California Bass Angler Lands Monster 16-Pound Largemouth

When one thinks of trophy largemouth, California is usually, if not always, the number one place that comes to mind. Along with Florida, Texas, and even Mexico, California has been pumping out mammoth largemouth for years now, and the record books are getting fatter, just like their bass.

San Diego, Cali., resident Ryan Block, boated an enormous 16-pound, 2-ounce largemouth bass on March 22, at Lake Skinner. Lake Skinner is located 70 miles north of downtown San Diego in Winchester, just north of Temecula. Block's trophy bass is the largest recorded in Southern California this year.

Block is well known in the San Diego fishing circle, most notably as a captain for a local sportfishing fleet, working from Oceanside to San Diego. But he has also made a solid name for himself as a big bass angler on the freshwater reservoirs, specifically for swimbait fishing trophy largemouth.

Lake Skinner is stocked with trout during the year and therefore the bass have much higher protein diet than a lake stocked with only bluegill and crawfish. Since the lake gets occasional trout stocking, Block reached for the swimbait. Bigger swim baits are perfect for imitating trout.

Casting the giant lure parallel to the docks, block ran the lure perfectly past the strike zone, where the 16-pound beast snatched an easy meal. After that, the rest is history.

If everything checks out as planned, this monster bass will be the new lake record, which was set in April 2012 by Chip Gilbert at 14 pounds, 5 ounces.