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Berryessa Lake and Reports

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Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

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    Water Temp: Dunnow

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Walked the bank around Smittle Creek. Lots of wind into the coves but found no fish on reaction baits. All coves had huge balls of shad, but no bass amongst them. Caught one Salmon about 3-4lbs. that took a sp 100 LC. Saw no bed fish but saw empty nests. Are you allowed to keep 10" Smallmouth? Trick question.

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

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    Water Temp: 60-63

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: I bought a 24V 55 lb trolling motor to replace my 30 lb 12V trolling motor off a guy on the classified here on Western bass in fairfeild, I got it for 125.00 plus he tossed in a deep cycle battery, Thanks Bob !!! So while I was up that way I went to Berryessa :)
    OK, the report, I did not get onto the water until 4:30 becuase I installed the new trolling motor in the parking lot of the lake :) I could not get to my favorite spots because the wind was blowing like crazy so I stayed around Spanish flats for the 4 hrs I had to fish, I got 6 fish, 1 1/4 lber, 1 1/2 lber 1 1 lbrs, 1 2 lber, 1 3 lber and 1 3.5 lber, the 3 lber was spawned out and the 3.5 was full if eggs, I got all the fish in the same area though I fished about 6 spots but they all came at sunset.
    City: San Jose

    Tips: I ripped my stacy 90 but only had a few nice followers but they would not commit, the water clerity is about 10-25 feet so don't let them see the shadow of your boat and use 4-6 lb line and 3-6 inch worms until the water jumbs up about 5-8 more deg and than it won't matter, it will be wide open :)

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    Water Temp: 80--67

    Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

    Report: Been up there a few times with tough results. One here, one there. Wednesday was much better as I was able to find two groups of fish. No big fish, so this won't interest tourney guys, but for me, it was a lot of fun. Due to tennis elbow, mostly fished plastics and concentrated on 2-10' in the morning and 5-15 as the sun went high. Fished 4" senkos (wacky) and grubs on 1/8 ounce heads. Ended up with 20-25 keeps up to 2.5. Fished spanish flat cove and some of the west side pts. Past trips, I fished a lot of points, but ignored them this trip and cover more water. Fished about 6 stops with a few = zero with stops totaling most of the fish. Not sure if these were post or pre, but they were spunky, clean and fresh looking.
    City: orinda

    Tips: There definitely is a morning bite if you're in the right area. There are lots of shallow fish, but I keep moving til I find the stupid ones.In the p.m. when the find first comes up there will be active again, but when the winds starts shifting directions is when it shuts down for me. If anyone has tips, I'd appreciate some. Jerk baits will also catch'em too! hope this helps.
    P.S. If anyone knows of a good Yamaha service place for my putt-putt, I'd appreciate it. (alameda or contra costa ctys) thanks

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    Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

    Report: Brandon, thank you for the info...very helpful, i will look for it on my map of the lake. I really appreciate that you shared this info as most anglers don't seem to want to share their success or information. Maybe our paths will cross some day; I have a blue/white Skeeter boat but I mostly fish Melones and sometimes Folsom. Good luck to you and your partner in your future tournament.
    City: Galt

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

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    Water Temp: 65-70

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Headed out for my first time this year to Berryessa. Man, the lake is only ~4 foot from the Glory Hole! Launched at 2 pm. Talked to a few coming off the water. They said it was slow. But it was a warm day. I had my light weight shirt on for a change which was nice. So we headed out with mixed feelings.

    We tried plastics from dropshot, tubes, shaky heads, senkos with limited success. Thought it was going to be a slow day. I figured with this only being a day after the storm, I could not expect to much more anyway. We decided to stay and finish out the evening. I know sometimes the darker water conditions can turn things around. Well it did.

    The crankbait bite turned on. We started catching nice sized post spawn spots with some largemouth mixed in. Average depth was 10'. Moved into gin clear water and the bite slowed. It was too late to try to find water with a little more color with it getting late. But we switched over to jerkbaits and keep the bite going. All and All ending up being a good day on the water...
    City: Elk Grove

    Tips: Don't Give Up...

Friday, April 22nd, 2011

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    Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

    Report: First I have heard of Stripers in Berryessa. They have not been planted and I don't see how they could make it in on their own. My suggestion would be not to release them if you manage to catch one. If the striper population grows then bass fishing will suffer. Just look at New Hogan.

