TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

Kern County, southern San Joaquin Valley

LAKE ISABELLA: The trout bite has been fair with rainbows showing at the auxiliary dam and where both forks of the Kern enter the lake. Best action on floating baits, inflated nightcrawlers, or small jigs and lures. Few reports on crappie, but a rare fish or two still showing off Rocky Point on minnows or small jigs in 20 to 30 feet of water.

KERN RIVER: Trout action is slow to fair on the upper river with only a few fish showing in the cold water on salmon eggs, crickets, and nightcrawlers. Fly anglers are seeing slow to fair action in the stretch just above Kernville with mid-day midge and baetis hatches and some dry fly and nymph action. In the lower river flows are down under 400 cfs and the region is very fishable. The trout are best in the Richbar stretch on salmon eggs and nightcrawlers, and there is a slow to fair smallmouth bite on spinners and plastics.

AQUEDUCT NEAR TAFT: The striped bass bite continues to be pretty good with fish to 24 inches showing on both bait and artificials. Top baits are blood worms or sand worms and large minnows. Gitzits, Flukes and bucktail jigs have been the best lures this past week. The catfish bite is spotty but a few fish on cut baits and crickets this past week.

MILL CREEK PARK: The catfish bite has been slow on cut baits and green garlic nightcrawlers. Most of the cats are one and three pounds. Also a few bass and bluegill showing in a very slow bite.

HART PARK LAKE: DFG trout plants last week and three weeks ago. The bite has been fair to good on the new Power Mouse, Power eggs, garlic-scented floating baits and inflated nightcrawlers. The bluegill bite is slow on crickets, wax worms, red worms or meal worms.

TRUXTUN LAKE: DFG trout plants last week and three weeks ago. Good action on garlic nightcrawlers and floating dough baits. There have been a few crappie reports here in the past week, which is a highly unusual. The bluegill, crap and bass are all slow.

RIVER WALK PARK: Good trout action on the Power Mouse, garlic Power Bait and Power Eggs with garlic oil fished on light leaders and sliding sinkers. DFG trout plants last week and three weeks ago.

MING LAKE: DFG trout plants last week and three weeks ago and the bite has been fair on the new Power Mouse, floating dough baits, and inflated garlic nightcrawlers. The bluegill, carp and bass have all been slow.

BRITE LAKE: DFG trout plants last week and three weeks ago.

BUENA VISTA LAKES: The trout bite has slowed way down, with only a few fish landed on Power Mice or Power Bait (garlic flavored and hatchery formulas the best. Derby slated for Jan. 21-22 and there will be another plant just before that event. The crappie remains pretty good on small, live minnows for slabs running from 1-8 to two pounds. The best bite has been at night until about 10 p.m. or very late in the day. The catfish bite is slow to fair on shad, but no huge fish reported this week. The bass remain spotty with only a few fish showing on reaction baits.

WOOLLOMES LAKE: DFG trout plant this week. The bite had been slow before this plant with the best action on garlic-flavored nightcrawlers, Power Bait in hatchery or garlic formulas and Power Mice.

SUCCESS LAKE: DFG trout plants this week and three weeks ago. Trout providing the best action. A few bass on deep, slow presentions with plastics and nightcrawlers the best bet. Other species slow.

KAWEAH LAKE: DFG trout plants this week and three weeks ago. Fair action on the rainbows with small lures and floating baits in garlic and hatchery formulas.

Other regional lakes

CACHUMA: The trout action has remained fair with some diligent anglers getting limits. The best action has been for trollers fishing Cachuma Bay from the surface down to about 15 feet deep with shad-like spoons and lures.

CASITAS: The big plant of Nebraska Tailwalker rainbows three weeks ago continues to fuel a pretty fair trout bite with quality fish showing each week. .

CASTAIC: The trout bite has continued fair to good after a 2,700-pound DFG plant at the west launch on Jan. 5. There was also a plant the previous week. The catfish, crappie, and bluegill are all slow.

LOPEZ: The few anglers targeting crappie are getting some fish on small jigs tipped with Crappie Nibbles fished around structure, especially around the docks and in Marina Cove. Bass bite fair on nightcrawlers and plastics.

