The fish report is weekly. Its accuracy depends on marinaoperators, tackle shops and local fishermen we contact. Anglerscatching large fish should send the information to Outdoor NewsService, P.O. Box 9007, San Bernardino, CA 92427, or telephone909-887-3444, so it can be included in this report. Faxes can besent to 909-887-8180. E-mail messages or fishing reports can alsobe posted to Jim Matthews at odwriter@verizon.net.
This report is published by 11 daily newspapers in SouthernCalifornia each week. Frequently it is edited for space. A completeversion is posted on the Outdoor News Service web site (www.OutdoorNewsService.com). The updated report is usually postedby Thursday morning. The fish report is copyrighted and any use orreposting of the report, or portions of the report, is prohibitedwithout written permission. Posting of links to the fish report onthe Outdoor News Service web site is allowed.
The Outdoor News Service is also on Facebook with updatedreports and photos posted throughout the week. The new Twitteraccount name is MatthewsOutdoor. For our latest fishinginformation, use these sites.
The Cal TIP number, the Department of Fish and Game poacherhotline, is 1-888-DFG-CALTIP. The DFG’s Website is:www.dfg.ca.gov.
MATTHEWS’ PICKS OF THE WEEK
1. Albacore! ItÆs time. YouÆve been waiting and watching thecounts trying to plan your trip just right. This is the week. Goodtides, new moon, and a bite that has been excellent this week. Thefish are now within 85 miles or less, and you can jump on a 11/2-day or two-day boat and get in a solid day of fishing andprobably even bring home one- or two-day Mexican limits of tastylongfins. There have even been a few bluefin to 70 pounds in thisaction. For an update or to book a trip, call FishermanÆs Landing,San Diego, at 619-221-8500; H&M Landing, San Diego, at619-222-1144; Seaforth Landing, San Diego, at 619-224-3383; PointLoma Sportfishing, San Diego, at 619-223-1627; or IslandiaSportfishing, San Diego, 619-222-1164.
2. Hesperia Lake cranked out over 50 catfish limits before noonon Saturday this holiday weekend. And it cranked out cats to30-plus pounds. ItÆs even been unseasonably cool (under 100degrees). For some close-to-home catfish action, this might be yourbest bet (although there are a lot of really good catfish bitesright now). For an update on this action, call the tackle shop atHesperia Lake at 800-521-6332 or 760-244-5951.
3. ItÆs a new moon this weekend. If you are a catfish anglerwith a hankering for a trophy flathead and donÆt mind 110-plusdegree temperatures, the lower Colorado River from, say, Blythedownstream is where you want to be this weekend. Catch some smallbluegill or buy some goldfish, find a big pool, and soak thosebaits just before light and just after dark and hold on. Fish atleast 80-pound test gear. Best places to get updates or tips forfishing are B&B Bait in Blythe at 760-921-2248 or WalterÆs Campsouth of Palo Verde at 760-854-3322.
FRESHWATER HOT SPOTS
TROUT: Top trout bets in Sierra continue to include BridgeportReservoir, Lake Crowley, Silver Lake, and most of the Bishop Creekand Rock Creek drainage stream, which are getting heavily plantedeach week. Virginia Lakes has also been wide open on fish to twopounds. Flows are coming down in most of the creeks and rivers inthe region and the bites are really taking off. For fly guys, theEast Walker River is still probably the best bet in the region, butCrowley also has some fish starting to chase perch minnows in thebacks of bays with water inflows. In Southern California, therecontinues to be good action at just a handful of waters. Top betsare Green Valley Lake, Big Bear Lake, and Lake Hemet with all threefair to good, especially for trollers.
BLACK BASS: The largemouth bass action has been generally fairto good throughout the region, but there was a slow-down over theholiday weekend. Blame boat traffic or an in-between moon phase.Thing should turn back around. Top bets have been Diamond ValleyLake, which never seems to slow down, and Isabella which has beencranking out a four to six pounders. Other decent bets includeCasitas, Castaic, Skinner, Sutherland, Otay, Irvine, Perris,Silverwood, Piru, Pyramid, Cachuma, and Puddingstone. Thesmallmouth action on the Colorado River has been very good in theriver stretches, but slowish in Lake Havasu. Further up on theCentral Coast, Santa Margarita and Lopez are both pretty good forlargemouths and the spotted bass are pretty fair in Nacimiento.Isabella is also very good with a lot of four to six pounders.
STRIPED BASS: Striper bites are good everywhere, with prettygood action at Silverwood, Pyramid, Castaic, and Skinner, whichsurged back on with a couple of real quality fish this week. SanAntonio Lake on the Central Coast seemed to come back on with a lotof six to 10-pound fish with some bigger. On the Colorado River,the lake bites are all pretty dismal, but the river stretches aregood. Willow Beach and below the Palo Verde Diversion dam are worthfishing, and thereÆs a chance for a big fish at Willow. Anothergood bet is the California Aqueduct near Taft.
PANFISH: While no crappie bites are wide open, Lopez and SantaMargarita are both producing bigger fish in fair action. Cachumaslowed during the mdi-moon phase, but Lake Isabella still is prettydecent in deeper water on live minnows. Piru and Henshaw have faircrappie bites. Redear and bluegill bites are hot just abouteverywhere — with Diamond Valley, Perris, Casitas, Sutherland, andPuddingstone some of the top picks. The tilapia bite at the SaltonSea has remained excellent in spite of the triple digittemperatures.
CATFISH: Simply good to excellent action just about everywhere.Hesperia Lake, Henshaw, Elsinore, Corona Lake, Santa Ana RiverLakes, and Irvine Lake have been the hottest spots in SouthernCalifornia with a lot of fish landed at all six. Skinner,Silverwood, and Diamond Valley are also good with a lot of cats toeight pounds at all three. Isabella has been very good for catsfrom 1-8 to three pounds, and the California aqueduct near Taft hasalso been good, too. The channel and flathead action is pretty muchwide open along the whole lower Colorado River, especially in thewarmer backwaters and irrigation ditches. This is the top bet for aquality fish over 20 pounds and big stringers of channels.
SAN BERNARDINO MOUNTAIN WATERS
SILVERWOOD: Very good striper action, and the catfish andbluegill have also been good. The best striper bite has been onanchovies at the spillway or Chemise area. Don Burns, Anaheim,caught six stripers to 7-4 fishing Miller’s Canyon. Catfish arebest on chicken liver and mackerel. Darriah Robinson, Fontana, gotfour catfish totaling 12-8 pounds along with a 12-8 striper. SaraihArroyo, 8, San Bernardino, caught a 4-8 catfish on chicken liver inCleghorn. The bluegill are good in all the coves on small worms,wax worms, red worms, or crickets. There is still a fair troutbite, but the fish have moved into deeper water and are showing inboth Cleghorn and Miller canyons on Power Bait, Power Worms, andinflated nightcrawlers. The largemouth bite is fair to good withswimbaits working well at the points. Carp are just fair foranglers fishing dough baits or nightcrawlers. Slow other species.Miller Canyon Creek (just above the lake) was planted with DFGtrout last week and the bite has been pretty good. The park is openseven days a week from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Information: marina760-389-2299, state park 760-389-2281, Silverwood Country store760-389-2423.
BIG BEAR LAKE: Trout action has been good in spite of heavy boattraffic over the holiday weekend. Trollers are scoring the mostfish, working three colors of leadcore and Needlefish or Rapalasfrom the dam to the observatory with the best action from WindyPoint to the dam. Some bait action for anglers drifting baitsmid-lake in 10 to 23 feet of water, but the shore bite is muchtougher. Eric Henderson, Anaheim, caught trout at 3.72 and 4.28pounds while drifting with Power Bait. Adam Pyska, Monrovia, landeda 5.76-pound rainbow trolling a Rapala near the Rock Wall. DFGtrout plant this week. Good action on largemouth and smallmouthbass in the backs of the bays on spawning beds. Small spinners andjigs are the best bet. Catfish slowly improving with water tempspushing up into the high 60s. Also continued improvement on thepanfish. Carp are stacked in the shallows and providing very goodbowfishing with some real bruisers being stuck. Fishinginformation: Big Bear Marina 909-866-3218, Big Bear Sporting Goods909-866-3222.
