BY MIKE STEVENS
HEMET— Diamond Valley Lake has not been kind to bass anglers this winter. It just seemed like a higher degree of the typical grind for this part of the year, but a double-digit bass recently hitting the scale definitely has some eyeballs shifting toward DVL with spring around the corner.
“The water had a slight chop, so I figured I’d be focusing on big baits for most of the day, said angler Chris Freitas told Western Outdoor News. “I started off on the Marina side of the lake with no success, so I ended up going to the south side where there was some activity on the surface so I decided to anchor up on a spot. Shortly after, I ended up missing two fish there. At about 12 p.m. it started to drizzle and I bounced around checking points and coves for active fish, and once the rain started coming down pretty heavily, I anchored on a key spot and made the cast. It was a textbook eat right in the ambush zone. Since I couldn’t get an accurate weight on the fish in the choppy water, I put her in the live well and headed over to the Marina. The guys at the dock were very helpful and were able to take a few quick videos of me getting a weight and length on her. After thanking the guys I put her back in the live well and headed back to the spot where I caught her for the release. She swam off very strong.”
That bass was caught on a Tyrant swimbait and tipped the scale at 10.34 pounds and was 24 inches long. Frietas lost a solid bass he hooked from shore on the same bait in the week prior.
Trout were stocked to the tune of 1,500 pounds of lightning trout and 2,000 pounds of rainbows on February 1. There are still plenty of them hanging around the shorefishing area between the East Dam and the first few coves up from the Marina, and the bite has settled into a steady pick on PowerBait, Mice Tails and other floating bait options. Trout anglers can plan on another big stock in the first week of March.
Striped bass fishing has been up and down, but Mike Southerland has been out there doing his thing, flycoring wit Producer flies and connecting to the occasional photo-worthy striper and a handful of chunky largemouth bycatch.
