FISH REPORT
FRESHWATER
Los Angeles County
CASTAIC LAKE--Largemouth bass biting on crawdads, shad, night crawlers, plastic worms, top-water lures and crankbaits. The fish are running three-five pounds. Striped bass are striking trout-pattern plugs. A 14-pound 2-ounce striper tops the list. Catfish action is sporadic on night crawlers.
PYRAMID LAKE--Juan Leon and Luciano Martinez, Sylmar, 10 catfish totaling 35 pounds one day, and 14 totaling 60 pounds the next. They used night crawlers. Christopher Sabino, 12, of Los Angeles, caught a 20-pound catfish. Largemouth bass are fairly active, biting on crankbaits and plastic worms.
Ventura County
LAKE CASITAS--Mike Campbell, Oxnard, 13-2 bass on a white spinnerbait. Ross Contreras, Oxnard, 10-8 bass on a shad. The bite is good, but for mostly smaller fish. Top catfish, a 24-pounder by Adam Casey, Oak View, on a night crawler. Red-ear perch and trout are in the mix too. A 3-pound 8-ounce trout was caught on a night crawler.
LAKE PIRU--Trout and bass are the main attractions and fishing for both is fair with standard lures and baits. An 8-7 bass was caught during a tournament last weekend. Crappie action heating up on red-and-white jigs.
Santa Barbara County
LAKE CACHUMA--Trout are biting sporadically on Needlefish and night crawlers, mainly at the dam and in front of the marina. Largemouth bass are holding at 15 feet and biting on plastic worms and night crawlers. Jack Rabbit Flats is best. Some red-ear perch.
Orange County
IRVINE LAKE--A catfish tournament begins today and runs through Sunday, marking the opening of night fishing. The lake will be open till 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Lots of fish were stocked before the tournament, which should benefit non-tournament anglers as well. A 14-7 channel cat tops the list. Some bass, bluegills and crappies.
LAGUNA NIGUEL LAKE--Catfish action is good at the dam and in the flats. Top catfish, a 12-10 by Jeff Wilkingson, Huntington Beach, on a Jitter Bug lure at night. Bass anglers are doing well using top-water baits at night.
SANTA ANA RIVER LAKES--Catfish action is fair to good for fish running to about 10 pounds. Marshmallow-and-mealworm combos and mackerel are working best. Some trout. Guy Robitaille, El Monte, caught the season’s 1,000th trout topping 10 pounds (15-6), winning a float tube.
San Bernardino County
BIG BEAR LAKE--Trout to eight pounds were weighed in the past week. The bite is fair on live baits and lures and the fish are holding along the south shore, in Metcalf Bay and off Eagle Point. Bass are biting sporadically off Windy Point and in the Big Bear Marina area.
GREEN VALLEY LAKE--Limits of trout are being logged by early anglers using rainbow Power Bait. Fishing slows considerably as the day progresses.
Riverside County
CORONA LAKE--A 50-pound catfish was caught by Don Brown, Los Angeles, on a chicken liver near the boat dock. The bite is good for much smaller fish. Top trout was a 16-2 caught on a mini-jig at the dam.
LAKE PERRIS--Bluegills are active at the east end, biting mainly on crickets. Bass action has slowed considerably, though a few are being caught at Rock Climber’s Cove. Trout are holding in deep water at the dam, and trollers using Needlefish and Rapalas are doing best.
LAKE SKINNER--Largemouth bass are providing the most action, with fish to about six pounds biting on top-water plugs, buzz baits and crawdads. Striped bass and bluegills are active as well, with the stripers feeding early at the inlet, biting on plugs and chicken livers.
San Diego County
LAKE CUYAMACA--The trout bite has slowed but some are being caught. A 7-2 caught on Power Bait tops the list. Crappie action is better. Derek Montoro, 9, San Diego, 25 crappies to 1 1/2 pounds, on a Trout Teaser. A six-pound bass was caught on a night crawler.
SAN DIEGO CITY LAKES--Bass action is good at El Capitan and fair at the other lakes. No whoppers of note. Bluegills are active at Lower Otay and San Vicente, and crappies are on the feed at El Capitan and Hodges.
Eastern Sierra
BISHOP AREA--South Lake is ice free and boats are back on the lake. Salmon eggs and night crawlers have been enticing lots of trout. The road to North Lake has finally opened and fishing has been very good. Bishop Creek remains a good bet, with salmon eggs and small spinners working. Top catch, a 6-13 Alpers rainbow caught on an egg in the creek. Drift trips on the Lower Owens remain productive.
MAMMOTH LAKES AREA--Hard to go wrong anywhere in the basin. Mamie, Mary, George and Twin are producing well, as are Convict Lake, Rock Creek Lake, Rock Creek and Mammoth Creek. Crowley Lake anglers are doing fair near the surface early, but fishing 10 feet-plus during the day, using Rapalas and Needlefish. The Upper Owens is on the slow side, but fly fishermen using hares-ear nymphs and black woolly buggers are doing OK.
JUNE LAKE LOOP--Silver and Grant lakes might have the edge, but all are fairly productive. Gold Kastmasters, Thomas Buoyants and woolly bugger flies are best at Silver. Gull is yielding browns and cutthroats, as well as rainbows, with night crawlers the hot ticket. Rush Creek is fair on worms. The early bite is best throughout the Loop.
SALTWATER
MORRO BAY (Virg’s Landing)--11 anglers (1 boat): 110 rockfish.
AVILA BEACH (Patriot Sportfishing)--13 anglers (1 boat): 26 rockcod, 104 bolina, 1 cabezon.