NACIMIENTO: The spotted bass bite has been pretty fair on jigs and drop-shotted baits in 12 to 35 feet of water. No other reports. Quagga mussel inspections are now required before boat launching is allowed. Anglers need to think cleaned, drained, and dry or they are likely to be denied access.

PIRU: Very light fishing pressure, but the bass bite has continued pretty week for anglers fishing deeper water with plastics, jigs, and nightcrawlers. The reaction bait bite is not as good as it has been. The redear, bluegill and crappie bites have all continued to slow down with very few reports. No more trout reports and the catfish have also been very slow.

PYRAMID: Trout were planted this week and three weeks ago, and the bite has remained fair in the marina on small lures, flies, and floating baits.

SAN ANTONIO: Continued light fishing pressure and few reports.

SANTA MARGARITA: Very light fishing pressure but there continues to be a fair bite on the bass and bluegill. The bass are mostly in 20 to 30 feet of water and showing on slow presentations with plastic worms, lizards, and jigs the best bet. The bluegill are mostly is six to 12 feet of water and showing on small baits fished near the bottom around structure. Slow other species.

Trout plants

LOS ANGELES: Pyramid Lake.

KERN: Lake Woollomes.

TULARE: Del Lago Park Lake, Lake Kaweah, Lake Success. Murry Park Pond.

Ocean report

LONG RANGE TUNA AWESOME: The long range yellowfin tuna bite for the 18- to 22-day trips running south out of San Diego is simply as good as it gets. On Tuesday this week, the Excel reported in with a one-day tally of 120 yellowfin from 80 to 200 pounds. The Royal Polaris had at least two fish over 200 pounds one day this week. All of the long range boats fishing the region off the tip of Baja have been on the big tuna grounds and reporting scores like this every week, and there have already been a number of yellowfin over 250 pounds this season. The 50 to 65 pound wahoo that fill in between tuna bites are just a thin icing on this rich fishing cake.

MEXICAN ROCKFISH EXCELLENT: While there are new Mexican license and Visa requirements and fees for Mexican waters, it hasn't changed the excellent fishing for the 1.5 and 2-day boats fishing Mexican waters for rockfish. A weekend 976-TUNA charter aboard the Legend out of H&M Landing saw all anglers on board return with full limits of rockfish, consisting mostly of red rockfish to 12 pounds with a solid five or six-pound average, and a nice mix of lings to 25 pounds.

ENSENADA PANGA YELLOWTAIL: Yellowtail from 15 to 25 pounds have been showing in fairly good numbers over the past week for the Mexican pangero fleet out of Ensenda.

VISA CONFUSION: There has been some confusion about the new Visa regulations for anglers fishing Mexican waters, and two San Diego-based sportboats were booted out of the waters around the Coronado even though all the anglers on board had the correct Visa paperwork. There is a press conference and briefing scheduled for today to clarify the legalities.

SAN DIEGO LOCAL: With rockfish season closed and new fees keeping most of the half- and three-quarter day boats out of Mexican waters, the nearshore fishing has been tough, with just a pick on the calico and sand bass. One example, the New Seaforth out of Seaforth Sportfishing was out with 25 anglers Wednesday and they managed only three calicos, two sand bass, five perch, and 21 sculpin.

DANA POINT BASS: With coastal squid numbers surging again since the full moon on Monday, there has been a pretty good bass bite for the Dana Point region sportboats. The Reel Run was on a half-day run Wednesday with 15 anglers and returned with 32 calicos and 16 sand bass. The San Clemente, on a three-quarter day trip with 34 anglers on Tuesday, returned with 42 sand bass, 38 calicos, three halibut, and two sculpin.

LOS ANGELES-ORANGE COUNTY UPDATE: The squid that are massing off Dana Point are also in very good numbers off Long Beach and the Santa Monica Bay, which has led to some decent action on bass, sculpin, and even a decent pick on halibut, with private boaters and six-pack charters getting more halibut than the party fleet.

CHANNEL ISLANDS AREA UPDATE: Most of the sportboats in this region are running whale watching trips (and itís a great season), but the few fishing trips being run right now are focusing on a very good sand dab bite.