Hennessy Lake and Reports

Limit:
Click for interactive map

Sunday, May 5th, 2002

  • By

    Water Temp: low 60's?

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Tried 4 spots at the North end o the lake. Water color was a bit dirty up the creek but pretty clear rom the power tower south. Saw a 2 and a 4 lb.er both come up and take a very close look at a white lizard I was tossin' but wouldn't grab it. I believe part o the reason the bass wouldn't bite this day is all the bass ry that are available to them. In 2 spots I saw so many ry that you couldn't toss a lure without scattering them. I believe that's why this lake always has lots o bass in it. That and the semi-light ishing pressure. Saw another sight that is common to this lake. On the trail at the end o the road I walked up on a 4 oot long, very at rattlesnake. Looked dead but was only sunning itsel (4PM). Please be careul- I've adopted the goy looking habit o wearing black rubber kneehigh boots even when it's hot and sunny.
    City: napa

    Tips: Basic plastics in basic colors have always worked great or me. Weightless i it's not too windy- senkos i it is windy!

Monday, April 22nd, 2002

  • By

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Walked the Conn Valley side this morning. Lake is just beautiul but the ish weren't there. Saw that the ew boats on the lake were out in the middle, so guess ish haven't come to the shallows yet. Seems late, but they just weren't there or me!
    City: St Helena

Sunday, May 27th, 2001

  • By

    Water Temp: 73-75

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: What's up with this lake! Bass West said it was a hidden jewel. I threw my whole tackle box into the tules and didn't get one bite all day. I did have un trying to catch a monster bullrog underneith the moss bed. Scum rogs make'em horny it seems.
    City: San Jose

    Tips: What ever you use there, make sure it's weedless. It's a mess down there. Had to clean o the motors and transducer all day long.

Saturday, May 5th, 2001

  • By

    Water Temp: upper 60's

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: First time on this lake. Perect weather today. Saw many empty beds and thousands o baby bass swimming near them. It looks like the spawn happened. Bite was very tough. Only one caught, a 2.3 pound emale. She was really skinny. Fooled by an all brown Senko on the edge o the tules.
    City: San Jose

    Tips: Give them a week to recover.

Saturday, March 10th, 2001

  • By

    Water Temp: 54

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Went out at about 7am ished down the ront shore line cought a nice smallmouth 3.5 pounds on a rip bait. Then we moved to the back lat area and pick up two more both largemouth about 3.5 and 2.5 pounds both on rip baits. Finaly we went back to the ront shore line and cought another smally, 2.25 pounds, also on a lucky crat pointer 78. Let lake at about 1pm had 4 ish or about 11.75 pounds. An ok day or this lake. The ish were scattered and we could not ind a pattern.
    City: Benicia

    Tips: Fish crankbaits and rip baits shallow in the early morrning and when you come to a tule patch lip lizards (6" black and blue or watermelon with red lake). I you have cloud cover the pattern works all day and spinnerbaits works well under that situation. Once water warms into the upper 60's and the low 70's look or ish on the beds they can be ound in areas with a nice sot bottom and some small rock. The key to catching ish here is to be out early. Good luck.

Saturday, December 23rd, 2000

  • By

    Water Temp: 50-52

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Fished this lake or the very irst time started out around 11;30 slow at irst,then bang the ight was on landed a nice 4# ished around the dam area had two other nice ish at 3-9 and 2-7 ish were caught on spit shotting junebug color brushhog had a nice day I will deentally ish thislake again please practice on catch and release.MERRYCHRISTMAS
    City: arbuckle area

    Tips: TRICK IS TO FISH AS SLOW AS POSSIBLE

Monday, October 2nd, 2000

  • By

    Water Temp: 74.4

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Fished the lake Monday aternoon rom 2pm till 5pm. very slow at irst, but at 4pm lost a nice 41/2 pounder on a brushhog ished split shot style o a nice point on the west end o the lake. Had several more hits, but could not hook up. Lots o un and the lake was perect. Will try again this weekend at the tules with senko's. The brushhog was watermelon red/black lake. I want to thank everyone or their reports on all the lakes. I have always been a hush hush isherman; not willing to give out my secret ino, but have ound great joy in sharing ino with ellow anglers at this site. Thanks again and tight lines. victor
    City: NAPA

    Tips: the weed lines about 16 eet out and 12 eet deep hold many nice ish this time o year. they are staked up and you can catch several in one spot on crankbaits. I like craw colors. Good luck

Sunday, April 2nd, 2000

  • By

    Water Temp: 61.6-67

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Fished Conn Saturday with my girlriend in my boat and ished agianst my buddy in his boat. Morning started o slow because they care-taker didn't unlock the gate until it was kind o late. Finally got on the water about 6:20. Had 2 ish on right o the bat only landing 1 using a loating worm thrown into shallow cover. Picked up 1 more early ish throwing a tube bait. Went or a couple o hours without getting a bite but seing tons o ish. Luckily my girlriend had to use the restroom so we headed or the dock when I spotted a little tulle clump. I threw my loating worm next to it and stuck a 6-pounder. I continued down the shoreline picking up 1 more ish and losing a bunch more. Fish were up shallow sometimes in schools o about 30-40 ish. This was really weird. Mostly all males. The emales should be ready to move up in the next week or so depending on the weather. Some are already there. There are many beds that have been anned out but there are no ish on them. At the end od the day I had 4 keepers that weighed 17lbs. My buddy had 2 ish or 8lbs. All my ish came o o the ront shoreline. Not a bad day or this lake. All the ish seemed to be cruising around. Not many ish locked down on the beds. Too early! The water was 61 degrees in the morning and when i let the surace temp was 67.
    City: Suisun

Friday, February 18th, 2000

  • By

    Water Temp: ?

