Sunday night I heard the worst news.  A high pressure system was rolling in from the pacific.  This would eliminate most of our beautiful June gloom we’ve been experiencing the past few days.

    Saturday and Sunday mornings were perfect.  The marine layer was 5,000 feet thick with plenty of drizzle.  It figures the day I pick – Monday – to fish largemouth bass at So. Cal.’s newest gem, Diamond Valley Lake, a high would come in and flatten out the stratus.  It has been my experience that when direct sunlight is off the water, the bass will stay shallow throughout, thus allowing shoreline anglers a longer window of opportunity.

    Same weather pattern last week.  I wanted to go last Monday but when I poked my head out the door at 4am I could see stars.  The previous two days we had beautiful low clouds and drizzle.  Since the lake doesn’t open until 6am (way late for me) and it costs $10 to fish there (oh my god!), perfect bass weather is a must to make it worth the while.

    This morning I looked out and saw no stars and away I went.  Driving south on the 15 I could see what the deal was.  Whatever remained of the marine layer was being squished by the high into the valleys, as all the humps in-between were sunny.

    Arriving at the lake by 6, I could see I had maybe 2 hours before light hit the water.  My plan was to walk to the end of the shore fishing zone then work my way back.  Since the fog was burning off fast I went about half way and looked down from the road.  I saw bass breaking the water near and far, right up to the flooded mule fat to fifty yards out.

    I scampered down the hill, shed the backpack, pulled out my trusty six-inch broken-back rainbow trout pattern Bomber Long-A and tossed out to a likely boil.  One crank of the handle and, HOOK UP!  It felt heavy, for a few moments anyway.  A quick pull of the drag and he was off the hook.  I haven’t fished for largemouth in a while; I must remember to set the hook better.

    I tossed some power bait on the bottom as far as I could to have that soaking while I flung the Long-A out to the boils.  It’s kind of past trout season but you never know.

    As seven o’clock neared, the sun was in full brightness and the breaking bass seemed to disappear, right on schedule.  Back up to the road and on my way to the end of the line.  This was more of an exploratory trip, since it was my first visit ever.  I’ve been wanting to check it out since they opened the lake for fishing in November 2003.

    Ten minutes later, past the largest cove of the shore fishing zone, I came to a major point with signs and rope stretched across the way stating, keep out, no trespassing, private property.  Hmm, there’s a clue to where you can’t fish anymore.  Just as I was going to walk down to the point, here comes the security dick in his three-wheel Cushman.  How ya doin’?  Then he started muttering, you know there’s a, um, uh, a, whatchacallit, a thing, way over there, um can’t think of the word, um, where you can fish, um...

    At first I thought he was giving some advice as to where I might have much success.  You mean a man-made structure they put in the lake before they filled it where the big bass hang out?

    Um, no, they really don’t like you to come over here.  Didn’t you see it down on the other branch road that went to the back of the cove over there?

    Uh, you mean the white barrier?

    Yeah, yeah that’s the word, barrier.  They really don’t like people coming over this far.

    Well, this is the first keep out sign I’ve seen since I’ve been walking.  I figured this is the limit.  I saw the trail on the official website map and it said it ends here.

     He looks down and sees grass bent over like lots of breakwall types have hoofed it to the rocks below.  Yeah well ok, I guess you can go down there, I see other have.  Take it easy.  He pulled a U-ey and scootered on.

    The point looked good, very deep.  I wanted to work the shoreline back but for the next ½ mile it looked too steep to be safe.  Also I saw no breaking bass and had no bites on the power bait in 30 minutes, so back I went.

    I restarted along the shady shore of the big cove by casting a six-inch black Power Worm rigged Texas style with a 1/8 oz Bullet Weight.  Throughout my largemouth career, this is the rig I have had the most confidence with.  As I walked back out to the point I could see thousands of bluegill stacked up along the shore.  I then realized that if I were to have any success I would have to match the hatch.  Bass boat guy trolled by saying, there’s lots of bass all along here.  Yeah, no $#!t.

    With nothing hitting the stick bait or the worm, I decided change my ways and become unsportsmanlike.  I saw nobody was at the point (same point where the boils were earlier), so I hustled down to the best rock and tied on a number six Owner Stinger treble hook to the end of my 12-lb outfit.  With my 4lb pole I tied on a nymph and a BB shot.  I flipped that near a pile of bluegill, immediately caught a three-inch specimen, then nose-hooked it onto the treble.  Bass boat guy approached, I had to wait until he turned his head before I cast to the deep side of the ridge so he wouldn’t see what I was up to.  I waited two minutes, my line goes out, I gave it some slack the set the hook.  The battle was on.  This thing felt huge, like maybe five pounds.  I caught a six-and-a-half bass before, this felt bigger.

    Pulling drag left, right and straight out, it headed to every mule fat on the way in.  I worked it carefully up to my feet, reached down and picked it up by the lower jaw.  Dang it was small, eyeballing in at not even three pounds.  What a fighter.  Bass boat guy was nearby with some congrats.  I said it sure fought hard for being so small.  He said yup, at this lake three pounders fight like five, five pounders fight like eight.  Moments later he nailed a three-pounder on a Carolina-rigged lizard.

    It’s already ten o’clock, full bright sun and the bass are still biting.  With my illegal bluegill set-up I not only caught that 2-12, but also two 3-0 bass and the biggest, a 3-6.  I kept the latter for dinner.  This is a great lake if they’re still hanging close under these conditions.

    Also I had several hook-ups that felt even bigger.  Bass boat guy kept saying, you toss them bluegill out there like that, you’re cruisin’ to get spooled.  You don’t want to do that.

    I said, huh?  Sure I do!  Gimme the chance.

    You all know that when a bass gets hooked it tends to become acrobatic.  All the toads I hooked jumped out of the water, including one that was heading straight for a big bush.  As he leapt I yanked it clean over right to my feet.  I held it up and shouted, I’m on top of the world!  It was very exciting to watch bass after football-sized bass come over the ridge and attack the live ’gills as I jerked them in.

    Okay, exploration over.  I found my honey hole.  I’ll have to stock up on bluegill imitations before my next visit so I won’t have hanging over me that guilt complex of illegally using the real thing.  Probably a good idea to not get caught either.

*****

From Jim L.

The creek at Power Plant Seven above Bishop above Bishop in the early morning.  Had a wonderful time fishing up there over the weekend.  Caught my limit both days (10 total largest 16 inch 1-1/2lbs) and my wife Jan caught five.  Went to Lake Sabrina and it was fuller than it's been in a very long time, but no bites there.  Caught only small ones at Intake two (below Lake Sabrina), but no keepers.  Got a nice one at Power Plant Two (further down from Sabrina) our new fishing spot and the water flow there was incredible and churning there.  Caught the majority of the large fish at power plant seven.   The weather was in the low 80's and very pleasant.  Too bad that we had to leave there yesterday afternoon....

Top