Copy of Diamond Vlly Lake story

At bottom of page:
Official Oct. 2, 2003 Press Release
DIAMOND VALLEY LAKE HAS ALL THE
MAKINGS OF A FISHERY PARADISE

The Seewald's fish
Diamond Valley Lake on
it's historic Opening Day.
10.3.03

by Michael Seewald

We hit Diamond Valley's opening day and were blessed with the best fishing day of our lives. As Valerie hasn't had that many that is not that big of a statement, but for someone who has had hundreds, like me, it is.

We left Del Mar, in northern San Diego, right at 4:45 a.m.. About an hour later we grabbed egg sandwiches in Temecula at a Jack-in-the-Box and then drove the final 12 miles east to the lake entrance, arriving about 6 a.m.. Well, almost to the lake entrance, as actually we were 1.5 miles from it. A very long line of fishermen and women, with their boats, (it was heard some were from as far away as Florida) were slowly crawling towards the entrance in front of us.

Now I had hit opening days at Otay Lake in Chula Vista (in southern San Diego county, almost in Mexico) in my youth, but did not expect to crawl the same 1.5 mile line at they had had as slow as we did here. After about 45 minutes, and going only 1/2 a mile, I thought it might be 8 a.m. before we launched. (In the end, I'd of been happier had we actually got out that early). Evidently, due to the 'reservations required' system, it slowed everything way down as they checked one car at a time for their names and info, and then to chit chat with each angler.

I was starting to wonder if all of this was worth it? Were they trying to discourage us from ever coming back?

But our trip did not originally start here either. Months earlier, after reading about a water district employee going out and catching two bass on every cast of his lure, (one with two sets of treble hooks), we looked into getting our boat

Click to enlarge.
Valerie with boat 'trailered up' and ready to go home.

qualified to get onto this miracle lake. They required a minimum boat length and width, as well as having the proper safety equipment and supplies, which we had.

We had the inspection accomplished on a trip out to Skinner Lake, in Temecula, two weeks earlier. The Water Department had set up the check station and we had hoped they would ok us without making us literally take off our old heavy outboard motor (it was too old to pass as only new motors with zero emissions are allowed). The man insisted he would not pass it with it on, so right in front of him (in 95 degree heat) we disconnected it from all the controls and manually took it off the boat, leaned it next to a tree, got 'passed', then re-attached the motor and drove off with our new 'passed sticker' on the stern. (Some people- brainless!!!)

So we sat there this fine opening day morning, half asleep as we had risen at 3:30 a.m., and watched the clock strike 8:00 a.m, still way back in the line! I was starting to wonder if all of this was worth it. Were they trying to discourage us from ever coming back? It was starting to work in my case. We would easily have had

"but you still didn't get your free CD". I angled my head back over my left shoulder and yelled "I more interested in getting out on the lake before noon!"

to wait another hour had it not been for someone finally deciding to open another lane for inspections. (But common sense is not too common.)

Then, after finally clearing the reservations check point, we drove up and over one of the three dams to actually see this masterpiece... Diamond Valley Lake. It was misty and looked way bigger than the pictured measurements of 2 x 4.5 miles.

Just before we reached the launch ramp, another checkpoint looked to be set up. We waited, now even more impatiently, to get thru this one. A few employees were talking to the folks in front and we wondered what could be so important to tell us. We found out is was the Mayor giving her blessing on each carload of anxious fishermen, along with some free gifts. It seemed to take an eternity for each carload to talk to her. As we drove up we grabbed the free bag as she held it out without even stopping for her benediction. She and her friend looked astonished, mouths agape and said "but you still didn't get your free CD". I angled my head back over my left shoulder and yelled "I more interested in getting out on the lake before noon!" (I had prayed for patience, but I guess I had not prayed hard enough, or I had more than I usually would have.)

The lake had a beautiful launch ramp, with about eight wide, which we quickly took advantage of. Valerie drove the van back to the parking area while I got the electric trolling motor in action. As I had a couple of minutes to 'kill', I started casting a rapala lure right there along the shore. A man on a point was just landing a nice four pounder off a plastic worm just 25 yards away. "All right, bass heaven" I thought. But to my utter amazement,

I was starting to wonder if my loss of patience was causing the lack of reward from our prayers.

after throwing the lure about 15 times in every direction, no bass had hit. "Must be the only spot on the lake no bass congregate" I thought. Valerie showed up and we were off.

