FISH REPORT — Compiled by Jim Matthews | www.OutdoorNewsService.com

The fish report is weekly. Its accuracy depends on marina operators, tackle shops, and local fishermen we contact. Anglers catching large fish should send the information to Outdoor News Service, P.O. Box 9007, San Bernardino, CA 92427, or telephone 909-887-3444, so it can be included in this report. E-Mail messages or fishing reports can also be posted to Jim Matthews at odwriter@verizon.net.

The fish report is copyrighted and any use or reposting of the report, or portions of the report, is prohibited without written permission.

JIM MATTHEWS’S PICKS OF THE WEEK

1. Not surprisingly, the top pick remains the excellent action in the entire California Aqueduct. The Antelope Valley stretch and the southern San Joaquin valley stretches are both excellent, especially for catfish. Stripers are now playing second fiddle to the cats, but still showing in decent numbers, too. The best bite throughout and for both species has been on lug or blood worms fish alone or mixed with chicken liver or other cut bait and drifted along the bottom, especially in areas where the flow is constricted, interrupted, or bends. Adding a scent also increases the number of bites. For updates on this bite, call Amaysing Fishing Bait & Tackle at 661-429-5824 for the Palmdale to Hesperia stretch and Bob’s Bait Bucket at 661-833-8657 for the Taft region.
2. The late-season crappie bite continues to hang in there at Lake Isabella, with good action for boat and float tube anglers who can fish in eight to 18 feet of water. The shore bite is tough. The fish are averaging around half- to three-quarter pound with fewer big fish spicing up the bite. Most of the action is around structure on small jigs or small minnows. The South Fork, Jackrabbit Flats, and Camp Nine are the top areas, but fish are still showing in most of the coves. For an update on this bite, check with Bob’s Bait Bucket in Bakersfield at 661-833-8657.
3. A fly-fishing pick for the No. 3 spot. The Crowley Lake basin’s Owens River and all the streams that feed Crowley (Hot Creek, Convict, McGee, Hilton, and McGee) are seeing an epic surface grasshopper bite right now. The streamside areas around all these waters have millions of grasshoppers and the fish are gorging on the hoppers. All of the fly-fishing shops in the Bishop and Mammoth Lakes region can clue you in on the details.

HIGH DESERT WATERS

VICTORVILLE REGION

HESPERIA LAKE: Good catfish action continues with weekly plants of fish running from 1-8 to six pounds. Lots of five-fish limits reported. Top baits continue to be the M&M (marshmallow-meal worm) combo, nightcrawlers, mackerel, and chicken liver. Top spots have been the drain area, along the north shore, and off Sandy Point. Lake information: 800-521-6332 or 760-244-5951.

JESS RANCH LAKES: The bass action has been slow to fair on Senkos, nightcrawlers, and swimbaits from the northern and eastern shores of lake 2. Largemouth up to five-pounds reported. Trout remain mostly slow with only a few fish in the two-pound range showing on PowerBait, nightcrawlers, Mice Tails, or small jigs. The bluegill remain pretty good on crickets, meal worms, wax worms, and red worms. For more information call (760)240-1107 or go to
www.jessranchlakesnews.com.

MOJAVE NARROWS: There continues to be a good catfish bite here thanks to weekly plants. Most of the fish are in the two to three-pound range, but some to eight pounds. Best bite on chicken liver with Triple X Blood Bait scent and either a nightcrawler or blood worm added for wiggle. Fish are also showing on frozen sardines, anchovies, or shad. The carp are also fair to good on dough baits. Bluegill are good, but most of the fish are hand-sized of smaller. The bite is best on wax worms, meal worms, or crickets. There will be a special night fishing event Friday, July 26. Information, call 760-245-2226.

HIGH DESERT WATERS

ANTELOPE VALLEY REGION

APOLLO PARK LAKE: The bluegill and warmouth remains wide open. Fish a worm under a bobber and it is all-day action. The bite on remains good with a lot of five five pounds and better on a wide variety of dough baits. A few catfish to five-plus pounds have been reported in the past week. For more information or updates on plant, contact Apollo Park at 661-940-7701 or Amaysing Fishing Bait & Tackle at 661-429-5824.

