Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Fishing report for May 30, 2011

Barrett: Open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday by reservation only. May and June are sold out. July reservations go on sale June 14 starting at 7 p.m. through Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or check www.ticketmaster.com.

Chollas: Stocked with rainbow trout this season by the Department of Fish and Game and stocked recently with channel catfish for the Daniel Hernandez Youth Foundation’s Meet Me At The Lake event. The new Joe Bain Memorial Fishing Pier now is open for kids. Open daily to youngsters 15 and under. San Diego Fly Fishers sponsors a Lend-A-Rod program on Sundays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., and it includes free bait and tackle and fishing tips. Good perimeter hiking trail, shady spots for picnicking.

Corona Lake: Catfish season opened here with good marks following a pair of catfish plants. Rainbow trout still biting, along with sturgeon. Corona Lake is open seven days a week with fishing allowed from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on day passes or from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on an evening pass. Each of these passes is $22. Seniors pay $20. All of these passes have a five-fish limit. For kids 4 to 13, a three-fish pass is $9. The 24-hour passes are available every Friday and Saturday night. These passes cost $60 and anglers can bring a spouse and up to three kids to help fill the 24-hour pass 15-fish limit. Camping at Corona Lake is also free with a 24-hour pass. For Corona Lake fishing information, call 951-277-4489 or log on at www.fishinglakes.com.

Cuyamaca: Good trout fishing here as the lake is the only one stocking trout this late in the spring. Wayne Raffesberger, San Diego, fishing from a kayak, landed a limit of trout trolling an orange Rapala and a Thomas Buoyant. Prior to Memorial Day, the lake will be stocked with five tagged trout, with each one worth a boat and permits. Mt. Lassen will plant the trout, and supervising ranger Georgia Martin one could topple the lake record of 14 pounds, 1 ounce. Heavily stocked this winter with trout. Mt. Lassen, Jess Ranch plant here. The water is being transferred from the East Lake to the main lake, so Pumphouse Cove is very good for trout right now as the water is pumped out. All private boats must be sprayed and decontaminated to prevent the spread of quagga mussels in the lake. Cost is $10. Applies to canoes, kayaks, float tubes and waders. Campers now have the use of showers on the North Shore. Condos and sleeper cabins available at the lake. Excellent hiking opportunities, with trails leading into Rancho Cuyamaca State Park. Good peak climbs include Stonewall, Cuyamaca Peak and North Peak. Call (760) 765-0515 or toll free at (877) 581-9904. More information at www.lakecuyamaca.org. Open daily.

Diamond Valley Lake: Good fishing right now for bass, channel catfish and bluegill. Hikers will find very good hiking trails and shoreline access for fishing. Open daily.

Dixon: Few trout and bass showing. Night fishing starts here July 14. The lake will be open for night fishing every Thursday and Friday night. Dixon will be stocked with 1,000 pounds of channel catfish on July 1. The City of Escondido was granted an aquaculture permit that now allows anglers to fish the lake without a state fishing license. All anglers 8 years old and older still need a daily fishing permit to fish at Dixon. Daley Ranch has a network of excellent trails for biking and equestrian. Open daily.

El Capitan: Summer schedule in effect with water contact and fishing permitted Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Sunday is water contact only, no fishing. Monday is fishing only, no water contact activities. Rental boats available Thursdays through Monday for fishing and boating. Concession is now open. Water contact activities include water-skiing, wake-boarding, Jet Skis, towing inflatables. All persons entering reservoir property must purchase a day use permit.

Henshaw: Lake now open from 6 a.m. to sunset. Motorboats go for $35 a day, $30 after 1 p.m. The father-son team of Mike and Kevin Martin, El Cajon, 10 bass ranging from 5- to 12 pounds, spinnerbaits, boat. All the bass were released. Ty Cabrera, Lake Elsinore, 3 catfish, 3 pounds each, mackerel and worms, boat near the Dam. Crappie still biting, but not in big numbers. Fair shoreline access on the west side toward the dam. Good hikes in surrounding Cleveland National Forest. Open daily.

Hodges: Rental boats available on open days, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Network of trails includes the San Dieguito River Park and a pedestrian bridge connecting the south and north shores in the eastern part of the lake.