As we can only use the trolling motor (which does not go very fast) we knew we could not explore much of the vast 15 mile shoreline. I saw some nice points north so we started to head that way but then noticed that that's where the shore is open to shore fishing only for 1.5 miles. It was marked off to forbid boat fishing within 200 yards of it the whole way. "Good for them", I thought. That was a nice gesture.

We turned and headed back past the ramps and closer to the dam. (There are two big ones, at each end of the lake, and a third somewhere else. It's the largest earthen dam construction in the U.S.) The first shoreline past the ramps we stopped and tossed crankbaits. Besides, the bass hit everything you throw every time you throw it, right?

Well, after an hour, and watching a boat with three guys pulling one in every time we looked their way, we decided, again, we must be in a 'bad spot'.

We moved closer to the boat of guys catching them non stop, but still no luck on our part. We watched as

For the next hour and a half they continued to pound the bass. We continued to catch nothing.

another couple pulled into the area we had just left from and BAM, the man had a fish on within the first cast!? We got out the binoculars to see the lures they were throwing. Plastic worms. Hey, that's what we had already changed to also?!

After another 1/2 hour of trying we took a bathroom break and then took off too find a different spot. We decided to putts over a little closer to the dam and as we started to pass two guys on one of those beautiful, low slung $60,000 bass boats we noticed one of the guys was fighting a bass. I asked them what they were using and they replied spoons, and that earlier plastic worms had worked well. We quickly switched to spoons and 'slowly danced' around their boat (trolling on slow, as they were also doing, instead of using an anchor and not moving at all). For the next hour and a half they continued to pound the bass. We continued to catch nothing. We changed to different spoons and spinners, all to no avail. We prayed harder to the Lord, he seeming closed his ears tighter. We were definitely starting to get frustrated.

A lady reporter pulled up and interviewed another two guys that had just pulled into the area not too far away. We overheard the men report to her questions they had caught many bass, and had seen some six and seven

We seemed to be doing everything that they were, at the same depth (bottom) the same lures (spoons and plastic worms) and same action (slight jiggling up and down).

pounders caught elsewhere on the lake, and that they were very happy the lake had finally opened.

She then went and interviewed the two guys that we were slowly circling, and insult to injury, they continued to catch and release four more bass in the five minutes they were interviewed. (At this point I was very happy she had not come to us, I don't know what I would have said). I was starting to wonder if my loss of patience was causing the lack of reward from our prayers.

The two guys waived goodbye as they pulled their bow mounted trolling motor up and prepared to start up their 225 horsepower motor to jet across the lake to try a different area. I scrambled to think harder of why they had caught 20 bass to our none. What could I ask them to help us catch some fish. Nothing seemed to come to mind. We seemed to be doing everything that they were, at the same depth -bottom), the same lures -spoons and plastic worms, and same action -slight jiggling up and down.

"What size line are you guys using" I yelled as suddenly a light came on, not knowing if it was too late for them to hear as their motor was now running. "I'm wondering if 12# test line is too thick", I continued. One

"You have to set the hook Love", I told her. She had not, and he had just thrown the worm.

guy yelled back "We are using six, so yeah, you might have too thick a line on". I agreed and instantly started scrounging the tackle box praying we had some six pound white 'leader' line, as it's known as. (You can have 12# line on, but as long at the last two feet are 6# it works well, as that's all the area the bass would notice around the bait anyway). In the back of my mind I'd known this, but as these fish had never been fished, nor see line before, I'd figured they would not have cared.

They pulled up closer and offered some 6# on this humongous spool! I said thanks anyway as I just had found some in my tackle box. They then grabbed onto our boat. "Let's see the rigging you've been using" one of them said. I showed them our 'drop shot' rigged worm. He looked it over, "good, could be your line, and this green line (it was Maxima, a high end, quality brand) is better than what you are starting to put on. Take it, we are sponsored by the company and get it free. And use these plastic worms, we get them free too." He gave us three bags of purple with brown vein, 5 inch worms, and very translucent. A type I've never seen. They also gave Valerie a batch of black hooks that I did not notice until later. "Wacky rig them they way you've been doing, and don't expect a heavy bite, but a slight pressure on your

The mans voice boomed back in my head "and set the hook hard with any slight pressure felt". I reeled back and set the hook hard.

line. They are down 45 to 50 feet. Stay in that range, and set the hook hard with any slight pressure felt".

