BUCKET LIST FISH on 2lb Test!

First time targeting this fish on my own and did it in the most challenging way!
Fisherman's Life St Fair going down Aug 6th, 2022 At 37th ave & Pacheco in San Francisco, CA
www.fishermans...

[@KC-nj6hx]

Just FYI, there are people in very boring desk jobs in landlocked states that watch your videos during their lunch breaks as a bit of an escape. Thanks for doing what you're doing 🙂

[@markozchang]

Go out there and fish

[@chimp9465]

save up and do it on your time off

[@thericehatwok2375]

I’ll literally go with you if you want company

[@mountainmike3242]

Not to mention how expensive it is to do anything now. Look up IBTAT(I’ve Been To A Town)That’s who I would wanna watch behind the desk.

[@forthrightnight]

and landlocked provinces. Cheers from Alberta.

[@muffinbutton7059]

Bro im not gonna sit here and get all emotional via comment but your videos are really helping me get through a tough time in my life..even has me looking up and researching different fishing equipment and licensing..please keep up what you do and im glad the surgery went well..from one stranger to another. Thank You.

[@badmonkey0001]

Get out on the water. It's great therapy. Even if you skunk out, being closer to nature and doing something "productive" can help you get lots of perspective - At least it did for me.

[@urtypicalguy]

Praying for you. You got this!

[@codymcdaniel5466]

Prayers bro

[@markozchang]

Where you at probably someone will be able to get you out and fish I'm in LA

[@logannelson7226]

hey brother if you ever wanna talk about life or fishing dont hesitate to reach out!

[@OutdoorScienceDad]

The water is safe at Clearlake, my buddy lives there, he can list 7 reasons on one hand how safe the water is.

[@pennifinneman2524]

🤣

[@kk-en8ns]

Such an under rated comment lmao

[@dumpsterfire6351]

Ohhhhhhh 👏👏😂

[@kito1san]

Safe for a day activities. But still limit of your consumption on the local catch. I suppose it won't hurt you now, but in the long run when you all shrivel up and wondering why you have so much pain and dying younger than others. Remember, when you are old, that's your prime days to go fishing, you don't want to take that away from yourself, would you?

[@terrybach4856]

I can remember the Heady days of old late 50's and early 60's when you could on any given day find tampons,kotex,toilet paper and tootsie rolls on the shoreline and floating about.The direct result of so many of the trailers around the lake during that period and other dwellings just dumped their sewage right into the lake.

[@fishingfool2644]

Clearlake's issue is methyl-mercury. Clearlake has naturally occuring mercury and runoff from old mine sites but if you limit your fish intake to 2 fish you'll be fine.

[@Chris-us8yq]

The sulphur bank mine was one of the top producers of mercury in the world. I wouldn’t eat a thing outta there

[@dennistani1986]

Don't we still have a similar situation for fish caught in the SF bay?

[@josephsaeteurn9158]

reason why fish are so huge.. no thanks.. its C&R..

[@defectedintelligence]

Yep second this!

[@Henfishitydog]

@@dennistani1986 not nearly as bad. Mercury is cumulative, so fish can have varying levels. It's okay to eat here and there, but they taste funny to me. Clearlake is C&R only in my book. Very fun lake.

[@jonathonh517]

Most definitely a largemouth. Nice catch! Those crappie were huge.

[@leolldankology]

Spotted bass

[@wrestleXrock]

@@leolldankology definitely a largie

[@leolldankology]

@@wrestleXrock circumference of the mouth would be equal to or slight larger than the girth of the body if it was a largemouth.

[@wrestleXrock]

@@leolldankology not true. What you are seeing is a young healthy northern strain largemouth. Probably a 2-3 year old prespawn female

[@mikepatterson4320]

@@leolldankology Definitely a northern strain Largemouth

[@mikeconnor5668]

No walleye at Clearlake. I am pretty sure largemouth bass only, (no smallies). Blue and yellow catfish, lots of bluegill and crappie. some carp, too. I spent summers up there as a kid and fished all over (back in the 1960's). Since then they have introduced the Florida strain of largemouth and the bass size has really taken off. Used to be that a 3 lb largemouth was a great fish. Now, pushing 10 plus!

[@garysims4491]

smallies are in there just very rare last wildwest someone brought 1 to weigh in

[@saucymack]

Same here, those were awesome days.

[@yoyoyohihihidude]

its a spotted bass, not sure how this isn't obvious given the coloration

[@markvanderstelt8999]

ya there are a lot of huge catfish in clearlake.

