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Northern California Lake Fishing Report

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Sunday, November 18th, 2001

  • Sonoma County
    • By

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Went out on my new boat or the third time in a week. Took a 14 year old kid who's been learning how to bass ish. Threw a Spook among a submerged orest on the Warm Springs side or at least an hour. Had three ish hit my lure. Each o them hit it at least three times, but each time short. The irst one I could actually see trailing the spook, stopping when I stopped the retrieve, then snapping at it when I twitched it again. Briely hooked one up, but he/she got o in a ew seconds. At least we got hits, which is encouraging. We eventually let this area and moved a bit up the lake. I kept the trolling motor in the water as I idled the engine and ate a sandwich. When we got to our destination, I realized my trolling motor propellor had allen o in transit. Trip over, right when the bite may have picked up a bit. Bummer, but still a nice day.
      City: Santa Rosa

      Tips: I think spooks can be eective now, more so than other topwater lures. Cast them among the trees. Let them sit or a good period o time beore retrieving, then retrieve slowly and deliberately all the way to the boat. I the ish misses, stop or a moment and twitch a ew more times. This drew strikes or me each time today. There are other ways to catch ish now, or sure, but this can work. Stay in the trees. Persist.

Saturday, November 17th, 2001

  • Solano County
    • By

      Water Temp: 58

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Got on the water around 6;30 on saturday started out around the disapointment area. The senko bite was ok all day long but are big ish came on a rattle trap in the main river rom 12;00 to 1;30 ishing the top side o the main drop o. the large ish o the trip was only about 4.5lbs with most o our senko isyh going rom 1.5 to 3.0lbs.got to see a good ire in disapointment as one o the people living on one o the inlands tryed to start a ire with a 5 galon can o gas , he proceded to burn up his camp and most o his two boats and his dock...
      City: ELVERTA

      Tips: senko bite was ok but the big ish must want something eles I guess, because as a ishermen thats what I do most o the time is guess....

  • Mariposa County
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      Water Temp: 64-66

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Started ishing abt. daylight..caught abt 14 spots,got one black too the boat & lost it,abt. a two pounder...The spots were rom 10 in too 16 in..caught ish on spoons,rattle trap & worms..Most came on worms.Fishing shut o abt. 10am & picked up again abt. 12:30pm,we let at 1:30...
      City: Riv

  • Shasta County
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      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Going ishing tomorrow. Just to wish Jerry a quick recovery and hope to see your ishing reports soon!!
      City: Redding

  • Sonoma County
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      Water Temp: 59 DEGREES

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: HANNAH ROSE ,A 5 YRS OLD,CAUGHT HER FIRST FISH. A 4.6 POUND STEELEHEAD. WAS TROLLING ALONG A SUBMERGED TREE LINE NEAR A FEEDER CREEK. SHE DROPPED A LRG JUNEBUG BRUSHHOG. WHAT A CATCH!!!!!!!!!!!! A FIRST TIMER. 24' LONG.
      City: WINDSOR

      Tips: WAS USING A LRG JUNEBUG BRUSHHOG,WITH 8 POUND TEST. DROPPING IT DOWN BY TREE LINE AND FEEDER CREEKS AND RUN OFFS.

Friday, November 16th, 2001

  • Solano County
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      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Fished Sycamore Slough or hal a day. Decent bite on senkos pitched to the rocky banks. Caught a hal dozen, largest going about 3 pounds. Bite seemed to slow once the wind quit. Lots o debris loating in the water, I assume that's rom the storms earlier in the week.
      City: Sacramento

  • San Francisco County
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      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: The lake is deinitely as green as I've ever seen it. But, the last two times I've walked by, I've seen a 24' rainbow caught and a 2-3lb large mouth caught. But I still would not take my pontoon out there...
      City: San Francisco

    • By

      Water Temp: 50's

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Had a GREAT day on Pablo. With this cold ront, look or ish on laydowns and shakkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkke those senko's. or try dropshoting around the boat lanch. I caught 5's and 4's lbs ish. and let a DOUBLE DIG come unbutton, but i you hurry up and ish this last two days you can ind the one that got away!!!!!! good ishing
      City: American Canyon

      Tips: Senko's, Senko's, Senko's !!!!!!!!! Get them At Anglers World. Salt and pepper

