Outdoors : Trout Still the Best Bet for Anglers

With the arrival of spring, the water is warming and the bass and catfish are stirring, but trout remain the best bet at most Southern California fisheries.

Exceptions are the Ridge Route lakes, where bass predominate. Antoine Jefferson, 4, of Los Angeles caught a three-pound largemouth in front of the bait shop at Pyramid, using a nightcrawler--and he baited his hook himself.

LAKE CACHUMA--Trout recently planted by DFG and private hatchery. Most action off launching peninsula, boaters doing best at Cachuma Bay. Largemouth and smallmouth bass moving in to spawn. Mark Backes, Encino, three largemouth, 16 1/2 pounds, and 15 1/2-pound catfish, on plastic worm. Catfish biting best in Cachuma Bay.

PUDDINGSTONE RESERVOIR--Water 62 degrees and largemouth bass biting at 10 feet on most grubs and plastic worms. Bigger fish hitting nightcrawlers. John Frazier, Chino, seven- and four-pound bass. Trout biting on yellow Power Bait and nightcrawlers. Tony Aukai, La Puente, four-pound trout caught at swim beach. Jim Solar, West Covina, three-pound trout, caught at swim beach on nightcrawler.

SALTON SEA--Water temperature up to 68 and corvina hitting around state park to Bombay Beach, on lures and live bait. Irene Merckant, West Covina, 11-pound corvina on talapia minnow at Salt Creek. Croaker getting active around Bob’s Marina, with anchovies.

LAKE CASITAS--Trout good, bass excellent. As water warms, several big bass taken from 10 feet of water or less. Todd Langston, Simi Valley, 10-pounder on crawdad at sunken island. Carlos Huete, Baldwin Park, 10.3 pounds, nightcrawler. Stock of trout brought limits off shoreline, Power Bait. Teen-agers Brian Reed and Paul Prichard double limits on Kastmasters from shore. Crappie and catfish slow. Opening and closing time changed to 6:30 p.m.

PYRAMID LAKE--Limits after trout plant Monday. Darrin Strickroth, South Pasadena, five-pound largemouth bass, nightcrawler at dam. Good catches in marina by Antoine Jefferson, 4, Los Angeles, three-pound largemouth, nightcrawler; Rick Hutchinson, Granada Hills, seven largemouth, using salt and pepper grubs, released all but four-pounder; Bob Henley, Westchester, two stripers, 12 1/2 and 10, bloodworms; Mike Sloane, Sepulveda, 5 1/2 catfish, anchovies. Also, John Seyabuadoong, Arvin, three-pound catfish, anchovies, by island.

LAKE PIRU--With heavy plant, trout good, trolling lead core line to 3-4 colors. Fishing still good in San Felicia Cove with Power Bait. Bass 2-2 1/2 pounds moving into shallows. Catfish showing up in deep waters by dam in Cow Cove. Crappie in marina area.

CASTAIC LAKE--Trout and bass best. Jeff Struck, North Hollywood, 11-pound bass in lower lake, plastic worm. Doug Crawford, Torrance, eight, 8 1/2 and 11 1/2 bass, crawdads in upper lake, all released. Jim Root, Long Beach, 12-1, upper lake, nightcrawler. Arnold Romero, 2 3/4 trout, Kastmaster in upper lake.

SAN DIEGO LAKES--Murray and Miramar to receive 1,200 pounds of trout each. Crappie running three pounds at El Capitan, bass 4-8. Largemouth bass 8-10 at Murray, 6-4 and 6-0 at Otay. Hodges, crappie to 2-4, channel cats to 18-4, bass to 8-4. Miramar, rainbows 2-8, bass 3-0. San Vicente, crappie to 3-0, bass 10-0 and 8-0. Sutherland slow for opening, but bass caught ran large, to 13-1.

IRVINE LAKE--Mike Dasaio, El Toro, 7 1/4 trout on pink Power Bait on west shore. Ron Schoonduer, San Gabriel, 10 trout, total 16 1/2 pounds, nightcrawler, west shore. Bass, crappie still slow. Bill Barrett, Anaheim, two catfish for 12 1/2, mackerel, at the flats.

LAKE SKINNER--Plenty of trout from heavy plants in last month, but lots of food in lake from new water. Temperature rising from 45 degrees to 55. Bass slow but moving into shallows.

LAKE SILVERWOOD--Kelly Sadler won Canoga Valley Bass Club tournament with 17-pound total, using plastic worms and jigs at dam. Ray Wischnover, Laguna Beach, 20-pound striper, Rapala, Cleghorn Cove. Virgil Violet, Rosemead, 9-pound largemouth, pig and jig at dam. Tim Hunningford, Ontario, six-pound largemouth at dam.

BIG BEAR LAKE--Lake 75% thawed, ice in west end. Rainbow trout running to six pounds; one seven-pounder. Few anglers.

KERN RIVER/LAKE ISABELLA--Four bass on lake--seven, six, two four-plus--crank baits, worms, plastics in green and purple. Trout on lake, Power Bait, Panther Martins and eggs, at French Gulch and dam. Catfish starting to move, some one to three pounds on clams, worms and catfish bait in Paradise Cove and French Gulch. Trout fair in river, Power Bait, salmon eggs and blue fox in silver or gold.

LAKE PERRIS--Some spotted bass to 4 3/4 pounds on green and black worms, at east end.

LAKE MEAD--Mostly stripers, and not many of them.

BULLHEAD CITY--Guide Chet Moreland, with clients at Topock Marsh, good catch of largemouth bass and crappie, using minnows and waterdogs. Ted Dost, White River, Ariz., three-pound trout on river, with Power Bait. Eric and Bobby Marsh, Bullhead City, stripers 14 1/4 and seven pounds, on long A-Bomber, and three big catfish on anchovies in lake by power lines.