The post with the minnow in someone's hand matches Silversides for sure. The picture is dead on and the description of the habitat is correct.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inland_silverside
Delta smelt - way different
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...sh_in_hand.jpg
You would think if they were Delta smelt they would close down Perris and stop the draining of the lake for dam restoration. After all, that is why they won't send water down the CA aqueduct.
Then we would really be screwed no dam fixing and no fishing. J/K of course.
any bait that is indigenious to the lake is legal to use.
Seal is correct, CA Regs specify only threadfin shad may be used and must be from the lake where taken by dip net. Shiners are not legal in Riverside County. The fish pictured are inland silversides, (Menidia beryllina). There is no record of delta smelt in SoCal, though confirmed Japanese pond smelt, aka wakasagi from DVL and Perris. They look very similar to delta smelt with slight/subtle differences to gill raker counts, pyloric caeca, anal fin rays.
good clarification Kwin... okay so scratch the Delta smelt comment and insert the Japanese pond smelt... my bad... I knew they were a smelt though..haha...
Ive just always called them Delta smelt though because I didn't know the difference between it and the pond smelt.... good stuff!!
Pete
You would think with all this bait at the surface, the schoolie stripers would be up and boiling....
I believe stripers tend to group boil more on shad than silversides. I think it's the behavior of shad and where the bait is located (open water) that causes the stripers to boil. With silversides you are more looking at a "slurp" condition than an actual eruption type boil.
Lot of boils today! Pretty sure they were stripers.... Right outside of the marina.