California's diamond in the rough

BASS Destination

By Michael Jones
Bassmaster, May 2003

Updated: April 1, 2005, 1:01 PM ET

If Diamond Valley Lake were in Texas, they would already be planting bluebonnets in the parking lot median strips, putting the final touches on the Bass Pro Shops megastore and printing invitations for the Budweiser ShareLunker opening ceremonies. In California, where water is king, a place where fishermen are constantly being offered the opportunity to reach for the short end of the stick, the story is quite different.

Located approximately 90 miles east of Los Angeles near the sage-rimmed suburbs of Temecula, Hemet and San Jacinto, Diamond Valley Lake is 4,500 surface acres, built from the ground up by the Metropolitan Water District (MWD). At four and one-half miles long, two miles wide and "deep enough to submerge a 21-story skyscraper," this recently completed reservoir is clearly the largest in Southern California and quite possibly harbors its most vibrant bass fishery.

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California's diamond in the rough

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