GREGORY LAKE: There continues to be a fair to good trout bitewith some limits posted. There were DFG plants this week and lastweek. The best action has been on floating baits or small lures andthe warm weather has the trout in deeper water. The bite on smallcrappie is fair early and late in the day. The boat house is open.Information: 909-338-2233.
GREEN VALLEY LAKE: Fair to good trout action with most fish inthe two to five-pound range. Ron Sandaval, Garden Grove, caught a7-8 rainbow on a Power Worm. Bryan Friedman, Walnut, caught aseven-pound trout on a Lip RipperZ near the west shore. MattMcGhee, Newport Beach, scored a 6.13-pound rainbow on anightcrawler off the west shore. AlpersÆ trout were planted lastweek, and the DFG stocked this week. Anglers win a fee Green ValleyLakes tee-shirt if they land a trout over six pounds. Recordedinformation: 909-867-2009.
ARROWBEAR LAKE: DFG trout plant last week and two weeks ago.
JENKS LAKE REGION: DFG plant last week, and this perked up theaction with fair to good action over the holiday. Best bite onsmall jigs, trout plastics, and floating baits. Both the Santa AnaRiver in the Seven Oaks area and the South Fork were planted by theDFG again this week. This makes three weeks in a row. Pretty fairaction. Brown trout anglers are also doing pretty good in thestreams, however, but most fish are under 10 inches long.Information: Mill Creek Ranger Station at 909-382-2881.
HIGH DESERT LAKES
HESPERIA LAKE: Excellent catfish action over the holiday weekendafter a plant of 4,500 pounds of catfish just before the weekend,including 500 pounds of trophy fish to 30 pounds. There were over50 limits checked out at the tackle shop before noon this pastSaturday. The best bite has been early and late in the day. Top catwas a 31-pound blue caught by Luke Nigeal, Brea, on shrimp. JoseFlores, Riverside landed an 18-pounder on mackerel, while DarrelRandall, Chino, had a pair of 14-pounders on nightcrawlers. JoeThompson, Lancaster, had cats at 13, nine and eight pounds onnightcrawlers, and Yalona Sanchez, Ventura, caught a 12-12 on theM&M combo (marshmallow-meal worm). Scott Pool, Las Vegas,landed cats at 11-4 and nine pounds, and Sean Vega, Indio, toppedoff his stringer with an 11-pounder. Patrick Wilson, Temecula,landed a 10-8 cat. Sturgeon are mostly slow, but Vince Lopez, LosAngeles, caught a 31-pounder and Vince Lopez, Baldwin Park, had a28-pound sturgeon. At least 2,000 pounds of catfish are plantedeach week. Lake hours are 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the night sessionfrom 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Cost is $15 per angler. There are $2 offcoupons available at Bass Pro Shops. Information: 800-521-6332 or760-244-5951.
JESS RANCH: Trout action was fair to good this past week with afew limits reported. Power Bait or inflated night crawlers dousedwith attractant, jigs, and lures have all been producing fish. Thebite has been best at mid-day this past week. Most of the fish havebeen around two pounds, with a few bigger. Top rainbow reportedwere 6-9 and 5-11 caught by Jose Ortega, Ontario, on an AtomicTeaser jig. Bradley Wilkinson, 10, Lake Forest, landed a 3-8rainbow on salmon peach Power Bait. Mark Selden, Azusa, had a 4-4on a Power Mouse combo (salmon peach Power Bait and orange PowerWorm). There was a 2,000-pound catfish plant June 29, and trout areplanted every Friday with more and bigger fish going in now. A fewlargemouth are showing on Senkos, spinnerbaits, and nightcrawlerswith fish to five pounds reported. Catfish are hitting shrimp andnightcrawlers. Catfish plant this week. A few bluegill reportscontinue to come in with several anglers getting limits. The lakeis open Friday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and it isstocked with trout each week on Friday from its own hatchery. Lakeinformation: 760-240-1107 or www.jessranchlakesnews.com.
MOJAVE NARROWS: County catfish go in each week through the endof catfish season, and the bite has been fair to good with mostfish around 1-8. Pretty good action on small bluegill, and quite afew crappie to a pound are also showing. Also fair action for bassand the occasional carp. Trout action remained fair after a DFGplant last week. Horseshoe Lake is still temporarily closed due toflood damage. Pelican Lake is remains open. For lake information:760-245-2226.
INLAND VALLEY LAKES
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
CUCAMONGA-GUASTI: Good catfish action. County catfish plants areweekly and will continue to go in each week through the end ofcatfish season. Information: 909-481-4205.
PRADO: County catfish plants are weekly through the end of thesummer season, and the bite has been pretty good on themarshmallow-meal worm combo or shrimp and marshmallow combo,nightcrawlers, and cut baits. Sofonias Gomez, San Bernardino,caught a limit of catfish totaling 9.3 pounds while fishing basinNo. 2 with shrimp. There is also a good bite on bluegill with waxworms, meal worms, or nightcrawler pieces. A few quality bass areshowing on reaction baits and soft plastics. Matt Kramer, Norco,caught a 5.3-pound on a plastic worm in basin No. 2. Catfish baitsare also now being sold at the park, and small boats(non-inflatable) under 16 feet with electric motors are nowallowed. Information: 909-597-4260.
YUCAIPA: Catfish bite is excellent with many anglers taking homelimits of one to two-pound fish with the best bite before 9 a.m.each morning. There are 750-pound county plants each week, usuallysplit between the top and bottom lake, and the top lake has beenthe preferred spot this past week. Shrimp, mackerel, and anchovieshave been the best baits. Bluegill action is good on small fish,with small pieces of nightcrawler the best bait. There is a decentcarp bite for those targeting them as well. Other species are slow.Lake information: 909-790-3127.
GLEN HELEN: County catfish plants are weekly through the rest ofthe summer season and the bite has been good on nightcrawlers,shrimp, and mackerel. Most of the cats are from 1 1/2 to twopounds. Arturo Ruiz, Rialto, had a three-pound cat to top off alimit. Jimmy Holmes, Jr., Riverside, had a five-fish limit thatweighed nine pounds total fishing nightcrawlers. Damien Vaquera,Fontana, had five cats to two pounds on shrimp. Danny Friend,Rialto, had a limit that weighed 8-11. While the trout are prettymuch gone, the bass, bluegill, and carp have been showing in decentnumbers. Information: 909-887-7540.
MOUNT BALDY TROUT POOLS: The heavily stocked pools are openevery Saturday and Sunday. No fishing license is needed.Information: 909-982-4246.
SECCOMBE LAKE: Good action on small bluegill. Slow otherspecies. Information: 909-384-5233.
RIVERSIDE COUNTY
DIAMOND VALLEY: There has been a very good topwater bite on thelargemouths early morning until about 10 a.m. on the points.Plastics have been working well all day long and spinnerbaits havebeen good in the afternoons. Shad or bluegill pattern swimbaits arestill producing some fish as well. Trout fishing has been slow withonly a few catches made by anglers fishing 10 to 20 feet of waterin the coves. Striper action is improved with the overcastmornings. Scrounger heads have been working best in the morning andas afternoon comes around trolling Kastmasters, Needlefish, orRapalas is your best bet to score a striper from two and sevenpounds. The catfish bite is very good with many fish in the sevento 15-pound range. Cut baits have been working well and the topspots are near the attenuator, the inlet, and Rawson Cove. JohnNeal, Compton, caught an eight-pound catfish near restroom No. 2with stinkbait. The bluegill bite has been very good. Anglersfishing with mini jigs, mealworms, or nightcrawlers along the damshave had the most success. Crappie spotty. For general lake,launch, and fishing information, call 800-590-LAKE, the marina at951-926-7201 or www.dvmarina.com, or Last Chance Bait and Tackle951-658-7410 or www.lastchancebaitandtackle.com.
