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By Sean Fenner, October 17, 2009 9:39 pm

This season was not a great one as far as my Bass Fishing goes. No matter how big my flies got the fish stayed small, and I did not catch near the number as last year. One observation that I have made though is that, the lakes with Catch and Release Only signs for Bass positively had more and bigger fish. I really wish that the state would post these signs at all the parks, it really seems like it works as a deterrent and I would like the bass to still be there when I have kids and they start fishing. I think that I will be writing a few letters to our state officials, I hate to complain about something without trying to change it. So remember no matter where you bass fish in California, please practice Catch and Release!

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By Sean Fenner, October 17, 2009 9:23 pm

Okay I was checking the Orvis website yesterday to see what flies I was going to pick up at the Pasadena Store, and I came across this fly the “Melrose Mullet”. This fly is not supposed to be an imitation of the fish (Mullet), but rather the hair style (Mullet) that is sooo awesome. I am also going to guess that because this fly looks like a fish would never come near it, it will probably catch fish. I think I will put one in my fly box, just as a conversation starter if I ever meet a Fly Fisher out on the water with a Mullet Haircut.

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By Dan Zambrano, October 14, 2009 10:19 am

SoCal isn’t usually the first place that pops into the head of most people when they are thinking about places rich in history. Strolling Main Street at Disneyland and gazing upon Clark Gable’s star on Hollywood Blvd. don’t exactly stand on the same footing as visiting Monticello or paying respects to the fallen at Gettysburg.

And while most tourists can be forgiven a lack of knowledge about the subtle yet fascinating history of the region, I have no idea what to say to the local natives who claim the movies Chinatown and L.A. Confidential as primary reference sources on the history of Los Angeles and it environs.

No wonder we have an actor for Governor.

Despite all that, there is a ton of history layin’ ‘round here that not only makes living in SoCal a great adventure but serves to make things like the urban fishing experience much more enjoyable, in my humble opinion.

Take Lincoln Park for example. Now, every major city in the U.S. and many not so major ones as well, have a Lincoln Park. What makes the one in L.A. unique is…well, that is in L.A.

But seriously, Lincoln Park and its lake were once one of the open-air gems in a quartet of parks situated roughly in the four cardinal directions from the city center. Established in the final years of the 19th century, it was originally called East Los Angeles Park then Eastside Park then Eastlake Park and then, after firmly establishing its direction from downtown in the hearts and minds of the citizens, Lincoln Park in honor of … the High School down the road.

In its heyday, Lincoln Park was THE place to stroll on a warm Sunday afternoon and possibly take your sweetie out for a pleasant rowboat ride on the small lake. If rowing was not your thing then a meander through the alligator farm might have been in order. Over a hundred large gators were on display as well as a wide variety of alligator related trinkets – some things in L.A. never change. It is recorded in several historical articles that escaped alligators would frequently make the lake in Lincoln Park their temporary home until they could be rounded up and returned to the farm, none the worse for the wear.

If large, bellowing reptiles were not your cup of tea, then you could check out the ostriches at the adjacent ostrich farm where, aside from the obligatory gift shop selling ostrich plumes for your hat, you could watch ostrich races or have a photo taken of you sitting in a small cart being pulled by – what else – ostriches.

In case that wasn’t enough distraction to hinder your back cast and confound your choice of flies (just what does one use to entice a gator to strike?) William Selig of early movie studio fame went on to establish a zoo on the north edge of the park and in a most Disney-esque fashion had high hopes of turning East Los Angeles into an entertainment destination par excellance.

He never got beyond a couple of Ferris wheels as far as amusement parks go but his property adjacent to the park eventually became a huge movie studio and the zoo grew to became one of the biggest zoos and most famous botanical gardens in the world with over 700 animals including many “celebrity” animals from Selig’s movies

Other historical documents tell of a mock Indian Village in the park where real Native Americans demonstrated traditional arts and crafts and of various fairs and of a variety of other amusements for the general public.

One of my favorites was a series of stepping stones that allowed one to seemingly walk on water across a corner of the lake. That might have been handy in those days prior to reliable waders

Sadly, the magnificent zoo, alligator farm, studio buildings and Ferris Wheels have vanished from the landscape of Lincoln Park as have the stately greenhouses, the rowboats and the wooden carousel. Laundromats and donut shops stand in the places where beautiful entry gates topped with sculptures of elephants and big cats used to tower.

Today there remains a closed and shuttered boathouse and the occasional portion of an odd pathway or awkwardly positioned streetlamp as well as similar out of place fragments of stone walls or curbs which serve as clues to a mostly forgotten yet glorious past.

The shallow, comma shaped lake is still there and many a local youth still gets his or hers first taste of fishing from that lake. As with nearly every SoCal urban lake, there are plenty of Panfish, the occasional Bass, Catfish and a few skulking Carp to entice the novice to keep trying.

