First time at Barrett Lake help.

[Matthew]

Hi,
I'm new to fishing Barrett Lake and have a few questions I'm hoping you guys might know.

1. Entry times are listed on the web site as: 5 a.m., 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. only. However, the brochure linked below says no later than 5:00 a.m. So if we don't make it by 5 a.m., we won't get on the lake? or could we make it by 6:30 a.m. or so for a 7 a.m. entry and still get on? I have a boat ticket reservation in Ticketmaster if that makes a difference.
https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/ ... ochure.pdf

2. Can barbs just be smashed down on the lures I'm using with pliers? Or, do I need to buy all new barb-less hooks for everything I bring? If they can be smashed, can I bring my entire box and just smash them as I use them? Or does everything need to be pre-smashed before entering the property?

3. Is there any kind of map that shows where Hauser is and/or any recommended starting locations for someone new on a boat?

4. I'm planning on using spinner baits, crank baits, and plastics Carolina rigged or drop shot. Do those sound reasonable for Barrett? Any other first timer bait recommendations for bass?

5. If targeting panfish like bluegill, I've only ever fished for panfish with a bobber and night crawler. Since live bait isn't allowed at Barrett, any recommendations on what works for bluegill and other panfish?

Thanks in advance for any help or insight you guys provide.

[Early release]

Hi,
#1, that's old information from when they would escort you to the dock. Get there after 0400 and the gate will be open. Give yourself time to find the entrance. I can't remember why, but I think people say it's confusing. There's a big gate and it says Barrett Reservoir, then it's a dirt road for about 3 miles.
#2 Opinions are different on the barbs. I think Fish and Game would only look at the hooks that you have tied on. Some people are satisfied with smashing the barbs down, some replace the hooks. I personally sand them with a diamond file and reverse my finger over them to make sure they are smooth. I'm sure that there's some clear rules posted somewhere on this.
#3 Tons of maps on the web showing Hauser, Pine, etc. Go anywhere you think looks fishy. The lake is full of fish everywhere. In the last couple weeks an 8 year old caught a massive (>10 pounds) bass on the dock.
#4. Use what you are best with. Those are great choices and plastics always work there.
#5. These bluegills are massive and may surprise you while fishing for bass. If you target them, they seem to love small plastics and jigs. I also have had a lot of fun with a #3 rapala with a light rod in the areas where they are. There are also Crappie in there that are pretty impressive.

[Matthew]

Thank you for taking the time to write all that information, it's very helpful!

#1, do you think we can get there a 0700 and still get a boat? Or is the person who manages the boats only there at a certain time?
#2, I found this in that same brochure, so hopefully it will be fine. "Lures allowed: Artificial lures with barbless hooks only, barbs can be bent or broken off and it is not necessary to do your entire tackle box, only the hooks you are using."
#3, Thanks
#4, Thanks
#5, and Thank you!

[Early release]

Happy that I helped you, there's a lot of people on this site that have helped me, and I'm sure can add to what I said.

I do think you can get there at 0700 and get a boat, I'd suggest to get there earlier though, since one of the best times to be there is early morning. It's not just the bite, it's kind of an neat experience. It feels pretty far away from anything else and with the sun coming over the mountains, it's pretty amazing.

Good find on the info on the hooks.

[DarkShadow]

1. As others have stated, you can get there at 7 and have a boat available, as they don't overbook spots like airlines do. But, getting there as early as you can will give you time to get prepared, and wipe the eye boogers off. Plus, during this time of year, it can get brutally hot so giving yourself more time to fish in the morning will increase your chances on getting on a good bite.

2. It's weird because I've been inspected twice in California on bodies of water were barbless hooks was a requirement. In the Sierras, the warden literally had a cotton ball that he would jam the hook into. If he pulled it out and there was cotton on the hook, you were up $hit's creek. At Barrett, the warden just visibly inspected the hook on the rod that I was using at the time, and didn't even check the other rods I had on deck.

3. In a nutshell, if you leave the dock and go straight up, that's Pine. If you hang a right on the major cove that's on the right, that's Hauser.

4. I think Barrett is very forgiving and I've rarely had one or two baits that were the only ones that would work. In conjunction with #1 above, try throwing some topwater. It's probably my favorite method of catching fish there so I never pass up the opportunity. I've caught some pretty big fish on buzzbaits as well. Many people will recommend throwing a frog, but the hook up ratio (at least for me) is something I can't get over. I've increased my hook up ratio as of late, by using straight braid and a broom stick for a rod, but I'd rather just throw a plain ole topwater bait. In April, these fish were sitting on the secondary brush lines and a 3/8th ounce jig did some damage. Don't forget your trust texas rigged plastics, as you may have to contend with a lot of brush. I know they're dropping the water, but keep that in the back of your mind, especially when the sun comes up and the fish retreat deeper.

