“Dusty Britches” here reporting in on the action taking place at the old pond. But before I get too verbose and running off at the computer…..I wanted to complete Samuel Clemens notation of comparison that I began last week, but forgot to finish…..”Politicians and Diapers should be changed….often, and for the same reason”…..Now, for the report. Both Mt. Lassen and Jess Ranch planted last Tuesday with 1,200 pounds of trout each…..that’s 2,400 pounds of trout for the Memorial Weekend ! 1,000 pounds of that is “Lightening Trout from Mt. Lassen. The “rock stars” are here also, checking out the bass action jumping from rock to rock as the fish move in close to shore…..throwing plastics, swim baits, and almost anything that will prompt a bite. Sarah Kinder, a local, tried dragging on both sides of the boat dock for an hour with no luck to drop a line about 3 to 4 feet from shore and, BAM !!! Most just catch and release….which is great to give another angler the same opportunity. We have some hearty anglers out here braving the wet weather and wind to eek out a good day of fishing, but fish are coming out all over the pond, not just in the regular consistant spots. Heron Point, which is usually overlooked, has become a favorite spot for trout, bass, and crappie. Last weekend we watched anglers almost shoulder to shoulder around the Point. Some of them are building small shoreline pools out of rocks to keep their catch fresh until time comes to leave for the day….. other folks are preferring to stack-balance the rocks as rock-art around the shore. The “Cornerstone Church Group” from Brawley reserved mostly all of Chambers Park and braved the weather to Bar-B-Q and campout together……lots of bicycles, tricycles, skateboards, kids, and parents just having fun. Dave Hilfiker organized the event. It is their second year and, I think they will be back. Again, trout are being taken all around the Lake, not just at Lone Pine or Chambers. Ya know, some things just don’t figure….like this morning….two coyotes…..one has a beautiful coat, looks well fed, and is obviously content. The other looks like it has mange, you can count its ribs from a distance, and is afraid of everything. Go figure.

We are going to have some visitors here starting June 1st. Their looks might fool you because they will be participating in the “San Diego 100” mile run. For the most part, they are not the ashen-paisley long distance runners that you might think……although some are pretty slim, but not in the anorexic-bad sense of the word. They are in good shape and willing to do this to their bodies. The others you would meet on the street and absolutely not know they were ultra runners. The “San Diego 100” will happen on the weekend of June 6th and the faster runners will complete the course in a little under 18 hours…..lord only knows how they do it. The start/finish line is at the south parking lot here at the Lake. A 71 year old local from Mesa Grande/Santa Ysabel participated last year. One of our own said he might participate. When not putting out great food at the Cuyamaca Restaurant, Bobby Morgan has been secretly training for the event! Anyway, the runners will be drifting in (starting) around the first of June to start practicing and getting acclimated to the area. Jen will be striking the “Jolly Roger” as party central. Speaking of the restaurant…..Bobby has added “chicken pot pie” to his menu. This diverse and rather eclectic chef has many cards up his sleeve. Please try out some of the faire offered by Dolores Gomez and Bobby Morgan.

Just today……Robert Battershell of El Cajon only caught 2 trout, but they weighed 12pounds 14 ounces at Lone Pine on rainbow power bait; Rick Taylor of Long Beach reeled in a 12 pound 8 ounce catfish at the north finger jetty; Craig Richards included a 9 pound 8 ounce in his 13 pound limit using green power bait while fishing the dike; and Mike Stames of Chula Vista included a 9 pound 6 ounce rainbow using night crawlers and gulp trout dip…… “Tight Lines and Bent Rods”…..Dusty Britches.