Valley Blvd. literally forms the south shore of the lake which means incredibly easy access for the lazy angler and certainly makes the timing of your backcast critical if you fly fish – I don’t like busting off a fly on a wayward branch I failed to notice so I certainly don’t want to hang up my size 8 Carp fly on the antenna of a passing Chevy.

I don’t fish Lincoln Park much anymore. We reside in the O.C. now and the traffic makes it difficult to hop over there quickly. But Lincoln Park still holds a warm spot on my heart. Back in my college days I always had a fishing rig in my car and Lincoln park was on the way home.

Nothing eases the ache of a blown essay or missed math equation like an hour on the water and as I struggled through school, there were many occasions I needed that hour on the water.

The best part was, if you positioned yourself just right, with your back to the Blvd., you could almost imagine that the rumble of the trucks from the nearby 5 freeway were the bellowing of giant alligators or the twilght calls of Selig’s big cats.

Eastside park, Eastlake Park or Lincoln Park. Call it what you will but for my two cents worth it’s all part of that addiction I call urban fly fishin’.

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By Sean Fenner, October 13, 2009 7:08 pm

The California Department of Fish and Game has posted the list of the fishing spots that they will be stocking this week for Region 5-South Coast Region. Remember to practice catch and release as much as possible, pick up trash when you see it, and respect this resource so that everyone can enjoy it!!!

(Rainbow Trout)

Doane Pond

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By Dan Zambrano, October 11, 2009 6:00 am

Southern fish experiencing identity crises

By Celia Rivenbark

Next time Bubba and Billy Bob  go fishing, they might discover the fish more or less moseys onto the hook, languishes on the line and then passively lays there in the cooler smoothing its scales instead of flailing.

Scientists have discovered estrogen in the water is making fish, particularly large-mouthed bass in the South, less aggressive. Turns out 70 to 90 percent of the bass in ponds across the Southeast have both male and female sex characteristics.

Which goes a long way toward explaining why some of the time they want to pound beers with the guys at BW3′s and the rest of the time they get giddy about the semi-annual shoe sale at Dillard’s .

This new revelation could result in a recall of that horrid wall plaque with the singing bass on it. Instead of singing “Take Me to the River” perhaps some show tunes would be in order. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

The bigger worry here is where all this estrogen is coming from and why is it so much more prevalent in the Southeast? In Alaska’s   Yukon River , for instance, fish are completely free of the intersex condition, preferring to wear lumberjack plaid shirts for the boys and something slightly slutty from  Forever 21  for the girls. Well, almost.

Scientists say this gender-bending may hamper the ability of fish to reproduce. With so many male fish taking on female characteristics, the fish are in a sort of sexual limbo, sadly disinterested in procreation.

Oh, if only deer, squirrels and Kardashians would acquire this particular affliction. I’m just kidding. I don’t really have anything against squirrels. Or deer.

Scientists also say there is no harm to the consumer in eating intersex fish. It’s not as if you’re eating those 24-eyed fish swimming around the nuke pond on “The Simpsons.” The absolute worst thing that would happen is that, if you’re a boy, well, your “bidness” will fall off. So what?

Having spent my formative years fishing in country ponds and catching more than a few large- and small-mouthed bass myself, I think this is going to make for some depressing trips in the future. The fun is in the fight! If the fish simply yawns in my direction and suggests a light breading of panko crumbs with a modest pinot on the side, there’s no real sport in that.

Of course this is serious business and I’m sure more than a few of you will write to say this is an ecological nightmare and they wish my “bidness” would fall off, too. In the meantime, stop flushing your birth control pills (?!) and give our Southern bass a chance to get their groove back. Are we good?

Taken From: http://www.jewishworldreview.com/1009/rivenbark.php3

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By Sean Fenner, October 10, 2009 6:00 am

It has been a while since I have caught a Trout, and the other day I was just itching to get out and see what the San Gabriel River was looking like in light of our recent fires. The opportunity presented itself when my younger brother Steven asked me to take him hiking. So, we got up early and headed out to the West Fork, it was closed for maintainance due to the fire coming all the way down to the reservoir and so we had to improvise.  We decided to do alittle adventuring around the West and North Forks. I did not see as many Trout as would have liked to, but they are there and it looks like less people are fishing it, due to the fact that it is not going to be stocked for a while. I managed a few 4-7 inchers on the East Fork, but just could not get a good hook set on any of the fish on the North Fork. I know I could have caught more fish with a nymph, but there is just something about fishing a mountain stream with a dry. I hope to make it back up to the San Gabriel Mountains a lot this fall and winter season, and get a lot of good pics to post on the site.