976-FRESH Freshwater Fish Report

SILVERWOOD: Continued fair to good action on stripers, largemouth, and trout, and there was a DFG trout plant slated for this week. The largemouth bass are still mostly along the shoreline on spawning beds and some are showing on plastics and reaction baits in 15 feet of water or less. A five-pound largemouth was caught by Jake Blanthorn, Upland, on a nightcrawler. The striper bite has been good on swimbaits or drifted anchovies at the dam, spillway, Chemise, and around the marina. Top fish reported was a 12-pounder caught by Mike Walters, Wrightwood, on a topwater bait. Daniel Radcliff, Glendale, had stripers and six and seven pounds, while Linda Clark, Crestline, landed a 4-10 on anchovies off the dock. There were DFG trout plants this week and two weeks ago with pretty good action on fresh planters and holdover trout to two pounds on small lures and floating dough baits. Artie Johnson, Orange County, had a limit of rainbows on wax worms in Cleghorn Canyon. The crappie bite has slowed down some, but some anglers are still getting catches of 3/4-pound-average fish on small jigs. Mark Learly, Victorville, reported 19 crappie and bluegill off the marina docks on small jigs. A few catfish are also starting to show for anglers fishing nightcrawlers and cut baits at the dam and Chemise area. No other reports. Dock fishing is allowed for $3 for adults, $2 for kids and seniors. The park is closed on Wednesday and Thursday each week now through April (walk-in fishing still allowed). Hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is a petition at the Silverwood Country Store to get the lake opened back up those two days. Information: marina 760-389-2299, state park 760-389-2281, Silverwood Country store 760-389-2423.

GREEN VALLEY LAKE: First plant of the season is set for May 18 when the regular trout season opens. Fees for 2012 remain at $15 per adult, $10 for kids, military, and seniors. Recorded information: 909-867-2009 and the new website is www.gvlfishing.com.

JENKS LAKE REGION: Mostly slow action with just a few trout showing. Parking area should open soon, but anglers can still walk in and fish for holdover fish. No DFG plants yet this season. The Santa Ana River and the South Fork were planted with DFG trout this week and two weeks ago. Jenks Lake: 909-747-5098. General Information: Mill Creek Ranger Station at 909-382-2881.

BIG BEAR LAKE: There was a foot of new snow in the valley late last week, but the chill didnít slow down the trout bite. The rainbows are still in the bays where streams are entering the lake and along the whole north shore from the dam to Stanfield cutoff. Boulder Bay has been very good. The best bite has been on floating baits in eight to 12 feet of water with a two to three foot leader. Top PowerBaits have been chunky cheese garlic, salmon egg red, and chartreuse garlic, with the purple nymph color good early in the morning. The fish are averaging about a pound or a little better but there have been a lot of three to five-pound fish. Trollers are finding good action in the eastern third of the lake from Lagonita Point to the east ramp dragging three to four colors of leadcore and Needlefish in fire pearl or red dot frog. DFG trout plant last week. The BBMWD opened the east end launch ramp two weeks ago (quagga mussel inspections required), and most of the private marinas are open or will be by this weekend. The May Trout Classic will be held May 19-20, and there will be a $5,000 tagged trout this season. Applications for entry are available now and only the first 500 entries will be accepted. Cost is $65 per person and all money will go toward the cast payout for the top nine biggest trout or into a fund to plant the lake with more rainbow trout, including trophy fish. For more information on the classic: www.maytroutclassic.com or e-mail Jacque Hall at jacque@maytroutclassic.com. Other species are still mostly slow, but a few small bass and catfish have been reported in the bays on nightcrawlers. DFG trout plant in Miller Canyon Creek this week just above the lake this week. For fishing information: Big Bear Marina 909-866-3218 (or www.bigbearmarina.com), Big Bear Sporting Goods 909-866-3222.

JENKS LAKE REGION: Mostly slow action with just a few trout showing. Parking area should open soon, but anglers can still walk in and fish for holdover fish. No DFG plants yet this season. The Santa Ana River and the South Fork were planted with DFG trout last week and three weeks ago. Jenks Lake: 909-747-5098. General Information: Mill Creek Ranger Station at 909-382-2881.

JENKS LAKE REGION: Mostly slow action with just a few trout showing. Parking area should open soon, but anglers can still walk in and fish for holdover fish. No DFG plants yet this season. The Santa Ana River and the South Fork were slated for DFG trout this week and plants went in two weeks ago. Jenks Lake: 909-747-5098. General Information: Mill Creek Ranger Station at 909-382-2881.

