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DIAMOND VALLEY OPENER OCT 3 -- matthews-ONS 10sep03
Diamond Valley Lake is already a world class largemouth fishery
HEMET -- Diamond Valley Lake, set to open to the public on a limited basis starting Oct. 3, is already being touted as a world class largemouth fishery and maybe home to the new world record bass.
And for good reason.
Mike Giusti, the Department of Fish and Game biologist who's engineered and nurtured the fishery since the lake's inception, will tell you there are over 40,000 largemouth better than 12-inches long in the lake now. He suspects there's one fish that should be around 14 pounds. That was an eight-pound largemouth fish that was one of the original broodstock that was put into a rearing pond built in the bottom of the lake before it began filling. That was back in 1998.
That pond held 217 bass captured from Lake Hodges, including the eight-pounder, and Giusti figures there were about 5,000 offspring produced in the spring of 1999 from those original bass. It was later that year that rising water in Diamond Valley crested the top of the pond, freeing those original broodstock and their 5,000 young into sprawling and growing reservoir. With nearly an unlimited food supply, just three years later those 5,000 original Diamond Valley bass are all in the 4 1/2 to 5 1/2-pound range, growing to that size in a little over four years since they hatched, according to Giusti. The original Hodges fish, mostly from 2 1/2 to 4 pounds should all be seven to 10 pounders, and that eight-pounder could easily be 14 pounds or more.
Bass spawned last year are already 10 to 12 inches long and two-year old fish are 14 to 15 inches long and weigh over two pounds.
The bass have threadfin shad, silversides, sculpin, tule perch, along with green sunfish, bluegill, redear, and even rainbow trout to eat. The lake has been planted with 215,000 trout since the fall of 2000, and another 100,000-plus trout will be planted this winter-spring, part of an annual allotment. There are crawfish in the rocky rip rap of the dams (there are two of them at both ends of the Diamond and Domenigoni valleys) and aquatic insects are prolific. There's lots to eat.
Bass anglers just automatically assume the lake will produce a world record largemouth, a fish bigger than the 22-pound, four-ounce record that has stood since 1932.
"I'm not saying they'll be a world record fish, but if all the stars align, there could be one by the end of this decade," said Terry Foreman, a DFG senior biologist, Giusti's boss, and an avid bass angler.
"I just hope we see it," said Giusti. "That would be icing on the cake."
The pair has just returned from a final rod-and-reel, catch-and-release sampling on the lake Tuesday this week when asked about the potential for a world record. Foreman had caught a couple of bass in the four to five-pound class and a 9.1-pounder that whacked a big, purple swimbait a couple hundred yards from the outlet tower on the north side of the west dam. Everyone involved with the sampling that day caught and released at least one bass in the four-to-five-pound class.
When I slipped my big one, probably a four-plus, back into the lake, I wondered if it would be one that would grow up to be of world record proportions. After seeing Foreman's big bass, it was pretty easy to imagine.
DIAMOND VALLEY NOTES TROPHY TROUT ON TAP: Giusti said that deep-water trout trollers or bait anglers could get limits of fish off either dam or main lake points in 35 to 60 feet of water. "I bet there will be 20-pound five-fish limits caught opening day," said Giusti. While the bass get all the news, the rainbow trout fishery -- at least for now -- will be better than anything in Southern California, and maybe the Sierra, too. Anglers can expect rainbows topping five pounds.
BOAT ENGINE RESTRICTIONS: To maintain the cleanest water possible, only boats with either four-stroke engines or direct fuel-injection, two-stroke engines are allowed. Rules also allow engines that comply with the California Air Resources Control Board's 2001 or later model spark-ignition marine engine standard. Traditional carbureted or electronic fuel injected (EFI) two-stroke engines are prohibited, but EFI four-stroke engines are acceptable.
NO MTBE FUELS: Anglers who have boat reservations, and over 800 boats with engines have already have been OKed as meeting the requirements, are reminded that only MTBE-free fuels are allowed at the lake. Spot checks will be conducted and if MTBE levels rise in the lake because of non-compliance, the fishery could be shut down.
