Castaic Bass Club Blog

July Meeting

We spent more time on the August, Santa Margarita tournament then we did on the July tournament at Castaic that was coming up in just 3 days.  Oh well, we all know Castaic SO well, I guess we just didn’t need to spend time on it.  We are booked in with more then enough campsites and a couple of the members are sharing cabins.  These cabins are very well equipped and limited so if you are just learning about them, you maybe too late. The club is not making any of the arrangements for the cabins so you are on your own.  We are fortunate in that John Barron will be the guest speaker at out August meeting.  Not only is John an accomplished angler but he was virtually raise on Lake Santa Margarita and maintains a residence in the area still.
On a personal note, September is likely to be my last meeting.  That means the club will be needing a Treasurer and someone to write the newsletter.  Think it over.  If you want to help the club let Mike Iljin or one of the other board members know.

Tournament Results

Again, great weather. What a drag. It makes it difficult to complain or have excuses for not finding fish. Oh well, it’s just the burden we have to live with here in Southern California.  Anyway, lots of boats and lots of fish and good conditions made for a good tournament.  First place when to J&J Fishing, Jeff  Jue and Jessie Benavidez with a Langer Limit of 11.82 pounds and Jeff again had to tournament Big Fish at 4.86 pounds.  Mark Poulson and Chuck Valenzuela also had 4 fish.  Theirs weighed 9.35 pounds and was good enough for Second place.  In Third were Nick Langer (creator of the world famous Langer Limit) and Tony Franks with another limit, this one was 8.97 pounds.

Mike’s

As you know, Mike is currently vanquished to the beaches of Maui being forced to endure the beautiful surf  and snorkeling conditions.  I, therefore, took it upon myself to step up and write something profound in his place.  Actually I think it is important to say something about the Mike Hart situation.  If you are unaware, Mike Hart, a local angler, was Banned for Life From all WON Bass Tournaments.  A few of our members have suggested possible consequences of this occurrence to me with regard to Mr. Hart’s future and the residual fallout to tournament fishing at large and to our club specifically.  As far as Mr. Hart is concerned, he baited his own hook so to speak. The legal system will do whatever it does.  As to tournament fishing, this is not the first, nor unfortunately will it be the last episode of cheating here in California or anywhere else for that matter.  With regard to our club the answer is easy.  We play by the rules, we always have, we always will.  We have nothing to hide.  If the D.F.G. or any other enforcement agency wants to see what we have in our live wells, all they have to do is ask.  Frankly, speculation is fruitless at the time.  For me, I am going to just keep on fishing.

June Meeting

Our June meeting was short by design.  Once the regular meeting adjourned a group of volunteer members stayed to help create our lake schedule for 2011.  Every member of the club was advised of this special session and was invited to attend, give their input, suggestions of which there were numerous and vote.  Even if you could not attend, it was clear that you could send in your lake choices by proxy.  Before the list got posted to the website I received complaints about the new schedule.  The main complaint was ‘too many tournaments at Castaic’.  The second was the plan to have a tournament, any tournament, at the Lower Lake.  And finally, the one that bothered me the most was that the schedule was Mike Iljin’s plan and it was somehow rubber stamped by or ramrodded through the membership.   Let me address this last one first.  Mike did not even vote.  He put each month forward and asked for lake suggestions.  It is a fact that a margin of one vote resulted in an additional tournament at Castaic and not at Piru.  This was not “MIKE’S AGENDA” it was voted on by the members present at the meeting.  I guess that actually covered complaints #1 and #3.  Now let’s talk about the lower lake.  I fish it, so do many of the other members.  It is fun and it is a different body of water.  One of the tournaments there will be a family fun day after the weigh-in.  All of the member’s families will be invited for a picnic lunch on the club.  We are going to try to have kayaks available to any member who wants to use one.  It is going to be fun.   I know this is a departure from the usual newsletter and I also know that undercurrent and belly-aching occurs in every club.  If you have something to say, say it at a meeting.

Remember, the meeting in July comes early on the 8th.  See you there.

Tournament Results

I guess we can’t complain about the weather at Castaic for the June tournament unless you were counting on a marine layer in the morning for a blade bite.  That didn’t happen.  This is Castaic so as usual the wind came up in the afternoon, you can almost set your watch by it.

In the end it was Nick Langer and Chaz “Hook Setter” Valenzuela with 4 fish that weighed 14.12 pounds and included Nick’s tournament Big Fish, a very nice 6.23.  In Second place were Mike Iljin and Gary “Net Boy” Priddy with 11.59 pounds. Gary also had the second biggest fish that day with a nice 5.47 pounder (honorable mention, no money).  In third place was (you guessed it) Kevin (I wear an Extra Large Jacket) Miner and Tony Franks with another 4 fish limit at 7.95 pounds.

Mike’s

Summer is now with us and along with the extra crowds comes more heat. While it is very important to take care of our prized catch it is of greater importance to take care of ourselves.  Long hours in the sun can and will result in heat stroke. Take care of each other on the boat, remind your partner to drink PLENTY of fluids and to use sunscreen.  In most cases of heat stroke it’s already too late if you start feeling the symptoms.  Have fun in the sun but be prepared and be careful.

The Meeting

The meeting was a bit shorter than usual.  Nick Langer was scheduled to make a presentation on boating safety but due to a personal emergency he was unable to make it.  Mike Iljin brought the box of remaining Logo wear.  He is getting ready to put together an order so if you have a request, bring it to the meeting on Thursday or email it to Mike or me.  Tony Franks is checking into the KOA campgrounds for our Santa Margarita tournament.

Tournament Results

The difference between the boaters’s meeting and the actual start of the tournament was that it was dark at the meeting.  Other than that it was windy and cold at both.  Later in the day it was colder and windier.  Finally at the weigh-in it was only cold and windy.  I can say this much for Pyramid Lake, it is consistent.  Cashing in for his third tournament in a row, this time in first place was Kevin Miner and his partner, Gary Priddy with only 4 fish but a total weight of 11.02 pounds.  In second place with the only 5 fish limit of the day were Ron Licari and Calvin Matsui at 10.96 pounds.  Fishing alone was Mike Iljin who got third place with 3 fish at 7.23 pounds.  There was a rare occurrence where 2 fish came in at the same weight to split Big Fish money.  Both Mark Poulson and Kevin Miner landed 3.64 pounders.  April we are back to Pyramid again, bring a heavy jacket.

Mike’s

First off I would like to thank the club for the surprise birthday cake that was made by Shelley’s daughter Marni.  It was enjoyed by all at the Angler’s Choice tournament.

This month’s meeting will have guest speakers Steve and DeLynn Davies. This father and son team has spoken to the club on numerous occasions and they are always eager to share valuable information and tips.

I may have found another embroiderer for our club jackets, so if you are interested in buying one please let me know at the meeting.

Our 2 day event at Cachuma is fast approaching so be sure to set aside that weekend.