I got a comment yesterday @utahfishinginfo about the icon I use for my personal Twitter account. The photo is of me with a really big bluegill (by Utah standards anyway – this is not the photo in question, that is below, keep reading). The story was too long for a Twitter post so I give you the full story below.

A couple of years ago I was working on a project for a customer in Dallas. We were also working with some partners who were based locally. The owner of the partner company and I were always talking about fishing, but never really had a chance to get out together. One night while I was down there, he invited the whole team over for dinner at his beautiful, huge home in a Dallas suburb. The development was built around a private lake that had bass, bluegill, and probably other assorted warm water fishes. I couldn’t help myself with so much fishy water around so I asked him if I could borrow some gear and give it a few casts. He didn’t have much in the way of gear, just a couple of old kids Zebco poles and one heavier catfish rod with a spinning real and probably 20 pound test monofilament. I opted for the heavy rod just because it looked like the only rod I could actually cast any distance. I rummaged through his tackle box for something that would fish. I ended up with a big, chewed up, smoke gray plastic worm that I rigged Texas-style and set out from the party to make a spectacle of myself. I think most people there knew of my fishing problem, but I don’t think they knew it was this … Continue Reading

During the recent Thanksgiving holiday my family and I visited my wife’s family in Arizona. My father-in-law is an avid fisherman specializing in bass of all kinds. We usually take his boat out at least once while during a visit. This year we went to Saguaro Lake in pursuit of Yellow Bass. Up until last year I had no idea that such a fish existed. They are small and resemble a White Bass, but have a yellowish tint to them. To catch these little guys you have to find a spot where hey are grouped and jig for them. They tend to be in about 20-40 feet of water and you can really only catch them if they are on the bottom. Suspended fish are too hard to catch. The secret jig we use is a 1 oz lead weight painted white with a faint pearly fleck and a treble hook attached to the bottom. Such a simple jig has turned an amazing variety of fish in my last two trips for yellow bass including a channel cat, a largemouth bass, two bluegill and of course lots of yellow bass. Here are photos from the last trip: Possibly the smallest ever yellow bass taken on a hook. Also you can see the jig here.Photos from 2008:This is a pretty standard … Continue Reading