Fishing Report : 2 Anglers Catch 134 Pounds of Catfish

It’s a good thing Vail Lake regular Dell Brand took his friend, Jerry Salk, fishing the other day. If he hadn’t, he might not have been able to carry his catch home.

Brand, from Huntington Beach, and Salk, from Garden Grove, caught a 17-fish string of channel catfish that weighed 134 pounds 4 ounces. The biggest fish, caught by Brand, weighed 25-8 and was the largest Vail Lake catfish catch in eight years.

Brand and Salk were fishing from a boat in Hunter’s Cove, in 15 feet of water, with cut mackerel. Their smallest catfish weighed 5-8. The 25-8 fish was weighed live, then released.

WILLOW BEACH--Limits downriver, upriver from boats. Bill Tennis, North Hollywood, 16-pound striped bass.

LAKE MEAD--Good striper fishing in most Lower Basin areas, but best reports from Temple Bar, Iceberg Canyon. Improved catfish action. Largemouth bass slow.

SALTON SEA--Good to excellent orangemouth corvina bite from jetty at North Shore state park area. Live bait best bet. Good for tilapia, sargo.

LAKE CACHUMA--Good trout fishing west end, both trolling, bait fishing. All other species slow.

LAKE CASITAS--Good for catfish, shallow water. Red-ear sunfish spawning in weeds, good fishing. Trout fair. Bass slow.

PYRAMID LAKE--Good for stripers in 4- to 10-pound class on east side of island, still-fishing with anchovies, on bottom. Fair for catfish, with anchovies, cut mackerel.

LAKE PIRU--Good deep-water trolling for trout. Good trout results with cheese baits at north end. Improved catfish action at north end, cut mackerel. Bass spotty.

CASTAIC LAKE--Good bass results. Limits reported this week. Mark Ganney, Reseda, 6-1 largemouth in limit. Some trout limits. Good for catfish.

LAKE ISABELLA--Good for crappie, bass in weed and tree-stump areas. Good for catfish.

SAN DIEGO LAKES--Otay: Small largemouth bass best bet now, on shiners, lures. Rene Vergara, San Diego, 6-13 bass on shiner. Channel catfish to 9-0. San Vicente: Closes sunset, June 15, reopens in fall. Good mixed bag now of rainbows, bass, bluegills. Joe Amagrande, Altadena, 12-14 catfish on green plastic worm. Miramar: Good trout fishing, particularly at buoy line with nightcrawlers. El Capitan: Slow overall, but big week for big blue catfish: 22-3, 21-8, 20-2. Sutherland: Slow overall, but some big catfish stringers. Reginald Gilham and Joel Stone, San Diego, 20 channels weighing 79-0, with mackerel, Santa Isabel Arm. Hodges: Big bass still coming in, three in excess of 10 pounds weighed this week. Dwayne Ivey, San Diego, 13-5 channel catfish in 10-fish stringer weighing 75-6. Brett Trimble, Chula Vista, 25 crappie weighing 40-3, all caught under bridge.

IRVINE LAKE--Mainly catfish now, numerous limits. Night fishing hours: 5 p.m.-11 p.m. Crappie, bass good in daytime.

BIG BEAR LAKE--Numerous rainbow trout limits reported by fishermen trolling lures, nightcrawlers, or still-fishermen using marshmallows at Gray’s Landing, Zebra Room.

VAIL LAKE--Excellent catfish results all week. Brand’s 25-8 catfish was 20 ounces shy of the lake record, set in 1978. Ron Benton, San Bernardino, 5-1 bass, Hunter’s Cove.

LAKE SILVERWOOD--Good crappie results at dam, Chemize Cove. Stringers of 50 to 80 crappie seen this week. Striper activity slowing down. Good for trout, catfish. Shrimp, mackerel baits best for catfish.

LAKE HENSHAW--Catfish, bass best bets.

