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Berryessa Lake and Reports

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Thursday, March 5th, 2009

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    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: I tried the north end and the water was muddy with no visible mud lines. The farther south on the lake the clearer the water became. Cloudy and overcast. Caught 6 smallies on rocky points, 12-20 feet of water. All came on a white Booyah spinner with gold blade.
    City: Suisun city

    Tips: Take your kids fishing

Sunday, March 1st, 2009

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    Water Temp: 53-55

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Out with my two sons knew it was going to be a tough bite. When your 4 year old gets up at 6 and the first thing out of his mouth is daddy are we going fishing you have to go. I decided to check out some staging areas. I was throwing a crank and they had brushhogs on a mojo rig. First cast of the morning I get a 2lb LM the kiss of death getting one on the first cast.Worked several more areas woth no results switched to a jig to slow down and had several hits but they just would not eat it. Same thing with the brushhogs even after soaking them with sent. By the end of the day the fish did start eating better after the water warmed a little. Ended the day with 8 fish 5 best at 11lbs thanks to a 4lb SM.
    City: Vacaville

    Tips: The fish have yet to move up in any numbers yet. Started in areas with grass and found they were just not moving. Also very hard for kids to fish. Decided to leave the east shore and move to the west side where there is less grass for the fish to bury up in. That was the key to the day fishing ditches and points with clean bottom in 12-30ft leading into a spawning area with jigs and brushhogs. Did not get a reaction bite other than the first one. You really need to be on your toes because they are giving a very light pressure bite and not really eating.

Saturday, February 28th, 2009

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    Water Temp: 53

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Basin BassMasters went out after Anglers Choice at Markley Cove. My first stop was a Island top near Rag Cove, my partner got two draging a smoke/purple tube. Started working down the left bank into Rag Cove and found 10 more small bass, even some small mouth. At the weith-in one of the anglers came in with a 6.0 lb largemouth that he caught on a green pumpkin tube in the north end of the lake. 15 teams 8 limits, big bag was 13.66 lbs. The weather was good. Work most of the main points in the narrows with small rock.
    There was a "BIG" Tournament at Clear Lake with the "West Coast Bass" now back. Look up Larry's web site and go to his next tournament. Pays well and fun fishing. It is a pro/am team.
    City: Rocklin

    Tips: Jigs in a Brown/Purple, Green pumpkin working them slow. Feel the bite it is soft and sometimes very light. Nor reaction bites yet but coming. As the water warms up closer to 56-58 the bass will move up. Water is coming in and the lake is rising. Markley is charging $15.00 to launch until summer.

Friday, February 27th, 2009

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    Water Temp: 54.3-58

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Was out on the water at about 11:00 am out of Cappell. Couldn't figure out why there were so many boats fishing the cove until I looked out at the main body, 3 to 4 foot winds waves. I thought I was out on the bay for a moment. Needless to say it was a rough ride to Putah where I did most of my fishing. Wound up with a tad over 20 fish using Robo-Worms and ring worms. Smoke and Oxblood where the colors. Water temp at 11:00 was 53.4 then after 3:00 pm it rose to 58. Wind died down so the ride in was smooth.
    City: Sacramento

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    Water Temp: up to 55

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: On the water at 11. Partner and I caught 3 fish. One on a worm, prisim shad in about 25' and 2 on a drop-shot in 40'-42, on purple ghost. Last fish was a donkey, 13.80 lbs. I have become a believer of the drop-shot! We had two other bites, one on drop-shot and the other on a brush hog. All on points bites came on points. Just kept going in and out on points.
    City: Pleasant Hill

    Tips: Slow, so slow it is boring.

