FRESHWATER17. CASTAIC LAKE--Striped bass are keeping anglers...

FRESHWATER

17. CASTAIC LAKE--Striped bass are keeping anglers busy in upper lake. Jerry Scotton and Eric Stepanek, Castaic, 34 stripers, largest 16 pounds. Stepanek went out the next day and caught 10 more, the largest a 12-pounder. All were taken on live shad. Largemouth bass bite not as good. Steve Forster, Canoga Park, 9-3 and 8-1 largemouth, on mudsuckers. Pat Buckley, Castaic, 11-2 and 8-0 largemouth, on AC Plug and mudsucker. Some trout and bluegill being caught in lower lake.

18. LAKE PIRU--Largemouth bass action good. V.G. McQueen, Moorpark, three bass, largest 10 pounds, on inflated night crawlers. Some trout pulled from the depths in the dam area. Catfish activity picking up, primarily along west shore.

19. PYRAMID LAKE--Striped bass fairly active, averaging 5-7 pounds, biting mostly on anchovies in marina area and at Yellow Bar and Tin Cup. Catfish action slow to fair. Everything else slow.

20. LAKE CACHUMA--Trout best bet, with good-sized trout biting on night crawlers and night crawler-flasher combinations. Phil Wolf, Santa Barbara, 4-8 trout, on Needlefish at west end. Alfred Vera, Santa Paula, 3-8 trout, on Power Bait. Largemouth bass action fair at about 20 feet. Catfish slowly picking up.

21. LAKE CASITAS--Largemouth bass action slow to fair. Dave Gaughen, Oxnard, 10-4 bass, on AC Plug. Lots of fish in the 5-0 range, most caught on plastic worms. Catfish bite good. Calvin Keller, Ojai, 16-8 catfish, on mackerel. Some trout coming on Needlefish in deep water near dam.

22. CORONA LAKE--New hours: Wednesday and Thursday, 4-11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 6 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m.; Sunday, 6 a.m.-6 p.m.; Monday, closed. Catfish limits not too hard to fill, with fish averaging 5-10 pounds. Lots of crappie being caught at north shore.

23. SANTA ANA RIVER LAKES--New hours: Monday and Tuesday, 6 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Wednesday through Saturday, 6 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m.; Sunday, 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Catfish is the main draw--more than 1,500 were caught in past week, mostly on mackerel.

24. IRVINE LAKE--A 61-pound blue catfish and a 93-pound stringer of channel catfish are the week’s highlights. Fishing mackerel on the bottom is an almost near-miss method. Power Bait and night crawlers still getting some trout, though limits are getting harder to come by.

25. LAGUNA NIGUEL LAKE--A 42-pound catfish caught on a night crawler by Chris Maypole, Costa Mesa, after a 45-minute fight, tops the week’s action. Lots of limits of smaller catfish, most being filled at night. Some bass.

26. LAKE SKINNER--Striped bass getting the most attention, and the fish are cooperating for some, ranging from 6-12 pounds, biting on anchovies and plugs. Largemouth bass biting on plastic worms and night crawlers at about 15 feet. Lots of small catfish caught on chicken livers.

27. LAKE PERRIS--Lots of bass activity around island and near dam, most being caught on night crawlers and crawdads. Sova Vang, Moreno Valley, 11-2 bass, on white jig at dam. Bluegill biting on crickets and mealworms along most stretches of shore.

28. SAN DIEGO CITY LAKES--Crappie are not jumping out of San Vicente Lake, but they might as well be--nearly 5,000 were caught by fewer than 300 anglers in the past week. Hodges, El Capitan and Sutherland good bets for bass--an Escondido angler used a crawdad to nab a 12-pounder. Catfish still slow to respond at all lakes.

29. LAKE CUYAMACA--Lots of action, but on a sporadic basis. A 9-8 largemouth bass was caught on something called an air lizard, a 5-3 trout and a 10-3 catfish were caught on night crawlers. Some limits of trout are being filled, but some are getting skunked. That’s fishing.

30. BIG BEAR LAKE--Lots of limits of trout. Fish are active throughout lake, biting on Power Bait and a variety of trolled lures. Occasional lunker being landed.

