Hey guys, just updating you on my trip this past weekend.
So due to some of my friends being princesses and oversleeping, we ended up arriving at 9 am. I set up the Carolina rig with some bait(mackerel and shrimp) I bought from the bait shop on the grounds. We were stationed straight down La Palma(there wasn't too much people there). To not beat around the bush, we were all skunked(it was 8 of us). We tried walking along the shore and casting into different areas. There were mild winds, and it was extremely hot. Some guys on both of sides of us were able to catch a few cats, but they said they caught them earlier in the day(7 or 8 am). We ended up leaving around 3:45.
It was still a fun experience, regardless. However, it would have been nice for at least one of us to have caught a fish, considering the combined total that we paid to enter. As people have stated, it's called fishing, not catching.
About my setup:
I used the ugly stick with the spinning reel it came with, with 15# test(I didn't have time to pick up a thinner test), on a carolina rig, and a circle hook.
I alternated with the following baits: Mackerel, Shrimp, and tried one of my rubber lures after letting it soak into the juice that the bait came in.Nada.
It sucks you had that many people in your crew and didn't get a fish to go. I thought that was what these Put&Take fisheries were supposed to help accomplish.
In any case, someone once suggested a very simple rig that has worked time and time again. A size 1 circle hook, 6 pound test, no weight, and a small sliver of mackerel, or a nightcrawler if you can cast out a fly lined rig without any issues.
Just reel in the slack once in a while, and you'll be covering a lot of area. It'll surprise you how many fish come close, rather than having to catch a fish by making an Olympic winning gold medal cast 100 feet across the lake. Just make sure you have your drag set if you're using 6# test, but you should get fish to go, considering how often they stock these places and how many fish they supposedly dump in.
Showing up at 9am is a BIG no no! And with the catfish schooling up you cant stay in one spot for more than 30 mins if you haven't gotten a hit. If they aren't biting move spots until you finally find the school.
Spots where i had success are the Big lake la palma point, the Road by the bubble hole, Boat dock and the west side of Chris pond. Fresh bait is key dont buy anything that's been frozen for quite a while. pick up some fresh shrimp and mackerel from 99 ranch and show up early lol if doing the morning session. i am in line by 4am and limit in bag by 7 or 8 am the latest
Good luck out there dont give up on SARL they stock weekly and some nice quality fish also
Alot of ppl success at Santa Ana lake right after the stock day, other than that the bite would be so so unless you are regular and know where and how to fish them catfishes. Dont give up on fishing check stock schedule and try again, may be other lakes close by without paying to fish first.
If you wanna drive a bit further, I recommend lake henshaw in sandiago area, where you still have to pay fishing fee but there are plenty of catfish and carp in there for you to have some fun.