5. Any small bait will work to tell you the truth. I've used the Bass Pro "Squirmin' Grub" which is meant for panfish on a 1/80th ounce jig head that I got in their fly fishing section. For some reason, their regular section doesn't seem to have those smaller sizes. Even a trout jig will get them to go.

[AutoJonez]

To add to the tips about panfish, I’ve caught them as by catches on jerkbaits and poppers, but have also caught them when targeting them using beetle spin and little 1.5” 1/32 jigs like this

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/vmc-boo ... lsrc=aw.ds

Find submerged trees and toss them as close as you can into the shade/underneath and just let it sink. Usually they’ll hit it on the way down but if not then just try lightly jigging it and retrieving. Catching 1lb+ bluegills never gets old!

[Matthew]

Thank you all for your excellent advice. Our tickets are for Saturday and we can’t wait!

[DarkShadow]

Let us know how you do! Personally, I love hearing people's first time experience at Barrett.

[EL_prowler_619]

How did it go? Any luck?

[MistrRocko]

Ah man. Wish I had seen this sooner. Guessing I saw you at the dock today in the afternoon. I'm the dude that had a fish come off at the boat as you were heading out. Hope you all had a great day!

For future trips my main bass advice is mostly just that practice makes perfect and don't be afraid to try new techniques. In my 30 years of fishing Barrett, this has been my 2nd best year ever and I've been fishing much differently than I've ever fished it almost all year. Don't be afraid to ask other anglers at the lake how they did, where they were fishing, etc. And remember "how deep were you fishing?" is almost always a much better question than "what lure were you fishing?"

For panfish, I am definitely the most insane person in Barrett history when it comes to the gear they use. I take my bluegill and crappie very seriously. Unfortunately didn't get a weight on it but caught my PB Barrett bluegill this year which was a 2lb+ titanic unit and a few crappie easily over 3lbs (not super rare). I know normal human beings won't spend what I have on panfish rods (the three I have are actually JDM mackerel, trout and light bass rods) so just use whatever you've got. For bluegill, a faster tip is very favorable as they are nibblers and have a pretty hard mouth, so you want to get that hook into them. For crappie, a softer tip is very favorable as they suck things in like bass more often and have exceptionally soft mouths, so if you set the hook at all there's a good chance you'll just tear their mouth. You don't want two rods for panfish, right? Right. And most UL USDM rods are really soft anyway. Good thing there's an easy solution. Use fluoro instead of mono (or braid to a fluoro leader if you're comfortable doing so) for less stretch and better sensitivity and use extreeemely sharp thinwire hooks. That way a crappie will basically hook itself, and a decent pop will get a bluegill hooked even on a soft tipped rod. By a country mile, my most frequently used jighead weight is 1/32oz (the best jigheads are typically in grams and this will be a 0.9 or 1gr jighead). In heavy wind, I will go up to 1/16oz but the action of the lure is diminished significantly. The hooks on the jigheads I use are #6, a #8 might be preferable, but they don't make the jighead I like with a #8. I use a 1.5" stinger style bait (look it up on eBay) in a blackish shad pattern. Grubs/swimbaits are terrible for bluegill contrary to what anyone might tell you. You want something with a small tail that gives off a lot of action that they can easily fit in their mouths. Grubs and swimbaits will get tails ripped off constantly. When you locate crappie, they won't care what you put in front of them, they will annihilate it until the bite shuts off (and you can likely return after a time to catch more). Sizable bluegill can be caught across the entire lake, but the dock is by far the easiest place to catch them. Crappie are typically quite difficult to find on the lake and can often be easy to find at the dock, just go from slip to slip experimenting with depths (below the bluegill). If you find 1 crappie, there are more. Please be gentle with the crappie, Barrett is blessed to have had its crappie fishery rebound after many years but their mouths/jaws are very prone to tearing from hooks or breaking when lipped. I started bringing a net this year solely to handle my crappie more gently.

[Matthew]

We had an amazing first time. This place was pretty unbelievable. It may have ruined fishing for us anywhere else. My son described it like a video game of catching.

Everyone was so super friendly and helpful. Without the advice and generosity of everyone I don’t think we would we would have had nearly as much fun.

