FISH REPORT
FRESHWATER
17. CASTAIC LAKE--Fishing is slow. A few largemouth bass and striped bass being caught, but there is no bite to speak of.
18. LAKE PIRU--Catfish best bet, biting mainly at north end on mackerel and chicken livers. Those trolling with lead-core line and Needlefish lures at dam are catching some trout. Largemouth bass picking up, primarily north of creek, but the bite is anything but reliable. Night crawlers and Rat-L-Traps getting most.
19. PYRAMID LAKE--Striped bass very active, boiling on surface in mornings, biting on surface lures and averaging about 7 pounds. Some catfish.
20. LAKE CACHUMA--Trout slow to fair, biting at about 30 feet on Needlefish lures. Few limits. Bass active in early mornings, but small, averaging about 12 inches, biting mostly on Pop-Rs and white spinnerbaits. Catfish bite fair on mackerel at east end. Barry Bye, Glendora, 15- and 11-pound catfish, on mackerel. Bluegill and red ear perch biting on mealworms.
21. LAKE CASITAS--Catfish bite very consistent, mainly at 5-10 feet. Bob Gehrke, Ojai, 14-12 catfish, caught while trolling Needlefish lure for trout at 50 feet. Largemouth bass bite fair in early mornings on crankbaits and buzzbaits. Largest, 10-8 by Gordon Stocks, Ojai, on white buzzbait. Fish are moving deeper during day.
22. CORONA LAKE--Catfish the main attraction, with fish to 12 pounds biting mainly in tree area in late afternoons and evenings. Bass tournament scheduled Sept. 20. Details: (909) 277-3321.
23. SANTA ANA RIVER LAKES--Season ends Sunday night and insomniac anglers can shell out $24 for a ticket allowing them to fish for 38 consecutive hours, beginning at 6 a.m. Saturday. There will be no limit. Top cat this past week, a lake-record 61-3 by Bon Seng, Anaheim, on Grieder and Sons shrimp bait.
24. IRVINE LAKE--A 22-hour catfish derby begins Saturday at 6 a.m. Details: (714) 649-9111. A 37-pound catfish tops the week’s list. Mackerel getting catfish averaging 5-8 pounds. Largemouth bass striking buzzbaits and Pop-Rs in early mornings, and plastic worms during the day.
25. LAGUNA NIGUEL LAKE--Catfish biting in afternoons and evenings on mackerel and marshmallow-mealworm combos. Top cat, a 17-pounder by Bryon Fabrey, Brea, on mackerel near creek inlet. Largemouth bass picking up, with dark-colored plastic worms producing fish averaging 2-4 pounds.
26. LAKE SKINNER--Striped bass active in deep water, biting on anchovies and chicken livers. Largemouth bass bite fair at north and south ends. Night crawlers getting most. Catfish biting at dam.
27. LAKE PERRIS--Lots of small bass. Eric Parra and William Ponting caught four fish totaling 7.93 pounds to win recent Western Outdoor tournament. Raphael Samuel and Robert Nicholson finished second with four fish totaling 7.82. Bluegill bite fair, with palm-sized fish biting on crickets and worms.
28. SAN DIEGO CITY LAKES--Largemouth bass topping 10 pounds were caught at Hodges and Sutherland, where a fair bite is in progress. El Capitan also a hot spot for bass fishermen. Plastic worms and shiners best bets. San Vicente still yielding more than 1,000 bluegill per week, and catfish are perking up at Hodges, El Capitan and Miramar.
29. LAKE CUYAMACA--Trollers finding small trout cooperative, with Trout Teasers and orange or green Roostertails getting most. Bait fishermen using inflated night crawlers and Power Bait doing fair also. Top catch, a 4-1 largemouth bass by Mike East, San Diego, on spinnerbait from a float tube.
30. BIG BEAR LAKE--Trout scattered throughout lake, with the best bites at China Island and Juniper Point. Largest, a 7-13 by Keith Ker, Big Bear City, on a woolly bugger fly from a float tube. Bass being caught sporadically by anglers fishing plastic worms.