JACKSON LAKE (NEAR WRIGHTWOOD): Good trout after the trout plant late last week with a lot of limits of fish reported through the weekend. PowerBait, MiceTails, and small spinners are best in the first few days after a plant. The bluegill bite remains wide open with good numbers of very small fish caught. Any small bait suspended under a bobber fished near the weeds is getting fish. Keep the hook size 14 or smaller. For updated information, call Amaysing Fishing Bait & Tackle at 661-429-5824.

LAKE PALMDALE: Overall, the bite has been pretty good for everything. The catfish are steady with most three to eight pounds, and they have been showing on cut baits, with the chicken liver-blood worm or nightcrawler combo still a good bet. The crappie, bluegill, and redear bites have been pretty decent in shady areas on small jigs or jigs tipped with bait. The carp are excellent at the back end of the lake with a lot of 10-plus pounders reported. The best bite has been on dough baits. The largemouth bass are showing early in the morning on plastics and reaction baits in rocky areas and in the deeper holes in the weed beds. Call the Palmdale Fin & Feather Club for membership and fishing information at 661-947-2884 or go to website at
www.palmdalefinandfeatherclub.com.

QUAIL LAKE: The catfish bite has been hot with a lot of nice stringers of fish reported with fish to 10 pounds. Most anglers are drifting frozen shad under a slip bobber set so the bait runs eight to 15 feet. Night and early and late in the day have been the best times to fish for the cats. The largemouth bass is also good on reaction baits with the best bite early and late in the day. The bluegill bite remains pretty fair along the south shore tules on on red worms, wax worms, meal worms, crickets, and nightcrawler pieces. Few stripers reported, but those fishing the north shore near the inlet with ghost shrimp have done the best. For updated information, call Amaysing Fishing Bait & Tackle at 661-429-5824.

CALIFORNIA AQUEDUCT (Little Rock to Quail Lake stretch): The catfish action is simply wife open with lots of two to four pound fish, plus some kickers over 10 pounds reported. The hot bait has been chicken liver doused with Triple X Blood Bait and then enhanced with a wigging nightcrawler or blood worm. But other cut baits are also getting fish. The striper action is also fair to good on the same baits. Some quality largemouth over five pounds were reported this week in the Pearblossom area on spinnerbaits. Best bite is before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m., but there have also been a lot of fish caught during the day this past week. Top spots continue to be where the flows change and slow, especially road crossings, weirs, siphons, and where the canal curves. For updated information, call Amaysing Fishing Bait & Tackle at 661-429-5824.

CENTRAL PARK LAKE (CALIFORNIA CITY): Little change here with a good good bluegill bite, and the catfish bite is fair to good at night. The bluegill are being caught on the usual array of small baits with red worms perhaps the best. The cats are showing on chunks of mackerel and running from two to five pounds. Carp are also pretty decent on dough baits, and a few bass are showing on cranks, plastics, swimbaits, and nightcrawlers.

LITTLE ROCK RESERVOIR: No reports this week, but recently the bass bite has been pretty good on plastic worms. The lake is normally open to walk-in fishing, but the Palmdale Water District has an ongoing sediment removal project and access is restricted at times. For updated information, call Amaysing Fishing Bait & Tackle at 661-429-5824.

SAN BERNARDINO MOUNTAIN WATERS

SILVERWOOD: The trout bite continues to be fair after the big plants by the Department of Water Resources last month, but the fish have spread out around the lake. The top action has been for boat anglers fishing the coves off the main channel, but shore anglers continue to get fish in Miller and Cleghorn canyon areas and around the marina. PowerBait, Mice Tails, and small spoons (Kastmasters) and spinners are the best baits and lures. Most of the trout are around a pound with some to three. The stripers also continue to be good. Most are from one to two pounds and showing at the dam, the main lake points, Chemise, and around the marina and up into both Miller and Cleghorn. Top baits continue to be sardines, nightcrawlers, frozen shad, and blood or lug worms. Trollers are using umbrella rigs with shad-like swimbaits. The catfish bite has picked up in most of the coves, especially for walk-in anglers (or campers) fishing at night. Best bite on cut baits (chicken liver and blood or lug worm combos have been very good). There has continued to be a few crappie and bluegill caught off the docks on small jigs with Crappie Nibbles or in most coves on deeper flooded brush. The largemouth are fair on plastics and reaction baits. Most three pounds or under, but some bigger fish on trout-like swimbaits. Silverwood is 91 percent full. Anglers should be aware of health advisories for the consumption of fish from this lake because of high PCB and mercury levels in the fish flesh and skin. Here’s the direct link to a PDF brochure explaining consumption recommendations:
http://www.oehha.ca.gov/fish/so_cal/pdf_zip/081013KioskadvySilverwood.pdf. Dock fishing is allowed for $3 for adults, $2 for kids and seniors. Private boats must be inspected for zebra and quagga mussels. Boats with wet lower units will be turned away. Boats inspected and tagged at Diamond Valley and Perris will be allowed at Silverwood. The park is open seven days a week. Information: marina 760-389-2299, state park 760-389-2281, Silverwood Country store 760-389-2423.

