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Take a tour of Imperial County Fish'N with Google Earth |
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| Imperial County Fish'N |  |
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| Imperial County |
| Salton Sea |
| Ramer Lake |
| Wiest Lake |
| Alamo River |
| All American Canal |
| Sunbeam Lake |
Salton Sea Over 40 miles long, 17 miles wide and barely deep as it is wide. This very large inland sea is a strange one. More or less a natural sea that was formed in 1905 when a flood from the Colorado River caused a levee to break and started to flood the area. It remained broken for two years and formed what is now called the Salton Sea. With the record Corvina at 39 pounds, this water can and does produce. A very strange past and a possible bright future this huge inland sea is known as an outstanding fishery. With the salt content at 10 times that of the Pacific Ocean, it is a wonder that any fish can survive. That along with a lot of polluted run off from the irrigated farm fields nearby, it really makes you wonder. Not having any known fish living in this water for over 40 years until the DFG put in the Corvina from the Gulf of California. Then came Croakers and Sargo, the Talipa have made their way in to the sea via farm canals. Where they were planted to help with the weed growth. Now many years later this huge inland sea produces fish in staggering numbers. With only about ½ inch of rainfall per year, average temps around 110 degrees and sometimes hotter, and winds that cause huge white caps. You wonder why even go? The fish are huge and hungry that’s why! Average Corvina is 5 to 9 pounds, that is a nice size fish. With huge numbers of Talipa and having no limit, they will keep you busy. There are a few things that keep people away. The number one factor is the heat. Then you have the desolation of the whole area and last but not least is the smell. You can smell the lake for miles around. The wind can be a bit of a turn off as well. Sargo and Croakers are over the place with the larger Corvina taking advantage of them and getting big. Always call ahead before planning any trip to this area. For a very informative look at the Salton Sea and its very interesting history go to www.institute.redlands.edu/saltonsea.
Ramer Lake This little lake is known for it’s duck hunting more than anything. With duck season and quail season big at the Imperial Wildlife Area, the water levels are maintained by the DFG. No stocking of fish take place here. You will need to self register and tally up your catch so the DFG can keep an update list of what is caught. What is the hardest part besides the heat, wind, insects and lack of shade is that the lake is full of brush and sticks. Hooking into some fish is not the problem, bringing them in is. No boat motors allowed, only electrical trolling motors. Float tubes, kayaks, canoes are common. A very shallow lake with tons of fish cover, a kayak or canoe is best here. A fly rod works well in the morning only, otherwise the winds pick up and make casting a real problem. Crappie are on the bite when the weather cools down, using jigs and flies work well here. The Largemouth are on the smaller size, even with heat they still do very well here. Catfish and Carp are the big draws here and in this lake they get fairly big. With having no fish stocks, this lake can produce some staggering numbers. Always call ahead to find out what is going on and when hunting season opens up for full time hunting.
Wiest Lake Basically out in the middle of no where is this very shallow lake of just 55 acres. Operated and maintained by the county parks department of Imperial Valley, and stocked by the DFG. This lake offers the locals a chance at catching something else other than a sunburn. Stocked with generous amounts of Rainbow Trout during the winter months and smaller stocks of Catfish in the summer. The lake is loaded with Carp and at one time the lake management wanted to keep as much Carp in the lake as possible. The claim was that the Carp help keep the weed growth down. Not too sure on the policy now since any body rarely says anything about it. If you want to fish for and keep Carp, this may not be the lake for you. The Bass stay on the smaller side, even with the stocks of Trout to chew on. The Bass bite is an early morning and evening bite with plastics working the best and some top water stuff towards the evening. The lake stays open until 10:00pm during the summer months, so a lot of anglers try for the Bass then. No swimming is allowed however you can put in a float tube or kayak, just follow the basic rules for both. Always call ahead to find out what is going on. You can get most of your information by contacting the Parks Department of Imperial Valley.
Alamo River The Alamo River is easy to fish, but hard to find any information on it. More of a canal than a river, it flows from Mexico through the Imperial Valley and empties into the Salton Sea. Many locales fish the river, mainly for Catfish, Carp and Talipia. However there are some bass fishermen who go after those elusive fish in the river. Using live bait is your best bet, shiners, night crawlers and crawfish work the best. The catch rates are fairly high with many limits on Catfish. There is no limit on Carp, Bluegill or Talipa. Even with a lot of fish being caught, there are those that practice C&R only. Stating that the water is too polluted to eat the fish, even though no one certain agency claims to know too much about the river. The DFG does furnish some good information pertaining to the species and how they got there. I have seen pictures and read articles pertaining to the amount of pollutants in the river. A lot of run off from the farm canals that border the river contribute to the amount of pesticides that enter the river. Also some political problems with Mexico because there was dumping of chemicals into the water. A natural flowing waterway in the desert that has been helped and harmed by man.
All American Canal
The All American Canal is born in Arizona and is fed by the Imperil Dam. The water comes from the Colorado River and holds all kinds of fish which end up in the canal. At over 80 miles long it starts in Arizona and ends at Calexico. Full of fish of all sizes and species, this very fast flowing canal is hard to fish. The weather is super hot during the day in the summer, not much cooler at night. Very cold at night in the winter and mild in the day. The best time to fish is in the spring time at night. Now there is something you need to know. With being so close to the border, you will see and hear helicopters, border control vehicles and groups of illegal aliens that have just crossed the canal, which is not an easy task. So if you go fishing here, go in a group and try to let the border patrol know where you are. Try to find the sections that looked well used and where the current isn’t so strong. Full of big fish of all species; don’t be surprised to bring in a huge Catfish or Striper. Use a good strong pole with heavy line, live bait works the best with large shiners being top choice. Finding a slow section will result in a pan fish haven with large Bluegill, Talipa and Sunfish through out the slower moving current. Always go in groups for safety reasons.
Sunbeam Lake This is actually two lakes in one. Sunbeam Lake and Sunbeam Lagoon, the lagoon is just below sea level. Only the main lake offers water sports, the lagoon is fishing only. Located in the desert this place gets hot. So the best time to fish is in the fall and winter. It is during that time that the DFG stocks the two lakes with Trout. For a lake this size it receives a generous amount of Trout, somewhere around 10,000 pounds or so with most going into the lagoon. There are two boat launches, one at the main lake the other at the lagoon. However only electric trolling motors are allowed on the lagoon along with kayaks, canoes and float tubes. All the Trout that are not caught will die off in this very shallow lake. For the Trout the best bait to use is Power Bait in rainbow color. Power worms and others work well too. Not a lot of big Trout are stocked, all under two pounds. The main lake is open from sunrise to 10:00pm at night during the summer. The lagoon is open year round from sunrise to sunset. Paved roads, flushing toilets and shade trees are here. Camping and an R.V. Resort are nearby. |