Them fish are a'stockin'

Back in the good old days, a person would take his (I'm being sexist here) fishing pole out to the water and just see what would happen.

Nowadays, you have the Outdoor News Service to assist you. Here are relevant portions of their weekly fishing report for October 23:

FISHING REPORT

Compiled by Cyndi Gollaz and Jim Matthews

Outdoor News Service

The fish report is weekly. Its accuracy depends on marina operators, tackle shops and local fishermen we contact. Anglers catching large fish should send the information to Outdoor News Service, P.O. Box 9007, San Bernardino, CA 92427, or telephone 909-887-3444, so it can be included in this report. Faxes can be sent to 909-887-8180. E-mail messages or fishing reports can also be posted to Jim Matthews at odwriter@charter.net and/or Cyndi Gollaz at cagurrola@charter.net....

CUCAMONGA-GUASTI: Fair catfish bite on mackerel or nightcrawlers. Trout season to [begin] in early November. Information: 909-481-4205.

PRADO: Catfish bite fair with some limits reported. Top baits have been nightcrawlers, mackerel, and shrimp. Also a fair bite on bass and bluegill. Trout plants begin in early November. Information: 909-597-4260.

YUCAIPA: Fair catfish action on anchovies, nightcrawlers, meal worms, or anything dipped in Sonny's stink bait. Action is best in the afternoons. The daytime bite is sluggish. No more channel catfish plants will go in this year. Good bluegill action on wax or meal worms. Mostly quarter- to half-pounders on stringers, fish to one pound are rare. Fair bite for carp and a few bass also showing on plastic worms. Trout plants will begin next month. Lake information: 909-790-3127.

GLEN HELEN: Fair catfish fishing on mackerel, shrimp, Hog Wild or anything dipped in Sonny's. Trout plants should start in early November. Information: 909-887-7540.

MOUNT BALDY TROUT POOLS: The heavily stocked pools are open every Saturday and Sunday. No fishing license is needed. Information: 909-982-4246.

SECCOMBE LAKE: No recent plants. Information: 909-384-5233.

DIAMOND VALLEY: Launch ramp remains closed due to low water levels. Shoreline access has been expanded and rental boats will remain available. Bass anglers are struggling, but have found periods of fair action, especially near the marina and east dam on swimbaits, LA Sliders, and shad. The trout bite is slow, but a few trollers are pulling out fish from 40 to 50 feet on Needlefish or nightcrawlers. Striper boils have been spotted with a few fish reported off the north shore points on floating swimbaits or large topwater lures. Bluegill action is fair to good, and the fish are easy to come by on live worms or mini jigs along the dam. Lake information: 800-590-LAKE, marina 951-926-7201, Last Chance Bait & Tackle 951-658-7410 or www.dvmarina.com.

PERRIS: The bass bite is dominating with good to excellent action on plastic worms, crawdads or spinnerbaits. The dam remains the hot area for the bass. Bass over five pounds are common, and this week a 7-8 was caught by Mike Espinoza, Corona, on nightcrawlers. The bluegill action is good with fish reported all over on crickets or wax worms. Dock fishing is allowed for a $3 fee during store hours only. Information: marina 951-657-2179, state park 951-940-5600.

SKINNER: Catfish action good to excellent and still the top producing species. The best bite remains off Ramp No. 2 and off the east end on mackerel. Top cat was a 4-3 caught by Dan Burton, Menifee, on mackerel from the inlet. Largemouth bass bite good for anglers fishing the east end and south shore on worms and dark-colored plastics. The striper bite is just fair with a lot of action reported off Ramp No. 2 on small swimbaits, anchovies, or frozen shad. Steve Hofman, Riverside, caught two stripers totaling eight pounds. Top fish was a 4-5 on anchovies. Bluegill action good for anglers using nightcrawlers or worms off the east end. Josh Reynolds, Fallbrook, caught a 1-5 bluegill. Information: store 951-926-1505 or marina 951-926-8515.

ELSINORE: Crappie bite fair in deeper water on nightcrawlers and small jigs. Bluegill still biting, although the bite is only fair, with moments of good action. Crickets and meal worms are the top producers for the ëgills. Wiper (striper-hybrid) action fair, but slower than usual lately. Carp fair to good off the east end on dough balls. Catfish and bass are hit and miss. Information: Catfishing R Us at 877-685-7752.

CORONA LAKE: The trout bite took off after Nebraska Tailwakers were planted early Wednesday morning this week, but the catfish bite has been top billing for a month and some real quality fish were posted this week. Top catfish 38 1/2-pounder landed by Fred Broughton, Los Angeles, while shrimp from a boat, while fishing buddy Hyden Toney, also Los Angeles, caught a 28-pounder on Saturday. The pair also fished the lake last Wednesday and landed cats at 15 1/2 and 14 1/2 pounds, but with Toney landing the bigger fish that trip. Other big fish included a 10-pound channel landed by Donald Marshall, Fontana, and a nine-pounder that topped off a five-fish, 16 1/2-pound stringer caught by Oliver Valdez, Corona. Dave Berry, Elsinore, had a 15-fish, 36-pound catch that included a 6 1/2-pounder. Leroy Chacon, Fontana, landed 15-fish stringer that weighed in at 33-pounds. Some of the first Nebraska rainbows reported were posted by two anglers tossing flies. Dick Ponce and Fred Hernandez, both of Perris, had three-fish catches that weighed 13 1/2 and 12 1/2 pounds respectively. Ponce's big fish was a four-pounder. Garrett and Alan Verhagea, Wildomar, had four rainbows that weighed 10 1/2 pounds total, including one at 3 1/2 pounds. Trout are now being planted each week, and the plants will alternate between the Nebraska Tailwalkers and the Mt. Lassen Trout Farms rainbows. Fishing prices have jumped from $20 to $22 for regular passes. Senior passes have gone from $18 to $20, with a special $17 pass sold on Wednesdays. All of these passes have a five-fish limit. For kids 4 to 13, a three-fish pass is just $9. The once-monthly 24-hour passes remain just $60. Information: 951-277-4489 or www.fishinglakes.com.

EVANS LAKE: Catfish action fair with the most action reported on mackerel and nightcrawlers. Still some slow to fair bass action on plastics and crankbaits, and fair action on small bluegill action around the shorelines.

RANCHO JURUPA: Catfish remain the name of the game here. Anglers are catching a fair number of fish to four pounds with an occasional bigger fish. No more catfish plants this season, but trout plants are slated to begin the first week of November. Upcoming events: Trout tournament scheduled for January 24. Information: 951-684-7032.

FISHERMAN'S RETREAT: Fair to good catfish bite from both lakes, with times of better action in the evenings through dusk. Top baits are shrimp, mackerel or DuMongæ#045;s. Information: 909-795-2411....

REFLECTION LAKE: Fair to good catfish action on nightcrawlers or shrimp. No more catfish plants will go in, but trout plants will begin in late October or early November, so expect better action soon. The lake's hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Information: 951-654-7906 or www.reflectionlakerv.com.

JEAN'S CHANNEL CATS: Catfish bite good to excellent. Mornings to about 11:30 a.m. is when the bite is best, and then things pick back up from 2 p.m. until sunset off the island. Mackerel, shrimp and stink baits are producing the most. Trout plants will begin on Halloween. The lake is open Wednesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Monday holidays. Information: 951-679-6562 or 951-259-2021.

Two odd words can be found in this description - "plant" (a synonym for "stock") and "Sonny's." Basically, what happens is that they throw a lot of fish in a pond, and then get some stinky stuff to help you catch the fish.