Fish Report

FRESHWATER

CASTAIC LAKE--Recent trout plant has the striped bass in a biting mood. Surface plugs are getting fish to 15 pounds and more. Largemouth are biting as well, but the fish are on the small side, averaging 3-5 pounds and biting on spinnerbaits and crankbaits. The lower lake is producing steady catches of trout. Power Bait and small spinners are the top catchers.

LAKE PIRU--Trout fishing remains the best bet, with limits common for those arriving early and using night crawlers and yellow Power Bait at the north end. Trollers using trout- and shad-pattern Rapalas also are doing well. Red ear perch are being caught regularly on red worms and night crawlers in backs of coves.

LAKE CACHUMA--Trout fishing remains good, with rainbows from 2-3 pounds showing daily at the scales. Night crawler-flasher combos and Needlefish lures trolled at the dam or in front of the marina are getting most, though shore fishermen using Power Bait are getting some. Largemouth bass fishing is good one day, bad the next. Red ear perch are biting sporadically on mealworms and night crawlers. Trout derby scheduled June 27-28. Details: (805) 966-4266.

LAKE CASITAS--Larger bass are starting to show. An 11-pounder by Sean Bailey, Agoura Hills, was the biggest. He used a RoboWorm. Smaller bass are being caught mostly on spinnerbaits and night crawlers. Trout limits are still fairly common, with Needlefish lures trolled at 30-40 feet getting most. Catfish remain active in the shallows.

SANTA ANA RIVER LAKES--Soukanh Soukkaseum from Anaheim caught a tagged catfish worth $25,000 during last weekend’s fishing derby. Fishing is fantastic for catfish, but the derby is over so you’ll have to fish merely for enjoyment. Biggest fish, 16-9 by Enrique Larres, Fullerton, on a marshmallow-mealworm combination. Some trout.

CORONA LAKE--Ted Serna, Riverside, caught a tagged catfish worth $2,000 during last weekend’s derby. Catfish are active throughout the south end, biting on mackerel, marshmallows and mealworms, or any combination thereof. Some trout.

IRVINE LAKE--A 58-pound catfish was caught by Paul Coberly, Harbor City, on mackerel and 8-pound test line. It falls way short of the lake-record 76 1/2-pounder. A catfish derby begins today. Details: (714) 649-9111. Trout are still being caught sporadically, and some anglers are working the shoreline for bass, enjoying fair success using plastics and spinnerbaits.

LAGUNA NIGUEL LAKE--Night fishing for catfish is good on mackerel and shrimp. Charlie Harvey, Los Angeles, 14-pound catfish, on shrimp. Some bass. Try spinnerbaits and crankbaits.

SILVERWOOD LAKE--Largemouth bass activity has picked up, mainly at the quarry and dam. Trollers fishing deep water are doing OK for trout, though limits are hard to come by. Needlefish lures are working best. A 2-pound-plus crappie was caught at Cleghorn Canyon on a red and white mini-jig.

BIG BEAR LAKE--Trout fishing is fair to good, not so much for limits but for big fish. A 7 3/4-pounder tops the list. It was caught by Dale Alt, Covina, on Power Bait at the west ramp. Some catfish. The bass bite refuses to get going.

GREEN VALLEY LAKE--Trout fishing slowed some in the early part of the week but has bounced back to where some limits are being caught. Jeff Smock, Covina, 4 1/2-pound Alpers rainbow, on rainbow Power Bait. A kids’ fishing derby is scheduled Saturday 8 a.m.-noon. Details: (909) 867-2009.

LAKE SKINNER--Striped bass are being caught fairly regularly at the inlet, mostly on anchovies and chicken livers. Very little surface activity. Lam Bunlot, San Bernardino, filled a 10-fish stringer with 40 pounds of stripers using anchovies. Catfish activity is fair, with the dam producing most and night crawlers and mackerel catching most. Some largemouth bass are being caught on spinnerbaits at the south shore.

