Berryessa

[owent]

Im new to Berryessa but I am interested in fishing it this weekend. Is There any need for me to fish the north end of the lake this time of the year? or should I focus all my energy on the narrows and south?

[flipit]

there is no need to ignore any part of this lake. There is a large tourney the following week, not sure you will get alot of info right now.

[ash]

Im new to Berryessa but I am interested in fishing it this weekend. Is There any need for me to fish the north end of the lake this time of the year? or should I focus all my energy on the narrows and south?

First of all Berryessa is a great lake that holds both quantity and quality and is a diverse fishery with a little sometihing for every style of fishing. I break the lake up into several seperate lakes, Narrows, Islands, Main Lake, Vineyard, Creeks

If you want numbers the Narrows is the place to fish, the spots love this terrain and you can typically go in there and find some fish. Popular areas in the Narrows are the Damn, Wraggs, and Porteguese, typically look for the bait balls and the spots will be near by.


The Islands can hold both quantity and quality, it is not rare to pull up to a point and find Smallies, Spots, and Largies on the same spot! (I prefer the islands when there is a breeze on Berry)

The Vineyard is an expansive flat with creek channles, grass lines and subtle breaks.

The creeks can hold a variety of fish, but this is where most of the Large Largemouth come from, they can become crowded and tough to fish but it is a heavy with deep timber, rocks and grass.

If I were you I would focus my efforts on breaking down these zones until you start to become comfortable with them. What is happening in one of these zones is typically not indicitive of what is going on in another. So tough bite in the narrows, run to the main lake, etc....

To answer your question guys are catching fish in all of these zones right now, so fish to your strength and enjoy, you may even see a few Bald Eagles!

PS Brown and Purple (MM), Green Pumpkin, and Morning Dawn all are staple colors for this pond.

[jcruz]

Narrows is good this time of year for numbers -- find bait rip, hula, darter. But odds are your not going to win a tournament in the Narrows. Main Lake good this time of year - Big Island -- smallies start looking early to lay down - easy to catch a limit. Vineyard is where you can cash a check -- look for lake bottom creek channels and breaks -- throw a jig or swim bait for bigger bite.

[owent]

Thanks ash and J, I appreciate the help