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Thread: The Bass were banging at Barrett lake.

  1. #1

    Default The Bass were banging at Barrett lake.

    The scene was Barrett lake in San Diego county May 21, 2016. If you're not familiar with Barrett lake it's one of the most unique lakes in all of Southern CA. It's an C&R fishery only with huge Crappie, big bluegill and a pure strain of Northern LMB. I've been fishing this lake for over a decade but I've been absent for the last 2 years because of chasing those #20+ Costal Yellowtail instead. (the seasons overlap) This year the Coastal Yellowtail haven't shown up yet, so going back to Barrett made a lot of sense. I know the lake is way down but how much will be determined when I see it for myself. When I arrived with my 2 fishing companions I was in pure distraught when I saw the lake. The lake is less then half the size as it was 3 years ago and they doubled the amount of people they let on the lake each day. (they did drop the $20 fishing permit fee) It looked like the old Corona lake on a weekend now during Trout season. There was someone fishing on most good looking spots. The kicker was people were anchored on the same spot for hours. A few of them even yelled at us for encroaching on their spot. (complete losers that know nothing about how to catch a Bass) We drifted in the wind working the banks or casting into the open water. I did do a little fact checking before we went. There is this other web site with Full disclosure on it on what they are biting. (too bad FNN people aren't that open) It wasn't anything I didn't already know except maybe the colors. (solid white is the way to go) Either a hard bait or a plastic in white and you're good to go. Most people were complaining on the website how slow the fishing was for Barrett lake. (slow for Barrett is wide open for anywhere else though!!!) lol

    On to the fishing.

    I always had my best luck fishing Barrett with Senkos or Rattle traps. I did get some 3 inch white Senkos and some white rattle traps from my good friend Jason at Bob's tackle. My two companions on this trip were Dan and Smitty. Dan just got back last week from Argentina were he shot 5,000 morning doves in 3 day's of hunting. (that's not a typo) So I thought he would be on fire. How wrong I was on him!!!! (he was sleprock city on this trip) Smitty was a great guy and a good Saltwater fishermen but his freshwater skills were badly lacking. Dan wanted to run the boat and I was given orders from the cheap seats. lol I told him to head up one of the 2 fishing arms that still have water in them. (we headed up the Hauser arm has far as we could go) Along the way Smitty caught a #2 Crappie trolling my white rattle trap. He asked me if that was a decent size for a Crappie??? I said, "heck yes" and you should take a picture of it. Once we got to the end of the Hauser arm I immediately got 2 Bass on my white rattle trap. Smitty caught a couple of Bass on my other white crank bait I had rigged up on my other pole. We then drifted the east bank for nothing except getting yelled at by other fishermen for getting to close to them. We then shot over to the West bank and started a drift on a rock pile. All 3 of us got bit immediately!!!! We found a real good area holding fish but my 2 companions completely fell apart!!!! They couldn't do anything right!!! Dan's rod and reels he brought were complete garbage and Smitty backlashed his poles to the point they wouldn't work. In the mean time I'm catching fish after fish on my white rattle trap. I was getting 3 fish on every drift and giving Smitty one of my poles with something that would work. (a green rattle trap) After awhile Dan just gave up after catching only 1 or 2 fish. Smitty fared a little better and caught about 10 fish on my spinning reel set up. In the mean time I'm spanking the Crap out of them, I've got well over 20 Bass. Then Sleprock Dan breaks the main motor!!!!! We still got my trolling working but it's kinda tough in 13 knots of wind!!! So what does Dan do???? He leaves this area completely trying to find something better. (which he does not!!!) I caught 5 more Bass and 2 Monstor Crappies and those 2 guy's caught nothing more. (those 2 Crappies would have made Crappie Mike proud!!!) and that basically ended our day very early. Had I had better companions it would have been an epic day!!!!! Laurie at the boat dock asked how many Bass we caught and said we did better then most people. After telling her about our motor problem she offered us a half price deal next time we come back. To add insult to injury she started the boat on her first pull of the motor. Sleprock Dan had a kink in the fuel line!!! Me and Smitty both offered to play with the motor but Sleprock Dan refused to allow us to even try. I really can't complain I had a real good time but it could have been even better!!!!!!! Thanks for reading my story!!!!
    Last edited by etucker1959; 05-22-2016 at 04:16 AM.