[@ItGetsReelFishing]

Nice!!! Crappie is good eating... From what I hear that's the only fish u should eat from clear lake maybe because they are smaller fish... Nice catch on the largemouth too...

[@TaraHisakata]

Hey matts your editing in this vid is really good. I really enjoy seeing the bait in action underwater. I watch these videos to have a nice escape from my urban desk job.

[@SharkNinjaBlueStar]

My god, that's an absolute SLAB thought! What a hell of a first fish! Awesome catch, bro!

[@enugomontoya6050]

Love the Outdoor Pro Shop call out. Worked at the Oakland shop from open to close, 10 years! Ken is the man, great bunch of guys. Worked in Cotati until I had to leave for a different job. Miss the shop....

[@Yarrick666]

That is huge for a first Crappie, awesome!

[@getchasome6230]

Yeah it is. I'm from Ohio and around here they're less than half that size on average

[@nickyricky4u]

13 1/2 is my pb lmao. 15in first crappie is crazy

[@OGDimple]

Mats! Great to see you at Clear Lake. As I offered before, If you want to catch huge catfish, I will show you! Btw, that's a nice largemouth bass you caught. A smallmouth has a smaller mouth. The upper and lower jaws don't stretch past the eye. They do on the largemouths.

[@mikeybreakz6292]

using 2 lb line the sensitivity gives you a clear mental picture of the bottom. i caught 8 lb bass on 2 LB test. i love it

[@stevencedrone]

Great video Matts - Thanks for taking us along!!!

[@winmod70]

Matts, the technique that you found effective is exactly what Richard Gene the Fishing Machine teaches. He's a crappie-catching "machine". You'd enjoy his channel and expertise.

[@networkjunkie3953]

Enjoy the content. One of the interesting things I learned when I first started fishing crappie is they hunt up from their position. They don't strike anything below them and rarely in front of them. Also learned two best ways of fishing for them, depending if shore fishing or from boat, is a minnow on a bobber or jigging.

[@gronklul]

That be a spotted bass! :D

[@josephnik4891]

Hey man, I’ve fished Clear Lake almost all my life and ate fish from there and still do I was just there. I think the fish are completely fine and me and my friends have been eating fish from there for like 10 years now and everything’s fine.

[@markvanderstelt8999]

have you grown an extra arm yet ?😁

[@cjmeyers2926]

Best tasting freshwater fish

[@abrahansaldana693]

Awesome to see your making it out to my home lake keep rippin lips 🤙🏽🎣

[@minideskandministories5468]

I'm in spring break and I've just been rewatchjng your videos

[@Azariel98]

I’ve watched you for years and have always waited for you to fish Clearlake.. I’m a local here and it’s always a good time Fishing here 🎣

[@BlueMountainBandit]

11:45 homie that looks like a mean mouth bass dude it's so nice to see you doing freshwater fishing videos bro you should bank fish on the bottom for monster catfish!!

[@rayphysics]

Love the enthusiasm!

[@Johnny_Gone_Fishing]

It's so amazing how you keep up this content nonstop every day enjoying fishing and nature!!!

[@MidwestCoinHunter]

That is a beast of a first! So fun to see you that excited about catching a Crappie, one of my favorites to fish for.

[@lincolnworsham1085]

2:54 yeah!!! thats a big boi... awsome!

[@jpcox23]

I've fished Clearlake... giant crappie! Always ate our catch with no issues.

[@a.c.ybarra4474]

Love you videos. I live in Monterey County 15 minutes from the Ocean. Im 49 yrs old and want to learn to rock fish from the shore. I've been on Chris fishing charters and it was good, but I can't afford to do that all the time. Please do something on learning to rock fish in Monterey. Thank You! And Good Luck!!!

[@MiliMike24]

I grew up fishing Clear Lake as a kid. Crappie, Bass, GIANT trophy catfish, and carp to be had. The Lake is a natural one, so water level changes with the amount of rainfall. Pro Bass tournaments up there every year

[@ionpb09]

Been waiting to see you catch some fresh water bass !! I love ittt

[@zking407]

Nice change up video! Crappie fishing is a blast! I would suggest having a throwable bouy for marking schools once you have found them. They work great for trolling around and watching the fish finder for structure and dropping the bouy one you’ve found some.

[@xThat1dude]

Hell yeah!!! My pops loves that place. We fish there at least once yearly.

[@chandlerkrohn608]

So fun watching this! I’m from the Midwest, and think it’s so wild all the crazy stuff you pull out of there. And to think your bucket list fish is a crappie is hilarious to me considering they’re basically by-catch around here 😂 also that first one you caught is a pig!!!