BISHOP AREA--Streams running high, fast. Fair fishing. Lake Sabrina fishermen reporting good results on rainbow trout, larger fish caught on lures. Lake rising quickly. Road to South, North lakes still unplowed. Crowley: Excellent Sacramento perch results for evening fly fishermen. Lower Owens River: Water running high, fast; slow to fair fishing.

CONVICT LAKE--Benny Malone, Placentia, 9-8 brown trout shore fishing with salmon eggs. Al Galluzzo, Valencia, 4-6 rainbow trolling. Trout limits this week.

JUNE LAKE LOOP--June: Limits reported by fishermen trolling areas from marinas to rocks. Some success still-fishing with cheese, eggs. Gull: Best results trolling lures, still-fishing with marshmallows. Silver: Trolling baits good bet. Fly fishing evenings with brown ghost patterns good bet.

BRIDGEPORT AREA--Good East Walker River reports all week despite extremely high water. Deep hole immediately below dam flooded out. Bridgeport Reservoir: Poor trolling, but excellent shore fishing with fly-bubble combos. Garlic marshmallows also productive. Upper, Lower Twin Lakes poor trolling due to debris from heavy runoff, but good shore fishing. Virginia Lakes expected to open next week.

Saltwater

The Times accepts and publishes the catch count as a public service. Any responsibility for accuracy is that of the landing operator.

SAN SIMEON--22 anglers (1 boat): 1 ling cod, 309 rock cod, 15 red snapper, 3 cow cod.

MORRO BAY (Virg’s Landing)--26 anglers (1 boat): 10 ling cod, 112 rock cod, 48 red rock cod, 208 red snapper, 21 bass.

AVILA BAY (Port San Luis)--8 anglers (1 boat); 14 ling cod, 13 red rock cod, 22 yellow bass, 29 rock cod.

SANTA BARBARA (Sea Landing)--43 anglers (4 boats): 169 calico bass, 2 sand bass, 1 white sea bass, 6 halibut, 9 mackerel, 3 barracuda, 13 rockfish.

VENTURA (Ventura Landing)--30 anglers (1 boat): 180 calico bass, 61 rockfish, 2 barracuda, 1 cabazon.

OXNARD--89 anglers (4 boats): 1 yellowtail, 235 calico bass, 70 whitefish, 4 barracuda, 370 rockfish, 210 rock cod.

MALIBU--54 anglers (2 boats): 50 calico bass, 20 sand bass, 1 halibut, 2 barracuda, 8 rockfish, 220 rock cod, 1 cow cod.

MARINA DEL REY--53 anglers (3 boats): 4 halibut, 146 calico bass, 18 sand bass, 180 rock cod.

REDONDO--119 anglers (6 boats); 156 calico bass, 108 sand bass, 7 barracuda, 1 white sea bass, 117 mackerel, 79 rockfish. Barge--50 anglers: 3 bonito, 2 bass, 25 barracuda, 1 halibut, 800 mackerel, 15 rockfish.

SAN PEDRO (22nd St. Landing)--129 anglers (4 boats): 98 barracuda, 45 bonito, 152 calico bass, 40 blue perch, 127 rockfish, 33 mackerel. (Ports ‘O Call)--99 anglers (3 boats): 141 calico bass, 73 barracuda, 6 sand bass, 85 mackerel, 6 whitefish, 1 white sea bass.

LONG BEACH (Belmont Pier)--50 anglers (2 boats): 272 calico bass, 13 sand bass, 43 barracuda, 124 mackerel, 52 whitefish, 1 cabazon. (Queen’s Wharf)--90 anglers (3 boats): 1 white sea bass, 68 barracuda, 1 bonito, 189 calico bass, 2 sand bass, 185 rockfish, 23 whitefish, 210 mackerel.

SEAL BEACH--37 anglers (1 boat): 150 calico bass, 35 sand bass, 35 rockfish, 14 barracuda, 100 mackerel.

