FISH REPORT

FRESHWATER

Los Angeles County

CASTAIC LAKE--Largemouth bass are biting on the standard lures and baits, but the fish are small. Striped bass are almost as active. An 11-pound 2-ounce striper caught on a spoon tops the list.

PYRAMID LAKE--Catfish are biting on mackerel and night crawlers. Striped bass are being caught on the surface around the island, but they’re small, averaging one-three pounds. Largemouth bass are biting on surface lures before 8 a.m., and on plastic worms during the day.

Ventura County

LAKE CASITAS--Catfish are biting early at Deep Cat and Station Canyon. Trout are biting on night crawlers and Needlefish lures at the dam, at about 50 feet. A nine-pound bass was caught on a buzz bait but bass fishing is slow.

LAKE PIRU--Bass are fairly active and big fish--a seven-pounder tops the list--are being caught on surface and deep-water lures. Trout are deep but catchable on standard baits and lures. Catfish are finicky. A 19-pound catfish caught on mackerel tops the list.

Santa Barbara County

LAKE CACHUMA--Trout are active early near the dam, but you have to go at least 40 feet to get them. Needlefish and Power Bait are getting most. There is a fair surface bite for bass at daybreak.

Orange County

ANAHEIM LAKE--Top catfish was one 13-3 caught on on mackerel at the island. Catfish action is good.

IRVINE LAKE--Catfish are biting and a 35-pound specimen was caught on mackerel at 40 feet by Ron Gay of Torrance. Bass fishing is fair to good. A seven-pound bass was caught on a Texas-rigged plastic worm at Red Cliffs. The fish are near the surface early and about 20 feet deep during the day.

LAGUNA NIGUEL LAKE--Catfish action is good at the dam, near the island and in the flats. Afternoon and evening hours are best. A 14-pounder was caught on a night crawler.

San Bernardino County

BIG BEAR LAKE--Trout fishing is slow to fair for mostly small fish that are holding deep and striking lures trolled on weighted line. Night crawler-flasher combos also are productive. A five-pound bass was caught on a purple plastic worm.

GREEN VALLEY LAKE--Fishing picked up some at midweek but remains slow. A three-pound trout caught on yellow Power Bait tops the list.

Riverside County

CORONA LAKE--Catfish action is good at night with fish averaging one-two pounds. An eight-pound cat caught on Dumong’s Catfish Bait tops the list.

LAKE PERRIS--Top bass was a 7-4 fish caught on a crawdad at the marina. Jesse Mena, Hemet, caught bass at 4-8 and 3-4 on night crawlers, and at four pounds, on a crawdad. Top catch: a three-pound bluegill by Lorenzo Martinez, Moreno Valley, on a night crawler at the marina.

LAKE SKINNER--Catfish and striped bass are providing fair action. The cats are biting on mackerel at the dam and Ramp 2, and the stripers are being caught on small surface lures and anchovies at the inlet and east end. Some largemouth bass and bluegills.

San Diego County

LAKE CUYAMACA--Trout action is slow and catfish and crappie action is fair at best. A 5-2 bass was caught on a shad-pattern fly but bass fishing isn’t very good, either.

DIXON LAKE--Night fishing for catfish is good with mackerel. A 16-3 caught on chicken liver tops the list but the average is much lighter. Striped bass also are being caught in the dark and anglers are being asked to kill them, since they pose a threat to other species.

SAN DIEGO CITY LAKES--A 9-2 bass was caught on a Fluke lure at Sutherland, where the bite is fair to good. San Vicente also is a good place for bass fishermen. Bluegill action is very good at Lower Otay. Murray closes for the season Sept. 4.

Eastern Sierra

BISHOP AREA--A 7-8 rainbow trout was caught at South Lake on a Thomas Buoyant (on two-pound line), and a 5-14 rainbow was caught on a Mepps at North Lake. Fishing is slow to fair at South, fair at North, slow to fair in Bishop Creek and fair at Intake II (good for those fishing the middle from a raft, using Power Bait). Many are opting for the back-country lakes above Bishop Creek Canyon, and doing very well on flies, salmon eggs and small lures.

MAMMOTH LAKES AREA--Trout are holding at 20-35 feet in the basin lakes, biting on standard fare. Trout at 10-6 and 7-8 were caught on night crawlers at Lower Twin. A 3-12 trout was caught on a mosquito fly at Lake George. Crowley Lake trout are biting for fly fishermen using midge-patterns in Hilton Bay and jig fishermen going 30-40 feet elsewhere in the lake. A 9-6 trout was caught on a white Trout Teaser at Convict Lake.

