FISH REPORT

FRESHWATER

Los Angeles County

CASTAIC LAKE--All species are fairly active. An 8 1/2-pound largemouth bass was caught on a live shad and a 7 1/2-pounder was caught on a brown plastic worm. Shore fishermen using trout-pattern lures. A few have topped 20 pounds.

PYRAMID LAKE--Claudio Olvera and Juan Leon, Sylmar, seven catfish totaling 51 pounds, using night crawlers. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are striking small plastic worms, but few are keepers. An 11-pound striped bass was caught on a spinnerbait.

Ventura County

LAKE CASITAS--Top bass was a 10-pounder by Bob Undelwood, Ventura, on a live shad. Lots of much smaller fish are being caught on shad, plastic worms and night crawlers. Catfish action is fair to good on mackerel at Wadleigh Arm. An 18-pounder tops the list. Trout action is steady for trollers only. They’re using Needlefish at 25-35 feet. Some red-ear perch.

LAKE PIRU--Trout remain fairly deep but trollers using lead-core line at 305 colors, and Needlefish lures in a variety of colors, are getting their fill. Largemouth bass action is fair on spinnerbaits, plastic worms and night crawlers. Some crappie.

Santa Barbara County

LAKE CACHUMA--Trout are biting at about 40 feet on night crawlers and Needlefish at the dam and beyond the harbor. Red-ear perch are very active, biting at the flats and island on night crawlers. Bass action has slowed, but some are being caught on plastic worms and crankbaits.

Orange County

IRVINE LAKE--Trout fishing has held steady most of the week, yielding several limits and some whoppers, using standard baits and lures. Crappie are spawning and the bite is on, with fish to 1 1/2 pounds striking mostly mini-jigs. Some catfish.

LAGUNA NIGUEL LAKE--Catfish averaging 1-4 pounds are biting best for those in boats fishing with mackerel and marshmallow-mealworm combos in the middle of the lake. Shore fishing is not as good, but best in late afternoon and evening near the dam. Bass fishing is fair to very good on swimbaits and plastic worms. Crappie are biting sporadically after dark and trout are still biting early near the inlet on red salmon eggs.

SANTA ANA RIVER LAKES--Catfish were heavily stocked for the weekend and fishing should be good, with a chance at a big trout. Top trout was a 13-4 caught on Power Bait.

San Bernardino County

GREEN VALLEY LAKE--Trout were stocked to 10 pounds this week, giving anglers a chance at something other than the pan-size rainbows they had been catching, with better than fair success using Power Bait.

Riverside County

CORONA LAKE--Catfish action is good in the evenings, mainly in the trees. An evening trout bite is adding variety, A 15-12 trout caught on a Power Bait-night crawler combo tops the list.

LAKE SKINNER--Largemouth bass action is good at the ramp and east end, with fish averaging 2-5 pounds biting on plastic worms and night crawlers. Striped bass, Catfish, bluegill and crappie are in the mix too.

San Diego County

LAKE CUYAMACA--A three-bass stringer totaling 34 1/2 pounds is not something the typical angler should expect. Bass expert Mike Long, Poway, using swimbaits, caught bass at 13, 12 1/2 and 9 pounds. Most are much smaller. Crappie are swimming around the middle of the lake in small schools. Finding them is all it takes. Trout are active as well.

SAN DIEGO CITY LAKES--No large bass reported but the bite remains very good at Barrett, good at El Capitan and fair at San Vicente, Lower Otay and Hodges. Bluegill are biting well at Otay and San Vicente, and to a lesser extent at El Capitan. Catfish action is picking up at Hodges and Sutherland.

Eastern Sierra

BISHOP AREA--The road to North Lake is expected to open today or tomorrow. Fishing is good there and at all the high lakes, which are finally free of ice. Bishop Creek is a good bet too, as low flows have the fish concentrated in pools. An 8 1/2-pounder was caught at Cardinal Pond. The Lower Owens is slow to fair as high flows (to about 350 cfs) have muddied things up. Pleasant Valley Reservoir is only fair.