BIG BEAR LAKE: Very good trout action this past week with the fish starting to stack up in the bays where streams are entering the lake and along the whole north shore from the dam to Stanfield cutoff. Boulder Bay has been very good. The best bite has been on floating baits in eight to 12 feet of water with a two to three foot leader. Top PowerBaits have been chunky cheese garlic, salmon egg red, and chartreuse garlic, with the purple nymph color good early in the morning. The fish are averaging about a pound or a little better but there have been a lot of three to five-pound fish and a 10-11 was landed off Windy Point two weeks ago. DFG trout plant this week. Trollers are finding good action in the eastern third of the lake from Lagonita Point to the east ramp dragging three to four colors of leadcore and Needlefish in fire pearl or red dot frog. The BBMWD opened the east end launch ramp this past week (quagga mussel inspections required), and most of the private marinas should be open by the weekend. The May Trout Classic will be held May 19-20, and there will be a $5,000 tagged trout this season. Applications for entry are available now and only the first 500 entries will be accepted. Cost is $65 per person and all money will go toward the cast payout for the top nine biggest trout or into a fund to plant the lake with more rainbow trout, including trophy fish. For more information on the classic: www.maytroutclassic.com or e-mail Jacque Hall at jacque@maytroutclassic.com. Other species are still mostly slow, but a few small bass and catfish have been reported in the bays on nightcrawlers. For fishing information: Big Bear Sporting Goods 909-866-3222.

SILVERWOOD: Overall good action here this past week. The stripers are showing in pretty good numbers at Las Animas Point, in Chamise Bay, and Outhouse Cove on swimbaits with a lot of four to six-pound class fish. Tom Resnick, Hesperia, had five stripers for 45.6 pounds, including one at 10 pounds. All were taken on swimbaits from the dam to Outhouse Cove. Dave Gosney, Victorville, landed an 8.5-pounder and a 7.45-pounder on jerkbaits off Las Animas Point. The largemouth bass bite is also breaking open with the fish moving shallow and starting to show in less than 15 feet on nightcrawlers, plastics, jigs, swimbaits, and reaction baits. A lot of the fish are smaller males from one to two pounds, but Tim Thompson, Apple Valley, landed a four-pound bass on a yellow and white jig off the docks. The crappie bite has continued fair to good with most of the action still off the boat docks on small jigs tipped with crappie Nibbles. Mark Philistine, Hesperia, landed 12 crappie averaging about a pounds each. No other reports. Dock fishing is allowed for $3 for adults, $2 for kids and seniors. The park is closed on Wednesday and Thursday each week now through April (walk-in fishing still allowed). Hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is a petition at the Silverwood Country Store toget the lake opened back up those two days. Information: marina 760-389-2299, state park 760-389-2281, Silverwood Country store 760-389-2423.

JENKS LAKE REGION: Mostly slow action with just a few trout showing. Parking area should open soon, but anglers can still walk in and fish for holdover fish. No DFG plants yet this season. The first trout plants of the season in the Santa Ana River and the South Fork went in last week. Jenks Lake: 909-747-5098. General Information: Mill Creek Ranger Station at 909-382-2881.

SILVERWOOD: The trout and striped bass bites are fair to good, the largemouth bass and crappie also have been pretty fair. The most recent trout plant was two weeks ago, but trout are scheduled to be planted this week in Miller Canyon Creek. The best trout action has been on small lures and PowerBait in Miller and Cleghorn canyons, but fish are showing around much of the lake, but especially in coves where water is running into the lake. The stripers have continued to improve with a lot of four to six-pound fish being landed on big cranks, jerkbaits, and swimbaits. Dave Gosney, Victorville, had three stripers that weighed 22.44 pounds total, including an 8-13, all on Lucky Craft jerk baits from Outhouse Cove and the ski beach. Art Guttierrez, Alta Loma, had a pair of stripers at eight and 6 1/2 pounds on big lures, and Dennis Garrahan, Crestline, landed stripers at six and five pounds, and a five-pound largemouth, on swimbaits at the marina rocks. The largemouth bite has improved dramatically over the past week with fish finally starting to move up out of the depths. Ross May, Moreno Valley, had a 5-12 on a crappie jig off the marina docks, while Tim Milligan, Lytle Creek, landed a four-pounder on a grub at Las Animas Point. The best crappie bite is still off the marina docks with the fish running a half- to three-quarter pound with a few bigger. Most are showing on small jigs. Jim Whiner, Victorville, had 12 crappie to 3/4-pound on jigs tipped with Crappie Nibbles. No reports on catfish or bluegill this week, but George Hernandez, Rancho Cucamonga, landed two carp to two pounds on nightcrawlers off the dock. Dock fishing is allowed for $3 for adults, $2 for kids and seniors. The park is closed on Wednesday and Thursday each week now through March (walk-in fishing still allowed). Hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is a petition at the Silverwood Country Store to get the lake opened back up those two days. Information: marina 760-389-2299, state park 760-389-2281, Silverwood Country store 760-389-2423.