31. BISHOP--Bishop Creek best bet, with flies such as bead-head nymphs, emergers and olive matukas catching rainbows and browns to 3 pounds. Upper basin lakes are slow to fair because of rising water levels.

32. MAMMOTH LAKES AREA--Brown trout being caught on Rapalas and Needlefish lures in Crooked Creek area. Best bet in region, however, is Convict Lake, which is producing catches of Alpers trout to 7 pounds-plus. Upper Rock Creek best bet for stream fishermen, with olive matukas and green mosquitoes the top flies, and green Power Bait the best bait.

33. JUNE LAKE LOOP--Silver Lake produced the biggest trout--an 8-pounder caught on a Thomas Buoyant lure--but all four lakes are fair. Rush Creek good for pan-size trout, and night crawlers are the hot ticket.

34. BRIDGEPORT AREA--East Walker River best bet. Danny Winton, Sonora, 7-13 and 9-8 browns, on a rainbow Rapala. Lots of action on smaller fish, despite high flows. Bridgeport Lake fair in early mornings only, with trout averaging 2-3 pounds. Upper Twin Lake yielding occasional big fish. Bonnie Howe, Morro Bay, 7-8 rainbow, on Sierra Gold. Big Virginia fair for browns and rainbows averaging 1-2 pounds.

SALTWATER

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

1. SAN SIMEON (Virg’s Landing)--15 anglers (1 boat): 8 lingcod, 45 red snapper, 180 red rock cod.

2. MORRO BAY (Virg’s Landing)--47 anglers (2 boats): 3 lingcod, 75 red rock cod, 50 rock cod, 300 rockfish, 28 King salmon. (Bob’s Sportfishing)--19 anglers (2 boats): 1 lingcod, 1 salmon, 93 red rock cod, 162 rock cod.

4. SANTA BARBARA (Sea Landing)--63 anglers (4 boats): 237 calico bass, 24 sand bass, 1 white sea bass, 1 halibut, 2 mackerel, 306 barracuda, 1 whitefish, 1 lingcod, 5 red snapper.

5. VENTURA--33 anglers (2 boats): 170 calico bass, 77 sand bass, 20 barracuda, 1 halibut, 16 rockfish, 8 sculpin. (Harbor Village)--40 anglers (2 boats): 148 calico bass, 220 sand bass, 51 barracuda, 1 white sea bass.

6. OXNARD (Cisco’s)--188 anglers (6 boats): 101 barracuda, 245 calico bass, 1 halibut, 10 red snapper, 35 rockfish, 40 sand bass, 12 sculpin, 1 sheephead, 6 whitefish, 6 white sea bass, 68 yellowtail, 14 yellowfin tuna.

7. PORT HUENEME--51 anglers (3 boats): 236 calico bass, 1 white sea bass, 110 sand bass, 1 bonito, 39 barracuda, 2 halibut, 5 rockfish, 4 sculpin.

8. MARINA DEL REY--102 anglers (4 boats): 6 yellowtail, 3 halibut, 89 barracuda, 130 calico bass, 430 sand bass, 50 bonito, 17 sculpin, 1 sheephead. (In-Seine Sportfishing)--78 anglers (3 boats): 10 yellowtail, 135 barracuda, 252 calico bass, 208 sand bass, 32 bonito, 2 halibut, 15 sculpin.

10. SAN PEDRO (L.A. Harbor Sportfishing)--233 anglers (5 boats): 7 yellowfin tuna, 188 yellowtail, 263 barracuda, 1,096 sand bass, 5 bonito, 24 calico bass, 8 sculpin, 4 treefish. (22nd St. Landing)--314 anglers (8 boats): 6 albacore, 78 yellowtail, 41 calico bass, 4 halibut, 428 barracuda, 1,233 sand bass, 9 bonito, 2 sculpin, 21 rockfish, 15 yellowfin tuna.

11. LONG BEACH--132 anglers (7 boats): 58 albacore, 92 yellowtail, 8 bluefin tuna, 6 yellowfin tuna, 200 squid, 364 barracuda, 46 calico bass, 693 sand bass, 90 bonito.