[@Fishingjunkie-y8v]

From what I heard was that clear lake has high levels of mercury. My cousins that fish their often called the crappies mercury/cancer slabs.

[@paimon8734]

Try using the "Berkley Powerbait Crappie Nibbles" with your jig, I think it helps. I usually cast it and let it drop to the desired depth and do a very slow retrieve. But the hard part is finding the school lol. Good Luck!

[@jtf267]

My dad used to go up to Clear Lake and catch crappies by the ice chest full. I went once and skunked. They have smaller crappies at San Pablo Dam but for sure those are safe to eat. Try it there. That water is clean. It’s drinking water. The reservoir has black bass, catfish, trout, blue gill, carp.

[@wonderbread06]

Clear Lake! My grandma, Aunt and Cousin live in Lakeport. Been going up there since I was a baby in the 90s!

[@wesm3551]

Hey buddy, you should come fish the lakes in Canada for walleye lake trout and northern pike some time.

[@joenorton5854]

Tips for crappie fishing. 1. When you feel the first bite. Set the hook. Their not a fish that will hit it and come back with artificial bait. 2. Generally when they are schooled up you can cast and retrieve. But better off getting your boat directly over head and fishing vertically down into the school. 3. They love bright color baits. Next time buy a dye pen and add some pink or chart to your bait. 4. Crappie fees upward. They will very seldomly go down to eat your bait. So if you see them at 12 feet. Drop down to 12 feet and VERY slowly raise it a foot or two and drop back down. Sometimes simply holding it still at there depth will work wonders. Good luck !

[@martinquintana5837]

Good golly Matt that is definitely a slab. You never fail to disappoint your viewers, that's so exciting to see you hook up on some slabs. I'm going to suggest a fellow you-tuber from Alabama who is very knowledgeable when it comes to crappie fishing. His name and channel is Richard Gene The Fishing Machine. Rig's, bait, what to look for in a lake as far as structure and all. You might think he's kind of crazy but that's just his character lol. Anyways Matt awesome video, stay safe out there and have a blessed day. Aloha from Kansas

[@jonathanraymondracicot8482]

Lmao, bro i think u mean that he never fails to not disapoint 😂😂

[@Wowtheresatiger]

@@jonathanraymondracicot8482 or more simply "never fails" or "never dissapoints". Double negatives always get tricky! lol

[@connorkachow8883]

This might sound weird but my best experience with good ol paper mouths is on land in little coves they always like striking last minute before it gets to shallow. My local big lake Branched oak has plenty and they like to just non stop feed on bluegill and shad so we get some get to a damn good size. Also bass suck I love fishing for them but they always swallow everything.

[@vissitorsteve]

Before Clear Lake became a refuge for people with some money, for years it was called 'the poor man's resort'. It also had a reputation for having lots of Meth users, but that was probably 30-40 years ago.

[@user-fx5sw4jy7hYz9Hzi]

"His stomach is so full, he's probably pregnant"

[@QuickAF]

Awesome to see you doing some crappie/bass fishing!

[@Pendragon501]

End of workday fishing video! Woot Woot!!!

[@23dnab]

Awesome crappie! That spot too was a great size! Cool to watch you fish fresh water, maybe tackle some more bass !

[@enugomontoya6050]

Before he even opened his mouth I knew where he was! 😂 Love Clear lake. Had many good times there.

[@BertoFishingINYAngler]

Nice to see u Fish for freshwater fish 🐟

[@dispursedd]

That final fish was a Spotted Bass, you can tell because the mouth is smaller and the lines on the gill plate along with the heavy spotted pattern along the lateral line.

[@bigbkeepitreelfishing]

That first crappie was massive. What an awesome slab. Great catch. They are delicious to eat also.

[@suckablowfish]

Average for Clear Lake. Lotta toads here..

[@castncatchem3808]

Awesome catching!!! Cool little boat

[@fishingwithrulis]

You did everything good my guy. The rig you where using catches a variety of species, I was actually expecting you to catch a LM Bass or SM Bass. If you are targeting Crappie or only Pan Fish use Crappie Nibbles with a bobber. Bass usually stay away from that stuff. I love your videos dude, keep them coming.

[@scubasteve1631]

4:06 I've always heard from friends that go up there a lot that Clearlake has a bunch of mercury pollution from old mine waste that seeps over into the larger body of water. Personally I wouldn't eat any fish out of Clearlake but that's just me. Like you mentioned, people have said they've eaten fish out of Clearlake for years and been fine.

