FISH REPORT

FRESHWATER

Los Angeles County

CASTAIC LAKE--The bass bite is on again, with fish biting well on night crawlers and crawdads, but also on plastic worms fished drop-shot style. Productive colors: oxblood, Tequila Sunrise, cinnamon-blue and Green Weenie. Trout action is good on Power Bait and chrome-colored lures.

LAKE PYRAMID--Bass are off points and trout are in the coves. Concession worker Ed Murphy caught and released 25 bass on a Fat Rap, and an 8 1/2-pound striped bass on a Hawg Raiser. Catfish to eight pounds are being caught by shore anglers using night crawlers.

Ventura County

LAKE CASITAS--Chris Williams, Port Hueneme, 12-2 and 11-0 bass on crawdads. Lots of slightly smaller bass. The fish are moving off their nests, being caught at 10-20 feet. Trout action is fair for trollers using Needlefish at about 30 feet. Some catfish.

LAKE PIRU--Nothing special, but trout are being caught by trollers using Needlefish near the dam (lead-core line at 2-3 colors), bass are being caught off points with night crawlers and plastic worms, and crappie are being caught in San Felicia Cove on mini-jigs and red worms.

Santa Barbara County

LAKE CACHUMA--Largemouth bass action is fair on plastic worms, as the fish are in spawn mode and moving into the shallows. Trout are holding at the dam at about 30 feet, biting mainly on Needlefish and night crawlers. A 2 1/2-pound red-ear perch was caught on a night crawler.

Orange County

IRVINE LAKE--Steve Herckt, Orange, caught five trout totaling 55 pounds, using a chrome Kastmaster. Trout fishing is good early and fair after about 9 a.m. Bass fishing is good for mostly small fish biting on spinnerbaits and plastic worms. Top catch, a 38-pound sturgeon caught on Power Bait after a 25-minute fight.

LAGUNA NIGUEL LAKE--Trout fishing has slowed but is still good for those arriving early. A nine-pounder was caught on a Mepps lure. Catfish season opens May 4, after a plant of 2,000 pounds. Bass fishing is very good on plastic worms, plastic lizards and small spinnerbaits.

SANTA ANA RIVER LAKES--Trout action is only fair, but Power Bait and night crawlers are working well. Catfish are being stocked and the bite should pick up as the weather warms.

Riverside County

CORONA LAKE--Trout fishing is fair to good for those in boats fishing the deeper holes, and slow to fair from shore. Power Bait has been best. Catfish and crappie action is picking up in the trees.

LAKE PERRIS--Bass and trout are active. Steve Pinwiddie, Hemet, 10-pound bass on a crawdad-night crawler combo at the east. Joe Tamulonis, Banning, five trout averaging one to three pounds, on a No. 2 fire-pattern Needlefish.

LAKE SKINNER--Trout and bass are providing the most action, primarily at the east end on standard baits and lures. Catfish action is fair at the dam and striped bass are biting only sporadically.

San Diego County

LAKE CUYAMACA--Trout remain the best bet and bait has the edge on lures, although Trout Teasers are getting both trout and crappie. The crappie are holding in the dock and willow areas.

DIXON LAKE--Trout fishing is good on Power Worms and small spinners. Bass fishing is even better, as the bigger fish are striking a variety of lures, although plastic worms are most productive. One five-fish stringer weighed 45 pounds.

LAKE POWAY--Bass weighing 13 and 10 pounds were caught on jigs at Boulder Bay and the Log Boom. The bite is fair to good. Trout fishing is even better, with limits coming on a variety of baits and lures.

SAN DIEGO CITY LAKES--The bass bite is great at San Vicente and fair to good at the other lakes. Top bass was a 13-pounder caught on a grub at Murray. Trout remain active at Miramar and Murray, and crappie are biting on and off at El Capitan and Hodges.

LAKE WOHLFORD--Trout fishing remains the best bet, with fish averaging 1 1/2-2 pounds and biting on orange and green Power Worms. Bass action is fair and a 9-13 caught on a crankbait at Bass Point tops the list.

Eastern Sierra

Flows on the Lower Owens have increased substantially, to 125 cfs and rising, slowing the trout action only a little. Fly-fishermen using caddis larva, tiger midge and pheasant tail nymphs are doing well in the wild-trout section. Below that, standard baits and lures, as well as nymphs, are getting fish to about 20 inches. Pleasant Valley Reservoir is producing mainly for float tubers casting flies and chrome lures. The Owens Gorge is producing steady action for fly-fishermen using any small fly.