PERRIS: There continues to be a pretty good redear and bluegillbite with the bigger fish coming from deeper water at the islandand off Bernasconi Beach. Fish to two pounds reported this pastweek. Small jigs tipped with crickets, wax worms, or CrappieNibbles have been the best bet. There are a lot of smaller bluegillaround the marina docks, and they are good on any of the smallbaits. Still a few crappie showing. Joe Hernandez, Corona, andRobert Cabe, Perris, had 12 crappie to two pounds off the docks.Still fair bass action with fish to seven pounds reported this pastweek. Best bite on plastics or nightcrawlers (especially garlic),but some swimbait, crankbait, and topwater action early and late inthe day. Trout and catfish slow. The park is open seven days aweek, and hours are from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Information: marina951-657-2179, state park 951-940-5600.
SKINNER: Striper action picked up this past week. A number ofboils have been reported at the east end of the lake near ramp No.2. Most of the fish are still smaller, under three pounds. Topspots to score good numbers of stripers continues to be the dam orthe inlet fishing with chicken liver. However, O’Dale Dunn,Compton, caught a 31.8-pound striper on chicken liver at the inlet.Peter King, Norco, scored a 20-pound striper on chicken liver atramp No. 2. Catfish action is also very good with mackerel workingbest. Bluegill to two pounds have been reported in pretty goodnumbers from the backs of the coves on nightcrawlers and mealworms.Fair largemouth action with some topwater early in the day. Carpaction has been fair to good for those targeting them. They areprimarily being caught in the reeds on nightcrawlers. Information:store 951-926-1505 or marina 951-926-8515.
ELSINORE: Not much change here. The best action here is stillfor catfish from three to eight pounds on cut baits, especiallyshrimp, nightcrawlers, or shad. The wipers are best early and latein the day on the same baits with some action on jerk baits or liveshad, if you can dip net some. Anglers are reminded the limit onthe wipers is two-fish, with an 18-inch minimum size. The carpremain fair to good with a lot of three to seven pounders onhomemade dough baits. Crappie are still very slow, and thereÆs aslow to fair bite on the largemouth bass on plastics and reactionbaits. Boat rentals are available through the WilliamÆs Bait,Tackle, and Boat Rental out of Elsinore West Marina. For moreinformation, contact WilliamÆs Bait, Tackle, and Boat Rental at951-642-0640 or Elsinore West Marina at 951-678-1300.
CORONA LAKE: The catfish action continued excellent over theFourth of July weekend, and a 25-pounder was caught on IndependenceDay by Frank Lemon, Pomona, while fishing with anchovies from aboat right behind the bait shop at the lake. Stringers of one totwo-pound catfish have been the norm, and a lot of anglers have hadone or two kicker fish in the four to 12-pound range. The best bitehas been on the marshmallow-meal worm combo, usually calledM&Ms, or the shrimp and marshmallow combo, which no one iscalling S&M combo for some reason. The marshmallow helps holdthe bait on top of the moss and weeds growing on the bottom of thewarm lake, making it easier for the fish to find the bait.
Some of the other better catches this past week include afive-fish stringer landed by Linda Judd, Lancaster, that included a12-pounder to anchor the 21-pound stringer. Anton James, LosAngeles, landed five cats, also for 21 pounds total, and his topfish was a 10 1/2-pounder. Steve Lazzo, Riverside, landed threecats for 14 pounds and his best fish was an 8 3/4-pounder, and aneight-pound catfish was top fish on a 23-pound stringer landed byJay Staayer, Sun City. Johny Dean, Anaheim, also had aneight-pounder on his 16 3/4-pound, five-fish stringer, while LeroyJohnson, Corona, had a seven-pound cat on his four-fish, 12-poundstringer. The tilapia action has been pretty good, too, with theodd sturgeon also showing up. The anglers targeting bass andbluegill are also seeing pretty good action on these species.Plants of catfish are going in at least twice a week and tilapiaare planted once a week. There are still tagged catfish in Coronaworth up to $100. There is 24-hour fishing every Friday andSaturday night. For Corona Lake fishing information, call951-277-4489 or log on at www.fishinglakes.com.
EVANS LAKE: Bass are showing in fair numbers for the guystossing small plastics and tiny jerk baits along the rockyshorelines early and late in the day with some fish to two pounds.Also a pretty decent bite on small bluegill and warmouth. Anglerstargeting carp are also seeing a decent bite on dough baits.
RANCHO JURUPA: Very good catfish action. Shrimp and stinkbaithave been working best. Slow other species. There is a new bait andtackle shop at the lake. Information: 951-684-7032.
FISHERMANÆS RETREAT: No report. Information: 909-795-0171.
ANGLERÆS LAKE: The lake is currently closed.
REFLECTION LAKE: Catfish remain good on cut baits, and plantsare every two weeks with 500 pounds planted each time. There aremonthly derbies. A few bass are showing. Bluegill fair.Information: 951-654-7906 or www.reflectionlakerv.com.
JEAN’S CHANNEL CATS: The lake has been heavily stocked with1,900 pounds of catfish, but suppliers canÆt provide any morecatfish this summer. So this is the deal — the cost is just $2 apound (until trout season when regular plants and prices return).The best action has been on chicken liver, mackerel, and shrimp.The lake is only open on weekends Friday through Sunday from 8 a.m.to 5 p.m., and on all Monday holidays. Information: 951-679-6562 or951-259-2021.
SAN JACINTO MOUNTAIN WATERS
LAKE HEMET: Good trout action continues with a few limitsreported once again. DFG trout were planted this week and two weeksago. The fish are showing for trollers and shore anglers usingPower Bait or similar baits along the south shoreline. Fish aremostly smaller, but a few from 1-8 to two pounds showing. Thebluegill bite has been pretty good with few anglers targeting them,and the odd bass is showing up. Lake open daily from 7 a.m. to 10p.m. Information: Lake Hemet Market 951-659-2350, campground951-659-2680.
FULMOR LAKE: No recent DFG trout plants. Information:951-659-2117.
ORANGE COUNTY
SANTA ANA RIVER LAKES: The catfish bite has remained excellentwith hefty stringers the rule, and trophy fish and cash-tagged catsstill showing up in the catch thanks to twice-weekly plants. Thetop catfish was an eight-pounder caught by Judy Schurr, BaldwinPark, on shrimp at the road. The fish was also wearing a $50 cashtag. Raynesha Griffin, Gardena, landed a 6 3/4-pounder on shrimpfrom ChrisÆ Pond that also had a $50 tag. There have been animpressive number of quality stringers over the past week. SantiagoOsnaya, Anaheim, landed 11 catfish for a total of 26, while LannySavage and Humberto Medrano, both San Bernardino, had 10 catfishfor 17 1/2 pounds. While the sturgeon action is slowing down, therewas a 17-pounder landed by Jimmy Suchy, Anaheim, while fishingmackerel near the nets. Tilapia are also planted each week and thebest tilapia action has been on mealworms or half a nightcrawlerfished on a small single hook and light line in three to six feetof water. Some of the tilapia are in the two to three poundcategory. There is 24-hour fishing every Friday and Saturday night.Private boats are no longer a llowed at Santa Ana River Lakes dueto fears of invasive quagga mussels being introduced into the watersystem. Information: 714-632-7830.
