Largemouth Bass and Common Carp: SoCal Urban Creek Fishing Video

Bass Strike on Bitsy Pond Minnow

Fishing small urban creek in the L.A., O.C. and I.E. region has become my new-found fishing pastime. Discovering these little concrete gems has been an educational experience, both from a fishing and ecological standpoint. I think it's important for everyone to realize the sad state of disrepair that has befallen most urban streams, thanks to our own greed and poor stewardship.


(More after the jump)


This past weekend I had the pleasure of tackling one of my favorite local warmwater creeks. Bass, green sunfish and carp all haunt these waters, struggling to survive amidst urban runoff, entrapping debris and the waste of modern society.

I've never landed a carp at one of these urban creeks, although I've definitely hooked up with several in the past, losing them on long, panicked runs. This time was different.

Bread ball on a hair rig (not too hard to tie once you've practiced it) was the ticket, landing me a wonderful 21'' common carp. If the water levels don't rise soon, he probably won't last.

The creek was dangerously low when I visited, thanks to the very dry winter we have been having in SoCal.

The bass were tiny, poor specimens, but they were still a blast to catch. Watching a school of 'em in a clear portion of the creek was a learning experience, helping me better visualize how these finned beasts adapt to local conditions, current flow and ambush points.

The Strike King Bitsy Pond Minnow was a solid winner on these fish, along with a micro crank from Bass Pro Shops (XPS series?) and a tiny tube jig. For the Bitsy Pond Minnow, I prefer either the Fire Tiger or the Baby Bass patterns. Both have been very solid producers for me, for a variety of warmwater species. It's really annoying how few tackle stores carry them in the area; Wal-Mart used to stock these awesome micro crankbaits but recently stopped. If anyone knows of good places to buy them for a bargain, let me know!

Bass and Carp Urban Creek Fishing Video

Finally, here's a video I put together, with the large carp and several bass caught on film during this urban creek fishing trip. It starts out rather slow (my apologies), but quickly speeds up. I'm still learning to get the best angles and my hatcam was not set just right. However, there is some nice shots of the carp fight in the video, definitely stay for those! Try and watch it at the top resolution for best quality.