San Diego & SoCal Fishing Forums

My 3rd ever trip to Barrett courtesy of @Dfishin who sold me his ticket. Headed out before dawn with @Pourboy , @Early release , and @CorsoEnthusiast . Always good to see those guys. I had planned on staying with Chris and Dave but after landing a couple of early fish in the dark, I lost them pretty quickly. I thought I was heading down Hauser arm but somehow ended up rounding a bend in the early light, and could see the dam in the distance so was going the opposite way than I intended. Doh!

My final count was 28, which I know isn't stellar for you Barrett junkies, but I still felt pretty good about it. Most were clones with 3 over 3 lbs and 2 over 4. Also caught a few crappie and bluegill along the way. Almost everything was on a small jig. The wind came up midmorning and it was a washing machine out there for a while. For the umpteenth time I said a silent thank you for the Bixpy motor mounted under my tube.

All in all a tiring but fun day on a beautiful bass lake.

And a Crappie on a jig pic...

Heck yeah Dan! Nice job on Bass, Crappie and Bluegill!
Tight lines always amigo.

Nice! Those crappie are big there. Healthy looking bass. No top water? I know @early release moves a lot and now he has a emotor. No telling where he went. @CorsoEnthusiast gets around. Haven't fished with @pourboy yet, maybe someday.

Great looking catch Dannicus!! At this time of the year, 28 is no slouch.

I thought you might catch 100 Bass, I haven’t been to Barrett in years, I can’t even remember how long it’s been.
I do remember the last time my buddy and I went we got SKUNKED believe it or not, it’s hard to believe.
Congrats are in order.

Totally fun morning! It was definitely slower Sunday than it was the previous weekend, but I managed 24 in about 5 hours which is still a great day at any other lake. After the wind got bad I fished off the shore at Pigs and managed a few more.

Always a great time fishing with @dannicus @Early release and @pourboy ! Let’s do it again soon, guys!

Great to see you guys out there. It sure made the morning go by quick telling our stories. Next time we need to bring breakfast.

I tried to force topwater and didn't get a lot of fish on it, I think plastics and jigs was the thing to use yesterday. They seem to be hovering a bit offshore in 15-25 feet, and mid-level in that water column. I got a few on a mid-depth crank, and zero on the jerkbait.

Early release wrote: Mon Aug 11, 2025 8:20 am Great to see you guys out there. It sure made the morning go by quick telling our stories. Next time we need to bring breakfast.

I tried to force topwater and didn't get a lot of fish on it, I think plastics and jigs was the thing to use yesterday. They seem to be hovering a bit offshore in 15-25 feet, and mid-level in that water column. I got a few on a mid-depth crank, and zero on the jerkbait.

You bring the eggs and bacon, I'll bring the Irish coffee. A wee bit o' Jameson's to start the day!

You know, it's like @Pourboy said yesterday when we were leaving; people sometimes hear the stories about Barrett, and think you just have to throw in a line, and you'll catch a bunch of fish, but that's not necessarily true. You still have to know how to locate fish and apply good techniques to get them to bite. Still, it's a great lake to have some good success, while building confidence with different baits and techniques.

Dannicus wrote: Mon Aug 11, 2025 8:40 am You know, it's like @Pourboy said yesterday when we were leaving; people sometimes hear the stories about Barrett, and think you just have to throw in a line, and you'll catch a bunch of fish, but that's not necessarily true. You still have to know how to locate fish and apply good techniques to get them to bite. Still, it's a great lake to have some good success, while building confidence with different baits and techniques.

I couldn’t agree more with that. You’ve still gotta locate the fish and put something in front of them that looks good. Barrett just tends to reward that stuff better than any other lake in town.

Super fun being out there. I ended up with 25ish. Biggest was just under 4lbs. Great spending time with you guys. Cheers!

CorsoEnthusiast wrote: Mon Aug 11, 2025 10:20 am

Dannicus wrote: Mon Aug 11, 2025 8:40 am You know, it's like @Pourboy said yesterday when we were leaving; people sometimes hear the stories about Barrett, and think you just have to throw in a line, and you'll catch a bunch of fish, but that's not necessarily true. You still have to know how to locate fish and apply good techniques to get them to bite. Still, it's a great lake to have some good success, while building confidence with different baits and techniques.

I couldn’t agree more with that. You’ve still gotta locate the fish and put something in front of them that looks good. Barrett just tends to reward that stuff better than any other lake in town.

Perfectly said Jeremy. I attribute that “reward” to the lack of pressure with the limited dates and the competition for food. They are hungry!!