SANTA BARBARA (Sea Landing)--10 anglers (1 boat): 90 calico bass, 30 rockfish, 1 sculpin. (Hornet’s Landing)--3 anglers (1 boat): 2 sand bass, 4 ocean whitefish, 13 red snapper, 17 rockfish, 5 mackerel.
OXNARD (Cisco’s)--81 anglers (4 boats): 11 white seabass, 48 whitefish, 14 sheephead, 23 sculpin, 25 sand bass, 224 rockfish, 99 red snapper, 204 calico bass, 1 barracuda. (Captain Hook’s)--31 anglers (2 boats): 130 calico bass, 51 sand bass, 1 halibut, 120 rockfish, 15 red snapper.
PORT HUENEME--38 anglers (2 boats): 1 yellowtail, 190 calico bass, 4 sheephead, 3 barracuda, 48 shallow-water rockfish, 20 sand bass, 122 whitefish, 3 lingcod, 125 red snapper.
MARINA DEL REY--97 anglers (6 boats): 7 white seabass, 11 halibut, 19 barracuda, 85 sand bass, 5 sculpin, 38 rockfish, 122 calico bass.
REDONDO BEACH--119 anglers (6 boats): 17 white seabass, 1 yellowtail, 278 calico bass, 27 sand bass, 97 barracuda, 5 halibut, 1 bonito, 6 sculpin, 5 whitefish, 9 sheephead, 5 rockfish, 85 blue perch.
SAN PEDRO (L.A. Harbor Sportfishing)--63 anglers (4 boats): 14 yellowtail, 198 calico bass, 348 barracuda, 79 rockfish, 14 sheephead, 9 sand bass, 3 halibut, 1 cabezon. (22nd St. Landing)--147 anglers (7 boats): 25 white seabass, 5 yellowtail, 485 calico bass, 18 sand bass, 558 barracuda, 32 bonito, 25 sculpin, 4 sheephead, 2 whitefish, 90 blue perch, 55 rockfish.
LONG BEACH (Sportfishing/Berth 55)--59 anglers (3 boats): 1 yellowtail, 417 barracuda, 105 calico bass, 45 sand bass, 9 rockfish, 1 halibut, 58 whitefish, 3 sheephead, 11 sculpin. (Marina Sportfishing)--51 anglers (3 boats): 323 barracuda, 19 calico bass, 7 sand bass, 6 rockfish, 1 sculpin. (Pierpoint Landing)--67 anglers (5 boats): 16 yellowtail, 22 white seabass, 317 barracuda, 193 calico bass, 24 sand bass, 28 rockfish, 92 whitefish, 16 sculpin, 18 sheephead, 10 perch, 7 halibut.
SEAL BEACH (Big Fish)--14 anglers (1 boat): 78 barracuda, 56 calico bass, 2 sand bass, 1 sheephead, 2 sculpin.
NEWPORT BEACH (Newport Landing)--35 anglers (4 boats): 92 barracuda, 131 calico bass, 42 sand bass, 13 rockfish, 65 sculpin, 2 johnny bass. (Davey’s Locker)--163 anglers (7 boats): 13 albacore, 5 yellowtail, 222 barracuda, 78 calico bass, 57 sand bass, 16 bonito, 21 rockfish, 445 sculpin, 4 sheephead, 3 whitefish, 1 blue perch.
DANA WHARF--115 anglers (7 boats): 1 barracuda, 445 calico bass, 91 sand bass, 25 mackerel, 1 halibut, 9 rockfish, 3 sculpin, 1 white seabass.
OCEANSIDE (Helgren’s)--44 anglers (3 boats): 45 calico bass, 18 sand bass, 1 halibut, 15 sculpin, 5 sheephead, 2 shark, 45 rockfish.
SAN DIEGO (H&M; Landing, Fisherman’s, Point Loma)--63 anglers (4 boats): 1 bluefin tuna, 69 albacore, 46 yellowtail, 10 bonito. (Seaforth)--124 anglers (5 boats): 5 albacore, 1 white seabass, 8 yellowtail, 10 bonito, 115 barracuda, 203 calico bass. (Islandia)--36 anglers (2 boats): 11 barracuda, 58 calico bass, 14 sand bass, 3 whitefish, 5 sculpin, 1 sheephead, 33 rockfish.
TROUT PLANTS
LOS ANGELES COUNTY--Castaic Lake, Castaic Lagoon, Crystal Lake, Elizabeth Lake, Little Rock Reservoir, Santa Fe Reservoir. SAN BERNARDINO--Lake Gregory. INYO--Baker Creek, Big Pine Creek, Bishop Creek (Lower, Middle, North, South forks and Intake II), Cottonwood Creek, Georges Creek, Goodale Creek, Independence Creek, Lone Pine Creek, Owens River (Laws Bridge downstream to Steward Lane and below Tinnemaha), Pine Creek, Pleasant Valley Reservoir, Rock Creek (Rock Creek Lake to the end of the road), Rock Creek Lake, Shepards Creek, Taboose Creek, Tinnemaha Creek, Tuttle Creek. MONO--Convict Creek, Convict Lake, 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), Mamie Lake, Mammoth Creek, McGee Creek, Owens River (Benton Crossing), Reversed Creek, Robinson Creek, Rock Creek (Paradise Camp to Toms Place and Toms Place upstream to Rock Creek Lake), Rush Creek, Sherwin Creek, Silver Lake, Swauger Creek, Trumble Lake, Twin Lakes Bridgeport, Twin Lakes Mammoth, Virginia Creek, Virginia Lakes.
CATFISH PLANTS
LOS ANGELES COUNTY--Alondra Park Lake, Kenny Hahn Park Lake, Hansen Lake, Hollenbeck Park Lake, Magic Johnson Park Lake, Puddingstone Lake, Santa Fe Reservoir, Peck Road Park Lake.
Compiled by Pete Thomas
