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View Full Version : Perris Lake 10/14 Jetski Ramp Redear Expedition



Natural Lefty
10-15-2011, 02:01 PM
This message board already has a boat fishing report and a float tube fishing report from Perris yesterday, so here is a shorefishing one.

Yesterday I realized I wouldn't have another chance to go fishing until next Friday, so all those tests waiting to be scored would just have to keep waiting.

I decided to try fishing toward the east end around the jetski ramp, where I hardly ever fish, but I wanted to try because I had the impression that more of the good size Redears and other panfish are around there. I also sprung for a box of "Trout Worms" and a box of baby nightcrawlers at Wal-Mart on the way there.

I got there before 4 p.m., but when I tried to start fishing, noticed a big tangle in the reel of my "lucky" 6 pound test pole. It took me awhile to cut the line and make everything ready for fishing, so I cast my line into the water at about 4 p.m. I chose a spot just to the left of the jetski ramp. I put a rattle bobber and a microjig on my other pole with lighter line. At first nothing bit, so I put a worm on the microjig, and started getting light bites which I kept missing. They would only bite if I cast out far, like 70 feet, straight out from the ramp. The fish might be farther out there because the slope is pretty gradual there so the water is rather shallow. I noticed that the water was all the way below the ramp, and people had set up various rocks on the ramp, so apparently it was non-operational. Meanwhile, I saw a bass fisherman on the other side of the ramp catch a small bass dropshotting with a plastic. At one point, a ranger did drive down the ramp and watch us for a couple of minutes, which made me sort of nervous, but then he left. I figured it was okay to fish from the ramp then, so I moved my stuff over to the left side of the ramp where more fish seemed to be biting.

After awhile, I made a sort of poor cast with my paternoster rig with worms on 2 hooks, and it only went about as far as my rattle bobber went, but I thought since I was getting nibbles around there, I might as well leave it. When I went to try fishing with my other pole over by the reeds to the left, my "lucky" pole with the paternoster rig suddenly hit the ground with a loud thud, and headed toward the water. I did the 50 foot pole dash and picked up the pole as the reel was lying on the rocks. If that had been in the marina, the pole probably would have fallen into the water. The line looked limp so I was afraid the fish had gotten off, but lo and behold, it must have just been taking a break, since there was a pretty good puller on the line once I tightened it up. It turned out to be a good size Redear, making my trip already a success.

A while later, I caught another Redear by casting out farther toward the middle of the jetski ramp. It was strange because there was no visible bite. I just picked up the rod to creep the bait toward shore a bit, hoping to attact a fish, but when I tried to move the bait, it felt way too heavy to be just bait, so I set the hook. It was a bit smaller than the first Redear, but still nice size. Almost every fish I caught yesterday was a strange one in one way or another. The third fish was a decent size Bluegill that bit no more than a second or so after my bait hit the water, even with the 1/2 ounce weight on. The one after that was another decent Bluegill on the paternoster rig, which crossed my other line and created such a bad tangle that both lines wound up being cut in order to straighten out the mess. While I was working on that mess, my rattle bobber, which was now only about 10 feet from shore, started moving around in a very animated manner, so I pulled it in by hand, and sure enough, there was a little 5 inch basslet on my hook. That was the only thing that bit any closer than 70-100 feet out. After that, I stopped trying to even use that pole and just stuck with my "lucky" pole. The sixth and final fish was the only one that was a normal catch. It turned out to about a 10 inch bass -- unfortunately the "wrong" type of fish as far as I was concerned, but I knew that as soon as it jumped.

When I caught the bass, it was strarting to get dark. After that, I only had a couple of light bites from fish, but hordes of bites from mosquitoes. For some reason, there are more mosquitos than ever at Perris this year. There were midges around too, but strangely, zero surface activity. In the last 15 minutes or so, I must have swatted about 15 mosquitoes. I think there must be more marshy areas over by the east end of the lake, so more mosquitoes. Strangely, every single mosquito that tried to bite me was on my left hand or arm. They must have known that I was "Natural Lefty." My theory is that my left arm was sweating more or more warm with blood circulation, which attracts the mosquitoes. I might have stayed longer, but the mosquitoes were trying to make a meal out of me, and the fish weren't biting that much at the time. Thus, I left right at 7 p.m. There were a couple of guys at that time fishing on the other side of the ramp, who were actually spraying each other with mosquito repellant. The place reminded me of walking through a wet Sierra meadow in the early summer.

