canal help

[sumpin_fishy]

I am going exploring this sunday to the all american canal. I don't need anyones honey hole just a general good area to start. I have never really fished it. I hit it a couple of times by gordons well but only for a few minutes in the winter. No fish. Any help would really be appreciated. by the way I do have room if anyone wants to cruise with.

Mikey

[USMC9999]

I am going exploring this sunday to the all american canal. I don't need anyones honey hole just a general good area to start. I have never really fished it. I hit it a couple of times by gordons well but only for a few minutes in the winter. No fish. Any help would really be appreciated. by the way I do have room if anyone wants to cruise with.

Mikey

You, for the most part, are now SOL.
The AAC is undergoing complete relining of the canal. From El Centro to the Cochella Valley. Most of the construction is now located in the El Centro to Ogilby corredor. Because of the construction public access to the un-lined sections of the AAC is restricted, access to the construction areas are completely off limits, and access to the lined areas is pretty much restricted. Because there is no more structure, irregular bottom contours and vegetation along the sides of the canal the "fishing" along it now sux.

I would advise that you instead fish either the East Highland Canal (off Van Der Linden Rd) or fish some of the off channel lakes along the river (Pichacho or Bard areas).

On a side note to this AAC relining:
Yesterday I was talking to the DFG biologist for the D12 area. It appears that when the state decided to reline the AAC they didn't take into consideration (or the advice of state biologists) that the wildlife (especially the ungulates) native to the area depended on the access to the canal's water to survive.
From the Imperial to the Quechan area (that has already been relined) 2 carcasses of Desert Bighorn Sheep, 33 carcasses of Desert Burro Mule Deer and uncounted carcasses of other animals have been found as of February of '09 (drowned in the canal or dead a short distance away due to thirst or exhaustion). The wildlife in this area depended on access to the canal's water (there are very few guzzlers in this stretch) and now that the canal is relined they can now longer reach the water in the canal because no provisions for wildlife access were included in the plans.

Pretty neat for a state that prides itself on the "protection" and propagation of native species.

[ahowler]

Perhaps the MLPA needs to step in! Interesting post thanks for the important information.

[EastCoaster]

yeah really, that is interesting. i been seeing some posts from there on other sites, people must be fishing illegally.

[bluefin2na]

fishing illegally.


People do that?????/:rotfl:


Doug, I called you last week,,,,,,

[sumpin_fishy]

thanks for the info!

[USMC9999]

Doug, I called you last week,,,,,,

Yes, I know Tommy. I've been a little busy with CMP matches.
PM sent to you directly.

[USMC9999]

thanks for the info!

Mike,
I'd like to add a caveat to my above warnings.

Carpholio reports all the time on the AAC. The below link is one of his latest. I have no idea of the area along the AAC he's fishing.

http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/bass-fishing/181421-all-american-canal-report.html

My warnings about what is going on in regards to the relining and access to the AAC is only for the part of it that I fish and know.
The area from Ogilby to south of the BP checkpoint on I-8 are the areas I fish and those are the areas I wrote about above.
The canal to the SE and NW of where it crosses under 8 by Grey's Well/Buttercup area is now a TSA security zone (along with a construction zone) and they'll roust you out of there quickly. The stretch along 8 over to the Gorden's Well area is a construction zone and you'll be denied access (when completed the entire canal will be on the north side of 8). The area that the canal is south of 8 past Gordon's is another TSA security zone and is heavily patrolled by the BP and that is turning into a head-ache to be in.
The East Highland Canal is producing some nice cats, LMB and SMB. It is legal to fish and drive along it. No hassles there.