FISH REPORT

FRESHWATER

Los Angeles County

CASTAIC LAKE--Castaic Landing reports a fair striped bass bite and a 12-pound 6-ounce striper as the top catch. Trout-pattern lures and live shad are the top producers. Some largemouth bass are biting on shad and plastic worms and a 10-7 largemouth caught by Erik Stepanek (who also caught a 12-0 striper) tops the list. Some trout and catfish.

Ventura County

LAKE CASITAS--Bass fishing has slowed but 10- and nine-pounders were caught by Steve Zeigert, Agoura Hills, on a sinking swimbait. Plastic worms are getting smaller fish. Catfish action is very good and one 13-6 caught on mackerel tops the list. Trout action is fair for those using bait at 60 feet at Chismahoo Arm.

LAKE PIRU--Trout and bass fishermen are catching fish, but not a lot of them. Trollers using Rapalas and Needlefish are doing best with trout, and casters using crankbaits and plastic worms are doing best with bass.

Santa Barbara County

LAKE CACHUMA--Trout fishing is slow to fair, but a few fish were weighed in near five pounds. Rainbow Power bait is best. Bass fishing is fair on plastic worms about 30 feet.

Orange County

IRVINE LAKE--Two trout weighed in at 17-plus pounds, one caught on Power Bait, the other on a fire-tiger Roostertail. Fishing is good for smaller fish.

LAGUNA NIGUEL LAKE--Another load of Utah-raised hatchery rainbows went in Tuesday and fishing has been good since. These were bigger fish, to about 10 pounds. Limits have not been hard to come by for most. Roe has been out-producing other baits.

SANTA ANA RIVER LAKES--A 20-pound 1-ounce rainbow caught on a jig by Don DeRidder, Rolling Hills, tops the list. Three dozen trout topped 10 pounds in the past week. Chartreuse Power Bait and night crawlers have been the best baits. Fishing is good, but not everyone is catching fish.

San Bernardino County

JESS RANCH LAKES--Trout is the main draw and Power Bait and night crawlers are producing the most catches of fish to about three pounds.

Riverside County

CORONA LAKE--Boun Pravong, Corona, weighed in a mixed-fish stringer at 55 1/2 pounds. He used chartreuse Power Bait. Fishing has been best at mid-lake.

LAKE PERRIS--The shad have gone deep and so too have the bass. Fishing is tough but those throwing plastics are getting some small ones. Trout fishing is fair at Sail Cove. Some crappies.

LAKE SKINNER--Striped bass are putting on a show, biting on live shad and swimbaits fished at the inlet and along the south shore. Pete Thompson and Mike Lawtaer, Huntington Beach, caught 20 stripers totaling 90 pounds using shad. Largemouth bass fishing is fair on night crawlers and jigs. Some trout and catfish.

San Diego County

LAKE CUYAMACA--Trout fishing is only fair, despite an unexpected plant of 2,000 pounds of Coleman-strain rainbows. It takes two hours or more to catch a few fish. A 4-4 rainbow was caught on a brown woolly bugger.

DIXON LAKE--Trout, bass and catfish are being caught sporadically. Top catch was a five-pound largemouth by 2-year-old Jack Anderson, Temecula, who was trolling for trout with his Mickey Mouse rod and reel.

LAKE POWAY--Trout fishing is good early, and trolling and drifting are good all day. Top trout was an eight-pounder caught on green Power Bait.

SAN DIEGO CITY LAKES--The Miramar trout bite is the best thing going. The San Vicente bass bite is nearly as good. A 25-pound blue catfish caught at San Vicente tops the list. Fishing is not great.

LAKE WHOLFORD--The lake opens Dec. 16, after an initial trout plant of 26,600 pounds. The lake was stocked with bluegills in August.

Eastern Sierra

The Lower Owens River is running low and fishing was good all week for mostly rainbows but some browns. The usual baits are working and fly-fishermen on drift trips are pulling streamer patterns with good success. The wild-trout section is producing for those nypmhing with caddis larvae flies size 18-20 and the big news remains the baetis hatch at about noon. Blue duns and blue-winged olives are working then. Pleasant Valley Reservoir has been stocked with rainbows and even some browns are being caught. Conventional anglers and fly-fishermen are doing well and float-tubers using olive-and-black or brown streamer patterns and sinking line are doing very well. The Owens River Gorge trout, though very small, are striking a variety of dry flies and nymphs sizes 14-18.

SALT WATER

MORRO BAY (Virg’s Landing)--19 anglers (1 boat): 140 red rock cod, 50 rockfish.

OXNARD (Cisco’s)--30 anglers (2 boats): 3 cabezon, 1 whitefish, 12 sheephead, 1 sculpin, 22 sand bass, 15 halibut, 58 calico bass.

PORT HUENEME--15 anglers (1 boat): 1 halibut, 140 rockfish, 3 whitefish.

MARINA DEL REY--66 anglers (4 boats): 9 halibut, 68 sand bass, 130 sculpin, 8 blacksmith perch, 1 sole.

SAN PEDRO (L.A. Harbor Sportfishing)--15 anglers (1 boat): 5 yellowtail, 12 calico bass, 45 sand bass, 3 sheephead, 5 bonito, 2 barracuda. (22nd St. Landing)--35 anglers (1 boat): 2,450 sand dabs, 125 rockfish.

LONG BEACH (Sportfishing/Berth 55)--19 anglers (1 boat): 3 yellowtail, 2 barracuda, 8 calico bass, 12 sand bass, 140 whitefish, 135 perch. (Marina Sportfishing)--15 anglers (1 boat): 90 rockfish, 45 whitefish, 7 sculpin, 6 sheephead, 32 red snapper. (Pierpoint Landing)--23 anglers (2 boats): 1 yellowtail, 2 barracuda, 28 calico bass, 35 sand bass, 54 whitefish, 15 sculpin, 37 sheephead, 7 perch.

NEWPORT BEACH (Newport Landing)--13 anglers (1 boat): 1 sand bass, 26 rockfish, 4 sculpin, 3 sheephead, 18 salmon grouper, 1 cow cod.

DANA WHARF--15 anglers (2 boats): 7 calico bass, 19 sand bass, 30 mackerel.

OCEANSIDE (Helgren’s)--18 anglers (2 boats): 6 calico bass, 10 sand bass, 76 sculpin, 4 sheephead, 13 whitefish.

SAN DIEGO (Seaforth)--29 anglers (2 boats): 9 sand bass, 59 rockfish, 134 sculpin, 45 mackerel. (Islandia)--12 anglers (1 boat): 120 rock cod.

TROUT PLANTS

LOS ANGELES COUNTY--Pyramid Lake and Santa Fe Reservoir. ORANGE--Carr Park Lake, Centennial Park Lake, Greer Park Lake, Mile Square Park Lake, Ralph Clark Park Lake, Tri-City Park Lake, Yorba Linda Park Lake. RIVERSIDE--Cahuilla Park Lake, Evans Lake and Rancho Jurupa Park Lake. SAN BERNARDINO--Lake Elsinore, Glen Helen Park Lake, Prado Park Lake, Seccombe Park Lake, Mojave Narrows Park Lake, Yucaipa Park Lake. SANTA BARBARA--Cachuma Lake. VENTURA--Rose Valley Lake. SAN LUIS OBISPO--Atascadero Lake, Lopez Lake, Santa Margarita Lake.

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--Compiled by PETE THOMAS