The Fishin’ Hole

Southern California has a vast array of streams running through its mountains which are stocked regularly with trout during the cooler months. Although we will be concerning ourselves mainly with these ‘stocked’ fish, many of these streams also contain ‘native’ trout which may be caught year round. In this article, we will be discussing the equipment and tackle needed to catch these sometimes elusive fish.

Before you can even begin, you will need a rod and reel (Although you could just as easily use something as simple as a stick with fishing line and a hook?). Ultra-light tackle is preferable, as it is smaller, lighter and more sensitive than its normal (or heavy duty) counter parts. Fishing line comes in many pound (lb.) test ratings, but 2 to 4 lbs. test is best for stream fishing as it is of a small diameter which makes it harder for the fishes to see underwater. This light line is also ok since most of the fish caught will be less than one pound. Many anglers find that a fly fishing rig works well too, but unless you have experience fly fishing it can be a daunting task on the small mountain streams.

The only other things we will need to begin are hooks, weights, and bait. For hooks, treble hooks in the 14 – 16 range work best for these smaller trout, and cheese baits stay on these best. There are also small salmon egg hooks if you chose to us salmon eggs as bait, but you can also just put 3 eggs on one hook and save from having 2 types of hooks. For weight, small lead ‘split-shot’ work best as you can add and remove them as needed. Split-shot come in many sizes, but it is sometimes easier to get the smaller and use what is needed than the larger and not be able to put the amount weight you want. Lastly we will need some sort of bait (although spinner bait and spoons can be used, bait is easier in these small streams). Bait can be commercially packaged salmon eggs, cheeses and other so called trout baits, but what I personally found to work best is plain old Velveeta cheese.  You may also want to try corn, worms, live bugs or dry flies– the choice is yours.

Now for the fishing part, almost - but if you are 16 years of age or older, you will need to purchase a fishing license for a small fee (this helps to pay for the fish we are trying to catch). All that is left now is to find one of the many streams that are stocked, find a good fishin’ hole and catch a few trout for dinner.

In the next part, we will cover some actual techniques for fishing the streams of the mountains of Southern California.

Jonathan Parker is the webmaster at www.nowyourfishing.com and has been both fishing and working online for many years. At NowYourFishing.com, you can find fishing tips, the free report “How to Plan and Budget the Fishing Trip of Your Dreams” and the eBook “Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Fishing”.

Do you possess a love of fishing? Here is a list of popular fish, both saltwater and fresh.

Freshwater:

1. Trout is a yummy fish. Apply the catch and release rule some of time. It is important to leave some of the trout behind since they are the top predator in their environment. The different varieties of trout is: rainbow, brown, brook and lake.

2. The most popular fish in the United States is the bass fish. Fishing for bass is a great experience. The American bass is part of the sunfish family. There are several varieties of bass and they are: largemouth, smallmouth and white.

3. I have to say that walleye is one of best tasting fish I have ever had. You can find them close to a drop-off and they stay in schools. Even though fishing for walleye can be tricky it can be done. The walleye’s cousin is perch.

4. If you want a potentially dangerous and tricky fish to catch then go after the pike. They tend to have sharp teeth and a bad attitude. Pike fish cannot be rushed and like to be in weedy shallows. They take their time in ambushing their prey. This fish is bony but also tasty. The pike is related to the muskellunge and pickerel.

5. The panfish can be easy and fun to catch. This is a very tasty fish to eat. Panfish will attach almost anything on a book because they are so small and always hungry. The different varieties of the panfish are: bluegill, white crappie, black crappie and sunfish.

Saltwater:

1. The bluefish can be caught pretty easily but keep in mind that they are strong fighters. If you’re looking for a good fight then this is the fish for you. If you eat the bluefish fresh it is absolutely delicious.

2. Another yummy fish to eat is the flounder. This is a fish that is also pretty easy to catch. As long as you have a fish-finding device and a little boar you should not have any trouble finding them. Another variety of the flounder is the fluke fish.

3. If you are a fisherman looking for a challenge then go after the striped bass. Keep in mind that the striped bass are picky about what they will attack and when they will do it. Using a bunker or herring as a bait fish might increase your changes of catching one. A fly-rod, plugs or spoons work well.

4. The redfish is also known as the red drum or channel bass and can be found from Houston to New Jersey. They tend to be fighters and prefer shallow water. If the fly does not land right in front of their noses they will probably completely ignore you.

5. An important commercial fish is the cod. This is a fish that can be caught during the cold months. Cod tend to be big so you will need a heavy line. These fish can weigh more than 30 pounds. Cod are quite delicious whether they are eaten fresh, dried or salted.

Hopefully the next time you are out fishing for the day you will be successful in getting at least one of these fish hooked on your line.

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