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    Water Temp: 50-53

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: stared at about 830 and got a few hits on black jig. nothing solid just little taps. i changed it upand went to a dropshot with a blue-ish grey colored dropshot worm. i got hit a few times but very faint and short. fish didnt hit a second time ....
    i swithched again to a jig this time i went to a brown jig without a trailer.. got a few hits but this time closer i time like 20 min. i put a smaller jig on "1/4 oz" and fished it with a blue trailer i finally got a fish about two lbs.
    this combo along with the sloooooooooow sloooooow fishing approach was working for me.the other guy on the boat caught 5 jig fish with this set up in about 2 hours
    City: fairfield

    Tips: brown jigs 1/4 oz with blue pigtails
    u have to fish slower than slow some fish barely hit the jig and some destroyed it
    set on anything that feals like a hit or a little tenseoion that seems to be following the mothion of the boat...

    remember just fish slower than youve ever fished and youll get em good luck

Thursday, February 26th, 2009

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    Water Temp: 52 55

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: nothing really to talk about had a 2 hits in about 15-20 ft on river2sea cawfish fish seem to be short strikin or just not hardly intrested tryin again tomarrow hopefully better news
    City: fairfield

    Tips: see report 2marrow

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

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    Water Temp: 52-54

    Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

    Report: depending on where you are the water is either stained or muddy. i just got out on the lake for the first time in about 9 months. had to get the Z6 in the water and run it. we had a tough time today with two bites. we carolina rigged tubes and drop shot. it has been a while since i fished and found it really hard to get back in the game and to figure out what to use and where to use it. i am lossed. i will be going back out on thursday so if anyone has any tips on anything please let me know. i know fishing is slow but i cant remember the last time i was skunked.
    City: dixon

    Tips: cant give any tips cause everything we used didnt work.

Friday, February 20th, 2009

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    Water Temp: 50-52

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Some of the water was stained in the main body. Look for long points, flats in 20-40 ft. Banks in the narrows the banks with small rock, using jigs, darter heads, drop shot and fish them all slow. You can get a limit but it has been tough.With the water changing, rain and wind coming reaction baits might be a good thing.
    City: Rocklin

    Tips: Rip baits first thing in the morning.

Thursday, February 12th, 2009

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    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: I have no tips but i will tell you what i did that scored me a limit of ZERO, ZILCH, NADA.

    i launched out of capel and ran north east. looked for some good shoreline but it seems all my usuals spots were out of water. All of the gravel and rock banks i usually fish were out of the water. I did not meter any fish or bait.

    I then ran towards putah creek. Metered bait on the right side of the bridge but not a bit spooning. i even tried a crappie jig on a drop loop w/ spoon still nothing. the bait was suspended 20' - down to the bottom, 80' fished all the points on the left side running further up river. i stopped right at the 5mph zone.

    I ripped, dart head, drop shot, threw a jig and wacky rigged to get zero. the sun did not get a chance to heat up any bank long enough to help.

    I should have just brought one rod w/ me and one type bait, a HUDD. If i were to go out again that's what i would do. I could not graph anything and the areas i did fish looked good to. I am still scratching my head.
    City: san francisco

    Tips: I think right now it's worth going big especially if you not going to get numbers.

Sunday, February 8th, 2009

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    Water Temp: ?

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: WOW! I caught the fish of a lifetime at Berryessa today!

    After only one bite at Oak Shores I headed to Putah Creek area. I saw the Warden on the bridge and he said every boat and shore fisherman he talked to had either blanked or caught one fish (see other report from 2/8 below). I figured I should be happy with the one bite I did have. I decided to keep fishing anyway...good choice! I caught a 3lb. spotted bass and then missed two other bites. As I pondered taking my last couple casts I got another bite...I missed setting the hook but dropped the bait in place and waited...a second later another hit and I sunk the hook. I could barely move the fish and thought I might have a big catfish on. When it came up enough to see it, I realized it was the biggest bass of my life!

    I didn't have a scale but took pictures with my cell phone and measured it's length and girth with a length of fishing line: 27 in. long and 24.5 in girth. A website weight calculator puts the fish somewhere between 13.5 and 15.5 lbs. depending on "small", "average", or "large" class. It had a fat belly (eggs probably?) and HUGE mouth. I think you could fit a volleyball in there!
    City: Napa

    Tips: I caught both fish on a green pumpkin Baby Brush Hog texas rigged on a 1/0 EWG hook on 12lb Berkeley Big Game line in about 20 feet of water. (The big fish's mouth was so big the 1/0 hook barely penetrated it!). The spot had a small fish in it's mouth that looked like a gobey...? It had a big head and slender body, was about 3 in. long, and was the exact same color as my Brush Hog.

    I guess the "tip" is that anything is possible when you go out, even when everyone else is struggling.

