03-18-2004, 08:20 PM
1. Go bass fishing right now, it's OK put the paper down and go now. Bass fishing is wide-open at many lakes across southern California. Lake Perris is very good and fish to 15-2 have been landed. Lake Casitas kicked out seven bass over 10-0 in less than a week, and Lake Poway produced bass to 12-0 this past week. Diamond Valley has been good and two fish over 10-0 have been landed in recent days. Anglers at Lake Success have had100 fish days on bass from 1-0 to 3-0 throwing crankbaits or spinnerbaits. Most fish are coming up shallow to spawn, but many fish are still in a pre-spawn mode and are still bulking up for the spring mating season.
2 The Lake Isabella crappie bite broke wide open this past week with fish moving into 20-feet of water. This means they are entering all the coves from Piney Point to French Gulch. This is still an exclusive live minnow bite, but many anglers have been scoring limits or near-limits of crappie from 1-0 to 1-8. In addition to the crappie bite, there have good catches of rainbow trout while trolling the dam with Needlefish. Many trout to 4-0 have been landed. Catfish anglers are also enjoying a fair to good bite on catfish by the dam on clams or frozen shad. Catfish to 10-0 are being landed daily.
3. One of the best early season runs of gruion to hit the beaches will happen next week from Monday through Thursday. The middle two nights are always the best if you want to catch grunion (only with your hands and you must have a fishing license), and the long, sandy beaches with the least light and activity are best. Times for the runs are as follows: Monday from 10:05 p.m. to 12:05 a.m., Tuesday from 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., Wednesday from 10:55 p.m. to 12:55 a.m., and Thursday from 11:20 p.m. to 1:20 a.m. This will be your last chance to catch gruion until June. The season is closed during peak spawning months of April and May. For halibut anglers, this last run in March usually also turns on the halibut bite all along the coast as the bigger fish move inshore to spawn.
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2 The Lake Isabella crappie bite broke wide open this past week with fish moving into 20-feet of water. This means they are entering all the coves from Piney Point to French Gulch. This is still an exclusive live minnow bite, but many anglers have been scoring limits or near-limits of crappie from 1-0 to 1-8. In addition to the crappie bite, there have good catches of rainbow trout while trolling the dam with Needlefish. Many trout to 4-0 have been landed. Catfish anglers are also enjoying a fair to good bite on catfish by the dam on clams or frozen shad. Catfish to 10-0 are being landed daily.
3. One of the best early season runs of gruion to hit the beaches will happen next week from Monday through Thursday. The middle two nights are always the best if you want to catch grunion (only with your hands and you must have a fishing license), and the long, sandy beaches with the least light and activity are best. Times for the runs are as follows: Monday from 10:05 p.m. to 12:05 a.m., Tuesday from 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., Wednesday from 10:55 p.m. to 12:55 a.m., and Thursday from 11:20 p.m. to 1:20 a.m. This will be your last chance to catch gruion until June. The season is closed during peak spawning months of April and May. For halibut anglers, this last run in March usually also turns on the halibut bite all along the coast as the bigger fish move inshore to spawn.
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