. What was funny was each bass I caught was bigger than the one prior. Wished I could have stayed longer, but I had a bunch of errands to run. After a very slow start, it ended up being a fun morning fishing the green waters of the SD river.

Those are some chubbies! You're quite the June bug kind of guy! Snag any homeless dudes dwn there!

Mcfish wrote: Thu Nov 21, 2024 6:24 pm Those are some chubbies! You're quite the June bug kind of guy! Snag any homeless dudes dwn there!

Yeah….the June bug color has paid off a number
of times this year……and to answer your question, there were no homeless guys in the water.

Great post as always Mr Vinny! Excellent fish there.

Nice angling as usual.

You’re the Bass guy

Awesome Job! Again! ...and by the way does anyone know why it's called June Bug? I've wondered that for decades but never bothered to look into it.

In the Midwest, there is an insect called a June Bug that is very plentiful during the summer. As kids, we used to catch them, tie a thread onto one of their legs and watch them fly around (pre video game and cell phone days). As fish bait, they did not seem to work, grasshoppers were a much better choice.

https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=b ... 28&dpr=1.1

Pourboy wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2024 11:39 am Awesome Job! Again! ...and by the way does anyone know why it's called June Bug? I've wondered that for decades but never bothered to look into it.

We would take vacations back to Pennsylvania when I was a young and there would be Japanese Beetles back there. Then I remember
seeing June bugs and they were huge compared to the Japanese Beetles.
Heck the June bug does not look like anything that claims to be a June bug in baits.

Gotfish? wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2024 11:51 am In the Midwest, there is an insect called a June Bug that is very plentiful during the summer. As kids, we used to catch them, tie a thread onto one of their legs and watch them fly around (pre video game and cell phone days). As fish bait, they did not seem to work, grasshoppers were a much better choice.

https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=b ... 28&dpr=1.1

Yep the image page you shared shows what they actually look like as far as color and none of my June bug baits look like that...ha ha

I know what a june bug looks like, and it isn't anything like the bait.

Pourboy wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2024 1:25 pm I know what a june bug looks like, and it isn't anything like the bait.

....and the mystery continues on why it is called that.
The world of fishing can be strange at times.

After asking I looked it up and I found that the first reference was in 1986. Mann’s plastics made a Black Grape with Green Flake and called it that but never said why. At least that’s what I read and we know that everything you read on the internet is true. So there you go!

Of course your plastic worm does not look like a June bug insect and lucky for you that it doesn't. Fish refuse to eat them so they must taste really bad if even a fish won't eat it. Never tried one myself so this is just conjecture.

But fish have probably never tried June bugs with Parmesan cheese and butter. Parmesan cheese and butter do wonders for the taste of about anything. Would be even better if garlic was added.

https://www.bugsfeed.com/what_to_do_wit ... %20created.

June bugs are small,brown. They come around pretty much on time in June. The big green beetle is a Japanese beetle. That’s what you flew around on a string

Found this...

It looks like there are some variations of the “June bug”. there are some metallic purple and green ones. Maybe the bug turns color in different stages of life? Must have been the inspiration in the color. Especially the metallic green flake.

Anyway.....going back to use an old favorite after years of them sitting in the garage,I am glad I brought them out again as the brushhog
has been done a good job for me catching bass…..especially in the June Bug color.

The big green beetles we have in San Diego are fig beetles, not real good good at flying and tend to run into people!