Legg Lake is Full of Suprises

[Cartman]

Legg is closer to home, and with my Pudd parking pass expired, I have been there three times lately. I have a secret-not-so-secret shady spot under a huge sycamore where I can enjoy what cool breezes there are in this weather and take my chances. Caught nothing on the rod and reel tough I've tried maggots, corn, and tortillas where I know there are carp because I have seen them jumping. But I caught a catfish on my 10' pole and ultra-light gear, which I already reported. Anyway, Thursday, around 7:00 pm, I took in the two rods with corn and decided to give the pole a few tries before going home. Tossed it in about 10 feet from the bank with about a size 10 or so hook and a few maggots, and right away I had something on, and it wasn't one of those shrimpy little bluegills. Nice fight, but strange colors. Not a catfish, but not the right color for a carp or even a koi either. Hmmmm. Kept it going a while. Fishing with a pole and four pound line, and no drag, I tend to be a little cautious so I let the fish fight the pole a while til it was pretty tired before I worked it into shore. No net and barbless hooks, so I had to be careful. Lo and behold, a pink carp. No kidding, it was pink. It only weighed a few pounds I'm sure, but it was definitely pink with yellow eyes.
It's a lot of fun catching fish on a pole.

One down side of Legg, and I guess all the lakes around here, though, is that they are swarming with turtles. I caught one Thursday, and Friday a young Vietnamese guy told me he had caught six the day before. You know they're taking your bait when you see your float walking away and slowly sinking below the surface. Grrrrrrrrr. Always the red-ear sliders, former pets dropped off for all of us to enjoy, I guess.

Here is the picture I took. It was late, and the color doesn't show very well, but it was definitely pink.

36867

[Fishnfun]

I'm no expert, but I believe that is a tilapia. What do I base my opinion on? I saw a tankful of them swimming in the local Chinese supermarket. They have the usual black variety and the reddish/white variety. Looks like someone is planting the tilapia for future catching and the home steamer. Corrections welcomed if I'm wrong.

[Danny300]

that's a tilipia bro.....when you can find them they are pretty nice size

[Cartman]

I'm no expert, but I believe that is a tilapia. What do I base my opinion on? I saw a tankful of them swimming in the local Chinese supermarket. They have the usual black variety and the reddish/white variety. Looks like someone is planting the tilapia for future catching and the home steamer. Corrections welcomed if I'm wrong.

Yeah, Fishnfun and Danny300, I thought it might be a tilapia, too. I just had never caught a tilapia like that before, and I had carp on the mind at the time. Yeah, a pink...well, I guess it could be a white one with pink trim...tilapia. Thanks for the correction. Yeah, it's not shaped like a carp. Definitely looks like the shape of a tilapia, but the color is definitely off. OK, then, should be look for Legg to turn into another Balboa and be over run with tilapia. I sure hope not.

[smokinflies]

Cool find. i've only heard about tilapia being in legg.


I have seen one at the pit. That sucker was huge.

[The Fishing Queen]

You must have had great fun to catch that fish on a (Tenkara) pole, a good fight brings excitement and pleasure. I also agree with the two gentlemen on the fish that you caught being a tilapia. But I never saw a pink colored tilapia before, I think it's pretty.

[Fishnfun]

Cartman,

I think I saw you one time at Pudd. You were in your inflatable kayak with your human rowing motor (wife). Do they allow your kayak in Legg?

[Cartman]

You must have had great fun to catch that fish on a (Tenkara) pole, a good fight brings excitement and pleasure. I also agree with the two gentlemen on the fish that you caught being a tilapia. But I never saw a pink colored tilapia before, I think it's pretty.

Yeah, it's a tilapia fersure, and yes, I love catching fish on a pole. I tried putting out my long Korean pole, but after all the work setting it up I got it stuck in a tree. I got so disgusted I just collapsed it, put it back in its bag, and got out my 10' pole. I have some floats that are so tiny they only need one size 6 micro-shot (I think only fly-fishers will know what I'm talking about) to set it. Everything ultra-ultra light. Great for catching gills because you can see even the slightest nibble. Best $6.86 I ever spent buying the pole at Walmart. But now I have to get that long pole back in action which means balancing one of those impossible long floats. Totally worth the trouble if it wasn't for the troublesome little gills and redear.

[Cartman]

Cartman,

I think I saw you one time at Pudd. You were in your inflatable kayak with your human rowing motor (wife). Do they allow your kayak in Legg?

That's my wife's inflatable kayak, and she likes being my human rowing motor. At least she says she does. Nope, no boats at Legg except the ones they rent, and I never see anybody renting those. And what makes you think that was me anyway.

[Fishnfun]

And what makes you think that was me anyway.

I was tenkara fishing at Pudd with Chuck (VIVID_FLY) when you and your wife floated by. Chuck was talking with you about your wax worm farm and you noted how you much preferred fishing with your maggots. Then, I saw you posted to give your wax worm farm away. So, adding 2 + 2 together, I got 5?

