Compiled by Dave Hurley and edited by local fishing expert Roger George, a former Olympic-class decathlete at Fresno State and striper record-holder at Millerton Lake.

Telephone numbers are in 559 calling area unless noted.

BEST BETS

Shaver Lake is kicking out some trout "beauties," Dick Nichols said. Pine Flat rainbows are biting, Patrick Movey reported. Aqueduct stripers are active, Pete Cormier said. Eastman bass fishing is improving, Merritt Gilbert said. Kaweah is kicking out huge bass, Sierra Sporting Goods reported.

ROGER'S REMARKS

I've always found the stories that surround the biggest fish are almost always unique and don't seem to happen the way you would have envisioned them happening. Here's another:

It was a beautiful spring day and my dad and younger brother Randy and I decided to bass fish Eastman Lake. The fishing ban there due to aquatic weeds infestation had been raised about a year before and anglers were allowed at that time to fish only from the banks. By this time, however, the frenzy that had taken place at the reopening of the lake had subsided and the fishing had settled down.

Loaded to the gills with tackle and food, we headed for the back of the lake and some of our favorite coves. The day was clear and sunny but not hot, with a few clouds, and the lake was rising into the grassy areas of the shoreline -- a great setting for fishing. Walking the shoreline, we found that for some reason the fish were taking top-water lures that had red on them. Just about every brush-filled cove produced a bass or two in the 1- to 2-pound range.

As we fished, I scoured my crammed tackle box for any other red-colored lures. I soon uncovered a forgotten one hiding in the bottom of my box, one I had purchased on a whim from an infomercial a year before. It had intrigued me because it was designed to look sort of like a Hula Popper, but it had a cord that came out of the middle of its mouth that you tied your line to. The unique thing about this lure was when you cast, the weight of the lure pulled the cord out of the lure's mouth and actually wound up a mechanism inside the lure that caused the tail to vibrate/swim by itself when it hit the water. So, throwing this contraption out and letting it sit made it look like a wounded baitfish swimming in one spot and going nowhere. It would produce all kinds of little waves as it sat there clicking away looking all the world like a dying fish on its last legs -- perfect!

Still walking, we soon came to an ideal spot for a big spawning bass: A small, shallow cove that had a deadfall leaning out a few feet into the calm water. I hadn't tied the lure on yet, but I told my dad and brother that I had a "secret weapon" I wanted to throw in first. Giving in, they let me tie on the lure and I carefully tossed the crazy bait into the middle of the cove right between the sunken limbs. The little bait took off swimming like a champ as soon as it hit the water, creating ripples as it sat there clicking, vibrating and winding down. About this time, I looked down at my reel, thinking I had a tangle, when I heard a splash and Dad yelled out for me to set the hook. Unconsciously I struck, but all I saw was the huge swirl where the bass had hit. As I fought to keep it out of the underwater branches, Dad informed me it was a good 10 pounds-plus. Then the bass came up shaking its head -- and when I saw that huge bucket mouth come out of the water, I started to get scared I was going to lose it! For some reason, the fish stayed in the water in front of me and I finally landed the big spawning female. Excited, we quickly weighed the bulging fish at 12 pounds, my biggest, then gently released her.