Slow day for fishing in southern California. Cold snap overnight after a rainstorm. Fog rolling out at day break. Water was running high and fast. Fish didn't cooperate. However, the scenery was quite memorable. Enjoy!
Showing posts with label Urban Creek. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Urban Creek. Show all posts
Crappie in Small Creeks in Southern California
Amongst the crowded streets and and packed neighborhoods of suburbia are little waterways, sometimes teeming with life. To one such creek I ventured last week, drawn by wanderlust and the hunt for finned adventure. Parts were far too shallow for my scaled quarry to inhabit; yet other portions held them in abundance. The river king they were not, but landing crappie from an urban stream is always a treat!
Fishing the Santa Ana River for Bass and Sunfish
Found this little channel on the Santa Ana by accident. It's pretty easy to figure out where it is, but I'm warning any would-be-explorers: this spot is nasty with poison oak. Somehow, I managed to get it around my eye, in addition to arms, legs, and neck. Definitely not an experience I plan on repeating! Although, I wonder how many other tiny channels like this one exist, perhaps even with larger fish?
Urban Creek Bass Blast Video!
Earlier this year, during my urban creek rush, I re-visited a small Inland Empire creek. I had initially avoided even dropping a line in it as it didn't appeal to me.
However, I'm glad I returned. Despite the brief torrential downpour and suspicious fish, I managed to land several bass and a few green sunfish, all within a couple of hours.
While the creek wasn't very impressive in length, it made up for it in width with several spots allowing full-range of overhead casting.
Check out the photos and video, notice the two fish I scored towards the end on the dropshot + purple worm!
Top Micro Ultralite Fishing Lures
Several months ago, I came across an excellent article at In-Fisherman, speaking volumes about “Might Mini Cranks.” The author discussed a wide range of tips, tactics and lures to use for ultralite anglers wanting to throw tiny cranks and jerkbaits. Since then, I've built up an ever-expanding collection of ultralite fishing lures and I wanted to take this opportunity to share with everyone what I have found.
Jet Tackle Lures is one of the best sources I have found of ultra cheap fishing lures in the United States. They also happen to offer a fantastic line of micro lures, perfect for ultralite anglers on a budget. While I love my expensive Yo-Zuri micros, I also maintain a collection of cheap small lures that I’m not afraid to cast near heavier cover or other snag-prone areas. Here’s their page of micro lures (web link-view ALL micro lures from Jet Tackle here) and following are profiles of several of these lures.
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| S3-Jetx (bottom 3) vs S4-LKA039 |
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| Catches trout too! |
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| Tiny |
Jet Tackle’s S3-JETX0002 is pretty solid little lure. Actually, it’s one of my favorite micro lures they offer, coming in at a tiny 1.2 inches (3cm). I’ve nailed a load of different sized green sunfish and other panfish on this tiny micro lure. I’ve also caught several wild rainbow trout on it from different secret SoCal creeks, thus showing off its versatility. It’s probably closest in shape to a mini Rapala, although considerably lighter. It has a fairly slow sink rate and a nice wobble on retrieve. They offer the S3-JETX0002 in 8 different colors, each for the stellar price of just $1.27. Try and beat that when you are looking for decent micro lures! It’s definitely one of the best micro lures offered by Jet Tackle and one I would urge any ultralite angler to purchase. ★★★★★
The S4-LKA039 is another tiny (1.6 inch) lure from Jet Tackle, in a mini jerkbait shape. It’s also one of the most detailed micro lures they offer and comes in a wide array of enticing colors. I have several of them in my ultralite box. It has an excellent side to side wobble, but unfortunately, it doesn’t sink fast enough to be of as much use to me as the S3-JetX. I still like it and adding a snap swivel to the front does help, but it’s mostly shallow water bait. It’s available for $1.27 as well. ★★★★
The tiniest true crankbait offered by Jet Tackle is the S4-LKA046. It’s definitely a solid shallow water crankbait, with an excellent wobble, even on faster retrieves and required little to no tuning. However, I wish it could dive a little deeper, as it is probably limited to 6 inches or less of diving depth. It’s still not a bad lure for $1.27 but it won’t replace my trusty Strike King Bitsy Pond Minnow crankbait. ★★
One of the neatest tiny topwaters offered by Jet Tackle is the S5-FLA031. It’s a typical topwater popper and looks great in the water. The S5-FLA031 comes in at a true 2 inches and pops like a pro on retrieve. I’m not worried about casting it near thick cover for bass or sunfish on my urban creek fishing trips, because at $1.27 it doesn’t hurt to lose it (well, not too much at least). Definitely one I would recommend picking up for topwater ultralite fans, one of the better lures offered by Jet Tackle. Get it! ★★★★★
The S4-LKA039 is another tiny (1.6 inch) lure from Jet Tackle, in a mini jerkbait shape. It’s also one of the most detailed micro lures they offer and comes in a wide array of enticing colors. I have several of them in my ultralite box. It has an excellent side to side wobble, but unfortunately, it doesn’t sink fast enough to be of as much use to me as the S3-JetX. I still like it and adding a snap swivel to the front does help, but it’s mostly shallow water bait. It’s available for $1.27 as well. ★★★★
