"I hooked a monster fish this year that could have been the next world record spot ," said Ron Armstrong, a Fresno Bass Club member who was the weighmaster for the club's tournament at Pine Flat on November 9. "I got the huge fish right up to the boat, so I was able to see it. However, I was pre-fishing for a tournament with cheap practice hooks and the hook broke."

Nobody is quite sure why Pine Flat produces spotted bass so much larger than other lakes, but the abundance of threadfin shad and crawdads as forage, along with the long growing season in the sunny Sierra Nevada foothills, definitely make it a "big fish factory."

Spotted bass fishing is good at Pine Flat year round, since this species continues to feed during the winter when water temperatures in the fifties and forties make largemouth and spotted bass inactive. Even during a day of scattered showers and changing weather, many of the 40 anglers fishing in 25 boats found excellent fishing during the recent tournament.

Ed Armbrister of Fresno won first place in the tournament with five fish weighing 10.14 pounds. Like most successful spotted bass enthusiasts on Pine Flat, Armbrister "finesse fished" with small plastics and light line - 8 pound test - on a light spinning rod.

"The barometric pressure was dropping," he tipped. "When this happens, the fish lose equilibrium, so you need to fish close to wood, the bank and sheer walls. That's what I did all day long."

Armbrister landed his fish while fishing six inch Oxblood/red flake Robo worms and watermelon/black flake "Thumper worms" at 5 to 30 feet deep, with the best action in the Windy Gap area at 30 to 35 feet. He also landed the big fish of the event, a 3.14 pound largemouth.

Dave Trimodt placed second with five fish weighing 9.30 pounds, topped by a 1.84 pound spot. He was using a drop shot rig - one of the main techniques for catching big spots at Pine Flat - with purple death 5 inch Pro worms at 20 to 30 feet deep.

"I caught at least 14 keepers and released another 15 short fish, but I couldn't get one over 2 pounds. I sat all day on one rockpile and caught fish after fish," he explained.

Pine Flat used to be one of the state's best smallmouth fisheries. However, spotted bass have dominated the lake for over a decade and smallmouth are relatively rare in the catches now. The lake's largemouth population, boosted by plants of Florida-strain bass by the Clovis Bass Club, is also increasing.

All of the anglers who did well in the recent tournament found the bass around concentrations of shad on rocks and structure. The majority of fish were spotted bass, with a fair number of largemouths and no smallmouths weighed in.

Merritt Gilbert said there are three main methods used at Pine Flat, all of them finesse techniques using worms and other plastics. "You can fish with 1/8 to 1/4 ounce darter head or minnow head jigheads, drop shot rigs or split shot set-ups," he stated. Small baits, light weight jigheads and light line - 6 to 8 pound test - work best on the bass.

The top plastics in the fall and winter are shad patterns, such as Hologram Shad, Spot Remover and Pro Gold worms. During the spring and summer, crawdad colors like Green Weenie, Summer Moss and Keeper 082 are the most productive patterns, according to Gilbert.

Pine Flat also has a good population of holdover rainbow trout. The DFG's San Joaquin Fish Hatchery plants approximately 25,000 pounds of catchable rainbows in the lake every year, according to Jim Lindsay, hatchery manager. The lake is also expected to produce good kokanee fishing in coming years. The DFG planted 100,000 fingerlings in the lake in 2001 and 2002 and plans to do so again in 2004. King salmon provided an excellent fishery in 1998 and 1999, but the fishery has declined with the end of chinook plants.

"If you want to catch trout and salmon, using leadcore line and downriggers is your best bet at Pine Flat," noted Gilbert. "The fishing is good year round, with the exception of August, September and October, when the irrigation district drops the lake's water level."

Bank anglers can also find solid trout and salmon fishing in the late fall, winter and early spring when surface water temperatures are cool, drawing the shad and trout close to shore. Fish Power Bait, nightcrawlers and other baits in the Deer Creek and Trimmer Springs areas.

The reservoir used to be a great crappie destination, but fishing for this species has declined in recent years as the structure in the lake decomposes. To target the crappie now, fish minnows around flooded willows in the spring.

Shore anglers in the summer and fall experience decent fishing for channel catfish. Most of the fish are 3-1/2 to 4 pounds, with an occasional larger fish. "We probably see about five fish 15 pounds or over each season," noted Gilbert. The Lombardo's, Lake View and Sycamore Marinas are among the hottest spots to dunk mackerel and other baits for cats.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed construction of Pine Flat Dam in 1954. The lake provides flood control, irrigation water and hydroelectricity. At maximum capacity, the lake holds 1,000,000 acre feet of water. During my visit, the lake held only 140,000 acre feet of water.

Three public campgrounds, operated by Fresno County, the US Forest Service and Corps of Engineers, are available at Pine Flat. Two full service marinas are located at the Deer Creek and Trimmer Springs Recreation areas. Boat launching ramps are available at the Deer Creek, Island Park, Lakeview and Trimmer Recreation areas. Six overnight mooring areas are located around the lake.

For more information on the facilities, contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, phone (559) 787-2589 or fax (559)787-2773, www.spk.usace.army.mil/cespk-co/lakes/pineflat.html. For fishing information, call Valley Rod & Gun in Clovis, (559) 292-3474.