East Texas fisherman’s technique leads to A pair of 13s in a week

Published 12:00 pm Saturday, January 25, 2020

When Dominic Lozano moved from California to East Texas 15 years ago, he brought the California big bass style of fishing with him. While most Texas fishermen are casting for numbers hoping that volume results in a big fish, Lozano will spend days, even months, trying to catch one really big fish on a really big bait.

His style produced a personal best, a 13.85, on Dec. 22, followed up on New Year’s Day with a 13.29. While Lozano willingly tells the story on how he caught the fish, he is tight-lipped on where for a reason.

“I caught them on public water, but I will not tell you where I fish. I spend so much time figuring these lakes out. That is why I don’t do ShareLunker. I fish lakes that are 3,000 acres and less, but they just can’t handle a hundred more boats,” said Lozano, known for fishing out of different boats so as to not attract a following.

While it is unusual not to divulge where big fish are caught, the Tyler resident did say that he fishes just about every lake that fits his size parameters within an hour and a half or so drive from his home, but not trout-stocked state park lakes. He added he believes almost all have the potential to produce big fish.

California’s trophy bass fishermen are notoriously secret about where they fish, but most fish smaller, trout-stocked lakes using life-size swim baits. The state record is a 21-12 caught on Castaic Lake, a 2,200-acre deep-water reservoir.

Lozano’s technique is more like hunting a single trophy buck. His strategy includes mapping habitat in the fall, planning trips for the optimum time to find big fish and working areas most others bypass. He also goes by gut instinct and at times will fish up to three lakes in a day if he gets to one and it just doesn’t feel right for whatever reason.

With visions of being a professional fisherman, Lozano first visited Texas as a 19-year-old and fished as many lakes as he could in a month. Impressed with what he found, he returned permanently working as a boat mechanic, in the oil field, for Skeeter Boats and now with Yamaha motors to finance his hobby. Over the years, he dropped the idea of becoming a pro angler, but has never lost the desire to catch big bass.

Because of his work schedule, his fishing season is primarily fall and winter, something that works perfectly with his theory on big fish. Because of his scouting, he knows where he wants to fish and stays locked down in that area.

“I fish very slowly, methodically, patiently. I fish big swim baits out in open water. I have learned that with most big fish, you have to turn around and fish behind you,” Lozano said.

He said with only limited days on the water, this style allows him to fish more instead of running a lake looking for new water. It also means he has extended periods without a bite.

“I have learned a big bass is a big bass whether it is here or in California. They all act the same and are all lazy. They all want an easy meal. You can catch one on a 6-inch trick worm if you leave it in front of their face long enough,” Lozano said.

In a way, Lozano’s only competition is himself and Mother Nature.

“I could catch a gazillion 1 pounders, but my focus is on 8 pounders and larger,” he explained. His lifetime big five tops 60 pounds.

Last fall, Lozano’s fishing was delayed until around Christmas because of a back injury incurred while fishing. As well as having time away from work, he said he likes winter fishing and overcast days because it seems the fish move more and there is also less competition on the water.

“I decided to go fish on the 20th. I never got a bite. I stayed close to home the next day on Tyler and never got a bite. On the 22nd, I said I was going to take a journey so I went about an hour and a half. I fished and fished and never caught a thing. Then I went to a big gizzard shad imitator,” Lozano recalled.

He was fishing with a long, heavy custom rod and a Nate’s Bait 10-inch gizzard shad imitation swim bait.

“I believe in making really long casts and getting away as far as I can. I fish slow, almost like a Carolina rig. I felt a little tap and when it came up, it looked like a 13- or 14-pound fish,” Lozano said.

It was a 13.85, his largest from Texas waters. Lozano quickly put the fish in the live well and immediately cast back in the same direction. Part of his theory is that where there is one big bass, there are often more. There wasn’t and he eventually snuck into a cove and released the big fish.

He continued to fish for the next week on various lakes, catching smaller bass until New Year’s Day.

“I woke up Jan. 1 and went down south to one of the lakes I fish. The weather was changing. The water was warming up to 60 degrees, and the fish were moving up to spawn. Big fish spawn way earlier than people realize,” Lozano said.

He maneuvered onto a large flat that tapered off onto a river channel and started throwing to submerged grass. Immediately, a bass he estimated at 12 pounds or larger whacked the bait, but he was not able to get into the boat. He cast back into the hole again with a Deps Slide Swimmer, another 10-inch swimbait, this time hooking up with a 13.29 that he also released back into the lake.