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. Does this sound familiar? The California Aqueduct remains the top pick. There continues to be good to excellent catfish action, and a decent striped bass bite. The action is best at night in both the Antelope Valley and the southern San Joaquin valley stretches. The best bite throughout for catfish has been on lug or blood worms fished 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. Cats to 10 pounds reported in both stretches. For the stripers, there are flurries of surface action most mornings with topwater baits or small reaction baits getting fish.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 Kern River’s trout bite slips into the top spots this week. The planted fish have stock-piled throughout the river over the summer and high flows, and with the flows finally down, anglers are getting these fish and the wild trout. There are also a lot of trout moving up into the river out of Isabella, and these are mostly better quality fish showing in the Old Cemetery area below Kernville. For an update on this action and top baits or lures to use, call Bob’s Bait 661-833-8657 or Cope’s Tackle and Rod Shop at 661-679-6351.
3. Apollo Park Lake’s carp and bluegill fishing has continued excellent and remains in the top picks. The bluegill are great for kids fishing a worm under a bobber, especially mornings and evenings. The carp have been best on dough baits with fish averaging two to five pounds, and carp to 20 pounds have been reported in the past two weeks. For more information, contact Apollo Park at 661-940-7701 or Amaysing Fishing Bait & Tackle at 661-429-5824.

HIGH DESERT WATERS

VICTORVILLE REGION

HESPERIA LAKE: The catfish action has remained good thanks to weekly plants on Thursdays. Most of the fish are 1-8 to 2-8, but some big fish have been landed in the past week. Tops was a 6-8 landed by Lisa Williams, Hesperia, on nightcrawlers off the grassy bank. Ryan Lopez, Hesperia, caught his first-ever catfish, a three-pounder, fishing mackerel off the finger. Lake information: 800-521-6332 or 760-244-5951.

JESS RANCH LAKES: The trout bite remains very slow, but there are still a few bass showing on Senkos or nightcrawlers off the northern and eastern shores of lake 2 with fish up to four pounds. Bluegill are being caught in pretty decent numbers early and late in the day on meal worms and jigs on western shore of lake 2 and western shore near the pump house. The few trout reported have been in the two-pound range and have been caught on PowerBait, nightcrawlers, Mice Tails, or small jigs, especially off the northern shore of lake two and the grassy point and the eastern logged shore of Lake 3. For more information call (760)240-1107 or go to www.jessranchlakesnews.com.

MOJAVE NARROWS: No reports. The park is only open Thursday through Monday, closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Information, call 760-245-2226.

HIGH DESERT WATERS

ANTELOPE VALLEY REGION

APOLLO PARK LAKE: The carp and panfish bites remain wide open. The carp are best on dough baits with raisins. Lots of two to five-pound carp, and fish to 20 pounds have been reported. In addition, the bluegill and warmouth bite is still excellent on small fish. Any small bait under a bobber in working. Few catfish reported this past week, but there have been some to five pounds with the duck feeding area on the front lake the hot spot. 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): No trout plants in two months, but the odd trout is still showing. The action had been on peach PowerBait. The best bite is on small bluegill with very good action on any small bait suspended under a bobber fished near the weeds. Keep the hook size 14 or smaller. For updated information, call Amaysing Fishing Bait & Tackle at 661-429-5824.

LAKE PALMDALE: There continues to be a good bite for a variety of fish. The largemouth bass have been good on nightcrawlers pitched into holes in the weed beds around all of the docks. The evening catfish bite has been good to excellent for anglers fishing fly-lined cut baits best with a lot of one to three-pounders, but also some holdover and wild fish to 10 pounds. The best action has been on sardines or beef liver doused with Triple X Blood Bait scent with a nightcrawler added for wiggle. Suspending a bait under a bobber so it sits on top of the weeds or fly-lining out gets the same result. The inlet and Catfish Alley or the deep water near the entrance are the best places. The crappie, bluegill, and redear bites have slowed, but that is a weed issue. The carp are good, especially at the back end of the lake. The best bite has been on dough baits with fish to 35 pounds reported. There is a $100 bounty for the angler who catches and weighs in the most poundage of carp each month, and the most recent winner had 735 pounds to win. 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: There continue to be boiling stripers early most morning with the fish up chasing shad. Most are three to seven pounds and showing on Pencil Popper, Zara Spooks, or Whopper Plopper baits on the surface. Grey shad and bone colors are best. Some anglers have also been drifting frozen shad at the inlet to get stripers. The largemouth bite is fair to good on nightcrawlers along the 138 side of the lake around the tules. Also some fair topwater, spinnerbait, and small cranks early around the tules. Most fish are one to three pounds with some to five. The catfish bite also remains pretty good for anglers are drifting frozen shad under a slip bobber set so the bait runs six to 15 feet, or big hunks of mackerel with no weight fly-lined at the outlet. Night and early and late in the day have been the best times to fish for the cats. The bluegill bite remains pretty fair along the south shore tules on red worms, wax worms, meal worms, crickets, and nightcrawler pieces fished under a bobber. For updated information, call Amaysing Fishing Bait & Tackle at 661-429-5824.

