Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! Just received these sweet custom-painted lures, plus a new GoPro! 

Expect plenty of HD fishing footage soon!

Fall Fishing at Silverwood for Trout Video

Hiked the shoreline of Silverwood during a trip this November. The striper action wasn't happening from the shore, but I did tie into this nice rainbow trout. Scenery was fantastic and weather just right for a decent hike.

BlurFix HD Budget Action Camera Review

[Update: 7/4/2013: I've been using this camera off and on since the review and it finally died on me. Couldn't get it to boot up or reset. I've noticed a lot of different companies carrying this camera, from Polaroid to Vivitar and several others. Prices range from $40 to $100. Great set of accessories, some decent underwater footage, but poor battery life and reliability make this not the best choice for action cameras].
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Are you looking for an alternative to GoPro, Contour, Sony, and other incredibly expensive action cameras? The BlurFix HD camera may be one such option. Selling for only $149 and coming with a load of accessories, BlurFix is definitely opening new territory in the budget action camera market. I’ve just finished taking my BlurFix on a load of fishing trips, putting its waterproof housing to good use in a variety of situations and I have a full review of this little camera. Sit back, check out the BlurFix fishing video footage, and read on!
(Videos and review after the jump)

Chinese Clone Lures Twitter

Ever wondered if those cheap eBay lures from China are worth it? Check out my newly-launched Twitter page for HuntingTheRiverKing. I'll be posting the latest random Chinese lures that I've tried out. Expect everything from the best to the worst, clones and uniques. Today's lure: Megabass Ito Vision 110 clone. Tight lines!

SoCal Trout Fishing Photo Box

Fishing for wild rainbow trout in the many mountain streams of Southern California has become one of my favorite pastimes. 

While I love hunting largemouth bass and other warmwater species, wild trout in crystal clear, ice-cold streams are a treat to catch like no other.

Recently, I took a new approach to photographing these fragile wild fish. 

Keeping them out of water too long for a picture unduly stresses them, making it difficult to get a nice shot. Instead, I brought along a small "trout box", a clear plastic container, filled with (on occasion) stream water, to allow the trout to calm down and get a nice photo.
(Click below for more photos after the jump)

Fall Fishing: Silverwood Stripers Video

I fished the dusk bite at Silverwood Reservoir on an evening in October and had a blast. The boils were not as numerous as I had hoped, however, the topwater bite was still on. A cold wind made the water surface somewhat choppy, probably hurting action. Even still, I landed three healthy striped bass, two 18''s and one smaller striper. Absolutely amazing to watch them explore on the surface, engulfing my Kinami Shad topwater lure. The trick was to fish it "Walk the Dog" style, just like you would fish a Lucky Craft Sammy. Cast, splash, twitch, pause, twitch, pause...BOOM! I can't wait to go back!

Drag-Pulling.

Urban Creek Bass Blast Video!

Earlier this year, during my urban creek rush, I re-visited a small Inland Empire creek. I had initially avoided even dropping a line in it as it didn't appeal to me.

However, I'm glad I returned. Despite the brief torrential downpour and suspicious fish, I managed to land several bass and a few green sunfish, all within a couple of hours. 

While the creek wasn't very impressive in length, it made up for it in width with several spots allowing full-range of overhead casting. 

Check out the photos and video, notice the two fish I scored towards the end on the dropshot + purple worm!

Ford Park Fishin'

Nothing crazy. Just a quick late afternoon fishing trip at Ford Park. Love this little place, even if the fish are hard to catch and usually small. Topwater action on my favorite ultralite lure, the Yo-Zuri Kilifish (the best!) and a solid largemouth on a soft plastic as well. Tight lines!

Bass and Trout Fishing in Vancouver Washington

This summer, I spent a few weeks in Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The fishing conditions were considerably different from my usual spots in SoCal. I could fish for rainbow trout, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and cutthroat trout all within a 10-15 minute drive. None of the fish I landed were huge, although I got my best cutthroat trout (14'') and a solid largemouth (2-3 pounds?) during the trip. Most of the fish were caught on soft plastics (Senkos, Yum Dingers and topwater frogs (Seizmic Toad)). It was a wonderful trip and I even landed a few odd species, like the ubiquitous freshwater sculpin, on a Yum Dinger. 

