With Labor Day weekend behind us, the fall fishing officially has begun as the summer crowds are gone, the aspens are starting to show signs of the upcoming fall color show, and with cooler nighttime temps, the fish are starting to get much more active. Quite a few solid fish to just over 4 lbs hit the scales this week. Big fish of the week weighed 4.37lbs and was caught by Parchers Resort & South Lake GM Jared Smith using a grasshopper Sierra Slammer 1/32oz mini-jig.

The bite is really localized right now with the rock slide and the east island channel being the only places on the lake where folks are consistently scoring limits of Rainbows with the occasional Brown or Brookie showing. If you get in the right spot just about anything you throw will catch some fish and catching a limit is easy but the best producers have been grasshopper mini-jigs, pink trout worms, nightcrawlers fished under a bobber, and garlic or salmon peach Powerbait fished 3' off the bottom. After the DFG stocking on Friday there was a wide open bite on 1/6oz Thomas Buoyant.

A big stocking of Alpers is scheduled for the upcoming week so we're looking for the bite on trophy fish to really break loose next weekend. The lake level has stabilized but unfortunately has not come up at all so private boaters are still out of luck as the launch ramp is high and dry. South Lake boat landing does however have their fleet of motorboats and kayaks still on the water.

Main Photo Above: 4.37lb Rainbow caught at South Lake near the island by Parchers Resort & South Lake Landing GM Jared Smith using a grasshopper pattern Sierra Slammer jig.

Photo #1: Keith Lenninger from Canyon Lake, CA with a 4.25lb Alper caught at the island channel on powerbait.

Photo #2: Sean Schulgen from Tehachapi, ca with a 2.5lber on a worm at South Lake

Photo #3: Wayne from Hemet with a 3.04lb 'bow caugth on crawlers at the dam at South Lake.