We arrived about 6:15, just before sunrise and left right when the sun set. My son caught 8 bass including a 17” and a bunch of monster bluegill. His friend caught 13 bass, his PB at 18”, the biggest crappie I’ve ever seen in my life, and a bunch of monster bluegill. I caught around 10 bass with my best being 14” and a bunch of monster bluegill. I actually prefer the bluegill as it reminds me of fishing with my brothers in Michigan growing up. The fourth in our boat got skunked. I think he was just enjoying his son’s success and taking in the splendor of the lake.

We’re already planning our next trip out before the season closes. Maybe a canoe or just the dock since almost all the boat tickets are already gone for September.

We had the most luck on small 2” senko’s drop shot and these super small wale tail shads on a super light jig head. We didn’t catch anything on top water in the morning nor jerk baits or crank baits during the day. Although we didn’t use those a lot as breaking off an inexpensive jig head and plastic in the weeds was much more appealing than loosing a bunch of lures. Plastics on jigs, drop shots, and ned rigs seemed work well there yesterday.

Thanks again everyone for your advice and generosity!

[DarkShadow]

Good to hear you guys had a blast! Thanks for the report.

[JWall]

We had an amazing first time. This place was pretty unbelievable. It may have ruined fishing for us anywhere else. My son described it like a video game of catching.

Everyone was so super friendly and helpful. Without the advice and generosity of everyone I don’t think we would we would have had nearly as much fun.

We arrived about 6:15, just before sunrise and left right when the sun set. My son caught 8 bass including a 17” and a bunch of monster bluegill. His friend caught 13 bass, his PB at 18”, the biggest crappie I’ve ever seen in my life, and a bunch of monster bluegill. I caught around 10 bass with my best being 14” and a bunch of monster bluegill. I actually prefer the bluegill as it reminds me of fishing with my brothers in Michigan growing up. The fourth in our boat got skunked. I think he was just enjoying his son’s success and taking in the splendor of the lake.

We’re already planning our next trip out before the season closes. Maybe a canoe or just the dock since almost all the boat tickets are already gone for September.

We had the most luck on small 2” senko’s drop shot and these super small wale tail shads on a super light jig head. We didn’t catch anything on top water in the morning nor jerk baits or crank baits during the day. Although we didn’t use those a lot as breaking off an inexpensive jig head and plastic in the weeds was much more appealing than loosing a bunch of lures. Plastics on jigs, drop shots, and ned rigs seemed work well there yesterday.

Thanks again everyone for your advice and generosity!

Were you guys the foursome leaving the dock around 3ish to head back out? If yes, you were asking all the right questions and seemed to have a great plan in place already. As for where to fish, the dock can have plenty of action but 99% of the Barrett experience is out on the lake. Finding a hot spot, a bank, a cove or a tree and slaying them is how you will know where to start the next trip. Observing others for what they are doing and where. Seeing all the wildlife in what's essentially a wildlife preserve. Watch the ticket resale and trade page here and be ready to pounce on a boat once it comes up. They do!

[Matthew]

Were you guys the foursome leaving the dock around 3ish to head back out? If yes, you were asking all the right questions and seemed to have a great plan in place already. As for where to fish, the dock can have plenty of action but 99% of the Barrett experience is out on the lake. Finding a hot spot, a bank, a cove or a tree and slaying them is how you will know where to start the next trip. Observing others for what they are doing and where. Seeing all the wildlife in what's essentially a wildlife preserve. Watch the ticket resale and trade page here and be ready to pounce on a boat once it comes up. They do!

Yes, that was us. Thank you for sharing your plastics. I'm already looking for those long shank jigs you showed us. I appreciate all your time and info!

[JWall]

We are looking to replenish ours too and I will let you know where we find them. Many of the 1/16ths are designed for crappie jigs and such and the shorter shanks result in short bites and also the bigger bass can break the thinner wire.

[JWall]

Were you guys the foursome leaving the dock around 3ish to head back out? If yes, you were asking all the right questions and seemed to have a great plan in place already. As for where to fish, the dock can have plenty of action but 99% of the Barrett experience is out on the lake. Finding a hot spot, a bank, a cove or a tree and slaying them is how you will know where to start the next trip. Observing others for what they are doing and where. Seeing all the wildlife in what's essentially a wildlife preserve. Watch the ticket resale and trade page here and be ready to pounce on a boat once it comes up. They do!

Yes, that was us. Thank you for sharing your plastics. I'm already looking for those long shank jigs you showed us. I appreciate all your time and info!

PS these are what we had pinned on those jigs. The minnow was hot early, the grub later on.

[JWall]

Just found at East County Bait n Tackle in Lakeside. Bought the last pack however.

[Matthew]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing this info.

Just found at East County Bait n Tackle in Lakeside. Bought the last pack however.