SOCAL FRESH REPORTS

Published: Sep 01, 2010 SOCAL Weird weather sparks a brush fire and slows catfishing at Lake Skinner, Catfishing steady at Jennings,Lunker linesides...more

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SOCAL FRESH STORIES Few days of quirky weather By Bradley Schweit/WON Staff Writer WINCHESTER —  A few days of quirky weather made for interesting occurrences at Lake Skinner this past week; not the least of which was a small brush fire sparked, coincidentally enough, by the weather itself.     “Fishing was a little adventurous this past week, as we saw our fair share of weird weather, plus a fire that was sparked by the weather,” said Soren Dockings at Lake Skinner Marina. “The good news is that the fire was knocked down quick, leaving nothing more than some scorched dirt near the entrance to the park; and the weather has passed for now.”      The crazy climes also diminished the catfish bite a bit, and although the whiskers remained the top catch, the bite was off from previous weeks.     “Catfishing from shore was fairly slow this past week, according to our shore fishermen,” Dockings said. “Those fishing for the kitties by boat faired much better near the dam and along the south shore.  Chicken liver remains the best bet for the cats, however, mackerel, anchovies, nightcrawlers and shrimp have all been working.”      Andre Pettway Jr. of Lynwood creeled a total of 10 kitties to 9 pounds using shrimp and chicken liver at the dam. Kevin Hartman of Riverside bagged a trio of cats to 7 pounds while soaking chicken liver at the south shore, and Gil Robinson of Los Angeles bested a pair of whiskerfish, capped by a 5.2 pounder, on mackerel fished at the Ramp #2 area.     “There are some stripers to be found, but most are still showing early and deep on chicken liver fished up off the bottom near the dam and the inlet,” Dockings noted. “As rumors often are, the bluestoning rumor for this past week appears to have been false, however, we remain hopeful that the ‘stoning will take place soon.        “Small bass are hitting Rooster Tails back in many coves all over the lake, and a few larger fish are showing up on dark plastics. Some big bluegill are still coming in, but their numbers have dwindled.” ANDRE PETTWAY JR. of Lynwood landed these catfish, in addition to 8 others, while soaking shrimp at chicken liver near the dam at Lake Skinner. His big fish tipped the scale at 9 pounds. Catfishing steady at Jennings; get your last night fishing licks in this weekend By Bradley Schweit/WON Staff Writer LAKESIDE  — The catfish bite picked up a bit this past week at Lake Jennings, and not a moment too soon, as the final night fishing session of the season is slated for this coming weekend.     “The cats continue to bite better,” remarked Supervising Ranger Hugh Marx, “but a boat is almost a must. The fish are running 40 to 100 feet deep.”     The best kitty locales have been Cloister Cove or the buoy line off Eggert Point. Mackerel has been the most appealing offering (Marx advises to use scent liberally), and this past Saturday, Aug. 28, Nick Worsdell of San Diego used said bait to creel a total of 5 cats to 7.4 pounds at Sentry Point.     “Bass, too, are being found deeper,” Marx added. “There has been a little surface activity at sunrise and sunset, but it lasts less than 1 hour.”     For the largemouth, stick with drop-shot Morning Dawn Roboworms in 30-plus feet. Marx also suggests having a spoon ready when the fish boil, and to flutter the bait, as the bass are biting on the drop.     This Labor Day weekend marks the final night fishing event of the season, and the lake will be open on Labor Day itself from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. As of Sunday, Aug. 29, there were 15 campsites still available for those looking to get in on the holiday weekend and nighttime action. Lunker linesides on the chew for anglers fishing out of Willow Beach By Bradley Schweit/WON Staff Writer WILLOW BEACH  — In action that could be indicative of the forthcoming fall season, Willow Beach’s lunker linesides started to show in better numbers this past week.     While the bite in recent weeks has been a fish here, a fish there, the number of stripers hitting the scales last week were significant in comparison; and could be a sign of things to come this fall — a season synonymous with big stripers out of Willow Beach.     Last week’s best fish was a 23 ½ pounder taken by none other than Alan Cole of Henderson, Nev. The fish fell for an AC Plug fished near mile marker 53. Gio Cappelli of New York, New York, bagged a 23-pound striper at the same locale using a homemade plug. Curtis Easter of Boulder City, Nev., landed a 22 pounder on a SPRO BBZ-1 at mile marker 52. Bryan Butz of Henderson, Nev., had fish of 18 and 5 pounds on the same bait at mile marker 53, and Dadrko (no last name given) of Serbia, stuck a16.56-pound lineside on a SPRO BBZ-1 fished at Canoe Beach.     And for those looking for somewhat easier targets, “trout are still biting like crazy,” said Justine Holland at the Willow Beach Resort. Tilapia action ‘off the hook’ and catfishing excellent at the Santa Ana River Lakes By Bradley Schweit/WON Staff Writer ANAHEIM    — The tilapia action has been “off the hook” at the Santa Ana River Lakes over the past week thanks to weekly plants much of the summer, a double plant this past week, and little fishing pressure. Most anglers are still tapping into the excellent catfish action, but tilapia are finally starting to get some attention.          It has been easy to catch a stringer of 5 tilapia by simply fishing a half a nightcrawler on a No. 6 baitholder hook 2 feet below a small bobber. These fish are between 1 and 2 pounds and provide excellent table fare.          Mario Davila of Fullerton landed 5 tilapia, and his top fish was a 2 pounder. He was fishing Chris’ Pond with nightcrawler pieces.          The catfish bite also remains excellent with the best bite on m&m combos, shrimp or nightcrawlers; and adding one of the dip baits or scents is a good idea.          Mauricio Santana of Bell landed a stringer of 6 catfish for 18 ½  pounds, and his top fish was a 6 pounder. All were caught on mealworms. Trino and John Magana of La Habra had 9 cats for 20 ½  pounds on shrimp and mackerel. Manuia and Lima Tuu of Long Beach had 6 cats for 18 ½ pounds, including a 4 ½ pounder. The pair was fishing m&m combos dipped in Hog Wild.          SARL is getting twice-weekly plants of catfish, with tilapia also added at least once each week, and broodstock cats over the 5-pound mark are slated to go in throughout August and September this year.     For Santa Ana River Lakes’ fishing information, call (714) 632-7830 or log on at www.fishinglakes.com.