The only person who spoke with me while I was there was the bass fisherman, but there weren't many people around. One guy to the right of the ramp had a couple of lines in the water, and he seemed like he fished there a lot. I overheard him say that he had caught "only 10 small Bluegills" that day and had been fishing there all day. I never actually saw his fish though, and he caught absolutely nothing while I was there. He finally left a while before I did. I saw the two guys with the mosquito repellant catch 2-3 smallish Bluegills using bobbers and I think crickets for bait. I seemed to be catching better than the other people I saw there. Nonetheless, I have found myself making strategizing about how to improve my success there next time or maybe catch fish on artificials there. I may try my sinking bobber technique there next time with one pole.

My total catch was 2 Redears, 2 Bluegills, and 2 LMB, in that order, all on "Trout Worms" and baby nightcrawlers. The type of worm didn't seem to matter. I kept the Redears and Bluegills and released the two little bass.

Since I was in no hurry this morning, I did some measurements and photos. The largest Redear was 8 ounces and 9 3/8 inches, the other one, 8 inches and 6 ounces, so they weren't the really big ones, but nice size ones in the 1/2 pound range. Both surprisingly were females that were already starting to grow eggs, I found out when I cleaned them. Both Bluegills were a little over 7 inches long and 4 ounces each. Thus, the panfish over there are indeed larger on the average than the ones farther west in Perris. At places like the marina and Sail Cove, most Bluegills are only 5-6 inches long, and the few Redears are mostly 7 inchers. On the other hand, I didn't catch as many as I have been, but I will take that given that I caught the nice size Redears that I was hoping for.

Here are a couple of photos of my 4 pretty fishies and my pretty kitty Gorjilina. She was talking to her daddy kitty when I took the first photo, so I asked her to talk again, and she complied for the second photo. I think she wanted her "Go Fish" kitty treats that I keep near there. The water in the container is all rain water that flowed off the roof last week. Gorjilina has been drinking that. If you can see some footprints in the container, those are Raccoon footprints. Apparently, some Raccoon was hoping to find some Crayfish or Bluegills in there.

fishmounter
10-15-2011, 02:04 PM
Robert nice report, but I don't see any pics...?

SirBluegill
10-15-2011, 02:39 PM
Cool report Robert, I tried the east end on a tube a couple months back but didn't have much luck myself. But that's how some days are.

Natural Lefty
10-15-2011, 02:40 PM
Jeff, I have been trying to add the pictures for about the last half-hour. Sorry fellows, but technically, this site really sucks. I select the photos, click a button to upload them, and it says I am already logged out, less than 5 minutes after logging in, and it doesn't upload the photos. I will try in this reply. The pictures are better for their aesthetic appeal than any impressive fish, but I must say they turned out really well.

Finally! I wrote the description of the photos before actually trying to add them, Jeff. I didn't think it would be so difficult.

Natural Lefty
10-15-2011, 02:53 PM
Thanks Anthony! Years ago when the water was higher, I used to catch good size Redear over by the easternmost jetty in the fall from shore, usually like 2-3 per trip but the larger ones were 3/4 -1 pound or so. I caught them usually on worms and sometimes on jigs, under a bobber. Things have changed since the water was lowered, but I think the larger Redears still favor that area. I read the weekly fishing report and saw that several people caught a bunch of large Redears from boats or float tubes east of the island last week. It claimed that some of them caught their fish on "jigs" although I have to wonder if they were putting bait on the jigs. The fish mentioned in the report were averaging slightly over a pound per fish in each case, but none of them was from shore.

keepemlo
10-15-2011, 02:55 PM
Man what a day!!you went through a lot to get those four fish ...thanks for the report haven't heard much this year from perris about crappie you see any around?

Natural Lefty
10-15-2011, 03:09 PM
keepemlo, weird things kept happening yesterday. I didn't even mention yet how the weight was mysteriously missing when I brought in the first, larger Redear, or how another time one of the hooks on my paternoster rig was mysteriously missing although the line wasn't broken. I guess I didn't tie it on correctly, but still...how could it seem to be securely tied onto the main line, then disappear?

The mosquitoes were the most atrocious I have ever seen at Perris.

I was thinking about Crappies too, especially when I was trying the jig, but no sign of them. I hear about a few here and there from people in float tubes or boats, especially those targetting them, and a few from the marina docks, but they seem fairly sparse this year.

