Turbo CrawZ™ Tricks SoCal Lake Record Largemouth

Z-Man® fan Jesse LaMar strikes second double-digit bass on same bait

Ladson, SC (April 04, 2024) – When two double-digit bass eat the exact same bait, almost exactly a year apart, the message resonates like rattling sets of gill rakers gone airborne.

On March 20, fishing Lake Poway, California, Jesse LaMar spotted a gargantuan bass. His bait of choice was, as it turned out, precisely the right call. A pearl-colored Z-Man Turbo CrawZ™ had for LaMar already delivered a double-digit SoCal bass during this same season a year ago. This time, he scored an even more jaw-dropping reward.

“That day, there were big bass everywhere, hanging or cruising in small packs,” noted LaMar, a veteran big bass specialist from San Diego. “I knew it was close to the right time of year for finding a big girl out there. But that day, the wind kicked up and made sight fishing a little tougher.

“On my second lap around the lake (Poway is a mere 35 acres in size), I spotted what looked like the silhouette of a huge tail,” he recalled, speaking to Western Outdoor News. “I spun the boat around and saw a piece of wood, so I flipped my go-to bait, a Texas rigged 4-inch Z-Man Turbo CrawZ rigged on 12-pound test fluorocarbon and a 3/0 worm hook. Out of the shadows, a gigantic bass nosed up about 3-inches from my bait and swam off. I knew she was a double-digit (DD) bass, but didn’t realize right away, how big.

LaMar's giant bass trick, the Z-Man Turbo CrawZ (pearl.)

“I decided to change my position slightly and several flips of the bait later, she came in hot, raised her tail and inhaled the CrawZ.

“When I swung and connected, the fight was on. She shot straight to the surface and jumped, but I had her pinned down. Her first run peeled off 50 feet of line, and she made several more power dives characteristic of a huge bass. When I got her a little closer, I saw a broad, giant shape, but still hadn’t seen her belly—which was, as I soon discovered, absolutely massive.”

Finally, after several runs, the fish turned sideways and LaMar knew he had tricked a “fish of a lifetime.” The exceptional largemouth shot under the boat one last time, emerging in a dizzying, tail-walking display on the opposite side.

“Thought I was going to lose here there,” he recalled, exhaling all over again. “Thankfully, I buried the rod in the water to keep the line from touching the boat’s hull. After her sixth run, I was finally able to get my net under her and see and comprehend what an absolute tank she was.”

LaMar's 11.3-pound SoCal bass, caught last year on the same pearl pattern Turbo CrawZ.

Witnessed and weighed by Lake Poway staff, LaMar’s bass measured 26.5-inches (23.25" girth) and weighed a whopping 14.1-pounds, besting the previous lake record of 13.3-pounds. Following a quick measurement and a couple photos, LaMar returned the giant female largemouth back to the lake.

After releasing his lake record bass, LaMar reflected on his crucial bait of choice. “The Turbo CrawZ is an easy go-to bait for me because it’s simply produced so many big bass,” he explained. “My last two DDs, including an 11.3 last year on the same lake, ate the very same pearl-pattern Turbo CrawZ. The year before, the bait produced several 7s and 8s for me, so I had the confidence and knew the bait was capable of triggering giants.” LaMar noted that he also caught a 10.4-pounder a few years ago, while flipping a Z-Man GOAT™—his all-time favorite ElaZtech® bait.

Another look at LaMar's supertanker 14.1-pound largemouth bass.

“I actually became a big fan of Z-Man ElaZtech® baits while fishing for saltwater bay bass here in San Diego,” he recalled. “These baits just have so many advantages over traditional soft plastics. They float and are the most durable plastics on the market, in my opinion. Bay bass are pretty toothy and will destroy a ton of regular softbaits. But I can fish one ElaZtech bait, like the Finesse TRD™, all day long and catch 30 to 40 fish, no problem.”

LaMar offers another bass-centric observation. “Because baits like Turbo CrawZ float and stand up off bottom, they sit right in the fish’s face and look alive. By comparison, a regular plastic craw just lays flat on bottom and looks kind of weak. Even when you deadstick the bait, the claws on the Turbo CrawZ stand up and shake around in the bass’ face, which triggers way more strikes.”

Added LaMar: “As a bass fisherman, I’ve always had two goals: To catch a double-digit and to catch a teener. The latter is something not many people are able to accomplish, and for this bass, I’m beyond grateful.”