SALTWATER

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

SANTA BARBARA (Sea Landing)--18 anglers (2 boats): 39 rockfish, 1 sand bass, 14 sculpin, 1 sheephead.

OXNARD (Cisco’s)--97 anglers (4 boats): 51 whitefish, 2 sheephead, 9 sculpin, 242 rockfish, 71 red snapper, 13 calico bass. (Captain Hook’s)--19 anglers (1 boat): 85 rockfish, 6 sculpin, 1 sheephead, 3 whitefish, 105 red snapper, 1 sole, 10 sand dabs.

PORT HUENEME--19 anglers (1 boat): 1 white seabass, 15 barracuda, 3 halibut, 152 shallow-water rockfish, 19 whitefish.

MARINA DEL REY--78 anglers (5 boats): 3 halibut, 29 sand bass, 9 calico bass, 44 sculpin, 2 rockfish, 2 sheephead, 20 perch, 6 barracuda.

SAN PEDRO (L.A. Harbor Sportfishing)--36 anglers (3 boats): 6 white seabass, 110 rockfish, 67 calico bass, 15 halibut, 11 barracuda, 7 sheephead, 4 sargo, 1 sculpin. (22nd St. Landing)--99 anglers (4 boats): 108 calico bass, 1 sand bass, 5 barracuda, 2 halibut, 12 sculpin, 14 sheephead, 65 whitefish, 70 blue perch, 383 rockfish, 97 red snapper, 40 bonito, 1 lingcod, 1 cabezon.

LONG BEACH (Sportfishing/Berth 55)--77 anglers (3 boats): 13 calico bass, 7 sand bass, 276 rockfish, 19 whitefish, 11 sheephead, 23 sculpin, 48 blue perch, 5 mackerel, 12 tomcod. (Marina Sportfishing)--48 anglers (1 boat): 5 barracuda, 53 rockfish, 76 red rockcod, 4 sand dabs. (Pierpoint Landing)--136 anglers (6 boats): 10 white seabass, 6 barracuda, 90 calico bass, 6 sand bass, 245 rockfish, 2 whitefish, 54 sculpin, 9 sheephead, 54 perch, 10 halibut.

NEWPORT BEACH (Newport Landing)--26 anglers (2 boats): 4 calico bass, 16 sand bass, 1 halibut, 7 rockfish, 12 sculpin, 1 sheephead, 1 perch. (Davey’s Locker)--122 anglers (4 boats): 42 bonito, 27 calico bass, 188 rockfish, 1 sand bass, 26 sheephead, 30 sculpin, 110 whitefish, 71 blue perch.

DANA WHARF--94 anglers (4 boats): 25 calico bass, 23 sand bass, 2 halibut, 2 sand dabs, 25 rockfish, 2 whitefish.

OCEANSIDE--49 anglers (2 boats): 2 calico bass, 7 sand bass, 2 halibut, 19 sculpin, 11 whitefish, 109 rockfish, 20 mackerel.

SAN DIEGO (Islandia)--24 anglers (2 boats): 10 mackerel, 6 rockfish, 2 sculpin, 3 sand bass, 2 cabezon, 3 barracuda.

TROUT PLANTS

LOS ANGELES--Alondra Park Lake, Arroyo Seco Creek, Belvedere Park Lake, Big Tujunga Creek (Upper and Lower), Downey Wilderness Park Lake, Echo Park Lake, El Dorado Park Lake, Hollenbeck Lake, Jackson Lake, Kenneth Hahn Lake, Legg Lake, Lincoln Park Lake, Magic Johnson Lake, Peck Road Park Lake, Puddingstone Lake, San Dimas Reservoir, San Gabriel River (East and West forks), Santa Fe Reservoir. RIVERSIDE--Fulmor Lake and Hemet Lake. SAN BERNARDINO--Lytle Creek (Middle and North forks), Mojave Narrows Park Lake, Santa Ana River, Santa Ana River (South fork). SAN DIEGO--Strawberry Creek. SANTA BARBARA--Lake Cachuma and Santa Ynez River. INYO--Cottonwood Creek, Diaz Lake, Georges Creek, Independence Creek, Lone Pine Creek, Shepards Creek, Symms Creek, Tuttle Creek.

--Compiled by PETE THOMAS