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 - 6:30 pm.

Weather:??Temperatures have been in the 90's to 100's with strong winds in the afternoon.

Bass: ??????Bass fishing at DVL has been difficult. Diligent anglers have been working down the points with Carolina rigged 7-9" worms or fishing steep drop-offs with the drop shot rig. There has been a marked increase in swimbait catches this week with most of those fish being picked up along the dams. ??In areas where shad is abundant fishing with flukes combined with underspins or suspending cranks have been effective. Live shad remains the top bait for bass anglers, but??accessible shad have been sparse. DFG??permits the use of one scoop of live shad from a regulation dip net. Reported depths and locations for largemouth 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. Steve Dejarnett of Hemet got a 5.89 pound bass fishing in the marina with a bluegill swimbait. Jesse Dinkins of Hemet got a 3 pound bass trolling a Rapala Taildancer at 50 feet on the west dam.

Trout: ???? DVL has been all about trout. Trout fishing has been non stop for those trolling as well as drifting. The trout have been on the move leading to catches ranging from 15- 60 feet along the west dam, near the inlet tower and around restroom 3. 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. 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. The use of scents and dips have been augmenting the drift bite. Sergio gill of Colton took his sons, Jeffrey, Derrick, and Alexander for a day of DVL trout fishing. They got their limits drifting night crawlers on the west dam at 40 feet. Tom Keigley of Wildomar got a 15.66 pound limit his biggest at 4.08 pounds. Tom was lead core trolling on the west and east dams. He was trolling with Kastmasters and Needlefish at 50 feet. Brooke, AJ, and Cindy Barron of Yorba Linda got 42.4 pounds of trout drifting night crawlers and shad between 20 and 40 feet on the west end of the lake. Jesse Dinkins of Hemet got a 3.4 pound trout drifting night crawlers at 40 feet on the west dam.

Seventy seven year old Tom Keigly of Wildomar lost the biggest trout of his life stating the hefty holdover was longer than his leg and was so wide he could only get the fish's head into his long handled net. Tom did manage to landed two 5 pound holdovers while lead core trolling a ?? oz. Kastmaster at 50 feet on the west dam. Mitch Marone of La Ca??ada had a good morning of lead core trolling releasing over 20 and keeping a limit of 3-4 pound fish. He was trolling nightcrawlers enhanced with cowbell flashers. Diamond Bear picked up his two biggest trout on the troll weighing 4.5 and 5.4 pounds. He was fishing the west side with shad lures. Jesse Dinkins of Hemet got two 3 pound trout drifting night crawlers at 80 feet near restroom 3.

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.

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.

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.