[@zachf4573]

I've been fishing and hunting pigs/turkeys at Clearlake for 15 years now and I can tell you there is nothing wrong with the water there. You definitely should have done a catch and cook with those crappie. They are some of the tastiest freshwater fish to eat. I've also eaten trout and catfish from Clearlake and have had ZERO problems. Finally, that last fish you caught was definitely a largemouth bass.

[@markvanderstelt8999]

they stock trout in clear lake i have never caught or seen one caught there.

[@bryankerckhove9501]

I would call it a spotted bass. And as far as crappie are under docks with bass mixed in. Keep trying different structures...good seeing you out fishing..

[@jayzhou104]

Another way we use in NC is to set up long lines behind your boat and troll live minnows or crappie jigs. Just like trolling offshore but slower and it kills them!

[@fabiantutsek7869]

I'd love to see some more freshwater fishing! Great video !

[@sheybaby6504]

It’s always calming looking at your videos can’t wait to see your next one !!!

[@WickedHazeSilver]

Right on!! I Fished this past weekend and landed seven Crappie! Slabs!

[@Azariel98]

Mt Konocti is a huge giveaway 😅 I’m sure anyone who knows Clearlake would know immediately where you are based off the mountain 💪🏼 love the vids glad to see you’re doing great

[@bankmaster5104]

They are good eating g you should of do a catch and cook on them... would love your thoughts of it

[@kennethnilssen3351]

I live in lower lake been watching u 4 2 years have 1 acre pond dried up this year bass up to 8 pounds all dried dried up pond sad but true not much water this year either luv or channel

[@chrisbrown8748]

Haha it’s crazy to think that a legend such as yourself has never used 2lbs test line or crappie fished but hey I guess when you live close to so many amazing saltwater fisheries you never bother to fish for the things we folks over in Philadelpia go for on the regular🤣

[@fisher7636]

Lol we have awesome crappie fishing here. Matts is just a salt water kinda guy

[@edibleknowledge4716]

Indiana can be pretty bountiful too but hell, you wouldn't catch me near fresh water often if I was out there😅

[@johnc6228]

I thought I would see an EPF Swim.

[@ricktalbott9611]

Lehigh Valley here so I know what you mean !! lol

[@zakerid]

Philly! My guy.

[@krga94c]

I've been fishing Clearlake since a kid in the early 60's to now, through some of the good and bad lake conditions. And I can tell you that the fish are perfectly good to eat. I eat them all the time. However, the fish don't taste so food if caught during the algae bloom periods, late spring to early fall. I avoid fishing there during that time, since I'm an eater. BTW Clearlake doesn't have any smallmouth.

[@naturesfinest4218]

Dude that is an absolute SLAB for your first crappie!!!

[@nielthornton1342]

It's like the bay . only one or two times a week.

[@phiology1983]

That's why I'm addicted to largemouth bass fishing. Those fish can fight!

[@LyndonJohnson59]

Most states have a safe fish guideline, but if you've never had a crappie you will love it. Also if your interested in a fun freshwater fish go for some big Blue catfish or I think California has an area flathead gotnintroduced into which are Hella fun

[@chrisandmargaretyray128]

Dode I'm down with your stokedness. I created a word.

[@eriks9576]

red and white crappie jig and slip bobber used to kill them there. no movement and they love it. greetings from Portland Oregon

[@Evan1811Y0L0]

Never seen a crappie that big I didn’t even know they could grow that large. Sheeeeesh! Thanks for letting her back to reproduce

[@svtkilr]

*I went fishing with a few locals when I was visiting and we were fishing a small cove for cats with night crawlers and I hooked into a PB large mouth that weighed 8 1/2lbs, I also caught a 4inch large mouth too lol I’ll never forget that it was easily over 30 years ago!!!!! LETS GO!!!!!!!*

[@markvanderstelt8999]

wow 81 pounds a world record congrats.

[@minh7170]

First one bet was monster! Congrats

[@bassassassinnn7459]

The only thing you need to be worried about Clearlake are the people. The hills have eyes kinda folks up there.

[@JonathanHolt1988]

10:38 It's a large mouth, smallies have a much smaller mouth, but the biggest indication is the stripes, large mouth have a horizontal stripe along their body, smallies have vertical stripes

[@jaydinpoopy9677]

It’s nice to see a big influencer bring light to this lake. I’ve learned so much from you, and now your here fishing at my local lake. All of the fish are okay to eat just don’t eat too much

[@rafaeljuarez3047]

Ayyyyyye Clearlake! Fish are fine just watch for warnings and specifically in summer during algal blooms.

