10-14-2009, 04:38 AM
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#008000][size 3]TROUT: The urban trout season kicks off this week with Hesperia Lake getting its first trout plants and the region's first plants. Santa Ana River Lakes and Corona Lake will follow suit next week, and then most everyone will be stocking by the early part of November. It comes just in time. The local mountains lulled into a deep funk, with Big Bear, Green Valley, and Gregory all slow. Hemet is still pretty good. In the Eastern Sierra, the bites are good on planted fish from north to south and the crowds have disappeared. For fly anglers, the East Walker River, upper Owens River, Hot Creek, Crowley Lake, and Kirman Lake all have good to excellent bites, with the Crowley streamer bite on around the wed beds. In the Western Sierra, the Kern River is excellent with a lot of dry fly action now morning and evening in the upper reaches, especially the Wild Trout stretch, but all the way downriver to Kernville.
LARGEMOUTH BASS: The weather change and back side of the full moon has the largemouth bass bites mostly just fair right now, but there are flurries of decent morning and evening topwater bites. The top picks are again Diamond Valley, Perris, Casitas, El Capitan, and Lower Otay. Sutherland and Barrett are now closed. Other decent bets include Pyramid, Castaic, Piru, Skinner, and Silverwood. On the lower Colorado River, the smallmouth bass bite from Needles to the I-40 bridge, in Lake Havasu, and Havasu downstream through about Palo Verde is good, and the largemouth bite is starting to really improve in lower river backwaters.
STRIPED BASS: Weather and wind seemed to knock all the Southern California striper bites in the head this past week and conditions this week aren't likely to improve things. Just fair action -- at best -- at Castaic, Skinner, Pyramid and Silverwood. The topwater bites have all tanked. Diamond Valley may be the best bet, and it has been spotty, too. The California aqueduct near Taft is fair but with a lot of small fish. On the Colorado River, Willow Beach remains good for a few quality fish on big, trout-like baits, but mostly in the pre-dawn hours. Mohave and Havasu are both fair on small fish to four pounds. Hesperia Lake was planted with wipers this week.
PANFISH: The bluegill and redear bites remain good in a number of places, and the bite seems to be getting better as we move into fall. Diamond Valley, Lake Perris, El Capitan, and Lower Otay all are good bets, but most waters with bluegill and redear are cranking out fish for dedicated bluegill anglers. Crappie bites are off most places, but Isabella is still fair to good if you can fish a school of fish in flooded timber and fish live minnows. The tilapia bite at the Salton Sea is still very slow.
CATFISH: Santa Ana River Lakes, Corona Lake, Irvine Lake, and Hesperia Lake all remain top bets for planted fish in the urban region. For wild fish, Skinner, Isabella, and Diamond Valley are all good, Cachuma and Pyramind are fair, and a number of the San Diego area lakes were improving, especially Henshaw and Lower Otay, but the weather change seemed to slow that improvement. The lower Colorado River is turning on again with good flathead and channel catfish action in the backwaters, canals and drain ditches. The main river is also starting to kick back into gear, too.[/size][/#008000][/font]
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LARGEMOUTH BASS: The weather change and back side of the full moon has the largemouth bass bites mostly just fair right now, but there are flurries of decent morning and evening topwater bites. The top picks are again Diamond Valley, Perris, Casitas, El Capitan, and Lower Otay. Sutherland and Barrett are now closed. Other decent bets include Pyramid, Castaic, Piru, Skinner, and Silverwood. On the lower Colorado River, the smallmouth bass bite from Needles to the I-40 bridge, in Lake Havasu, and Havasu downstream through about Palo Verde is good, and the largemouth bite is starting to really improve in lower river backwaters.
STRIPED BASS: Weather and wind seemed to knock all the Southern California striper bites in the head this past week and conditions this week aren't likely to improve things. Just fair action -- at best -- at Castaic, Skinner, Pyramid and Silverwood. The topwater bites have all tanked. Diamond Valley may be the best bet, and it has been spotty, too. The California aqueduct near Taft is fair but with a lot of small fish. On the Colorado River, Willow Beach remains good for a few quality fish on big, trout-like baits, but mostly in the pre-dawn hours. Mohave and Havasu are both fair on small fish to four pounds. Hesperia Lake was planted with wipers this week.
PANFISH: The bluegill and redear bites remain good in a number of places, and the bite seems to be getting better as we move into fall. Diamond Valley, Lake Perris, El Capitan, and Lower Otay all are good bets, but most waters with bluegill and redear are cranking out fish for dedicated bluegill anglers. Crappie bites are off most places, but Isabella is still fair to good if you can fish a school of fish in flooded timber and fish live minnows. The tilapia bite at the Salton Sea is still very slow.
CATFISH: Santa Ana River Lakes, Corona Lake, Irvine Lake, and Hesperia Lake all remain top bets for planted fish in the urban region. For wild fish, Skinner, Isabella, and Diamond Valley are all good, Cachuma and Pyramind are fair, and a number of the San Diego area lakes were improving, especially Henshaw and Lower Otay, but the weather change seemed to slow that improvement. The lower Colorado River is turning on again with good flathead and channel catfish action in the backwaters, canals and drain ditches. The main river is also starting to kick back into gear, too.[/size][/#008000][/font]
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