MAMMOTH LAKES AREA--Crowley Lake action is fair. The trout, for the most part, are deep and biting best for trollers using lead-core line at 7-8 colors and frog-pattern Needlefish. A 4 1/2-pound brown trout was caught on a worm. A 5-6 rainbow caught on a night crawler tops the list at Convict Lake. Rock Creek Lake has lost its ice and the road is open to at least Mosquito Flats. Fishing is fair on worms and Thomas Buoyants. The creek is fair on prince nymphs and salmon eggs. The basin lakes--Mamie, Mary and Twin--are fair on mostly bait and lures. Lake George is covered with rotten ice, but producing in open-water areas.

JUNE LAKE LOOP--It’s hard to go wrong at any lake. Gull and June are producing lots of limits, while Silver is producing more fish in the 2- to 3-pound range. Grant is very productive, especially at the inlet on night crawlers and Hot Shot lures. Rush Creek is picking up, but only fair on worms and salmon eggs. The road to San Joaquin River, Starkweather Lake and Sotcher Lake is scheduled to open June 7.

BRIDGEPORT AREA--A 5-pound brown was caught on a silver-black Rebel at Bridgeport Reservoir, where fishing is fair to good. Fly fishermen are doing well using olive matukas and woolly buggers. Twin Lakes are fair for mostly smaller fish. The East Walker River is flowing high but still wadable--standard nymph patterns size 18 or smaller are best. With the spring run off upon us, the flows will greatly affect the fishing.

SALTWATER

MORRO BAY (Virg’s Landing)--24 anglers (1 boat): 192 rockfish.

AVILA BEACH (Patriot Sportfishing)--26 anglers (1 boat): 260 bolina.

SANTA BARBARA (Sea Landing)--21 anglers (2 boats): 108 barracuda, 41 calico bass, 2 halibut, 6 ocean whitefish, 55 rockfish, 18 sand bass, 2 sheephead, 5 white seabass.

OXNARD (Cisco’s)--90 anglers (6 boats): 66 barracuda, 78 calico bass, 4 halibut, 1 lingcod, 31 red snapper, 168 rockfish, 2 sand bass, 4 sheephead, 105 whitefish, 14 white seabass, 2 yellowtail. (Captain Hook’s)--11 anglers (1 boat): 3 sand bass, 6 barracuda, 30 rockfish, 80 red snapper.

PORT HUENEME--25 anglers (2 boats): 2 white seabass, 8 calico bass, 58 barracuda, 2 halibut, 56 rockfish, 1 sand bass.

MARINA DEL REY--61 anglers (4 boats): 17 halibut, 25 barracuda, 10 sand bass, 4 sculpin, 25 calico bass, 1 black seabass (released).

REDONDO BEACH--47 anglers (2 boats): 130 barracuda, 15 sand bass, 5 halibut.

SAN PEDRO (L.A. Harbor Sportfishing)--105 anglers (4 boats): 15 white seabass, 22 yellowtail, 152 barracuda, 170 calico bass, 27 sand bass, 24 whitefish, 7 halibut, 22 sheephead, 75 blue perch, 34 rockfish, 1 bonito. (22nd St. Landing)--188 anglers (7 boats): 9 yellowtail, 1 white seabass, 218 calico bass, 59 sand bass, 134 barracuda, 2 halibut, 32 sculpin, 34 sheephead, 43 whitefish, 80 blue perch, 27 rockfish, 1 China croaker, 3 bonito, 8 cabezon.

LONG BEACH (Sportfishing/Berth 55)--83 anglers (3 boats): 3 yellowtail, 78 barracuda, 17 white seabass, 192 calico bass, 3 rockfish, 1 halibut, 5 whitefish, 1 sargo, 1 black seabass (released), 286 blue perch. (Marina Sportfishing)--47 anglers (3 boats): 53 barracuda, 101 calico bass, 13 sand bass, 3 rockfish, 7 sculpin, 1 sheephead. (Pierpoint Landing)--96 anglers (4 boats): 100 yellowtail, 1 white seabass, 92 barracuda, 71 calico bass, 9 sand bass, 11 sculpin, 3 sheephead, 2 halibut, 13 bonito.

