The striper fishery at Lake Skinner is an oddity. Skinner didn’t get its striped bass from northern California like most other southern California striped bass lakes.
Instead, they arrived from the Colorado River via anaqueduct/pipeline which covers a coupleof hundred miles of desert and mountains, Small stripers must be unbelievably hardy to survive such a trip, butthat’s the nature of this game fish.
Skinner is operated by the Riverside CountyParks Department and because of itssmall size as striper lakes go (just 1,140surface acres) it offers anglers a complete, but condensed, classroom to discover striped bass and get some idea ofhow to fish for them.
Skinner‘s small size and shape concentrates the fish more than the other striperlakes in the area, and itslocation in lower Riverside County makes itaccessible for anglersfrom both the San Diegoarea and Los Angeles-Orange County.Add good facilities— a campground,store, dual launchramps, and, best of all,a 10 mph speed limitwith no jet skis andother personal water- craft or water skiing,and you have a first- rate fishing lake.
Onthe other hand, a singular drawback is aprohibition on floattubes and wading, andonly limited shorefishing access. Thismakes Skinner a boatangler’s lake, but notone that requires alarge boat. Lake rulesrequire a 10-foot boatlength and you can fisha lot of it with just agood-sized electrictrolling motor on asmall boat or pram.
FINDING THE FISH:The primary tactic forstriped bass is one thatany angler can learn quickly. It’s location, location, location.If you can find the fish, you can usuallycatch them. Early in the morning, andsometimes in the evening, you can usually find both shad and feeding schoolsof stripers in very shallow water in theeast end of the lake.
The shallow water action occurs in the spring when the shad begin to gather in huge schools in thewarming waters of the back bays, andagain in the fall into winter when surfacewaters cool enough for both bait andpredators to rise out of deep water. When the shad go shallow, the stripers followthem in, busting into the shad and thenmoving on. Over the surface of the lake,action can be nearly constant, but it’snever in the same place for long.
Actually, It doesn’t do a lot of good to pursuethe schools — it just puts them down.. Getting in an area where yousee indications of shad schools, then justwaiting for the stripers to make contactis less likely to spook the fish.
Schoolie-sized stripers weighing from4 to 8 pounds tear into the schools ofshad like a pack of Wolves. In the shallows they tend to spook easily, and mostanglers have discovered the technique of just drifting in the shallow areaswaiting for the snipers to boil withincasting range rather than pursuing themand putting them down.
Lures and baits run from live shad dip-netted (cast nets and snagging are illegal) and fished live, to hunks of cut anchovy, dead shad, ormackerel. On smaller stripers,nightcrawlers and chicken livers work.
ALWAYS IN SEASON: Fishinghere is pretty much a year-round deal. 20 pounds is a good fish, usinglures like the A.C. Plug or Optimum antBasstrix swim baits. Large Rapalas, GiantBomber Long-A lures can be cast ortrolled for stripers.
Because Skinner haslittle in the way of trees and brush on thebottom, trolling is a great way to cover:lot of area. Troll over the main lakepoints and you‘ll probably connect witlat least one striper, and perhaps many.
SQUARED AWAY: Skinner has a rough ly rectangular main portion, with a largedam across the west end. An extensivebuoy line keeps you a distance from thedam, and rules out the riprap as a placcto cast for stripers.
The inlet where waterswirls into the lake is on the north sidtnot far from the dam, and there is a steelslope which runs for some distance eastfrom there. The conventional striper fishermen belly up to the buoyline at the inlet and bombard the whitewater right where the channel enters thislake with huge wood plugs thrown bysurfcasting rigs.
When the water is running, this area attracts stripers to feed the dazed and dying baitfish.The marina and launch ramp No. 1always hold some stripers, as does ramp No. 4in the south end.
Both launchramps can have groups of planted troutmilling around them at the right time the year, and if you happen to be thenwith a fly rod and a big streamer, itincreases your chances of connectingwith one of the lake’s larger citizens.
QUICK VIEW Location: 90 miles southeast ofLos Angeles. Take Highway 60through Riverside or 91 throughElsinore then south on I-215 toTemecula. Turn east on Rancho California Road to entrance.
Open Season: The lake is openyear round and you can getinformation on entrance fees andcamping by calling (909) 926- 541
General fishing info can be had by calling the marina at(909) 926-1505.
Best Fishing: For striped bass, thebest times are the cooler from late October through May (trout plants during the sameperiod get the stripers worked up). However, stripers can be caught year- round with various techniques. Largemouth bass fishing is fair in spring and fall.
Skinner also has a reputation for big crappie.
Best Methods: Top producer for striped bass is probably cut bait or live shad.Shad may be dip-netted in the east end of the lake during the cooler months. Small hunks of anchovy, nightcrawlers. or pieces of cut mackerel all work forstripers.
Big lures which mimic trout catch the larger fish. Swim baits andcrankbaits work well at times. The fly angler should concentrate on smallwhite/silver streamers that mimic shad.Regulations: Striped bass have a ten-fish limit, no size limit at all Southern California lakes. Skinner has a panfish, 15 inch minimum size limit forlargemouth bass. Trout are limited to five fish, no size limit. Private boat launch and rental boats. No water skiing or jet skis.
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