"Thanks so much" we said, thanking both them. They thundered off. I instantly started to change all of our rigging. What a blessing had just happened. I knew our luck would change, as our skill level had already started to do.

We were 1/2 hour into our new system and nothing. I started to wonder on top of wonder when Valerie said "I've got one." She pulled one most of the way in after a very long fight. But he broke off before reaching the surface and Valerie looked bummed. "You have to set the hook Love", I told her. She had not, and he had just thrown the worm. But this was why I was excited to bring her, figuring in one day she could learn what had taken her a year before. Usually she only has one or two hit her lures on the other lakes in an all day outing.

Bolstered by the knowledge that 'our' system had worked, we had a much better attitude. We continued. About another 15 minutes went by with nothing. Then suddenly I'd wondered if I had snagged some weeds as the line felt some resistance without the noticeable 'tap' a bass usually makes when it hits a plastic worm. The mans voice came booming back into my head "and set the hook hard with any slight pressure felt". I leaned way back, setting the hook hard. The line fought back and I knew I had one on. As Valerie got the video camera rolling and caught me on tape I fought and landed him with our

She was so excited she could not talk right, and the bass was really fighting hard. I filmed her and she could still not hardly talk right after landing him.

'Stowmaster' net, one handed. A very nice 16 incher, and fat. A little over 3 lbs. It was about 2:30 p.m. We finally had one in the boat.

We started fishing again. Within five minutes I felt a slight bump. I bumped back. It bumped back and I instantly set the hook. Another nice 16" fat one. (All the bass are fat, so much food in a new lake). Valerie had filmed me with that one too. She now felt she was very un-lucky.

A few minutes later, "I've got one" she exclaimed as she started reeling in. "Set the hook" I yelled excitedly for her and she gave a half hearted pull on the pole. "No, harder" I said, and another half hearted pull was made in the middle of reeling him in. She was so excited she could not talk right, and the bass was really fighting hard. I filmed her and she could still not talk right after landing him. I filmed her holding it up. She was beaming and oh so proud.

Wow, an 18", 3.2 pounds. The biggest yet. Another two by me within the next half hour, another 14" and a 12", a non-keeper by this lakes standards, but officially legal to keep. We started to gather attention and people started to 'dance' with us. What color worms?, what depths? and on and on. We were now the pro's! Thank you Lord for answered prayer, not the way we had asked, by making the fish hit the way we were fishing, but by Your way, of having two professionals share their knowledge with novices, a game plan we had not asked for nor thought of.

We were supposed to be off the lake at 5:30 p.m., but because we were so close to the launching area we just kept fishing. We figured the ramps were so full with people leaving, and the rangers were busy off herding up all of the anglers further out in the lake, that we could get away with fishing a little longer. So, the rangers did not get to us until almost 6:30, when no one else was left to herd in. Thanks you Lord again, we had gained half of our lost morning time of fishing back.

By days end, we had landed 10 bass- two official limits. (Valerie had caught another 3.4 pounder, and I had caught another two, bringing the catch of the day to well over 30 pounds of bass. My last bass ended up the biggest, and weighed in at 3.8#, and was about 19 inches in length, and was very fat looking, like a miniature 'lunker'. Thank you Lord!

Michael Seewald's Recipe for blackened Cajun catfish.

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Fishermen rock on at lake opening

Concert like hoopla greets Diamond Valley

By Ed Zieralski
STAFF WRITER

October 4, 2003

HEMET – It was the atmosphere of a rock concert for fishermen.

Cars were lined up 1½ miles outside the gates of Diamond Valley Lake yesterday morning as more than 1,000 excited anglers – many of whom camped out overnight – eagerly awaited their chance to pull a fish out of Southern California's newest fishery.

They weren't disappointed.

"It was worth the wait," Marcus Noble, 18, of El Cajon said as he and his cousin Austin Noble escorted a 4½-pound largemouth bass back to their shoreline fishing spot after weighing it.

Fishermen had waited patiently for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to open this fish-filled reservoir in the high desert. The district is calling it "the jewel of California lakes," and yesterday the public finally got to try this fishing gem that, to most, had been ornamental water for more than three years.

Noble didn't reach his fishing spot on the shoreline until 9 a.m. because of the line of 250 private boats, 38 rental boats and a sellout crowd of reservation-only anglers.

Noble was in diapers when the district first explored the concept of building a massive reservoir to store a six-month supply of emergency water for Southern California. He was in grade school when construction began in 1995 of what became a $2 billion project. But yesterday he joined others for a day many said they'd never forget.

