Lake Elevation: 1735 and dropping
Surface water temp: 78 - 84 degrees
Fish Plants: Rainbow trout, 2,400 pounds May 17th. No catfish plants have been scheduled yet for this summer.
Lake Hours: 6:00 am - 7:00 pm
Weather:??Temperatures have been in the 90's to 100's with mild winds in the afternoon.

Bass: ??Bass fishing at DVL has been moderate at best..??Those anglers who have had success have been drop shotting 3-4" dark green or brown plastic worms or Carolina rigging 7-9" worms off the points.. There has been sporadic topwater action for those fishing on overcast mornings. There have been steady reports of bass falling for shad pattern flukes combined with underspins. Live shad remains the top bait for bass anglers, but??there has been a decline in the abundance of bait leading to a decline in big bass limits. DFG??permits the use of one scoop of live shad from a regulation dip net. Dipping shad can be difficult, so the use of shad replica lures is an effective alternative. When fishing in bait schools try your best to match the size and color of the bait. Reported depths and locations have varied tremendously. Catches have been between 15 and 40 feet. ??The rock quarry, the islands on the north shore and around the saddle dam has been the most reported bass spots. Shore anglers have been stickin' the bass with live crawdads. Jessica Phillips got a 5.27 pound bass on a nightcrawler in her secret spot. Jesse Mena of Hemet released 12 bass with his biggest at 6.15 pounds. He was fishing in the third cove of shoreline with live crawdads. Jim Dixon of Hemet got a 8.7 pound bass on the south west corner of the lake with live shad.

Trout: ??The trout bite at DVL is holding strong. Reports have trout being caught from 30- 60 feet along the west dam, near the inlet tower and around restroom 3. Fishing from a boat is mandatory for those seeking trout. Trolling or drift fishing have been the most effective methods. For those anglers who are not equipped with downriggers, lead core line or diving planes are comparable methods for achieving specific depths while trolling. Hot lures for trolling are Needlefish,?? TD minnow lures, Berkley Frenzy lures, and shad pattern Rapalas, and P-stick spoons. Trailing a night crawler behind flashers or dodgers has been a lethal combination. When drifting, light line is imperative. It is advised not to use any more than 4# test line. Stan Bueterbaugh Riverside got a 15 pound trout limit trolling needlefish at 60 feet on the west dam. Rich parker of Murrieta got a 3.3 pound trout drifting nightcrawlers on the west dam. Brian Kropko of Perris got a 2.5 pound trout fishing with nightcrawlers on the west dam. R.J. Nissen of San Jacinto got the biggest trout of the week. His 7.13 pound, west dam holdover, fell for a needlefish trolled at 60 feet.

Striper: There were no striper reports this week. ??Striper fishing seems to be at it's best either early in the morning, in the late afternoon, or on overcast days. Fishing near the inlet tower is advised for those seeking striper. Trout swim baits, Plugs or stick baits have been the most reported lures for striper.

Catfish:??Catfish has been the choice species at DVL.??The top spots have been near the wave attenuator, the third cove of shoreline fishing, and near the rock quarry. The most reported baits have been Anchovies, mackerel, and raw shrimp. Most catfish have been found on the bottom in 10 - 20 feet of water. Ronald Guerra of San Bernardino pulled in a 10.10 and 4.12 pound catfish out of 20 feet of water while fishing with shrimp from the second cove of shoreline. Melvin Hyde of Hemet got 9 cats totaling 41 pounds. He was dropping raw shrimp 20 feet under the wave attenuator.

Panfish: It was a great week for panfish. The bluegill have been bountiful. The most reported spots for bluegill have been near the dams. Crappie are near the wave attenuator, the rock pile at the mouth of Rawson cove, or near the eucalyptus trees in the south east corner. Live worms or shad have been the best bet for panfish. Keith Bennett of Compton had a great day of bluegill fishing with his biggest a 1.50 pounds. he was fishing with live worms near the wave attenuator.

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 a 11.30 pound rainbow trout on the shoreline fishing area.