ANAHEIM LAKE: Closed. Anaheim Lake only opens when Santa AnaRiver Lakes is closed for cleaning and maintenance. Information:(714) 996-3508 or www.fishinglakes.com.
IRVINE LAKE: Overall very good to excellent fishing. Someoversize catfish are showing close to cover, the crappie bite isexcellent with limits of fish to two pound common, and the bluegillaction is also wide open. The largemouth bass and wiper bites arealso pretty darn good. For catfish, mackerel, bonito and severalcommercial preparations are scoring nice stringers of eating-sizecats in the two to six-pound range. Top fish reported this week wasa 17-6 landed by Brad Sampson, Anaheim, on the flats with mackerel.Crappie are best in the late afternoon and evening in 18 to 24-feetof water on white Atomic Tubes or white two-inch Gulp! SwimmingMinnows. Curtis Meade, Anaheim, had a 2-1 crappie. The bass havebeen showing on everything from surface baits to jigs bounced onthe bottom, with the fish up top early and late in the day. RandallAamot, Newport Beach, caught bass a 10-2 and seven pounds onbuzzbaits, while Todd Ferguson, Villa Park, landed a nine-pounderon a jig. The wipers are boiling on shad early in the day andshowing on cut baits at night. Diego Gamboa, San Diego, had a 3-8wiper on shrimp. The bluegill and redear are best on mealworms orGulp! Crickets fished under a bobber along most shorelines. Theinaugural ôCrappie Classicö tournament will be this Friday night.The lake is now be closed on Tuesdays. The road to Trout Island isagain usable. Lake information: 714-649-9111 orwww.irvinelake.net.
LAGUNA NIGUEL LAKE: No report. The lake is open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.daily. Information: 949-362-3885 or www.lagunaniguellake.com.
LOS ANGELES AREA LAKES
CACHUMA: The trout bite turned on after last weekÆs 2,500-poundplant, but the action has pretty much been in deeper water withtrollers working three colors of leadcore and Needlefish having thebest luck. Shore anglers getting some fish on Power Bait fished onpoints near the marina. Fair to good action on both the largemouthand smallmouth bass with fish most showing on cranks, jigs,plastics, and nightcrawlers. Also some topwater action now. Thecrappie bite slowed this past week, but still some fishing showingaround the island and the narrows on small jigs. Catfish fair togood on cut baits in the coves and flats with pretty good action onfish to three pounds. Bluegill are pretty good, but most of thefish are small. Few redear reported. Terri Butler, Victorville,caught an eight-pound carp and a one-pound bluegill, both onnightcrawlers. For quagga mussel and the boat launchinginformation, log on at https://www.sbparks.org/DOCS/Cachuma.html.The marina is open again with rental boats available. The boatlaunch remains open, but boats must get a quagga mussel inspection.Information: 805-688-4040.
CASITAS: The bass bite remains good in 18 to 25 feet of waternightcrawlers, plastics, and jigs, and very good if you can dipsome live shad, but that has been almost impossible this week.ThereÆs also a very good topwater bite early and late in the day.Top bass this week was a 9-12 caught by Buzz Olrich, Moor Park, ona topwater biat. Steve Bohannan, Ventura, caught a 9-4 on liveshad, while Randy Westbury, Ojai, had nine-pounder on a surfaceRapala. Joey LeSeur, Ojai, caught bass at 7-8 and six pounds onshad. There continue to be a good trout bite for trollers workingeight to 10 colors of leadcore and Needlefish or by bait anglersdrifting in about 40 feet of water near the dam. Roger Snowbarger,Ojai, had seven straight days of trout limits this past week andall the rainbows were from two to four pounds. He was trollingNeedlefish in 40 feet of water. There continues to be a fair togood redear bite on red worms and nightcrawler pieces with fish to1-8 or better reported, and the fish are showing from shallow waterout to 2 5 feet. Private boats will be inspected for quagga musselsand face a 10-day dry dock requirement before being allowed tolaunch. The lake is open every day, including all holidays fromdusk to dawn. Information: 805-649-2043.
CASTAIC: The lagoon has been excellent for largemouth bass withthe best bite on small swimbaits, plastics, or nightcrawlers earlyand late in the day or at night. In the big lake, the striper biteremained very good with the best action still at the buoy line onsardines and anchovies, and the bite has been best mid-day toevening. Lots of 12 to 14-inch, one-pound class fish, and a fewstripers to five pounds in the mix. Largemouth action in the mainlake is also very good. The best bite on plastic worms, shad baits,and nightcrawlers with some topwater action. There were severalreports of largemouth bass over 10 pounds landed but most of thefish have been in the one to two-pound range. Some panfish areshowing on wax worms and mealworms. Slow trout action with no plantin over a month. Information: 661-775-6232 orwww.CastaicLake.com.
PIRU: Fair to good action on bass, while the crappie, bluegilland redear bites are slow to fair. The best bass bite has been onplastics fished in 10 to 25 feet of water with some fish onswimbaits and nightcrawlers. Also some topwater action early andlate. The crappie are showing in 12 to 20 feet on small jigs withfew topping a pound. The best action on redear and bluegill hasbeen on nightcrawler pieces or crickets. Catfish still very slow.Information: front gate at 805-521-1500, x500 orwww.camplakepiru.com.
PYRAMID: The striper action remains good for anglers driftingwith anchovies or sardines, and they are averaging from 1 1/2 tothree pounds. Largemouth bass action is fair to good with a lot ofone to three-pound fish on nightcrawlers and plastics. Also quite afew smallmouth in this bite. No recent trout plants and the actionis very slow with only a few fish showing for trollers fishingflashers with nightcrawlers, Rapalas, and Needlefish around thedam. The bluegill are showing in pretty good numbers with quite afew fish to half-pound. Crappie spotty on small jigs tipped withbait. Catfish are still mostly slow, but a few to five poundsreported this week. Information: Emigrant Landing entrance booth,661-295-7155, concession 661-257-2790, or Forest Service661-296-9710.
QUAIL LAKE: No reports.
PUDDINGSTONE: Just fair action on largemouth bass on plasticworms around structure, with some topwater action early and late inthe day. Bluegill action is fair to good on crickets, wax worms andmeal worms with morning and evening best. Most are hand-sized andsmaller but some bigger fish also showing. Some bigger redearshowing in a little deeper water than the bluegill. Carp are in theshallows. Little fishing pressure but anglers targeting them aregetting some nice fish on dough baits. Catfish improving after thefirst DFG catfish plant of the season two weeks ago. Information:East Shore RV Park: 909-599-8355 (ask for the market).
SANTA FE DAM: DFG catfish plant two weeks ago. Slow to fair bassand bluegill action. Information: 626-334-1065.
ALONDRA PARK LAKE: DFG catfish plant last week.
BALBOA PARK LAKE: No recent DFG plants.
BELVEDERE PARK LAKE: DFG catfish plant last week.
CERRITOS PARK LAKE: DFG catfish plant three weeks ago.
DOWNEY WILDERNESS PARK: DFG catfish plant three weeks ago.
ECHO PARK LAKE: DFG catfish plan last week.
EL DORADO PARK LAKE: DFG catfish plant three weeks ago.
ELIZABETH LAKE: No recent DFG plants.
HANSEN DAM LAKE: DFG catfish plant last week. Information:888-527-2757 or 818-899-3779.
HOLLENBECK LAKE: No recent DFG plants. Information:213-261-0113.
JOHN FORD PARK LAKE: DFG catfish plant three weeks ago.
KENNETH HAHN PARK LAKE: DFG catfish plant last week.
LA MIRADA PARK LAKE: DFG catfish plant three weeks ago.
LEGG LAKES: DFG catfish plant three weeks ago.
LINCOLN PARK LAKE: DFG catfish plant last week.
MAGIC JOHNSON LAKE: No recent DFG plants.