"Being able to fish this lake the first day like this . . . it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Poway resident Joe Aldridge, who fished with Scott Ferguson of Fallbrook and Brent Whitaker of Julian.

A disc jockey tried to describe the surreal scene outside the lake as he interviewed fishermen on his cell phone in the predawn darkness. "I swear, it's like a concert atmosphere here," he reported.

It was a Southern California happening, all right. There even was a carload of gate-crashers who made an unsuccessful attempt at a run past security guard Jim Rusk.

"Everyone wants to get on the big lake because the word is out there's big fish in it," Rusk said. "But no reservation, no fish."

Anglers began lining up at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, even though there had been an official warning from MWD that Hemet police wouldn't allow vehicles and boats to line up on busy Dominigoni Parkway. But by 4 a.m. yesterday, the rigs, RVs, boats and trailers stretched more than 1½ miles from the entrance. One angler slept on the dirt shoulder of the parkway next to his boat. Another slept in a tent. Others, such as Chris and Andrea Nicoll of Fallbrook, slept in their rig.

Chuck and Andrea Moreno of Ontario had their rental RV in the second spot in line. The fishing-crazy couple braved the elements even though Andrea is seven months pregnant.

Chuck said he proposed to Andrea by tying her engagement ring on her line when she wasn't looking when they were fishing one day.

"I told her this is a day like that, a day we'll never forget," Chuck said. Added Andrea: "This is right up there with getting married and having a baby."

There was free coffee, and there were commemorative plastic floating key cases and cameras, all courtesy of MWD. Fishermen were encouraged to take plenty of pictures, turn in the disposable cameras on the way out, and MWD would process the film and send the pictures to the anglers. The only condition was that MWD gets to keep a set for possible use in its newsletter or on its Web site.

The sizes of the boats – everything from 12-foot aluminums to 24-foot fancy Bayliners – reflected the diverse fishery of this 4,500-acre reservoir that is 4½ miles long and two miles wide and has three dams. Its deepest – as much as 260 feet – and coldest water has four strains of rainbow trout that fight like wild fish. Its enhanced shoreline of structure and habitat, mixed with natural cover, holds largemouth and smallmouth bass that fishermen say, pound-for-pound, are some of the toughest fish they've ever hooked.

Tom Stone of Baldwin Park and fishing buddy Maurice Camp of Murrieta were No. 1 in line.

"We just wanted to be somewhere reasonable in line, but we never dreamed we'd be first," Camp said. "I just hope we're first all day."

As it turned out, Camp and Stone found tough fishing, as many did. Most fished for bass exclusively, but Camp and Stone joined a handful of others and tried trolling for trout. They were still looking for their first fish at 10 a.m.

But, said Stone, "You don't have to catch fish to have fun."

Fishing had been phenomenal for those prefishing the lake and those who fished during special pre-opener events.

But even "virgin water," as many of the anglers referred to the lake, can be tough to fish, and the old axiom of 10 percent of the fishermen catching 90 percent of the fish kicked in here, too.

"It's about what I expected," said Mike Giusti, the Department of Fish and Game's associate fisheries biologist who oversaw the stocking and growing of the lake's fishery from an 80-acre stocking pool. "The expectations were a lot higher than the lake could deliver. But the guys who knew what they were doing caught a lot of fish today."

Giusti estimated the boat average was 15 bass. Gary Robson of Hemet and his two sons caught and released 90 bass.

Bob Muir, spokesman for MWD, said the day was "extremely successful and valuable."

"Valuable because any time you have a first full run you're provided with a lot of information that you couldn't get any other way than with a full house," Muir said. "Our goal now is to make some improvements and get people out as soon as possible.

"The big thing is we launched more boats than we've ever launched, and no one was hurt. There are still some things to work out, but for our first true test, we have to be happy and satisfied."

Lake’s fishery capitalizes on partnership between Metropolitan, California Department of Fish and Game

LOS ANGELES---Anglers throughout the West are priming for one of the most anticipated fishing events in California’s history Friday (Oct. 3).

Early Friday morning, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, in partnership with the California Department of Fish and Game, opens one of the best and most diverse fisheries at Diamond Valley Lake near Hemet in southwest Riverside County.

Measuring 4½ miles long and two miles wide, the lake promises to be an angler’s paradise, state fishery experts predict.

