PUDDINGSTONE CONTINUES TO GUARD ITS SECRET.

Byline: Keith Lair Staff Writer

There's a huge largemouth bass largemouth bass

see micropterus salmoides.  lurking in Puddingstone Reservoir Puddingstone Reservoir is a 250acre (1 km²) synthetic lake between the Orange Freeway (California 57) and the San BernardinoFreeway (Interstate 10) in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is a great place forfishing, swimming, sailing, wind surfing and camping. .

The question, Bonelli Park employee and fishing expert Jim McGill said, is for the angler to find it.And if the angler does, there's the matter of reporting the catch.

``It's very possible there's a 17- or 18-pounder in here,'' McGill says. ``All of our fishermen arededicated to bass and practice catch-and-release.''

And as McGill might like to say: catch, release and never tell. He says the lake record is 12 pounds,18 ounces, ``but I've heard rumors that someone caught a 17-pounder.''

Catching that big a fish at Puddingstone pud·ding·stone Â

n. Geology

A conglomerate. Â is not improbable, said Dave Plotnik of the American Bass Association.

``Tournament guys use it, but they don't like to talk about it,'' he said. ``It's become a secret, but it'sa secret everyone seems to know about, so I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed)

"Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade orreceives conflicting instructions from the other party.

 why it's a secret.''

Puddingstone gets passed over when talk revolves around great Southern California SouthernCalifornia, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California.Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24million people and is the nation's second most populated region,  bass fishing lakes The FishingLakes are a chain of four lakes in the Qu'Appelle Valley cottage country some 40 miles (64 km) tothe northeast of Regina, Saskatchewan. The perimeters of Pasqua, Echo, Mission and KatepwaLakes . But then, the numbers reveal why. Of the top 25 bass caught in the United States UnitedStates, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi(9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country inpopulation and the fourth largest country in area. , 20 have been in Southern California lakes,according to according to

prep.

1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.

2. In keeping with: according to instructions.

3. Â BASSMaster Magazine. When bass fishing is broached, Castaic, Casitas, Dixon, Murray andPerris are the first mentioned.

Castaic is at the top of the heap, thanks to two 1991 catches. Mike Arujo caught a 21-12 bass March5 and Bob Crupi landed a 22.01-pounder a week later. They are the No. 2 and No. 3 catches in thenation, behind the famous 22-4 catch made by George Washington Perry in 1932 in Georgia'sMontgomery Lake.

Besides catch numbers, Puddingstone has another size handicap: lake acreage.

Plotnik said the ABA never will have a tournament on the lake because it's too small at 490 acres.Castaic's lake size is 2,235 acres, Casitas is 2,500 acres and Perris is 2,340 acres. Those three lakesThree Lakes may refer to: Cities, towns, townships etc.

Three Lakes, Florida

Three Lakes, Wisconsin

Three Lakes, Washington

Lakes

Three Lakes, a complex of three small lakes in RedwoodCounty, Minnesota

Other

 are frequent tournament hosts for theABA, WONBass and Angler's tours.

``Puddingstone could not support 100-plus boats,'' said Whittier's DarrellDagdigian, who fishes in the WONBassteam tournament series. ``But it's agreat place to fish because there's not alot of pressure.''

But, Dagdigian said, a 20-pound bass might more likely come out of a lake such as Puddingstonethan one of the more famous Southern California impounds.

``Tournament fishing is a different style of fishing,'' he said. ``When you're fishing for bigger fish,you use bigger bait and fish slower. You can't fish that way in tournaments because you need yourfive fish. You need to use those huge trout-like lures. However, more anglers are winningtournaments by using those type of lures.''

McGill said lake staff once planted firs near the tip of the east shore to promote bass growth. Otherfavorite spots include the two arms near the dam and the cliff area just north of the dam.

``We do have good vegetation, so we know the bass can feed,'' McGill said.

But that might not be enough to land the huge lunkers, Dagdigian said. And that is because of thelake's source.

``Lakes like Castaic have waters that are very fertile,'' he said. ``They get aqueduct (water) andrunoff and that seems to be very conducive for growing large fish. It causes plant life to nourish andgives bass a lot of feed. So they can get huge.

``It's just the right combination. They have the fresh water, a top food chain, a lot of vegetation anda huge rock structure.''

But they have their downsides: Notoriety. That's why McGill thinks that next 20-pounder could becaught at Puddingstone.

``There's a lot of fishing pressure at those lakes,'' Dagdigian said. ``I do not think it is as good as itwas 10 years ago. The fish are edgy and they're not getting that big because of everyoneconcentrating on them.''

Which, Plotnik said, is why lakes such as Puddingstone are the ``secrets.''

``There's a lot of panfish n. 1. Any of numerous small food fishes; especially those not available onthe market.

2. Any of numerous small food fishes taken withhook and line.

Noun 1. Â there,'' he said. ``Anglers go there inthe middle of the week to practice and tune upfor tournaments.''

And one day, maybe catch that world-classlunker lunk·er Â

n. Informal

Something, especially a game fish, that is large for its kind.

[Origin unknown.] .

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