Pyramid? Whole different beast. Topwater explosions from double-digit stripers, the elusive thrill of a smallmouth strike—basically, fun variety.
And then… there’s Piru.
Piru is Rodney Dangerfield in lake form—it gets no respect. If lakes had feelings, Piru would be the kid picked last in dodgeball and still show up to play the next day, smiling. It’s tucked up in the Topatopa foothills like someone tried to hide it on purpose. It's that girl at the club who’s actually an 8, in personality, but got passed up because she wasn’t bedazzled with glitter and mascara.
Still, those Northern-strain bass that swim Piru? Half the size of the Florida fatties but twice the fight—and none of the weird mood swings. It's like fishing a lake full of MMAers: lean, angry, and always ready to throw hands.
So, with our club tournament coming up, we went out to prefish on Friday. Phantom and I had Compa Chris on board—one of my favorite humans and an elite-tier fishing buddy. If you’re gonna spend eight hours chuckin' baits, you might as well do it with someone who makes you laugh even when you’re skunked. But getting skunked at Piru never happens.
Topwater was the name of the game in the morning. I tested out some new stuff, including the Micro Pompadour—a ridiculous little bait that looks like something your niece would make in arts and crafts but somehow catches fish. In fact, I got a crappie on it. A crappie! On topwater!
Once the fog lifted, I stuck with the free rig. Not because it was crushing fish. Nope—I was just too lazy to tie anything else on. And honestly, the free rig is the Jack of all Trades of bass fishing: not flashy, but man does it get several jobs done, as It slides through cover better than a Texas rig.
I’ve been running the free rig for two years now and I’ve finally got my gear dialed in. For gnarly shallow cover, Decoy makes a weight with rubber bumpers built in—so your weight doesn't karate chop your knot into oblivion. Not tungsten, but a metal blend that is better than lead. For deeper, cleaner areas, I roll with a Zappu tungsten weight. Sleek. Sexy. Gets down fast.
We wrapped the day with 60 to 70 keepers, best five went 12-13 pounds. Solid numbers. The next day? ABA tournament. Winner had… wait for it… 12 pounds.
I guess Piru just gives back when you show it a little love. Or maybe it just wanted to prove it's not the ugly duckling of the Big Three.
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