Current Fishing Conditions

Diamond Valley Lake has implemented new launch requirements in response to migration of Quagga mussels into Southern California.?? Please review our web site for specific launching restrictions and information.?? www.dvmarina.com.

The Diamond Valley Lake Fishing Report

February 3, 2008

Gift certificates are available in the Marina??
or by calling 1-800-590-LAKE

Lake Elevation: 1711.79

Surface water temps: 56 - 60 degrees

Fish Plants: 2,500 pounds of Mt. Lassen rainbow trout will be planted on February 7th. The last trout plant was on January 31st.

Lake Hours: 6:30 am to 4:30 pm.

Weather:??Temperatures have been in the 40's in the morning and rising to the low 60's in the afternoon. This week was laden with stormy conditions including high winds and rain, but no lake closures resulted from the weather.

??The recent storms discouraged anglers but did not slow the bite. Bass anglers had the best luck with the drop shot or Carolina rig. ??4" worms in green or purple worked great for drop shot, and brushog's and lizards in variations of green pumpkin or watermelon seed were great for the Carolina rig. Pig and jigs also picked up some nice bass this week. The swimbait bite was still productive. Z -Plugs, LA Sliders, Spro BBZ, and Huddlestons were the most reported lures with most of those catches occurring within the first 15 feet of water. Swimbait fisherman were focusing on the dams and near the marina, mainly in the morning, while worm and jig fisherman were working south shore points 30 ??? 45 feet down. The reports were varying tremendously from day to day most successful anglers were on the move, not remaining in one spot too long. Also it is recommended to fish slow no matter what lure you choose. The recent 100% Bass tournament proved that big fish are no rarity at DVL, even in the winter, with the top six teams bagging over 20 pounds. David Valdivia and Cory Schleiden got the winning weight with 26.25 pounds. Rick and Kyle Grover got number two with 22.86 pounds. Third place anglers Art Berry and Kevin Dunkin got a 22.52 pound bag. The biggest fish of the week was a 9.82 pound hog caught by Will Decker of San Marcos. He hooked the lunker on a Punker, but would not divulge the location.

Trout: Unfavorable weather has left the shore looking bear; only dedicated anglers have been willing to forego their comfort for DVL trout. None the less, shore anglers continue to fill stringers while boat anglers have been lacking limits. ??The best trout spots have been near the marina and along the shoreline fishing area, but there have been scattered reports of fish being caught on the east dam, the west dam, and on the north shore. Most reports have trout between 10-25 feet, but boaters have reported fish as deep as 40 feet.???? ??Powerbait in green or rainbow has been a mainstay for trout anglers. Inflated night crawlers fished off the bottom with the addition of scents or Powereggs was also a deadly method. Kastmasters and mini jigs were the lures that worked the best for trout. Adam Cavazos of Menifee got his biggest trout at 5.15 pounds surface trolling a rooster tail on the west dam. Ben Cavazos got a 6.5 pound trout also surface trolling a rooster tail on the west dam. Daniel Gonzales of Murrieta got a 7.25 pound trout fishing from shore with the combo of rainbow Powerbait and an inflated nightcrawler.

Striper: The striper bite was considerably slower this week than in the past. Trout swim baits, Plugs or large topwater baits were the most reported lures for striper. Fishing points near the marina or on the inlet remain proven spots for boaters.

Catfish: Great spots for catfish are the third cove of shoreline fishing, and near the east dam or wave attenuator. The most effective baits included anchovies, mackerel, and raw shrimp. Most catfish have been found on the bottom in 25 - 50 feet.

Panfish: There were few panfish reports this week, but most anglers have the best luck fishing along the dams, specifically near the stairways. Anglers have found that fishing 20 -30 feet off the dams using live worm dropped to 25 feet has been a consistent method.

Lake Records:

Lake Record Striper November 11, 2005: Art Berry of Hemet; 29.77 lb. striper caught at East Dam using swimbait.

Lake Record Largemouth Bass March 16th 2007: DVL would like to congratulate Mike Long of Poway who became the new Largemouth bass record holder this week with a 16.43 pound bass. He was fishing the west dam with a 6" "Real Trout" Rago swimbait.

Lake Record Crappie: 3.0 pounds landed by Keith Thomas. He was fishing with shad.

Lake Record Blue Gill: John Arganda, of?? Menifee, broke the lake pan fish record by bringing in a 3.06 pound blue gill. He got it on a night crawler fishing near the saddle dam.

Lake Record Catfish January 19, 2007: Congratulations to Doug Hagadorn of Valley Center! He caught a 32.80 pound catfish. He was fishing at 60 feet with a Pig N' Jig around the first island on the north shore.

Lake Record Trout, March 12, 2005: Shawn Luhmann got an 11.30 pound rainbow trout on the shoreline fishing area.