  • Shasta County
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      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: I have been to busy to go ishing lately, I bought a new boat which will be delivered at 9:00 A.M. tomorrow I am really excited to say the least.I am sure all o you who read these ishing reports enjoy the posts by my good riend Jerry Waltman, Jerry didn't go ishing today, the last time I saw him was this morning, he was sleeping in a bed at Mercy hospital having a good recovery rom the stent that they put having suered a heart attact thursday night. I know that i all o you who have enjoyed his writings in the past will join me in praying or him he will be ishing and writing again real soon.
      City: Redding

Thursday, November 15th, 2001

Wednesday, November 14th, 2001

  • Solano County
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      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Has anyone been out ishing or BLACKBASS? I'm getting tired o reading reports on sewerish (stripers). Fishing San Joaquin Bass Rustler's Top ten ish o this Sunday the 18th. @ Ladd's. Has the storms triggered a better reaction bite? or do we have any kind o a lipping bite out there. Any tips would be appreciated.
      City: Valley Springs

    • By

      Water Temp: ? still elt pre

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Oops! Sorry or missire. Fished Sunday, Nov. 11. Launched out o Hook, around noon. High winds rom southerly direction. Pitched big black/blu jig with black BoLizard trailer, trying to pick up some bigger ish. 2nd pitch in Barge Cove got a pickup, was so surprised that I missed - ish was never elt, just realized my line was moving o against current and wind. Wind was pushing my tin bote around, making detecting bites tough or me (haven't been out on Delta much in last 8 months due to boat problems). Kept pitching wood and weeds in cove, get a solid "thunk" just as I'm trying to keep boat o barge (dang wind!!) and missed again! Keep moving, miss two more taps - this is getting ridiculous! Must be small ish (I hope!). Then another solid "thunk" and this time I think I'm ready. The ish moves o, and I rear back with my heavy lipping stick to set - the drag is set too light!! a couple o massive shakes and she's gone, leaving nothing but a huge boil on the surace. It has really gotten ugly by now, so I decide to head over into the break. No luck with jig in Dutch or Iron House, so out to an old reliable, Taylor. Rack up a quick 7 ish rom 1 to 2.5 lbs rom one area, and decide not to wear out my welcome and try to ind new water. Catch a couple more decent ish on the openings into Big break. Water is moving well through cuts, but hits are o main current on lats with weeds near cuts and deeper water (no surprise here.) Head in by 4:00. 10 blackies and two small (2-4lb) stripers in all. Best 5 ish estimated at 9-10 lbs total. Not great, but better than nothing at all.
      City: Hal Moon Bay

      Tips: Could not hook jig bites. Caught rest o ish on reaction baits. Looks like all pattern is starting, reaction ish hit hard, were on eeding lats with weeds, near deep moving water. Actually watched one ish miss my plug at the boat, let plug in water, shook it, and ish came back and hit it again. Real aggressive. Hope to get out and hunt new water on main channels this weekend.God Bless,Rob T

    • By

      Water Temp: 50

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Went loat-tubing last thursday beore the rain or a ew hours beore sunset. Heard about great striper bite in Honker, but they weren't there. Decided to throw senkos or blackies and I ended up nailing a our pounder. My buddy soon showed me up and landed a at six pounder. Caught a ew more smaller ones, but it didn't seem like a senko day. My buddy almost hooked a beaver as it was geeting dark. Man that would o been a mess. We went out Monday in the rain looking or stripers again. Launched out o Paradise. Fished top water most o the day (also ished senko and caught nothing). Caught a handul o our, ive and a six pounder between the two o us. Caught quit a schoolies and blackies to two pounds. The bite was pretty spotty though. Beore sunset my buddy hooks into a nice our pounder.I had already given up or the day as minutes beore a missed a really big largemouth boil on top water. I wait a little to see i he needs any net help and then casted it right back in were he hooked up. A nice thirteen pound striper inhaled it the second it hit the water. By the time I landed the ish my riend caught and landed two more ish in the our and ive pound class. We didn't want to leave. But what a way to close out the day.
      City: Davis

      Tips: The bite was on then o in a hurry, but I guess that's what stripers are like. I really think the nasty weather made all the dierence!

