Lake Elevation: 1734 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: 6:30 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. Drop shotting finesse worms has been the predominate method for bass anglers. The scattered cloud cover this week has spurred an increase in topwater and crankbait reports. Ice jigs have been effective for those bass running deep. ??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 has been in decline. 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 50 feet. ??The rock quarry, the islands on the north shore and around the saddle dam has been the most reported bass spots. Jim bush was proud of his 3.18 pound bass hooked on a Needlefish trolled at 40 feet on the west dam. Logan Wakefield got his biggeset bass at 5.5 pounds fishing near the saddle dam with an undisclosed lure. Humberto Henandez of Fontana got a 4.2 pound bass fishing from shore with nightcrawlers.

Trout: ??????The trout bite just won't stop at DVL. Trout fishing has been killer 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. There has also been a steep rise in trout catches on the east dam. For those who choose to troll, lead core line, or diving planes are effective alternatives to a downrigger. Hot lures for trolling are Needlefish,?? TD minnow lures, Berkley Frenzy lures, and 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. Challengers Anglers Club of Canyon Lake got an outstanding 20 trout weighing totaling 45 pounds. they were drifting nightcrawlers at 60 feet on the west dam. Tony Orlando got a 4.5 pound trout fishing in the rock quarry at 60 feet with a fire tiger lure. Ken Patterson of Hemet got a 4 pound trout fishing with a nightcrawler at 100 feet on the west dam. Steve Guarino of Hemet got a 3.12 pound trout fishing the east dam at 60 feet with a mini jig. Bob Balmora and Manny Veloso of Banning got 6 fish totaling 12 pounds. they were fishing the east dam at 100 feet with nightcrawlers and Berkley power eggs.

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. Debra Grampetro of Lake Elsinore got a 7 pound catfish in the third cove of shoreline fishing using nightcrawlers at 50 feet.

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. C.D. Patterson of Hemet got a 1.16 pound blue gill on the east dam fishing with a mealworm at 20 feet.

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 on the shoreline fishing area.