03-11-2004, 04:43 PM
[/url]FRESHWATER HOT SPOTS
STRIPED BASS: Castaic Lake's striper record fell last week when Robert Flaata, Palmdale, landed a 43-1 on a trout swimbait. That same day he landed stripers weighing 15-8, 14-0, and 12-1. Other anglers are landing stripers to 12-0 on trout swimbaits Fish are from the surface down to 100 feet deep. Anglers using downriggers or lead core line are trolling the lake points and scoring fish. Skinner, after being mostly slow for the past few weeks, turned on this past week with a good bite on 1-0 to 5-0 class fish on swimbaits and cut bait, but a 17-8 was reported. Lake Mohave on the Colorado River kicked out a bunch of big stripers to 31-2 on trout swimbaits last week. Willow Beach was quiet last week, but don't overlook this spot. This is the time of year when some big stripers show in this stretch of water.
TROUT: Rains have muddied up waters across the Southland and this has slowed the fishing some. Laguna Niguel, received a plant of rainbow trout on Tuesday night, and bait anglers have been scoring on inflated nightcrawlers, Power Bait, or salmon eggs. Irvine continues to be fair to good. Trollers have been taking fish on Rapalas or Frenzy Crankbaits. Bait anglers are taking the bulk of fish on inflated night crawlers dipped in Berkley's Secret Sauce. Santa Ana River Lakes are fair and a 22-8 was the top fish this week. Corona Lake also fair on fish to 14-8. In Bishop, anglers braving the cold mornings are scoring fish from the Owens River and Pleasant Valley Reservoir. A 3-0 to 10-0 class fish is a good possibility after brood stock plants last month.
PANFISH: The Lake Isabella crappie continues to produce be the most consistent panfish bite. The fish are still concentrated in the trees around the Camp Nine area from 30 feet to 40 feet deep. The bite has been exclusively on live minnows. Lake Lopez continues to kick out quality bluegill and crappie in deep water by the dam. Anglers targeting the drop offs on Jackrabbit Flats at Lake Cachuma are having some solid action on redear at 20 feet.
LARGEMOUTH BASS: Diamond Valley Lake continues to have fair to good bass fishing and kicked out largemouths to 11-1 and smallmouth bass to 3-0 on Carolina-rigged plastics. Castaic Lake continues to have a solid largemouth bite on live crawdads with anglers taking limits of fish to 5-0.This bite has not even been affected by rain or wind. Anglers who prefer to fish artificials are using brown on brown or brown and purple pig-n-jigs. Lake Casitas is kicking out a few double-digit bass each week, but should pick up as water temperatures warm. Any lake that receives trout plants can kick out a double-digit fish on a swimbait right now.
CATFISH: San Vicente Lake kicked out a blue catfish over 70-0, and many other quality fish have been showing on mackerel. Lower Otay produced several impressive catches of channel catfish to 14-8 and some blue catfish, too. Lake Isabella continues to have a fair bite in deeper water by the dam on frozen shad. Laguna Niguel Lake kicked out channel catfish to 12-0 after rains this week on nightcrawlers.
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STRIPED BASS: Castaic Lake's striper record fell last week when Robert Flaata, Palmdale, landed a 43-1 on a trout swimbait. That same day he landed stripers weighing 15-8, 14-0, and 12-1. Other anglers are landing stripers to 12-0 on trout swimbaits Fish are from the surface down to 100 feet deep. Anglers using downriggers or lead core line are trolling the lake points and scoring fish. Skinner, after being mostly slow for the past few weeks, turned on this past week with a good bite on 1-0 to 5-0 class fish on swimbaits and cut bait, but a 17-8 was reported. Lake Mohave on the Colorado River kicked out a bunch of big stripers to 31-2 on trout swimbaits last week. Willow Beach was quiet last week, but don't overlook this spot. This is the time of year when some big stripers show in this stretch of water.
TROUT: Rains have muddied up waters across the Southland and this has slowed the fishing some. Laguna Niguel, received a plant of rainbow trout on Tuesday night, and bait anglers have been scoring on inflated nightcrawlers, Power Bait, or salmon eggs. Irvine continues to be fair to good. Trollers have been taking fish on Rapalas or Frenzy Crankbaits. Bait anglers are taking the bulk of fish on inflated night crawlers dipped in Berkley's Secret Sauce. Santa Ana River Lakes are fair and a 22-8 was the top fish this week. Corona Lake also fair on fish to 14-8. In Bishop, anglers braving the cold mornings are scoring fish from the Owens River and Pleasant Valley Reservoir. A 3-0 to 10-0 class fish is a good possibility after brood stock plants last month.
PANFISH: The Lake Isabella crappie continues to produce be the most consistent panfish bite. The fish are still concentrated in the trees around the Camp Nine area from 30 feet to 40 feet deep. The bite has been exclusively on live minnows. Lake Lopez continues to kick out quality bluegill and crappie in deep water by the dam. Anglers targeting the drop offs on Jackrabbit Flats at Lake Cachuma are having some solid action on redear at 20 feet.
LARGEMOUTH BASS: Diamond Valley Lake continues to have fair to good bass fishing and kicked out largemouths to 11-1 and smallmouth bass to 3-0 on Carolina-rigged plastics. Castaic Lake continues to have a solid largemouth bite on live crawdads with anglers taking limits of fish to 5-0.This bite has not even been affected by rain or wind. Anglers who prefer to fish artificials are using brown on brown or brown and purple pig-n-jigs. Lake Casitas is kicking out a few double-digit bass each week, but should pick up as water temperatures warm. Any lake that receives trout plants can kick out a double-digit fish on a swimbait right now.
CATFISH: San Vicente Lake kicked out a blue catfish over 70-0, and many other quality fish have been showing on mackerel. Lower Otay produced several impressive catches of channel catfish to 14-8 and some blue catfish, too. Lake Isabella continues to have a fair bite in deeper water by the dam on frozen shad. Laguna Niguel Lake kicked out channel catfish to 12-0 after rains this week on nightcrawlers.
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