01-26-2004, 06:53 PM
FRESHWATER HOT SPOTS
STRIPED BASS: Striper action is slow throughout the region with the best bites fair at best. Castaic Lake continues to kick out some quality fish on big trout-like plugs. Pyramid Lake is still fairly consistent in the late morning and early afternoon around the island on shad-like or trout-like lures. Lake Skinner is kicked out a few fair catches and even a limit or two on chicken livers in the east end. The Colorado River continues to be the place to be to catch a big striper to 50 pounds. Twenty-pounder are almost common. Recent trout plants should spur action very soon.
TROUT: Laguna Niguel Park Lake continues to lead the Orange County "big three" with excellent trout action. Both Santa Ana River Lakes and Irvine Lake saw a general slow down last week but still had fair action. Irvine experienced heavy crowds for a big cash tournament, while Santa Ana River Lakes kicked out some big fish as it does each week, but numbers of smaller fish were noticeably lower. Poway is excellent and has had better fishing than lakes at three times its entrance price. Corona Lake cranked out a 20-pound rainbow on Monday and remains a fair to good bet. At Bishop, the Owens River and Pleasant Valley Reservoir have been good to excellent after brood-stock plants of 3-0 to 10-0 class fish.
PANFISH: A fair redear bite continues in 30-feet of water at Lake Cachuma. Nightcrawlers were the top bait. Crappie fishing came alive at Lake Isabella on live minnows around the boat dock and French Gulch. Lake Henshaw continues to kick out some crappie.
LARGEMOUTH BASS: Lake Perris came alive after it was refilled and a few big bass to 13-0 were landed last week. Also the lake has a fair to good bite on smaller fish on plastics, with some anglers landing 10 to 15 fish a day. Most bass are from 1-0 to 3-0. Castaic is still kicking out some good bass action with some fish as shallow as 15-feet. The bulk of fish have been sitting at 30-feet and pig and jigs, spiltshoted plastics, or drop-shotted plastics have been taking limits of fish to 4-0. Diamond Valley Lake kicked out a new lake record 14.83- pound bass, but the bite is just fair overall. February is traditionally the best month to hook a big, pre-spawn female on trout-swimbaits at any lake -- any lake -- that is planted with rainbow trout.
CATFISH: Overall tough action, but Lake Poway continues to have a fair bite at the log boom on mackerel or nightcrawlers on fish to 10-0. The Blythe to Yuma region of the Colorado River is kicking out the odd big flathead catfish for anglers fishing the backwaters with live goldfish or bluegill. A big blue is always a chance at San Vicente. Santa Ana River Lakes kicked out a couple of 10-0 catfish this week for anglers fishing mackerel or shrimp.
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STRIPED BASS: Striper action is slow throughout the region with the best bites fair at best. Castaic Lake continues to kick out some quality fish on big trout-like plugs. Pyramid Lake is still fairly consistent in the late morning and early afternoon around the island on shad-like or trout-like lures. Lake Skinner is kicked out a few fair catches and even a limit or two on chicken livers in the east end. The Colorado River continues to be the place to be to catch a big striper to 50 pounds. Twenty-pounder are almost common. Recent trout plants should spur action very soon.
TROUT: Laguna Niguel Park Lake continues to lead the Orange County "big three" with excellent trout action. Both Santa Ana River Lakes and Irvine Lake saw a general slow down last week but still had fair action. Irvine experienced heavy crowds for a big cash tournament, while Santa Ana River Lakes kicked out some big fish as it does each week, but numbers of smaller fish were noticeably lower. Poway is excellent and has had better fishing than lakes at three times its entrance price. Corona Lake cranked out a 20-pound rainbow on Monday and remains a fair to good bet. At Bishop, the Owens River and Pleasant Valley Reservoir have been good to excellent after brood-stock plants of 3-0 to 10-0 class fish.
PANFISH: A fair redear bite continues in 30-feet of water at Lake Cachuma. Nightcrawlers were the top bait. Crappie fishing came alive at Lake Isabella on live minnows around the boat dock and French Gulch. Lake Henshaw continues to kick out some crappie.
LARGEMOUTH BASS: Lake Perris came alive after it was refilled and a few big bass to 13-0 were landed last week. Also the lake has a fair to good bite on smaller fish on plastics, with some anglers landing 10 to 15 fish a day. Most bass are from 1-0 to 3-0. Castaic is still kicking out some good bass action with some fish as shallow as 15-feet. The bulk of fish have been sitting at 30-feet and pig and jigs, spiltshoted plastics, or drop-shotted plastics have been taking limits of fish to 4-0. Diamond Valley Lake kicked out a new lake record 14.83- pound bass, but the bite is just fair overall. February is traditionally the best month to hook a big, pre-spawn female on trout-swimbaits at any lake -- any lake -- that is planted with rainbow trout.
CATFISH: Overall tough action, but Lake Poway continues to have a fair bite at the log boom on mackerel or nightcrawlers on fish to 10-0. The Blythe to Yuma region of the Colorado River is kicking out the odd big flathead catfish for anglers fishing the backwaters with live goldfish or bluegill. A big blue is always a chance at San Vicente. Santa Ana River Lakes kicked out a couple of 10-0 catfish this week for anglers fishing mackerel or shrimp.
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