"Like many others throughout the region--actually we've had calls from across the county and from as far away as Japan--I've really been looking forward to getting out on the lake and landing some of the big bass that have been growing for the past five years," said Jill T. Wicke, Metropolitan’s manager of water system operations.

“Because this is a drinking water reservoir and emergency supply for about 18 million people, Metropolitan’s number one priority is the safety and reliability of the lake’s water. After those concerns are assured, you're going to find me and my family out on the lake,” said Wicke, an avid angler.

Because of the extensive fishery planning involved at Diamond Valley, Mike Giusti, the lead DFG biologist at the lake, calls the outcome a true department success story. In collaboration with Metropolitan since 1997, DFG managed the lake’s fishery since 1999.

“Keep in mind, this lake is just three years old,” Giusti said. “For its age, it’s the best fishery in Southern California. And, if the growth rates continue, in five years there won’t be another lake that can touch it.”

Before the water district began filling the 260-billion-gallon reservoir in early 2000, DFG biologists invited anglers from across the state to provide input on how they would like the fishery to be managed.

“The fishery was developed with a lot of help from the public. It wasn’t just any one person’s plan, or strictly a Fish and Game plan,” said Giusti, “We had people who asked us about bringing in several different types of fish, and building underwater reefs.”

The department responded by establishing nearly a dozen different fisheries and constructing a series of pipe caves and brush structures, as well as hundreds of rock reefs that form underwater havens for the fish.

Even before the lake’s opening day, DFG officials sense Diamond Valley’s potential for becoming one of the department’s premier successes, as one of the most respectable fisheries in the West.

“We have the potential for a 20-pound-plus bass to be caught here, but I think that is still five to 10 years away,” Giusti said. “I think the genetics are in our favor, as well as the growth rates we are seeing, and there’s a ton of food in there.”

Diamond Valley’s bass fishery planning began in 1997 when several lakes were sampled for bass. Those waters included Upper Otay, Miramar, Castaic, Casitas, Pyramid, Perris and Lake Hodges. The goal was to retrieve samples of bass and send them to the University of California at Davis to determine which were the purest of the bunch.

With about 96 percent pure largemouth bass genes, Lake Hodges proved to offer the best genetic material. As a result, in February 1999, DFG relocated 217 Hodges bass to an 80-acre pond constructed on the floor of Diamond Valley. The bass averaged 2 to 4 pounds, with a half-dozen between 5 and 8 pounds, and one more than 8 pounds.

The lake’s structure has proven to be conducive to a successful, diverse bass fishery. Prior to the filling, a structure was placed between 35 to 120 feet down when the lake is at full pool. Lake levels are expected to fluctuate annually about 35 feet.

Although no largemouth bass have been planted since the original stocking, preliminary estimates taken in the spring show there are 35,000 largemouth bass greater than 12 inches in the lake. Of those fish, the average size is 2 to 4 pounds.

“The reservoir is maintaining amazing growth rates,” Giusti admitted. “In their first year, bass are reaching 12 inches and are putting on a pound per year thereafter.”

Meanwhile, small-mouth bass were taken from Shaver Lake in central California to help the mountain lake recover from a stunted bass population. Some 1,700 small-mouth bass averaging 7 inches were placed into the Diamond Valley rearing pond. Each year since 2000, DFG has added 500 smallmouth to the lake.

“The vegetation below the lake’s surface helps promote bass growth,” Giusti said. “When the lake filled, it flooded the vegetation along the reservoir’s floor and slopes, making great habitat. That habitat should last for another five years.”

Most of the fish growth at the lake stems from a well-balanced food source. DFG introduced two strains of crawdads--both red swamp and signals--silverside minnows and panfish, as well as tule perch, carp, shad and freshwater shrimp that came in with the imported water.

“The silversides are the primary reason the bass are so big. When I cruised the shoreline when the lake was lower, it was like a river of fish and all of them were silversides. They are great bass food,” Giusti said.

Bass are not the only species on the fishery menu. Channel and blue catfish also are available, yet may be difficult to target for many anglers because no night fishing will be permitted. Some 100 3- to 5-pound channel catfish were relocated from Metropolitan’s nearby Lake Mathews, as well as 200 blue catfish from 5 to 25 pounds.

“Diamond Valley is a pretty steep reservoir and catfish like gently sloping reservoirs, so we’ll have to see how things go,” Giusti said. “However, it’s possible that a catfish more than 100 pounds could be in the lake some day, but that could take 20 years.

