BY MIKE STEVENS
PERRIS – In true Perris form, largemouth bass spawned early at the world-class fishery, and the pendulum has swung the other direction with bassers now targeting primarily post-spawn largemouth at Lake Perris.
“The bass bite at Lake Perris has been going strong the last few weeks,” said lake regular, Dave Clay. “The bass spawn is mostly over, however, there are still some bed fish to be had. Anglers hitting the shoreline and shallow tree lines are getting the most fish. Most are 1 to 3 pounders, and drop-shotting appears to be the most productive technique for them.”
Clay went on to tell WON there are larget postspawn biters to be found around offshore rockpiles where they can be caught on plastics, jigs and live crawdads.
“Look for rock piles in 10 to 25 feet of water right now,” said Clay. “The deeper you fish, the less algae and weeds you’ll have to deal with. Remember that post-spawn bass are tired and recovering, so slow down your presentations for better results. The offshore bass are solo or in small wolfpacks, not in large schools yet. Once you get a fish or two and the action slows down, move on to another spot.”
Clay’s buddy bagged a 9.5 pounder in water with temps varying between 64 and 70 degrees. The algae blooms have tapered off to the point Clay described the water in the marina as “crystal clear.” The lake level is falling, but it doesn’t seem to be affecting the bite. Weekends are still crowded on warm weekends, but traffic has been very light during the week.
Clay, who also saw someone catch an 11-plus pounder, said he’s also seeing shorepounders picking off big bluegill on mealworms or nightcrawlers under slip bobbers.
