Spring 2022
564
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A Pro/Am at Shasta years ago engrained this fact on Crutcher. “It was too windy and rough to go out and I was mad,” he said. “My dad was there with me, fishing as an Am; so, we went to Lumberjacks to eat breakfast. I kept talking about spending $1,000 to do this and not being able to go out and just being mad. Then, I saw this old guy there. He had a handicap. I saw him and thought about how I was there having breakfast with my dad and told myself how bad could life really be? It changed my attitude, and I kept that positivity and went out and won that Pro/Am. That positive attitude was what made the difference and I always remember that.”
CAN YOU WIN CLEAR
LAKE DURING THE
SPAWN ONLY TARGETING
BED FISH?
Crutcher used to believe that an event could be won with all bed fish; his thoughts have now changed.
“The way the lake is now, you have to mix in a little bit of both,” he said. “With the lake being so low, it is fishing very small. Rodman has no water, Cache Creek has no water, and the Keys have no water – its just very small. You will have to have an open mind to do both, fish for bed fish and fish deeper.”
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WHAT ARE YOU DOING
WHEN THE ALGAE TAKES
OVER?
Crutcher fishes both on the surface and through it.
“I will throw a Horny Toad or frog on top of it, especially in the spring when the fish are spawning,” he said. “You can also throw a drop bait, like a punch bait. Just don’t be scared of it.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING
WHEN THE BAITFISH ARE
SO THICK YOU CAN WALK
ACROSS THEM?
Crutcher gave a couple of ways to approach this situation.
“This is where the attention to detail pays off,” he shared. “Think about the size of your bait. I’ve caught seven and eight pounders on 2.8 Keitechs. But there are times, I go the exact opposite with something like a bright chartreuse swimbait that is six-inches long or even bigger. The fish react to something different than the baitfish that they’re seeing; so, I give them something different.
“Also, a good thing to remember is when the fish are boiling, if you can throw your bait in there, reel it back and hang a piling or knock a tule, so that the baitfish jump, you can trigger the fish to bite.” •