DVL Thank You

[Matt_Magnone]

Having been able to fish the lake since it's inception, I was able to see the lake come full circle. We had some great years and then we had some poor years but finally the lake has returned to beginning. This whole year has been nothing short of spectacular. What always held true was the fact that DVL separated the men from the boys. It's a tough lake with great quality bass. There are those who always tout the phrases "drain it", "i hate it" or "I'd rather go to Perris". The fact of the matter is DVL is an extremely difficult lake to fish and every quality bass caught was the result of a TON of time energy and homework put in.

The lake's not dead, it's just taking a break.

With the lake potentially going down, it's doing nothing but helping the fishery. New brush, new nutrients and new habitat to otherwise protect forage, fry and bass. It's a good thing that sucks at the moment.

I just want to thank the DVL Lake Staff as well as the many anglers I've met on the water that have turned into friends. Now the new chapter is getting my snake boots on and exploring what the shoreline has to offer.

Going to miss slicing up trails with my boat. I compiled a set of pictures on Facebook from the last 2-3 years of what the lake had to offer. People always told me that DVL didn't have the quality in it..... :Cool: I urge everyone to remember how special the lake is when you're stuck on a mud puddle with 60 other boats when you had 15 boats on Diamond regularly.

[Stormcrow]

Matt, thanks for all of your expert tutelage. When I reflect on all the countless hours I put into DVL learning and practicing when the bite was hot at Perris and I was damn near alone out there definitely paid off for me. I was blessed with a double digit and a good more close to that in this last year. Thanks for handling my frustration from time to time and helping me see things from a perspective that is unique to Diamond Valley. I am convinced it will make me a better bass angler on ANY fishery.

In the end, I expect to be back on DVL in the next year or so as they deal with the water shortage. I have high hopes. Thanks to all who I've met out there: To Mike in his Panfish Tracker, Anthony at Last Chance, Lynn and Megan, NBW, Tony Lain, Art Berry, Larry Rogers, Rod Wynn, and all of the other guys that taught me much. To Stan and Tom, giving an old ball player a ride down the ramp without asking, our girls in the front, and the many others I forget to mention, thank you for some great experiences that I will never forget. It wasn't just the challenge of DVL, it was the camaraderie of great people, new ideas, failures and successes.

See you in a rental when I can't stand it anymore!!!

[HuskerRod]

DVL was always feast of famine for me. Had my share of great days and had many barely avoid the skunk and scrape out a fish or two days. But dang, "she" will be missed. Was always a nice, quiet, scenic place to get out and avoid the hustle and bustle of life. Still have a tough time coming to grips it has closed to private boats.

On a side note, has anyone been out there since the private boat closure. Has the water been noticeably dropped as of yet?

[Ian]

DVL was always feast of famine for me. Had my share of great days and had many barely avoid the skunk and scrape out a fish or two days. But dang, "she" will be missed. Was always a nice, quiet, scenic place to get out and avoid the hustle and bustle of life. Still have a tough time coming to grips it has closed to private boats.

On a side note, has anyone been out there since the private boat closure. Has the water been noticeably dropped as of yet?

Rod, those 2 nice bass off the bat on the ice-jig, remember? ;)

See you at Perris. Probably in a float tube trying to get stripers there......

[HuskerRod]

Rod, those 2 nice bass off the bat on the ice-jig, remember? ;)

See you at Perris. Probably in a float tube trying to get stripers there......

Ian.............I always remember those two catches. Probably the last two fish I saw caught on an ice jig...............and the first two I saw caught on an ice jig as well. Those were a couple of dandies. Now for the mystery of what happened to your pole

[Stormcrow]

Ian.............I always remember those two catches. Probably the last two fish I saw caught on an ice jig...............and the first two I saw caught on an ice jig as well. Those were a couple of dandies. Now for the mystery of what happened to your pole

Remember when you could post up on one of the huge number of giant bait-balls located all over DVL and drop an ice jig down and catch a dozen fish both stripers and LMB in 30 mins?

