Perris Lake Labor Day Dock Fishing with Grubs (Real Ones)

[smokehound]

La-Califa, Asian guy's advice is quite correct. I also move around a lot if fish are not biting, and try different techniques if I think there are fish there but they aren't responding. The only problem I have is when I get some sort of action, like a nice bite, or see some intriguing fish in the water, and keep trying to catch something without success. It is so easy to lose track of time that way.

White Belt, I am not really sure what kind of grubs they are, but I found them in a compost container we have. My wife always throws stuff in there like fruit peels, and fish bones. They look like what Smokehound says are May-beetle larvae. How big are those, Smokehound?

All of those larvae look huge. That first one looks like a worm more or less. That's really an insect larva? Interesting. I have never seen anything like that. The last one is huge and I have never seen anything like that either, but as I said, the ones I used resemble the second one. They grow quite large but the smaller, baby ones worked better.

May beetle larvae are about the size of a quarter, and are found in compost, or around the roots of plants/grass. Figeater beetles (the "green june bugs") Seem to prefer soft rotting wood, and when curled up, are about the size of a silver dollar. They do not look like May-Beetle larvae, and lack that translucent dark blueish-gray backside.

Here's what the larvae of Fig-Beetles look like:



That Huge grub i showed was a western hercules beetle larva. That photo I did not take, it's just a picture of one.

Here is an adult hercules beetle. They prefer soft, rotting logs or branches, and are never found in compost, because they prefer cooler temps.

[La-Califa]

I first went to the left of the boat ramp by parking lots 11 & 12. It was infested by ants. Then went to the shore by the dam. fished a couple of hours, but water seemed shallow. some people were wading in and having a little success with Bass. I then went back to 11 & 12 area. but was really mossy. first time at the lake. so it's just trial & error. can you fish off the Marina area? I saw a shall pier off parking lot 1 & 2. People around me wrren't catching either. just might be a little slow that day.

[TheAsianGuy]

I first went to the left of the boat ramp by parking lots 11 & 12. It was infested by ants. Then went to the shore by the dam. fished a couple of hours, but water seemed shallow. some people were wading in and having a little success with Bass. I then went back to 11 & 12 area. but was really mossy. first time at the lake. so it's just trial & error. can you fish off the Marina area? I saw a shall pier off parking lot 1 & 2. People around me wrren't catching either. just might be a little slow that day.

La-Califa, when the condition at the parking lots 12&13 is not good, best thing to do is to move to the rock shoreline. It's a bit tougher to get to, but it's more productive. Parking lots 12&13 always yield interesting fishes, but you have to cast at least 100ft out to nail that 10 to 15ft depth. What you can also do is use the slip bobber technique if you're using redworms or nightcrawler, to prevent the lake salad from grabbing your hook. You can use a 3/16 jig head to add a bit of weight to it, or a couple of the split shot weight on the leader to get hook down into the water. The leader total length (from bobber to hook) should be around 3 ft. That's a nightmare to toss that kind of a length 100ft out. This is the reason why we use tubes simply drop the bobber rig, and float away.

Shoreliners always use the modified drop shot rigs, such as a nice weight at the very end of the leader, follow by a Snell or Clinched knot hook rig about 2 feet away from the sinker to avoid the salad and present the bait. The bobber sits about a foot to 18" above the hook. Still, a very very long leader to deal with when casting out.

When you're using the rocky shoreline, you don't have to deal with much salad down below. However, you have to deal with the water fleas (watercraft users) that ride near the shoreline, causing plenty of waves and noises that scare the fishes away. This is the reason why people like to hang near the parking lots 11&12, as well as hang along the south side called the Bernasconi & dam outlet.

Let us know how you fair with your second visit to Lake Perris. It's a great lake to play in, plenty of fishes, and trust me when I say winter will only bring about better fishing. Fishes are hungry, not enough bugs to share around because bugs are no longer mating, and the only worms laying around are the one we're tossing into the water. So, get ready for some fun! Not too many water fleas to worry about either. However, more of us water hobos will be flocking the chilly water

[TheAsianGuy]

By the way guys, saw the plastic version of the Drone Fly larvae at Bass Pro. I was flipping out that they actually have a mimic version. Bass Pro has its own version in a bag, 20 counts, for $3.49. Mr. Gary Yamamoto bag of 15 for $4.49 (3 bi-colors combos..I bought one out of sheer curiosity and experimentation since I won't find a shop that sale them around here). Another brand for $3.49 with 20 counts (white color only).

[netdawg]

La-Califa, another option on bait is to try crickets near the rock shorelines near dusk... an almost lights out experience for panfish

[Natural Lefty]

So the grub talk continues. I love it!

Smokehound, thank you for the grub photos. They are most informative. Maybe an interest in biology comes naturally to me, since many of my family members are biologists of one type or another. I opted for psychology, though.

The grubs I am finding, specifically, look like those "June Bug" larvae, so I think that's what they are, even though I don't see a lot of the adults around here.

White Belt, I think maggots prefer to eat rotting flesh, so if you just put other stuff in the compost, flies probably won't lay their eggs there. Different types of flies larvae eat different things though. In any case, having maggots would also be an excellent panfish bait source. Just ask Cartman.

La Califa, skunked again? Sorry about that. This report was fishing from the marina docks. You have to pay $3 if you go out to the end, but not the beginning of the docks. You can also fish from shore in the marina. The small pier by parking lots 1 and 2 (Sail Cove) is where I had the best success this spring. I went there a couple of weeks ago, and small Bluegills were biting, but not on the end, only about halfway out. I would recommend fishing either from the marina docks or the little pier in Sail Cove to get the skunk off and catch some panfish, although most of them are probably running small.

[TheAsianGuy]

La-Califa, another option on bait is to try crickets near the rock shorelines near dusk... an almost lights out experience for panfish

Using drop shot rig with at least 18" leader if there's windy condition or watercraft users already breaking water surface. Otherwise, a bobber, 18" of leader, and let that cricket sinks naturally to present a nice slow sink condition. Use 4lbs or 2lbs test line. It will spook the fishes if you have a 6 or 8lbs test line.

[La-Califa]

Using drop shot rig with at least 18" leader if there's windy condition or watercraft users already breaking water surface. Otherwise, a bobber, 18" of leader, and let that cricket sinks naturally to present a nice slow sink condition. Use 4lbs or 2lbs test line. It will spook the fishes if you have a 6 or 8lbs test line.

Thanks! I will try all the advise given! I'm sure when I find the tendencies of the lake I will be successful! :)

[Natural Lefty]

La-Califa, AsianGuy brings good advice, although I would say fall brings better fishing. Winter is the most difficult period to catch fish, although I usually catch something around dusk from pier or docks in the winter.

Fishing around rocky areas around dusk as netdawg suggests can be lights out using almost anything when they are biting, or even in non-rocky areas around dusk. In usual years, I typically catch anywhere from 10-30 Bluegills using a bobber and fly technique in about the 1 1/2 hour period around dusk. Why that hasn't worked this year, I don't know, but the fly hatches must be fewer than usual. Line size probably isn't as critical around dusk either, although 2-4 pound line still works better than heavier. I actually think one reason lighter line works better, is that it imparts better subtle motion to the bait, certainly with artificials, and maybe even with natural baits.