Jennings: Night fishing started here May 20 and continues ever Friday and Saturday night to midnight each night. The lake will be stocked with 1,000 pounds of channel catfish this week. Marx recommends anglers fish in the back of coves and concentrate under trees there. He also said it’s a great time to try some night fishing for bass. As the weather warms, look for early and late topwater action for bass. Channel catfish moving into the shallows to spawn. Zeke Wilson, Escondido, 8.5-pound blue catfish, night crawler, Shadow Cove. New lake hours are: Friday, 5 p.m. to midnight; Saturday, 5:45 a.m. to midnight; Sunday, 5:45 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Anglers must have a full-size lantern to fish after 8 p.m. The lake also will be open Memorial Day from 5:45 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. The Lake Jennings Free Fishing University is open at 1 p.m., with the lesson this week being catfish and how to catch them Very good hiking opportunities on perimeter road and on trails. Camping available at the campground on the west side of the lake. Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Check www.lakejennings.com.

Lindo Lake: Lakeside fishery has mostly channel catfish and carp, but some bass and bluegill. Gets stocked in the winter by the DFG.

Loveland: The 65 anglers reported 10 bass released, 7 bluegill and 1 carp. Water level is up here so watch out for snakes and ticks as you bushwhack along the shore. Open daily to hike-in fishing only on a limited area of shoreline. No permits required. Fishing license is required. There’s a 140-foot fishing pier on the west side of the fishing cove.

Miramar: Concession is open on weekends only and offering boat rentals. Vehicles may be driven to the north shore of the lake Saturdays through Tuesdays. Perimeter road is paved and used by walkers, runners, rollerbladers and bicyclists. Very crowded on weekends. Picnic area on the southeast side of the lake and a few spots on the northwest shore. Pay fees at iron ranger or electronic pay station near the concession building. Launch ramp for private boats is open.

Morena: Excellent fishing continues for giant trout. Lake produced three rainbows over 10 pounds and one 7-pound, 9-ounce largemouth. Randy Minnier, 10-4 trout, green Power Bait, Dam area. Mac Mitchell, Spring Valley, 10-4 trout, Dam. Mitchell Vitug, El Cajon, 10-0 trout, night crawler. Robert Hitilger, Lakeside, used a Rattle Trap crankbait for a 7-pound, 9-ounce bass. Carp are beginning to congregate at the mouths of the creeks and are very plentiful right now. Pacific Crest Trail, which starts south of Campo at the U.S. Mexican border, cuts through the eastern side of the park. Very good hiking around the lake and a great campground.

Murray: Concession is now open. Boats available for rent on weekends. Stocked this season with trout by the Department of Fish and Game. Perimeter road is mostly paved and frequented by walkers, runners, rollerbladers and bicyclists. Cowles Mountain, the highest and most-hiked peak in the city, gets a lot of visitors. Open daily to fishing and boating. No boat rentals. Pay fees at iron rangers near the abandoned concession building or at key access points.

Otay, Lower: Concession is open and boats are being rented every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. The North shore has some good spots. Fishing pier located on west shore, north of the boat dock. Access road on the west side reaches fishing pier and some shoreline fishing areas. Open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Pay fees at iron rangers near the boat launch and abandoned concession building.

Otay, Upper: No boats permitted here, so float-tubing, wading and shoreline fishing are good options. Great hike around the lake’s perimeter. Open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday for fishing, sunrise to sunset. Upper Otay is a catch and release only fishery. Bait is not permitted, only artificial lures with barbless hooks.

Poway: The lake will be stocked with 1,150 pounds of channel catfish on June 8. Night fishing starts here June 10 and runs through Aug. 13. Anglers may fish at night here every Friday and Saturday until midnight. The Midnight Catfish Craze is set for July 8. For fishing and boat rental information, call the Lake Poway Grill and Tackle Shop at (858) 486-1234. No fishing license required here, but fishing permits necessary. Excellent hiking opportunities, with trails connecting to Poway’s massive network of trails that include Mount Woodson and Iron Mountain. The trails are open daily, as is the lake park. The Lake Poway Family Campout Adventure Series began April 16. The full moon campout is geared to anglers and hikers. The campout will include family fishing permits, a boat for night fishing after the park is closed and cleared, a fishing seminar hosted by Fisherman’s Outpost and a guided hike around the Lake Poway Loop Trail. There also will be a campfire and complimentary hot beverages in the morning at the lake Poway Grill and Tackle Shop. Space for fishing is limited to 40 boats and there will be no shoreline fishing permitted. Call the ranger office at (858) 668-4772 for more information. The lake is open to fishing Wednesday through Sunday. The following items are prohibited at Lake Poway in order to prevent the spread of quagga mussels: float tubes, private motors and anchors, live bait containers, fish finders, floating catch baskets, live bait from any source other than the Lake Poway concession, any items the staff considers to be potential contaminants.