    • By

      Water Temp: 62 degrees

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Went to Mildred island to catch a mixture o blackies and stripers, Started throwing a watermelon brush hog at around 10:00 am around the tullies on the west end o Mildred with descent sucess, but no real size 1-2lbers. When the clouds came over head the birds were diving and the boils began or stripers, we through spooks and lukes and killed them. Most o the stripers were in the 18" to 22" inch range. Great day on the water.... CATCH AND RELEASE ! ALWAYS !
      City: Byron

      Tips: Blackies are starting to get a little slugish during the miday, ish slow and change depths periodically to locate the schools o ish.......

  • Butte County
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      Water Temp: 61

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Today was a pretty good day or me and my little brother Rob we started over by the spillway with aew nice one's then we decided to go over by the bridge but it only took a ew minutes to ine a so called very Rude pro i mysel ish tourneys and gave this idiot at least 300 yards and i guess becaues he paid 600.00 he thought that he could be rude as he ew past me not to mention he was to dam close im happy that the bassmaster tour is at oroville and to all you gentelman ishing it good luck. I would try jigs in 20 to25 eet and also top water in the morning well im done complaining maybe next year ill be there but i know i will not be the idiot im talking about...
      City: Yuba City

Monday, November 12th, 2001

  • Santa Barbara County
    • By

      Water Temp: 62

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: I ished the WON tounament on Saturday And it was a very big ield. From what I hear the guys who preished had nothing going in the way o a pattern going into to Saturdays event. I was pretty sure I'd do ok but had my doubts ater the rumors start coming around. I decided while loating around in the marina to give up any thoughts on my topwater as it was late and the ish don't respond very well to that kind o presentation with the huge comotion going on. So I told my partner that we were going to crank. ALL DAY LONG. I igured that I would make at least a zillion casts in the time I had and we could average a ish per 1.5 hours and that would do it...But I'm spoiled and am used to ishing big expanses o water without interuption...That was not the case on this day and the area I ished had plenty o boats on it but most o the guys didn't ish the the stucture, they ished the area. Anyway I lost juice to the trolling motor and that was bad as I could not STAY in one spot. We ended up catch 20+ shorts and 3 keepers or something like 6.3 lbs. That included a nice smallie that my partner pulled rom some brush on his crank. We had 4 ish that were 12" and 7/8 and I made him dump them as I only have a willie-go board and Knew they'd never make it on a straight rule. Anway I wish everyone could have gotten something or there troubles out there but hey thats ishing. I'm toying with the idea o ishing this circuit but I have'nt been anywhere but Cachuma in years so we'll see.
      City: Santa Barbara

      Tips: Tough bite, Top 5 guys really got there ish on everything rom optimums to jigs...And I just eliminated the optimum the week beore... That east wind will do it to you every time

  • Ventura County
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      Water Temp: 67

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Caught lots o small bass o points using small jigs no keepers, I had something snap o my spinnerbait with 8lb test, no bites o crayish colored crankbait.Nice day about 75` sunny and breezy.They close the lake too early. Try Dropshotting with small tubes in the 25 oot range, near any bend in the creek channels or o points.Good Luck!!
      City: South Gate

      Tips: Use your sonar and look or baitish in the creek channelsor try ishing the points and backs o coves with cover.Be observant and look or swimming birds that dive and bring up baitish, and try ishing that area, ollow the direction o the birds, and avoid spooking them.Try rattle-trap type baits in the depths, Spoons, Jigs, anddrop-shotting on lite-line.**Remember - Follow the baitish, its your best bet.**

Sunday, November 11th, 2001

  • Solano County
    • By

      Water Temp: 59.3

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Launched out o paradise point around 7am with my ather mobydebt, both with high hopes. The wind was really blowing, making any kind o ishing diicult. Started ishing tules next to current. you know, all the same spots where we have cought ish beore. Fighting the wind pushed me to throwing a spinnerbait most o the morning. Turned to tubebaits, tried pitchin my new black/turquoise jig with yamamoto trailer. Nothin, then I had to move to my old aithul watermelon synko. NOTHING. Two dahm bites all day. My ather had the same luck, just missing a hookset. All in all a very tough day ishing.
      City: Escalon

      Tips: Id like to say the lunor had somthin to do with the poor bite, but hell right now I dont know.