CALIFORNIA AQUEDUCT (Hesperia to Quail Lake stretch): The bite just remains very good throughout the aqueduct, but the more remote areas seem to producing the most and biggest fish. Many anglers have been reporting three to six fish for a night of fishing. The cats are running three to 10-plus pounds. The best action has been on chicken liver with Triple X Blood Bait and a nightcrawler or lug worm added for wiggle. There have been a lot of boiling stripers in the evenings until midnight with most three to seven pounds. Top spots for all species 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): There continues to be a good bluegill bite along with a few carp. No catfish or bass reports this week. The bluegill are being caught on the usual array of small baits with red worms perhaps the best. The carp are best on dough baits.

LITTLE ROCK RESERVOIR: No reports this week. 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: There is still an algae bloom here with a warning against body contact. Fair to good fishing action for stripers and catfish, but the largemouth, bluegill, and crappie are slow. The catfish are running up to eight pounds and have been best at the dam, around the marina, off the docks, and in Miller Canyon, with chicken liver and shrimp the best baits. Adrian Morfin, Lake Los Angleles, had a five-pound cat at the dam on sardines. The stripers have been good for anglers fishing nightcrawlers, blood worms, anchovies, or sardines at the dam, with some fish topping three pounds reported, but most are smaller. Steve Anderson, Phelan, had three stripers to three pounds fishing sardines off the dock. A few largemouth are showing early mornings on topwater and jerk baits in most coves. Silverwood remains high at 92 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: Coninued fair to good trout action, especially in the west end of the lake near the dam. For shoreline anglers, fishing from sunrise (or before) until 10 or 11 (but earlier is better). Or fish evening from 7 p.m. or after. Top spots are from Old Grays Landing west to the Sandy Beach near the Red House. The average cast from shore will put the bait in 14 to 22 feet of water, which is the depth the trout are hanging out. Sometimes they move even deeper this time of year, so anglers should try west of the buoy line on either the north or south shores. A slip bobber rig can be set to a depth where the fish are suspending. The depth of which an angler suspends his or her bait can be changed by sliding a bobber stop closer or farther from the slip bobber. Some also use a cast-a-bubber filled with water so it sinks slowly and rests on top of the wed beds on the bottom. Using PowerBait and inflated nightcrawlers helps keep the bait above the weeds. Trollers should work the center part of the lake from the buoy line to the SS Relief with one to three colors of leadcore line early and then deeper as the day wears on. Other good circuits are the Trout Alley (the Rock Wall to the Zebra Room) and the West Launch Ramp to Old Gray’s Landing. A wide variety of small spoons and Rapala-like lures in gold with red or orange highlights are the best baits to troll. Most of the rainbows are from 1-8 to two pounds with some to three reported. The bass are fair on cranks and topwater early, and some panfish are showing on small jigs tipped with meal or wax worms, or just those baits under a bobber. 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: The most recent DFW trout plant was over a month action. Very slow trout action, but there is supposed to be a trout plant this week. There is also supposed to be derby this weekend. The VFW Auxiliary 9624 Trout Derby will be 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 7. Entry is $20 per ticket. This event is not on the Lake Gregory park site (no surprise). 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 almost never posted infrequently on the park’s Facebook page or website.