[bassfishing24/7]

Nice catch at legg,ive heard about the tilapia there and seen a couple but were smaller like palm sized.

[Cartman]

Cool find. i've only heard about tilapia being in legg.


I have seen one at the pit. That sucker was huge.

By "the pit" do you mean Peck Road Park? I have not been successful with panfish at that lake at all.

[Cartman]

I was tenkara fishing at Pudd with Chuck (VIVID_FLY) when you and your wife floated by. Chuck was talking with you about your wax worm farm and you noted how you much preferred fishing with your maggots. Then, I saw you posted to give your wax worm farm away. So, adding 2 + 2 together, I got 5?

Oh yeah. Very nice to meet you. Any friend of Chuck is a friend of mine. Yeah, I was surprised at how those wax worms took off and just kept on keeping on. Finally found them a home. Glad to be rid of them.

[Cartman]

Nice catch at legg,ive heard about the tilapia there and seen a couple but were smaller like palm sized.

If I'd had a couple more I might have had some mojarra frita, huh? From what I have seen they can be a dangerously invasive species. I was at Balboa lake once trying my hand at asian long pole carp fishing, and the tilapia were a complete pain in the you know what. I couldn't keep them off the hook. They were pouring over the sides of the bank. It was not a pretty sight.

[Carptain_Bao]

Nice tilapia you got right there jon, wtg!

[castle]

Cool looking fish. Congrats

[SpinnerBaitKing]

Legg is closer to home, and with my Pudd parking pass expired, I have been there three times lately. I have a secret-not-so-secret shady spot under a huge sycamore where I can enjoy what cool breezes there are in this weather and take my chances. Caught nothing on the rod and reel tough I've tried maggots, corn, and tortillas where I know there are carp because I have seen them jumping. But I caught a catfish on my 10' pole and ultra-light gear, which I already reported. Anyway, Thursday, around 7:00 pm, I took in the two rods with corn and decided to give the pole a few tries before going home. Tossed it in about 10 feet from the bank with about a size 10 or so hook and a few maggots, and right away I had something on, and it wasn't one of those shrimpy little bluegills. Nice fight, but strange colors. Not a catfish, but not the right color for a carp or even a koi either. Hmmmm. Kept it going a while. Fishing with a pole and four pound line, and no drag, I tend to be a little cautious so I let the fish fight the pole a while til it was pretty tired before I worked it into shore. No net and barbless hooks, so I had to be careful. Lo and behold, a pink carp. No kidding, it was pink. It only weighed a few pounds I'm sure, but it was definitely pink with yellow eyes.
It's a lot of fun catching fish on a pole.

One down side of Legg, and I guess all the lakes around here, though, is that they are swarming with turtles. I caught one Thursday, and Friday a young Vietnamese guy told me he had caught six the day before. You know they're taking your bait when you see your float walking away and slowly sinking below the surface. Grrrrrrrrr. Always the red-ear sliders, former pets dropped off for all of us to enjoy, I guess.

Here is the picture I took. It was late, and the color doesn't show very well, but it was definitely pink.

36867

July 20, 2015, I was there in the middle lake today and there they were; right where my bro-in-law said they were. Red Tilapia and Brown ones. I usually fish the south lake and there is one in there that is at least 5 lbs. I think he is a loner in that lake, but the middle lake is teaming with them. You can mistake them for Koi, but they are tilapia. They must be spawning because they are moving around fast. They don't seem interested in my bait. Oh they are at the rock pier. I suppose if you are going to read this and keep them, you might want to go by the saying, "Use what you can keep and keep what you can use".

[old pudd fisher]

Wonder what happened to Cartman I fished with the old boy at the pudd a few times. Shot him a PM but no reply. And where is the Fishing Queen. And Mike and Chuck the old pudd people.

[TUNAVIC]

Wonder what happened to Cartman I fished with the old boy at the pudd a few times. Shot him a PM but no reply. And where is the Fishing Queen. And Mike and Chuck the old pudd people.
Nice to hear some of those names I haven't heard in awhile,I miss the
Puddle!

Cya Tuna Vic

[DarkShadow]

I wonder if that's an albino T-lop, cuz it sure looks like it.

Balboa has a good population of T-lops as well. I think CityDad guides sports on that piece of stretch.

[Sebastian323]

after seeing how overrun balboa is with tilapia, im sorry to hear they are now found at legg lake. do they provide as good forage for the bass as bluegill ? do they compete with the bluegills ?

last night i was at legg and I got one smaller sized bass, and 2 casts later I lost a big one that snapped the line.

[SpinnerBaitKing]

after seeing how overrun balboa is with tilapia, im sorry to hear they are now found at legg lake. do they provide as good forage for the bass as bluegill ? do they compete with the bluegills ?

last night i was at legg and I got one smaller sized bass, and 2 casts later I lost a big one that snapped the line.

I have no problem eating them.

[DarkShadow]

I have no problem eating them.

Dude, catch, keep and fry as many tilapia as you can.

