Lakes, Rivers Are Lower but Not Dried Up

Anglers who are avoiding some traditional Southern California fisheries because of low water levels during the drought are missing some good fishing, the locals say.

Dossy Mauthe of the boat rental/bait shop at Lake Casitas, near Ventura, said: “We still have 235 feet of water, so people don’t have to worry about finding dune buggies running around where the lake used to be. This is a deep lake.”

Jack Holt of Sierra Sporting Goods on the Kern River said: “The water is low, but there’s plenty of fishing water on the river and lake.”

LAKE PERRIS--Bluegill hot with crickets and mealworms. No limit; catches of 20-30 common. Catfish starting to hit mackerel. Many bass in lake. Try nightcrawlers.

PUDDINGSTONE RESERVOIR--Bass: Starting to hit on surface lures. Jim Osborne, Claremont, 6 1/2 pounds on garden worm, released. Trout: Plant last week. Best bet cheese-colored Power Bait. Catfish: Good with warmer water; mackerel. Night bass tournament June 30 is filled.

LAKE MEAD--Top-water action starting in lower basin. Use anchovies for stripers 2-5 pounds, stillfishing. Catfish running two pounds. Largemouth bass slow.

LAKE HAVASU--Stripers stirring in top-water, but mostly small--8-12 inches. Anchovies or small chuggers working. Try anchovies for bigger fish 40 feet deep. Trolling, try lure 15-20 feet deep, shad or shad color. Some black bass, with grass and moss in coves.

BULLHEAD CITY--Lots of stripers, using anchovies or Sassy Shad lures. Catfish on lake, some stripers near power lines. Bass hit and miss.

SALTON SEA--Corvina biting at Red Hill and Bombay, from boats, with mudsuckers and talapia. Croaker and sargo good at state park and Corvina Beach, with live bait.

LAKE CACHUMA--Trout, bass and catfish all good. Kathy Reith, 11, Woodland Hills, 2 1/2- and 1 1/2-pound trout, with orange Power Bait at Johnson Bay, 25-30 feet deep. Don Pinkham, Santa Barbara, and Dave Shinoda, Goleta, combined 10 trout, total 13 1/2 pounds. Trout good by dam, trolling needlefish 4-8 colors. Bass anywhere in 20 feet or less. Ronald Morrison, Lompoc, 7 1/2 pounds, on plastic worm.

LAKE CASITAS--Bass: Troy Falkestad, Huntington Beach, 12 pounds, Pig N Jig. Catfish starting at 10-12 feet, up to 12 pounds. Mackerel. Best trout catches trolling needlefish near Coyote Ramp and stillfishing in front of marina.

PYRAMID LAKE--John McCoy, Glendale, 14 1/2-pound striper, by channel, anchovies. Thirty-pound striper, no name. Fred Garcia, Monrovia, 10-pound striper in main channel, anchovy.

LAKE PIRU--Lots of trout limits Sunday, average 2 1/2 pounds. Trolling good, with Bikini needlefish and gold Kastmasters. Stillfishing good, with nightcrawlers by dam. George Frias, Sylmar, eight-pound bass, on shad Satrap.

LAKE CASTAIC--Crappie bite good on jigs, mealworms. Catfish good on mackerel and nightcrawlers. Bass good in upper and lower lake, west ramp, using salt and pepper plastics and nightcrawlers.

SAN DIEGO LAKES--El Capitan: a 12-pound blue cat reported. Hodges: catfish to 18-2, bass to 8-8. Miramar: Three-pound rainbow reported. Otay: cats to 24-6, bass to 6-0. San Vicente: bass to 7-12. Sutherland: some bass over five pounds. Launching poor.

IRVINE LAKE--Night fishing 5-11 p.m., with trout good and catfish excellent by dam and Santiago Flats, fly-lining with mackerel. Biggest catfish was 16 pounds by Bruno Moreria, Burbank, on mackerel. Jenny Klk, Santa Ana, 7 1/4-pound trout, Power Bait. Crappie also good at night, using crappie lights by dock. Bass bite from 5:30 to 9 p.m., plastic worms and plugs by Rocky Point Red Clay bluffs.

LAKE SKINNER--John Allenthorp, Boron, catfish limit, total eight pounds, on nightcrawlers by dam. Ryan Bethell, Murietta, three-pound bass, green plastic worm near dam.

LAKE SILVERWOOD--Largemouth bass but no stripers last two days after big weekend. Dennis Irwin, San Bernardino, four stripers totaling 126 pounds, surface lures, spinning off point of channel. Trout and crappie slow.

KERN RIVER/LAKE ISABELLA--Bass: fair, around four pounds, 4-15 feet deep, plastic worms and crank baits. Trout: by dam on west side, Power Bait, salmon eggs and marshmallows. Crappie good on crappie jigs and mealworms. Catfish good on clams, mackerel and anchovies. River good. JUNE LAKE--June Lake: shore fishing good, Power Bait. Bigger fish on baby nightcrawlers. Gull Lake: many 3-4 pounders from boats by corner near reeds, Power Nuggets. Stillfishing days, trolling evenings, with Hornberg flies and frog-pattern needlefish lures. Silver Lake: fly fishing improving, using brown ghost and olive Matuka streamers, trolling on surface evenings. For bait fishing, salmon eggs best. Rush Creek: Small spinners, Panther Martins and Rooster Tails good. Grant Lake: shore fishing good, with Power Bait and red eggs.

BRIDGEPORT AREA--Virginia Lakes: good on flies, bait and lures. Virginia Creek: occasional brown, with baits and flies. Green Creek: very good for pan-size brooks, browns and rainbows. Lures and bait. Bridgeport Reservoir: very good trolling blade-needlefish and blade-crawler combinations, or chartreuse or fluorescent orange Rapalas. Shorefishermen getting rainbows to four pounds casting lures near dam in evening. Robinson Creek and Twin Lakes: plenty of rainbows on bait or trolling lures. West Walker: very good for bait and lures. Lobdel Lake: good with small black ant patterns or AP black nymphs. East Walker: dry fly hatches starting. Henryville caddis and olive elkhair caddis producing 15-20-inch catches. Fish still in lower section below bridge to above Murphy’s Pond, then mile below Murphy’s Pond to state border. Back country lakes: Lane, Roosevelt, Poore and Secret continue good on bait and lures, fish to four pounds.

CONVICT LAKE--Boone Barrow, 2.65-pound rainbow in lake, nightcrawler. Ruben Grisalva, 2 1/2-pound, 19-inch rainbow on stream, yellow Power Bait.

MAMMOTH LAKES--Some 3-4-pound broodstock rainbows taken in basin. Twin Lakes: browns to three pounds, crickets near waterfall.

BIG PINE AREA--Slowed by recent cold weather. Owens River good with nightcrawlers and salmon eggs, or yellow Roostertail or black Panther Martin lures.

BISHOP AREA--Limits but no big catches at Sabrina. Lead core lines with frog needlefish lures working.

ROCK CREEK--Brooks and rainbows hitting Power Bait, nightcrawlers, worms and wet flies.

CROWLEY LAKE--Stocked with 220 Owens River Ranch rainbows 3-5 pounds. One 6-pound 4-pounce brown reported. Flashers with worms getting rainbows to three pounds.