PECK ROAD PARK LAKE: DFG catfish plant three weeks ago.Information: 818-448-7317.
SAN DIEGO AREA LAKES
BARRETT: There were 72 anglers checked and they reportedcatching 858 bass, 69 bluegill, and 15 crappie. Reservations areavailable for July and August by calling Tickemaster at800-745-3000. Lake information: 619-465-3474 orwww.sandiego.gov/water/recreation/. Rental boat reservations:619-668-3274 or ssmith@sandiego.gov.
HODGES: This past week, there were 53 anglers who landed 43bass, three catfish, and one crappie. The lake is open to fishingWednesday, Saturday and Sunday with rental boats only available onthe weekend. Lake information: 619-465-3474 orwww.sandiego.gov/water/recreation/. Rental boat reservations:619-668-3274 or ssmith@sandiego.gov.
EL CAPITAN: There were 34 anglers checked this past week andthey reported catching 13 bass and two crappie. The lake is openThursday through Saturday and on Monday for fishing. Rental boatsare available Saturday and Sunday only. Lake information:619-465-3474 or www.sandiego.gov/water/recreation/. Rental boatreservations: 619-668-3274 or ssmith@sandiego.gov.
LOWER OTAY: There were 203 anglers checked and they reportedcatching 160 bass to 5.9 pounds, 246 bluegill to 0.85 pounds, onecrappie, and seven catfish to 4.12 pounds. The lake is open on aWednesday, Saturday, and Sunday schedule. The lake only has boatrentals on Saturday and Sunday. Lake information: 619-465-3474 orwww.sandiego.gov/water/recreation/. Rental boat reservations:619-668-3274 or ssmith@sandiego.gov.
UPPER OTAY: There were 21 anglers checked and they reported 30bass to 7.2 pounds and eight bluegill to 0.63 pounds. The lake isopen on a Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday for catch-and-releasefishing (only artificial lures with single, barbless hooks),sunrise to sunset. The road to Upper Otay is open. Lakeinformation: 619-465-3474 or www.sandiego.gov/water/recreation/.Rental boat reservations: 619-668-3274 or ssmith@sandiego.gov.
MURRAY: No report. No DFG trout plants in over a month. Lakeinformation: 619-465-3474 or www.sandiego.gov/water/recreation/.The lake is no longer renting boats of any kind.
MIRAMAR: There were 29 anglers checked and they reported 10bass, 3 bluegill, and five catfish. The lake is open for fishingseven days a week. The lake is no longer renting boats of any kind,and the launch ramp is closed due to low water levels. Lakeinformation: 619-465-3474 orwww.sandiego.gov/water/recreation/.
SUTHERLAND: There were 39 anglers checked and they reportedcatching 83 bass, seven bluegill, and 11 catfish. Lake is only openSaturday and Sunday. Lake information: 619-465-3474 orwww.sandiego.gov/water/recreation/. Rental boat reservations:619-668-3274 or ssmith@sandiego.gov.
WOHLFORD: Largemouth action has slowed some from recent weeks.Dark-colored plastics or crawdads fished around the submerged rockpiles continues to be the best bet for largemouth. Crappie actionis slow to fair with the best bite on small jigs or live goldenshiners. Wendell Jackson, Escondido, caught three crappie to 2.09pounds on shiners in Boat Dock Cove. Bluegill bite is good inOakvale Cove and Boat Dock Cove. Catfish action is also good withquite a few limits reported at the east end and southern shore.First catfish plant of the season went in last week. Trout fishinghas slowed as the water continues to warm up. The last trout plantwas over a month ago. The lake is open seven days a week. There arefour bass boat-type rentals available. The lake will now beoffering a couple new discounts on motor boat rentals. Seniors willbe able to rent motor boats for $20 every Tuesday. Active militarywill get the same $20 motor boat rentals on the first and thirdSaturday of every month. Quagga mussel fears still have a privateboating ban. Information: 760-839-4346 or www.wohlfordlake.com.
DOANE POND: DFG trout plant last week.
DIXON LAKE: Catfish season and night fishing started lastThursday and there have been 1,000-pound plants of cats last weekand this week. Most of the cats are in the one to two-pound range.Best spots are the buoy line, Whisker Bay and Catfish Cove nearpier No. 4. Fair bass action with most of the fish in deeper waterand most are under four pounds. Bluegill are starting to show foranglers fishing the along piers near weed covered areas. Lakeinformation: 760-839-4345 or www.dixonlake.com.
POWAY: Fishing is slow to fair for the most part. Some nicesized bass and catfish are showing but the numbers are down.Alexandr Yermakov, San Diego, caught a 7-4 catfish on mackerel atthe log boom. The panfish bite is slow. The lake is now open fornight fishing Friday and Saturday nights until 11 p.m. withshoreline access until 11:30 p.m. The lake opens at 7 a.m. in June.Lake information: 858-668-4770, tackle shop 858-486-1234.
JENNINGS: Catfish action slowed way down this past week but afew anglers still reported some success. John Visser and JakeAlirez, both of Lemon Grove, caught 10 catfish in one hour offishing for the second straight week. Largemouth action has beenbest in about 25 feet of water at the points. Night fishing willcontinue every Friday and Saturday until Labor Day. The last troutplant of the season went in over a month ago. Information:619-390-1300 or www.lakejennings.org.
MORENA: No report. Information: 24-hour fishing update line619-478-5473, ranger station 619-579-4101, orwww.lakemorena.com.
CUYAMACA: Good trout action. Nightcrawlers are working best andthe top spot has been the T-Dock. There is also a good crappie bitewith a lot of small fish reported. DFG trout plant last week. A fewbass and catfish reports are coming in each week as well. Privateboats are allowed on the lake, but the boats must be sprayed forquagga mussels by a high-pressure heated wash prior to entering thelake. The cost is $10 for the spraying and it lasts for multipletrips to Cuyamaca as long as the boat is not used in anotherreservoir. The decontamination wash down station is for all craftand items used in the water, including boats, motors, kayak,canoes, float tubes and waders. Information: 760-765-0515 orwww.lakecuyamaca.org.
HENSHAW: Catfish action is very good with a lot of nicestringers reported and quite a few limits. Most fish in the one totwo-pound range with some bigger. Crappie are fair to good and theyare suspended in deeper water (accessible by boat or on the fishingpier). Bass are fair, but few anglers are targeting them. Excellentcarp action. Henshaw is open to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturdaynights, dusk the rest of the week. Information: 760-782-3501.
COLORADO RIVER
FLOW INFORMATION: Reservoir elevation levels and flow releasesfor the entire lower Colorado River are available at this web sitewith information updated hourly:www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g4000/hourly/rivops.html.
LAKE MEAD: Slow to fair striper action under schools of shad in40 to 50 feet of water in the main channel and mouths of most ofthe coves on cut anchovies, sardines, shad-like lures. Most fishunder four pounds. The largemouth bass are slow to fair in eight to25 feet of water on plastics, and the smallmouth have also beenfair. Improving catfish action, but still just a fair number offish showing in the coves on cut baits. Improving panfish actionbut still slowish.
WILLOW BEACH: Just fair striper action. The best bite had beenon the big swimbaits that look like rainbow trout and the MileMarker 52 region seemed to be best. The trout action remains prettygood after the weekly plants with the best action on salmon eggs,Power Bait, worms and Super Dupers. Information: Willow BeachResort at 928-767-4747.
LAKE MOHAVE: Still mostly tough fishing. The bass bite has beenfair on plastics with some reaction bait and topwaterfish.áSlow-trolling or drifting with anchovies in 30 to 50 feet ofwater has been producing some stripers, while catfish are on thebottom.áThe night time bite has begun to pick up. Information:Cottonwood Cove at 702-297-1464, KatherineÆs Landing at928-754-3245.