It was fun. I think I am learning how to fish that area better. None of the strange things that happened really bothered me.

fishmounter
10-15-2011, 03:44 PM
Robert- As much as you like to fish LP for panfish and eat them, you really should get yourself a float tube. It's so much fun and so much more productive than shore fishing. Not really too expensive, and it's great exercise and a nice way to enjoy the scenery and nature. Here's just one of several I caught yesterday morning. Released them all.
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/fishmounter/LP9BG.jpg

TheAsianGuy
10-15-2011, 04:12 PM
Robert, I'm totally in agreement with Jeff about getting a cheap tube to play. Trust me, it's FUN!! Excellent haul.

SirBluegill
10-15-2011, 04:32 PM
Hey Robert, I got an extra tube, PFD, and fins if you wanna try tubing out. Come out with me and Jeff sometime, to see if tubing is your thing.

Natural Lefty
10-15-2011, 08:29 PM
That sounds tempting guys, but the float tubing thing is not really on my radar at this time. As you probably do not know, I have a very full agenda writing and working with other people for social and political change, plus of course my teaching, separate from my fishing activities. In fact, people have been recruiting me for collaborations. When I go fishing, I also like meeting with the average fisherpeople who shore fish such as out on the marina docks at Perris, and taking special gals including my wife and nieces fishing. And of course, there are those kids I help catch fish, such as young gal Evie last week. Float tubers are a special breed of fishing fans, but I applaud your success. Oh yeah, and if you have seen me fishing, you know I tend to run and hike around a lot, getting a lot of natural outdoors exercise.

TheAsianGuy
10-15-2011, 10:03 PM
Well Robert, you know you'll always have Anthony's and my tubes to experience with. Don't be shy. Nothing feel better than a cramped pair of legs, sun roasted body, and pruned body parts after a nice long day spent on a giant water bed, the LP :LOL:

smokehound
10-15-2011, 10:29 PM
Good going on the panfish. Cool cat, too. Is it half Maine-Coon? Looks like a big cat.

bassgrabber1
10-15-2011, 10:38 PM
Good job out there Robert.

Natural Lefty
10-16-2011, 12:07 PM
AsianGuy, a giant lake-size waterbed does sound inviting. Too bad I am also a horrible swimmer, although I guess you don't have to swim in order to float tube, just kick your legs with the fins on.

Smokehound, the cat was from the Riverside Animal Shelter in 2002. She was already fixed, and already 3-4 years old; that is all we know about her background, but I always thought she looked 1/2 Persian. She could be 1/2 Maine Coon, or some other large breed. I have seen Maine Coon cats and they are very cute, a type I would like having. Gorjilina is a real furball so she is pretty large looking.

TheAsianGuy
10-16-2011, 10:19 PM
AsianGuy, a giant lake-size waterbed does sound inviting. Too bad I am also a horrible swimmer, although I guess you don't have to swim in order to float tube, just kick your legs with the fins on.

Don't worry about swimming desperate to get to land. The personal floating device will support you until help arrives. Plenty of boats and other tubers hang around where we all fish.

white belt
10-17-2011, 07:37 AM
Great report. I've been thinking about fishing Perris from shore.

Natural Lefty
10-17-2011, 11:29 AM
white belt, I buy an annual state parks pass, so it's a very inexpensive pastime, and I do catch a lot of fish, although I am sure I would catch more in a floating device. I find it very worthwhile -- fun, exercise, close to home, and usually good fishing except in the winter. I usually don't even buy bait. I use homegrown bait most of the time, or artificials. Oh yeah, I am also fertilizing my Dragon Fruit with the fish remains.

I don't know where you live, but I am guessing not too far away.

Okay AsianGuy, just look for the hairy caucazoidal type flailing in futility in a float tube, and you will most likely have found me. LOL

white belt
10-17-2011, 11:42 AM
I'm out here in Azusa (between Puddingstone and Santa Fe Dam), so it is quite the drive, but it sounds like it's worth it. What kind of artificial lures do you use? I was thinking about picking up some beetle spins.

Natural Lefty
10-17-2011, 12:02 PM
I like Puddingstone for fishing too, except they charge like $10 per vehicle except in the winter months when it's free. I saw the water level is down too, and there was that jetski vs. boat accident that killed 3 women the other day.

My daughter lives in Rowland Heights, so it's pretty close to go to Puddingstone from her house.

