Hooked Up

Given today’s gas prices, a fishing trip to Lake Kaweah has taken on a whole new perspective for boat owners and bass boat owners, in particular. It’s not so much the expense of running the boat while on the lake, because bass boat fishermen only intermittently crank up their boats to get from point to point. What makes it expensive for all boat owners is the investment in an SUV or pick-up whose power is needed to haul the boat up the road and to the second landing of the lake and to other lakes in the South Valley Region. To this point, I’ve yet to see a fuel economy vehicle hauling a Skeeter, Ranger, or BassCat.

Through all this, the Visalia Bass Club, which started back in the 1980’s, still continues to grow strong. This is one group that definitely has a corner on the bass boat market. The only thing that can dampen the “fishing for bass obsession” is the Central Valley heat. If you’re new to this area, August and into September are son-of-gun months because it’s so darn hot. This has already caused the Visalia Bass Fishing Club to turn to plan “B,” holding its bass tournaments in the relative coolness of the night.

I asked Scott Thompson, president of the Visalia Bass Club, about night fishing on Lake Kaweah. The Visalia Bass Tournament hours are from 7 p.m. to 1a.m. and the main difference between fishing at night and fishing during the day is the light used that is directed to the shore from the side of the boat. I have seen this method used with great success on overnight barges in the ocean, because the light tends to attract bait fish. Scott says that while balls of bait fish are attracted to the light and are readily visible on the boats’ electronic fish finders, the main objective is to fish as much shoreline as possible, in much the same manner as you would fish during the day. For this reason, the light helps. As for the best time to fish, this is something that really depends on your lifestyle. If you’re retired like Terry Hamlin, a Kaweah Lake fishing legend, you can get up at sun-rise and be done by 10 am and back at the Rack Em Up Tackle Shop in Lemon Cove swapping stories with Dana McGriff, the store owner, and another knowledgeable and very accessible bass fisherman.

The Visalia Bass Club has anywhere from 30-45 teams per tournament in which most members are from 4 counties (Tulare, Kings, Fresno, and Kern). One of the interesting things about the bass club is that it doesn’t hold meetings. The club has over 100 members, most of whom are active. To join, just pay when you sign up at a tournament. The club holds 11 team tournaments a year. Their primary lake is Kaweah Lake, with 2-3 of the tournaments held at other lakes. The first 3 tournaments, Jan-March, are fun tournaments. April thru November are the point tournaments, where the top 10 teams participate in a 1 day Fish-Off. New members are welcome at any time throughout the year. There is room for boat owners and non-boat owner fishermen. If you’re a bass fisherman without a boat, Scott Thompson will help find a boat that needs a person like you. This makes the Visalia Bass Fishing Club one of the most accessible in the region. For more information, please contact Scott Thompson at (559)739-2863.