LAUGHLIN-BULLHEAD AREA: Light fishing pressure. For those goingout, there is still a decent bite for trout for anglers targetingthe bigger holdover rainbows in this stretch of river. The hotspots have been at the Laughlin Bridge and in front of the casinos,but they are showing all the way down river into Topoc Gorge. Someof these fish are running up to five pounds. The striper bite isstill slow to fair but the volume of fish does seem to beincreasing. Most are showing on anchovies or crankbaits, with theRio Lomas area the best stretch. And most are just under two poundswith an occasional bigger fish. Smallmouth are fair along rip-rapon small cranks. Information: Riviera Marina at 928-763-8550.
NEEDLES AREA: There is fair smallmouth action in the main riverfrom Needles south to the I-40 bridge and on down into Topoc Gorge,mostly on small cranks. Slowly improving striper action, but thisbite still very spotty above Needles. Catfish probably the best beton cut baits, but still just fair. Still a few rainbows showing butmost are nice quality fish up to four pounds. Information: NeedlesMarina at 760-326-2197.
TOPOCK AREA: Still spotty striped bass fishing in the main riverwith a few to four pounds showing with the odd bigger fishing.Bluegill and redear are good on nightcrawlers, while the smallmouthare a mainstay on tube baits and shallow-running cranks. Most ofthe smallies are 1/2 to two pounds with the best action early orlate. Catfish are good on cut baits, mostly anchovies, in both themain river and marsh. Greg Blanchard, Golden Shores, landed a16-pound channel cat at the pipe line, and Pete and CharlotteGuarisco, also of Golden Shores, has a six-pound cat four milesbelow DevilÆs Elbow near Chevy Rock. Both fish were taken onanchovies. Topock Marsh can be accessed by boat at North Dike,Catfish Paradise, and Five-Mile Landing. Information: PhilÆsWestern Trader at 928-768-4954 or Capt. DoyleÆs Fun Fishing at928-768-2667.
HAVASU: There is a pretty decent largemouth bass bite early andlate in the day on topwater buzzbaits and spook-type lures withflipping Senkos and crawdad-type baits into shady pockets. Thesmallies are tough with some topwater early on rocky banks in themorning. The redear are still very good on shallow flats and offpoints in big schools with some fish topping two pounds. Thecatfish action has been fair to good with the best action in theevening and into the night on cutbaits for the channels andbluegill for the flatheads. Stripers are tough but some qualityfish from four to eight pounds are showing on trolled baits in themain basis before 10 a.m. most mornings. Air temps have been from112 to 115 this week. Information: Bass Tackle Master (formerlyAnglerÆs Pro Shop) at 928-854-2277.
PARKER STRIP: Fair to good catfish and smallmouth bass action.The cats are showing in most of the pools on cut baits, while thesmallmouth bass are along the rip rap and starting to whack smallcranks and swim baits. Bluegill and redear are good in thebackwaters and quiet water in the main river. Few flatheadreports.
BLYTHE: Heat continues to hold back the fishing pressure, butoverall the action is still pretty good for those going out.Channel cats are good in the main canals, backwaters, and mainriver on cut baits and the flatheads are also pretty good onbluegill and goldfish. Some flatheads topping 20 pounds are caughteach week. The smallmouth bass bite is excellent in the main riveralong the rip-rap and in the canals. Most are small, but the actionis very good on surface baits, cranks, and small plastics.Largemouth have slowed in the backwaters and ditches except wherecooler water from the main river enters. Still pretty good actionthere on plastics, cranks, and surface baits. Also good panfishaction. There is still a pretty good striper bite on three tofive-pound fish at the Palo Verde Diversion dam on cut baits,mostly chicken liver, and most anglers are getting good mixedstringers of stripers and catfish. The best action has been out ofthe main current and close to the shoreline rocks. Information:B&B Bait 760-921-2248.
PALO VERDE: The flathead action has continued to been good toexcellent with a lot of fish from eight to 20 pounds and a fewbigger fish each week. The best baits are live bluegill, goldfishand tilapia. The channel catfish bite is also very good. Goodaction on bluegill and the largemouth bass bite has also been good,with morning and evening topwater and a lot of crankbait fish. Mostof the day the bass are back in the tules with high water levels.Few reports on smallmouth and stripers in the main river, and stillno crappie reports. This is the first week of the season where airtemperatures hit 110 in this region. Information: WalterÆs Camp760-854-3322 Thursday through Monday.
PICACHO AREA: Fair largemouth bass action in the backwaters andriver margins with the best bite early and late in the day, and thecatfish — both flatheads and channels — are very good with somequality flatheads being caught. Bluegill good, too.
MARTINEZ LAKE AREA: Largemouth bass action has been fair withsome flurries of good action on topwater, mostly at backwaterentrances. Flatheads are really good on live bluegill and goldfish.Channel cats are good on cut baits in both the main river andbackwater lakes. Bluegill also showing in excellent numbers, butmost are small. Information: 928-783-9589 Thursday through Mondayor www.martinezlake.com.
YUMA AREA: Largemouth bass action is fair in the whole regionwith the fish whacking plastics, cranks, and spinnerbaits. There isalso a good topwater bite early and late in the day. The catfishbite is also good with some good catches on channels on cut baitsand continued decent action on quality flatheads with live goldfishand bluegill.
LOWER DESERT WATERS
SALTON SEA: The tilapia bite is good to excellent with most ofthe fish from a half-pound to a pound, with an occasional biggerfish up into the two-pound class. The best bite has been at thestate park headquarterÆs jetty and the newly reopened Yacht Clubjetty. All of the action is still on nightcrawler pieces. Fullice-chests are still the rule, but this past week is the first thisseason with temperatures in triple digits every day. Information:Salton Sea State Recreation Area ranger station 760-393-3052 orvisitor center at 760-393-3810.
ALAMO RIVER: No reports.
COACHELLA, HIGHLINE CANALS: No reports.
ALL AMERICAN CANAL: No reports.
FINNEY-RAMER: No reports.
WEIST LAKE: No reports. Information: 760-352-3308.
SUNBEAM LAKE: No reports.
LAKE CAHUILLA: No reports. Information: 760-564-4712.
EASTERN SIERRA
For up-to-date road and campground information can call thefollowing U.S. Forest Service offices: For the Big Pine to LonePine region, call 760-876-6222; for the Bishop Region, call760-873-2500; for the Mammoth Lakes region, call 760-924-5500; forthe Lee Vining region, call 760-647-3044; and for the Bridgeportregion call 760-932-7070. Lodging and guide information: BishopChamber of Commerce 760-873-8405 or www.bishopvisitor.com, MonoCounty Tourism 760-924-1743. Top Eastern Sierra fishing report websites are: www.KensSport.com (Bridgeport region),www.TheTroutFly.com, and www.SierraDrifters.com.
WEST WALKER RIVER REGION: The West Walker River is still highwith run-off but finally starting to come down and there have beensome good reports this past week. The Little Walker River is high,but very fishable. Kirman Lake slowed and three to five fish daysare common now — not 20 fish days. Information: KenÆs SportingGoods 760-932-7707.
BRIDGEPORT REGION: The trout action continues to improve at bothTwin Lakes with a lot of pan-sized fish to two pounds showing onPower Bait, Gulp! Eggs, and nightcrawlers for the bait anglers, andtrollers are getting fish on a wide variety of lures. The EastWalker River has been very good this week for most anglers, with alot of surface fish to 18 inches now on caddis patterns in theevenings, and a wide variety of nymphs during the day. Flows havebeen around 260 cfs this week, which is up a little, but the dryfly bite has been better. Bridgeport Reservoir is still excellentfor still fishing bait anglers have done the best with Gulp eggsand crawlers. Rainbow Point and Buckeye Bay have been the bestareas. Trolling less consistent. Virginia Lakes remain excellentwith a lot of fish to two pounds on just about everything andanything. Information: KenÆs Sporting Goods 760-932-7707 orwww.kenssport.com, Twin Lakes Resort (Lower Twin) 760-932-7751,AnnettÆs Mono Village (Upper Twin) 760-932-7071.
