Oct. 15 fish report
| Thursday, Oct 15 2009 05:10 PM
Last Updated Thursday, Oct 15 2009 10:59 PM
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Bryce Bartels, 6, of Bakersfield caught these rainbow trout (3 and 5.5 pounds) Oct. 3 at Balch Park while on a cub scout camping trip. He used PowerBait.
Roy Maynard, 46, of Bakersfield caught these three 16- to 18-pound silver salmon recently in the Puget Sound off Vicoria, B.C.
Kern County and southern San Joaquin Valley
LAKE ISABELLA: Rain in the high country muddies up both forks of the Kern and poured a lot of off-color water into the lake mid-week. Few reports since then, but except for the catfish action, most of the bites that had been going are expected to slow. The influx of water might just make the catfish action better. There had been a fair to good crappie bite on live minnows in flooded timber from boats or float tubes, and the bass action has been decent on cranks, plastics, jigs and live bait. Slow to fair trout action at the auxiliary dam in deep water. Carp fair to good in shallows.
KERN RIVER: Flows in the upper Kern rocketed up from 152 cfs at Kernville on Tuesday to over 2,500 cfs by 4 p.m. Wednesday. Needless to say, it blew out the very good roadside fly-rod action from Kernville all the way up past the Johnsondale Bridge into the Wild Trout section of the river. With clearing weather the flows will probably drop back down about as quickly as they shot up and the river should clear quickly. Check with one of the local shops if you plan to go up this weekend. The lower river flows continue to be low and the smallmouth bass action remains very good in the Richbar, Hobo areas off on spinners, crawlers and plastics. Most fish are small, but it is wide open. Improving catfish action, too.
TULE RIVER: All of the usual stocking areas, including the lakes at Balch Park, have not been planted for over a month and the action is very slow.
AQUEDUCT NEAR TAFT: Generally just fair to good striped bass action on bloodworms and some fish on swim baits. Some very good reports of pre-dawn action on crankbaits early this week with fish to 5 pounds. Most of the action is on small stripers, with as many under as over the 18-inch keeper size. The catfish bite is fair on cut baits, with shad the best.
HART PARK LAKE: First DFG plant of the season is slated for this week. The bluegill bite remains good on wax worms, meal worms, or red worms. The carp action is also still fair to good on Powder Bait. Slow bass action.
TRUXTUN LAKE: Trout plant by the DFG is schedule for this week. Bluegill are good on wax worms or crickets. The carp action remains fair to good on dough baits and Powder Bait. Slow bass action on nightcrawlers and plastics.
RIVER WALK PARK: First trout plant of the season was schedule by the DFG this week. The bluegill bite is good on crickets, wax worms and meal worms. Bass are very slow with a few on plastics, nightcrawlers and small swim baits.
MING LAKE: DFG trout plant this week, first of the season. Bluegill are good on wax worms, crickets, meal worms and red worms. Good carp action on fish on Powder Bait, but other dough baits are also working. The bass and crappie bites are very slow.
BRITE LAKE: DFG trout plant last week.
BUENA VISTA LAKES: The Taft Trout Derby is schedule for Nov. 14, and the lake will be planted with over a ton of trout prior to this event, including the usual assortment of huge rainbows topping 10 pounds. The lake levels are down, but the bluegill bite has been good on wax worms, meal worms and nightcrawler pieces. Fair catfish action on frozen shad and Sonny's Dip Bait. Good carp action on Powder Bait. Bass, stripers and crappie all slow, but the odd crappie still being caught on live minnows, and a few more largemouth are showing at first and last light on topwater baits.
WOOLLOMES LAKE: DFG trout plant slated for this week. It is the first plant of the season. The bluegill bite has really started to turn on, and quite a few quality fish are showing up in this bite, which has been best on wax worms, crickets, red worms or meal worms.
SUCCESS LAKE: Runoff from storm affecting the lake. There was a good bluegill bite, but other species were mostly slow with the odd bass showing on topwater early and late in the day.
KAWEAH LAKE: Runoff from storm making most coves murkey. Fair to good bass bite on live bait and plastics before the storm. Bluegill were good.
Other regional lakes
CACHUMA: The largemouth and smallmouth bites have both improved to fair with the best action on drop-shotted plastics and a few fish on topwater. Fair catfish action on mackerel and nightcrawlers in 10 to 20 feet of water. Trout are still in deep water at the dam and off Johnson's Cliffs. Trollers are scoring fishing eight to 10 colors of leadcore and Needlefish or Rapalas. Crappie are still fair in the narrows on shad-colored cranks, especially for trollers working three colors of lead core. Not hot action, but quite a few fish to 11/2 pounds reported. Just a few redear and bluegill showing in the east end and Stork Flats on nightcrawler pieces.
