Catfish: Lately, Anglers have generally only been catching a few medium size catfish at a time. Rangers have come across several significant catches in the past few weeks. Catfish are nocturnal scavengers, so the best time for them is either early morning or around sunset, however good bait and patience can snag you a couple at any time of the day. Catfish scavenge for food by detecting its scent in the water (their barbels [the whisker like appendages] are excellent in doing so), so any smelly bait works great on them! The stinkier the better! Many anglers have had success using cut up mackerel (especially dipped in hog’s blood), chicken liver, shrimp, and the classic nightcrawler. More offbeat, yet successful, bait has included hotdogs either soaked in Kool-Aid or by themselves. You might also try soaking your bait in garlic oil the night for a day or so prior to fishing. Catfish are a benthonic species (they live primary near the bottom), because of that, any rig setup that can get the bait near the lake bed is a good idea, so make sure to have decently heavy weights for your rig (a drop shot rig for catfish minimizes the risk of snags). Catfish Cove, Whisker Bay, and near the buoys (typically the middle of them) are our usual great spots to catch cats. Recently, Whisker Bay seems to be bringing about the most action. Reminder: Catfish are limited to 5 per permit!

Largemouth Bass: The heatwaves of summer have dwindled. There will be a short window though between the stubborn heat leaving and winter’s chill moving in that bass should be plentiful as they start to hunt more to prepare for winter. Swimbaits are commonly used here for bass, Senkos and Roboworms are the usual, but any swimbait will do if you know how to work them properly. Color wise for swimbaits, purple continues to be a popular color this year, and I’ve been told once when you don’t know what color to throw, throw out something black. Topwater baits are also a fine choice, whether you use a rat or frog, you should see nice results using them. Dropshots and Texas rigs are excellent setups to use, Texas rigs especially if you’re fishing in the algae (do keep in mind that if you’re going to be casting into algae, having a heavier line will help reduce line breaks, you don’t want to lose that whopper on the other end! But our fish are as smart as our waters are clear, so if your line is too heavy, I don’t think you’ll fool the bass of Dixon.). Largemouths are ambush predators, meaning they like to hide in and around structures and heavily grown algae beds, waiting for a tasty snack to swim by before striking. While bass can be found anywhere in our lake, casting perpendicular to the edge of cover, whether it be any of the piers, near algae, or tules is always a good recommendation. However, going straight through/above the algae beds is also a fruitful tactic (Texas rig!). Reminder: Bass are limited to 2 per permit, and must be at least 12 inches to keep!

Bluegill: In the same family as bass (Sunfish [or Centrarchidae]), Bluegill are also coming out of the deep as surface temperatures start to become cooler to feed for winter. Hot spots for bluegills are the dense algae beds (try to look for any open spots in said beds, it’s a great place to drop your line with a bobber attached), near and in the tules, around natural structures (such as rocks or sunken trees) and of course right beneath our any of our piers. Bluegill fishing is timeless fun for all ages, and as such they are a great fish to teach newer anglers if you’re looking to take the little ones out for a great time at the lake! Bluegill rigs are as simple as they come, have your hook on the bottom, some/a light weight(s) about a foot or so above, and a bobber starting off at about a foot away from the weight, keep in mind you’ll most likely will need to move the bobber up or down your depending on where the gills are at in the water column. While you can use small lures such as plastic minnows and small jigs, I always recommend either meal/red worms or cut up nightcrawler on about a size 6 hook. Bigger live baits/hooks can land bigger bluegills, just be careful, the small ones can and will take your bait leaving you with just a bare hook! Pier 1 is where most of our bluegill fishers go, it’s an easy walk with a lovely view of the lake, not to mention 3 benches there to laze away the day while waiting for that monster gill to come by. Reminder: Bluegills are limited to 25 per permit and cannot be used as bait!

Trout: Trout season is almost upon us! Trout stocking and fishing will begin December 2nd and don’t forget to try your hand at the Trout Derby 2nd-3rd! Check in at the Concession Stand or call Dixon Lake for more information regarding pricing and prizes. Anglers swear by differing trout catching methodologies, but it is generally recommended to use live bait (minnows, nightcrawlers, salmon eggs) with a slip bobber and a split-shot during the cooler months of year when trout are feeding in the upper portions of the water column. Switch to a bottom rig when water temperatures rise. Bucktail jigs can be effective when going for trout in deeper water. Reminder: Trout are limited to 5 per permit and cannot be released after being caught!

For more information on park rules, future stocking schedules, and other information, please call the Dixon Lake Ranger station at 760-839-4680, or visit http://www.dixonlake.com. Dixon Lake can be found on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/dixonlakecitypark