wow, nice fat fish! looks like a good 3 lber or so :D

I've said it before, and will say it again. Those bass in Alder must eat well. They're all built like footballs. Crankbaits do well in that lake. Bomber Model A in firetiger is one that personally comes to mind. An aquaintance who is a very good bass fisherman says his go to lure on Alder is a white spinnerbait. Anyway, congrats.....

Thanks. I noticed a lot of salamanders in the lake which I assume are a frequent meal for these bass.

Unfortunately, the salamanders in Alder are same type of newts that are in Newatzel, Clear Lake below Eatonville, not to mention other lakes I've fished. Bass do not eat them. I was told my a biologist at a state tournament I fished that they give off a scent that wards off predators, bass being at the top of the list. On atleast a half dozen occastions I've seen them come up for air and go back down right in front of a bass, and the bass never even looked at it. Yet you can throw a plastic lizard and they'll eat it. I guess that reenforces that these newts do give off an odor, whereas a plastic lizard that looks just like them the bass will eat.

I should clarify what I said about throwing a plastic lizard that looks just like them.....This is one case, I don't match the hatch. Forget about the forboding scent, I don't want to use any color lizard that might ward off a strike. The biologist said, like many other poisonist critters, these newts have brighter colors which gives off the first visual warning. For instance, Lake Newatzel over by Shelton has newts that are usually a darker back, with an orange hued belly. I've also seen blue and yellow bellied newts. I use plastic lizards in more natural colors such as watermellonseed or punkinpepper. And these newts come to the surface and suck in a bubble of air, which can last them quite sometime. Now the newts that are fair game to bass have gills just like fish, and crawl the bottom.And their colors are more drab, such as a dark olive green or brown. They certainly don't want to be seen.

The Newts are actually toxic to fish and humans. The only thing that can eat them is garter snakes, and they will become paralized after eating them. I believe that they are called Western Newts, and here is the link to their toxicity:
http://people.uwec.edu/piercech/animals/newt.htm

Wow , great imformation to know. Thanks

Roughskin Newt. Thanks for the report.