Man that was fun...years ago.

[shinbob]

Remember when you could post up on one of the huge number of giant bait-balls located all over DVL and drop an ice jig down and catch a dozen fish both stripers and LMB in 30 mins?

Man that was fun...years ago.

So -- what happened then? Why the apparent downturn? Natural life cycle of a new lake, striper predation, overfishing, ...?

[Stormcrow]

who knows...I personally think that when the lake was drawn down the last time....2009...the new water that came in wasn't right somehow. Its never been the same since. Don't really know why.

[BillyBass]

Will miss her. Last fish on closing day.46113

[DarkShadow]

It's still hilarious that "closing day" is defined as "when private boats couldn't launch anymore." Just like last time. The most amazing days I've had on that body of water is when private boaters could no longer launch, go figure.

The day I give a eulogy for the Diamond is the day the gates close for good, so no shore fisherman nor rental angler can access the lake.

Until then, it may be time to put away the fly rods for a while and take advantage of an "open" DVL, because the last time it was "closed," it was the most amazing year of bass fishing I had encountered.

I'm sure Rod could attest to that.

[HuskerRod]

It's still hilarious that "closing day" is defined as "when private boats couldn't launch anymore." Just like last time. The most amazing days I've had on that body of water is when private boaters could no longer launch, go figure.

The day I give a eulogy for the Diamond is the day the gates close for good, so no shore fisherman nor rental angler can access the lake.

Until then, it may be time to put away the fly rods for a while and take advantage of an "open" DVL, because the last time it was "closed," it was the most amazing year of bass fishing I had encountered.

I'm sure Rod could attest to that.

Yes indeed i can attest. Ive already done the 20 questions game with the lake staff on rental fees, half price wednesday, and the 10 punch free rental. But what worries me is the consequences of an additional 44 feet drawdown. That is gonna be interesting

[Stinkbait]

10 punch free rental??? Didn't know that! That's all I do is fish from a rental there.
BTW folks, fishing from a rental will make you an even better angler and boat operator. I speak from experience after hopping on a friends Triton after renting for so long.

When the trolling motor models are gone and it's just the basic boats left, you got to plan your drifts and boat positioning way in advance to not run the spot over or run aground. It can get a little stressful if windy.

[DVL_Local]

Did I miss something? Did someone die?

j/k

Damn that Matts a stud!



Stormcrow - " Remember when you could post up on one of the huge number of giant bait-balls located all over DVL and drop an ice jig down and catch a dozen fish both stripers and LMB in 30 mins?"

Yes, yes I do. :(

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/dvl_local/DVL_graph_1-28-07.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dvl_local/media/DVL_graph_1-28-07.jpg.html)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/dvl_local/graph_image_0001.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dvl_local/media/graph_image_0001.jpg.html)


I remember Ian with an ice-jig... :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/dvl_local/3.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dvl_local/media/3.jpg.html)

[HuskerRod]

Now your getting nostalgiv, local

[Stormcrow]

Did I miss something? Did someone die?

j/k

Damn that Matts a stud!



Stormcrow - " Remember when you could post up on one of the huge number of giant bait-balls located all over DVL and drop an ice jig down and catch a dozen fish both stripers and LMB in 30 mins?"

Yes, yes I do. :(

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/dvl_local/DVL_graph_1-28-07.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dvl_local/media/DVL_graph_1-28-07.jpg.html)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/dvl_local/graph_image_0001.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dvl_local/media/graph_image_0001.jpg.html)


I remember Ian with an ice-jig... :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/dvl_local/3.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dvl_local/media/3.jpg.html)


Those graph pics are getting me horny....

[EL JEFE]

Cool thread Matt! Like always, you are always one to look at the glass half full as opposed to half empty. I appreciate your outlook on things about DVL and fishing in general......you always keep it positive!