“Eventually, I could see a big blue catfish grow about 5 pounds a year. But right now, I bet the bigger blues that were put in are about 30 pounds,” he added.

Bluegill and red ear sunfish also are part of the fishery mix. In cooperation with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, DFG transferred 400 red ear from the Colorado River, with Arizona contributing another 100,000. In addition, 3,000 bluegill were shipped in from Lake Perris and another 20,000 were purchased from private hatcheries in Central California. “The lake should support a decent panfish fishery,” Giusti said.

In addition, Diamond Valley offers the most successful two-tier fishery in the region. The cold-water fishery may be the most successful put-and-grow fishery in the state, Giusti claimed, offering several strains of trout including Hot Creek, Eagle Lake, Coleman and Whitney.

“I think this lake is going to offer a fishery we haven’t had before in Southern California,” he said. “There’s no doubt that the quality of trout is here. In fact, the growth rates exceed what we could do in a hatchery.

“Since 1999, we’ve stocked more than 200,000 trout. I could easily see 20-pound limits of five fish when the lake opens. Right now, there isn’t a trout in the lake under 2 pounds. They should be averaging 2 to 5 pounds. We should see a lot of fish in the 7- to 10-pound range.”

General statewide fishing regulations will govern the reservoir. Creel limits are as follows: five bass 12 inches or larger, regardless of species; five trout and only five in possession; no limit on panfish; and 10 catfish.

