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Take a tour of Santa Barbara County Fish'N with Google Earth |
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| Santa Barbara County Fish'N |  |
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| Santa Barbara County |
| Sisquoc River |
| Davy Brown Creek |
| Lions Canyon Creek Trail |
| Manzana Creek |
| Lake Cachuma |
Because of the fires that have swept through a lot of the Los Padres National Forest this past summer of 2007, there has been some closures in this areas and others in nearby counties.
Sisquoc River Flowing through the San Rafael Wilderness and inside the Los Padres national Forest. This section of the river offers a lot of solitude and wilderness. Starting at an elevation of some 6500 feet, flowing north towards Santa Maria, the Sisquoc River is also one of a kind. Gentle and slow, roaring and plunging all the way to mere trickles in areas. With no winds leading to it you have to hike in and out, no off terrain vehicles allowed. There are trails and primitive camp areas. Strictly a “No Burn Area”, fires are not permitted. An abundance of wildlife to include Mountain Lions and Bears, so be very careful. Portions of this water are so full of Wild Trout you would be amazed. Just because the numbers are good, they are not easy to fool. Beautiful Rainbow Trout with big dark Parr markings, large mouths and colorful undersides. The Trout tend to stay on the small size with a real bruiser at 14” every now and then. The heat of summer is not a good time to be out here; spring is the best and later on in the cooler months is good for fly fishing. Lots of flats to offer good casting and enough deep pools to fish nymphs and emerges. As like all areas within the Los Padres National Forest, the Sisquoc River has suffered from the 250,000 acre fire this year of 2007. Please call ahead before making the trip to this area. Davy Brown Creek A small narrow stream covered by brush and trees. This stream is stocked by the DFG winter through spring or when water levels allow it. Named after a very adventurous man, Davy Brown traveled and did a lot in his lifetime. He finally settled down and built a cabin where the Davy Brown Campground now sits. The cabin stayed intact until it was destroyed by fire sometime in the 1920’s. A very quiet and scenic are full of wildlife and Trout. Lots of plunging pools and somewhat deep pockets are found up and down the stream. There are Wild Trout, however they are held to locate. This is an oasis in a mild desert terrain, providing plenty of water for all. The locale residents frequent this area often, and upon your visit you will run into a few people out there fishing as well. Offering a primitive campground, you need to pack out all your trash. The campground is one of the cleanest I have ever seen. No water, no toilets, no plumbing. So make sure you bring a good water filter set up with you, the stream is clear and cold. There are Mountain Lions and Bears in this area so please be careful.
Lion Canyon Creek Trail
Manzana Creek
Manzana, Lion Canyon Creek,Davy Brown Creek and Reyes Creek are all off of or near Happy Valley Rd. Manzana can clearly support the allotted stocks of 3,000 pounds of Rainbow Trout from the DFG. I think there is more water here than in most of the streams in thus area. We were there in September and still the water was flowing at a good rate. However this all has to do with how much weather and rain we get. These areas are some of the furthest, north coastal streams I have visited, and they are wonderful. Primitive and upgraded campgrounds abound in this area. You will have no problem finding a campsite. That is providing that it is not a summer holiday weekend. Going on a Labor Day weekend like we did can be a daunting task, people were every where. Even with all the people the place was clean. I have to say thank you to all the forest service personnel who do a fantastic job at keeping these places clean and accessible. This area is by far the busiest of them all; we even managed to catch a few Trout.
Lake Cachuma
This lake is the heart of it all in this area. Almost all the before mentioned creeks and streams in Santa Barbara County end up at this lake. A deep lake when full at over 175 feet deep. Lake Cachuma offers a lot, not only is it a “fishing only” lake. You have no jet skies or skiers on the water at all. A slow, no wake speed limit for all areas near the shore, and a fast 40 mph for the main channel. With big campgrounds from tents to R.V. trailers along with restrooms, swimming pool, play grounds, deli, bait and tackle store this place has it all. Did I mention great fishing? From the die hard troller for Trout to the avid Bass angler and fly fishers, you just can’t go wrong. A blind dog with a note in its mouth can catch fish in this lake. The DFG puts in over 45,000 pounds of Rainbow Trout each year. That along with over 30,000 pounds of Trout stocked by the county, makes this one of the most heavily stocked lakes in So Cal. With all this Trout, you know the Bass get big and with the lake record at over 16 pounds, it is proven that the Bass really do get big! Arrowhead Island is the hot ticket for trollers. Santa Cruz Point and Cachuma Bay are really good for Bass and Trout. With large Bluegill, Red Ear Sunfish and Crappie, you will never be without a targeted species to go after. Soaking cut mackerel seems to do the trick for those big Cats, hanging your bait off the boat right on the buoy line. Fishing remains top notch all year long, however spring and early summer are the best. With miles of shoreline to fish from you will always have a place to cast your line. In the summer trolling for Trout requires using down riggers or lead core line. Needle fish, crocodiles, broken back Rapalas work real well. Fly fishing for Largemouth Bass has really taken off here. Casting out a big furry Bass bug and waiting for the tremendous splash as a largemouth tries to inhale your fly. A rating of a 10 plus gives this lake a must see for all fisherman. |