  2. #2
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    Default

    right on,thnx for the report from the
    lake... pic would of been cool!!!!!!!!




    cm

  3. #3

    Default

    [QUOTE=crappiemike;779611]right on,thnx for the report from the
    lake... pic would of been cool!!!!!!!!
    You know Mike I totally regret not bring my camera and scale. The last Crappie I caught was the biggest one of my life!!!! It had such a huge hump right above the mouth I stared at it for a good minute before releasing it. In the past most of the Bass we caught were just 1.5-3.5 pounders not worthy of a picture. But because the lake is so low now, I think the Crappie have an easier time catching the Shad and have really gone on a growth spurt!!! All 3 of the Crappies we caught were on the white full size rattle trap, so these things are hunting big baits!!!! So next time I'll bring a camera and scale for sure and I'll post the pictures of those Crappies and any bigger Bass.

  4. #4

    Default

    Barrett is of course a lake that few fish due to cost and unique rules of the lake. Although the report is welcome to compare a report on Barrett to others not wanting to disclose info. on local highly pressured lakes falls flat, apples and tacos.

    After reviewing Barrett has become much more affordable. Nice to know but still logic I think applicable. Limited availability, boats or tubes only, location etc.
    Last edited by seal; 05-23-2016 at 12:03 PM.

  5. #5

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by seal View Post
    Barrett is of course a lake that few fish due to cost and unique rules of the lake. Although the report is welcome to compare a report on Barrett to others not wanting to disclose info. on local highly pressured lakes falls flat, apples and tacos.

    After reviewing Barrett has become much more affordable. Nice to know but still logic I think applicable. Limited availability, boats or tubes only, location etc.
    I swear I got my law degree from Cracker Jack U!!!!!! lol Just kidding, but one of the complaints I hear for people not wanting to report EXACTLY WHAT they are biting on is because they don't want other fishermen to copy the HOT bait!!!!! Same goes for Lake Barrett. I know for a fact, "I had the hottest lure that day by far!!!" Had we stayed all day, God only knows how many I would have caught!!!! But peoples paranoia about not wanting to report comes in MANY different forms. Lakes Lures Locations it all comes from Human Beings being in competition with each other since the beginning of mankind. Why do you think WARS are still acceptable in a Modern era???? Because there is not enough resources to go around!!!! (at least some people think that way) That's why Hitler invade Poland, "he said the Germany people needed more living spaces." Sorry but I don't think that way. Boy Seal, you sure bring out the best in me!!!! lol (sorry for the rant!!!) At least I can't be accused of thread jacking from the OP. Because I'm the dumb SOB who wrote it!!!! lol lol lol
    Last edited by etucker1959; 05-23-2016 at 02:26 PM.

  6. #6

    Default

    Heard the water is so low that alot of LMB , Crappie and bluegills are coming up like this :

    Was a LMB from Barrett Lake
    Click image for larger version. 

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  7. #7

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Misfitdog View Post
    Heard the water is so low that alot of LMB , Crappie and bluegills are coming up like this :

    Was a LMB from Barrett Lake
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	lmbwtf.jpg 
Views:	192 
Size:	49.0 KB 
ID:	48463
    There's a fungus, among us! I've seen a few dozen pics of peeps that headed out there during opening week where their shots of their bass look like extras from the Walking Dead.

    Then again, whenever a lake goes from 95% capacity to 5%, stuff will happen.

    Perhaps the city of San Diego will think twice next time they drain a lake which only gets runoff from rain to 5% capacity?

    And I love how the DFW just found out about this now and is sending a biologist to investigate, when in January, they captured a bunch of northerns to stock in an 'unnamed' lake in SB that is over run with crappie. You'd think they would've found out about this then, right?

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