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    Water Temp: 62-64

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: I hate to back up a guy with the username Myboatsfaster, but I have caught a striper in Berryessa also. They must be sneaking in from somewhere. If someone knows how I'd like to know.

Thursday, April 21st, 2011

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    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: I've seen and caught strippers on berry, but never stripers. Next time post, which i doubt i'll see, a picture of said striper. please include some sort of backround like markly...or a stripper.

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    Water Temp: 63-65

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Wow, what a great day at the lake! Got the day off so decided to head out to Berryessa. The custom Ranger is still in the shop, so I still had to fish from the sidelines. I didn't have as much luck as I have the last few times; probably only pulled in 10-12 all day. They really seemed to be chasing crankbaits today. I don't mean to sound crazy, but I am catching striper in Berryessa. Don't ask me how they got there, but they are there. Maybe birds transplanted them. Anyway the lake was beautiful today. Spawn is around the corner.

    Tips: crankin', rattlin', clackin'

Sunday, April 17th, 2011

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    Water Temp: 58-63

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: We had a great spring like day for our seventh and last Berryessa Pro Team Tournament of the year, the air temperature was 70 degrees and the water temperature was 63-70 degrees with 10’-12’ visibility. After two months of constant pressure and after a tournament on Saturday, the teams all caught limits with double digit weights. Thanks to the 14 teams for coming to Markley Cove for the April 17, 2011 Tournament, our smallest turnout for the year. Hopefully we’ll have a better turnout next year with Berryessa kicking out some great sacks this year. Blast-Off was dry and warm, and at the weigh-ins there was a little wind that kicked up, all-in-all a beautiful spring day. The lake was hammered the day before, but most teams weighed in solid bags; with the top teams each weighing in a big bed fish for 20# plus bags. The top teams managed to find some nice largemouth that moved up, fishing spawning areas throughout the main lake from 0’- 20’. The majority of the teams had a good day, bringing in a lot of nice largemouth, a couple of spotted bass, and very few nice smallies. Some fish were caught on jigs, senkos, and swim baits in the main body. Teams reported fish being caught in 0-25 feet of water, with the fish starting to move up for the full moon spawn. I want to thank our sponsors: Centennial Batteries, Guns Fishing & Stuff, Alan Fong, Dobyns Rods, Tomat’s Restaurant, Oroville Outdoors, Don Sebastiani Winery, Kazoku Teriyaki & More, Markley Cove, and Winters True Value Hardware for supporting the 2010-2011 Berryessa Pro Team Trail! With a giant bag of 20.92# and a 8.04# kicker First Place went to ‘The Repeat Anglers of the Year’ Chris Franks (Petaluma) and Stephen Seals(Windsor), Jack & Colton Jeha took Second place honors weighing another giant sack of 20.80# with the big fish of the tournament weighing 10.07#. Third Place went to Dave Raper (Vacaville) and Anthony Piccardo (Sacramento) weighing a solid 16.72# bag. Again Thanks to all the teams for fishing the Berryessa Pro Team Circuit and another great tournament on Lake Berryessa! Tell another team to come join us on Berryessa and I’ll see you all again next year. Any questions email me at dukekalani@yahoo.com or call me at (530)795-2659. New schedule should start in October 2011 and I’ll keep everyone posted! Thanks for a great year to ALL the teams that fished!

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    Water Temp: 62-64

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Nice day on the lake for a Tourney. I must have pushed my custom Ranger a little to hard on Saturday while I was pre-fishing because I couldn't get her off the trailer on Sunday. Me and my partner were forced to fish from the shore.
    Which was probably for the best since I was forced to work the evening shift at Wal-Mart and had to be off the lake by 3 anyway. Anyhow, the bite was pretty good from the shore out near Spanish Flat, I caught 4 within the first 45 minutes on an all chrome with a chrome bill crankbait (I call it my ice bait). Then I switched to a hand poured purple and green craw and landed a 7 lb pig. All the fish were really fat and healthy, the pre-spawn feeding must be in full swing. Before I left for the day I threw out some life craws and pulled in a pretty nice striper and a few crappie which will make a nice dinner. I thought that was a good stopping point and headed off to work.

    Tips: Never give up. If one method doesn't work try something else. Mix up the presentation. Don't be afraid to throw a color the fish aren't used to.

