West Coast fishing legend casts some deep thoughts

I was supposed to fish with him while I was in southern California, but family issues took precedence. I was eager to tie into a jumbo California largemouth, but it would have to wait for another time.

There have been countless others who had gone to learn at the feet of an angling master and left with suitcases full of knowledge and breathtaking stories.

Bill Siementel figured out a technique that has earned him accolades from bass fishermen across this country as well as in Japan.

Living just a stone's throw from famous Lake Castaic, not far from Los Angeles, Siementel lives and breathes big bass. And most of his catches come on baits that are so big that a normal, everyday angler would rarely use them for fear of developing tendinitis from repeated casts.

Bill was a guest on my outdoor talk show last weekend and he went on for almost an hour explaining how he "attacks" a lake or reservoir in his search for big bass. He wasn't talking about the 2- to 5-pound largemouth, but rather those famous brutes that go over 10 pounds and are taken from the deep waters of the California reservoirs.

Unlike the lakes in our region, many of the reservoirs in California are surrounded by high bluffs, and some boast depths over 200 feet.

Siementel fishes many of these big-bass hangouts, and he has produced a few books and DVDs demonstrating the techniques that have made him an authority on big largemouth bass.

One method involves casting jumbo lures to deeper water and retrieving back toward the shoreline weed areas. Bill proved that the bigger fish have a tendency to "trap" baitfish against the weeds while chasing the forage into shallow water from the deeper dropoffs, or break lines.

"I know you took some shots at the pro bass guys, Jackson," he said, "but what you stated about a large number of them working the banks for bass is pretty much the way it's been for many years."

So Siementel reverses that process by positioning his boat near a shallow drop-off and makes a longer cast to deeper water. He said he's proven his theory many times when monster fish went after the big baits like there's no tomorrow, all while chasing baitfish into the weeds.

More than 10 years ago, Spence Petros took a trip to Bill's home lake to test a huge tube jig, which subsequently became known as the Lindy Tiger Tube. The Tubes caught big bass suspended over mid-lake humps as well as the deeper structure Siementel loves to plumb just off a break line.

I suspect some of you have read and have seen pictures of Bill's exploits with the big bass. He's been featured in North American Fisherman as well as In Fisherman.

The tactics Bill preaches seem to be invaluable. But if that's the case, I asked him, why aren't some of the hotshot bass pros not jumping on the bandwagon to find bigger fish?

He told me many of the pros are slow to make changes, even though they do OK on the circuits. He admitted some guys try the techniques, but old ways are tough to break.

I wonder if the "bank-chunkers" could adapt a bit and try something that's been highly successful on the west coast. Perhaps they could help start a new movement that would turn into a deep-water revolution.

Report: worst season ever for Iowa pheasant hunting

Upland bird hunters who head to Iowa may be shocked to learn that state game officials there report the last pheasant season was the worst on record.

Iowa, like South Dakota, had been one of the prime locales for Illinois hunters to have an almost guaranteed bag limit of rooster pheasants in the past, but the bag takes have been steadily declining. Biologists blame the drop on the conversion of habitat to cropland with poor nesting conditions tossed in as well.

Fishing report

Fox Chain: With the addition of rain and faster current conditions, some anglers on the Fox Chain have discovered better conditions for taking bigger walleyes, especially on Pistakee and Petite lakes. Trollers are picking up fish in the 10-foot to 12-foot range. Lake Catherine muskies have become more active with fish spotted right on the outside weed edges.

Fox River: Be careful when working this river for smallmouth. Wait a couple days for the current to settle down because of the rain. You will find some smallie action close to the shorelines at Elgin.

Lake Michigan: The perch bite is picking up at Chicago and Waukegan locations. The coho action is good out of Winthrop Harbor and Waukegan, while the kings and coho are hitting off of Chicago but seem to be suspended in deep water.

• Mike Jackson can be reached via e-mail at angler@mikejacksonoutdoors.com, and you can catch his radio program 6-7 a.m. Sundays on WSBC 1240-AM.