BBZ Shout Out Sunday: Rich Lingor "Pays it Forward" With On The Water Knowledge From Central Cal.
Rich Lingor
About Fishing with Rich
I grew up in Southern California where my father introduced me to party boat sport fishing igniting my angling passion before I was tall enough to reach the bait tank.. Pier and harbor dock fishing filled in the gaps. I became a charter member of a bass club in 1976 and competed and learned enough to become their Angler of the year several times. Castaic, Pyramid, Perris, Pudingstone, and Silverwood were our most frequent destinations with occasional road trips to the San Diego lakes , Central Coast lakes and Clear Lake.
As a youngster, the value of bringing home dinner sharpened my focus and fueled my desire to acquire knowledge and develop skills. The learning curve took a long time to get rolling because trial and error requires a lot of error. Seeking information without knowing where to find it at least gave me a lot of experience trying to learn. By the time I got my first car, ten times as much information was available. Soon it was 100 times more. Now with the internet and cable TV, there might be 1000 times as much information. I have been a passionate student of angling for most of my life. I live in Central California now where my local lakes are Nacamiento, Lake San Antonio, Santa Margarita, and Lopez. I have been writing a monthly fishing article for the local paper since 2006. I share my recent experiences and expectations for the coming month on the water. My goal is to pay forward some of the understanding of the waters that we fish and give you a path to adapting and solving an ever changing angling puzzle. Perhaps you can apply my perspective to your local water and catch one that will make you think of me. Tight lines
Fishing with Rich by Rich Lingor
Spring is the tug of war between summer and winter. Moments of summer gaining traction stir anglers with fishing itch as well as spring fever to yearn for warm water species of fish. Bass, bluegill, catfish, and the shad that they feed on all move up from winter depths to spawn as warming shallow-water temperatures become more inviting. Striped Bass and White Bass spawn in flowing water and are triggered by the current from seasonal inflows. In our climate zone, March usually marks the beginning of the seasonal migration around the full moon, followed by another shift around the next full moon in April. Warming water in the spring draws fish shallow in incremental stages as our seasonal transition flows from chilly winter cold fronts into more temperate influences of warmer days and nights, longer hours of daylight and shorter nights. The environment around us responds with budding life, and aquatic inhabitants follow environmental shifts of seasonal trends. Structural elements inundated by spring rains and associated flooded terrestrial weeds and brush attract migrating fish. Fish tend to follow rising water. Watching the blossoming springtime season overcome late winter cold fronts causes flares of dormant fishing fever among afflicted anglers. Grasses need to sprout, wildflowers need to bloom, and fisherman need to fish! Calendar, weather, and water temperature are elements of the fishing theory that drive the informed angler. Analysis and assessment of the biological and environmental influences on the target of our passion is an interesting exercise, but there is nothing like getting out on the water, putting theory to the test through practical application. Early Marchʺfield researchʺ confirmed shallow fish were testing and moving into shallow water with persistent deliberate presentations rewarded with success. As water temperatures continue to warm, fish will be more active and respond more quickly to an anglerʹs presentation.
Rich Lingor on a recent trip with Capt. James Nelson
Notes on our scorecard:A bonus from the El Nino weather pattern is the overnight low temperatures trend higher in late winter, giving the spring fishing pattern an early start. Fishing has turned to catching well ahead of schedule. On all of our local lakes, the bass are putting smiles on the faces of happy anglers. Spotted bass have been more than willing to chomp down on just about any properly presented soft plastic worm. White bass have started to reappear and are biting more often. Some have been well over two pounds. A few large crappie have been finding their way into my landing net. Ocean lovers, April 1st marks the opening of the Rock Fish season for the Central Coast region. Local landings take passengers to these tasty fish every day. Bringing home delicious fish fillets for dinner is almost inevitable. Bring your camera and have an ice chest in your car to bring home your bounty.
Tight Lines