03-18-2004, 08:21 PM
STRIPED BASS: Castaic Lake continues to kick out stripers on anchovies drifted at 60-feet. Skinner continues at a good pace on fish from 1-0 to 5-0 on swimbaits and cut bait. Anglers fishing the dam at Silverwood have reported a fair to good bite on stripers using nightcrawlers or cut baits. Fish have been running to 3-0. San Antonio Lake is experiencing some good striper fishing at the north end of the lake on shallow diving shad baits.
TROUT: Santa Ana River Lakes is getting bonus plants of trophy rainbows for its Tournament of Champions event Saturday and Sunday. The bite, which has been good anyway, will just get better. The best action has been on small jigs or floating baits doused with scent. Big Bear trout fishing is excellent with many limits of trout from 2-0 to 4-0 being landed. These are beautiful holdover trout with full fins and tails. Irvine continues to be fair to good. Trollers have been taking fish on small crankbaits. Bait anglers are taking the bulk of fish on inflated night crawlers dipped in Berkley's Secret Sauce. Laguna Niguel is fair to good on inflated nightcrawlers, floating baits, or salmon eggs. Anglers trolling the dam at either Lake Piru or Lake Isabella, have been treated to wide open trout fishing. Piru is kicking limits out in less than an hour, while the quality of fish is better at Isabella. In Bishop, the Blake Jones Trout Tournament was a big success with a great turnout and many five-fish limits weighed in. The biggest fish of the tournament was an 8-14 trout.
PANFISH: The Lake Isabella crappie bite took off again with fish heading shallow and moving into coves. The bite has been exclusively on live minnows, but limits of slabs from 1-0 to 1-8 are pretty common. Buena Vista Lakes has had a fair crappie bite on live minnows. Lake Wollomes and Lake Success have been wide-open for crappie with limits at both lakes. The fish are up to 1-0. At Lake Henshaw in San Diego, many limits of crappie have been taken by anglers fishing mini-jigs. The bluegill at Lake Perris are biting off Water Slide Point on half of a nightcrawler. Lake Lopez continues to kick out quality bluegill and crappie in deep water by the dam. Anglers targeting the drop offs on Jackrabbit Flats at Lake Cachuma continue to have hit or miss action on redear at 20 feet.
LARGEMOUTH BASS: Bass fishing is pretty much wide open at any body of water that holds bass. The lower elevation lakes are already seeing a lot of fish in the shallows, mostly smaller males, making beds. At higher elevation lakes, the fish aren't on beds as much yet, but the bite is taking off as the bass start to bulk up for the spawn. Lake Perris, Lake Poway, Diamond Valley, Castaic, Casitas, San Vicente, Isabella, and Success, have been very good and each lake has kicked out fish over 10-0 this past week. On top of that, any lake that receives trout plants can bring up those monster female bass, and hurling a big swimbait can produce a double-digit fish.
CATFISH: Flathead catfish are picking up on the Colorado River from Lake Havaus through Yuma with a couple of 30-plus pound class fish reported in the past week. Live goldfish in the main river have been the hot ticket on catfish from 12-0 to 50-0. Lower Otay continues to have a fair to good bite on blue and channel catfish on mackerel. Look for more catfish action to pop up with the warming weather.
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TROUT: Santa Ana River Lakes is getting bonus plants of trophy rainbows for its Tournament of Champions event Saturday and Sunday. The bite, which has been good anyway, will just get better. The best action has been on small jigs or floating baits doused with scent. Big Bear trout fishing is excellent with many limits of trout from 2-0 to 4-0 being landed. These are beautiful holdover trout with full fins and tails. Irvine continues to be fair to good. Trollers have been taking fish on small crankbaits. Bait anglers are taking the bulk of fish on inflated night crawlers dipped in Berkley's Secret Sauce. Laguna Niguel is fair to good on inflated nightcrawlers, floating baits, or salmon eggs. Anglers trolling the dam at either Lake Piru or Lake Isabella, have been treated to wide open trout fishing. Piru is kicking limits out in less than an hour, while the quality of fish is better at Isabella. In Bishop, the Blake Jones Trout Tournament was a big success with a great turnout and many five-fish limits weighed in. The biggest fish of the tournament was an 8-14 trout.
PANFISH: The Lake Isabella crappie bite took off again with fish heading shallow and moving into coves. The bite has been exclusively on live minnows, but limits of slabs from 1-0 to 1-8 are pretty common. Buena Vista Lakes has had a fair crappie bite on live minnows. Lake Wollomes and Lake Success have been wide-open for crappie with limits at both lakes. The fish are up to 1-0. At Lake Henshaw in San Diego, many limits of crappie have been taken by anglers fishing mini-jigs. The bluegill at Lake Perris are biting off Water Slide Point on half of a nightcrawler. Lake Lopez continues to kick out quality bluegill and crappie in deep water by the dam. Anglers targeting the drop offs on Jackrabbit Flats at Lake Cachuma continue to have hit or miss action on redear at 20 feet.
LARGEMOUTH BASS: Bass fishing is pretty much wide open at any body of water that holds bass. The lower elevation lakes are already seeing a lot of fish in the shallows, mostly smaller males, making beds. At higher elevation lakes, the fish aren't on beds as much yet, but the bite is taking off as the bass start to bulk up for the spawn. Lake Perris, Lake Poway, Diamond Valley, Castaic, Casitas, San Vicente, Isabella, and Success, have been very good and each lake has kicked out fish over 10-0 this past week. On top of that, any lake that receives trout plants can bring up those monster female bass, and hurling a big swimbait can produce a double-digit fish.
CATFISH: Flathead catfish are picking up on the Colorado River from Lake Havaus through Yuma with a couple of 30-plus pound class fish reported in the past week. Live goldfish in the main river have been the hot ticket on catfish from 12-0 to 50-0. Lower Otay continues to have a fair to good bite on blue and channel catfish on mackerel. Look for more catfish action to pop up with the warming weather.
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