Friday, April 15th, 2011

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    Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

    Report: There are no stripers in Berryessa

Monday, April 11th, 2011

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    Water Temp: 58-61

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Had a pretty good day on Berryessa. Started the day off by putting my custom Ranger in at Cappel. I caught 3 nice 5 pounders before I left the no wake zone. Then I sped on over to the dam and landed a sweet 7 lb. stiper. After that I fished Markley for a few hours and pulled a couple of 4 lb smallies and an 8 lb toad out from under the docks. Overall a great day, probably landed around 20 fish in all. I'll be fishing in the Pro Team Trail on the 17th. Hope to see everyone at weigh in.

    Tips: The pink Senkos and frogs seemed to work pretty good today.

Friday, April 8th, 2011

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    Water Temp: 58

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Put in at Markley at 9:30 AM. 2nd cast, hardly off the dock, 2.5 LM. Nothing else in Markley for me. Headed to the Northeast side of the big lake. 6 to 9 feet of water, drifting. In one small area. When I drifted about 100 feet ( or less), I moved the boat back and covered the same stretch again. Other boats were in the area. Watch electronics, when you see a few fish show up on the screen, get ready. Realize that you need patience. Don't be in a hurry and you will be rewarded. I fished one small area and had a 19 lb bag before 3:30. Bites were subtle, but the fish fought well. I broke one off on 6 lb test. I think it would have put that bag well over 20 lbs. These were all big LM. Great day on Berryessa!
    City: Esparto

    Tips: Dropshot, size one dropshot hooks, 3/16 ounce dropshot weights. About 12-15 inches between the hook and the weight. Tie the hook right, so it stands out! Soft plastic, I would share the kind and color, but they just worked too well. Let's put it this way. Use some smelly stuff. Keep your line taut. I like to use light line, but got broke off on 6 lb test. I think 8 is perfect. Let the rig drag on the bottom. Some hits definitely came on a moving bait, (moving with the drift of the boat). You need a rod that can feel the subtle bumps on the bottom. If you feel a tap, use an easy sweep to set the hook. I won't worry about you catching these fish if you aren't patient. This is the first time I had to hold back considerable amounts of info. (This was just too fun! sorry.)

Monday, April 4th, 2011

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    Water Temp: 57-59

    Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

    Report: Didn't hit the water until around 8:30...fished the east side above ranch house until wind forced us to back in the narrows. We caught 2 fish over 3lbs the other 4lbs+. Caught the biggest on lipless crankbait and the others on sweetbeaver. about 11:30 we ran across a couple who had been stranded for about an hour with boat trouble, we decide to offer our services and put our fishing aside. We asked them if they wanted us to tow them back to their launch ramp and they jumped at the offer. So we left the narrows to tow them back to Spanish Flats at a whopping 5 mph fighting the wind and waves of the main lake; as we arrived at the ramp in Spanish Flats, they had a confused look on their face and said "this isn't the ramp" WHAT????? Turns out they launched out of Putah Creek; needless to say, we didn't fish any more that day. But can't complain, we caught three nice fish and got a nice but confused couple back to safety.
    City: Elk Grove

    Tips: Before you tow someone, have them look at the map and make sure they know where they launced BEFORE you tow them up and down the lake.

Sunday, April 3rd, 2011

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    Water Temp: 57-61

    Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

    Report: 6:15AM start in Putah around small islands with a zara spook(baby bass)caught a few but missed several, so I started following those short strikes with wacky worm(black & red flake)to catch two more. Then headed deep into Putah to fish the outside edge of a large cove with a large gravel flat that developed with this years rain and thru a custom spinner(white & red) and shallow cranks(shad)caught a couple more.I then went to the dead wood forest and was marking a ton of fish in the twelve to twenty foot range, so I tied on a deep running crank and caught the pig of the day almost 7 lbs. All the rest of the fish I caught were 2 to 2 1/2 lbs each.
    City: Napa

    Tips: The start of the day was nice with a slight ripple. Thats why I started with the top water. but by 11:30 the wind had started to blow real good when trying to work the main body. I DID NOT SEE ANY BEDDING FISH.

