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TESTING LINE & CATCHING FISH

By: Ron Wilson

June 11, 2003.... I spent last Sunday with Progressive Outdoor Marketing manufacturers' sales representative Mark Vejar. I couldn't think of a better place to take Mark to do some line and lure experimentation then Kelsey Bass Ranch. We would be testing Maxima's new fluorocarbon and possibly one of their new braided lines.

Just keep reading, and week after week you'll be amazed at how many excuses I can come up with to go fishing or hunting!

We were to meet at the Kelsey boat dock at 9 am. He caught me out in the middle of the lake when he came
over the hill and knew I had started catching a few fish without him.

Mark climbed in the boat and said, "you got here a little early, I swung by your house to pick you up but you were already gone". I kind of chuckled, because I had only been there long enough to launch the boat, catch a couple fish and make sure the boat was working ok. Its been a dog bed for several months and this was its first trip out after a good washing!

We headed over toward the dam were we caught a couple fish on flukes out in the middle before we got there, and then we started going down the bank throwing top water to soon learn that it was happening, the frog bite was on and I had forgot my frog box at home! Mark had 3 singing type frogs with him that might work good on the delta, but not what we would like to use at Kelsey's Bass Ranch.

We soon found that the fish were way back in the grass. Mark would throw braided line with the frog and mumble a little. "I don't like this brand" he said. I spooled on brand A, an experimental 65 pound test braided line. It worked ok, but just seemed like it was lacking something. After hooking a bass and reeling it in, it would take a couple of casts to get it to flow freely off the spinning reel I was using. It might have worked better on a baitcaster. By the way, if you use a baitcaster I suggest a 6 to 1 retrieve at least, because you need to get them out of the grass in a hurry!

Mark and I had ball going down the bank stroking fish after fish. It looked like some of the fish saw it coming and almost caught it in midair they struck so fast.

I had used several colors of flukes and when I put on a pink one Mark said "hey that's a neat color". As it hit the water, he must of thought it was even neater when a bass in the 4 pound class came out from under a pad and inhaled it.

After 3 hours of catching fish I suggested we take a break and eat lunch. The trees in the park are very shady and cool. It seems like only yesterday they were only twigs sticking out of the ground. Guess I've been fishing there a little longer than I thought!

We had some tri-tip that was made in Turlock by Neto's Catering, it had to be some of the best I have ever eaten, mark chomped down on it, also giving it his approval.

We hit the water again, I had a couple little honey holes that usually produce good top water fish. I spooled some more braided line on another rod to give it a try.

Mark stuck a good one in the 3 pound lass and then I followed with one about the same. We nailed a couple more quality fish and then the bite there was done. "I guess we wore out our welcome here ', Mark said.

I told Mark that brand A was still my choice of braids for a spinning rod. But you can't give a line a good test in a single day as far as I am concerned. You have to try it a couple times and then you will either like it or hate it!

This is the second time I have had Mark out to Kelsey Bass Ranch testing line, the first time was with Maxima's new fluorocarbon line. Either Mark is a much better fisherman than I am or the line is so good that it made a better fisherman out of him as he out fished me by about 3 fish to one using the same pound test line and color baits. My line was not fluorocarbon and I quickly became a believer that when in clear water you better have some with you!

Mark has more line coming. So when we try it out, we should have a better handle on what pound test works the best and how well it works overall.