CASITAS: There continues to be a pretty good bass bite and shad were still available most mornings before the storm front moved through mid-week. The fish have been off points in 20 to 30 feet of water on plastics and live bait. Lots of smaller bass, but some quality fish. Bluegill and redear remain fair to good in most coves on nightcrawlers or red worms in 10 to 15 feet of water. Trout still very slow. Private boats are being allowed at Casitas, but boats will be inspected and face a 10-day dry dock requirement because of fears of quagga mussel infestation.
CASTAIC: Prior to mid-week's storm the striped bass and largemouth bass action has been good with flurries of excellent action for anglers who managed to dip net a few live shad. Lots of 2-pound largemouth reported over the weekend with some bigger. The striper action was also good on the live shad and there was again some topwater action this past week.
LOPEZ: Weather shut down the good action on bluegill and redear, the bass bite, and only a few catfish have been reported this week.
NACIMIENTO: Heavy rains shut down the spotted bass bite. Catfish fair on cut baits, mostly early and late in the day.
PIRU: Few reports with a fair bass bite on plastics and nightcrawlers and a few trout showing for trollers. The crappie bite is still fair on small jigs in 12 to 18 feet of water.
PYRAMID: The striper bite has been fair over the past week with very spotty surface action and only fair action on bait and swimbaits. The fish have scattered all over the lake with cooling water temperatures and winds, and this week's rain will just continue that trend.
SANTA MARGARITA: Slow action after heavy rains. A few catfish are also coming out, working stained water. Light pressure.
SAN ANTONIO: Heavy rains blew out the fishing. Catfish the best bet on cut baits until water clears.
Eastern Sierra
COLEVILLE-TOPAZ REGION: The West Walker River has continued good for planted and wild trout with a lot of fish nymphs under and indicator. Little Walker River is good for brookies and rainbows. Kirman Lake is excellent on brookies to 25 inches and cutts to 27 inches this past week.
BRIDGEPORT REGION: Snow throughout the high country this week. Flows have been consistent on the East Walker in the 90 to 100 cfs range this past week and the bite has been very good early and late in the day. Twin Lakes have been just fair with a tougher bite for bait, lure and fly anglers on pan-sized fish. Virginia Lakes all still good.
LEE VINING REGION: Lower Rush Creek in the special regulation section has been good on small caddis dries or a two-fly rig with fish to 16 inches reported, but water level is getting low.
JUNE LAKE LOOP: Snow this week and light fishing pressure. Just fair action throughout the loop, with the best bite on holdover planted trout or brown trout. Best bite is early and late in the day. Walker and Parker lakes are both good, especially for browns and brookies in the stream mouths.
MAMMOTH AREA: Crowley Lake is good to excellent on midges under indicators in 12 to 15 feet of water, but it's the perch streamer bite that has really turned on in the past couple of weeks.
BISHOP AREA: Light fishing pressure throughout the Bishop Creek drainage, but the action is fair at all the lakes, especially at the inlets for browns and brookies. Owens Gorge good for small browns on small dries.
BIG PINE TO LONE PINE AREA: Generally fair to good action in the small streams after DFG plants, and Baker, Big Pine and Long Pine creeks were all planted this week.
Trout plants
KERN: Hart Park Lake, Lake Truxton, Lake Woollomes, Ming Lake, The Park at River Walk Lake.
Ocean report
TUNA FISHNG STILL EXCELLENT: San Diego all but missed the rain event that whacked most of Southern California, but the wind and swell still made the action difficult at mid-week. But through the weekend, the tuna action has remained excellent with just very little angler participation. The yellowfin are still showing as close as 50 miles to the coast and the big mass of fish are from 100 to 180 miles off the coast with the multi-day boats fishing on San Martin just hammering the fish. Add in a good pick on the yellowtail and dorado, and it's a shame so few anglers are taking advantage of this bite. Many skippers are saying it's the best yellowfin action in at least the last five years both in volume and quality.
ISLANDS NEWS: Even lighter fishing pressure at the islands than on the tuna fishing grounds with the storm and there were more weather-related problems the further north you go. The few skippers running out to San Clemente or Catalina at mid-week, but before the storm there continued to be good action on yellowtail and quality calico bass at Clemente. At Catalina Island, there was a decent bite of the calico bass with a few yellowtail on the front side for anglers who have small mackerel baits.
NEARSHORE UPDATE: The coastal bites from the Channel Islands south to San Diego have been slower in recent days because of the wind/swell/rain which led to light fishing pressure. Many skippers, especially from the more northern landings, are focusing on the whitefish, sheephead and rockfish again.
