San Diego/Inland Empire Bass Fishing Locations

[WRB]

Simple rule is 1/3 rd the line pound test, excluding braid. 15 lb test mono use 5 lbs, 12 lb line use 4 lbs of drag force. 

We catch Off shore big game fish like very fast strong tuna and Marlin that weigh 10X the line lb test.

2 LMB at 17.4 lbs and LMB weighing  17.6 lb,  18.6 lb and 19.3 lb all caught on 10 to 12 lb mono line fishing jigs should be all you need to know. Fish are not dead weight, they swim and fight tiring out against the constant reel drag force and rod lifting power. The only way a bass can break your line is you put too much force on it and usually happens trying unsuccessfully to control the fish without having the skill needed or the fish gets into something that breaks the line or teeth to cut the line.

Tom

[RB 77]

59 minutes ago, Jonas Staggs said:

i understand the concept of using thinner line, whats throwing me off is how you land a fish heavier than your line.

 

Like mentioned already, its all about having the drag set correctly and using the rod to correctly fight the fish. A smooth, correctly set drag is a must, usually 1/4 to 1/3 the breaking strength of the pound test. The lighter the line, the more I lean towards the lighter setting. Using the rod to help move and guide the fish away from potential structure and cover and into open water is crucial.

[Jonas Staggs]

26 minutes ago, WRB said:

Simple rule is 1/3 rd the line pound test, excluding braid. 15 lb test mono use 5 lbs, 12 lb line use 4 lbs of drag force. 

We catch Off shore big game fish like very fast strong tuna and Marlin that weigh 10X the line lb test.

2 LMB at 17.4 lbs and LMB weighing  17.6 lb,  18.6 lb and 19.3 lb all caught on 10 to 12 lb mono line fishing jigs should be all you need to know. Fish are not dead weight, they swim and fight tiring out against the constant reel drag force and rod lifting power. The only way a bass can break your line is you put too much force on it and usually happens trying unsuccessfully to control the fish without having the skill needed or the fish gets into something that breaks the line or teeth to cut the line.

Tom

 

so my rods now are setup with 10# flouro but everyone is suggesting to go lighter. 

[WRB]

3 minutes ago, Jonas Staggs said:

 

so my rods now are setup with 10# flouro but everyone is suggesting to go lighter. 

Spinning or casting?

I use lb FC for both jigs to 1/2 oz  and 3/16-1/4 oz bullet weight T-rigged soft plastic worms 6" to 9" on bait casting tackle. Spinning 8 lb is max, prefer 7 lb FC or 5 lb Maxium UG line depending on the presentation. Spinning to me is a finesse outfit suited for lighter line and lures like drop shot or slip shot using 4 1/2" to 6" worms.

Sounding like a broken record.

Tom

 

[MN Fisher]

13 minutes ago, Jonas Staggs said:

 

so my rods now are setup with 10# flouro but everyone is suggesting to go lighter. 

I have 10# Yo-Zuri Hybrid on my Trion which I mainly use for crank/jerk baits. But I have been known to put 3/8 and under T-Rigs and Jigs on that as well so long as I stay out of the heavy slop. I think it's a pretty good, all-around strength for a variety of techniques. There are some techniques you'd want to go lighter or heavier with the line, but 10# will do quite a few things.

[Jonas Staggs]

38 minutes ago, WRB said:

Spinning or casting?

I use lb FC for both jigs to 1/2 oz  and 3/16-1/4 oz bullet weight T-rigged soft plastic worms 6" to 9" on bait casting tackle. Spinning 8 lb is max, prefer 7 lb FC or 5 lb Maxium UG line depending on the presentation. Spinning to me is a finesse outfit suited for lighter line and lures like drop shot or slip shot using 4 1/2" to 6" worms.

Sounding like a broken record.

Tom

 

 

I see, was thinking of switching to 5# for my smaller rod setup. 

31 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

I have 10# Yo-Zuri Hybrid on my Trion which I mainly use for crank/jerk baits. But I have been known to put 3/8 and under T-Rigs and Jigs on that as well so long as I stay out of the heavy slop. I think it's a pretty good, all-around strength for a variety of techniques. There are some techniques you'd want to go lighter or heavier with the line, but 10# will do quite a few things.

Thanks yeah I was thinking of dropping my bigger rod down to about 8# flouro, should still sort of serve as all purpose I would figure. 

 

 

 

 

thanks for the advice guys.

[WRB]

Caution; Yo-Zuri Hybrid is one of the largest diameter per lb test line on the market. Bass are not line shy fish but they can be extremely picky how a lure (or live bait) moves or doesn't move because of line diameters. 

Example 6 lb Yo-Zuri Hybrid is .010D or equal to 10 lb Seaguar or Sunline FC.

Tom

[skekoam]

On 10/19/2019 at 5:07 PM, Jonas Staggs said:

Hit lake perris today, rented a boat for the full day, didnt catch a thing, place is way over fished and over crowded, I thought getting a boat might change things cause fishing from the shore has always sucked there too. Staff told me they recently lowered the water level and fishing has been crappy since. Also worth mentioning the employee by the name of Justin at the boat rental was a really rude.  Anyways kind of frustrated as at this point, all the legal places to fish suck and are way overcrowded and over fished. Irvine Lake sucks too and I am not in a hurry to go back. 