GREEN VALLEY LAKE: Fair to good trout action over the holiday weekend thanks to a 1,100 pound plant of Jess Ranch trout last week, including 100 pounds of trophy fish. The bite is best early and late in the day, and small trout jigs, Mice Tails, trout spoons, inflated nightcrawlers with garlic, and PowerBait in yellow or chartreuse are the best baits. The fish are congregating in the deeper water at the dam. Jess Ranch trout plants are going in most weeks. The 400 pound plants always include 50 pounds of trophy fish. No DFW plants in over a month. The website is www.gvlfishing.com and the Facebook page is Green Valley Lake Fishing.

INTERSTATE 5 LAKES

CASTAIC: The striper bite has been good for stripers boiling in the morning, but weekend crowds can keep the fish down. Midweek fishing is best, and the key is matching the lure size to the bait size, which means smaller baits. The duration of the boils has been short, but there is good action for a period of time. After that the stripers are best in deep water on sand worms, lug worms, blood worms, and frozen shad, Triple X sardines or anchovies in deeper water. The quality has been improving. Juan Aguilar, Pamorama City, had stripers to five pounds on topwater. The largemouth and smallmouth bass also continued to be fair to good. The bite is on smaller topwater or near-surface baits early and late in the day. Pop-R type lures and Flukes have been best. After the surface flurry, plastics worms and nightcrawlers are best with the fish in most coves. The largemouth are mostly under three pounds, the smallmouth a little smaller. Henry Moran, Maywood, had three smallmouth to 1-8 on shad cranks at the dam. The bluegill action is good along most shoreline structure in four to 20 feet of water on small baits, especially in the lower lake. The trout bite has slowed way down but a few fish are showing for trollers working downriggers or leadcore and small spoons, but some also on PowerBaits, Mice Tails, and inflated inflated garlic nightcrawlers. Almost no pressure on the trout. The lake’s elevation is pretty stable, with Castaic 88 percent full again this week. For information call the marina at 661-775-6232 (www.CastaicLake.com) or Tackle Express at 661-251-8700.

PYRAMID: No much change here. There has continued to be a good striper bite on the surface most morning, with quite a few limits of stripers to five pounds reported on topwater baits. During the day, trolled umbrella rigs with shad-like baits. Jigging spoons or sardines, anchovies, blood or lug worms, and even nightcrawlers are get the deep bait fish. The largemouth and smallmouth bass bites have been good in most coves on soft plastic worms or drop-shot nightcrawlers during the day, with boiling fish on bait balls in the mornings. Flukes and Senkos (rigged weedless) are best on the boiling fish. Most are 1-8 to 3-0. A good number of catfish are also showing on cut baits, especially blood, lug, and sand worms, but frozen sardines, anchovies, and shad are nearly as good, especially when scent is added. The fish are deep in most coves, and the channel along the entrance booth is still a hot spot along with the ramp. The bluegill bite is still fair to good along the shoreline structure on meal worm, wax worms, red worms, and crickets. A few trout continue to show from deeper water in the channel near the front of the lake. Nightcrawlers and PowerBait fished in deep water with long leaders has been the ticket. The algae bloom has been increasing in the past week, but no warmings or closures have been issued. The lake’s level is not changing much. It was again 93 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: The lake level continues to drop with it down to 43 percent full this week. It was 52 percent full four weeks ago. The catfish bite has been good on dip baits(especially the Triple S Dip Bait), shad, mackerel, shrimp, chicken liver, and clams, especially in the Camp 9 area at night or early and late in the day. A few crappie continue to show but the bite has been very erratic. The action has continued to be on the submerged tree lines with small minnows, but some anglers are still getting limits of 25 fish.. The North Fork area is still probably the best area. There’s a fair largemouth bite on crankbaits in crawdad colors early and late and then a decent bite on jigs or plastics in deeper water structure. Few trout or carp reports, but the bluegill bite has been slow to fair most coves with mostly small fish now. 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 remained low and pretty stable over the past week at around 660 cfs, and there is a fair to good trout bite. Trout were planted in section 4 and 6 last week and sections 2 through 5 three weeks ago. No plants slated for this week. The bite has been fair to good on crickets, salmon eggs, nightcrawlers, and small spinners. Also improved fly action on the upper river and above the Johnsondale Bridge. Some bigger trout moving up out of Lake Isabella into the cooler water of the river, and the old Cemetery area has been best for these rainbows. Lower river flows were pretty stable but down just a little over the past week at about 1,300 cfs. This is a more fishable level but pretty high. Just a few reports of bass and catfish in the bigger pools. Information: Kern River Fly Shop 760-376-2040 or (www.kernriverflyfishing.com) or Gateway Market 760-376-2424.

