The lake is still rising - probably until June.
All fish were caught using 2lb Yo-Zuri Hybrid or izorline XXX - mostly the Yo-Zuri because of the extreme conditions. The Chub Belly Spinner 1/48th #6 EC hook, 00 Willow or Indiana blades was the only pattern used. Jigs were tipped with crickets. Fished 8 times, each trip average ~3 hours. Have donated over 2 dozen jigs to LP - good thing I know the guy that makes them.
Water temp ranged from 66*F to 68*F (inlet water is keeping lake cool - good for me - bad for fish), trolled in 21 to 28 FOW - more on the deeper side now. Lots of BIG fish are cruising these water - post & pre spawn - feeding on hatches and baitfish. I don't think you will see these fish on beds because they spawn in deep water. People here are starting to take 9" & 10" fish off of beds...
Some pictures are of the same fish - on the board & landscape. All fish were released and are waiting to be caught again. There are four 2lb+ CNBG, two or three should have been weighed. One 2lber was caught 5/03, 1st cast on 5/04 produced another one... On 5/15 the 2nd to the last fish caught was a 2lber then on 2/16 the 2nd fish caught was another 2lber. Life is good.
Pretty sure Lake Perris will be kicking out a 3 pound fish very shortly. Haven't touched the dam - yet.
Slab thanked you for this post
Two more 12" fish caught - beginning of June and another at the start of August (brings the total to 6). All the other fish, in the remaining photos, have the potential to be close to 12" or better next season. All these fish were released.
We use 2lb test line and custom jigs. Fish were caught between 9 and 34 FOW during the early morning bite.
Level was up - level was down - now it's going back up. Water temp is now in the lower 60s. Fishing a new layer of jig eating tree tops - dropping the level did not help. Some of the fish show battle scars - had to pull them out of the brush. The advantage is the lifting power of the JDM rods.
All these fish were caught on 2lb test - custom jigs tipped with crickets & CPRd.
1st CNBG for the year
battle scars
more scars
Seven outings in April resulted with sixteen CNBGs @ 11" or better. Pre spawn fish were caught at the island in 19 to 27 FOW, water temp was in the upper 60s. All these fish are still swimming in the lake. Standard gear - JDM rods, 2lb test line, custom jigs/crickets. Majority of the fish were caught trolling Chubs & Bellyspins- some were caught casting Autos tipped with crickets. A few of these pics are the same fish - one on the board and one posed.
Fished 6 days in a row With Jim Burke from Jungle Jim Jigs for CNBGs. We caught some very nice fish including a couple of PBs for Jim (going to let him elaborate on his trip). I caught two fish that exceeded 12" and twelve that were in the 11" range. Fished 2 days at the island and 4 days in the east end. Lots of big 10s and keeper 9s were also landed.
Those are some awesome fish!
and they keep growing VCM - majority of these pics are 11" fish
We might be getting 13s like they do @ San Vicente.....
Oops, wrong pics.. here's a fat shellcracker.
"Alive without breath, as cold as death; never thirsty, ever drinking, all in mail never clinking."LedHed LIKED above post