Michael Seewald 'Book Suggestion of the Month".
Get this, or click on this link to get some of the following
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The Seewald's fish Diamond Valley Lake on it's historic Opening Day. 10.3.03 by Michael Seewald We hit Diamond Valley's opening day and were blessed with the best fishing day of our lives. As Valerie hasn't had that many that is not that big of a statement, but for someone who has had hundreds, like me, it is. We left Del Mar, in northern San Diego, right at 4:45 a.m.. About an hour later we grabbed egg sandwiches in Temecula at a Jack-in-the-Box and then drove the final 12 miles east to the lake entrance, arriving about 6 a.m.. Well, almost to the lake entrance, as actually we were 1.5 miles from it. A very long line of fishermen and women, with their boats, (it was heard some were from as far away as Florida) were slowly crawling towards the entrance in front of us. Now I had hit opening days at Otay Lake in Chula Vista (in southern San Diego county, almost in Mexico) in my youth, but did not expect to crawl the same 1.5 mile line at they had had as slow as we did here. After about 45 minutes, and going only 1/2 a mile, I thought it might be 8 a.m. before we launched. (In the end, I'd of been happier had we actually got out that early). Evidently, due to the 'reservations required' system, it slowed everything way down as they checked one car at a time for their names and info, and then to chit chat with each angler.
I was starting to wonder if all of this was worth it? Were they trying to discourage us from ever coming back? But our trip did not originally start here either. Months earlier, after reading about a water district employee going out and catching two bass on every cast of his lure, (one with two sets of treble hooks), we looked into getting our boat Valerie with boat 'trailered up' and ready to go home. qualified to get onto this miracle lake. They required a minimum boat length and width, as well as having the proper safety equipment and supplies, which we had.
We had the inspection accomplished on a trip out to Skinner Lake, in Temecula, two weeks earlier. The Water Department had set up the check station and we had hoped they would ok us without making us literally take off our old heavy outboard motor (it was too old to pass as only new motors with zero emissions are allowed). The man insisted he would not pass it with it on, so right in front of him (in 95 degree heat) we disconnected it from all the controls and manually took it off the boat, leaned it next to a tree, got 'passed', then re-attached the motor and drove off with our new 'passed sticker' on the stern. (Some people- brainless!!!) So we sat there this fine opening day morning, half asleep as we had risen at 3:30 a.m., and watched the clock strike 8:00 a.m, still way back in the line! I was starting to wonder if all of this was worth it. Were they trying to discourage us from ever coming back? It was starting to work in my case. We would easily have had "but you still didn't get your free CD". I angled my head back over my left shoulder and yelled "I more interested in getting out on the lake before noon!"
to wait another hour had it not been for someone finally deciding to open another lane for inspections. (But common sense is not too common.) Then, after finally clearing the reservations check point, we drove up and over one of the three dams to actually see this masterpiece... Diamond Valley Lake. It was misty and looked way bigger than the pictured measurements of 2 x 4.5 miles. Just before we reached the launch ramp, another checkpoint looked to be set up. We waited, now even more impatiently, to get thru this one. A few employees were talking to the folks in front and we wondered what could be so important to tell us. We found out is was the Mayor giving her blessing on each carload of anxious fishermen, along with some free gifts. It seemed to take an eternity for each carload to talk to her. As we drove up we grabbed the free bag as she held it out without even stopping for her benediction. She and her friend looked astonished, mouths agape and said "but you still didn't get your free CD". I angled my head back over my left shoulder and yelled "I more interested in getting out on the lake before noon!" (I had prayed for patience, but I guess I had not prayed hard enough, or I had more than I usually would have.) The lake had a beautiful launch ramp, with about eight wide, which we quickly took advantage of. Valerie drove the van back to the parking area while I got the electric trolling motor in action. As I had a couple of minutes to 'kill', I started casting a rapala lure right there along the shore. A man on a point was just landing a nice four pounder off a plastic worm just 25 yards away. "All right, bass heaven" I thought. But to my utter amazement, I was starting to wonder if my loss of patience was causing the lack of reward from our prayers. after throwing the lure about 15 times in every direction, no bass had hit. "Must be the only spot on the lake no bass congregate" I thought. Valerie showed up and we were off. As we can only use the trolling motor (which does not go very fast) we knew we could not explore much of the vast 15 mile shoreline. I saw some nice points north so we started to head that way but then noticed that that's where the shore is open to shore fishing only for 1.5 miles. It was marked off to forbid boat fishing within 200 yards of it the whole way. "Good for them", I thought. That was a nice gesture. We turned and headed back past the ramps and closer to the dam. (There are two big ones, at each end of the lake, and a third somewhere else. It's the largest earthen dam construction in the U.S.) The first shoreline past the ramps we stopped and tossed crankbaits. Besides, the bass hit everything you throw every time you throw it, right? Well, after an hour, and watching a boat with three guys pulling one in every time we looked their way, we decided, again, we must be in a 'bad spot'. We moved closer to the boat of guys catching them non stop, but still no luck on our part. We watched as For the next hour and a half they continued to pound the bass. We continued to catch nothing. another couple pulled into the area we had just left from and BAM, the man had a fish on within the first cast!? We got out the binoculars to see the lures they were throwing. Plastic worms. Hey, that's what we had already changed to also?! After another 1/2 hour of trying we took a bathroom break and then took off too find a different spot. We decided to putts over a little closer to the dam and as we started to pass two guys on one of those beautiful, low slung $60,000 bass boats we noticed one of the guys was fighting a bass. I asked them what they were using and they replied spoons, and that earlier plastic worms had worked well. We quickly switched to spoons and 'slowly danced' around their boat (trolling on slow, as they were also doing, instead of using an anchor and not moving at all). For the next hour and a half they continued to pound the bass. We continued to catch nothing. We changed to different spoons and spinners, all to no