[Matt_Magnone]

The lake is fishing excellent right now and with water coming back in, in the future, will be straight SILLY! Definitely have some things planned in the mean time ;) All you guys better stay away. Nothing to see over here on Diamond. Haven't you all heard that the hike is treacherous.... Ha Ha.

[billy b]

Any trout fishing still being done. They used to get beauties out of there. I caught some on TO's boat. Did the G Brown project die?

[HawgZWylde]

I agree 100% that over the last year the lake has been making a good recovery. The health of the fish are so much better than compared to a couple of years ago when we were catching fish with giant heads and with skinny and greyish colored bodies. I should mention that the Smallie bite has been fantastic this year as well. I also agree that this lake also separated the men from the boys. That's what drew us to the lake. A challenge rather than a guaranteed catch, and having been fishing these other mud puddles since the ramp closure, it's like ok boys get in line for the merry go round, and go round and round and round. I love the solitude and variety we got from DVL, countless days of fishing and only seeing a boat on the other side of the lake a mile or two away. There was a Friday late last fall where Bill and I showed up at what we thought was late only to find the gate closed and no one in line. We thought something happened and the lake had closed. When the gate did open, we were still the only ones in line. We launched and had the lake completely to ourselves for nearly two hours when a few others finally started to show up. Turned out to be a great day with many fish caught.

Unfortunately, the starter blew up in the merc at 11:30am the Tuesday a week before before closing, we had planned to fish the lake a couple of more times before the ramp closure but it was not to be, gahh that sucked! Got the new starter online for $85.00 shipped as opposed to $235-$265 just for the part locally, but it didn't arrive until Tuesday afternoon the day before closing. But that short day was a good one and was getting better as the day progressed.

Hope it's ok with you but I'd like to post a few pics of the fish I caught on that last day prior to our breakdown, nothing huge but healthy never the less;

http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag145/Hawgz_Wylde/0407150945_zpst68xfcks.jpg (http://s1303.photobucket.com/user/Hawgz_Wylde/media/0407150945_zpst68xfcks.jpg.html)

http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag145/Hawgz_Wylde/0407150906_zpsyeyvamem.jpg (http://s1303.photobucket.com/user/Hawgz_Wylde/media/0407150906_zpsyeyvamem.jpg.html)

http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag145/Hawgz_Wylde/0331150920_zpsufsr6kr3.jpg (http://s1303.photobucket.com/user/Hawgz_Wylde/media/0331150920_zpsufsr6kr3.jpg.html)

http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag145/Hawgz_Wylde/0331150857_zpstox5mbwu.jpg (http://s1303.photobucket.com/user/Hawgz_Wylde/media/0331150857_zpstox5mbwu.jpg.html)

And the gem of the short day
http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag145/Hawgz_Wylde/0331150803_zpshldximct.jpg (http://s1303.photobucket.com/user/Hawgz_Wylde/media/0331150803_zpshldximct.jpg.html)

Thanks again to the DVL staff and thanks to you Matt and Last Chance B&T for all you guys do to keep us supplied with relevant info and gear...

[DEVOREFLYER]

Geeze what happened to your HAIR Pat, you didn't tell me you were doin' chemo. WTH, are tryin' to be a Bako Boy now that DVL is closed to private boaters or is that a form of protest.

[HawgZWylde]

Geeze what happened to your HAIR Pat, you didn't tell me you were doin' chemo. WTH, are tryin' to be a Bako Boy now that DVL is closed to private boaters or is that a form of protest.

Lol, naw, I made the mistake of having my barber do my hair after a full day of fishing with him. We got off the lake and went by his shop on the way home so he could close it down and decided I could use a cut, well, he was a bit wobbly to say the least, lol...

