FISH REPORT
FRESHWATER
CASTAIC LAKE--Former NBA player and current WNBA coach Orlando Woolridge used shad-colored Merlo worms to entice 5- and 7-pound largemouth bass. Ben Blank, Valencia, 15-pound catfish on a water dog. Jay Young, Santa Monica, 12-pound striped bass on a waterdog.
PYRAMID LAKE--Striped bass are still active on the surface in mornings near the marina, biting on surface plugs before moving deeper during the day, when anchovies are the bait of choice. The fish are averaging 2-4 pounds. Some black bass and panfish.
LAKE PIRU--Small bass are the predominant catch, and small plastic worms are the predominant catchers, though small spinners are working too. Try brushy areas at the north end and hope for the odd lunker. Trout are biting as deep as you can troll at the dam. Try yellow Power Bait or Needlefish lures trolled with lead-core line at nine colors.
CASITAS LAKE--Trout limits remain common for those trolling deep down the center of the lake. Largemouth bass are active in early mornings and afternoons, with the bigger fish taking plugs and the smaller fish taking plastic worms and crankbaits. Catfish action remains steady.
LAKE CACHUMA--Largemouth bass have finally perked up. Purple plastic worms are the best bet for smaller fish. A 5-pound trout was caught by a Nevada resident who used a night crawler. Mark Scott, Glendora, 18- and 15-pound catfish, on mackerel.
IRVINE LAKE--Use cut mackerel at Santiago Flats and chances are you’ll fill your stringer with catfish. Frank Malovich, Huntington Beach, caught a 16-pounder. Bass fishermen are few, but their success is good. Cathy White, Carson, caught a 6 1/2-pounder on a black Power Worm.
SANTA ANA RIVER LAKES--Catfish averaging 1-2 pounds are the bill of fare, though larger fish are being caught and a 14-2, by Chris Gallardo, Santa Ana, tops the list. He used mackerel.
CORONA LAKE--Catfish averaging 4-6 pounds are being caught in late afternoons and evenings. Bluegill are being targeted by some, however, and Will Stoker, Los Angeles, caught 70 of the scrappy panfish while fishing with red worms. Top catfish, 14-3, by Mike Bradshaw, Riverside, on mackerel.
OSO RESERVOIR--The good bass fishing continues, with those putting in any kind of effort logging 20- or 30-fish days. Matt Norlin, San Clemente, caught 65 bass to 6 1/2 pounds using a variety of lures. Catfish and bluegill are being caught regularly as well.
LAGUNA NIGUEL LAKE--Catfish limits are common, especially for those fishing at night. Top cat, a 16-pounder by Franklin Potts, Los Angeles, on a marshmallow-mealworm combo. The bass bite is fair to good in early mornings on plastic worms and crankbaits. Bill Johnson, Dana Point, was reeling in a bluegill when a 12-pound bass inhaled the panfish and became the catch of the week.
LAKE PERRIS--Lots of small bass and an occasional lunker. Chris Brooks, Illinois, caught a 9-2 bass on a Pig-n-Jig at the east end. Mike Gould, a 3-year-old from Glendora, caught a 3-pounder while trolling for trout with a Rapala. Bluegill are perking up, and a 2-pounder was caught behind the island on a cricket.
LAKE SKINNER--Striped bass are hitting surface plugs early at Ramp 1, and largemouth bass are striking crankbaits and dark plastic worms early and late along the shoreline. Some catfish.
SILVERWOOD LAKE--Striped bass at Silverwood? They used to be a common catch, but until this week the fish have not shown since the re-watering of the lake early in the year. Thus, the two stripers--an 11 1/2- and a 9-pounder--caught this past week give striper fans hope of a comeback. Largemouth bass are being caught on crankbaits and spinnerbaits, especially at Live Oak. Catfish are biting at Cleghorn on chicken livers, and crappie are biting at the ramp and at Cleghorn and Miller canyons on pearl and red-white jigs.
BIG BEAR LAKE--Some trout, but the fish are scattered and thunderstorms aren’t helping matters. Try trolling small orange Rapalas or night crawler-flasher combos. Some bass.
GREEN VALLEY LAKE--The bite has picked up some in recent days after showers had put a damper on things. Jeff Berry, Green Valley Lake, caught a 4-pound Alpers rainbow on a night crawler.
SAN DIEGO CITY LAKES--The best bet remains the bluegill bite at Lower Otay, where filling a stringer is as easy as baiting a hook with a red worm or cricket--more than 3,000 were caught this past week. An 11-2 bass was caught at Murray and a 10-4 was caught at Sutherland. A 21-pound catfish was caught on mackerel at Otay.
CUYAMACA LAKE--Not as slow as last week, but still very slow.
EASTERN SIERRA--In the Bishop area, South, Sabrina and North lakes continue to yield fair action on mostly small rainbows. The creek has gotten better by the day and is producing good fishing for those willing to do some stalking in the trees. The Mammoth Lakes and June Loop areas are all pretty good, with bigger fish coming out of Convict Lake, Silver Lake and June Lake. The Bridgeport area might be the best bet in the region. In Bridgeport Reservoir, 2- to 4-pound trout have congregated near the dam, making things easy for trollers and still fishermen. Kirmin Lake brook trout have become active two weeks earlier than they normally do. Tamarack Lake golden trout have also perked up early. The West Walker River is a great place to fly fish as the Alpers trout stocked for the Labor Day weekend crowd were spared that onslaught because of light rain that muddied up the water, which has since cleared. The East Walker is still running fast, making wading tough, but anglers are still getting their hooks into browns and rainbows to 8 pounds.