NEWPORT (Newport Landing)--81 anglers (3 boats): 3 barracuda, 58 sand bass, 166 calico bass, 14 rockfish, 43 mackerel. (Davey’s Locker)--147 anglers (4 boats): 118 barracuda, 30 rockfish, 4 halibut, 150 calico bass, 84 sand bass, 142 mackerel, 2 whitefish.

DANA WHARF--152 anglers (8 boats): 522 bass, 2 halibut, 3 rockfish, 121 mackerel, 64 blue perch.

OCEANSIDE--77 anglers (3 boats): 10 barracuda, 103 calico bass, 43 sand bass, 28 rockfish, 183 mackerel.

SAN DIEGO (H&M; landing, Fisherman’s, Point Loma)--224 anglers (15 boats): 667 bass, 231 barracuda, 102 bonito, 100 yellowtail, 20 bluefin tuna, 70 rockfish. (Seaforth)--167 anglers (6 boats): 11 yellowtail, 120 barracuda, 14 bonito, 388 calico bass, 46 sand bass, 54 rockfish, 305 mackerel, 3 cabazon. (Islandia)--94 anglers (5 boats): 30 bonito, 66 barracuda, 5 yellowtail, 195 calico bass, 5 sand bass, 275 mackerel, 24 rockfish.

Trout Plants

A list of waters scheduled to be planted by the Department of Fish and Game, weather and road conditions permitting, by counties:

LOS ANGELES--Big Rock Creek, Bouquet Canyon Creek, Castaic Lake, Castaic Lagoon, Crystal Lake, Jackson Lake, Little Rock Creek, Little Rock Reservoir, Peck Road Park Lake, Puddingstone Lake, San Gabriel River (East, West, North forks).

SAN BERNARDINO--Arrowbear Lake, Green Valley Lake, Mill Creek, Santa Ana River, Santa Ana River (South Fork), Silverwood Lake.

RIVERSIDE--Hemet Lake, Perris Lake.

ORANGE--Trabuco Creek.

SAN DIEGO--Doane Pond.

SANTA BARBARA--Lake Cachuma.

VENTURA--Lake Casitas, Ventura River (North Fork).

KERN--Alder Creek, Cedar Creek, Erskine Creek, Kern River (Democrat Dam to KR1 Powerhouse, Borel powerhouse to Democrat Dam, Isabella Dam to Borel powerhouse, KR3 powerhouse to Lake Isabella).

TULARE--Bone Creek, Deer Creek, Dry Meadow Creek, Freeman Creek, Kern River (South Fork), Kern River (Fairview Dam to KR3 powerhouse, Johnsondale Bridge to Fairview Dam), Nobe Young Creek, Peppermint Creek (Upper, Lower), Poso Creek, South Creek, Tule River (Middle, North, South forks of Main Fork, Cedar Slope area), White River.

INYO--Baker Creek, Big Pine Creek, Bishop Creek (Lower, Middle, South, Intake II), Georges Creek, Independence Creek, Lake Sabrina, Lone Pine Creek, Lower Owens River (below Tinemeha, Laws Bridge downstream to Stewart Lane), Shepherds Creek, Taboose Creek, Tinemeha Creek, Tuttle Creek.

MONO--Bridgeport Reservoir, Buckeye Creek, Convict Creek, Convict Lake, Deadman Creek, Glass Creek, Grant Lake, Green Creek, Gull Lake, Hilton Creek, June Lake, Lee Vining Creek, Little Walker River, Lundy Lake, Mammoth Creek, McGee Creek, Mill Creek, Upper Owens River (Benton Crossing, Big Springs), Pine Creek, Pleasant Valley Reservoir, Reversed Creek, Robinson Creek, Rush Creek, Rock Creek (Paradise Camp to Tom’s Place, Tom’s Place upstream to Rock Creek Lake), Sherwin Creek, Silver Lake, Swauger Creek, Twin Lakes Bridgeport, Twin Lakes Mammoth, Virginia Creek, West Walker River (Chris Flat campground to town of Walker, Leavitt Meadows campground to Sonora Bridge).