31. BISHOP--South, North and Sabrina lakes equally fair, with North Lake having a slight edge in productivity and South Lake the edge in big fish. Intake II also a popular spot for limits of pan-sized rainbows. Bishop Creek slow, with salmon eggs, night crawlers and small spinners best.
32. MAMMOTH LAKES--Convict Lake yielding trout averaging 2-3 pounds, though a 7-pounder tops the week’s list. A 4-pounder was caught with a gold-ribbed hare’s ear fly. Crowley Lake fair for trout (Rapalas, Roostertails and Needlefish) and perch (crappie jigs). Twin Lakes slow. Lake George good for fly fishermen (mosquitoes) and Lake Mary good for bait fishermen (night crawlers, orange Power Bait). All the creeks fair to good on a variety of baits, lures and flies.
33. JUNE LAKE--All lakes on the loop good, with June perhaps having the edge, producing trout averaging 1-3 pounds. Mini-jigs, hornberg flies, Needlefish lures and glitter Power Bait. A 2-pound cutthroat trout was caught at Grant Lake. Rush Creek produced a 3-9 rainbow, which bit on a worm.
34. BRIDGEPORT--Bridgeport Lake very good, with still fishermen (night crawlers) and trollers (night crawler-flasher combos) catching limits of rainbows averaging 1-4 pounds. East Walker River flows are dropping, which is helping fishermen catch rainbows and browns. An 8-pound brown was caught on a Rapala. Virginia Lakes picking up, with larger trout (one reported at 9 pounds) biting on standard baits and dry flies in the evenings.
SALTWATER
1. SAN SIMEON--No report.
2. MORRO BAY (Virg’s Landing)--53 anglers (3 boats): 6 lingcod, 80 red rock cod, 279 rock cod, 1 goldeneye, 52 albacore. (Bob’s Sportfishing)--19 anglers (2 boats): 1 lingcod, 72 red rock cod, 213 assorted rockfish.
3. AVILA BEACH (Avila Beach Sportfishing)--29 anglers (1 boat): 112 red rock cod, 323 rock cod, 15 lingcod.
4. SANTA BARBARA (Sea Landing)--18 anglers (1 boat): 34 calico bass, 1 sand bass, 13 rockfish.
5. VENTURA (Harbor Village)--18 anglers (1 boat): 28 barracuda, 4 calico bass, 3 yellowtail. (Captain Hook’s)--12 anglers (1 boat): 27 calico bass, 6 sand bass, 1 barracuda, 3 sculpin.
6. OXNARD--No report.
7. PORT HUENEME--32 anglers (2 boats): 1 yellowfin tuna, 1 yellowtail, 86 calico bass, 16 barracuda, 1 sheephead, 6 rockfish, 8 sculpin, 6 whitefish, 2 blue perch.
8. MARINA DEL REY--59 anglers (4 boats): 29 yellowtail, 1 barracuda, 103 sculpin, 32 sand bass, 14 grouper, 25 rockfish, 7 bonito, 1 sheephead. (In-Seine Sportfishing)--3 anglers (2 boats): 8 yellowtail, 4 halibut, 22 calico bass, 28 sand bass, 38 sculpin, 11 barracuda.
9. REDONDO--95 anglers (5 boats): 124 yellowtail, 40 bonito, 102 calico bass, 87 sand bass, 10 barracuda, 1 halibut, 9 sculpin, 35 bullet tuna, 2 yellowfin tuna, 2 dorado.
10. SAN PEDRO (L.A. Harbor Sportfishing)--138 anglers (5 boats): 274 yellowtail, 159 bonito, 71 bullet tuna, 2 dorado, 50 calico bass, 30 barracuda. (22nd St. Landing)--187 anglers (5 boats): 33 dorado, 1 trigger fish, 143 yellowtail, 67 calico bass, 6 sand bass, 90 bonito, 23 sculpin, 95 bullet tuna.
