Digitally Preview Your Mail Each Morning with USPS Informed Delivery

Informed Delivery by USPS allows you to preview your mail each morning with a digital copy of each letter-sized item to be delivered to you via email. You can also log in anytime and see images of previous week’s mail. Additionally, you can see the delivery status of any packages coming your way.

If you’ve ever had your mail stolen, this gives you the ability to at least see what mail was stolen from you. Or you can see first thing in the morning what mail is being delivered, alerting you to anything of particular importance.

You will see the address side of mail delivered. You of course will not be seeing contents of that mail.

Learn more and sign up at informeddelivery.usps.com.

Places to Go Fishing in Ventura County

Many times we’re asked if there’s somewhere to go fishing in the Thousand Oaks area. There really isn’t a place in the Conejo Valley for the general public to go fishing. Troutdale in Agoura was a fun nearby place to take the kids but it closed a number of years ago. So here’s a list of places to go fishing in and around Ventura County and nearby areas for those wish to fish.

Keep in mind that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife requires a sport fishing license for people ages 16 or older. As of July 2023, an annual resident sport fishing license is $58.58. A one-day license is $19.18. More information at wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Fishing.

Fishing Places Open to the General Public

Lake Casitas Recreation Area is open daily from 6:30 am to 7 pm for boating and fishing. Lake Casitas is filled with largemouth bass, rainbow trout, crappie, red-ear sunfish, bluegill and channel catfish. Boats must be a minimum of 11’ and maximum of 26’ in length and 4’ wide. Canoes, kayaks and some inflatables are allowed. Swimming, wading or body contact in the lake is not allowed, however, as it is a drinking water supply. Fishing licenses sold at the Marina Bait and Tackle Shop. Night fishing available various weekends until 11 pm. Learn more at www.casitaswater.org/boating-fishing. Located at 11311 Santa Ana Road, Ventura. Day use parking at Lake Casitas as of April 2025 is $10 on weekdays and $20 on weekends and holidays. Casitas Boat Rentals & Marina Cafe offers rentals of kayaks, pontoons, paddle boats and motorized boats. casitasboatrentals.com.

Lake Piru Recreation Area is open daily, offering camping, boating, fishing, water sports and other on-shore activities. Visitors can fish from shore, boats, kayaks and float tubes. Fish species at Lake Piru include rainbow trout, bass, crappie, catfish and blue gill. Vehicle day pass admission is $14 during peak season (as of April 2025). explorelakepiru.com

Channel Islands National Park is accessible by booking a trip with Island Packers, the official boat concessionaire for the Park, out of Ventura Harbor and Channel Islands Harbor or by private boat. Fishing is allowed, with the exception at certain protected areas. More info at www.nps.gov/chis/planyourvisit/fishing.htm.

Beach areas where you can fish include Emma Wood State Beach, Port Hueneme Beach, San Buenaventura State Beach, near the Ventura Harbor, Point Mugu State Park and others.

Fishing piers in the local area include:

• Port Hueneme Pier (open daily from 6am to 10pm)

• Malibu Pier - Great place for folks to go who don’t usually fish as you can rent rods and purchase bait and tackle on the pier. And no permits are required to fish on the pier.

• Ventura Pier - open until 10pm.

Ventura Pier

There is a two and a half acre pond/lagoon at Rancho Simi Community Park at 1765 Royal Avenue, Simi Valley. that I have not personally explored but is another possible local fishing option.

River and stream fishing in Ventura County includes Matilija Creek (Upper North Fork), North Fork Matilija in Ojai, the Sespe Wilderness in Ojai and in the outer bounds of Ventura County in the Mt. Pinos Ranger District.

Enjoy a day (or half day) of sportfishing with these local options:

• Ventura Harbor Sportfishing www.venturasportfishing.com

• Channel Islands Sportfishing www.channelislandssportfishing.com

• Hook’s Landing Sportfishing in the Channel Islands www.hookslanding.net

• Mirage Sportfishing (overnight trips out of Channel Islands Harbor) www.miragesportfishing.com

A Little Farther

Cachuma Lake is located at 1 Lakeview Drive in Santa Barbara off of Highway 154 in Santa Ynez Valley, about 75 miles from the Conejo Valley. Halfway between Santa Barbara and Solvang. Cachuma is a reservoir filled with large mouth bass, rainbow trout, crappie and catfish. A bait/tackle shop is available for one-day fishing licenses. Boats, kayaks and canoes can be rented there too. More info at www.countyofsb.org/637/Cachuma-Lake. Bait/tackle shop info at rockymountainrec.com/lake-facilities/listing/cachuma-lake.

Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara, which is open from 7am to 10pm. Stearns Wharf Bait & Tackle on the wharf sells what you need to fish there.

Ocean fishing at Carpinteria State Beach, El Capitan State Beach, Refugio State Beach and other spots.

Places Not Open to the General Public

Lake Bard, located at the intersection of Olsen Road and State Route 23 at the border of Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley is a 10,000 acre-foot surface water reservoir built by the Calleguas Municipal Water District in 1965 to store water to meet peak summer and emergency demands. www.calleguas.com

Westlake Lake is a man-made 125 acre lake with eight miles of shoreline in Westlake Village, This is a private lake paid and maintained for by residents who live in the Westlake Recreation Area. The waters include largemouth bass, channel catfish, bluegill sunfish and silverside. westlake-lake.com

Lake Sherwood is a 165 acre lake created by the Sherwood Dam that is privately owned and not open to the general public.

