1. Diamond Valley's largemouth bass bite and striped bass bites improved even more this past week thanks to the season's first trout plant. A bunch of stripers over 10 pounds reported, and the largemouth are also good on the big trout-like swim baits or you can catch them on just about any presentation anywhere on the lake. Lots of smaller fish, but just enough fish to six pounds to keep things interesting. For the latest update, call the marina at 951-926-7201 (www.dvmarina.com) or Last Chance Bait and Tackle at 951-658-7410 (www.lastchancebaitandtackle.
2. The late fall trout bite in Crowley Lake is simply awesome for fly anglers fishing perch minnow imitations and midge patterns, mostly in the Owens River arm of the lake. There has been an incredible number of rainbows from 18 to 24 inches (five pounds!) and lots of browns in the stream and Owens River mouths in the same size class. For updates on this bite, call The Troutfitter at 760-934-2517, Performance Anglers at 760-924-2181, or Crowley Lake Fish Camp at 760-935-4301.
3. Warming weather and a coming full moon could really turn on the already good striped bass at Lake Havasu. This could be one or your last chances to have a wide-open surface bite of this season as the water cools. The best action has been from the mouth of the river to California and Thompson bays on surface baits or jerk baits. For an update, call Bass Tackle Master (formerly Angler's Pro Shop) in Lake Havasu at 928-854-2277.
FRESHWATER HOT SPOTS
TROUT: The urban trout season is rolling into gear with plants the last three weeks at Santa Ana River Lakes, Corona Lake, and Hesperia Lake, and all three have been cranking out fair to good numbers of rainbows. Most everyone will be stocking by the early part of November. In the local mountains Big Bear is still producing a few fish, especially at the mouth of Grout Bay, and Lake Hemet is still pretty good. In the Eastern Sierra, the bites are slowing in the planted trout waters, but for fly anglers, the East Walker River, upper Owens River, Hot Creek, Crowley Lake, and Kirman Lake all have good to excellent bites, with the Crowley streamer bite on around the wed beds. In the Western Sierra, the Kern River recovered and has a fair to good nymph bite with some dry fly action early in the day.
LARGEMOUTH BASS: The largemouth bass bites mostly just fair right now, but the cooler evenings are really starting to turn on the bite across the board as the fish come up to chase shad and pack on some weight for winter. There are a number of decent morning and evening topwater bites, and a surge in bigger fish. The top picks are again Diamond Valley, Perris, Castaic, Casitas, El Capitan, along with Upper and Lower Otay. Other decent bets include Pyramid, Piru, and Skinner. Silverwood was planted with trout again this week. It's a spot to watch, too. On the lower Colorado River, the smallmouth bass bite from Needles to the I-40 bridge, in Lake Havasu, and Havasu downstream through about Palo Verde is good, and the largemouth bite is starting to really improve in lower river backwaters.
STRIPED BASS: The bites were fair to good and improving at all the usual haunts. Castaic, Skinner, Pyramid and Silverwood all are pretty good bets, and some bigger fish are showing everywhere and a number of topwater bites came back on with the warmer weather. Diamond Valley may be the best bet this week after trout plants. It cranked out more than 12 fish topping 10 pounds this week. On the Colorado River, Willow Beach continues to produce a few quality fish on big, trout-like baits, but mostly in the pre-dawn hours, and there has been very little fishing pressure. Mohave is fair on small fish to four pounds, but Havasu is good with a great topwater morning and afternoon bite. Hesperia Lake was planted with wipers three weeks ago and has been pretty good, but Elsinore has been very quiet.
PANFISH: The bluegill and redear bites remain good in a number of places, and the bite seems to be getting better as we move into fall. Diamond Valley, Lake Perris, El Capitan, and Lower Otay all are good bets, but most waters with bluegill and redear are cranking out fish for dedicated bluegill anglers. Wind and cool weather at mid-weeks slowed this some, but not much. There were some good reports at Piru and Skinner this week. Crappie bites have slowed most places, but the Isabella bite is still there, and the Topoc Marsh bite on the Colorado River is surging right now. The tilapia bite at the Salton Sea is still very slow.
CATFISH: Santa Ana River Lakes, Corona Lake, Irvine Lake, and Hesperia Lake all remain top bets for planted fish in the urban region, with Hesperia perhaps the best bet for quality fish. For wild fish, Skinner, Isabella, and Diamond Valley are all fair to good, while Cachuma, Casitas, Silverwood, and Pyramid are pretty fair, too. A number of the San Diego area lakes are improving but there was little fishing pressure this week. The lower Colorado River is turning on again with good flathead and channel catfish action in the backwaters, canals and drain ditches. The main river is also starting to kick back into gear, too.
LARGEMOUTH BASS: The largemouth bass bites mostly just fair right now, but the cooler evenings are really starting to turn on the bite across the board as the fish come up to chase shad and pack on some weight for winter. There are a number of decent morning and evening topwater bites, and a surge in bigger fish. The top picks are again Diamond Valley, Perris, Castaic, Casitas, El Capitan, along with Upper and Lower Otay. Other decent bets include Pyramid, Piru, and Skinner. Silverwood was planted with trout again this week. It's a spot to watch, too. On the lower Colorado River, the smallmouth bass bite from Needles to the I-40 bridge, in Lake Havasu, and Havasu downstream through about Palo Verde is good, and the largemouth bite is starting to really improve in lower river backwaters.
STRIPED BASS: The bites were fair to good and improving at all the usual haunts. Castaic, Skinner, Pyramid and Silverwood all are pretty good bets, and some bigger fish are showing everywhere and a number of topwater bites came back on with the warmer weather. Diamond Valley may be the best bet this week after trout plants. It cranked out more than 12 fish topping 10 pounds this week. On the Colorado River, Willow Beach continues to produce a few quality fish on big, trout-like baits, but mostly in the pre-dawn hours, and there has been very little fishing pressure. Mohave is fair on small fish to four pounds, but Havasu is good with a great topwater morning and afternoon bite. Hesperia Lake was planted with wipers three weeks ago and has been pretty good, but Elsinore has been very quiet.
PANFISH: The bluegill and redear bites remain good in a number of places, and the bite seems to be getting better as we move into fall. Diamond Valley, Lake Perris, El Capitan, and Lower Otay all are good bets, but most waters with bluegill and redear are cranking out fish for dedicated bluegill anglers. Wind and cool weather at mid-weeks slowed this some, but not much. There were some good reports at Piru and Skinner this week. Crappie bites have slowed most places, but the Isabella bite is still there, and the Topoc Marsh bite on the Colorado River is surging right now. The tilapia bite at the Salton Sea is still very slow.
CATFISH: Santa Ana River Lakes, Corona Lake, Irvine Lake, and Hesperia Lake all remain top bets for planted fish in the urban region, with Hesperia perhaps the best bet for quality fish. For wild fish, Skinner, Isabella, and Diamond Valley are all fair to good, while Cachuma, Casitas, Silverwood, and Pyramid are pretty fair, too. A number of the San Diego area lakes are improving but there was little fishing pressure this week. The lower Colorado River is turning on again with good flathead and channel catfish action in the backwaters, canals and drain ditches. The main river is also starting to kick back into gear, too.