WATER CLARITY AND STRUCTURES: Giusti and his Metropolitan Water District and DFG assistants built literally thousands of structures for fish in the lake -- and, yes, he has GPS coordinates for everything. But the water is so clear that you'll be able to see many of them. Visibility at this time of year is 10 to 15 feet and it will be 25 to 30 feet in the winter and spring.
RESERVATIONS AVAILABLE: While all reservations are gone for opening weekend (Oct. 4-5), there are still spots available mid-week and for weekends later in the year. The toll-free reservation telephone line is 1-800-590-LAKE (5253). Telephone reservations can be made from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Reservations also can be made any time on-line at http://www.dvmarina.com. Reservations can be made from 72 hours to 60 days prior to the selected date of arrival. A maximum of four reservations can be made per call, and a maximum of two reservations can be made on-line.
Each day, reservations are available for 250 spaces for vehicles with boats, and 50 parking spaces each for vehicles whose occupants will be renting boats and for people who will be fishing from the shoreline. For a total of 350 parking space reservations.
Reservations can be made with a Visa, MasterCard or Discover charge card for a $5 fee. There is a $7 entrance fee per vehicle and a $6 boat launch fee. When they arrive at the lake, they will pay a $3 per person fishing access fee, whether they are fishing from a boat or the shore.
People also can reserve a bass boat or a pontoon boat when making a reservation. They will pay the entrance, reservation and fishing access fees, and will be required to pay a $100 deposit (credit card only) at the time of use. The bass boats all have electric trolling motors and bass seats. Rates are $92 for a half day, $117 for a full day. Pontoon boat rates are $117 for a half day, $152 for all day.
SHORE FISHING: While much of the lake has steep-sided shorelines, shore fishing will be allowed along 1 1/2 miles of rocky beach in the east end of the lake, adjacent to the launch ramp and accessible by foot along a service road.
FISHING REGULATIONS: There will not any special fishing regulations on the lake initially. For bass, the statewide five-fish, 12-inch minimum size regulations will apply. The trout limit will also be five fish. Giusti said he hopes the Fish and Game Commission will approve five-fish, 15-inch minimum size regulation for the largemouth and a catch-and-release regulation for the smallmouths. If they do, the rule would not go into affect until March 1, 2004.
Diamond Valley Lake is already a world class largemouth fishery
HEMET -- Diamond Valley Lake, set to open to the public on a limited basis starting Oct. 3, is already being touted as a world class largemouth fishery and maybe home to the new world record bass.
And for good reason.
Mike Giusti, the Department of Fish and Game biologist who's engineered and nurtured the fishery since the lake's inception, will tell you there are over 40,000 largemouth better than 12-inches long in the lake now. He suspects there's one fish that should be around 14 pounds. That was an eight-pound largemouth fish that was one of the original broodstock that was put into a rearing pond built in the bottom of the lake before it began filling. That was back in 1998.
That pond held 217 bass captured from Lake Hodges, including the eight-pounder, and Giusti figures there were about 5,000 offspring produced in the spring of 1999 from those original bass. It was later that year that rising water in Diamond Valley crested the top of the pond, freeing those original broodstock and their 5,000 young into sprawling and growing reservoir. With nearly an unlimited food supply, just three years later those 5,000 original Diamond Valley bass are all in the 4 1/2 to 5 1/2-pound range, growing to that size in a little over four years since they hatched, according to Giusti. The original Hodges fish, mostly from 2 1/2 to 4 pounds should all be seven to 10 pounders, and that eight-pounder could easily be 14 pounds or more.
Bass spawned last year are already 10 to 12 inches long and two-year old fish are 14 to 15 inches long and weigh over two pounds.
The bass have threadfin shad, silversides, sculpin, tule perch, along with green sunfish, bluegill, redear, and even rainbow trout to eat. The lake has been planted with 215,000 trout since the fall of 2000, and another 100,000-plus trout will be planted this winter-spring, part of an annual allotment. There are crawfish in the rocky rip rap of the dams (there are two of them at both ends of the Diamond and Domenigoni valleys) and aquatic insects are prolific. There's lots to eat.
Bass anglers just automatically assume the lake will produce a world record largemouth, a fish bigger than the 22-pound, four-ounce record that has stood since 1932.
