Matt Magone
When it comes to fishing Diamond Valley and the surrounding lakes, Last Chance Tackle is the shop with the best selection and local knowledge to help make your trip a success. They stay up to date on lure trends and know what’s happening in their area.
Their staff, including Matt Magnone, keep a close eye on the bite and were willing to share what’s working, what lakes are hot, and what people are buying.
DVL
Magnone keeps tabs on Diamond Valley Lake and fishes it often. He says two distinct bites are happening: a shallow bite for bass chasing bluegill and an offshore bite.
“Quite a few guys are running the banks with swimbait. The Coalition Baits Bluegill has been popular, and so has the Triple Trout in bluegill patterns,” he shared.
Away from the bank, he says plastics for numbers and jigs for bigger fish. “You can target the offshore breaks and long tapering points in 25-40-feet of water and catch plenty of fish,” he said.
When it comes to plastics, he says to stick with Oxblood and crawfish colors as there has been an explosion in crawfish recently. “With the rising water this year, we have seen a spike in crawfish. You find all kinds of craws and parts in your livewell after having bass in there,” said Magnone. “Six-inch baits like the Bass Chow Chunkee Worms and Roboworm FAT are producing.”
Perris
Perris Lake has also been producing good action according to Last Chance Tackle. “The water has equalized, but it has been a fish factory lately, and they are catching them on everything from frogs and Evergreen Jackhammer ChatterBaits up shallow to soft plastics offshore,” said Magnone.
He said the higher water in recent months has opened up new structure and said some of the best success has been on isolated rocks on the East end of the lake.
Skinner
Another local lake with hot action is Skinner, both for bass and stripers. “There has been a good schooling bite with topwaters for stripers, and they have been bigger than most years. Instead of 12-14” fish, we are seeing some 2.5-5lb fish being caught,” shared Magnone.
When it comes to bass, he said the frog and punch bite has been excellent.
Solid Late Summer Bite
“The fishing has been good on all of the lakes for summertime if you are willing to put in some time,” he said. “I had my best day for numbers ever on Diamond Valley on Labor Day of all days.”
A Sleeper Big Worm Bite
By noticing stock levels at the store, Magnone has a hunch that the big worm bite has been solid. “The eight to ten-inch worms like Bass Chow and Uptons Customs have been selling. Nobody is talking about that bite, but people keep buying them,” he said.
The Saltwater Bite is Hot
It’s been an excellent year for tuna in Southern California, and the bite shows no signs of slowing down. As a result, Last Chance Tackle has been busy keeping up with the demand for saltwater fishing tackle and that will continue as long as the bite stays hot.
“The fish have stayed around and are close. It could go on for a few more months,” said Magnone. “The half-day and ¾ day boats have been targeting tuna, and that is great to see,” he said and added that there are some products that everyone is buying.
Shimano Butterfly Flat-Fall and Coltsniper jigs are two that he mentioned as lures that are in high demand. “We can’t keep them in stock. The same with fluorocarbon leaders and the hooks people are using. We get them in on Friday, and they are gone by Monday,” he said.
Top Sellers
When asked what is selling the best in the store, Magnone said there have been a few things have stood out over the rest.
“Swimbaits have been huge this year, especially the bluegill imitators. Those are selling through the roof,” he said. “The other big seller has been the Jack Hammer ChatterBait, and we’ve also seen a resurgence of people buying the Senko. Another one is the Little Creeper All American Sunfish, that one has been hard to keep on the shelves because it has been working so well.”
Besides that, topwater sales have been excellent. “People have been buying the baits that make a bunch of commotion. The River2Sea Whopper Plopper, Berkley Choppo, and Teckel frogs have been doing well,” said Magnone. “Buzzbaits have also been selling well.”
When it comes to fishing tackle, it is hard to beat local knowledge, and Last Chance Tackle has plenty of that. They stay up to date on what is happening and what’s working. If you are in the area, they are a “must stop” if you need to be pointed in the right direction for your next fishing trip.
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