I use crappie jigs and flies (bobber and fly technique or sometimes fly rod) mostly. Sometimes I use spoons such as kastmasters or krocodiles. I am not into bass fishing much, but they use lots of lures, mostly plastics. I usually target panfish with artificials, but this year they haven't been very responsive to lures from shore or all the heavily fished docks. I really don't know why not. Most years there is heavy surface activity in the evenings as panfish feed on insects, but these past several months, they aren't doing that. When I read reports from boat anglers and float tubers, the panfish seem to be hitting the lures quite well, but not from shore. There are lots of good shorefishing areas at Perris, and the panfish are biting on various baits at least. I would suggest at least bringing some type of bait although hopefully the panfish soon will start responding to artificials along the shorelines once again.

white belt
10-17-2011, 12:54 PM
Is it true they'll eat bacon? I'll be sure to bring some cheese, bread and nibblets as well. Thanks Lefty.

Natural Lefty
10-17-2011, 07:34 PM
Trout and Catfish will eat bacon. Bluegills probably will too, and Mackerel, not that you'll catch any Mackerel at Perris. Bluegills usually like anything that's meaty. Trout like cheese of course, and I wouldn't be surprised if Bluegills or Catfish bite on it too. Vegetable eating fish such as Carp go for bread, but I have seen people catch Bluegills on bread too.

The Bluegills at Perris usually go for Crickets, Mealworms or grubs the best, though, but also bite on worms while Redears prefer worms but sometimes bite on the Crickets, Mealworms or grubs.

When they are aggressively feeding on stuff like minnows or baby bass they Bluegills and Redears go for crappie jigs, and when they are feeding on flies on the surface they go for anything that looks remotely close to a mosquito or midge. When they are subsurface feeding on stuff like insect larvae or shrimp, sometimes they bite well on wet flies if you find a pattern they like.

Of course, the Crappies there like jigs but they are hard to catch from shore or docks. Nonetheless, my wife or I sometimes catch one or two incidentally on worms while fishing for Bluegills and Redears, and I also caught one using a bobber and fly technique last fall while fishing for Bluegills. They also love shad straight from the lake if you can get them. The only legal way to use shad in this region is to catch them from the lake with a dip net, but people were doing that a lot this spring at the marina when the shad were thick there. Trout and Bass were also biting on them.

TheAsianGuy
10-17-2011, 09:04 PM
Lefty is dead on with his description. Man, you are such an observant man.

Tried mackerel, and every thing bites, but only during early morning and late afternoon to evening. Can't say the same for carp. They like sourdough, bready materials.

Lake Perris and Gregory gills, trouts, and small basses love crickets, slow sink presentation using a 1/32oz jig head. Large basses, nope. Dropshot the crickets, and cats will hunt them. Gills will yank your crickets like monsters at Perris. Grubs, can't say I've witnessed it in the past since I can't seem to find some around here..Robert, share? :LOL:

Guys, raise your hands if you've caught 3 or more types of fishes with crank, hard, and swimbaits resembled minnows and shads? :High Five: Troll with them, or flip them along shore, and you'll see. Early hours, or 2 hours before sunset. They will hammer your baits.

Forgot something, trouts love Velvetta cheese bait, infused with garlic powder, equal amount of salt to garlic, olive oil mixed in, and add a hit of fresh ground dried shrimps or anchovies. Holy molly, they won't let go of your hook even though they know they got caught. Locked jaws mode. Same goes with cats. They will smell the bait, and will come screaming. However, these is only successful during winter period. Tried it during springs and early summer, no love what so ever. Velvetta cheese alone will do the trick. Slip float rigs for trouts, Texas rig for cats.

sesgia
10-18-2011, 01:02 AM
Lefty is dead on with his description. Man, you are such an observant man.

Tried mackerel, and every thing bites, but only during early morning and late afternoon to evening. Can't say the same for carp. They like sourdough, bready materials.

Lake Perris and Gregory gills, trouts, and small basses love crickets, slow sink presentation using a 1/32oz jig head. Large basses, nope. Dropshot the crickets, and cats will hunt them. Gills will yank your crickets like monsters at Perris. Grubs, can't say I've witnessed it in the past since I can't seem to find some around here..Robert, share? :LOL:

Guys, raise your hands if you've caught 3 or more types of fishes with crank, hard, and swimbaits resembled minnows and shads? :High Five: Troll with them, or flip them along shore, and you'll see. Early hours, or 2 hours before sunset. They will hammer your baits.

