THE SCIENCE
By Mike Gorma ® n
Summer 2026
BEHIND
California’s Giant Tournament Bags
C
entury belts, 20-pound-
plus daily limits to win
Shasta, Trinity and even Almanor!What is going on with our
Northern California fisheries that
is creating conditions that are so
advantageous to the size and quantity of
bass resulting in huge tournament bags?
Well – nothing has changed with regard to management or regulation of these fisheries; thus, we need to evaluate the environmental factors that are contributing to healthy fish populations.
It is prudent to note that fish populations are cyclical and size, abundance and other measures over
Photo: WON Bass
page
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Lake Shasta