San Diego & SoCal Fishing Forums

With a very hot day ahead, I was going to stay home but decided to go to Murray. Finally got on the water a little after 7am and messed around trying to catch one of the bass chasing shad along the surface. It was next to impossible as those little buggers were up and down quickly but did pick up some on small baits and a clone fry I found in my boat after no luck on small hard baits. After wearing my arm out on top water teasers, I went to plastics and picked up a few small bass mostly clones. After trying a number of craw and creature baits, I tied on a Junebug colored Yamamoto DT Hula Grub and started working it. I had a little bad luck at first after getting bit as I lost one in the 4lb range on the second jump which was a bummer. Twenty minutes later, felt a tap, set the hook and the fight was on. Even despite keeping my rod tip down this bass also made two jumps and it was nerve racking and it kept pulling out drag and I just kept telling myself don't lose this one and finally landed it. The mouth was huge and it looked like it weighed more (probably compared to other bass I was catching), but tipped the scale just over 7lbs.
I was jazzed to say the least and after catching another clone I decided to head home before I melt.

A better chance to catch those tiny and small surface busters
is to use small baits like this, tiny flukes etc. Other small bass are hitting plastic worms
And trying something a little different is a gamble...but may pay off. (Same fish another pic)

Congratulations Vinny! Amazing Catch! These are the rewards of the grind.

Nicely done! Them biggins know how to shake a hook.

VB am I seeing that DT hula jig pinned on a weedless ned rig?

JWall wrote: Thu Aug 21, 2025 5:54 pm VB am I seeing that DT hula jig pinned on a weedless ned rig?

Why, yes you are!
And those little weedless weighted Ned rigs
work well with craw baits also. I like putting
Googan Krackin craws and Strike King Rage
craws on them.

VinnyBass wrote: Thu Aug 21, 2025 5:59 pm

JWall wrote: Thu Aug 21, 2025 5:54 pm VB am I seeing that DT hula jig pinned on a weedless ned rig?

Why, yes you are!
And those little weedless weighted Ned rigs
work well with craw baits also. I like putting
Googan Krackin craws and Strike King Rage
craws on them.

Brilliant. As usual. Thx!

JWall wrote: Thu Aug 21, 2025 6:05 pm

VinnyBass wrote: Thu Aug 21, 2025 5:59 pm

JWall wrote: Thu Aug 21, 2025 5:54 pm VB am I seeing that DT hula jig pinned on a weedless ned rig?

Why, yes you are!
And those little weedless weighted Ned rigs
work well with craw baits also. I like putting
Googan Krackin craws and Strike King Rage
craws on them.

Brilliant. As usual. Thx!

Not brilliant….. just lots of trial and error fishing through the years. I have a big problem that gets very costly by buying lots of stuff(baits) that I really don’t need. If I just stuck to the basics, I probably would be better off and have a thicker wallet..ha ha

Awesome job Vini my dad just pulled out some hula grubs other day that’s cool u guys and your weird baits I’ve been throwing creatures a lot lately

What's with the bobber stoppers?

I saw a website where they can make you taller by cutting a section of your femur and adding cadaver Bone. Perhaps they can do that to your arm so you can take full shots of those big Bass you are constantly harassing.

Dfishin wrote: Thu Aug 21, 2025 7:07 pm What's with the bobber stoppers?

I have a lot of rods on the deck of my boat and probably was throwing a Texas rig with that fishing rod at a previous time. Actually a number of my rods have bobber stops on the line and often I just slide them up to line a little so I don’t have to put new ones on if I change baits to a Texas rig.

robert_smith wrote: Thu Aug 21, 2025 7:00 pm Awesome job Vini my dad just pulled out some hula grubs other day that’s cool u guys and your weird baits I’ve been throwing creatures a lot lately

Yeah, I started using brush hogs last year again and that definitely is a bait from the past….but I have caught some nice fish on them and that little double tail grub is a little bit more recent…. but I usually forget to try them, having so many other baits to throw.

VinnyBass wrote: Thu Aug 21, 2025 5:59 pm

JWall wrote: Thu Aug 21, 2025 5:54 pm VB am I seeing that DT hula jig pinned on a weedless ned rig?

I
Why, yes you are!
And those little weedless weighted Ned rigs
work well with craw baits also. I like putting
Googan Krackin craws and Strike King Rage
craws on them.
Screenshot 2025-08-22 at 7.22.07 AM.png

I found a pack of those Ned heads and a pack craws on the ground last time I was there picking up trash

Nice work Vinny!

CorsoEnthusiast wrote: Fri Aug 22, 2025 9:11 am Nice work Vinny!

Thank you…..what would be sure nice If in the winter time we could both pick up some nice ones on those Tiny Klashes. One can only dream.

Congrats Vinny! Primo angling for a chunky bass.

Nice Bucket Mouth! Looks bigger than 7 in the pics. WTG!!

KillinTime wrote: Fri Aug 22, 2025 5:27 pm Nice Bucket Mouth! Looks bigger than 7 in the pics. WTG!!

Well pics can make a bass look bigger but being honest about the weight of the bass is what I feel is most important. I just rather be honest about the weight of a bass no matter what the pic looks like, then to BS that a bass is bigger than it is.
Heck, a few years ago I caught a 9 1/2lb bass. at Sutherland and the pic looked like it went 11, but I posted the correctweight even though I wanted it to be a double digit. I guess I am just weird about things like that or the way I was brought up. I know there may be a few guys out there(especially on the old site) that might stretch the truth on the weight of a bass and even hold the bass closer to the camera trying to make it look bigger and actually saying it was bigger than it was......but that is something that I have no control over.
Sorry to ramble on so much.
Anyway…Tight lines to ya.

Dfishin wrote: Thu Aug 21, 2025 7:07 pm What's with the bobber stoppers?

He has a bobber stopper addiction !

Mcfish wrote: Fri Aug 22, 2025 8:04 pm

Dfishin wrote: Thu Aug 21, 2025 7:07 pm What's with the bobber stoppers?

He has a bobber stopper addiction !

That is so funny because i just for a multi pack of them yesterday from Tackle Warehouse.