Forgot something, trouts love Velvetta cheese bait, infused with garlic powder, equal amount of salt to garlic, olive oil mixed in, and add a hit of fresh ground dried shrimps or anchovies. Holy molly, they won't let go of your hook even though they know they got caught. Locked jaws mode. Same goes with cats. They will smell the bait, and will come screaming. However, these is only successful during winter period. Tried it during springs and early summer, no love what so ever. Velvetta cheese alone will do the trick. Slip float rigs for trouts, Texas rig for cats.

i have hook bluegill trout redear bass and other on hard bait before

Natural Lefty
10-18-2011, 01:36 PM
I hardly ever use "hardbaits" such as crankbaits, but I have caught a surprising number of species on Kastmasters, including Bluegills, Crappies, Green Sunfish, plus Bass and Trout. I wouldn't be surprised if all of those same species and more were caught on hardbaits.

I forgot to mention about French Fries last time. A lot of species like the oil in them. I heard it on good authority that they are a hot trout bait in some circles. I did see a man catch a carp on a french fry. I think catfish would go for them too. My nephews and I used some extra french fries at Oceanside Pier one time, and caught several Mackerel with them.

I have also found that peas can catch a lot of ocean speicies, at least. Bluegills would probably bite on them too. They are pretty indiscriminate feeders at times.

TheAsianGuy
10-18-2011, 03:23 PM
French fries..oh, the wholesome goodness of a fatty foods. If the foods don't kill us directly, feed them to the fishes and kill ourselves indirectly..haahahahahahah. But yes, carps love them as much as trouts. My boy did that once and snagged a small 6" trout, since it acted like a floating powerbait when it was freshly fried. Once the oil thicken, it will sink. Cat's bait then.

smokehound
10-18-2011, 08:21 PM
I hardly ever use "hardbaits" such as crankbaits, but I have caught a surprising number of species on Kastmasters, including Bluegills, Crappies, Green Sunfish, plus Bass and Trout. I wouldn't be surprised if all of those same species and more were caught on hardbaits.

I forgot to mention about French Fries last time. A lot of species like the oil in them. I heard it on good authority that they are a hot trout bait in some circles. I did see a man catch a carp on a french fry. I think catfish would go for them too. My nephews and I used some extra french fries at Oceanside Pier one time, and caught several Mackerel with them.

I have also found that peas can catch a lot of ocean speicies, at least. Bluegills would probably bite on them too. They are pretty indiscriminate feeders at times.I actually store some of my soft plastics in vegetable oil, but some brands dont store well this way, namely Luck-E-Strike bass worms, I placed some motoroil red worms in vegetable oil, and it leeched the green color out.

Natural Lefty
10-19-2011, 02:05 PM
Yessiree, I tell you, Leo, fish love their fatty foods. It smells good to them as it signifies high calorie yummies. Better yet, the french fries float before the oil hardens, so you can use it like power bait, floating it off the bottom. Of course, it doesn't work with all species, but any fish which likes the smell of fat will find deep fried french fries appealing. If they eat enough french fries, they will get a nice oily Omega 3 quality to them, which being fish oil, might actually be good for us (not sure about that -- you could be correct about the artery clogging qualities of fish given a french fry diet).

Your little boy already provides proof that french fries work for trout, but I heard (but haven't seen) that they catch large holdover type trout too. Next time I go trout fishing, I will seriously consider buying some french fries, eating about half of them and using the rest for bait.

Smokehound, it totally makes sense to store plastics in vegetable oil to enhance their scent, except that the oil might leech out some of the colors.

white belt
10-19-2011, 02:51 PM
Going to Perris on Saturday (I think). I'll make sure to bring some fries haha

TheAsianGuy
10-19-2011, 02:53 PM
Robert, don't exclude the curly fries from Burger King. For some weird reason, using a bobber with that curly fry can land you a nice trout, and a few panfishes. The regular fries have plenty of salt to attract the fishes, but the fat surely brings them the happy faces.

Oh, by the way, James and the DFG shocking crew discovered perches and flathead cats in Lake Perris. PERCHES! Forget the flatheads. DUDE! Those fishes are freaking delicious, and the grubs you find in your compost pile will nail them. So, time to venture out with Anthony, Jeff, or the boys with a spare tube, and hammer those panfishes, and perches. OOOOOOOOoooo..I'm so freaking excited. No wonder those Perris basses, carps, and cats are pigs. They have tons of good small fishes to eat.