SALTWATER
MORRO BAY (Virg’s Landing)--27 anglers (2 boats): 6 lingcod, 155 red rockcod, 250 rockcod, 1 goldeneye.
SANTA BARBARA (Sea Landing)--9 anglers (2 boats): 4 sand bass, 24 bonito, 100 barracuda, 3 yellowtail.
VENTURA (Captain Hook Sportlanding)--26 anglers (1 boat): 30 barracuda, 18 calico bass, 5 sculpin, 1 whitefish, 10 rockfish.
OXNARD (Cisco’s)--34 anglers (2 boats): 2 yellowtail, 85 calico bass, 41 barracuda, 1 sheephead.
PORT HUENEME--59 anglers (3 boats): 39 yellowtail, 34 calico bass, 1 rockfish, 76 barracuda, 3 sculpin.
MARINA DEL REY--68 anglers (4 boats): 15 yellowtail, 1 halibut, 8 barracuda, 62 calico bass, 71 sand bass, 36 red rockcod, 12 red snapper, 31 salmon grouper, 4 lingcod, 1 bonito.
REDONDO BEACH--88 anglers (4 boats): 157 yellowtail, 121 bonito, 108 calico bass, 8 sand bass, 1 barracuda, 7 bluefin tuna, 1 skipjack, 100 rockfish.
SAN PEDRO (L.A. Harbor Sportfishing)--101 anglers (5 boats): 35 yellowfin tuna, 4 dorado, 16 skipjack, 159 yellowtail, 268 barracuda, 20 calico bass, 18 sand bass. (22nd St. Landing)--88 anglers (4 boats): 197 yellowtail, 43 calico bass, 173 barracuda, 1 sand bass, 27 bonito, 31 sheephead, 38 rockfish, 28 bullet tuna. (Fish 4 Less)--30 anglers (1 boat): 26 yellowtail, 13 barracuda, 212 mackerel, 13 calico bass, 14 sand bass, 2 sculpin, 1 sheephead, 26 rockfish, 9 whitefish.
LONG BEACH (Sportfishing/Berth 55)--94 anglers (3 boats): 36 calico bass, 8 sand bass, 250 barracuda, 142 yellowtail, 3 sheephead, 3 whitefish, 3 sculpin, 13 rockfish, 1 sea bass, 16 bonito. (Marina Sportfishing)--51 anglers (3 boats): 102 yellowtail, 256 barracuda, 4 sand bass, 1 bonito, 3 rockfish, 1 mako shark. (Belmont Pier)--17 anglers (1 boat): 18 barracuda, 4 calico bass, 3 sand bass, 75 yellowtail. (Pierpoint Landing)--70 anglers (4 boats): 171 yellowfin tuna, 61 yellowtail, 132 barracuda, 4 sculpin, 11 dorado, 31 skipjack.
SEAL BEACH--31 anglers (2 boats): 54 yellowtail, 50 barracuda, 10 sand bass, 6 sheephead, 6 sculpin, 12 rockfish.
NEWPORT BEACH (Newport Landing)--79 anglers (5 boats): 114 yellowtail, 297 barracuda, 53 calico bass, 41 sand bass, 12 bonito, 2 rockfish, 5 sculpin, 117 mackerel. (Davey’s Locker)--136 anglers (6 boats): 122 yellowtail, 6 yellowfin tuna, 30 bonito, 234 barracuda, 19 calico bass, 70 sand bass, 9 sculpin, 1 halibut, 7 rockfish, 1 black croaker, 110 mackerel.
DANA WHARF--144 anglers (9 boats): 32 yellowfin tuna, 92 yellowtail, 6 dorado, 31 skipjack, 80 barracuda, 44 calico bass, 8 sand bass, 12 bonito, 1 sculpin, 1 sheephead, 1 mackerel.
OCEANSIDE--61 anglers (5 boats): 158 yellowtail, 1 black sea bass (released), 4 barracuda, 9 bonito, 124 calico bass, 33 sand bass, 1 halibut, 1 sculpin.
SAN DIEGO (H&M; Landing, Fisherman’s, Point Loma)--277 anglers (13 boats): 1260 yellowfin tuna, 2 bluefin tuna, 49 bigeye tuna, 96 skipjack, 46 yellowtail, 29 dorado. (Seaforth)--190 anglers (7 boats): 161 yellowfin tuna, 16 dorado, 33 skipjack, 46 yellowtail, 1 bonito, 3 barracuda, 15 calico bass, 3 sand bass, 7 rockfish, 4 mackerel. (Islandia)--65 anglers (3 boats): 100 yellowfin tuna, 22 yellowtail, 4 skipjack, 28 barracuda, 2 bonito, 12 sand bass.
TROUT PLANTS
RIVERSIDE--Hemet Lake. SAN DIEGO--Doane Pond, San Luis Rey Creek. INYO--Baker Creek, Big Pine Creek, Bishop Creek (Lower, Middle, South Fork and Intake II), Diaz Lake, Goodale Creek, Independence Creek, Lake Sabrina, Lone Pine Creek, North Lake, Owens River (below Tinnemaha), South Lake, Taboose Creek, Tinnemaha Creek, Tuttle Creek. MONO--Buckeye Creek, Convict Creek, Ellery Lake, Green Creek, Lee Vining Creek (South Fork), Little Walker River, Mammoth Creek, McGee Creek, Owens River (Benton Crossing), Rush Creek, Saddlebag Lake, Sherwin Creek, Tioga Lake, Trumble Lake, Virginia Creek, Virginia Lakes, Walker River (Chris Flat Campground to town of Walker, Leavitt Meadows Campground to Sonora Bridge).