JUNE LAKE LOOP REGION: Fishing is fair to good on all fourlakes, June, Gull, Silver and Grant, on the usual floating doughbaits (salmon egg glitter and salmon peach have been the hot PowerBait colors), inflated nightcrawlers, and the fly-bubblecombination, especially at the stream mouths and outlets. Eveningshave been best with the warmer weather. Quite a few AlpersÆ fish tofour pounds or better reported. Rush Creek is good between Silverand Grant on planted trout. Information: ErnieÆs Tackle at760-648-7756.
MAMMOTH AREA: Crowley Lake is still good for fly anglers, butthe fish have moved into the bays where water is entering the lake.Lots of 16 to 22-inch trout — rainbows, browns and cutts. ConvictLake is good for planted fish. Fair action in Twin Lakes out ofMammoth but no plants in basin yet. Rock Creek drainage plantedagain this week and the action has been very good. Most everythingis completely ice free in this region now, except at the veryhighest elevations. Information: The Troutfitter at 760-934-2517,Convict Lake Resort at 760-934-3800, Crowley Lake Fish Camp at760-935-4301.
BISHOP AREA: Sabrina Lake is full and spilling at the dam, andthe action has been slow to fair with the best bite off off theface of the dam or in the creek inlets. DFG plant this week. Allthe forks of the Bishop Creek have been good for knowledgeablestream anglers. South Lake is finally clearing up and the bestaction has been at the upper end of the lake. DFG plant here thisweek. Intake II has been good, getting the North Lake stockings,which may not get trout plants until August. All three forks of thecreek were also planted again this week. Backcountry anglers arenow making it into Green Lake, Brown Lake, Treasure Lakes, TyeeLakes, Long Lake and Marie Louise Lakes with trail conditions muchimproved over just two weeks ago. Pleasant Valley Reservoir is goodfor planted rainbows on floating baits and small lures. Lower Owensjust fair to good with some very good dry fly action. Information:Sierra Drifters Guide Service 760-935-4250, CulverÆs 760-872- 8361,BrockÆs 760-872-3581.
BIG PINE TO LONE PINE AREA: Generally fair to good action afterDFG plants again last week on all the creeks, but only Big PineCreek got trout this week. Information: 760-876-4444 or go towww.lonepinechamber.org.
WESTERN SIERRA
BOBÆS BAIT CATFISH DERBY: The month-long BobÆs Bait CatfishDerby kicked off July 1 with a $100 cash prize going to the anglerwho weighs in the biggest catfish at BobÆs Bait in Bakersfieldduring July. The current leader is David Kiel, Bakersfield, with a6-8 cat caught from the aqueduct Wednesday this week on bloodworms. There were over 300 entrants in the past monthÆs carp derby,which was won by a 16-pounder. For more information, call BobÆsBait at 661-833-8657.
LAKE ISABELLA: The largemouth bass bite has very good withquality fish from four to six pounds and some bigger showing onSenkos and deep-diving cranks. The catfish action also remains verygood in Stein and Robinson coves on frozen shad and clams with lotsof fish from two pounds and up. The crappie action has moved deeperwater and got a little tougher this past week, but thereÆs still agood bite on small minnows in BrownÆs and JauchinÆs coves in theSouth Fork arm. Most are half- to three-quarter pounders. Troutaction is still good at the cemetery area auxiliary dam on PowerBait and nightcrawlers. Bluegill finally starting to improve.Information: BobÆs Bait 661-833-8657.
KERN RIVER: Flows have dropped again this week in the upperriver and very fishable now with good action. The upper stretchnearly to the Johnsondale Bridge was again stocked this week andthe best bite has been on salmon eggs and crickets. All the otherstretches were also planted in both the upper and lower river. Thelower river is still pretty high, but careful anglers are gettingtrout, especially in the Richbar area. Information: Kern River FlyShop 760-376-2040 (or www.kernriverflyfishing.com) or James Store760-376-2424.
AQUEDUCT NEAR TAFT: The catfish and striper action remains verygood. Lots of cats showing on cut baits, and the striper bitecontinues to be mostly on blood worms. David Kiel, Bakersfield,caught a 6-8 cat on blood worms. Larry Gillette, Bakersfield had asix-pounder on a garlic nightcrawler. Information: BobÆs Bait661-833-8657.
HART PARK LAKE: Very good action on small bluegill with waxworms or crickets. Most hand-sized. The carp are good on homemadedough baits or Powder Bait. Bass very slow.
TRUXTUN LAKE: Good bluegill bite, and the carp bite has beengood on Powder Bait. Fair catfish bite on nightcrawlers and shad.Bass and crappie spotty.
RIVER WALK PARK: Little change. The bluegill bite is good on waxworms, meal worms, and crickets, and the carp action is good onhomemade dough baits and Powder Bait. There are a few bass showingon minnows, nightcralwers, and plastics, but this bite is veryslow.
MING LAKE: The carp bite is very good on Powder Bait and otherdough baits. There has also been a very good bite on bluegill,mostly on wax worms and meal worms, and the bass action is slowwith a few on plastics.
BRITE LAKE: No reports.
BUENA VISTA LAKES: Continued good catfish action on frozen shad,dip baits, or green garlic nightcrawlers, with most of the catsrunning from two to five pounds and showing from the small lake.The lake is being planted with catfish every couple of weeks, andthere is a five-fish limit on the cats here. A fair number ofstripers on bloodworms, minnow, and Zoom Flukes or similar surfaceswim baits, and a few crappie have been showing on live minnows.The bluegill action has been fair to good on wax worms. Carp goodfor those targeting them. Information: BobÆs Bait 661-833-8657.
WOOLLOMES LAKE: The bluegill bite is good on red worms, mealworms, or wax worms, and a few bass are showing on plastics. Prettygood carp action, too.
SUCCESS LAKE: Pretty good bass action Senkos and plastics, andsome bluegill and catfish also starting to show. Water level comingup. Information: 559-781-2078.
KAWEAH LAKE: The largemouth bass bite has been fair to good witha lot of fish on plastics and some on topwater and reaction baits.The redear and bluegill are really starting to take off in theshallows. Some catfish beginning to show. Information:559-597-2526.
CENTRAL COAST LAKES
SAN ANTONIO: The striped bass bite has remained strong here witha lot of six to 10-pound fish and some in the 12 to 20-pound classeach week. The best action has been on trolled shad-like swim baitsor live or frozen shad. Also some topwater action for anglersthrowing to boils early and late in the day. The catfish action isalso improving and there has been a fair crappie bite, especiallyif you can get live shad. Few other reports. Information:805-472-2818.
NACIMIENTO: Both the smallmouth and largemouth bites are fairwith some topwater early and late in the day and then better actionin deep water after the dawn-dusk flurries on top. The white bassaction is slow to fair on slow-trolled Roostertails and silverspoons. The crappie bite has slowed down with spotty action on liveminnows or small jigs tipped with Crappie Nibbles. The catfish biteis improving, and anglers targeting carp are seeing excellentaction. Information: 805-238-1056 or www.nacimientoresort.com.
SANTA MARGARITA: There is generally a pretty good bite on bass,crappie, and bluegill/redear here. The bass are showing on topwaterand live shad, if you can dip a few at dawn, with a slightly lesserbite on Senkos, jigs, and Creature baits. Most are two to threepounders with some up to five. The crappie bite has been fair togood, and what they lack in numbers, theyÆve been making up in sizewith a lot of two to three-pound fish. The best bite is in the backof the narrows on the small jigs or live shad. The bluegill andredear are good in most coves on bobber-suspended baits, but thefish are mostly hand-sized with a few bigger ones. Catfish areslow. The marina store is open Wednesday through Sunday.Information: 805-438-1522.
