FISH REPORT

FRESHWATER

CASTAIC LAKE--Trout were stocked this week. Need we say more to striped bass fishermen? The stripers are gorging on trout, and striper fishermen with trout-like lures are pulling on bent rods. A fair largemouth bite is in progress. Trout bite best in lower lake.

LAKE PIRU--Water is cold and off-color, making fishing tough. If it clears, the trout bite should improve as there was a heavy plant recently. Catfish best bet; they don’t mind the murkiness.

PYRAMID LAKE--Striped bass perking back up, biting mostly on anchovies, averaging about 5 pounds. Catfish remain active, biting on anchovies and mackerel, and crappie and largemouth and smallmouth bass are biting sporadically, mostly on plastics.

LAKE CACHUMA--Has been closed a week because of storm damage and is expected to reopen today.

LAKE CASITAS--Lots of big bass despite the weather. Eric Mason, Oak View, 13-8 bass, on swim bait. Jim Mason, Oak View, 10-2 bass. Matt Newman, Calabasas, 11-4 bass, on Castaic Softbait. Kim Shull, Ojai, 11-10 and 8-0 bass, on water dogs. Several smaller bass pulled from weeds, hooked on plastic worms at 3-10 feet. Neon grape best color. Catfish bite very good. Largest, 24 pounds by Jim Davis, Oxnard, on mackerel. Trout bite fair. Skylar Goodner, Oak View, 3-pound trout, on a salmon egg.

CORONA LAKE--Opens Thursday.

SANTA ANA RIVER LAKES--Opened Thursday after heavy trout plants, including a 24-pounder and a dozen rainbows weighing more than 17 pounds, according to new concessionaires Doug Elliott and Bill Andrews.

IRVINE LAKE--Leon Nadolski, Huntington Beach, caught an 18-pound rainbow trout on a silver-and-black Rapala. The catch was shy of the lake record by about 1 1/2 pounds. Next biggest this week was a 9-8. Best news is a rise in the lake level after the recent storms.

LAGUNA NIGUEL LAKE--A break in the rain helped the trout fishing some, with night crawlers producing some limits, mostly in the 2-pound class. Catfish remain the top bait-grabbers, averaging 2-8 pounds, biting on night crawlers. Some bass.

LAKE SKINNER--The striped bass are boiling beyond Ramp 2, but few are there to try to catch them because of the weather. Anchovies and swim baits (lures) are fooling some. Largemouth bass bite fair, with a 4-10 on a night crawler topping the week’s report.

LAKE PERRIS--Jim Romo, Highland, caught a lake-record 17.4-pound largemouth bass on a four-inch black plastic worm. The fish was weighed and released. The previous record was 16.8. Several bass topping the 10-pound range were caught in the past week. Castaic Softbaits are getting most. Trout bite fair at Ramp 7.

SAN DIEGO LAKES--Lower Otay opened Jan. 28 and a few bass weighed in at about 10 pounds. The biggest so far, a 10-10 by Rick Bates, Lakeside, on soft jerkbait at Harvey Arm. An 18-pound catfish was also caught, and the crappie bite is good. Miramar offers the best bet for trout fishermen, with Murray far behind.

LAKE CUYAMACA--Small trout aplenty, large trout scarce. Inflated night crawlers, Sierra Gold and orange Rapalas producing lots of limits. Creeks leading to lake also producing.

SALTWATER

SANTA BARBARA (Hornet’s Landing)--4 anglers (1 boat): 8 red snapper, 2 rockfish.

OXNARD (Cisco’s)--13 anglers (1 boat): 5 bonito, 45 red snapper, 118 rockfish, 16 sculpin, 1 sheephead, 9 whitefish. (Gold Coast)--10 anglers (1 boat): 41 bonito, 1 halibut, 37 red snapper, 113 rockfish, 7 sculpin, 5 sheephead, 7 whitefish.

MARINA DEL REY--21 anglers (3 boats): 30 sand bass, 11 calico bass, 16 sculpin, 35 rockfish.

REDONDO BEACH--48 anglers (2 boats): 20 calico bass, 42 sand bass, 2 halibut, 22 whitefish, 5 sculpin, 4 blacksmith perch, 120 mackerel.

SAN PEDRO (L.A. Harbor Sportfishing)--38 anglers (2 boats): 177 barracuda, 63 sand bass, 33 calico bass, 10 sculpin, 3 sheephead, 1 halibut. (22nd St. Landing)--4 anglers (1 boat): 15 calico bass, 40 barracuda.

LONG BEACH--24 anglers (1 boat): 182 barracuda, 11 calico bass, 9 sand bass. (Marina Sportfishing)--11 anglers (1 boat): 31 barracuda, 14 calico bass, 25 sand bass, 6 whitefish, 3 sheephead, 4 sculpin.

SEAL BEACH--5 anglers (1 boat): 21 barracuda, 13 calico bass, 22 sand bass, 5 sculpin.

NEWPORT BEACH (Newport Landing)--22 anglers (1 boat): 15 sculpin, 2 sand bass, 1 calico bass, 1 blacksmith perch. (Davey’s Locker)--15 anglers (1 boat): 2 calico bass, 39 sand bass, 25 sculpin, 1 china croaker.

DANA WHARF--27 anglers (1 boat): 4 calico bass, 12 sand bass, 3 mackerel, 2 rockfish, 3 sculpin.

OCEANSIDE--16 anglers (2 boats): 9 yellowtail, 6 barracuda, 1 bonito, 27 sand bass, 41 sculpin, 1 white seabass, 20 rockfish, 1 black seabass (released).

SAN DIEGO (Seaforth)--32 anglers (3 boats): 8 yellowtail, 3 bonito, 5 barracuda, 89 rockfish, 65 mackerel, 8 sculpin, 1 mako shark. (Islandia)--18 anglers (2 boats): 2 yellowtail, 1 barracuda, 1 bonito, 11 sculpin, 1 calico bass, 55 rockfish, 44 mackerel.

TROUT PLANTS

LOS ANGELES--Big Rock Creek, Castaic Lake and lagoon, Elizabeth Lake, Little Rock Creek, Little Rock Reservoir, Piru Creek (Frenchman’s Flat). ORANGE--Carr Park Lake, Greer Park Lake, Huntington Park Lake, Trabuco Creek. RIVERSIDE--Cahuilla Park Lake, Lake Perris. SAN BERNARDINO--Glen Helen Park Lake, Yucaipa Park Lake. SAN DIEGO--Lake Cuyamaca, Doane Pond, Lake Murray. IMPERIAL--Sunbeam Lake, Weist Lake. VENTURA--Lake Casitas, Matilija Creek, Lake Piru, Reyes Creek, Rose Valley Lake. SANTA BARBARA--Lake Cachuma, Santa Ynez Reservoir. SAN LUIS OBISPO--Lopez Lake, Santa Margarita Lake.