AQUEDUCT NEAR TAFT: There is a pretty good bite on catfish on cut baits and dip baits, especially in the Highway 166 area, but all along the aqueduct. Lots of fish on mackerel, blood or lug worms, chicken liver or dip baits fished along the bottom. The good bite on small stripers continues, with a lot of 15 to 17 inchers caught, but very few over the 18-inch minimum keeper size. The best bite has been on blood and sand worms, with a few fish on Flukes. Moss is making the fishing tougher, but it is finally starting to subside a little. There have also been a lot of schools of smaller largemouth bass moving and taking reaction baits in the past two weeks. 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: The carp and bluegill bites are both pretty good, and the catfish action has also come on pretty strong. Carp have been best on best on Wussy Bait and Powder Bait, while the catfish are showing on nightcrawlers or past baits. The bluegill are showing on crickets and wax worms. Still some bass showing, mostly early and late. In fact, all the bites are best early and late.

RIVER WALK PARK LAKE: Light fishing pressure. The carp and bluegill bites still pretty good most mornings and evenings, and a few bass are being caught early mornings on Senko-type baits, jigs, and crankbaits. The carp bite is best on dough baits, especially Wussy Bait and Powder Bait. The bluegill are hammering the wax worms or red worms. Information Bob’s Bait 661-833-8657.

HART PARK LAKE: The carp and bluegill bites are good. The bass are still fair and they are showing on plastics, jigs, and reaction baits early and late in the day. The bluegill are best on wax and meal worms or red worms. The carp are best on Powder Bait, Wussy Bait, or other dough baits. A few smaller catfish are being reported on cut baits or paste baits, and some bass are showing on drop-shot plastics or cranks early and late in the day.

TRUXTUN LAKE: The carp and bluegill bites are both fair to good, especially at night, but also early and late in the day. The bass remain fair with a few on plastics or swimbaits early in the morning. The carp are best on Wussy Bait, Powder Bait, or a variety of homemade dough baits. The bluegill are showing in fair numbers on wax worms, red worms, crickets, and meal worms. The odd catfish is showing on Triple S Dip Bait.

MING LAKE: Continued very good carp action on Powder Bait and other dough baits, especially Wussy and Power baits. The bluegill are fair to good early and late in the day on meal, wax, or red worms. The bass are fair on topwater early and then on live minnows and reaction baits, small cranks, and Senkos.

BRITE LAKE: The bite has been very good on small bass on nightcrawlers or small cranks. Some topwater early and late. There are also some crappie showing on the outside edges of the weed lines. Also still a few trout showing on floating dough baits or MiceTails. The bluegill are pretty good off the rocks on small baits.

BUENA VISTA LAKES: Heat has kept a lot of anglers away, but there is a fair catfish and bluegill bite. The catfish are best on cut baits with scents added, but the Triple S bait 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 is also good with fish to eight pounds, but relatively light fishing pressure on the carp. The best bite has been on Powder Bait or other dough baits. Some morning largemouth action, and still the occasional 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: Dropping water levels have scattered the fish or moved the bass out to suspend. The bass action remains fair on reaction baits, with some good surface action on frogs and topwater plugs early. Few crappie reports, but the bluegill action is fair on crickets, wax worms, or meal worms, but finding fish has been the challenge. Catfish are fair on cut baits. The lake level continues to fall steadily, dropping to just 32 percent this week down another nine percent this week, the same as the decline last week. 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: The lake level continues to come down with the level at just 13 percent full this week, down from 19 percent full last week and 24 percent two weeks ago. The dropping water levels have hammered the bites, but there is a fair bass bite on surface baits, reaction baits, and small swimbaits early mornings on or near the surface. A few bluegill and catfish also showing, but much tougher fishing. 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: In Inyo County, plants are to go into Intake II on Bishop Creek, Lake Sabrina, North Lake, and South Lake. In Fresno County, Courtright Reservoir and the Kings River below Pine Flat Dam are on the schedule. No plants scheduled in Kern, Los Angeles, or San Bernardino counties.

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.