[@117cheese]

Nice! I live up here on Clearlake in the town of Lucerne. Not sure when you filmed this, but It looks like you were just a little early.Its hard to get em when they are in pre spawn mode like that. The crappie Just Now started bedding. If you pitched jigs at the docks in Nice/Lucerne RN U’d smack em. 50+ fish days. Mostly slabs too. As for jigs, I like the Strike King slabalicious paddle tail grubs 2” black and green with a 1/16oz head. But tbh their not picky when there bedded up. And you can eat fish outta here once in a while but I wouldn’t make a habit of it. They use to do a lot of mining for mercury up here. @ Fisherman’s Life hope to see you out here one day brotha!

[@hobocan22]

get you some slip bobbers man and find that structure. early spring they will congregate shallow in any sort of structure. they are popping off hard here in VA!

[@ftoineboi]

back east I grew up using whackie worms for crappie, slayed em

[@CharlesMacKay88]

The sound effects cracked me up when you hooked that one

[@palermomatthew100]

The lake has elevated levels of Mercury...which is common. I usually don't eat fish when there's an advisory in that body of water. Also I love the video...and your boat I want one.

[@gerthao6192]

You got to link up with Greg Blanchard would be a Great video!!!

[@imyou7314]

A two inch keitech on a lil underspin is killer at Clearlake

[@GER0E]

Im kinda in love with your little plastic boat

[@mathlover2299]

You are literally on my dads street lol I can see his house!. Love Clearlake can't wait to get up there this summer!!

[@billygwalthney369]

awesome vid. you gotta do more like this..light tackle stuff..crappie panfish trout bass...and that first slab you caught was fkn awesome. love your channel. Billy..Philly Pa

[@ADVENTURESOFBZ]

Dang I wish I could go to the festival!! San Francisco is literally the other side of the world for me lol. I live in Florida. Not impossible I know but dang that's a hike!! Another great video brotha🤘🤘🙏🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@Eric-qw4wv]

Crappie usually relate to structure but that can be a tree in open water. it doesn't have to be dock pilings. They will suspend in schools over the structure. When you find the school, mark it on your graph and drift over the spot, much like party boats do in the open water when fishing for rockcod and lingcod. Crappie are also low light feeders so nighttime or twilight is great time to target these fish.

[@mikeybreakz6292]

use a float with your jig and set the depth you are fishing. hold your rod tip high with tight line and shake the rod tip. keep the line tight. the jig will dance and stay in the zone. and the crappie love it. 16th oz jigheads with 2 inch white mr twisters kaitechs or 2 inch gulp minnows.

[@alexmorgan9]

You def need to keep some the crappie next time. I'm sure you know, but crappie is bomb. Probs some of the best freshwater fish from the US. Also, I believe that bass was a spotted bass. Very similar to a largemouth. Thanks for the video!

[@alexmorgan9]

I'd keep the smaller ones though. The bigger fish may have more chemicals in them and the smaller ones taste better.

[@jimmymuhic7926]

That’s awsome bro I live here in Clearlake ca and I’ve never caught a crappie that big just a 24 pound cat fish,hit me up next time I’d love to fish with you ❤️

[@iseeurbutt-_-273]

I’ve bought your jigs and I’m in love with it 😌

[@robrob3376]

Hey bro we fish for crappies and bluegills in lower Michigan that's the way to catch him real slow they are so delicious unbelievable you can't tell the difference when you're eating them... Keep on fishing bro...

[@kennethvillanueva9649]

SIck Video Man! I was there last month and also caught my very first crappie there!!!

[@daryljohnson3626]

Fishing with ultra light gear seems like so much fun I have ice rigs that are light but I want a full size ultra light rig for stuff just like this

[@cameroncarrillo2249]

I live on Clearlake Oaks, in the keys to be exact... Clearlakes low right now so yeah the docks are shallow, I'd fish around rattlesnake Island in the deep.

[@bentoutofshape6319]

That was a large mouth.... nice fish. Clearlake is a world class bass lake.

[@TheOutdoorsWithJohnny]

During late winter and early spring, stick to open water for crappie. They school up but they are always moving. Livescope is a big help and helps you stay on them. You got the right bait. Personally the white color jigs do better for me and I’ll switch it up to a black and chartreuse in the evening.

[@bruce_c9574]

You should do more bass fishing! Great video!