BIG BEAR LAKE: The trout bite is pretty fair overall, with some limits reported, especially for trollers. Most of the fish are solid one to three-pound fish. The west end of the lake (toward the dam) has been the best area to fish, mostly from Windy Point to the Buoy Line. The best bite has been early in the morning and then again in the evening. Bait anglers are mostly using PowerBait in bright colors in the corn, cheese, and garlic flavors or inflated nightcrawlers fished on Carolina rigs with two to three-foot or longer leaders. The weeds have become a problem, so most anglers are using filling Cast-a-bubbles full water that sink very slowly. These “weights” sit on top of the weeds and allow the bait to float up about the weeds where the trout can see them. Trollers are dragging two to four colors of leadcore (or at eight to 18 feet on downriggers) along the south shore, Trout Alley, the west end from the west public launch to the dam. A wide variety of small spoons and Rapala-like lures in gold with red or orange highlights are the best baits to troll. The bass and crappie bites are good, on cranks and small jigs tipped with meal or wax worms, respectively. The carp bowfishing is also excellent in all shallow areas of the lake. All the lakes’ public and private launch ramps are open. For information on fishing, call Big Bear Sporting Goods at 909-866-3222 or visit the store’s Facebook page.

GREGORY LAKE: Overall slow action. The last trout plant was over a month ago, and the water is pretty warm with an algae bloom. The VFW Auxiliary 9624 Trout Derby will be 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 7. Entry is $20 per ticket. For derby info, call 909-553-8200 or 909-338-5385. Lake and fishing information at 909-338-2233 or on the website at
lakegregoryrecreation.com/fish. Fishing updates are posted infrequently on the park’s Facebook page or website.

GREEN VALLEY LAKE: No plants since the 1,200 pounds from Jess Ranch and the 450 pounds from the DFW the week before the July 4 weekend. The bite is still fair on small trout jigs, Mice Tails, trout spoons, inflated nightcrawlers with garlic, and PowerBait in yellow or chartreuse. The best bite is early morning for both shore and boat anglers, and the fish are congregating in the deeper water at the dam. The website is
www.gvlfishing.com and the Facebook page is Green Valley Lake Fishing.

INTERSTATE 5 LAKES

CASTAIC: The trout bite continues to be fair after the big plants last month by the Department of Water Resources, but the fish have spread out around the lake and gone deeper. The best action has been on PowerBait fished in 30 to 40 feet of water or by trollers using leadcore line and small spoons. The stripers have remained pretty good on sand worms, lug worms, blood worms, and frozen shad, Triple X sardines or anchovies. The fish are still mostly in deeper water, but seem to be on top or near-surface most mornings and whacking jerk baits or topwaters. Cheav Lim, Monterey Park, had four stripers to five pounds fishing sardines. The largemouth and smallmouth bass also continued to be fair to good. The bite is best on plastics worms, nightcrawlers, Senko-like baits, or just about any reaction bait. Most are under three pounds. The bluegill action is good along most shoreline structure in four to 20 feet of water on small baits or jigs, and crappie are also pretty decent, especially in the lower lake. The lake’s elevation is pretty stable, with Castaic 95 percent full. For information call the marina at 661-775-6232 (www.CastaicLake.com) or Tackle Express at 661-251-8700.

