East West:

I am in California and fish the lakes here were we catch these giants. In Southern California the surface water temperatures range from a low of 54 to a high of 83 degrees on the average. Current water temperatures here are 65 degrees and slowly warming. Temps. should be at 70 degrees by the end of the month and then reach mid 70's to low 80's by August. Trout are stocked starting in late October through April in most lakes. I do not of a single public lake that is not stocked with trout here. Hatcheries start stocking trout when the surface temps get below 65 degrees and stock up to 65 degrees. Our bass essentially get 5 to 6 months of trout feed. Most lakes stock every other week and the size of the trout stocked depends if they are being provided by the CA DFG into public lakes and ponds or going into pay / private lakes and ponds. Typically DFG trout range in size from 6" to 12", with most common being the 10" - 12" sizes. Private operations generally buy the 12" / 3/4 to 1 lb. trout plus stock some of the hybrid monsters up to high 20 lb. trout. Current cost of trout is running $ 4.50 per pound delivered. Generally minimum order is 500 lbs. per trip with 2,000 lbs. required to established an order. The cost of trout has sky rocket in the last few years due to fuel and feed costs and demand. Most hatcheries will not sell trout under 3/4 to 1 lb. fish as it is not cost effective for them to sell smaller fish. Many lakes, even those as small as 40 acres stock 25,000 to 150,000 lbs. of trout during the trout season. Late in the year these same lakes then stock 10,000 - 100,000 lbs. of 1 - 3 lb. and larger channel cats. The fish here take a few weeks to start adapting their feeding to trout. However, within a month of the regular stockings, the larger bass are keyed in on feeding almost exclusively on these steaks with fins. So much so that I would say that the vast majority and all seeking 5 lb. largemouth and larger throw only 7" - 10" trout imitating lures. If you are not throwing swimbaits in tournaments here and the fish are eating the swimbaits, you will have your clocked cleaned by the competition.

Our lakes here have massive schools of threadfin shad, plus decent bluegill / redear populations (others high depending on vegetation), crawdads, black crappie in many lakes (however, not very abundant), channel cats, carp, and some silver side minnows, golden shiner, tilapia and hitch as well. There is a tremendous difference in the frequency of catching a bass over 10 lbs. here for the lakes that have trout stocked and those that don't. Do trout produce these fish over ten pounds on a consistent basis here - absolutely!

Dave