LAKE PERRIS--Darrell Jordan, Ontario, 11-6 bass, on a waterdog near the island. Mike Alvarez, Corona, 8-pound bass, on a crawdad at the dam. Lots of smaller bass are being caught on plastics and spinnerbaits at the east end. Bluegill action is picking up, mainly in the trees at the east end, but in several other areas as well, with mealworms the top catchers. Shore fishermen soaking night crawlers near the dam are catching an occasional trout.

SAN DIEGO CITY LAKES--An 11-pound bass was caught by Greg Keyser, Ramona, on a waterdog at Sutherland. The bluegill bite remains excellent at both lower Otay (2,324 fish caught this past week) and San Vicente (1,814 fish). The crappie bite is good at Hodges.

LAKE CUYAMACA--Top catch, an 11-5 largemouth by Jeff Hamm, Ranchita, on three night crawlers dipped in Smelly Jelly. Top stringer of trout weighed 14-14 and was caught by Lloyd Ling, Ramona. Crappie also are active.

EASTERN SIERRA--The road to South Lake above Bishop is finally ice free and open, though the lake still has some ice on it. Rental boats could be available by this weekend. Nearby Lake Sabrina is ice free and producing steady limits of smallish rainbows. Bishop Creek below the lakes remains the best bet, however, as the banks are free of snow and the trout are hungry. Brandon Krause, Simi Valley, caught rainbows weighing 3-12, 2-9 and 2-7, on night crawlers at South Lake. Eric Maher, Garden Grove, caught a 3-4 on salmon eggs in the creek. In the Mammoth Lakes region, limits or near-limits are being taken at Rock Creek Lake, Crowley Lake and Convict Lake. Twin Lakes finally has open water and some pretty good fishing. The road is still closed to lakes Mamie, Mary and George. The lakes on the June Loop are productive as usual, with Power Bait producing regular limits. The big news out of Bridgeport is that brown trout to 6 pounds have congregated at the dam and are being caught by shore fishermen and boaters. Limits are the rule and everything is working. Upper and lower Twin are both producing regular limits of pan-sized rainbows. Kirman Lake remains good for brook trout. Little Virginia Lake is finally losing its ice. Green Lake figures to be iced over until July.

SALTWATER

MORRO BAY (Virg’s Landing)--71 anglers (2 boats): 170 albacore, 6 lingcod, 75 red rock cod, 150 rock cod, 400 assorted rockfish. (Patriot Sportfishing)--18 anglers (1 boat): 68 red rockcod, 12 lingcod, 2 cabezon, 1 salmon.

AVILA BEACH (Avila Beach Sportfishing)--20 anglers (1 boat): 240 red rockcod, 75 rockcod, 3 lingcod, 1 salmon.

SANTA BARBARA (Sea Landing)--19 anglers (2 boats): 495 albacore, 39 calico bass, 3 sand bass, 5 sculpin, 13 whitefish, 2 lingcod, 78 rockfish.

VENTURA (Captain Hook’s)--49 anglers (3 boats): 21 calico bass, 26 sand bass, 52 barracuda, 1 halibut, 1 rockfish, 10 sculpin, 1 white seabass, 128 albacore.

OXNARD (Cisco’s)--87 anglers (4 boats): 4 yellowtail, 5 opal eye, 7 whitefish, 1 sheephead, 10 sculpin, 108 rockfish, 20 red snapper, 6 halibut, 145 calico bass, 11 bonito, 145 barracuda. (Gold Coast)--21 anglers (2 boats): 33 calico bass, 1 cow cod, 1 lingcod, 35 red snapper, 45 rockfish, 17 sand bass, 10 sculpin.

PORT HUENEME--58 anglers (3 boats): 183 albacore, 71 calico bass, 3 rockfish, 2 halibut, 5 sand bass.

MARINA DEL REY--90 anglers (7 boats): 16 yellowtail, 4 halibut, 101 barracuda, 74 sand bass, 49 calico bass, 2 sheephead, 28 sculpin, 25 red snapper, 2 perch.

REDONDO--96 anglers (3 boats): 26 yellowtail, 22 calico bass, 74 sand bass, 103 barracuda, 2 sculpin.

