Catch-and-release only on bass through May
BY MIKE STEVENS
POWAY— The City of Poway officially announced a new lake-record for largemouth bass along with a congratulations to angler Jesse LaMar who knuckled down on the 14.1-pound trophy. That catch came on the heels of a 13 pounder out of Lake Hodges (along with several in the 7- to 9-pound range, a 12.3 out of Lake Murray and countless footballs from various San Diego City lakes as spring continues to take hold. LaMar reached out to Western Outdoor News when he made the catch.
I rented a boat and started doing a lap and seeing what I could find,” he said. There were big bass everywhere, hanging or cruising in packs of 4 to 8, but nothing was locked on or chasing trout. I knew they were close, but I figured it would be another week or two before the big girls settled.”
LaMar went on to say the wind picked up while making his second lap making it difficult to see much, and he got frustrated and dialed up the trolling motor to full speed in order to finish the lap and head home.
“About 15 seconds later I looked down and barely saw a silhouette of what looked like a huge tail as I was passing over it,” said LaMar. “I flipped the boat around and saw a piece of wood, so I flipped a T-rigged 4-inch Z-Man craw on 12-pound line at it. Out of the shadows, a gigantic bass came up about 3-inches from my bait and swam off. I knew she was a double-digit, I just couldn’t tell how big. I hadn’t found anything else all day, so I figured I’d work her for a minute and see how she reacted.”
LaMar flipped his bait on the bass four times, and each time she’d show interest but ultimately swim off.
“I changed my position a bit and flipped a fifth time, and she came in hot, raised her tail and inhaled my bait. I swung and the fight was on. She shot straight to the surface and jumped, but I had her pinned. Her first run took 50 to 60 feet of line, and I saw she was big, but her back was to me so I hadn’t seen her belly yet.”
According to LaMar the fish turned sideways on her third run, and he knew he had a “fish of a lifetime,” on her fourth run, the bass shot under the boat and jumped on the opposite side.
“I thought I was going to lose her, but I buried my rod in the water and kept my line from touching the boat’s hull. I got her to the boat six times, and each time she took 30 to 50 feet of line. Finally, after her sixth run, she was tired, and I brought her in and was finally able to get my net under her. She was an absolute tank, and she went 14.1 pounds beating the current lake record of 13.3.”
LaMar told WON he got into bass fishing about 9 years ago thanks to Troy Passalich who he worked with at Angler’s Choice. He taught me how to freshwater bass fish.
“The fish was caught on a T-rigged 4-inch Z-Man Turbo Craw, 12-pound Seaguar Invisx, a 3/0 Owner worm hook, 3/8-ounce weight and my Phenix M1 72MH. “To say I’m stoked is an extreme understatement. As a bass fisherman, I’ve always had two main goals. Catch a double-digit and catch a teener. The latter being something that not very many people are able to accomplish. I’m beyond grateful.”
A rep from the City of Poway commented, “Bass spawning season runs from March throughout May, and all bass are catch-and-release only during this time. The record fish was not harmed in the taking of these photos and was returned safely to the lake afterward. It was kept in the water and only pulled out for measuring. Lake staff watched the fish swim away after it was placed back in the water”