Natural Lefty
10-19-2011, 03:17 PM
White belt, are you sure you can't make it to Perris on Friday afternoon? I plan to go fishing then, probably Perris. Anyway, good luck on Saturday.

Leo, I forgot about the salt. Those fishies like salt too, don't they? Are you saying they like curly fries better than other fries? From your own personal experience? If so, I will try to buy the Burger King curly fries if I decide to try them for fishing. And you say they work better with a bobber?

When you say perch, do you mean Yellow Perch? My wife and I are both quite good Yellow Perch catchers. I have caught a lot of them on jigs too, not only the baits. We catch them almost everytime we go out of state on vacation. I have been searching for them in California, but so far, the only CA locations where I have caught them are the reservoirs on the Klamath River, Irongate and Copco, and they run small there. Once we took a trip all the way to the north pole of CA (Klamath River area) basically just to fish for the Yellow Perch, although they tend to run a bit small there. My wife caught her first ones there. My first ones were the year I lived in Seattle, WA. I have yet to see a Yellow Perch or Flathead in Perris, but I did catch a Crappie there before anyone knew that Perris had Crappies. Maybe Yellow Perch and Flatheads will be next, then Walleyes. I think they should put Yellow Perch and Walleyes in DVL too. I caught my first Walleye this summer, which was probably my fishing highlight of the year so far. My wife probably caught even more fish than I did that day, including 2 or 3 of the biggest Yellow Perch I have ever seen, but no Walleyes. She was happy with her humongous Yellow Perch and the big trout she caught though on her last cast. She always seems to be blessed with some sort of special fish just as she runs out of bait. I swear, it's uncanny. If there are Yellow Perch in Perris, Eunice and I will definitely know how to catch them.

I know about Flatheads. I think I have caught 2 of them -- one big one on the CO river (6 1/2 pounds), and one baby one at Lake Cahuilla.

As you can tell, I too am excited about the prospect of catching Perca Flavescens ("Tasty Perch") at Perris, but then, I used to be excited about the promises of catching exotic (for this region) fish at Diamond Valley, and IMHO the public got scammed big time on the DVL fishing situation (expensive, poor shore access, variable shorefishing success, and absolutely nothing swimming around there that isn't found at nearly every other southland reservoir below 5,000 foot elevation).

TheAsianGuy
10-19-2011, 03:34 PM
Robert, if you like to borrow my spare tube, let me know. I can let you borrow the full set any time you like to hang out by yourself or with the boys here.

Salt attracts the fishes. Any anomaly from the water density and composition (salinity level) of the fresh water will peak their interests. It's like putting a nice hot apple pie near the window, allowing the wind to pick up the scent and spread it. Buy the regular french fries, and while it's nice and hot from the deep fryer, sprinkle lots of salt on them. Don't eat them, or your heart won't allow you to live too long. As for the Burger King's curly frieds, the seasoning (salt-sugar-cinnamon-peppers) create odd receptor responses from the fishes. Panfishes get lock jaw when they bite the curly fry. Same with the french fries. Add a lot of salt to it, and they'll get temporary lock jaw.

As for the yellow perch, yes. James indicated there are perches in the lake, but they are golden brown variety. Those are rare in this neck of the country, since there may be a cross breed from somewhere. DFG don't know where the perches came from. Flatheads could be from the mix of cats they planted over the years, or even from the Lake Silverwood via the aqueduct. Flathead weighed in at 8lbs. Same may apply for the perch, since I remember catching a few of them ages ago up in Silverwood near the outlet. Oh, redears chimed in over 1lb. Man, I'll be smiling ear-to-ear catching them on my ultra light gears.

ordane
10-19-2011, 04:02 PM
The cat doesn't try to eat the fish?

I had a neighbor once whos cat would always come over the fence after we got back from fishing.. It caught a whiff of the fishyness and would come beg, lol!

white belt
10-19-2011, 04:02 PM
I wish I could Lefty but I work M-F like a drone :'( i can only do quick trips to my city park lakes on those days. Cant wait for the weekend though.. first time @ Perris!

fishmounter
10-19-2011, 04:58 PM
I seriously doubt that the perch that the CDFG shocked up at LP were the tasty Yellow Perch. More than likely they were Tule Perch, from central California's Delta area, or they were possibly Sacramento Perch, which are in the delta and a few of the foothill lakes of central Calif. and Lake Crowley. They showed up in Lake Silverwood way back in the early 1980s. Sacramento Perch would thrive in LP. They kind of look like a cross between a crappie and a Warmouth Bass. They get big- 2-3-4 pounds.

