Sonoma Lake and Reports

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Wednesday, November 3rd, 1999

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    Water Temp: 62

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: We went out early and cought ive ish that were small o raddle traps. Nothing else worked that we tryed. Fish seem to be moving deeper and the reaction bite is starting up.
    City: Petaluma

Tuesday, November 2nd, 1999

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    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Hit Dry and Cherry Creek pretty hard with only two/too small bassto show. I went rom purple skirt spinner baits, to light blue,to yellow with a worm wiggler and got the two on the latter.Fishin' bud tossed enter tackle box o cranks at them with onlyone bump.Only a ew out ishing. All getting same results.A beautiul day with excellent weather saved the day. Watched theresident golden eagle work up in Dry Creek; The resident Osprey in Cherry Creek.Fishin's gotta get better here, doesn't it?
    City: Sebastopol

    Tips: Be very careul in Cherry Creek. The water is low andthere are a lot o trees waiting or your hull.

Friday, October 22nd, 1999

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    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: ATTN: The previous report on this page is incorrect. IRepeat incorrect. The letter o the regulations is orUNDERWATER VIEWING DEVICES, IE, CAMERA'S, GLASS BOTTOMTUBES and the like. The previous interpertation goesar beyond what is regulated. I that would be the caseyou could not use your eyes to view ish in clear water.I hope this clears up the misinormation.
    City: Sebastopol

Saturday, October 9th, 1999

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    Water Temp: 67

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Fishing was great on Lake Sonaoma yesterday, but ound out rom DFG the ollowing which did not help at all:Yes, the Caliornia Department o Fish and Game has outlawed the use o polarized sunglasses an the use o sonar equipment ("devices") used on all waters o Sonoma and Mendocino Counties year round and all streams in the South Central District between November 16 and February 28 in the State o Caliornia.The section o the code is located in Chapter 2. code section 2.06 o the current "1999 Caliornia Sport Fishing Regulations"I you do not have a hard copy or the current regulations you can ind the reerence on the Caliornia DFG URL listed below. You will not believe your eyes.http://www.dg.ca.gov/Title/d1_c2_a1.htmlThe section reads as ollows:"2.07. Underwater Viewing Devices.No device capable o being used to view under water may be used on or in any stream in the South Central District rom November 16 through February 28 and at anytime in Sonoma and Mendocino counties or the taking o ish by any one or more persons acting in unison."Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary deines "device" as:"a piece o equipment or mechanism designed to serve a special purpose or perorm a special unction."This means that ANY device used to aid anglers in viewing underwater is regulated. As a result, this section o the code regulates polarized sunglasses and sonar devices (electronic ish inders o all kinds) and any other "device" which can aid and angler to locate or view a ish. In Sonoma and Mendocino Counties this applies to all resh water ishing as well as saltwater ishing.For those who do not understand the English language, the word "and" is used to separate the irst statement rom a totally new one. This means that "all" waters in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties must comply with this regulation (Lake Sonoma and Mendocino lake included). The word "or" was not used. Consequently the rule in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties does not apply to only streams, but to all waters (streams, lakes, waterways, ocean waters oshore, private ponds, etc.). Such a nice rule!!!I called DFG regional headquarters in Yountville (707-944-5500) and ound out that the code does apply as stated and is subject to interpretation by individual enorcing oicers. How nice. This means that i the oicer in question does not like you, you could be cited or wearing and using a sonar device while ishing in Mendocino and Sonoma County waters. I could not believe my ears, so I called Sacramento and talked to the enorcement branch directly (916-653-4899) and ound out: "we do not write the code, we only enorce it." This section o the code applies to "any device" that can be used to view ish underwater. So guys, it is conirmed, we can no longer legally used our polarized sunglasses in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties.Time has already past to get a change on the agenda or this years hearings in Sacrament. Now we must work on making changes over two years rom now.I personally will make a major eort to throw out, or have this section re-written, in order to clariy what the Caliornia Department o Fish and Game is telling us. This is just another example o the oolish Caliornia DFG bureaucracy at work.Please write to Caliornia DFG to request having this section revoked:Write to:
    City: Healdsburg

    Tips: Robert Treanor

Monday, September 20th, 1999

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    Water Temp: na

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: I started ishing or bass at 7 a.m. When I let the lake at 3 p.m. I had cought a ton o ish. To bad the largest was about 11 inches. I never even had a big ish bite. The good thing is that with all the small ish I saw we dont have to worry about ish population being to small in the uture.
    City: santa rosa

    Tips: I wish I had some good tips. I you are into catching baby bass call me. Ater today I consider mysel a PRO!!!