PYRAMID: The trout fishing remains fair since the big plants by the DWR last month. The fish have spread out and gone deep. For shore anglers the top spot is still around the marina on Mice Tails and PowerBait. Trollers have been getting trout in 20 to 35 feet of water on small, shad-sized spoons. Most of the trout are around a pound with some to three pounds reported. The striped bass bite remains very good on one to four-pound fish with some to seven pounds. There has been good surface boils most mornings in the coves, especially Yellowbar and Spanish Point, on jerkbaits and trout-like swimbaits. A good number of catfish are also showing on the same baits getting the stripers. Top action has been on blood, lug, and sand worms, but frozen sardines, anchovies, and shad are nearly as good, especially when scent is added. The bluegill bite is very good along the shoreline structure on meal worm, wax worms, red worms, and crickets. Even a few fish bigger than hand-sized. The lake’s level is not changing much. It is 92 percent full this week. There is a health warning about eating fish from Pyramid Lake (except the rainbow trout). More information at this link:
http://www.oehha.ca.gov/fish/so_cal/pyramidlake2013.html. Information: Emigrant Landing entrance booth at 661-295-7155 or Tackle Express at 661-251-8700.

COLORADO RIVER

ARIZONA FISHING REPORTS: The Arizona Game and Fish Department compiles a weekly report for most waters in the state, including the Colorado Rivers. Anglers can read the report at this direct link:
http://azgfd.net/artman/publish/FishingReport/.

FLOW INFORMATION: Reservoir elevation levels and flow releases for the entire lower Colorado River are available at this web site with information updated hourly:
www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g4000/hourly/rivops.html.

WESTERN SIERRA

LAKE ISABELLA: Camp 9, catfish, dip bait, shad, clam. Crappie good on small minnows deep water for boat and tube anglers. Bass, good on swimbaits, 17 pounds, five-fish limits in local tourney, jigs,too

Trout at old cemetrary are The lake level remains high but down a little from last week at 57 percent (from 61 percent). The catfish action has been very good on dip baits, shad, and clams, especially in the Camp 9 area with some quality fish topping 10 pounds. The crappie bite is still good, but the fish are mostly in 12 to 20 feet of water for boat and tube anglers using small minnows. Most are from a half- to three-quarter pound, but some bigger fish continue to show. The Camp Nine and South Fork areas are best, but the crappie are showing around much of the lake. The largemouth bass bite is pretty good with topwater action early and then a lot of fish on swimbaits, cranks, jigs, and plastics. In a weekend bass event, it took over five-fish, 17-pound limits to win each day. The trout bite is fair for trollers, but also for bait anglers fishing MiceTails or PowerBait near the auxiliary dam and up near the old cemetery area. Few carp anglers, too, but dedicated carpers are getting fish on flooded flats and fly anglers are finding a lot of gulpers working. Bluegill good for the few anglers fishing them. Information: Bob’s Bait 661-833-8657 or www.bobsbaitbucket.com, North Fork Marina at 760-376-1812, or Cope’s Tackle and Rod Shop at 661-679-6351 or www.tackleandrod.com.

KERN RIVER: Flows in the upper river have dropped down to about 2,200 cfs this week, and there has been a pretty decent trout bite. The hatchery also had to release about 500 pounds of bigger fish because of a power outage. Plus there were regular plants in sections 4 and 5 this week. Best action in the bigger pools on crickets, salmon eggs, and small spinners. Lower river flows were 3,300 cfs Thursday, and the action is still tough. Information: Kern River Fly Shop 760-376-2040 or (www.kernriverflyfishing.com) or Gateway Market 760-376-2424.

AQUEDUCT NEAR TAFT: The catfish bite has gotten even better over the past week with excellent action on mackerel, dip baits, and sardines. The cats are running from three to eight pounds. The stripers also remain pretty good on blood and sand worms for bait anglers and jerk baits and Flukes for lure anglers. Most fish right around the minimum keeper size. Catfish are best on shad or mackerel. The flows remain high and anglers need to be prepared to use heavier weight to get down through the heavy current. Anglers are reminded the limit on stripers is two fish greater than 18 inches, while the largemouth limit is five fish. Information: Bob’s Bait 661-833-8657 or www.bobsbaitbucket.com or Cope’s Tackle and Rod Shop at 661-679-6351 or www.tackleandrod.com.

MILL CREEK PARK AND CANAL: There is fair to good bass action on plastics and reaction baits, and the carp and bluegill bites are both pretty good. Carp best on Wussy Bait and Powder Bait, while the bluegill are showing on crickets and wax worms.

RIVER WALK PARK LAKE: Little change here. The carp bite is very good on dough baits. The bass and bluegill bites remain fair to good, and improved from last week. The bass have been best on plastics and Senko-type baits, and the bluegill hammering the wax worms or red worms. Even a few crappie being caught. Information Bob’s Bait 661-833-8657.