TheAsianGuy
10-19-2011, 05:07 PM
I'm more freaking curious by the moment. Have you manage to land any perch at LP or Silverwood in the past Jeff? I know I've landed the perches has the distinctive marker of the Sacramento Perch, but not the Tule perch. When James said it was brown in color, the only brown type is the cross breed of a yellow perch, which do have a golden brown hue. However, if one type of perch can change color, other perches can also do the same. But, alas, I'm not a fishery biologist, so, beats the heck out of me.

fishmounter
10-19-2011, 05:33 PM
Here's a baby Sac. Perch I caught at Hume Lake..
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/fishmounter/SacramentoPerch.jpg

And here's what they grow into...
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/fishmounter/sacramento-perch.jpg

TheAsianGuy
10-19-2011, 05:39 PM
That's the one!!! Not as big as the one that the guy is holding, but those are the one I caught at Silverwood. Dang, that fish is a pig!

Natural Lefty
10-19-2011, 09:09 PM
AsianGuy, "Perch" is a very ambiguous name. You can go to the store and find "Ocean Perch" which represents various types of smaller rockfish, or catch "Perch" which are surfperch, or in the east you might catch "White Perch" which are actually relatives of White Bass and Striped Bass, or of course Yellow Perch. In Africa, you might even catch a Nile Perch, which are called perch even though they grow to something like 100 pounds. I think they are some sort of huge Tilapia species. At least they resemble gigantic Tilapia. That's the problem with calling something a "Perch."

I suspect those were Sacramento Perch that were electroshocked, but that is still very surprising. I am very interested in this species, which might better be named "Anomalous Primitive California Sunfish." I have caught a lot of them, but only at Crowley and Gull lakes in the Sierras. I have caught lots of Crappies at Silverwood, but never a Sacramento Perch. I believe they were actually stocked there by the DFG a long time ago, but they have not done well. The DFG also stocked them in Hume Lake, where they have done pretty well. The difference? Hume Lake has no catfish, which eat nearly all the Sacramento Perch eggs when present, but Silverwood has a thriving population of catfish, which prevent the Sacramento Perch from successfully spawning there. Sacramento Perch do not guard their eggs as well as other sunfish species. Examine all the lakes where they are successful, and you will find that they are usually at high elevations and lack catfish. Sometimes, they have alkaline water which is unsuitable for most species. I have studied these species and even thought about writing a blog post on them, but I guess I was waiting until after a Sacramento Perch catching session. Since Perris has catfish, I doubt that there will ever be many of these attractive and special fish there, or in Silverwood, for that matter.

Anyway, I suspect Fishmounter is correct that these were probably either Tule Perch (which are very small) or Sacramento Perch that got into Perris from Silverwood, just like everything else found in Silverwood ultimately gets into Perris (fish filter or not). The Flatheads were probably stocked in Perris by "bucket biologists" I suspect, since they are not found in the CA water project elsewhere as far as I know. Tule Perch are freshwater surfperch. I caught a beautiful purplish specimen at Silverwood about 10 years ago that appeared to be some unusual sort of sunfish, but upon an internet search, turned out to definitely be a Tule Perch. It was larger than they are supposed to get, at 7 inches. Anyway, they are definitely in Silverwood and presumably got there from the delta where the water is being pumped.

Ordane, the cat doesn't try to eat the fish. She seems a lot more interested in her kitty treats, talking to me and being petted. She is thoroughly domesticated, I guess, and an extremely loyal cat who follows us around almost like a dog would. Plus she is very smart. She even sleeps in the chimney for safety (outdoor cat).

White belt, sorry to hear about your schedule, but at least you have a job. My job isn't so drone-like, so I can often go fishing on a weekday.

By the way, people, in case you aren't aware of this, Sacramento Perch are native only to California, but no other Sunfish species is native anywhere west of the continental divide. The closest other native Sunfish species, I believe, are Green Sunfish which are native to parts of eastern Colorado, many hundreds of miles away. Sacramento Perch are also very primitive, a sort of primordial Sunfish. It is only through some sort of miracle of evolution that they managed to find their way to the central valley here in CA and survive there for probably millions of years, apparently without changing much, while other Sunfish species evolved in the eastern U.S.

smokehound
10-20-2011, 03:49 AM
I seriously doubt that the perch that the CDFG shocked up at LP were the tasty Yellow Perch. More than likely they were Tule Perch, from central California's Delta area, or they were possibly Sacramento Perch, which are in the delta and a few of the foothill lakes of central Calif. and Lake Crowley. They showed up in Lake Silverwood way back in the early 1980s. Sacramento Perch would thrive in LP. They kind of look like a cross between a crappie and a Warmouth Bass. They get big- 2-3-4 pounds.Tule Perch get to 4 pounds? Damn, that's a big-*** surfperch.