JENKS LAKE REGION: Mostly slow action with just a few trout showing. Parking area should open soon, but anglers can still walk in and fish for holdover fish. No DFG plants yet this season. The first trout plants of the season in the Santa Ana River and the South Fork went in last week. Jenks Lake: 909-747-5098. General Information: Mill Creek Ranger Station at 909-382-2881.

BIG BEAR LAKE: Very good trout action this past week with the fish starting to stack up in the bays where streams are entering the lake and along the whole north shore from the dam to Stanfield cutoff. Boulder Bay has been very good. The best bite has been on floating baits in eight to 12 feet of water with a two to three foot leader. Top PowerBaits have been chunky cheese garlic, salmon egg red, and chartreuse garlic, with the purple nymph color good early in the morning. The fish are averaging about a pound or a little better but there have been a lot of three to five-pound fish and a 10-11 was landed off Windy Point two weeks ago. The BBMWD opened the east end launch ramp this past week (quagga mussel inspections required), and most of the private marinas should be open by the weekend. The May Trout Classic will be held May 19-20, and there will be a $5,000 tagged trout this season. Applications for entry are available now and only the first 500 entries will be accepted. Cost is $65 per person and all money will go toward the cast payout for the top nine biggest trout or into a fund to plant the lake with more rainbow trout, including trophy fish. For more information on the classic: www.maytroutclassic.com or e-mail Jacque Hall at jacque@maytroutclassic.com. Other species are still mostly slow, but a few small bass and catfish have been reported in the bays on nightcrawlers. For fishing information: Big Bear Sporting Goods 909-866-3222.

SILVERWOOD: The trout and striped bass bites are both very good here. There was an 1,800-pound DFG plant last Thursday and there have been a lot of limits reported since the plant with the best bite on small lowers and PowerBait in Miller and Cleghorn canyons. Daniel Shofnee, Lake Arrowhead, had five rainbows up to a pound fishing Thomas Buoyants at the launch ramp. David Perez, Hesperia, had three rainbows with his top fish a two-pound, and he was fishing PowerBait in Chemise. The stripers have been showing at the dam and in the main channel on cut baits, trolling, and swimbaits. They have also been around the marina and launch ramp right after the trout plants. John Thompson, Hesperia, landed one of the best stripers this season when he caught a 32-pounder fishing a swimbait at the marina docks on Saturday. Jim Hernandez, Hesperia, had stripers at 15 and seven pounds in Miller Canyon on swimbaits, while Dani Fox, Redlands, landed a five-pounder on a swimbait off Las Animas Point. The crappie bite off the marina docks has continued to be good on small tube jigs in yellow and white and red and white. Jim Whiner, Fontana, caught 15 crappie to one-pound off the marina docks on small crappie jigs. The largemouth action is also picking up, but most of the fish are still deep and showing on jigs and plastics off the points or around the marina, but more and more fish have been moving up shallow. Top fish reported this past week was an eight-pounder caught by Steve Utter, Lancaster, on a swimbait. No reports on catfish or bluegill this week. Dock fishing is allowed for $3 for adults, $2 for kids and seniors. The park is closed on Wednesday and Thursday each week now through March (walk-in fishing still allowed). Hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is a petition at the Silverwood Country Store to get the lake opened back up those two days. Information: marina 760-389-2299, state park 760-389-2281, Silverwood Country store 760-389-2423.

BIG BEAR LAKE: For the second weekend in a row, more snow fell here, but the trout bite has continued good and warmer days since Sunday have the lake clear of ice. The best action has been off the north shore, Stanfield Cutoff, and the dam. The best bite is in 12 to 25 feet of water with floating baits, mostly Power Bait and Gulp!, fished on a three-foot leader. Top flavors/colors have been garlic chartreuse, rainbow salmon egg, and chunky cheese garlic. All the marinas are still closed. For fishing information: Big Bear Sporting Goods 909-866-3222.

JENKS LAKE REGION: Mostly slow action with just a few trout showing. Parking area should open soon, but anglers can still walk in and fish for holdover fish. No DFG plants in over a month. The first trout plants of the season in the Santa Ana River and the South Fork were slated for this week. Jenks Lake: 909-747-5098. General Information: Mill Creek Ranger Station at 909-382-2881.