STILL THE PLACE TO BE GOOD WEATHER MAKES BIG BEAR LAKE FISHABLE EVEN THIS LATE IN THE YEAR.Byline: Keith Lair Staff Writer BIG BEAR LAKE - The unusual year of fishing continues. Because of an early abundance of rain, snow and runoff Runoff The procedure of printing the end-of-day prices for every stock on an exchange onto ticker tape. Notes: If the "tape is late" then it can take a long time to print off all the closing prices. , Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains San Bernardino Mountains, part of the Coast Range, S Calif., extending c.60 mi (100 km) NW and SE through San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Notable peaks are San Bernardino Mt. (10,630 ft/3,240 m) and Mt. San Gorgonio (11,485 ft/3,501 m). has had an odd season. As November nears its end, it is sunny, windy and warm on the lake. The little snow that had fallen last month has quickly melted away. The lake is still very fishable. Heck, the Department of Fish and Game plans to stock the lake with rainbow trout rainbow trout Species (Oncorhynchus mykiss) of fish in the salmon family (Salmonidae) noted for spectacular leaps and hard fighting when hooked. It has been introduced from western North America to many other countries. this week. That means 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, anglers can still successfully fish the two-mile long, 70-foot-deep lake, which has 23 miles of shoreline. ``Last year, we had a lot of snow in October, and we were out of the water,'' fishing guide John Cantrell said. ``This year, I'll be fishing through November. Maybe even into December.'' Cantrell offers one of the top guiding services on the lake. He operates out of the Big Bear Marina. His boat can handle six or more anglers per outing. ``This is not about fishing,'' Cantrell says of his service. ``This is about family.'' Cantrell caters to families who do not worry about the logistics of fishing. He provides a boat, with cover and comfortable seating, rods and bait and snacks and drinks. Essentially, anglers just need to show up with a fishing license and their children. ``Basically, I see this as a family outing,'' he said. ``And when the kids catch fish, the father, he's a hero.'' Cantrell moved to Big Bear from Claremont seven years ago to get away from the metropolis. He began fishing for fun, then assisted another Big Bear Lake guide, finally branching out on his own. He said he has spent more than 400 hours on the lake this year. When the fishing's slow, and even when it's not slow, the trip includes a Big Bear-themed song recorded by Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989) was a prolific American voice actor. Although he began his nearly six decade long career performing in radio and television commercials, Blanc is best known for his work with Warner Bros. in his ``Bugs Bunny & Friends'' voices. There also are corny corn·y adj. corn·i·er, corn·i·est Trite, dated, melodramatic, or mawkishly sentimental. [From corn1. jokes, stories and tall tales; perfect for the preteen pre·teen adj. 1. Relating to or designed for children especially between the ages of 10 and 12. 2. Being a child especially between the ages of 10 and 12; preadolescent. n. A preteen boy or girl. in the family. He'll point out famous spots along the lake and talk about the famous people who visit Big Bear or the movies that have been made on and around the lake. But it's about fishing, too. Cantrell cannot guarantee you'll catch fish, but he'll come close. He primarily targets trout, but he changes gears, too, fishing also for bass, crappie crappie: see sunfish. crappie Either of two deep-bodied freshwater North American fish species (family Centrarchidae) that are popular as food and prized by sport fishermen. Native to the eastern U.S. and catfish catfish, common name applied to members of the freshwater fish families constituting the suborder Nematognathi. The catfish is related to the sucker and the minnow, and like them has a complex set of bones forming a sensitive hearing apparatus. . ``I'm out here a lot,'' he said. ``There's a good chance you'll catch fish.'' An unlikely recent October day was a perfect example. There was a full moon, a weather front had blown through and it was extremely windy. Not very good conditions for catching fish. Yet, former Chuck Cardoman, who was visiting from Tracy, caught four rainbow trout in three hours of fishing. Cantrell trolled the middle of the lake with leadcore and plastics. Anglers can rent a boat at the marina and fish on their own, but Cantrell contends that his fees are only slightly more expensive than the boat rental charges. Plus, he provides the gear and expertise. Cantrell will put his boat in storage when the snow finally comes and plans to be on the lake just as much in 2006. Keith Lair, (626) 962-8811, ext. 2272 keith.lair(at)sgvn.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Chuck Cardoman of Tracy shows off a rainbow trout he caught at Big Bear Lake on a recent fishing trip. Keith Lair/San Gabriel Valley Tribune |
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