You're doing the lake a favor.

[Sebastian323]

saturday night I was at legg again, lost one by the shore , and got 2 other nice bites and caught one redear , when the moon came out , it seemed they stopped biting (and the sunfish came back out) do bass normally bite better at night when there is no moon ?

[Ifishtoolittle]

The tilapia there aren't as populated as one may think. The amount of bass and bucket guys keep them in check.

[PandaXL]

I have been fishing for bass at Legg for a while now, absolutely nothing, any suggestions guys? Thanks

[Ifishtoolittle]

I have been fishing for bass at Legg for a while now, absolutely nothing, any suggestions guys? Thanks

Fish at another lake. lol! Finesse is the best way to go if you want to catch anything let alone a larger fish.

[Sebastian323]

The tilapia there aren't as populated as one may think. The amount of bass and bucket guys keep them in check.
hmm so i guess there are no bass at balboa cause i see plenty of guys with buckets .... though i think the reclaimed water comes into the lake at a constant temperature so its warmer for the tilapia during the winter ...



I have been fishing for bass at Legg for a while now, absolutely nothing, any suggestions guys? Thanks
PM sent.

[Ifishtoolittle]

hmm so i guess there are no bass at balboa cause i see plenty of guys with buckets .... though i think the reclaimed water comes into the lake at a constant temperature so its warmer for the tilapia during the winter ...


There's bass in Balboa?!?! No really there is? I've always thought that the lake only had carp, tilapia, and plecos. Legg's winter temps definitely go low enough to kill off smaller tilapia, but have less of an effect on larger ones. And, if you don't believe me on the fish population you're more than welcome to see for yourself. The fish aren't easy pickings like at Balboa.

[Sebastian323]

There's bass in Balboa?!?! No really there is? I've always thought that the lake only had carp, tilapia, and plecos. Legg's winter temps definitely go low enough to kill off smaller tilapia, but have less of an effect on larger ones. And, if you don't believe me on the fish population you're more than welcome to see for yourself. The fish aren't easy pickings like at Balboa.

makes sense about the temperatures keeping the tilapia population down. i have never heard of bass in balboa lake, but i have seen a picture of a huge channel catfish from there.


last night i fished legg lake and i caught this catfish

http://postimg.org/image/4gr5msx1p/
http://postimg.org/image/4gr5msx1p/

[Ifishtoolittle]

makes sense about the temperatures keeping the tilapia population down. i have never heard of bass in balboa lake, but i have seen a picture of a huge channel catfish from there.


last night i fished legg lake and i caught this catfish

http://postimg.org/image/4gr5msx1p/
http://postimg.org/image/4gr5msx1p/

Nice. I've seen some monsters pulled out of there. Hope you get into them.

[Sebastian323]

I was there sunday night , and my brother got another cat about the same size as last time, and i got a sunfish-

[Sebastian323]

i went out there Friday night , got only two bluegills , and today got a few bites, but didn't catch any, I did see some good sized bass cruising around though

[fishmounter]

I could tell all you guys that fish Legg Lake some real stories about how in the early 1970s we used to fish all night long, from sundown until 7 or 8 in the morning for big bass and giant catfish. We had our hiding spots figured out and knew the times when the security guard/police would cruise by. Early morning arriving fishermen would see us with huge fish on our stringer, and just thought that we had just recently caught them after daylight. Truth was, the bigger fish bit great after dark, not very good during the day.

[old pudd fisher]

Did the same thing at the puddingstone in the late 1960's when it was just a reservoir and not a park. Hunks of mackerel on a treble hook in the dark was the key back then.

[TUNAVIC]

My first 10lb+lmb was on the boat rental dock,after 10pm on a rattletrap,fishing there at nite was wide open back then. By there I mean puddingstone.

Cya Tuna Vic

[fishmounter]

Yeah Tuna, Back around 1985 to '90, we used to wade the east shoreline there at Puddingstone and our favorite lure there was a 1/2 ounce Rattletrap. We had lots of fun and caught some really nice bass. I'll bet you can still catch bass there with that bait at certain times of the year.

[TUNAVIC]

Yeah Tuna, Back around 1985 to '90, we used to wade the east shoreline there at Puddingstone and our favorite lure there was a 1/2 ounce Rattletrap. We had lots of fun and caught some really nice bass. I'll bet you can still catch bass there with that bait at certain times of the year.
Hey fishmounter,it was very cool back then,the guys who ran that little snack bar and boat rentals would leave the gate open for us and tell us to lock the gate when we left,very cool.
One of the guys names was Fernando,used to drive a sweet red 56 or 55 Chevy truck,the other manager was a blonde guy but I can't remember his name,back then it was all about purple flake Yamamoto grubs and rattletraps,one of the park cops was named Kurt,he used to like fishing too,so he was always cool with us.
Cya Tuna Vic

[jonnyfishon]

so is south florida

[CrazyBrrro]

tilapia for sure i ve seen those at the fish market they are called white brook nile tilapia good catch brotha!