Wednesday, September 15th, 1999

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    Water Temp: 74

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Largemouth bass are now spawning again. Third time or 1999. This time spawning is in slightly deeper water. Bass bite is early in the morning. Best time to ish or nice sized bass is between one and nine AM. Slow worming with the Honduran system works best. Most nicer ish are taken between 12 and 20 eet. Largemouth to ive pounds are common. Guys that are trolling are doing very well with the rainbows and are also catching some nice bass. The bigger bass are holding tight in the trees at about 20 eet. The black crappie ishing is red hot with most anglers reporting ull 25 ish limits with at least 50 more ish released. Best crappie jig is the Kalin trout tube jig in clear with sparkle. Best bass worms are custome made in trans. geys and ambers - avoid sparkle lakes and do not use spinner baits or crankbaits. The black leeches and the large spruce lies are the best bets when lyroding. Best line now is the Ande 4KG tournament Green. Saludos, Wes.
    City: Healdsburg

    Tips: Keep boat next to bank to avoid spooking big ish with your shadow. Mask scent o your boat. Wear dark clothing. Fish slow - it should take about our hours to ish 20 yards o bank.

Thursday, September 9th, 1999

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    Water Temp: Unk.

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Kevin Young and I started at about 6:15 a.m.across rom the private marina. I landed a nice 3lb. bass in very shallow water! Kevin caught a small bass on a worm. Fish were scarce on the sonar. we started trolling and Kevin landed a nice Steelhead about 3lbs. I caught 3 more bass trolling and Kevin caught anothe Steelhead (small) which was released. Our day was over at 10:30 a.m. Weather was overcast with some lightning! Water was smooth as glass when we inished up!
    City: Windsor

    Tips: Use downrigger and your avorite trout (Steelhead)lure in the 35 to 40 oot range. The bass hit deep diving crankbaits only in trout and shad colors trolled with about 60 eet o line out.

Sunday, August 29th, 1999

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    Water Temp: around75

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Fished or catish rom 7am 'till midnight and didn't even get a bite, and all i caught was a couple o 10 inch bass on brush hogs.
    City: Petaluma

    Tips: n/a

Saturday, August 28th, 1999

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    Water Temp: unknown

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Fished rom 7am-3pm in the Dry Creek and Cherry Creek areas. My partner & I caught 7 bass to 3 pounds. 2 on spinner baits, 1 on a brown jig, 3 on cranks and the 3lb'er came on a rainbow trout color rattle trap. Most ish were 5-10' deep.
    City: Rohnert Park

    Tips: Stick with the reaction baits like cranks, spinners or rattle traps. There are a lot o small bass breaking the surace.

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    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Fishing was great. The ish are still deep. With a lot o patience we were able to land many ish between 1-5lbs.
    City: Santa Rosa

    Tips: Use jigs slowly and dont orget to jerk a bit harder or those deep water hook sets.

Wednesday, August 18th, 1999

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    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: I ished Lake Sonoma on Wednesday August 18th rom 9:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. and caught no ish. My ather only caught 1 Largemouth Bass, and it was only 8". It got very windy ater 9:30.
    City: Healdsburg

    Tips: Fish at night!

Wednesday, August 4th, 1999

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    Water Temp: ?

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Started late in the morning due to og but quickly got lots o hits o the surace with shad styled lures. Ended up trolling coves with a rattlin trap and a rapala shad, caught 3 smallmouth bass rom 12-15 inchs and one atty pan ish. All hits were rom 5-10t deep, ish were rolling on the surace all the way till 2pm. Ended up with a total o 5 ish by the end o day.
    City: Santa Rosa

    Tips: Silver lures are great and try trolling a rattlin trap close to the boat and then run a second rod with a shad or silver type lure back ~50yards...good luck!

