I visit the palm desert area 3-5 times a year, usually in Aug-Nov., mainly for golf.
But have fished some lakes/ponds with good success. Some of those fish are so anxious to slam a bait. From what I found out, talking to some of the grounds keepers, if you where "caught" most of them would just ask you not to fish. Where I go, we fish the last hour or so of daylight. It's a short walk outside the condo's sliding door.
According to a cheap spring scale my biggest was 10.5, it was spawn time 1988. It slammed a popper right at the bank. OH 8)Yeah!!! Top Waattaaaa! No camera of course but even back in the day I couldn't see no sense in killing a bass for a picture. Especially a bigun. It scared the hell out of my when it hit. It was a real dark night coming off the dark of the moon and when it struck it created a huge splash just as I was about to lift the lure off the water to for another cast. Incredible and an experience I will never forget. It was personal best for several years.
NICE my bigest is 9.5 in the smallest pond ever on a kastmaster first cast of course:7 I did fish valencia in the early 90's befor it changed hands now no way too much security
A friend of mine use to sneak into this secluded pond below some new houses in Corona and on one of his trips he actually caught a 17 pounder on a buzzbait. He was fishing off a small dock they had there and after weighing it on one of the Berkeley scales it shook and slipped out of his hands. He was so excited but so bummed the fish left on its own terms.