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Winter 2026 Winter 2026 Hi All, I’d like to begin this issue by congratulating Anglers Marine on their longevity and continued impact on the Western bass community. Their dedication to anglers, tournaments, and the growth of our sport has made them a cornerstone of the region. We are happy to host them on the cover as we step into a new year of fishing. As we go to press, the 2026 season is just about to launch, and tournament anglers across the West are already preparing for another busy schedule. New gear, fresh patterns, and early-season opportunities will shape the months ahead. Whether you compete or simply enjoy time on the water, this season brings plenty to look forward to. January also brings the International Sportsmen’s Exposition back to Cal Expo, a key kickoff event for the year. It’s a great place to learn, connect, and see the latest products in person. The WesternBass title sponsor Fisherman’s Warehouse will be onsite with super show specials and always a shopper’s favorite, the NO SALES TAX deal. Be sure to visit the Westerbass Fish Tank there’s always giant fish to see! Please enjoy this issue with a highlight of some of the new gear for the new year and as always we encourage you to support the sponsors who support you. Their commitment helps keep the WesternBass website, magazine and forums and socials strong and our fishing community growing. Tight Lines, Wayne
Fall 2025
Fall 2025 Fall marks the close of another exciting tournament season and brings with it the much-anticipated Tournament of Champions events. It’s hard to believe how fast the year has flown by! This season may have spared us the chaos of recent years—no COVID shutdowns, supply chain nightmares, or extreme water levels—but it brought a new challenge for California anglers: Golden Mussel restrictions and launch closures. These invasive species continue to disrupt fisheries across the state, with recent restrictions at Diamond Valley Lake (DVL) underscoring the ongoing impact. That said, there was a silver lining for Delta and Clear Lake anglers: the introduction of the Golden Mussel Region by Randy Pringle at Best Bass Tournaments (BBT). His forward-thinking solution allowed for localized, single-area launch team opens at venues affected by broader closures. We appreciate the continued innovation and commitment to the sport—thank you, Randy. On a more exciting note, shipments of new gear from ICAST 2025 have already begun arriving! It’s always a thrill to see what’s coming next, and you can check out many of the latest product releases from online at Fisherman’s Warehouse—our WesternBass advertisers are rolling out some serious game-changers. Tight Lines
Summer 2025
Summer 2025 Hi All, Topwater, six-hour tournaments in California, and ICAST – it all screams summer and while we are used to an FLW or MLF Western Division tournament circuit stop on the California Delta this time of year, for 2025 it was missing. Fortunately, Mark Lassagne and the BAM Trail stepped in and brought those of us that call the tidal water of the West an event. I would like to congratulate Ish Monroe on his win at the Pro/Am event! Quite an accomplishment! Ish has been one of longtime WesternBass supporters and well as one of the Fisherman’s Warehouse pro staff (a WesternBass title sponsor), so it was great to hear that the Fisherman’s Warehouse exclusive color Missile Baits D Bomb in Rotten Tomato played such a big factor in his win! While summer kicks off and we get ready to head to ICAST, we once again ask that the WesternBass readers support the advertisers that allow us to bring this digital mag as well as the site to you for free! We appreciate them and you! Tight Lines Wayne

Forums

Forum Last Post
Main Forums
Fishing
2026 Snag Proof? by WB Staff Fri Feb 6, 2026 3:56 pm
Tournaments
Electronics Product Forum
Humminbird 9 , hub , bbt gimbal by Whoopbass Sat Jan 10, 2026 6:34 pm
Photos
Teener Alert 14.35 by WB Staff Fri Feb 6, 2026 6:19 am
Swim Baits
Kayaks and Kick Boats
Stripers
Striper fly fishing by Swimbaitspence Wed Jul 2, 2025 6:41 pm