Monday, August 2nd, 1999

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    Water Temp: ??

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Fished around skunk creek camp or this past weekend.Used mostly topwater's(pop-r, lukes, broken-backs Husky jerk)caught about 30 ish. One over 5lbs. The water was real warmand the ish seemed real lazy. Fish your worms/jigs real slow.
    City: San Jose

    Tips: Dark worms and jigs worked well ater about 11am.Use topwaters in the morning.

Saturday, July 10th, 1999

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    Water Temp: 73

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Dog and I went to Lake Sonoma early today started ishing at irst light. Top water was the approach early (zippin ziggy , poppers) along or small and large mouth.As the day progressed plastics (Buddaha Pillars , Brush Hogs) came on with a couple o jig ish thrown to the mix. Fiteen or so keepers to three and hal pounds.
    City: Sonoma

    Tips: Top water early and shallow. Plastics and jigs throughout the rest o the day shallow also (10 to 20 eet).

Sunday, June 27th, 1999

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    Water Temp: ???

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: This is a late Sat. report: Started ishing the lake by 6am, working the north-west inger I worked my way a 1/4 mile north west o the Rock Pasture camp ground. Using a silver/black rattle trap casting towards the channel with a slow retrive got 5 bass. 4 were small-mouths ranging rom 14-17 inches and 1 large mouth that was 19.5 inches and ~3lbs...they hit around the 15t level. By 8am I switched to some top water poppers and got a number o hits and hooked a large mouth...got it too the boat but the hook was not set so he came o...no loss.By 10am the ishing had slowed down...yet the ish kept coming to the surace.Good day o ishing and no problems.
    City: Santa Rosa

    Tips: Use a large Rattle trap, silver bottom with black upper in the morning. Change to a gold color ater 9am.Top water is good in orange.

Friday, June 18th, 1999

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    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 Sonoma

Saturday, June 12th, 1999

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    Water Temp: n/a

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Started late on Saturday and ished many o the north eastern ingers. Caught 3 small mouths ranging rom 12-14inches on assorted jigs. Not much top water action and I was orced to ish a little deeper to get any hits.
    City: Santa Rosa

    Tips: So ar this is my irst trip out and the ish seem to be on the eastern shores in the coves with a mix o stumps. I got some takes on rattle-traps but ishing the stumps with jigs really became productive around 8am.

Wednesday, June 2nd, 1999

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    Water Temp: 65

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: On the water by 0700. Fished Dam with rip baits. Had about 10 keepers. Moved to Cherry Creek, pitched Brush Hogs to lay downs. Had around 40 ish all day.
    City: Novato

    Tips: n/a

Sunday, May 16th, 1999

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    Water Temp: low 60's

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Bass-n-Tubes tourney on Sunday was won by Tim Crane, Jr., with 7.78 lbs. Andy & Kevin joined us rom the Sonoma County Belly Boat Bass Club. They hiked over to Cherry Creek rom Yorty, where they said they could SEE some monster ish in the shallows, but couldn't get them to bite. Weather was beautiul -- wind was manageable when it kicked up; otherwise, it died out completely at times, with air temps into the 80s. Water was real clear in the coves, with a nice green color in the main body. I caught most o my limit split-shotting 4-5 inch worms & T-rigging a Baby Brush Hog. Tim caught one or two on a spinnerbait, one crankin', & a ew more with a Gitzit. Sounds like the big mamas were up in Cherry Creek, though. I missed 3rd place by .05 lbs., ater missing adecent ish in tangled brush just minutes beore weigh-in. Ain't that how it goes?!!
    City: San Jose

    Tips: With little or no winds, inesse techniques seemed most eective.

Wednesday, May 12th, 1999

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    Water Temp: 61-67

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Fished or 3 days at Skunk creek arm, lots o ish but mostly small 1 to 2# . lizard workedbest in the shade. Wind very bad 30+ Caught most ish way back in creeks out o the wind. Overall agood trip.
    City: Eureka

    Tips: n/a