The tiniest true crankbait offered by Jet Tackle is the S4-LKA046. It’s definitely a solid shallow water crankbait, with an excellent wobble, even on faster retrieves and required little to no tuning. However, I wish it could dive a little deeper, as it is probably limited to 6 inches or less of diving depth. It’s still not a bad lure for $1.27 but it won’t replace my trusty Strike King Bitsy Pond Minnow crankbait. ★★
One of the neatest tiny topwaters offered by Jet Tackle is the S5-FLA031. It’s a typical topwater popper and looks great in the water. The S5-FLA031 comes in at a true 2 inches and pops like a pro on retrieve. I’m not worried about casting it near thick cover for bass or sunfish on my urban creek fishing trips, because at $1.27 it doesn’t hurt to lose it (well, not too much at least). Definitely one I would recommend picking up for topwater ultralite fans, one of the better lures offered by Jet Tackle. Get it! ★★★★★
( more after the jump)
The S6-FLA076is another tiny jerkbait, although not as small as many of the other lures profiled here (2’’). It looks really good, nice details and all, and is also super cheap ($1.27). It’s decent on retrieve but feels a little too lightweight to be of much use. I think a slightly heavier model would be better, as it would offer better balance and diving ability. I’ll keep it as backup but not as a primary lure at all. ★★
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| Jet Tackle Micro Crankbaits |
Sadly, the S7-FLA040line of 2.8’’ jerkbaits look amazing but do not perform well, in my opinion. They simply don’t have much action in the water, unless violently jerked (much harder than many Rapalas or XPS jerkbaits requires). A steady retrieve makes these look like a knife cutting through water, with little or no action. I was really disappointed by these as I had high hopes for them with their excellent appearance and price. ★
Lastly, the TinyBomber range of crankbaits are a little chubbier and longer than most covered here (2.4’’ long) but they look great in the water! They have an excellent wobble, dive well and come in 5 different colors. $1.39 is a terrific bargain for these too! I liked them so much I put in a second order for them, definitely worth a shot. I think they are a little too “fat” for most panfish, but will work great for city park pond and urban creek largemouth bass fishing. ★★★★
Overall, I’m really pleased with the line of small Jet Tackle Lures. While you can purchase a few of their lures from other websites or eBay for cheaper on occasion, only Jet Tackle ships from inside the United States. Their customer service and shipping times are excellent; shipping costs are very low as well.
Other Micro lures:
Conquer Outdoors
Imagine my surprise when I walked across a new stand of lures in the fishing section at WalMart, complete with micro crankbaits for just $1! Sold under the name Conquer Outdoors, these “Crappie Lures” were incredibly cheap and came in several different colors. They are just a little larger than a Bitsy Pond Minnow but have a similar action in the water. Not only do they work fairly well on both slow and fast retrieves, but they catch fish too! I was super excited to find these and have to admit that I may have cleaned out one WalMart’s stock of these lures, sorry! Unfortunately, when I returned, they stopped carrying the smaller ones and only carry bass-sized jerkbaits, cranks and spinnerbaits now. These are also very cheap ($2 or so) and I’ve picked up a few of them as well. I’ve seen the little cardboard stand holding these lures at several WalMarts now but haven’t seen the crappie crankbaits previously sold at any of the stands. Keep your eyes open and maybe you’ll find them at your local branch.
wLure
Both wLure (C146) and Jet Tackle (S4-LKA046) carry a nice selection of chubby micro crankbaits. They don't have a very deep diving depth (6-10 ''?) but they have a solid wobble and definitely catch fish.I've caught a lot of green sunfish on these, as you can see in the photos.
Yo-Zuri
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| Yo-Zuri Goby |
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| Yo-Zuri Aile Kilifish |
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| Top and Bottom-Tsunami MicroCranks Middle-YoZuri Snap Bean |
Rebel
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| Rebel Jerkbait |
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| BPS MicroMinnow |
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| BPS MicroCrankbait |
Ladybug (generic) Lure
This little lure pops up on eBay from time to time and always interested me. I finally picked one up and was rather disappointed by it. It’s small, but is also quite wide-not the micro lure I was looking for. It also struggles to dive on retrieve, although it has a decent wobble. Stay clear of this one.
New SoCal Urban Creek Green Sunfish
Thanks to a sweet tip from a fellow angler, I found a new urban creek to explore. It's actually more of a canal, but hold water year round and is absolutely loaded with chunky green sunfish, up to 12 inches. I lost track of how many scrappy greenies I landed in a short afternoon fishing session at this Inland Empire creek.
Since then, I've returned several times, always landing loads of these sunfish. I've also spotted a couple of turtles, many mosquito fish, and a couple small largemouth, along with the obligatory pile of litter and trash. Urban creek fishing at its finest hmm?
Cali Urban Creek Bass and Green Sunfish Fishing Action
Bass Attack Urban Creek Bass Fishing with Underwater Shots
Last week, I visited one of my favorite urban creeks in California. It's packed with cover and loaded with largemouth bass, green sunfish, carp, catfish and other eager biters. So far, most of the bass I've caught in this creek are tiny. However, this last trip really blew me away-several decent-sized largemouth bass were caught, along with a bunch of chunky green sunfish on an assortment of lures.
