Originally Posted by
Matt_Magnone
when it all comes down to it i guess it is what it is. there's no really changing peoples minds. the purpose of this post wasn't to lean into the typical "once a year rant" but rather to put another perspective to think about when you sit back and look at your lake one day and see nearly every boat on the lake with their trolling motors on high, staring in the water without a rod in their hands. as long as the fish get put back healthy, in my mind, things are alright. it just doesnt sit well with me to hear guys come into the tackle shop telling me they killed it and are taking their 5, legal i know, bass home for a fish fry. again t is what it is and it's perfectly legal within the law.
ive mentioned this to the water district and metropolitan at a meeting in the past. i would love to see them bouy up two coves on the lake in the spawn. one in the north and one in the south. in doing so, i would assume a big portion of fish would be able to do their thing in peace. those anglers that would like to bed fish would still have plenty of water to do their thing as well.
a lot of people ask the question about why the lake isn't fishing the way it did in the past or why it "sucks". yes lakes cycle but its obvious that DVL gets hammered by all the right baits, all the right angles and on all the right spots. its simply angling pressure on a deep clear so cal reservoir. plenty can argue the fact that perris is a much smaller lake, fewer areas and gets hit by twice the amount of fisherman. of course perris is going to be a better fishery based solely on water clarity and available cover. fish are able to spawn with the possibility of never being hooked. look at el cap in san diego vs lake castaic in los angeles. both have a history of huge fish. when you look at them now. i can guarantee you that el cap is pumping 3x's the amount of giants out of it than castaic. both lakes get stocked and both lakes get hammered with angling pressure. besides the striped bass in castaic, the water clarity and cover has given these fish a chance.
im not saying dvl sucks because it 100% does not. fish are very healthy in this lake, they can be caught with regularity but we need to keep it this way and try to manage the resource. i appreciate everyones views in the post and like Dark Shadow, I too can see it from both sides.
im no environmentalist but just someone who cares about the fishery.