11. LONG BEACH--142 anglers (4 boats): 215 yellowtail, 5 barracuda, 23 calico bass, 70 bonito, 28 sculpin, 144 bullet tuna, 1 dorado. (Belmont Pier)--17 anglers (2 boats): 2 sand bass, 2 sculpin, 85 yellowtail.
12. SEAL BEACH--70 anglers (3 boats): 129 yellowtail, 13 calico bass, 7 sand bass, 53 bonito, 9 sculpin, 16 rockfish.
13. NEWPORT BEACH (Newport Landing)--148 anglers (5 boats): 262 yellowtail, 1 dorado, 1 skipjack, 131 barracuda, 3 halibut, 118 bonito, 12 sculpin, 32 calico bass, 20 sand bass, 71 mackerel. (Davey’s Locker)--206 anglers (6 boats): 243 yellowtail, 95 bonito, 326 barracuda, 18 bullet tuna, 2 dorado, 2 skipjack, 36 calico bass, 61 sand bass, 130 sculpin, 12 rockfish.
14. DANA WHARF--285 anglers (12 boats): 361 yellowtail, 7 yellowfin tuna, 1 dorado, 2 skipjack, 102 barracuda, 91 bonito, 45 calico bass, 76 sand bass, 5 mackerel, 1 halibut, 3 sculpin.
15. OCEANSIDE (Helgren’s)--126 anglers (5 boats): 145 yellowtail, 178 barracuda, 56 bonito, 20 calico bass, 10 sand bass, 60 sculpin, 2 sheephead, 2 leopard shark.
16. SAN DIEGO (H&M; Landing, Fisherman’s, Point Loma)--186 anglers (11 boats): 203 yellowfin tuna, 207 yellowtail, 109 dorado, 42 skipjack. (Seaforth)--212 anglers (7 boats): 2 bigeye tuna, 38 yellowfin tuna, 30 dorado, 25 skipjack, 256 yellowtail, 29 bonito, 408 barracuda. (Islandia)--98 anglers (4 boats): 11 dorado, 10 skipjack, 3 yellowfin tuna, 364 barracuda, 26 bonito, 108 yellowtail, 2 sculpin, 60 mackerel. (Imperial Beach Pier)--43 anglers (1 boat): 86 yellowtail, 215 sand bass, 14 barracuda, 8 sculpin.
TROUT PLANTS
LOS ANGELES--Bouquet Canyon Creek. RIVERSIDE--Lake Hemet. SAN BERNARDINO--Big Bear Lake, Green Valley Lake, Jenks Lake, Mojave Narrows Park Lake, Santa Ana River. INYO--Baker Creek, Big Pine Creek, Bishop Creek (Middle, Lower, South forks and Intake II), Diaz Lake, Goodale Creek, Independence Creek, Lake Sabrina, Lone Pine Creek, North Lake, Owens River (Laws Bridge downstream to Steward Lane), Owens River (below Tinnemaha), Pine Creek, Pleasant Valley Reservoir, Rock Creek (Rock Creek Lake to the end of the road), Rock Creek Lake, South Lake, Taboose Creek, Tinnemaha Creek, Tuttle Creek. MONO--Buckeye Creek, Convict Creek, Convict Lake, Deadman Creek, George Lake, Glass Creek, Grant Lake, Green Creek, Gull Lake, June Lake, Lake Mary, Little Walker River, Mamie Lake, Mammoth Creek, McGee Creek, Robinson Creek, Rock Creek (Paradise Camp to Tom’s Place and Tom’s Place upstream to Rock Creek Lake), Saddlebag Lake, Sherwin Creek, Silver Lake, Trumble Lake, Twin Lakes Bridgeport, Twin Lakes Mammoth, Virginia Creek, Virginia Lakes, Walker River (Chris Flat Campground to town of Walker and Leavitt Meadows campground to Sonora Bridge).