I was really impressed with this section of the creek. It's relatively un-trashed, when compared to some of the upstream parts of this urban creek. The tree canopy is pretty dense, covering the surface of the water with loads of shade. There is scattered fallen logs and brush along the shore, with fast sections and slow, deep pools. It really feels like a different world from many other urban creeks I've fished. Even better, I had this section of the creek to myself. That's not to say it hadn't been fished before, as evidenced by a few stray pieces of fishing line and beer bottles.
I started out catching one nice largemouth on a Real Fish Swimbait Hard Shad model. He hit it after a long retrieve in some rapids near a spillway. Catching that fish set the pace for the day. As you can see from the above video, I ended up doing pretty well on this trip. I'm also very pleased with how the video turned out; it's definitely one of my best urban creek YouTube fishing videos so far. The music choice may not be perfect for all audiences (dubstep?) but I hope you still enjoy the fishing!
The last pool I stopped at was absolutely amazing. Landed a healthy largemouth bass on my first cast, with a dropshot Zipper worm. Next up with several more missed strikes on the same worm. Switched over to a Yo-Zuri Snap Bean and was instantly back in the action. The largemouth would chase this tiny micro crankbait, but it was the green sunfish that went wild over it. I lost track of how many of these big-mouthed greenies I landed on this ultralite crankbait, but at one point I was hooking up on every cast. I'll be posting a review series sometime soon of my favorite ultralite crankbaits and jerkbaits, with more on these wonderful micro cranks!
I also landed several fish on the usual assortment of microjigs, crappie jigs and one other lure, a hand-painted blank lure jerkbait from wLure. II don't have an airbrush, but I've still had a fun time hand painting a few blank crankbaits and jerkbaits from wLure. Catching a fish on a lure you've painted yourself is especially rewarding.
The new time change really throws off my fishing schedule, in a good way. I'll have to agree with a recent post over at UrbanFlyVentures-let's Spring Forward and stick with it, no more Fall Backs! I had been fishing for several hours but the sun didn't appear to be anywhere near ready to set. Definitely felt odd, but I'm thrilled to have a longer time to fish each day, at least until next Fall. Sounds like there will be plenty more urban creek fishing adventures to post at Hunting the River King in the near future!
Urban Creek Underwater Fishing Footage
Ever wondered what's under the surface of a dirty urban stream? Dive into the murky depths and check out my latest YouTube video, of urban creek baitfish and green sunfish. Shot it with the help of a Lewis N. Clark Waterproof Camera Case, with my Kodak Zx1 cam. It's a multi-seal waterproof bag/case with clear sides for cameras, iPhones, video cameras, etc, pretty happy to get it for cheap on Amazon. No audio in this video though, I took it out, just a load of minnows to enjoy.
Inland Empire New Secret Ponds + Fishing Video
There's something about discovering a new spot on Google Maps, driving to it and actually finding it both fish-able and accessible that really turns up the adrenaline. I've scoured the Inland Empire for new spots to try within a reasonable driving distance and just recently came across a really amazing fishing location. Poles and fishing gear in the car, I hit the road, parked in a safe area, find a clear path with apparently public access, and headed in. After a 10 minute hike, I was on the water-and what a spot! Clear, clean water with very little trash on the bank (quite a difference from my usual urban creek fishing spots), and lots of great bank access. It's hard to describe in words just how exhilarating this is.
For those living outside of Southern California, let me throw in a little more explanation. When living in an area of high urban density, especially in the more populated regions of Riverside, San Bernardino, etc, finding even a public park to fish in can be difficult. The sheer number of people, concrete urban sprawl and amazingly restrictive land access (both public and private) is often overwhelming and leaves anglers with very few places to "discover" as a new, relatively untouched fishing spots. Thus, coming across somewhere new is a special treat, to say the least.
Back to this new spot. There's actually two ponds, with a lot of depth. Casting out with my favorite Bitsy Pond Minnow micro crankbait, I immediately had strikes. I also noticed several large bass warily stalking my lure. Perhaps their hesitance indicated that this pond received more fishing pressure than I first anticipated, perhaps not. Regardless, I worked my way around one pond, working the crankbait for a few small dink bass. Eventually, I switched to a Gary Yamamoto Micro Ika (really unique scaled-down version of the Ika soft plastic) and worked it in cover along the shore. This lure usually scores stubborn bass for me, but it was not be today. Frustrated, I tied on a zipper-style 3'' purple worm on a lightweight jighead and began working it both parallel and straight out from the shore. After two missed hits, I changed spots and immediately hooked into a healthy largemouth bass. He wasn't a beast by any measure, but I was fairly satisfied-good fight on light line, leaping acrobatics and a couple of strong drag-pulling runs, roughly 12-14''.
New spot fishing video
While it was still relatively "urban", this new spot felt like a nice change of pace from some of my usual litter-strewn concrete jungle creek fishing locales. I'll be back as the weather continues to warm up and fish begin to move more and more shallower in the pre-spawn. Tight lines!