Check out the following photos and watch the video for a better idea of the fishing trips I took during this time. Watch for the topwater frog strikes in broad daylight in the video! I also took a trip up to Seattle and visited the famous Pike's fish market, shown at the end of the video. 

Bombshell Turtle Fishing Lure Review

 Perhaps you have seen the ads and banners online for Castaila Outdoor's newest creation, a soft-plastic turtle lure? Or maybe you have watched the impressive YouTube advertisement for the Bombshell Turtle, complete with a turtle in a glass, tempting hungry bass? I was skeptical but interested in this new lure and recently received a few, in two different colors.

It's recommended to fish the Bombshell Texas-Rigged and I did so as you can see in the abovevideo. You'll notice the lure doesn't have a whole lot of action, except perhaps on a quick retrieve or on a fast jerk. This is also an observation noted by Field and Stream, in their ICAST Pool video test. The lure looks great, feels very solid and durable to the touch, but seems to lack significant action in the water. Bombshell Turtle does have a nice hook slot in the bottom, allowing for easy rigging and hopefully easy hookups. I think the best application of this lure is in the spawning time, when anglers infuriate bass by dropping various predator-style lures on their beds. Artificial crayfish, frogs, bluegill, and now even turtle lures can be utilized thanks to Bombshell. I have no doubts that it should catch fish in this environment, but I tried it out over the summer, well past the spawn, without much luck for largemouth. Still, there are quite a few videos on YouTube showing anglers nailing the bass on the Bombshell Turtle, so I wouldn't rule it out too fast. 

This lure comes in a great selection of different colors, several in varied hues or mixed blends for better variation. There are 8 colors total, from Black/Silver to Softshell and Snapper. Each pack comes with 6 turtles, in a very nicely-designed bag (see above). The marketing behind this little lure is quite intense and I feel their website is worth a look, even if you aren't going to buy any lures. Castaila also makes an interesting saltwater crab lure, called the Bombshell Crab.

The Bombshell Turtle is not a terrible lure. In fact, I actually like it-I love seeing a new, unique and interesting lure design. It's quite durable, comes in nice array of colors, and has received some decent marketing online. However, I can't say I entirely recommend this lure to my readers. This is chiefly due to the limited action it has in the water. On a quick retrieve, the back fins get moving, but on a slow falls it really seems lifeless. It might work better had the paddles been more thin or angled differently. Overall, The Bombshell Turtle by Castaila Outdoors is a unique lure that may need a little more refining before I would feel very confident using it on a regular basis. Check it out today at Castaila Outdoors website!

Top Micro Ultralite Fishing Lures

Several months ago, I came across an excellent article at In-Fisherman, speaking volumes about “Might Mini Cranks.” The author discussed a wide range of tips, tactics and lures to use for ultralite anglers wanting to throw tiny cranks and jerkbaits. Since then, I've built up an ever-expanding collection of ultralite fishing lures and I wanted to take this opportunity to share with everyone what I have found. 

(Please excuse any typos in this post; it’s a fairly long one!)


Jet Tackle Lures is one of the best sources I have found of ultra cheap fishing lures in the United States. They also happen to offer a fantastic line of micro lures, perfect for ultralite anglers on a budget. While I love my expensive Yo-Zuri micros, I also maintain a collection of cheap small lures that I’m not afraid to cast near heavier cover or other snag-prone areas. Here’s their page of micro lures (web link-view ALL micro lures from Jet Tackle here) and following are profiles of several of these lures.

S3-Jetx (bottom 3) vs S4-LKA039

Catches trout too!

Tiny

Jet Tackle’s S3-JETX0002 is pretty solid little lure. Actually, it’s one of my favorite micro lures they offer, coming in at a tiny 1.2 inches (3cm). I’ve nailed a load of different sized green sunfish and other panfish on this tiny micro lure. I’ve also caught several wild rainbow trout on it from different secret SoCal creeks, thus showing off its versatility. It’s probably closest in shape to a mini Rapala, although considerably lighter. It has a fairly slow sink rate and a nice wobble on retrieve. They offer the S3-JETX0002 in 8 different colors, each for the stellar price of just $1.27. Try and beat that when you are looking for decent micro lures! It’s definitely one of the best micro lures offered by Jet Tackle and one I would urge any ultralite angler to purchase. ★★★★★

