FISHING: DIAMOND VALLEY IN THE ROUGH NEW LAKE NEAR HEMET A REAL EDUCATION FOR ANGLERS IN GRAND OPENING THIS MONTH.Byline: Keith Lair Staff Writer HEMET - For once, Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, bass and trout anglers had their own challenge. The long-anticipated sold-out opening of Diamond Valley Lake Built in the saddle of two mountains, Diamond Valley Lake-- Southern California’s newest and largest reservoir-- is a vital link in the regional system that’s brought water to Southern California for the past 60 years. on the outskirts of Hemet in Riverside County was one large learning curve. ``He's had his baby today,'' Department of Fish and Game biologist Terry Foreman said of fellow biologist Mike Giusti, who worked closely with the Metropolitan Water District in providing the fishery. Two-hundred-fifty pre-inspected boats - bass, cabin cruisers, runarounds, one sailboat and one kayak - took to the 4 1/2-mile-long, 2-mile- wide lake Oct. 3, the first Southern California lake grand opening in about 30 years. The MWD MWD Metropolitan Water District of Southern California MWD Measurement While Drilling (oil drilling) MWD Morgan Stanley Dean Witter (stock symbol) MWD Molecular Weight Distribution MWD Military Working Dog sold 783 fishing tickets on that Friday and about 1,500 for the weekend. Anglers from as far away as Florida took part in the opener. In only a few spots did the lake look crowded. The lake is heavy on largemouth bass largemouth bass see micropterus salmoides. , but it also has smallmouth, trout, catfish, redear and bluegill bluegill: see sunfish. bluegill Popular game fish (Lepomis macrochirus) and one of the best-known sunfishes throughout its original range, the freshwater habitats of the central and southern U.S. It has been introduced throughout the western U.S. . One angler, Dave Morgan Dave Morgan (born August 7, 1944 in Cranmore, Somerset[1]) is a British former racing driver from England. He participated in one Formula One World Championship grand prix, the 1975 British Grand Prix in which, like several others, he crashed during a storm in the of Hemet, landed two fish just off the dock ramps while waiting for his buddies to park the truck. Another, Guy Robson of Ramona, caught and released about 30 bass in less than an hour. Others were skunked. Baldwin Park's Tom Stone wanted to be the first on the lake's learning curve. The member of the Covina-based Challengers Angling Club and his longtime pal, Maurice Camp of Murietta, were first in line at the lake at 6:30 p.m., 12 hours before it opened. ``We've been waiting for three years for this,'' said Stone, 72. ``We haven't caught a lot of fish, but it's been a lot of fun.'' By 4:30 a.m., that line was a mile long and Stone and Camp had four tickets to an Alabama concert and movie tickets, courtesy of an Inland Empire radio station. Their boat was finally on the water by 6:30 a.m. The two spent the night in Stone's camper and landed a few bass from Camp's boat before deciding to try their hand at trolling (1) Surfing, or browsing, the Web. (2) Posting derogatory messages about sensitive subjects on newsgroups and chat rooms to bait users into responding. (3) Hanging around in a chat room without saying anything, like a "peeping tom." for trout. ``I guess we have something a little extra to show for being first,'' Camp, 58, said of the concert and movie tickets. Giusti and Foreman cruised the lake, offering advice and taking compliments and barbs barbs the primary, delicate filaments that are given off the shaft of a bird's contour feather. They project from the rachis and bear the barbules. from anglers - ``Thanks, Mike,'' and ``Where are all the fish you guys said are in here?'' were frequent comments. Giusti told anglers about hot fishing points and suggested plastics in purple, watermelon watermelon, plant (Citrullus vulgaris) of the family Curcurbitaceae (gourd family) native to Africa and introduced to America by Africans transported as slaves. Watermelons are now extensively cultivated in the United States and are popular also in S Russia. and bloodworm bloodworm, name for the larva of the midge and for a red-blooded marine polychaete worm. colors. The bass were about 30 feet down and anglers needed to cast downhill. Trout were in waters at least 60 feet, or eight leadcore colors, down. ``We really don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. much about them,'' Giusti admits. ``We really haven't targeted them.'' The MWD expects the lake to have permanent recreational use as long as the water quality remains at a high level for consumption. To keep it that way, only engines that meet current CARB standards can be used with non-MTBE gasoline. Swimming, personal watercraft, waterskiing, float tubes and sit-up kayaks are not allowed. Neither is smoking or alcohol consumption. ``There is only one grand opening,'' the DFG's Giusti said. ``For most people, this will be the only grand opening of a lake in their life's span. That's why there is a buzz. That's why this is so different.'' Most bass landed seemed to be in the 3- to 4-pound range, a size Giusti calls, ``Diamond Valley dinkers.'' The bass grew quickly, he said, because of the abundance of silversides silversides, common name for small shore fishes, belonging to the family Antherinidae, abundant in the warmer waters of the Atlantic and Pacific, and named for the silvery stripe on either side of the body. in the lake when the MWD began its massive water release; enough water to keep Southern California wet in its driest times for six months. ``I didn't sleep that well last night,'' Giusti said. Neither did most of the anglers in that line. And that included shore anglers, too. The prime spots were a good hike on a dirt road, followed by a hike down to the water's edge. Since the rental boats were gone, it was perfect for Downey's Mike Hanks and Jesus Mendoza. Even though they were restricted to about 1 1/2 miles of fishing ground around the boat ramp, they caught several 2- to 4-pound bass. ``It's the outdoors, we like to hike,'' Hanks said. They said they usually rent a boat for half a day and then fish from the shoreline for the remainder of the day, so a full day of shore fishing wasn't too bad. ``We're definitely coming back,'' Hanks said. ``Especially in the spring when (the bass) will be spawning.'' Mendoza said neophyte ne·o·phyte n. 1. A recent convert to a belief; a proselyte. 2. A beginner or novice: a neophyte at politics. 3. a. Roman Catholic Church A newly ordained priest. anglers were having just as much luck. ``I think they were surprised,'' he said. ``We think people have been satisfied,'' the MWD's Bob Muir said. Anglers can only fish the lake with reservations. Keith Lair, (626) 962-8811 keith.lair(at)sgvn.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Anglers from as far away as Florida took part in the opening of Diamond Valley Lake, the first Southern California lake debut in about 30 years. Associated Press (2) The Diamond Valley Lake features largemouth bass, smallmouth trout, catfish redear and bluegil. Reed Saxon/Associated Press |
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