No water in the SoCal trout rivers

[sheepdog]

Was planning a trip up to either the San Gabriel or the Santa Ana rivers this weekend and fortunately called to get a "report" on the fishing... I spoke to a gentleman at Fishermans Spot up near L.A and he said there is no water in either of the rivers. So glad I called ahead and saved myself 4 hours of driving and lots of gas money... not to mention the pain of a broken heart.

So if you're wanting to go fishing up there anytime soon, I'd say change your plans and either put in the extra work to go up to the Kern or Owens.

If you need to call in the future to get a fishing report you can refer to the information below:

Fisherman's Spot
(818) 785-7306
14411 Burbank Blvd
Van Nuys, CA 91401

 

[Ard]

Very discouraging report, when the fellow said 'no water' did he mean dry gulch conditions or just drastically low?

Ard

 

[sheepdog]

Very discouraging report, when the fellow said 'no water' did he mean dry gulch conditions or just drastically low?

Ard

The way I understood him was that there is no water at all. There might be some residual pools left but nothing harboring trout. Kinda makes you wonder where all those fish went...

 

[mcnerney]

Very sad indeed! Hopefully, this storm will help with the drought. I saw a report this morning where northern CA was expected to get 8 inches of rain, at least a start.

Larry

 

[runningfish]

That is another reason why I am only fishing the lakes in SoCal. The rivers here are just rock beds even after we received a drop of rain 2 days ago. We are facing a drought for sure now.

Go to Big Bear, Arrow Head or Diamond Valley lake, the trouts are still there along side the bass and stripers.

I will be practicing with my switch rod in one of the reservoirs in the mountain, say hello to me.

 

[Ard]

Knowing this; I feel very badly for those who have loved these streams and now must watch them die. True irony is that my fear for the past ten years is always the same, too much water. Yes we have unpredictable returns on some species year to year but when the rivers and creeks are often way too full of water it makes little difference how many fish there are.

Nothing we can do but take what happens, sad but true.

 

[fredaevans]

Drive up to southern Oregon. Water and fish we've got. Just don't stand on my "Pet Rock." That will get you a EVIL LOOK.:fishing:

 

[sheepdog]

Go to Big Bear, Arrow Head or Diamond Valley lake, the trouts are still there along side the bass and stripers.

I will be practicing with my switch rod in one of the reservoirs in the mountain, say hello to me.

That's the plan! I heard something about only locals are allowed to fish arrowhead? Is that true? I want to fish Deep, Holcomb and Bear creeks up there but I'm not sure if they have the same fate as the San Gabriel and Santa Ana. I'll let you know when I'm heading up there and maybe we can meet up!

 

[Tree Catcher]

Sheepdog, sent ya a PM

 

[von behr]

That's the plan! I heard something about only locals are allowed to fish arrowhead? Is that true? I want to fish Deep, Holcomb and Bear creeks up there but I'm not sure if they have the same fate as the San Gabriel and Santa Ana. I'll let you know when I'm heading up there and maybe we can meet up!

Arrowhead is private. Only residents or their guests can use the lake for either boating or fishing.

 

[runningfish]

That's the plan! I heard something about only locals are allowed to fish arrowhead? Is that true? I want to fish Deep, Holcomb and Bear creeks up there but I'm not sure if they have the same fate as the San Gabriel and Santa Ana. I'll let you know when I'm heading up there and maybe we can meet up!

Sorry I forgot about Arrow Head being a private lake, my bad.
There is a stream/creek near Hesperia I think they called it Deep Creek. I've never been there but was told the creek would have wild trouts with C&R and barbless hook regulation.

You can take 15 North en route to Las Vegas, exit Main St then go all the way to the east...then ask for direction. :yikes: sorry I don't know the rest, but it should close to a small dam and near a hot spring.

 

[Tree Catcher]

That creek is running very low right now. I havent fished that water since April of last year... I am hoping for some wet weather to come through so I can go back.

 

[sheepdog]

Sorry I forgot about Arrow Head being a private lake, my bad.
There is a stream/creek near Hesperia I think they called it Deep Creek. I've never been there but was told the creek would have wild trouts with C&R and barbless hook regulation.