Cartman
10-20-2011, 07:29 AM
Jeff, I have been trying to add the pictures for about the last half-hour. Sorry fellows, but technically, this site really sucks. I select the photos, click a button to upload them, and it says I am already logged out, less than 5 minutes after logging in, and it doesn't upload the photos. I will try in this reply. The pictures are better for their aesthetic appeal than any impressive fish, but I must say they turned out really well.

Finally! I wrote the description of the photos before actually trying to add them, Jeff. I didn't think it would be so difficult.

Thanks for the excellent report. Anyone can learn something from a report like that. But there's one thing that's bothering me. How come the cat isn't trying to eat the fish? I'm sure my dog would.

Natural Lefty
10-20-2011, 12:14 PM
Smokehound, Fishmounter was surely referring to Sacramento Perch, which historically grew to over 10 pounds before catfish wiped out their best habitats in the central valley. Tule Perch only grow to 2,3,4 ounces, not pounds.

Cartman, you are the second person who asked the same question. I can see how it would be puzzling that Gorjilina isn't trying to eat the fish. The reason is that she prefers her "Go Fish" kitty treats which I keep near the place where I took the photos. She was asking me for those instead of checking out the fish. Gorjilina is a thoroughly domesticated cat.

fishmounter
10-20-2011, 12:39 PM
I've got 4 cats and only one of them will eat raw fish if I break off a piece and put it down in front of her. My Golden Retriever on the other hand...will grab a whole Bluegill while I am getting ready to fillet them, and take it to "his spot"in the backyard and just kind of guard it. He doesn't really want to eat it, he just wants to make it his fish to carry around. Dogs are weird.... but cool.

Cartman
10-20-2011, 03:43 PM
Smokehound, Fishmounter was surely referring to Sacramento Perch, which historically grew to over 10 pounds before catfish wiped out their best habitats in the central valley. Tule Perch only grow to 2,3,4 ounces, not pounds.

Cartman, you are the second person who asked the same question. I can see how it would be puzzling that Gorjilina isn't trying to eat the fish. The reason is that she prefers her "Go Fish" kitty treats which I keep near the place where I took the photos. She was asking me for those instead of checking out the fish. Gorjilina is a thoroughly domesticated cat.

Oh, I see. Gorjilina is too much of a lady. I should have seen that in the photos.

Natural Lefty
10-20-2011, 04:19 PM
Cartman, Gorjilina is a diva cat that likes to hunt. Last night she left a bird head and feathers in front of the door. She often leaves gopher pieces, rat heads, lizard tails, and even Kangaroo rat parts (Agile Kangaroo Rats which live around here, not the endangered Stephens Kangaroo Rat) in front of the house, but I think she does almost all of her hunting in the yard, if not in the yard, then nearby.

She is dainty about it, though. I find cats to be -- how shall I put this? -- much more restrained in their behavior than dogs. It is like a dog to quickly grab a fish, haul it away and guard it like a prize. Cats usually check something out first, sniffing it, licking it and looking at it, before deciding what to do with it. Plus, if it doesn't smell fatty, the cat probably won't be interested. Panfish are very low fat so they probably don't smell that tasty to cats. (By the way, I just saw in my Sierra Club magazine that Tilapia are extremely low in mercury so very safe to eat; the same probably applies to other panfish but they weren't listed.) I think some cats like any kind of raw fish but not that many as with Fishmounter's cats. My male cat Smurfull seems to like whatever fish I give him more than Gorjilina. Gorjilina did like a bunch of Milkfish belly fat and skin I gave her a couple of days ago. It was from a package I found in the freezer that my wife must have bought quite a while ago. I ate the more meaty parts (cooked, not raw). I am sure that Gorjilina liked the Milkfish's fattiness. She likes canned Tuna and canned cat food too, but I am sure that is relatively fatty. She also likes boy cats including Smurfull, by the way, although she is fixed. She is quite the feminine lady-cat.