SAN PEDRO (L.A. Harbor Sportfishing)--156 anglers (4 boats): 52 yellowtail, 756 barracuda, 1 white seabass, 3 halibut, 36 calico bass, 49 sand bass, 2 bonito. (22nd St. Landing)--131 anglers (6 boats): 44 yellowtail, 133 calico bass, 1 halibut, 182 barracuda, 13 sand bass, 3 sheephead. (Fish 4 Less)--19 anglers (1 boat): 2 yellowtail, 39 barracuda, 5 calico bass, 1 whitefish.

LONG BEACH (Berth 55)--51 anglers (3 boats): 73 calico bass, 6 sand bass, 147 barracuda, 62 yellowtail. (Los Alamitos Bay, Marina Sportfishing)--90 anglers (3 boats): 18 yellowtail, 159 barracuda, 16 calico bass, 13 sand bass, 1 halibut, 1 sole. (Pierpoint Landing)--67 anglers (4 boats): 360 albacore, 75 barracuda, 2 calico bass, 2 sand bass, 2 bonito.

NEWPORT BEACH (Newport Landing)--139 anglers (6 boats): 47 yellowtail. 263 barracuda, 42 calico bass, 25 sand bass, 2 bonito, 1 halibut, 3 rockfish, 2 sheephead, 18 mackerel. (Davey’s Locker)--231 anglers (6 boats): 359 albacore, 2 bluefin tuna, 40 yellowtail, 2 bonito, 203 barracuda, 58 calico bass, 105 sand bass, 5 sculpin, 1 halibut, 2 rockfish.

DANA WHARF--253 anglers (10 boats): 178 albacore, 7 yellowtail, 10 bonito, 58 barracuda, 227 calico bass, 72 sand bass, 12 mackerel, 1 halibut, 2 rockfish, 2 sheephead.

OCEANSIDE (Helgren’s)--123 anglers (7 boats): 285 albacore, 21 yellowtail, 259 barracuda, 16 bonito, 253 calico bass, 131 sand bass, 4 halibut, 3 sheephead, 6 rockfish, 10 white croaker.

SAN DIEGO (H&M; Landing, Fisherman’s, Point Loma)--371 anglers (16 boats): 1,486 albacore, 1 bluefin tuna, 55 yellowtail. (Seaforth)--173 anglers (7 boats): 235 albacore, 28 yellowtail, 25 bonito, 88 barracuda, 391 kelp bass, 35 sand bass, 68 rockfish, 38 sculpin. (Islandia)--116 anglers (4 boats): 125 albacore, 8 yellowtail, 96 barracuda, 1 bonito, 150 calico bass, 23 sandbass, 1 sheephead, 20 sculpin, 69 rockfish.

TROUT PLANTS

LOS ANGELES--Castaic Lake, Castaic Lagoon. RIVERSIDE--Fullermill Creek, Fulmor Lake, San Jacinto River (North Fork). SAN BERNARDINO--Green Valley Lake, Jenks Lake, Mojave Narrows Park Lake, Santa Ana River, Santa Ana River (South Fork). SANTA BARBARA--Cachuma Lake. SAN DIEGO--Doane Pond, San Luis Rey Creek. VENTURA--Casitas Lake, Lake Piru, Reyes Creek. INYO--Baker Creek, Big Pine Creek, Bishop Creek (Lower, Middle, South Fork and Intake II), Cottonwood Creek, Georges Creek, Goodale Creek, Independence Creek, Lake Sabrina, Lone Pine Creek, Owens River (below Tinnemaha), Shepards Creek, Taboose Creek, Tinnemaha Creek, Tuttle Creek. MONO--Bridgeport Reservoir, Buckeye Creek, Convict Creek, Green Creek, Lee Vining Creek, Little Walker River, Lundy Lake, Mammoth Creek, McGee Creek, Mill Creek, Owens River (Benton Crossing), Rush Creek, Sherwin Creek, Swauger Creek, Virginia Creek, Walker River (Chris Flat campground to town of Walker and Leavitt Meadows campground to Sonora Bridge).

CATFISH PLANTS

LOS ANGELES--Belvedere Park Lake, Echo Park Lake, Hollenbeck Park Lake, Kenneth Hahn Park Lake, Legg Lake, Lincoln Park Lake.