[GoBlue]

Matt, thanks for all of your expert tutelage. When I reflect on all the countless hours I put into DVL learning and practicing when the bite was hot at Perris and I was damn near alone out there definitely paid off for me. I was blessed with a double digit and a good more close to that in this last year. Thanks for handling my frustration from time to time and helping me see things from a perspective that is unique to Diamond Valley. I am convinced it will make me a better bass angler on ANY fishery.

In the end, I expect to be back on DVL in the next year or so as they deal with the water shortage. I have high hopes. Thanks to all who I've met out there: To Mike in his Panfish Tracker, Anthony at Last Chance, Lynn and Megan, NBW, Tony Lain, Art Berry, Larry Rogers, Rod Wynn, and all of the other guys that taught me much. To Stan and Tom, giving an old ball player a ride down the ramp without asking, our girls in the front, and the many others I forget to mention, thank you for some great experiences that I will never forget. It wasn't just the challenge of DVL, it was the camaraderie of great people, new ideas, failures and successes.

See you in a rental when I can't stand it anymore!!!

Speaking of which... where on earth did Art Berry go? Its been a couple of years since I heard anything about him, but he used to be a larger than life presence guiding on DVL and on this forum. Guy even had worms named after him. Was trying to find a good guide to recommend to a friend and it seems like he just went ghost?

[Riverdale]

Damn HawgZ that Smallie looks amazing,yet to get into one of those.The last tues before the close we got into a good bite in the afternoon one on a Senko in the morn,nothing big.Im new to the lake 2yrs now and really love this place.Everyone I have met on the ramp or the lake have been super cool and the fishing is the best I have found in so Cal for sure.The final trip in tues afternoon to get the truck as a lil slap in the face, im jumpin to the dock from the bow a huge Pig swims right out from underneath the dock under my nose just a little tease to what ill be missing out on for a while lol

[bass413]

Speaking of which... where on earth did Art Berry go?

It's been a few years now, but I called Art just before he dropped off the radar. Booked a trip with him and waited for the date to arrive. Art never called to confirm we were going, no e-mail, texts, nothing. Needless to say, we didn't go out. But......everything happens for a reason. Didn't go out with Art, but went out twice with Pete Marino, once at DVL the other at Perris. Pete taught and showed me techniques I still use today on multiple bodies of water. Whenever I bump into Pete, he's still more than eager to share info. Love that guy.

Oh yeah, I'll miss DVL too. Looking forward to when it's back.

[GoBlue]

It's been a few years now, but I called Art just before he dropped off the radar. Booked a trip with him and waited for the date to arrive. Art never called to confirm we were going, no e-mail, texts, nothing. Needless to say, we didn't go out. But......everything happens for a reason. Didn't go out with Art, but went out twice with Pete Marino, once at DVL the other at Perris. Pete taught and showed me techniques I still use today on multiple bodies of water. Whenever I bump into Pete, he's still more than eager to share info. Love that guy.

Oh yeah, I'll miss DVL too. Looking forward to when it's back.

Thanks for the info... so strange. Back in the day when I was a fixture on the DVL rentals he basically lived on the lake, had I was able to have a couple of good conversations with him. Now it just seems like he disappeared...

Regardless, I will recommend Pete for sure. Always seems like he's on the right pattern.

[Stormcrow]

Thanks for the info... so strange. Back in the day when I was a fixture on the DVL rentals he basically lived on the lake, had I was able to have a couple of good conversations with him. Now it just seems like he disappeared...


When I first started fishing regularly and got my first boat I met Art at DVL...We had great times chatting about everything from fishing to football. Every time I ever saw him he remembered my name and actually went out of his way to motor over and say hi. He is uber friendly and a guy you wouldn't mind having a few beers and wings with. Miss him these days. This is very unlike some of the other guides I've met. Some are very unfriendly I'm sad to say, even seeing them kind of regularly here and there.

Another really nice guy is Rusty Brown. He is a pleasure to talk to and another guy who will remember your name and respect you even though you're new to the game. I would also endorse him as a guide any day of the week.