  • Lake County
    • By

      Water Temp: 59

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: I will try to make this report brie, since I was long-winded in the previous one (couldn't help it!). It was a strange eeling to start guiding Friday night ater the huge night on Tuesday - what do we do or an encore? I would like to point out something interesting about this trip compared to the Tues trip. I irst learned about big ish trips in the late '70's, while ishing the dredger ponds outside o Marysville, near my home. When I would stick a lot o big bass, the small ones were no where to be seen. I have ound this to be true on lakes too. Friday night we mostly used the same Weapon jig setup as Tues night, and this time had tons o tailbiters, ripping o the Yamamoto grub. Though we caught 4 big bass Friday night - 5-7, 6-0, 7-0. and 7-7, plus a 3 1/2, we mostly had small ish bites and even landed a ew 8 inchers. Tuesday night, however, I think we had only ONE tailbiter. Though we caught 3 rom 1 1/2 to 2 3/4 lbs., every other bite was a big one. I ind this a conirmation o the idea that i you stick a big one, others may ollow, and you need to be prepared. Fish you big ish baits. The lip side is - i you are on a rockpile or area that is ull o dinks - leave! There are probably not any big bass around at that time. Anyway, ater the son (another ather-son team) caught the irst big bass - the 7 pounder, I challenged them to help us land a 30 lb limit - they thought that was a great idea! He caught another, the 5-7 and dad came up with a beautiul 6 pounder. I added the 7-7 and the dink o course, a 3 1/2. Funny, I have caught the smallest bass in the last 6 trips I think. Somebody has to do it!! Well, we were at 29 1/2 pounds and dad hooks the one that would put us over the top - a big bass, but he lost it. I don't think he even turned it. We caught each bass in a dierent rocky area in the south end. We all had a lot o un, and the weather was great. Not so Saturday night. I started earlier that I planned with a client - thank goodness. We started a 4:30 pm, and at 5 pm he caught a 4 1/4 pounder on a black/red Norman crankbait, same as previous report, on windlower point. It started to rain, and hard, ater dark. Ater 6 hours o that, we called it a night. He did catch a 2 1/2 pounder on a worm, and I got my only bass, a 3 pounder, just beore we quit. This is the irst rainy night I have every ished at Clear Lake where the bass didn't turn on some. It was a warm rain and ishing should have been great. Saturday is the night I would have thought we would have caught the big limit, not on a very cold Tuesday night. Ah, the great puzzle o bass ishing!
      City: Yuba City

      Tips: While the ish wern't nearly as active Friday night, the Weapon jig continued to produce quality bass, which I would expect as the water SLOWLY cools. I inally saw 59 degree water about midnight Sat. The bass are in transition over much o the lake, so i you don't get bit, move! They are probably somewhere else. Look or some big bass to move to deeper water now. It isn't necessary to ish minnows unless you eel you have to - or want to. The bass will hit artiicials very well until the water gets to about 48 degrees. We have a long way to go!

    • By

      Water Temp: ?

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Tough day yesterday. Five o us were out there and struggled. 5 ish total or all o us. Big one(5.4) came on black/red Norman crank and the rest came on rip baits. Everyplace I went to throw my jig, I was blown o. Southern wind would not lay down. Tried all the spots. The pipeline, lamplighter, Jago, Fraser, Konocti, Bass alley, and who knows where else I was. I did get into one awsome catish bite on jigs though. So that kind o made up or the shitty day. I caught about 9 or 10 catish in about 25 to 30 eet o water on black/red jigs. A coulple o them were about 15lbs. Good way to check and see i your line and tackle are working good. I was doing circles in the boat trying to keep up with them. I swear by Berkeley Big Game(20lb). Great line or the money. The area I got the catish was a rocky bank and point south o Fraser Point and in between Jago and Fraser. I don't know what it's called. I'll have to look at the map.
      City: Petaluma

      Tips: I wind lays down, jig bite is on somewhere. Think rock and rocky points. Cranking and ripping will work also. Quit the mickeymousing and get out there and do it. You're gonna get wet. So what. Even though the bite was not on, we still had a un day. It's like playing ootball in the mud. Its your chance to be a kid again and tell some good stories. Every ishing trip has a good story in it. Buy a SOSPENDER liejacket and wear it at all times. It's real simple and increases your chances o staying alive out there. Especially with this wind, rain, and waves, you gotta be on your toes. Accidents can happen and will happen. As the case with Mr. Crenshaw. Be smart. Saety irst. Fish second.