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Walked the shoreline on western creek arm (Conn Valley Rd)rom 3pm to dusk. Tommy T and I tried all kinds o shallow stu as well as some Carolina lizards into the deeper breaks. The only bass, 1 1/2# came near a patch o tules in about 2-3' on a 4" worm. From the looks o this boy's tail, I'd say they're getting ready or the spawn.
    City: Napa

    Tips: I anyone knows where I could get a map o this lake, I sure would appreciate it. I've caught some nice bass, some tasty trout, and some pretty scrappy crappie when you can ind 'em. They also catch alot o cats into the teens, rom what I've heard rom the local papers.

Thursday, February 10th, 2000

  • By

    Water Temp: 60 (I'm guessin

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Fished about two hours prior to dark. Second cast w/Blue Green spinnerbait yielded only bass, about 2 pounds. This was caught in eastern creek arm, in branches o suspended timber near break into deeper water. Tried cranks, worms, tube jigs, jig&hogs, you name it. Not another whi! Later, s-trolling the main lake back to the launch Tommy T. picked up one trout using a snap weight ahead o a countdown rapala, gold, size 7. Yumm!
    City: Napa

    Tips: Looking back, i we'd had more time, I'd have started out away rom the trees out deeper with crankbaits to see i there were any active takers beore barging right into the trees. I was a little rusty irst time out in a while, and might have scared 'em away.

Friday, June 18th, 1999

  • By

    Water Temp: 65

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: This is a test o the automatic report cgi
    City: San Jose

    Tips: lets hope it worksFishing Reports or Lake Hennessy

Friday, March 5th, 1999

  • By

    Water Temp: 58

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: went to the back o the lake and ished rom shore got nine bass intollies on spiner baits and jigs three whear over 3# amd rest where over 5# see you onthe lake.
    City: Vallejo

    Tips: ish close to shore and tollies with spiner baits yellow.....jigs werebrown.

Date Unknown

  • By

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: In response to the last report. I think that the previous report was kindly inorming someone that they might not be properly identiying their catch. Many ishermen rely on these reports in order to get an idea o whats going on out there. So don't get your panties all in a jumble over an inormative response.
    City: Berkeley

  • By

    Water Temp: ??

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: In response to the last report...Yes, a smallie over ten pounds is deinately "unheard o." However, they certainly do exhist. And on another note, the actualy world record smallie is not 11.5, the 1955 record was rigged. So, untill the IFGA recognizes that, the record may stand. But, as soon as they do, its air game....hey, personally, I think I have the world record, here in AZ. What y'all ishermen need to understand is that it isnt about ame, it is is all about personal goals. My smallie topped out at 9.8lbs....you dont see me bitching. I released that large beaty back into her environment without a second thought. Worry about what your next catch is, and not what other people say. Although ishing seems at times competitive, ultimately, it is all about us ishermen comming together and preserving our ishing environment. Next time you worry about what the other guy says in terms o that he/she says they caught, beore you get all pissed, think more about what you can do to the watersheds you ish to make them actually produce one o these world records. Its possible...at any water system, be it river, estuary, lake or pond, any o these is capable o producing a record. Do you part to conserve and spend your time helping, instead o bitching...Tight lines y'all...look into helping our lakes, streams and ponds, they are in dier need o it ellas
    City: Tucson/Oakland

  • By

    Water Temp: 5o

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: went to the lake to check water in low .temp was 50.the c.a. ish@game was there with there schock boat .they were gathering ish or boat show tank .Iwish all the people thatthink there is no ish in the lake go to the boat show All those ish came rom lake hennessy
    City: vallejo,ca

    Tips: ask .@g how they did it

  • By

    Water Temp: low 50's

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Fished rom 3 to 5PM with no bites. Decided to put a live mini-crawler on the end o my white double willow spinnerbait. Dragged it past a submerged but visible log next to some tules and let it all as it hit the log. I didn't really expect a bite but you never know. Hooked and landed the biggest bass I've ever caught out o this lake-our and a hal pounds, 18" long and 14" in girth. The day wasn't over yet- 10 minutes later I landed the biggest blue-gill I've ever caught- 12" long, 1.3 pounds! Caught it on a crawler on the bottom and a #8 hook.
    City: napa

    Tips: Bass seem to be holding tight to cover due to cold ronts and muddy ( or at least murky ) water conditions. Reports o great catishing is what drew me to this lake on this particular day- that and the beautiul springlike weather. I water stays murky use noisy lures- cranks, spinnerbaits, rattling jigs. I tried all o these and ribbon tail worms as well as carolina rigged lizards with brass and glass or extra noise. Good luck!