Saltwater Fishing - Helping you catch that fish of a lifetime
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| Previous Lake Record Shattered as Big Bass is Reeled in This Weekend
3/8/11 - A Fresno fisherman reeled in a verified record-breaker bass yesterday at Santa Margarita Lake.
Big bass come to those who wait and Joe Alanis has been waiting for a double digit catch like this since his fishing career began in 1982. After his day on the water this past Sunday his wait for a personal best in the teens came to end as Alanis landed a 14.39 monster that shattered the standing lake record on the waterway that is also known as California’s Salinas Reservoir.
Alanis, his brother Richard and fishin' buddy Rick White all hit the water just after safelight for a good day of fishing, but at that point they didn’t know just how good it would turn out.
The trio of fishermen started out with reaction baits that weren’t producing much but soon changed gears and slowing it way down. It seemed to do the trick and the bass began to bite. They quickly landed over a dozen keepers ranging from 2 ½ to 5 lbs.
Entering a cove with a flat, grassy area Alanis casted out the Texas rigged, purple, 6-inch Pro Worm he had been using throughout the midday. He targeted a break in about 5-feet of water, 10-feet off the bank.
As the day began to wind into the 1:00 o’clock hour, Alanis noticed the “tiny kick” he had felt with all the other bites; however, this one took a twist when he set the hook and his catch began strippin’ line and heading into the nearby tules, feeling like a rock.
Explaining he knew it was big, but not how big, Alanis stated, “After I saw it come up and roll, I was pretty worried because I had on 6# test and I thought there was good chance it would break off.” Crediting the gear he was working with a GLX 783 spinning rod and a Shimano Stella spinning reel for helping him land the lake record he said, “My reel worked great, the drag was set good and the Berkley 100% fluorocarbon held.”
Saying the area he was in was covered with obstacles for the fish to hang up on Alanis described the fight to boat the bass saying, “It took me at least three minutes to fight her in; I had to wrench hard to keep her away from the structure and I finally got her into deeper water and yelled it was time for the net.”
Getting a good look at what Alanis just put in the boat, they guys decided they needed to get an official weight. They blazed back to the Marina and were directed to the Ranger Station where the lake record was confirmed.
Alanis said he and his friends were "just ecstatic", but it was especially satisfying for him as he was in the company of another lake record holder. His fishin’ buddy White pulled out the 9.25 spotted bass that earned the lake record at McClure last February.
Saying there was no way to top this trip, they called it a day after taking measurements for a replica mount and releasing the big bass back to its home.
Alanis is a member of the Fresno Bass Club. He is sponsored by Pro Worms and HardCore Bass Fishing. Before yesterday his PB was 8.93, quite the come-up. Congratulations Joe and continued success on the water.
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