Classifieds

ClassifiedsLast PostClassifiedsLast Post
Boats - Motors - Trailers
2006 skeeter 20i 2015 Yamaha 250 sho by Vang27 Fri Feb 6, 2026 4:05 pm
Marine Accessories
Fury 26p prop by fisherman84 Fri Feb 6, 2026 10:08 am
Electric Motors Miscellaneous
Electronics
Humminbird Mega Live for sale by BClay Fri Feb 6, 2026 1:33 pm
Rods & Reels
For Sale : Dobyns Xtasy 723SF by dfishing1 Thu Feb 5, 2026 9:49 pm
Hard Baits
Lucky Craft RC 1.5 by jerrysfishing Sun Feb 1, 2026 2:52 pm
Soft Baits
Deps Sakamata Shad Lot by Pablo19 Wed Jan 14, 2026 7:11 pm
Kayak Classifieds Terminal Tackle
selling my EGO S2 clear rubber net by chevy5099 Mon Jan 26, 2026 11:39 am
Lodging & Property
Clear Lake vacation rentals by adamcera Mon Sep 29, 2025 2:27 pm
Tow Vehicles
Wanted to buy mid size pickup by Dfowler Wed Oct 15, 2025 7:11 pm

Recent Forum

What magats voted for by jiggin4bass Fri Feb 6, 2026 4:21 pm
2006 skeeter 20i 2015 Yamaha 250 sho by Vang27 Fri Feb 6, 2026 4:05 pm
2026 Snag Proof? by WB Staff Fri Feb 6, 2026 3:56 pm
Epstein files by monte300 Fri Feb 6, 2026 3:31 pm

Industry Press Releases

WORLD BASS ENTERPRISES UNVEILS “THE CHAMPIONS” TOURNAMENT
WORLD BASS ENTERPRISES UNVEILS “THE CHAMPIONS” TOURNAMENT RECORD-SETTING $3 MILLION PURSE
2025 Collegiate Bass Fishing Series
2025 Collegiate Bass Fishing Series In the latest mid-season rankings review for theSchool of the Year presented by Abu Garcia, the ACA highlights teams ranked 6-15.
101 anglers set to compete on 2026 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series
101 anglers set to compete on 2026 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series Coming off the heels of a record-breaking 2025 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series season that awarded 11 century belts, saw four-first time champions (two of which were members of the 2025 rookie class) and garnered over 183 million social media impressions, B.A.S.S. has announced the 101-angler field for an exciting 2026 Elite Series season.
MLF Announces 2026 Forward-Facing Sonar Restrictions Across All Circuits
MLF Announces 2026 Forward-Facing Sonar Restrictions Across All Circuits MLF announces new 2026 forward facing sonar restrictions across all circuits aiming to balance technology with traditional skills for more dynamic competition
NPFL 2026 Full Roster Released
NPFL 2026 Full Roster Released NPFL confirms its biggest 2026 field yet with 130 anglers but leaves room for select applicants See the full list and how to join

