TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

Kern County, southern San Joaquin Valley

LAKE ISABELLA: Winter catfish bite starting to perk with a pretty fair bite at Engineer's Point on frozen shad. Not a lot of big fish, but pretty numbers on fish around 2 or 3 pounds. Trout bite slow to fair at the auxiliary dam for bait anglers fishing floating baits, Power Mice or inflated nightcrawlers. A DFG plant is slated for this week. Fly anglers are also reporting a fair mid-day dry fly bite on midges. Few reports on crappie, and the bass and bluegill action is also slow.

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 also 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, but the trout bite is slow on salmon eggs and nightcrawlers. Also slow action on the smallmouth bass.

AQUEDUCT NEAR TAFT: The striped bass bite continues to be fair to good on blood worms and sand worms. Lots of 4- to 6-pound fish, but the weather has made the bite tougher this past week. Very few lure fish in recent days. Few catfish reports.

MILL CREEK PARK: Catfish bite slow on cut baits and green garlic nightcrawlers. Most of the cats are 1-3 pounds. Few bass and bluegill showing.

HART PARK LAKE: A DFG plant went in last week, and there was also a plant three weeks ago. The lake is on the DFG plant list for this week, but the plants have been every other week all season. The bite has been fair to good on the Power Mouse, Power eggs, garlic-scented floating baits and inflated nightcrawlers. The bluegill, carp, catfish and bluegill bites are slow.

TRUXTUN LAKE: A surprise DFG plant went in last week (the lake wasnít on the plant list), and there was also a plant three weeks ago. The lake is on the DFG plant list for this week, but the plants have been every other week all season. Overall pretty good action this past week on garlic nightcrawlers, garlic Power Bait and the Power Mouse doused with garlic oil. Bluegill, crappie, bass are all slow.

RIVER WALK PARK: A surprise DFG plant went in last week, and there was also a plant three weeks ago. The lake is on the DFG plant list for this week, but the plants have been every other week all season. Fair trout action. All other species slow.

MING LAKE: Good trout action on the Power Mouse, floating dough baits and inflated garlic nightcrawlers. The bluegill, carp and bass have all been slow.

BRITE LAKE: DFG trout plant slated for this week.

BUENA VISTA LAKES: Weather kept anglers away for the derby this past weekend, but the big trout plant went in as planned last week and the bite has been very good since the weather cleared and warmed up. Another plant coming in February. The winter crappie bite went in the tank and catfish, bass slow.

WOOLLOMES LAKE: Fair to good trout action on Power Mice, Power Bait in garlic and hatchery formulas and garlic-flavored nightcrawlers. All other species have been slow.

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

KAWEAH LAKE: DFG trout plants this week and two weeks ago. Fair action on the rainbows with small lures and floating baits in garlic and hatchery formulas. The bass bite has slowed with just a fair bite, mostly on plastics in deeper water. Bluegill action is slow with only a few fish on red worms or nightcrawler pieces in deeper water.

Other regional lakes

CACHUMA: The trout action has remained fair with some diligent anglers getting limits. Bass action improved with both smallmouth and largemouth showing in 10 to 25 feet. Few decent crappie catches. All other species very slow.

CASITAS: The trout action has slowed down with only a few fish in the catch and limits have been very tough to come by. The bass bite has continued fair.

CASTAIC: The trout bite has continued fair to good and DFG plants went in last week three weeks ago. The catfish, crappie and bluegill are all slow.

LOPEZ: Very slow.

NACIMIENTO: The spotted bass bite has remained fair on jigs and drop-shotted baits in 12 to 35 feet. No other reports.

PIRU: Very light fishing pressure, but the bass bite has been fair in deeper water with plastics, jigs and nightcrawlers. The redear, bluegill and crappie bites have all continued to slow down with very few reports. The catfish have also been very slow.

PYRAMID: Trout plant two weeks ago. Bite remained fair in the marina. Most of the rainbows are pan-sized. The striped bass are slow to fair in the marina area and the inlet. Most are 1-3 pounds, with some four and five pounders. Most of the action has been on frozen anchovies fly-lined in 25 to 60 feet of water. Slow bluegill and catfish action.

SAN ANTONIO: Continued light fishing pressure and few reports.

SANTA MARGARITA: Very light fishing pressure and mostly slow fishing.

Trout plants

KERN: Brite Valley Reservoir, Hart Park Lake, Isabella Lake, Lake Truxtun, Lake Woollomes, Ming Lake, The Park at River Walk Lake.

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

Ocean report

WORLD RECORD CLASS TUNA: A 455-pound yellowfin tuna, a world record class fish, was caught Tuesday by Ron Tegland, Ventura, fishing aboard his private yacht, the Tenacious. The fish was 90 inches long by 62 inches in girth which tapes out to an estimated 455 pounds. The fish was landed in the big-fish zone off Cabo San Lucas outside of the Tres Marias.

LONG RANGE TUNA AWESOME: In the same zone where Tegland caught his monster yellowfin, the long range boats out on 18- to 22-day trips out of San Diego continue to see excellent action on 120 to 180-pound yellowfin with a few fish each day topping the 200-pound mark and some pushing 300 pounds. The anglers on these trips have also been getting a lot of 50 to 60-pound wahoo.

VISA CONFUSION CONTINUES: The San Diego fleet has suspended fishing the Coronado Islands on 3/4-day trips until permit and Visa issues are resolved with the Mexican government. Boats have continued to be run off the islands even with proper Visa and fishing permits because boats donít have a certain boat permit, a permit that was done away with by the Mexican government a couple of years ago. But at least it's better to happen now in mid-winter than when the bite is wide open.

NEARSHORE FISHING: The dismal weather from late Thursday through Monday made for dismal fishing conditions and hammered what little action was taking place before the storms moved through. There continues to be a good volume of squid at spots all along the coast and at all the offshore islands.

LOCAL ISLANDS NEWS: Good volume of white seabass and San Clemente and Catalina islands, the bite has been dismal this past week even for the few boats trying to catch fish.

LOBSTER STILL EXCELLENT: The only real highlight this week for the local sportfishing fleet is the lobster action. The Jig Strike and Alicia, both out of H&M landing, the Condor, out of Fishermanís Landing, and the Pride out of Seaforth have reinvented winter twilight fishing by running these lobster trips, and anglers on these trips have been averaging one to two bugs or more each.