"I'm not saying they'll be a world record fish, but if all the stars align, there could be one by the end of this decade," said Terry Foreman, a DFG senior biologist, Giusti's boss, and an avid bass angler.
"I just hope we see it," said Giusti. "That would be icing on the cake."
The pair has just returned from a final rod-and-reel, catch-and-release sampling on the lake Tuesday this week when asked about the potential for a world record. Foreman had caught a couple of bass in the four to five-pound class and a 9.1-pounder that whacked a big, purple swimbait a couple hundred yards from the outlet tower on the north side of the west dam. Everyone involved with the sampling that day caught and released at least one bass in the four-to-five-pound class.
When I slipped my big one, probably a four-plus, back into the lake, I wondered if it would be one that would grow up to be of world record proportions. After seeing Foreman's big bass, it was pretty easy to imagine.
DIAMOND VALLEY NOTES TROPHY TROUT ON TAP: Giusti said that deep-water trout trollers or bait anglers could get limits of fish off either dam or main lake points in 35 to 60 feet of water. "I bet there will be 20-pound five-fish limits caught opening day," said Giusti. While the bass get all the news, the rainbow trout fishery -- at least for now -- will be better than anything in Southern California, and maybe the Sierra, too. Anglers can expect rainbows topping five pounds.
BOAT ENGINE RESTRICTIONS: To maintain the cleanest water possible, only boats with either four-stroke engines or direct fuel-injection, two-stroke engines are allowed. Rules also allow engines that comply with the California Air Resources Control Board's 2001 or later model spark-ignition marine engine standard. Traditional carbureted or electronic fuel injected (EFI) two-stroke engines are prohibited, but EFI four-stroke engines are acceptable.
NO MTBE FUELS: Anglers who have boat reservations, and over 800 boats with engines have already have been OKed as meeting the requirements, are reminded that only MTBE-free fuels are allowed at the lake. Spot checks will be conducted and if MTBE levels rise in the lake because of non-compliance, the fishery could be shut down.
WATER CLARITY AND STRUCTURES: Giusti and his Metropolitan Water District and DFG assistants built literally thousands of structures for fish in the lake -- and, yes, he has GPS coordinates for everything. But the water is so clear that you'll be able to see many of them. Visibility at this time of year is 10 to 15 feet and it will be 25 to 30 feet in the winter and spring.
RESERVATIONS AVAILABLE: While all reservations are gone for opening weekend (Oct. 4-5), there are still spots available mid-week and for weekends later in the year. The toll-free reservation telephone line is 1-800-590-LAKE (5253). Telephone reservations can be made from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Reservations also can be made any time on-line at http://www.dvmarina.com. Reservations can be made from 72 hours to 60 days prior to the selected date of arrival. A maximum of four reservations can be made per call, and a maximum of two reservations can be made on-line.
Each day, reservations are available for 250 spaces for vehicles with boats, and 50 parking spaces each for vehicles whose occupants will be renting boats and for people who will be fishing from the shoreline. For a total of 350 parking space reservations.
Reservations can be made with a Visa, MasterCard or Discover charge card for a $5 fee. There is a $7 entrance fee per vehicle and a $6 boat launch fee. When they arrive at the lake, they will pay a $3 per person fishing access fee, whether they are fishing from a boat or the shore.
People also can reserve a bass boat or a pontoon boat when making a reservation. They will pay the entrance, reservation and fishing access fees, and will be required to pay a $100 deposit (credit card only) at the time of use. The bass boats all have electric trolling motors and bass seats. Rates are $92 for a half day, $117 for a full day. Pontoon boat rates are $117 for a half day, $152 for all day.
SHORE FISHING: While much of the lake has steep-sided shorelines, shore fishing will be allowed along 1 1/2 miles of rocky beach in the east end of the lake, adjacent to the launch ramp and accessible by foot along a service road.
FISHING REGULATIONS: There will not any special fishing regulations on the lake initially. For bass, the statewide five-fish, 12-inch minimum size regulations will apply. The trout limit will also be five fish. Giusti said he hopes the Fish and Game Commission will approve five-fish, 15-inch minimum size regulation for the largemouth and a catch-and-release regulation for the smallmouths. If they do, the rule would not go into affect until March 1, 2004.