JUNE LAKE LOOP--No really big fish reported, but action is fair throughout the loop, with fish biting to about 40 feet and with trollers using weighted line and Needlefish lures doing best.

BRIDGEPORT AREA--Fishing has slowed at Twin Lakes but remains good at the higher Virginia Lakes, mostly for pan-size rainbows. At Lower Twin, Jenay Drake, 7, of San Clemente, caught a 13-pound rainbow trout on orange Power Bait. Bridgeport Reservoir is low and fishing is slow. The West Walker River is fair and the East Walker slow to fair.

SALTWATER

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

MORRO BAY (Virg’s Landing)--80 anglers (3 boats): 4 ling cod, 235 red rock cod, 177 rock cod, 180 rockfish.

AVILA BEACH (Patriot Sportfishing)--59 anglers (2 boats): 136 rock cod, 101 red rock cod, 278 bolina, 2 ling cod, 2 kelp greenling.

SANTA BARBARA (Sea Landing)--32 anglers (2 boats): 1 calico bass, 4 whitefish, 75 rockfish, 1 sand bass, 1 sheephead.

OXNARD (Cisco’s) (Captain Hook’s/Gold Coast)--71 anglers (4 boats): 8 calico bass, 373 sand bass, 312 barracuda, 21 rockfish, 2 white sea bass, 1 red snapper, 2 sole, 3 cabezon.

MARINA DEL REY--184 anglers (5 boats): 1 white sea bass, 448 sand bass, 110 calico bass, 8 halibut, 40 sculpin, 15 rockfish, 32 barracuda.

LONG BEACH (Sportfishing/Berth 55)--144 anglers (6 boats): 57 yellowtail, 175 barracuda, 109 calico bass, 179 sand bass, 20 rockfish, 4 halibut, 3 sheephead, 16 sculpin, 1 sole, 2 bonito. (Marina Sportfishing)--81 anglers (3 boats): 259 barracuda, 146 sand bass, 12 sculpin, 1 halibut.

SEAL BEACH (Big Fish)--51 anglers (3 boats): 37 barracuda, 101 calico bass, 172 sand bass, 119 white sea bass, 15 sculpin.

DANA WHARF--184 anglers (8 boats): 18 barracuda, 5 blue perch, 235 calico bass, 370 sand bass, 108 yellowtail, 3 halibut, 3 white sea bass, 15 sculpin, 7 sheephead, 15 whitefish.

SAN DIEGO (H&M; Landing, Fisherman’s, Point Loma)--359 anglers (17 boats): 256 yellowfin, 151 albacore, 5 dorado, 101 yellowtail, 6 skipjack. (Islandia)--100 anglers (3 boats): 5 yellowtail, 36 barracuda, 63 calico bass, 3 whitefish, 2 sculpin, 4 sheephead, 47 rockfish, 25 mackerel.

*Due to technical difficulties, some fish reports may not appear in this edition.

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TROUT PLANTS

LOS ANGELES COUNTY--Bouquet Canyon Creek and Jackson Lake. RIVERSIDE--Hemet Lake. SAN BERNARDINO--Big Bear Lake, Gregory Lake, Jenks Lake, Santa Ana River, Santa Ana River (South Fork). INYO--Baker Creek, Big Pine Creek, Bishop Creek (Lower, Middle, North, South forks and Intake II), Goodale Creek, Independence Creek, Lake Sabrina, Lone Pine Creek, North Lake, Owens River (below Tinnemaha), Pine Creek, 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, Deadman Creek, Ellery Lake, George Lake, Glass Creek, Grant Lake, Green Creek, Gull Lake, June Lake, Lake Mary, Lee Vining Creek, Lee Vining Creek (South Fork), Little Walker Lake, Little Walker River, Lundy Lake, Mamie Lake, Mammoth Creek, McGee Creek, Mill Creek, Owens River (Benton Crossing), Robinson Creek, Rock Creek (Paradise Camp to Toms Place and Toms Place upstream to Rock Creek Lake), Rush Creek, Saddlebag Creek, Saddlebag Lake, Sherwin Creek, Silver Lake, Swauger Creek, Tioga 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).

Compiled by Pete Thomas