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    Water Temp: 60.3 to 61.4

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Light wind early but picked up later in the morning but was fishable. Too many boats on the North East shoreline so I went to the North West shore fished that area for nada throwing jigs, worms and jerkbaits for 8am to 10am. Headed to Putah in the 5 mile zone and hooked 3 dinks on the inside pockets of a few coves on Senkos and jigs. Fish seem a bit confused on water conditions but seem to be looking for nesting areas. I saw many fish hanging in the coves but are not interested in eating. The lake has been rising rapidly and is about 6 to 8 feet from being full. I guess I should have gotten up earlier!
    City: South San Francisco

    Tips: Berryessa is more of a late afternoon lake so if you fish it in the morning get there just before sunrise before everyone else gets them spooked! When you hook a fish work the area good since chances are there are a few more willing to bite in that specific area. My guess is a week to 2 weeks this lake will be full of spawning fish!!!

Saturday, April 2nd, 2011

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    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: On the lake with my 6 year old to see how the bite was. Been working for a month straght and have not been able to get out. Hoping for a reaction bite then looking for bed fish. No reaction fish at all did a little worming and cought some solid fish including my sons 4 LB plus SM. Then around 10 went bed fishing. found quite a few wind did make it hard to see had to have the boat angle just right. Picked up around 10 bed fish all together all solid fish running around 2.5-4lbs. Then we found a monster worked the fish for around 45 minuts and was well worth it a 10.9 lb LM. For our best limit to date from this lake at 25.8LBS weighed on my scale. And to top it off my 6 year old cought his first bed fish all by himself.
    City: Vacaville

    Tips: The fish are using all the new flooded cover. More bed fish are on the way. Can not understand the lack of reaction fosh though.

Sunday, March 27th, 2011

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    Water Temp: 51-55

    Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

    Report: We had a non-typical Winter like day for our sixth Berryessa Pro Team Tournament, the air temperature was 60 degrees and the water temperature was 50-53 degrees with 1’-2’ visibility. After the huge Future Pro Tournament on Saturday, the teams reported that the fish were not chewing real good which resulted in a tough tournament for all. Thanks to the 16 teams for coming to Markley Cove for the March 27, 2011 Tournament, our smallest turnout for the year. Hopefully we’ll have a better turnout next tournament with the bite getting really good as the water warms up. Blast-Off was dry and chilly, and at the weigh-ins it was a little damp, thus making us retreat for cover and awards were done in the Markley Cove Store. The lake was hammered the day before which made the bite tough for most teams; still the top teams weighed some solid bags depite the pressured lake. The top teams managed to find some nice largemouth that moved up, fishing the breaks, creeks, and points in the main lake from 2’- 20’. The majority of the teams only got a few bites, even though there was a lot of nice 4# largemouth with a few large smallies brought to the scales. Some fish were caught with spinnerbaits; most fish came on jigs, senkos, and worms in the main body. Teams reported fish being caught in 0-25 feet of water, with the fish starting to move up and stage. I want to thank our sponsors: Centennial Batteries, Guns Fishing & Stuff, Alan Fong, Dobyns Rods, Tomat’s Restaurant, Oroville Outdoors, Don Sebastiani Winery, Kazoku Teriyaki & More, Markley Cove, and Winters True Value Hardware for supporting the 2010-2011 Berryessa Pro Team Trail! With a soild bag of 16.57# First Place went to Sam Boucher (Richmond) and George Lu (El Cerrito), Chris Franks (Petaluma) and Stephen Seals(Windsor) took Second place honors weighing an excellent 16.07# bag. Third Place went to Dave Church (Sonoma) and Pete Micklus (Sonoma) weighing a solid 14.74# bag with a 6.58# kicker for the big fish honors. Fourth Place was John Maes (Roseville) and Gary Jones (Roseville)with a 14.24# bag. Again Thanks to all the teams for fishing the Berryessa Pro Team Circuit and another great tournament on Lake Berryessa! Tell another team to come join us on Berryessa and I’ll see you all at the last tournament on April 17, 2011. Raffle prizes and cash over $500.00 so don’t forget to bring all your raffle tickets throughout the year!!! Check-in at Markley Cove. Any questions email me at dukekalani@yahoo.com or call me at (530)795-2659. Tournaments Remaining: 4/17/11 (Seventh & Last) SAVE YOUR RAFFLE TIX!!!!! Gonna have over $200 cash for last tournament Raffle Jackpot!
    City: WINTERS

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    Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

    Report: Steveo the vineyards is on the east side of the lake. We found a couple points on the east side and casted right on shore and only got a few feet off before we got hit. KVD series 5 shad colors and the fish were coming out of 3-7 feet of water. Hope this helps. You can email me for more specifics if you want thanks Brandin
    City: roseville