Santee Lakes: Catfish action is very good following recent plants of catfish. Night fishing event is set here for Thursday night on Lakes 1 through 4. Fishing is from 5 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. On June 11, join the Santee Firefighters on their annual Free Kids Fishing Derby. Anglers who ask for a “Carp Card” are eligible for a reward after catching 10 carp. Catch 10 carp, record them and get a free day of fishing at the lakes. No California state fishing license required to fish Santee’s chain of lakes. Very good hiking opportunities around the seven lakes. Lake 7 is reserved for campers, though. Site for site the best campground in the county. Check www.santeelakes.com. Open daily.

San Vicente: Closed. For construction schedules and information on the Emergency Storage Project, go to the San Diego County Water Authority's web site at www.sdcwa.org and click on San Vicente Dam Raise.

Santa Ana River Lakes: Catfish season is on here with good limits being taken out. Trout action also is fair. Tilapia also biting. There is 24-hour fishing every Friday and Saturday night. The “family special” applies to the 24-hour passes, open to mom and dad and up to three kids under 12. All can fish on the same permit to fill up the 15-fish, 24-hour permit limit. Lots of channel catfish planted this summer. Santa Ana River Lakes is open seven days a week with fishing allowed from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on day passes or from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on an evening pass. Each of these passes is $22. Seniors pay $20. All of these passes have a five-fish limit. For kids 4 to 13, a three-fish pass is just $9. There are 24-hour passes available every Friday and Saturday. These 24-hour passes cost $60 and anglers can bring a spouse and up to three kids to help fill the 24-hour pass 15-fish limit. Camping at SARL is also free with a 24-hour pass. For Santa Ana River Lakes fishing information, call 714-632-7830 or log on at www.fishinglakes.com.

Sutherland: Open Saturday and Sunday to boating and fishing, Mondays to shore fishing and float tubes only. Hiking on the east shore is a great experience and opportunity to see mule deer, wild turkeys, bobcats and more.

Sweetwater: The 26 anglers reported 1 bass kept, 13 bass released and 12 bluegill. Open Saturday, Sunday and Monday to limited shoreline fishing only.

Wohlford: Lake will be stocked next with 1,000 pounds of channel catfish on July 1. Bass fishing has turned on. Large females on the prowl. Khamsouk Sophabmixay, 11.65-pound bass, crawdad, Murphy’s Rock. Martin Arenas, Escondido, caught and released a 9.75-pounder, Fat Crawl, Bass Point. Lots of other bass in the 5- to 8-pound range. Trout plants are done for the season, but some big trout still biting. There’s a $20 special for all-day rentals on motorboats for seniors every Tuesday and for active military every first and third Saturday of the month. The Lake Wohlford Café has the DFG’s Automated License Data System. All types of fishing and hunting licenses may be purchased at the Café, noted for its great breakfast, lunch and dinner items. To-go orders may be made for picnic lunches while fishing. Very good hiking trails, with paths through an oak grove on the southeast side. Ban on private boats remains in place due to the threat of quagga mussels. Other banned equipment include canoes, kayaks, float tubes, trolling motors, fish finders, anchors, etc. Rental boats available. For more information, check www.lakewohlford.com.

Mike Ptitzl has started a new Web site for local hunters, www.southerncaliforniahuntingclub.com.

The SportfishingReport.com iPhone app, once $4.99 when it was introduced, now is $.99 and available on iTunes or via the Apple App Store. The SportfishingReport.com iPhone app provides instant updates on both local and long-range fishing conditions and catches, complete with photos and audio reports. The app, which debuted last summer at a cost of $4.99 per download, includes daily reports, dock totals and fish counts before they appear anywhere else.

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