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    Water Temp: 51.3

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Tough fishing sunday. very cold morning. Caught 1 SM first thing am on dropshot. The rest of the day, zilch! Tried everything from senkos, swimbaits, jerkbaits...jigs. Nothing. Tried mainly the main lake: west/east side and every cove inbetween. Talked with another bassboat and they had 0. They fished deep while we fished from 30' in. Wind picked up but that had no effect on the zero hits. Fish and game reported that a 15lb was caught last week.
    City: South San Francisco

Thursday, February 5th, 2009

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    Water Temp: 52.7

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Fished at safe light to 2Pm Didn't catch first fish till 130...Tough bite for some reason. Saw bass guys all over (Shallow to Deep) Didn't look any better for them. Please post any tips for this tough time...

Wednesday, February 4th, 2009

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    Water Temp: 53.2

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Beautiful day on the lake weather-wise. Mostly cloudy, very slight e breeze. There's a lot of dead algae clumps staining the water. Bite was extremely slow and light. Papa Smurf and myself took 2 smallies on plastic worms drop-shotting to 20 to 35 ft. Missed maybe 8 on very light bite. Fish were hoboing the bait. Hopely we get some rain to bring up the temp and water level.
    City: Vallejo

    Tips: Fish as slow as possible and then slow down even more. Bite is so light that its a good idea to set on any pressure on the line.

Saturday, January 31st, 2009

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    Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

    Report: Just want to clarify From my last report that I am no way disappointed with Gone Fishing Marine .Mike and staff at service do a great job servicing and maintaining my boat .Ive been a customer since they opened . It just sucked not having my boat for the last week of my vacation. Hope to get boat back soon so i can get out and get my lines wet.cya on the water PLASTICMAN1
    City: Elmira

    Tips: none

Saturday, January 24th, 2009

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    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: First time at Berryessa. I was shore fishing the northern part of the lake, near Putah creek I think. I was hoping to get some action on crankbaits but nothing was working. Toward the end of the day I switched to a Texas Rigged 5" Senko and found a couple of Spots near the bottom next to a point.
    City: Fremont

    Tips: Fish slow, fish deep.

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

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    Water Temp: 52

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: went out with my brother caught 2 trout trolling 10 to 15 feet down . did not get a chance to break out bass rods cause my optima 115 took a dive brand new not a year old, used trolling motor to get in back to markleys . took boat to gone fishing and they could not figure it out what a dissapointment , hope to get boat back so i can get out and fish....
    City: Elmira

    Tips: none

Saturday, January 17th, 2009

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    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Able to get out with both my boys. Stayed in the lower end trying new water for a change. Started out with a jig and the boys were working mojo rigged brushhogs. Cought fish in the first thing and the bite stayed steady all day. Most fish came on the brushhogs with a few on jig and dropshot. Nothing very big most were spots in the 1.5 - 2lb range. One smallmouth around 2.5 and a 3.5lb spot on a dropshot at the end of the day. 17 fish for the day best 5 at around 10 lbs. One of our smallest limits of the year but still a good time.
    City: Vacaville

    Tips: Most of the spots were cought on the sides of the points but the bigger ones were in the tops. All the fish were cought in the 20-40ft range. Most fish were pinned to the bottom so watch your graph.

Friday, January 9th, 2009

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    Water Temp: 52

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: started at markley cove in the early am trolled minnows with one taker salmon nothing in size . waited for warm up and broke out bass rods fished the rest of the day in deep water 4 inch watermelon senko 4 inch twist tail jigs cranks with no takers even trailed a minnow right off bottom was a little windy but got nice in the afternoon had a nice relaxing day went home and bbqued and threw back some beers . going again next week got 2 weeks off cya on the water
    City: Elmira

    Tips: keep going out and fishing dont know what this weather is going to do to the bass

Thursday, January 1st, 2009

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    Water Temp: 44-50

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: We had a tough day fishing. We pulled one largemouth but could not seem to touch a small or spot.
    All others we talked had also only caught one fish per boat. We caught ours on a shad colored worm on a shaky head. The others caught one on a brushhog, or a brn purple jig
    City: Antioch

    Tips: Don't follow me, unless you want to get skunked..