NEWPORT BEACH (Newport Landing)--37 anglers (3 boats): 1 yellowtail, 2 barracuda, 1 bonito, 26 calico bass, 130 sand bass, 36 rockfish, 1 sculpin, 6 sheephead, 1 whitefish, 3 red snapper, 1 blue perch. (Davey’s Locker)--83 anglers (4 boats): 7 yellowtail, 3 white seabass, 70 barracuda, 64 calico bass, 33 sand bass, 7 bonito, 3 halibut, 32 whitefish, 12 sheephead, 9 rockfish, 70 blue perch.

DANA WHARF--139 anglers (5 boats): 5 barracuda, 115 calico bass, 50 sand bass, 3 mackerel, 9 rockfish, 5 sculpin, 2 sheephead.

OCEANSIDE (Helgren’s)--51 anglers (4 boats): 11 calico bass, 99 sand bass, 2 halibut, 15 sculpin, 7 sheephead, 41 whitefish, 15 rockfish.

SAN DIEGO (H&M; Landing, Fisherman’s, Point Loma)--101 anglers (5 boats): 176 yellowtail, 7 albacore, 6 barracuda, 3 bonito, 50 calico bass, 35 rockfish. (Seaforth)--73 anglers (4 boats): 45 yellowtail, 129 barracuda, 51 calico bass, 17 sand bass, 31 rockfish. (Islandia)--73 anglers (3 boats): 2 barracuda, 97 calico bass, 4 sand bass, 27 sculpin, 65 rockfish, 20 mackerel.

TROUT PLANTS

LOS ANGELES--Bouquet Canyon Creek, Elizabeth Lake, Jackson Lake, Little Rock Reservoir, Santa Anita Creek. ORANGE--Trabuco Lake. RIVERSIDE--Fulmor Lake, Lake Perris Lake and Strawberry Creek. SAN BERNARDINO--Big Bear Lake, Cucamonga Creek, Jenks Lake, Lytle Creek (Middle Fork), Miller Canyon Creek, Mojave Narrows Park Lake, Santa Ana River, Santa Ana River (South Fork), Silverwood Lake. SAN DIEGO--San Luis Rey Creek. SAN LUIS OBISPO--Lopez Lake and Santa Margarita Lake. VENTURA--Lake Casitas, Piru Lake, Rancho Simi Park Lake, Reyes Creek, Rose Valley Lake. SANTA BARBARA--Lake Cachuma, Davey Brown Creek, Manzana Creek, Santa Ynez River. 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, George Lake, Glass Creek, Grant Lake, Gull Lake, June Lake, Lake Mary, Lee Vining Creek, Little Walker Lake, Little Walker River, Lundy Lake, Mamie Lake, Mammoth Creek, McGee Creek, Owens River (Benton Crossing), Reversed Creek, Robinson Creek, Rock Creek (Paradise Camp to Tom’s Place and Tom’s Place upstream to Rock Creek Lake), Rush Creek, Sherwin Creek, Silver Lake, Twin Lakes Bridgeport, Twin Lakes Mammoth, Virginia Lakes, Walker River (Chris Flat Campground to town of Walker and Leavitt Meadows Campground to Sonora Bridge).

CATFISH PLANTS

LOS ANGELES--Cerritos Park Lake, Downey Wilderness Park Lake, El Dorado Park Lake. ORANGE--Carr Park Lake, Centennial Park Lake, Greer Park Lake, Huntington Park Lake, Irvine Regional Park Lake, Mile Square Park Lake, Ralph Clark Park Lake, Tri-City Park Lake, Westheaven Park Lake, William Mason Park Lake, Yorba Linda Park Lake.

--Compiled by PETE THOMAS