San Diego & SoCal Fishing Forums

El Cap...
Only got one there two weeks prior back seating, and front seater only got one also.

Got there at noon yesterday, tons of trailers in the lot. Overcast and rain threatening.Two guys leaving reported one between them, on d/s, not good.

Fished till dusk, nada. Top 1/2 the time, jerkbait and blades the other half. Blanked, even my honey holes. Two guys leaving when I did reported one between them, d/s.
Got out just as the volcanon erupted. ;/)

Sounds like the fish were intermittently fasting!

Is it just me, or was this one of the quietest years of fishing in So Cal ?

Early release wrote: ↑Sun Nov 26, 2023 7:44 am Is it just me, or was this one of the quietest years of fishing in So Cal ?

Not just you buddy lol

Early release wrote: ↑Sun Nov 26, 2023 7:44 am Is it just me, or was this one of the quietest years of fishing in So Cal ?

It might have been a slow start with the late opening of Hodges but it was excellent all around except for Sutherland

Early release wrote: ↑Sun Nov 26, 2023 7:44 am Is it just me, or was this one of the quietest years of fishing in So Cal ?

From Jan 1 to March it was dead as a door nail for me. I’ve had a really good year from March on. It’s starting to slow way down (especially for shore anglers) locally, gonna be focusing my efforts out of town for the next couple of months.

All that said, for a weird fishing year it was pretty good for me. Only one 5+, but lots of lots of 3-4 pounders. Have built a bunch of new confidence baits this year too.

El Cap can be a cruel place when it’s slow. I have had a lot of success there this year, but also I took a long streak of skunks from end of Jan till mid March that had me questioning my sanity at times. It’s been pretty consistent for me from then on, between mid March and September I took one one skunk day. A couple in September but also my biggest fish of the year came that month. Until about end of October I was consistently able to find at least a fish or two in the same spots even on the toughest days. Now all the cover I’ve been catching fish off of all year is all way out of water. Will be a watercraft only lake for me till spring (although in 2022 I was catching fish on spinnerbaits in less than 10’ of water first weekend of December from the bank, so who knows). It can be just maddening to fish that lake sometimes, but the payoff if worth it when it comes. I’ve put in enough hours there that I feel like the next big one is coming, just a matter of time.

I spent beginning of the year at San V and got skunked twice, but after that, I pulled at least 5 fish each trip, until this fall, when the busters were looking for lures that resembled plankton. ( kidding, but they wanted small stuff ). Spent the summer chasing fish at Barrett and while I had a great time, it seemed like it was hit or miss for a lot of my friends. The rest of the info was from this site and it seemed like the numbers were slightly less or in some cases, a lot less.
It was nice when Hodges opened back up, but the lake is so low, I kind of feel like it's like fishing in a bathtub. I like to cast at features on the shoreline, but that's just my preference. Hodges did give me a few toads that were a lot of fun, one on 4 lb line, so it was kind of an event.

I do want to get out to the canals in IV. CorsoEnthusiast, you have convinced me that looks good.

Early release wrote: ↑Sun Nov 26, 2023 7:44 am Is it just me, or was this one of the quietest years of fishing in So Cal ?

I completely agree! Hopefully we will get rain and the lakes can stay a a reasonable level. I'm tired of fishing a different lake (actually the same lake) every time I go out because they drop it another 5ft each week. I hit El Cap yesterday and got blanked again. Saturday I went to Cuyamaca and got a blank there too. 3 strikes and I guess I'm out!

All the lakes hit and miss this year. Was at Cap yesterday and got lucky with 5 fish between 1.41 and 3.21 lbs. Left at 1230.

I don’t mind getting blanked when the permit is free 50 but it stings when you have pay the CA lake tolls. I just spent a month out of town where an annual fishing license is cheaper than a lake day use permit here. Everywhere you can fish is free.

I lived in Tennessee for 2+ yrs and there is "No launch fees on most ramps and no fees to fish", you go 7/24 and fish 365 days a year.

Tnwoody wrote: ↑Mon Nov 27, 2023 2:21 pm I lived in Tennessee for 2+ yrs and there is "No launch fees on most ramps and no fees to fish", you go 7/24 and fish 365 days a year.

Exactly. I was out in Missouri. And the best part is, bass aren’t pressured. Most are after crappie and walleye. Not many fish the “green carp”

I think the City screwing with the water levels had a big influence on the fishing. San V probably was the most consistent fishing and had the most stable water levels. Sutherland and El Cap were really dependent on whether the City was messing with the water levels!