HART PARK LAKE: The bass and bluegill bites are also very good. The bass are showing on plastics, jigs, and reaction baits, while the bluegill are best on wax and meal worms or red worms. The carp action remains excellent on Powder Bait or other dough baits. Lots of fish up to five or six pounds and some bigger. A few smaller catfish are being reported on cut baits or paste baits.

TRUXTUN LAKE: Fair to good bass bite, and the carp and bluegill bites are both excellent, especially at night. The bass remain best on plastics or swimbaits. The carp are best on Wussy Bait, Powder Bait, or a variety of homemade dough baits. The bluegill are showing in good numbers on wax worms, red worms, crickets, and meal worms.

MING LAKE: Continued very good carp action on Powder Bait and other dough baits. The bass and bluegill are good, especially early and late n the day. The bass are best on dark plastics, but some are also showing on small swimbaits, cranks, buzz baits, or live minnows. The bluegill are showing on meal, wax, or red worms.

BRITE LAKE: The trout have slowed to fair at best with some fish still showing on Mice Tails and PowerBait. The bluegill, crappie, bass, and bullheads are all pretty good. The bluegill and small crappie are showing on small jigs tipped with Crappie Nibbles, meal worms, or wax worms. Evenings and mornings have been best. The bass are shall and showing on small jerkbaits, plastics, and half a nightcrawler.

BUENA VISTA LAKES: The catfish and bluegill bites both remain very good. The catfish are best on cut baits with scents added, but the Triple S baits has been the hot ticket. For the bluegill wax worms, meal worms, red worms, or nightcrawlers pieces have all be good bets, with some on tiny jigs, especially if tipped with bait. The carp action has really taken off with the hot weather, and fish to eight pounds have been reported, but relatively light fishing pressure on the carp. The best bite has been on Powder Bait or other dough baits. The bass bite surged over the past week with a lot of schoolie fish up chasing shad in the afternoons with reaction baits getting the fish. A few crappie showing. Fishing information: Bob’s Bait 661-833-8657 or www.bobsbaitbucket.com or Cope’s Tackle and Rod Shop at 661-679-6351 or www.tackleandrod.com.

WOOLLOMES LAKE: No reports.

SUCCESS LAKE: The bass action remains good on reaction baits early and late and plastics throughout the day, with good topwater on frogs and topwater plugs early. A few crappie continue to show in deeper water on small jigs tipped with Crappie Nibbles or small minnows. The bluegill action is also good on crickets, wax worms, or meal worms. Catfish are fair on cut baits. The lake level is still over 100 percent capacity, at 102 percent this week (down from 107 percent last week) thanks to runoff in the Tule River. Information: Sequoia Fishing Company at 559-539-5626, www.sequoiafishingcompany.com or Cope’s Tackle and Rod Shop at 661-679-6351 or www.tackleandrod.com.

KAWEAH LAKE: Lake levels continue to come down with the lake at 80 percent this week (down from 91 percent last week and 96 the week before). There is a fair to good bass bite on reaction baits, plastics, and small swimbaits. The crappie bite is slow to fair on small minnows or jigs tipped with Crappie Nibbles or other baits, mostly in the Horse Creek area. Bluegill also good. Information: Sierra Sporting Goods at 559-592-5212.

EASTERN SIERRA

Top Eastern Sierra fishing report web sites are:
www.KensSport.com (Bridgeport region), www.TheTroutFly.com (Mammoth Lakes region), and www.SierraDrifters.com (Bishop and Mammoth Lakes region).

TROUT PLANTS

For trout plants statewide, you can visit the DFW’s stocking page at https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FishPlants/.

This week’s trout plants Kern County including sections 4 and 5 of the Kern River (above Isabella). In Inyo County, waters planted include Baker Creek, Bishop Creek’s Intake II, Middle Fork, and South ForkIndependence Creek, Lake Sabrina, Lone Pine Creek, North Lake, Rock Creek Lake, Shepherd Creek, South Lake, Symmes Creek, and Tuttle Creek.

OCEAN FISHING REPORT

For the most comprehensive and up-to-date ocean fishing available, go to www.976-TUNA.com.

YOUR FISHING REPORTS

Please feel free to send your freshwater or saltwater fishing reports and fishing photos to Jim Matthews, Outdoor News Service, at
odwriter@verizon.net and the information will be included in the weekly report. If you have questions or comments, please call Matthews at 909-887-3444.