The S4-LKA039 is another tiny (1.6 inch) lure from Jet Tackle, in a mini jerkbait shape. It’s also one of the most detailed micro lures they offer and comes in a wide array of enticing colors. I have several of them in my ultralite box. It has an excellent side to side wobble, but unfortunately, it doesn’t sink fast enough to be of as much use to me as the S3-JetX. I still like it and adding a snap swivel to the front does help, but it’s mostly shallow water bait. It’s available for $1.27 as well. ★★★★


The tiniest true crankbait offered by Jet Tackle is the S4-LKA046. It’s definitely a solid shallow water crankbait, with an excellent wobble, even on faster retrieves and required little to no tuning. However, I wish it could dive a little deeper, as it is probably limited to 6 inches or less of diving depth. It’s still not a bad lure for $1.27 but it won’t replace my trusty Strike King Bitsy Pond Minnow crankbait. ★★

One of the neatest tiny topwaters offered by Jet Tackle is the S5-FLA031. It’s a typical topwater popper and looks great in the water. The S5-FLA031 comes in at a true 2 inches and pops like a pro on retrieve. I’m not worried about casting it near thick cover for bass or sunfish on my urban creek fishing trips, because at $1.27 it doesn’t hurt to lose it (well, not too much at least). Definitely one I would recommend picking up for topwater ultralite fans, one of the better lures offered by Jet Tackle. Get it! ★★★★★

( more after the jump) 

San Bernardino National Forest Steelhead! (Not So Much)

A few weeks ago, I went off the beaten path and explored a new stream in the San Bernardino National Forest. After hiking in, I came across a large, deep pool. First cast resulted in a missed strike, second cast with a micro jig was nailed-hookup! I quickly figured out that this was no small fry, as my drag was getting burned all around the pool. Took me a while to get a look at the fish, eventually it surfaced and I was very surprised. It was an extraordinarily large rainbow trout, especially for the size of this stream! A few more heart pounding moments later and I was able to land it, snag a few pictures and release it back to its water domain.

I've spent a considerable amount of time thinking about the origins of this fish. Initially, I suspected that someone had dumped a large stocked rainbow from a nearby public lake or pond into this portion of the creek. However, this fish did not have any tell-tale hatchery signs, fin clippings nor did it have the usual wear and tear of a hatchery fish. Secondly, I hooked into a similar fish just a bit downstream, of roughly the same size and markings, also in a deeper pool. I've discussed this with a few anglers who frequent the area and the general consensus is as follows: these fish are born in the tiny creek I was fishing at, then travel downstream to a large, deep section of the creek/holding pond-style area. Here, they spend their time getting fat, then eventually travel back upstream to lay their eggs, much like a sea-run steelhead would do, albeit on a smaller scale.

So, this fish isn't quite a steelhead, but it sure is doing its best to behave as one in the limited water environment of the Inland Empire! Sadly, there didn't appear to be any juvenile fish or even normal 10'' in the creek for the 1/2 mile section I explored. Hopefully these larger fish are able to spawn successfully and replenish this creek again! Catching this fish was an absolute thrill and it's really impressive to me that such a fish could survive, let alone mature to reach such a size in this small watershed. Tight lines!

Diamond Valley Lake Microbass

Wow, these pics are almost a year old! I forgot to post them on the blog, after a fun trip to Diamond Valley Lake. The fish were all dinks, largest was maybe 14'', but they were really fun to catch.  DVL is a tough lake to fish from the shore but at times it can be very rewarding!

Summer Los Angeles Trout Fishing in the Mountains

A little over one month ago, I took my longest hike into the San Gabriel Mountains. This was deep in the Angeles National Forest, and I hiked and fished to my hearts content at a tiny, secret mountain stream.

The secret creek I explored meandered between cliffs and forests, partially hidden from the intense Southern California summer heat. Gear was pretty simple: ultralite rod/spinning reel, 2lb mono, micro jigs with plastic trout worms and plenty of water.