Lake Reports

Clear Lake
Clear Lake By Fishing Report from Clear Lake in the Golden Mussel tournament with the two teams with over 40 pound bags... Clear Lake produced a wide range of results, with many anglers struggling to catch limits while others were able to connect with trophy-class bass. Conditions were difficult enough that 8 of the 25 boats reportedly blanked, and many anglers returned with only small bags of roughly 5 to 13 pounds. Despite the tough bite, Clear Lake still showed its reputation as a true big-fish lake, with multiple double-digit largemouth caught during the day. The most consistent success came from anglers who reported staying mobile and avoided sitting in one spot too long. Rather than camping on a single area, productive teams focused on covering water and cycling through key stretches repeatedly throughout the day. A common approach was catching one or two fish, leaving the area, and returning 20 to 30 minutes later to fish the same zone again after it had time to reset. This rotation helped keep fish active and prevented burning out the area. Most of the top fish were caught using minnow-style presentations. The top three teams referenced shaking a minnow as the primary method, using 4 to 5 inch minnow baits. The key detail mentioned was getting fish to move in close and commit, suggesting fish were present but not always aggressive. Some of the biggest bites came from fish that followed up and ate after multiple casts and persistence. Best Techniques & Baits Minnow-style baits were the most consistently mentioned producer, especially in the 4 to 5 inch range. The most effective presentation was shaking the bait to trigger reaction and follow-up bites. Success also came from repeatedly cycling through productive areas and making multiple passes, rather than relying on one spot. Anglers noted that a crankbait was not needed for these conditions, and that staying with the minnow approach was more reliable. Full Results https://www.westernbass.com/forum/post707031.html#p707031
Don Pedro Lake
Don Pedro Lake By Don Pedro Fishing Report Jan 29 and 30 With Fisherman's Warehouse pro John Myers Late-week conditions in the Don Pedro area leaned classic winter. Thursday, January 29, 2026 brought a cool morning near 38°F with an afternoon high around 62°F. Friday, January 30, 2026 warmed slightly, starting near 42°F and topping out around 67°F. Fishing Thursday and Friday, John Myer focused on deep water and subtle structure, adjusting locations rather than techniques to stay on active fish. His two-day trip to Don Pedro Reservoir revealed a clear pattern that rewarded patience, bottom contact, and an extremely slow presentation. On Thursday, the most productive water was found in the back of a creek arm. Fishing depths ranged from approximately 40- to 50-feet, where largemouth bass were the primary catch. John caught seven fish total that day, including three bass that weighed over three pounds. He also spent time fishing main-lake areas and points, where he caught some spotted bass, although those fish were smaller in size compared to the largemouth in the creek. The most effective approach on the first day involved casting into deeper water and dragging the bait uphill along the bottom. The retrieve speed was critical, as the bait needed to be moved extremely slowly to generate bites. Fish were caught on both a Dry Creek tube and a Keitech jig using this method. The tube was rigged with a 1/4-ounce weight for consistent contact with the bottom. The Keitech jig paired with a Yamamoto Cowboy trailer using the larger profile. Most of the fish came from maintaining bottom contact and resisting the urge to move the bait quickly. Based on the size and number of fish caught on Thursday, John estimated that his best five fish would have weighed between 13- and 14-pounds. On Friday, John again began fishing in the back of the creek and had early success using the jig. As the day progressed, he moved out to deeper water in the 50-feett range but was unable to generate bites in that zone. Instead of staying in unproductive water, he adjusted by targeting island tops and similar structure. Using the same presentation of casting into deeper water and dragging the bait uphill, he began catching fish consistently again. On Friday, the tube became the most productive bait, producing several fish in succession. By the end of the day, his fishing partner estimated that John caught approximately 16 fish compared to two for the partner. The difference was attributed to weight selection, as the lighter 1/8-ounce tube head used by the partner did not maintain bottom contact effectively. The 1/4-ounce tube allowed the bait to tick the bottom rather than swim above it. Although the number of bites increased on Friday, the average size of the fish was smaller. John estimated his best five fish that day would have weighed closer to 12-pounds. He also noted that the fish were positioned shallower compared to the previous day, while the deeper fifty-foot water remained largely unproductive. Line selection played an important role in detecting subtle bites. On spinning gear, John used 10-pound P-Line Tactical No-Fade braid with an 8-pound P-Line Tactical leader. On baitcasting gear, he used 14-pound P-Line Tactical line while fishing the jig. Throughout the trip, John used forward-facing sonar and observed a number of fish that appeared to be crappie. He indicated that he plans to target those fish on a future trip.

From the Blogs

Folsom Lake Fishing Report By RB Bass Outdoors Angler Brian Mackinnon
Folsom Lake Fishing Report By RB Bass Outdoors Angler Brian Mackinnon By

Folsom Lake Fishing Report Water Temp: mornings 48 degrees – afternoon 50 degrees Wind: light breeze Fishing on points, rock piles and ledges. Catching fish on a wide variety of baits but strolling a minnow has been a go to. See what all information RB Bass Outdoors angler Brian Mackinnon shares to help make your […]

The post Folsom Lake Fishing Report By RB Bass Outdoors Angler Brian Mackinnon first appeared on RB Bass Fishing.