avail. We prayed harder to the Lord, he seeming closed his ears tighter. We were definitely starting to get frustrated. A lady reporter pulled up and interviewed another two guys that had just pulled into the area not too far away. We overheard the men report to her questions they had caught many bass, and had seen some six and seven We seemed to be doing everything that they were, at the same depth (bottom) the same lures (spoons and plastic worms) and same action (slight jiggling up and down). pounders caught elsewhere on the lake, and that they were very happy the lake had finally opened. She then went and interviewed the two guys that we were slowly circling, and insult to injury, they continued to catch and release four more bass in the five minutes they were interviewed. (At this point I was very happy she had not come to us, I don't know what I would have said). I was starting to wonder if my loss of patience was causing the lack of reward from our prayers. The two guys waived goodbye as they pulled their bow mounted trolling motor up and prepared to start up their 225 horsepower motor to jet across the lake to try a different area. I scrambled to think harder of why they had caught 20 bass to our none. What could I ask them to help us catch some fish. Nothing seemed to come to mind. We seemed to be doing everything that they were, at the same depth -bottom), the same lures -spoons and plastic worms, and same action -slight jiggling up and down. "What size line are you guys using" I yelled as suddenly a light came on, not knowing if it was too late for them to hear as their motor was now running. "I'm wondering if 12# test line is too thick", I continued. One "You have to set the hook Love", I told her. She had not, and he had just thrown the worm. guy yelled back "We are using six, so yeah, you might have too thick a line on". I agreed and instantly started scrounging the tackle box praying we had some six pound white 'leader' line, as it's known as. (You can have 12# line on, but as long at the last two feet are 6# it works well, as that's all the area the bass would notice around the bait anyway). In the back of my mind I'd known this, but as these fish had never been fished, nor see line before, I'd figured they would not have cared. They pulled up closer and offered some 6# on this humongous spool! I said thanks anyway as I just had found some in my tackle box. They then grabbed onto our boat. "Let's see the rigging you've been using" one of them said. I showed them our 'drop shot' rigged worm. He looked it over, "good, could be your line, and this green line (it was Maxima, a high end, quality brand) is better than what you are starting to put on. Take it, we are sponsored by the company and get it free. And use these plastic worms, we get them free too." He gave us three bags of purple with brown vein, 5 inch worms, and very translucent. A type I've never seen. They also gave Valerie a batch of black hooks that I did not notice until later. "Wacky rig them they way you've been doing, and don't expect a heavy bite, but a slight pressure on your
The mans voice boomed back in my head "and set the hook hard with any slight pressure felt". I reeled back and set the hook hard. line. They are down 45 to 50 feet. Stay in that range, and set the hook hard with any slight pressure felt". "Thanks so much" we said, thanking both them. They thundered off. I instantly started to change all of our rigging. What a blessing had just happened. I knew our luck would change, as our skill level had already started to do. We were 1/2 hour into our new system and nothing. I started to wonder on top of wonder when Valerie said "I've got one." She pulled one most of the way in after a very long fight. But he broke off before reaching the surface and Valerie looked bummed. "You have to set the hook Love", I told her. She had not, and he had just thrown the worm. But this was why I was excited to bring her, figuring in one day she could learn what had taken her a year before. Usually she only has one or two hit her lures on the other lakes in an all day outing. Bolstered by the knowledge that 'our' system had worked, we had a much better attitude. We continued. About another 15 minutes went by with nothing. Then suddenly I'd wondered if I had snagged some weeds as the line felt some resistance without the noticeable 'tap' a bass usually makes when it hits a plastic worm. The mans voice came booming back into my head "and set the hook hard with any slight pressure felt". I leaned way back, setting the hook hard. The line fought back and I knew I had one on. As Valerie got the video camera rolling and caught me on tape I fought and landed him with our She was so excited she could not talk right, and the bass was really fighting hard. I filmed her and she could still not hardly talk right after landing him.
'Stowmaster' net, one handed. A very nice 16 incher, and fat. A little over 3 lbs. It was about 2:30 p.m. We finally had one in the boat. We started fishing again. Within five minutes I felt a slight bump. I bumped back. It bumped back and I instantly set the hook. Another nice 16" fat one. (All the bass are fat, so much food in a new lake). Valerie had filmed me with that one too. She now felt she was very un-lucky. A few minutes later, "I've got one" she exclaimed as she started reeling in. "Set the hook" I yelled excitedly for her and she gave a half hearted pull on the pole. "No, harder" I said, and another half hearted pull was made in the middle of reeling him in. She was so excited she could not talk right, and the bass was really fighting hard. I filmed her and she could still not talk right after landing him. I filmed her holding it up. She was beaming and oh so proud. Wow, an 18", 3.2 pounds. The biggest yet. Another two by me within the next half hour, another 14" and a 12", a non-keeper by this lakes standards, but officially legal to keep. We started to gather attention and people started to 'dance' with us. What color worms?, what depths? and on and on. We were now the pro's! Thank you Lord for answered prayer, not the way we had asked, by making the fish hit the way we were fishing, but by Your way, of having two professionals share their knowledge with novices, a game plan we had not asked for nor thought of. We were supposed to be off the lake at 5:30 p.m., but because we were so close to the launching area we just kept fishing. We figured the ramps were so full with people leaving, and the rangers were busy off herding up all of the anglers further out in the lake, that we could get away with fishing a little longer. So, the rangers did not get to us until almost 6:30, when no one else was left to herd in. Thanks you Lord again, we had gained half of our lost morning time of fishing back. By days end, we had landed 10 bass- two official limits. (Valerie had caught another 3.4 pounder, and I had caught another two, bringing the catch of the day to well over 30 pounds of bass. My last bass ended up the biggest, and weighed in at 3.8#, and was about 19 inches in length, and was very fat looking, like a miniature 'lunker'. Thank you Lord! Michael Seewald's Recipe for blackened Cajun catfish.