I truly lost track of how many beautiful, wild rainbow trout I hooked and landed.
(Video and more after the jump)

Best UV Protection: Fishing Sun Sleeves Review

Geared up for wild Cutthroat Trout

Anglers, hikers and other fans of the great outdoors in California recognize the importance of protection from the sun's harmful UV rays. While some rely on the traditional sunscreen method, I really got tired of smearing it on beforehand, then watching it wash away in sweat not even halfway through the trip. Instead, I've began to rely on protective hats and clothing for my fishing trips. While companies like Simms sell high-priced sun sleeves specifically for fishing, several companies make excellent alternatives that are considerably more affordable. This article will take a look at two affordable sun sleeves, perfect for anglers and others exploring the outdoors.

SolarTex, from Virginia, offers a massive selection of UV protection clothing and related gear. Of particular interest to me was their line of UV Sleeves. Available in sizes XS to XXL, and in 6 different colors, these fitted sleeves purportedly block 98% of UVA and UVB rays, rated as 50+ UPF (ultraviolet protection factor).

Eclipse, based out of Colorado, also sells a popular sun sleeve. Approved by the Melanoma Foundation, these sleeves are also 50 + UPF, with 3 different sizes and 3 different colors available. Unique to the Eclipse sun sleeves is the wrist/finger holes at the end, allowing the sleeves to fit underneath gloves and offer some protection to the hand as well.

Eclipse Sun Sleeves

[Read on for more after the jump]

Lure Review: Triggerfish Steerable Topwater Lure

Testing Ground

ThinkTankLure’s announcement of a “steerable lure” back in 2011 at iCast was met with a great deal of enthusiasm and press coverage. Tackle Tour, InFisherman, Field and Stream, plus several other websites covered this unique topwater bait. However, since then, I haven’t heard much about the Triggerfish. Fortunately, I was able to get in touch with the folks at ThinkTankLures and I have a brand new review on this exciting topwater lure.  

Design
ThinkTankLures has basically taken the Walk-the-Dog concept to a new level with the Triggerfish. The head swings from side to side, acting as a weight to change directions of the lure as needed. Line tie is on top of the lure, not by the lip, unlike many other hardbaits. The Triggerfish features two sets of treble hooks, like most poppers and topwaters, along with a prop at the rear for greater topwater action. Finally, the Triggerfish comes in a huge selection of excellent colors. One I prefer is the Ayu Shad color, but there are many others (20 total!) for anglers to choose from.

Action
Here’s where the real fun with the Triggerfish lies-in its unique, steerable action. I’m not going to go into super detail on how to best retrieve this lure (ThinkTankLures does a fine job on their website complete with instructional video), but I will assure you that it isn’t too hard to figure out. Don’t expect this to be a straight cast and crank lure. Rather, you’ll actually take near complete control of the various directions the lure heads, using short snaps of the line to change the weighted, swinging head direction. It may sound similar to the concept behind a Zara Spook and walking the dog, but it’s taking this to a whole new level. I thoroughly enjoyed the steerable aspect of the Triggerfish. As you can see in my YouTube video below, you can easily change directions and get the lure into some pretty tight spots, or just around various bits of interesting cover. There have been a few reviews online where people discussed having a hard time using the lure-this is simply not the case if you follow the instructions on the website! It’s important to note that this is definitely not a lure to fish in weedy, the duel treble hooks will make your life miserable fast! The lure doesn’t respond like a normal hardbait, instead, it lays on its side in the water, churning up a wake with its rear prop on retrieve.



Durability
With sharp VMC hooks a solid paint job, the Triggerfish is definitely not one lure that I was worried about in the durability department. Errant casts on my part occasionally sent the lure bouncing off hard cover, but with no noticeable effect on the lure’s performance or finish.

Price
At $12.99, it’s not the cheapest topwater bait on the market. However, the high quality components and unique design really make this price look like a bargain.

Summary
I can’t recall having as much control and fun while fishing a bass lure as with the Triggerfish. The ability to control a lures direction on a topwater bait is awesome. It may not be the best topwater bait for every condition, but when you need a topwater bait to work its way around cover, or in a style rarely seen by fish, the Triggerfish is a must-have. I hope other anglers out there will have as much fun as I’ve had with the Triggerfish. Next stop? Silverwood, for early morning striper boils with ThinkTankLure’s Triggerfish-photos to come soon hopefully!