LOPEZ: Fair to good largemouth and crappie action, and thebluegill bite is also good. The bass have mostly been showing offStrawberry Flats early in the morning on topwater, cranks, andplastics. The crappie bite has been best off the F Dock and at thedam with catches of five to 10 fish pretty common, but some of thefish are up into the two-pound range. Best action has been on smalljigs tipped with meal worms or Crappie Nibbles. Smaller bluegilland redear are showing in most coves and off the F Dock on redworms and meal worms. Some catfish showing. Information:805-489-1006.
TROUT PLANTS
Barring adverse weather, water or road conditions, the followinglakes and streams, listed by county, will be restocked withcatchable-size rainbow trout from the Department of Fish and Gamehatcheries this week. For updates in Southern California and theEastern Sierra Nevada, you can call the DFG recording at562-594-7268, or for updates in the Western Sierra, you can call559-243-4005, x183. For trout plants statewide, you can visit theDFG’s web site athttps://www.dfg.ca.gov/fish/Hatcheries/FishPlanting/index.asp.
SAN BERNARDINO: Big Bear Lake, Green Valley Lake, Lake Gregory,Santa Ana River, South Fork of the Santa Ana River.
INYO: Big Pine Creek, Bishop Creek Dam Intake No. 2,Independence Creek, Lake Sabrina, Lone Pine Creek, lower BishopCreek, lower Owens River from Stewart Lane to Laws, Middle ForkBishop Creek, Rock Creek Lake, South Fork Bishop Creek, South Lake,Tinemaha Creek, Tuttle Creek.
MONO: Bridgeport Reservoir, Convict Creek, Convict Lake, DeadmanCreek, Ellery Lake, Glass Creek, Grant Lake, Gull Lake, June Lake,Lake George, Lake Mamie, Lake Mary, Lee Vining Creek, lower TwinLake near Bridgeport, lower Virginia Lake, Lundy Lake, MammothCreek, McGee Creek, Mill Creek, Robinson Creek, Rock Creek, RockCreek from French Camp to upper bridge at Rock Creek Lodge, RockCreek from Paradise Lodge to Tuff Campground, Rush Creek, SaddlebagCreek, Sherwin Creek, South Fork Lee Vining Creek, Trumbull Lake,upper Owens River from Benton Crossing to Crowley Lake, upper TwinLake near Bridgeport, upper Virginia Lake, Virginia Creek, WalkerRiver Little, West Walker River Section 2.
KERN: Kern River from Democrat Beach to Lower Richbar, KernRiver from Powerhouse No 3 to Riverside Park, Kernville, Kern Riverfrom Sandy Flat to Democrat Beach.
TULARE: Kern River from Brush Creek to Fairview Dam, Kern Riverfrom Fairview Dam to Falling Waters Lodge.
FRESNO: Big Creek near Huntington, Dinkey Creek, Hume Lake,Huntington Lake, Kings River below the Pine Flat Reservoir,Rancheria Creek, San Joaquin River below the Friant Dam, TamarackCreek.
MADERA: Fish Creek, Lewis Creek, lower Chiquito Creek, NorthFork of Willow Creek, Upper Big Creek, West Fork ChiquitoCreek.
TUOLUMNE: Cherry Lake, Lyons Canal, Middle Fork StanislausRiver, Moccasin Creek, Pinecrest Lake, Powerhouse Stream, SouthFork Stanislaus River, Stanislaus River Clark Fork.
CATFISH PLANTS
The following lakes, listed by county, will be stocked this weekwith one-pound catfish by private hatcheries under contract withthe Department of Fish and Game.
No catfish plans this week.
OCEAN FISHING REPORT
By Terrence Berg
For Outdoor News Service
SUMMER FISHING IS HERE: Finally! The summer bites are finallystarting to roll all along the coast with fishing about as good asit gets. Here are the top bites:
SAN DIEGO FLEET POUNDING ALBACORE: The 1 1/2 and two-day boatsare hammering the albacore only 85 to 130 miles from San Diego.Full, five-fish limits per angler have been common on most boats,but even a bad day has been two or three fish per rod. The longfinsare coming in three distinct size classes û five to eight pounders,12 to 18 pounders, and a few 22 to 25 pounders with most of thecatch a mix of the two smaller sizes. Add to this bite, enoughbluefin tuna anywhere from 18 to 70 pounds to give the action alittle spice.
CORONADO ISLANDS SURFACE BITE: For the 3/4-day boats out of SanDiego, the Coronado Islands remain good to excellent with a nicemix of sand bass and barracuda filling sacks and then enoughyellowtail still showing to make the fishing exciting.
NIGHT SEABASS AT LA JOLLA: There has been a very good whiteseabass bass bite off the La Jolla kelp this past week with fish to60 pounds showing in an evening bite after dark. Pressure can putthe fish down for an evening in one area, but this action has beenvery consistent.
SAND BASS SPAWN: The sand bass are just starting to move ontothe spawning flats in good volume and the bite has been very goodthis past week, especially for the twilight boats from San Diego,Dana Point, and Newport Beach, with lesser action all the way intothe Santa Monica Bay. Most trips have been getting five fish tofull limits (10) on these trips.
CATALINA SEABASS: The white seabass are still up on the beach ina very late spawn this year at Catalina Island spots, and two orthree fish per rod has not been an uncommon catch this week if theangler is on the right spot. These are mostly 20 to 40 pound fish.Trips targeting the seabass also see a very good pick on smallercalico bass. There are yellowtail all over the front of the islandthat are simply not cooperating much, except for an occasionalfish.
SANTA BARBARA ISLAND SEABASS, ROCKFISH: Skippers making the runto Santa Barbara Island have seen the white seabass bite come alivein the past couple of weeks. These are mostly 18 to 25-pound fish,and the back-up plan has been for the limit-style rockfishfishing.
LANDING CONTACTS
Southern California: VirgÆs Sportfishing, Morro Bay,805-772-1222; Patriot Sportfishing, Avila Beach, 805-595-7200; SeaLanding, Santa Barbara, 805-963-3564; Harbor Village Sportfishing,Ventura, 805-658-1060; Channel Islands Sportfishing, Oxnard,805-985-8511; Captain HookÆs Sportfishing, Oxnard, 805-382-6233;Port Hueneme Sportfishing has merged with Channel IslandsSportfishing; Malibu Pier Sportfishing, 310-328-8426; Marina DelRey Sportfishing, Marina del Rey, 310-822-3625; RedondoSportfishing, Redondo Beach, 310-372-2111; Rocky Point Fuel Dock(skiff rentals for King Harbor), Redondo Beach, 310-374-9858; 22ndStreet Landing, San Pedro, 310-832-8304; L.A. Harbor Sportfishing,San Pedro, 310-547-9916; Long Beach Sportfishing, Long Beach,562-432-8993; Pierpoint Landing, Long Beach, 562-983-9300; MarinaSportfishing, Long Beach, 562-598-6649; Newport Landing, NewportBeach, 949-675-0550; DaveyÆs Locker, Newport Beach, 949-673-1434;Dana Wharf Sportfishing, Dana Point, 949-496-5794; HelgrenÆsSportfishing, Oceanside, 760-722-2133; FishermanÆs Landing, SanDiego, 619-221-8500; H&M Landing, San Diego, 619-222-1144;Seaforth Landing, San Diego, 619-224-3383; Point Loma Sportfishing,San Diego, 619-223-1627; Islandia Sportfishing, San Diego,619-222-1164.
Mexico Landings: SergioÆs Sportfishing, Ensenada,011-526-178-2185; San Quintin Sportfishing, San Quintin,011-526-162-1455.