You can take 15 North en route to Las Vegas, exit Main St then go all the way to the east...then ask for direction. :yikes: sorry I don't know the rest, but it should close to a small dam and near a hot spring.

I know deep creek is one of the couple designated wild trout streams in southern California but its probably running very low right now too. I'd love to get outta san Diego and go do some fishing but It sounds like I'll have to go way up north to get into the good trout waters.

 

[trout trekker]

I know you guys are thinking Trout, but maybe Von Behr could be prompted to provide a basic treatise to surf and bay fishing in SoCal.

If I was jones’n to get a pull and my creeks were running dry. I’d look into the local saltwater scene and VB is the guy I'd ask if I was heading to the southland.

TT

 

[yikes]

Was planning a trip up to either the San Gabriel or the Santa Ana rivers this weekend and fortunately called to get a "report" on the fishing... I spoke to a gentleman at Fishermans Spot up near L.A and he said there is no water in either of the rivers. So glad I called ahead and saved myself 4 hours of driving and lots of gas money... not to mention the pain of a broken heart.

I like the guys at Fisherman's Spot, but I have an alternate viewpoint. Yes, the West Fork was flowing very slow, and yes, the drive up Hwy 39 looked bone dry.
However, I went up the East Fork of the San Gabriel river on the same weekend you wrote your original post, and there was both flowing water and fish, if you were willing to hike in for an hour on the trail to the "Bridge to Nowhere".
Then I went back the week after the big storm, and conditions were even better and the prospector's holes were filled.

 

[darkshadow]

I like the guys at Fisherman's Spot, but I have an alternate viewpoint. Yes, the West Fork was flowing very slow, and yes, the drive up Hwy 39 looked bone dry.

Lots of skinny water, yes. But, if you look at hydrology maps, you can find historically, those water sheds that flow higher, and I think it is because they may not be heavily dependent on snow melt. The San Gabriels are not one of them, unfortunately.

The current area I've been focused on has a lot more water than the usual spots people frequent. I'm beginning to think there are some underground springs that are assisting with the water flow, although the melting of the last bits of snow at higher peaks may also be a contributing factor.

That said, I think a lot of local fly shops direct people away from these areas simply because biologically, the fish may be more susceptible if they are not handled delicately enough. With the dissolved oxygen being taken from the water day by day, as temperatures rise, and flows decrease, it may just be that they would rather not even see anybody attempt to fish the areas.

 

[Liphookedau]

Even though I've mainly been around LA San Francisco I haven't been very far south in California.
Also I think it was Glen Cambell Who sang a Song which said "It never Rains in Southern California".

Brian

 

[planettrout]

A friend of mine was out at Piru Creek yesterday and there is water . That place, unfortunately, comes with a host of other problems (think lowlifes, break-ins and trash)...

This is the current report for the Eastern Sierras which might be a bright spot... given the current conditions up there:

Although this first storm system looks weaker now….The hits will keep on coming as moderate systems line up for their move into CA | Mammoth Weather by Howard Sheckter


PT/TB

 

[carnivorousnw]

Not sure if the Kern is productive this time of year. I'd enjoy a nice weekend in Bishop. The last of the Alper trout are stocked. A crying shame. Arrowhead is private except for super bowl Sunday the lakes a free-for-all. fish along docks with at least 5+ feet. Perris lake isn't the prettiest but it could be happening with a float tube and early morning.


Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[sheepdog]

Well things have changed a bit since I started this thread. My wife and I will be heading up to the Santa Ana on Saturday and see what it has to offer. I'll give you guys a report when we get back. I went on a little excursion today trying to find the steelhead in San Mateo creek but that proved a waste of time and gas. I ended up fishing Trabuco creek in orange county and was able to make a productive day out of it by catching about 7 little bitty guys. I really wish someone would let me in on their secret spots. I'm following a guy on Instagram who posts pictures of some really nice trout that look a lot like Red Bands. The only thing he has given me is that his spot is in the mountains between Orange county and San Diego. I've spent countless hours combing that area on a CNF map, google earth and bing maps looking for some sort of promising areas that might hold water. Can anyone help me please?