By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor


How ridiculous was the day that Chip Gilbert and a buddy had last weekend at California's Lake Perris? Well, Gilbert boated a limit that exceeded 51 pounds, but his pal, Ryan Escutia, caught a fish that was bigger than any of the five that comprised Gilbert's massive stringer.

The five biggest of the nine bruisers Gilbert caught that day weighed 11-04, 11-03, 10-02, 9-09 and 9-06 on a handheld Mustad scale. Escutia's monster checked in at 14-04.

"I'm not sure if it had to do with trout stocking or the weather or what it was," said Gilbert, who's made the hour-long drive from his home in San Marcos (near San Diego) to Perris more than 20 times over the past 2 months to try to entice the lake's giants with swimbaits. "We just hit the right wolf pack at the right time and they all decided to bite. It was phenomenal."

The validity of the timing factor was borne out the following day when Gilbert returned and managed just a single 7-pound bite. Two days after that, he couldn't get bit at all.

The "glory day" was only the second time that Gilbert, who captains a seagoing tow craft, and Escutia, a freshwater bass guide and tackle salesman, had ever shared a boat, even though they've known each other for years.

"The other time was in the ocean and on that trip we got on one of the best yellowfin tuna bites I've ever seen," Gilbert said. "It was wide open for 4 straight hours.

"Now we're both asking each other how come we haven't fished together more often. Every time we go, it's just craziness."

All About the Big 'Uns

The 40-year-old Gilbert is a longtime regular on the various tournament circuits in the San Diego area, but he said he's put his competitive pursuits in the back seat this year in favor of fishing for giants. In 2012 he established a new largemouth record at Lake Skinner, another Riverside County impoundment, with a 14 1/2-pounder.

Ironically, the Lake Perris record (19 1/2 pounds) was set on the same day that Gilbert caught his whopper at Skinner. Perris, which covers 8,800 acres, marks the southern end of the California State Water Project. It produced the former world-record spotted bass (9-06) and once kicked out a bluegill that was just an ounce shy of 4 pounds.

All of the hawgs that Gilbert and Escutia caught at Perris last weekend were enticed by a Huddleston ROF 5 swimbait (rainbow trout). The baits were rigged in the crimped-treble hook style developed by – and named for – renowned Southern California big-bass guru Butch Brown (see video embedded below).



Chip Gilbert
Photo: Chip Gilbert

Ryan Escutia caught a 14 1/4-pounder off the same spot that produced Gilbert's gigantic limit.

"I have a Huddleston on the deck all the time and I throw it 90 percent of the time," Gilbert said. "In a lot of people's eyes, it's the best, most versatile trout imitation on the market. You can slow-roll it on the bottom or burn it on the top."

He threw it on an 8-foot, heavy-action Phenix Ultra Swimbait Classic rod with a Shimano Calcutta 400 casting reel and 25-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon line. His modified treble hook was a size 2 VMC.

No Running Necessary

The most surprising aspect of the day for Gilbert was that the action was steady throughout – he caught his first bruiser at 8:30 a.m. and the last at 3:15.

A storm front had arrived that morning, bringing clouds and a smattering of rain. The air temperature hovered between 60 and 65 degrees and the water temperature was 56.

"The first bite came at the third spot we fished that morning," he said. "After that we just kept going up and down a 50-yard stretch and just kept catching them."

He referred to the location as "kind of an offshore high spot" where the water depth was 10 to 12 feet. It's 200 to 300 yards away from the bank.

He said the four fish he caught that couldn't crack his Top 5 all weighed between 6 and 8 pounds.

"There were a few other missed bites and I hooked a couple that I couldn't get in. I had one follow it to the boat that just bumped it and swam away, and it was one of those that just make your knees buckle when you look at it. It was easily 10 pounds-plus."

He said the release of his five fish and Escutia's giant is all on video, but the clip isn't yet suitable for all-age viewing.

"There's some foul language on there just from the adrenalin," he said. "Ryan's going to edit all that out and make it more family friendly."