 

I am willing to drive, Ill be shore fishing until i get my own boat, can you guys make some suggestions of any other lakes to fish that are worth going too?

I've been reading a lot of recent posts about guys killing it at Lake Perris off the bank.  One guy saying he caught 30 or so LMB.  Like anywhere else, location is key but the fish are definitely there.  I want to go try my luck one day soon.

[JustJames]

@skekoam

Fish at this ramp evening to sunset.

[Jonas Staggs]

2 hours ago, skekoam said:

I've been reading a lot of recent posts about guys killing it at Lake Perris off the bank.  One guy saying he caught 30 or so LMB.  Like anywhere else, location is key but the fish are definitely there.  I want to go try my luck one day soon.

I used to live in Perris, I have caught fish there, but not a big fan of the place. The water level used to be much lower and years ago you could enter through bernasconi road for free, park at the gate and walk in to the abandoned side of the park. In 2018 I think it was they raised the water levels and i guess the fishing got better, however they have dropped the water levels again. They are still higher than what they used to be. The place is heavily fished, the area circled in the map, if you go on a saturday, there will be so many guys out there in kayaks it looks like surfers at the beach. Aside from that location, there is just a ton of people fishing everywhere, both from shore and boats. Theres fish in the lake sure, theres also a ton of fishermen, a ton of boaters, and just a ton of traffic. Theres so much action on the water I think the fish are probably hiding most of the day, might be more active at night when things quiet down and everyone leaves. But yeah you can pull up to a bunch of submerged trees that 5 guys just hit right before you and 5 will hit right after you. Anyways, I have fished there a handful of times, didnt enjoy it, and not in a rush to go back, but give it a shot and see what you think. 

 

At any location some days are better than others, at my newest favorite place, I caught 7 LMB in one day, the last two times I have been there, I have been skunked. 7-0-0........gotta be at the right place at the right time

[skekoam]

2 minutes ago, Jonas Staggs said:

I used to live in Perris, I have caught fish there, but not a big fan of the place. The water level used to be much lower and years ago you could enter through bernasconi road for free, park at the gate and walk in to the abandoned side of the park. In 2018 I think it was they raised the water levels and i guess the fishing got better, however they have dropped the water levels again. They are still higher than what they used to be. The place is heavily fished, the area circled in the map, if you go on a saturday, there will be so many guys out there in kayaks it looks like surfers at the beach. Aside from that location, there is just a ton of people fishing everywhere, both from shore and boats. Theres fish in the lake sure, theres also a ton of fishermen, a ton of boaters, and just a ton of traffic. Theres so much action on the water I think the fish are probably hiding most of the day, might be more active at night when things quiet down and everyone leaves. But yeah you can pull up to a bunch of submerged trees that 5 guys just hit right before you and 5 will hit right after you. Anyways, I have fished there a handful of times, didnt enjoy it, and not in a rush to go back, but give it a shot and see what you think. 

 

At any location some days are better than others, at my newest favorite place, I caught 7 LMB in one day, the last two times I have been there, I have been skunked. 7-0-0........gotta be at the right place at the right time

Yikes.  sounds dreadful.  Thanks for the heads up.  If I do go, I plan on a weekday for sure.  Hopefully its a lot less busy out there.

[Jonas Staggs]

5 hours ago, skekoam said:

Yikes.  sounds dreadful.  Thanks for the heads up.  If I do go, I plan on a weekday for sure.  Hopefully its a lot less busy out there.

dont let me deter you from going, i have caught fish there, during the week is probably a lot better. The only thing I have ever caught bass there on is crickets. 

[TnRiver46]

On 10/31/2019 at 12:55 PM, Jonas Staggs said:

 

 

thanks for the informative post my friend, you answered many questions as well as some I wanted to ask. specifically, landing larger fish the the pound test line your using. I was not grasping the science behind how the line doesnt instantly snap. The only thing I can think of would be drag and the flex of the pole reducing the load limit, however I didnt think those 2 things would reduce it that much. 

I caught this fish with 10 or 12 lb cheap mono. The bent rod takes a lot of the force off the line, much like the leaf spring on a truck takes the pressure off the axle. Also objects in water are way lighter than they are out of the water. And then there's drag..... 

[Jonas Staggs]

On 11/18/2019 at 10:47 AM, TnRiver46 said:

I caught this fish with 10 or 12 lb cheap mono. The bent rod takes a lot of the force off the line, much like the leaf spring on a truck takes the pressure off the axle. Also objects in water are way lighter than they are out of the water. And then there's drag..... 

 

 

nice, how many pounds is that fish?

[TnRiver46]

3 hours ago, Jonas Staggs said:

 

 

nice, how many pounds is that fish?

Not exactly sure, people that would know said 30-35

[Oregon Native]

18 hours ago, Jonas Staggs said:

 

 

nice, how many pounds is that fish?

Well done....by looking at the tree's it's a good ....no....great time of year for those line-sides.

[TnRiver46]

On 12/4/2019 at 7:34 AM, Oregon Native said:

Well done....by looking at the tree's it's a good ....no....great time of year for those line-sides.

Got that one april 4 but they are going bananas right now too! 

[Oregon Native]

17 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Got that one april 4 but they are going bananas right now too! 

I don't see them on my little lake much anymore....guess they quit planting them and the muskie I heard....sadness....