The Las Virgenes Reservoir is a 9,800 acre foot reservoir build between 1970 an 1972and is maintained by the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District. It is a reserve supply of water that could provide about six months of emergency water supply, if needed. It is off limits to public use. www.lvmwd.com

Malibou Lake is a privately-owned 350 acre surface area lake in the Santa Monica Mountains near Agoura Hills. The lake was created in 1922 after the Malibu Lake Club Dam was built at the confluence of Triunfo Creek and Medea Creek. www.maliboulake.com

Lake Eleanor is an eight acre lake located within the 513 acre Lake Eleanor Open Space off of Westlake Blvd (SR 23) south of Potrero Road near Westlake Village. It is fenced off from the public in order to create habitat for wildlife. You can see it as you drive south.

Sinaloa Lake in Simi Valley is a private 12 acre lake managed by the Sinaloa Lake Owners Association. There is big mouth bass and other fish in there, but the lake is not available to the general public. sinaloalake.org

Las Virgenes Reservoir seen from the Westlake Vista Trail.

Mugu Rock Then and Now

Mugu Rock is a large rock formation formed when a 200 foot deep cut was made into the rocky ridge from October 1937 to February 1940. Prior to the modern day PCH at Mugu Rock (at the time called U.S. 101 Alternate (State Route 60), drivers went around a 275 foot radius curve that is now fenced off.

The photos in the video above from the October 1940 edition of California Highways and Public Works show what it looked like before, during and after the cut was made, compared to what it looks like today.

Hillcrest Brush Fire Historical Landmark Markers in the Conejo Open Space in Thousand Oaks

There are five historical landmark markers in the Hillcrest Open Space in Thousand Oaks in tribute to firefighter Angel Castro. On December 10, 1978, Castro was severely burned while fighting the Hillcrest Fire, which burned 100 acres in two hours on a windy day with erratic gusts up to 40 MPH. He was working as a "Dozer Swamper," hauling and unloading heavy equipment. As a result of his injuries, he recommended several modifications to operating procedures that VCFD implemented. Further down this path are four other markers with questions to help challenge and educate firefighters and civilians.

The Hillcrest Open Space Preserve trailhead is located on Hillcrest Drive, just west of Blue Mesa Street, about half a mile west of Westlake Boulevard.

LOCAL AREA TRAILS AND HIKES THROUGHOUT VENTURA COUNTY

Koi Ponds In and Around Ventura County and Surrounding Areas

On a recent visit to The Commons at Calabasas we were treated to a beautiful pond full of koi and turtles cohabitating. Koi comes from the Japanese word nishikigoi, which means "brocaded carp." Koi is basically domesticated, ornamental carp. In Japanese, the word koi sounds like another word that mean affection or love.

Where to find koi in Ventura County and surrounding areas? Here's what we know:

There is a koi pond at The Promenade at Westlake, next to Marmalade Cafe.

Friendly looking koi looking for handouts at The Lakes at Thousand Oaks.

The bottom level pond at The Lakes at Thousand Oaks has lots of koi, frolicking around with the ducks, even during the winter when the Holiday Ice Rink is in use.

Green Thumb Nursery on Victoria Avenue in Ventura has a small koi pond container in the back that is fun to observe with the kids.

The pristine Gardens of the World on Thousand Oaks Boulevard has a Japanese Garden that contains a beautiful koi pond.

Koi pond at The Gardens of the World in Thousand Oaks

The Santa Barbara Zoo has a large koi pond area with some very healthy looking koi, swimming among the lily pads.

Last I checked there were a lot of koi amongst the hundreds of ducks at Conejo Creek Park in Thousand Oaks.

The Simi Valley Town Center has a koi pond on the west side of the mall where you can get up close and personal with them.

Koi pond at west end near Studio Movie Grill.

As noted at the beginning of the article The Commons at Calabasas has quite a lovely koi and turtle pond.

The turtles are quite prominent at The Commons at Calabasas. Don't touch them!

When in Santa Barbara, be sure to stop by Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens, a beautiful botanic garden with over 75 tree and plant species, a large koi pond also home to ducks and turtles, picnic areas and more. Quite a serene place.

Only 25 miles from the Conejo Valley is the Lake Shrine Meditation Gardens in Pacific Palisades. This 10 acre spiritual sanctuary hosts a spring-fed lake lined with gardens and home to koi, ducks and beautiful swans.

Gigantic LED Screen Premieres on East Wall of Thousand Oaks Civic Art Plaza

Last night, a gigantic LED sign premiered on the east wall of the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. Constructed in 1994, the Civic Arts Plaza will make its presence even more apparent to passing motorists on the northbound 101.

Project Manager R.U. Kidinme remarked "We are excited to swap the Copper Curtain for a more modern Times Square look on the east side of the building." Assistant Manager Noah Wei nodded his head in agreement.

The original design featured over 2,000 17 inch strips of copper that were meant to flutter in the wind like a wave. Due to concerns about safety and noise, the strips were nailed to the building.

The new LED sign, measuring approximately 240 by 330 square feet, will emit the brightest neon light display on the west coast. Thousand Oaks resident April Fuwels said "Although I'll need to keep my sunglasses handy as I drive by, I just love this new look."

April fools! this is view of the civic arts plaza the morning of monday, april 1, 2024. Yes, we had some storms all easter weekend which brought snow to the local mountains in the background!

The Ventura County Portion of State Highway Route 1 is Named "Ventura County Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway"

California State Route 1 runs along most of the coastline of California and at 656 miles is the longest state route in California. The section of SR 1 between I-5 in Dana Point and the US 101 near Oxnard is designated Pacific Coast Highway.

Sign at the indicating the north end of southbound PCH, where it connects to Las Posas Road.

In 2002, the state assembly voted to designate the section of State Highway Route 1 in Ventura County as the “Ventura County Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway” in gratitude and appreciation for the sacrifices California Vietnam veterans.

That same bill also designated the portion of State Highway Route 126 between the City of Santa Paula and State Highway Route 101 as the Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway.