Spent last evening with Ben Ewing and crew of the DFG (including volunteers) to help with the spring electro survey of Lake Elsinore. After a breezy sundowner, the lake laid down nicely and we were able to hit a variety of sectors–including the south end where I’ve been whacking them pretty good.
Conclusion? My fish must just use that area in the mornings because there were a lot of carp on the dike, plus a mix of catfish and bluegill, but only a very few bass.
But I also was reminded, no matter how many casts you make and how many $18 crankbaits you own, nothing fishes quite like a gazillion volts. If the fish are there, you get ‘em. If they are not, you see nothing.
I can’t say I learned any new areas, but the good news is the bass were in many more locations than my previous surveys with the DFG. And, despite the fact we as anglers tend to shy away from places where we see carp, in several spots last night the two species were occupying the exact same trees or shoreline brush.
Obviously, we hope the city will be able to harvest even more carp this summer, but seining must be working. We used to see many more small ones–now the size is up–and probably there is less of their spawn survival–and the bass and other predators keep them in check. (That’s a layman’s guess–so don’t call Sacramento).
As for the size of the bass, there was kind of a mix. I saw one that looked like it went four pounds, but most were 2 to 2 1/2 pounds, with the smallest just under 12 inches. But when you have that heavy net in your hands and you’re reaching for struggling white shapes in the water, you don’t see much of what the other netter is doing.
In a few hours, though, I’ll be back on the water, this time with rod and reel. I’ll report back this afternoon.