12. SEAL BEACH--138 anglers (4 boats): 5 yellowtail, 176 barracuda, 21 calico bass, 1,270 sand bass, 2 halibut, 1 sheephead, 1 bonito, 13 sculpin, 1 squid.

13. NEWPORT BEACH (Newport Landing)--238 anglers (7 boats): 25 albacore, 2 yellowfin tuna, 1 bluefin tuna, 1 black sea bass (released), 52 yellowtail, 1,293 sand bass, 289 calico bass, 227 barracuda, 23 bonito, 6 halibut, 188 mackerel, 1 rockfish, 6 sculpin, 1 sheephead, 25 blue perch, 14 squid. (Davey’s Locker)--268 anglers (6 boats): 33 albacore, 13 yellowfin, 1 bluefin, 415 squid, 2 mako shark, 138 yellowtail, 27 bonito, 59 barracuda, 850 sand bass, 154 mackerel.

14. DANA WHARF--265 anglers (13 boats): 58 albacore, 60 yellowtail, 8 bluefin tuna, 11 yellowfin tuna, 1 white sea bass, 83 barracuda, 21 bonito, 531 calico bass, 163 sand bass, 106 mackerel, 6 halibut, 8 rockfish, 18 sculpin, 6 sheephead.

15. OCEANSIDE--171 anglers (6 boats): 20 albacore, 28 yellowtail, 6 yellowfin tuna, 3 bluefin tuna, 90 barracuda, 362 bonito, 135 calico bass, 231 sand bass, 15 sculpin, 2 dorado, 242 mackerel.

16. SAN DIEGO (H&M; Landing, Fisherman’s, Point Loma)--375 anglers (17 boats): 402 bluefin tuna, 261 albacore, 383 yellowtail, 117 yellowfin tuna, 10 dorado, 2 skipjack. (Seaforth)--242 anglers (9 boats): 50 albacore, 11 bluefin tuna, 5 yellowfin tuna, 1 dorado, 160 yellowtail, 8 bonito, 753 barracuda, 334 calico bass, 84 sand bass, 39 rockfish, 57 mackerel, 4 sculpin, 3 white sea bass, 1 mako shark. (Islandia)--147 anglers (5 boats): 5 albacore, 1 dorado, 5 bluefin tuna, 10 yellowfin tuna, 521 barracuda, 26 bonito, 53 yellowtail, 49 squid, 2 sand bass, 78 calico bass, 5 sculpin, 6 rockfish, 144 mackerel.

TROUT PLANTS

LOS ANGELES--Big Rock Creek, Piru Creek (Frenchman’s Flat), San Gabriel River (East, North and West forks). RIVERSIDE--Hemet Lake. SAN BERNARDINO--Big Bear Lake, Green Valley Lake. SAN DIEGO--Doane Pond, San Luis Rey Creek. INYO--Baker Creek, Big Pine Creek, Bishop Creek (Lower, Middle, South forks and Intake II), Cottonwood Creek, George Creek, Goodale Creek, Independence Creek, Lone Pine Creek, North Lake, Owens River (Laws Bridge to Steward Lane), Pine Creek, Pleasant Valley Reservoir, Rock Creek (Rock Creek Lake to the end of the road), Rock Creek Lake, Lake Sabrina, Shepards Creek, South Lake, Taboose Creek, Tinnemaha Creek, Tuttle Creek. MONO--Bridgeport Reservoir, Convict Creek, Convict Lake, Deadman Creek, Ellery Lake, George Lake, Grant Lake, Gull Lake, June Lake, Lee Vining Creek, Lee Vining Creek (South Fork), Mamie Lake, Mammoth Creek, Lake Mary, McGee Creek, Owens River (Benton Crossing), Reverse Creek, Robinson Creek, Rock Creek (Paradise Camp to Tom’s Place and upstream to Rock Creek Lake), Rush Creek, Saddlebag Creek, Sherwin Creek, Silver Lake, Tioga Lake, Trumbull Lake, Twin Lakes Bridgeport, Twin Lakes Mammoth, Virginia Lakes.

CATFISH PLANTS

LOS ANGELES--Belvedere Lake, Earvin Magic Johnson Park Lake, Kenneth Hahn Park Lake, Legg Lake, Lincoln Park Lake.