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Northern California Lake Fishing Report

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Saturday, July 28th, 2001

  • Lake County
    • By

      Water Temp: 78

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Well, maybe some good news! I took a long-time client out yesterday or some beore dark ishing and night ishing. Finally - some decent numbers - 14 in the boat with the ive biggest at 20 1/4 lbs. I lost two reasonably big ish - bent hook-tip on my Weapon jig. I hate it when I'm lazy and don't check those kind o things. I usually always pay the price!! I talk to Bob Higgins at Limit Out Tackle about the trip as I let this morning, and he agreed that ishing might be picking up a bit, and that most o the ish are about the same size - maybe up to 6 lbs. People talk about the Shasta "cookie cutter" ish all being about the same size. Well, Clear Lake has the same "problem" - Har! Except this "cutter" is about 4 lbs. All but ive o our bass were 3 3/4 lbs to 4 1/2 lbs - nice problem!!! Three were bigger and two were smaller. I caught the irst bass about 8:30 pm on a Rodstrainer jig and it was the biggest o the trip at 4-15. My client caught the next - 4 lbs - on a green craw 8" worm, and we were eelin' good at dinner!! We started the trip by throwing rogs, buzzbaits, and other topwater in several areas north and south o Konocti Resort. Nothing. So, as it got dark, we went to worms and jigs and that seemed to be the answer. These bass were 15 to 20 eet deep and were aggressive - a new concept at Clear Lake recently! Ater dinner, the Clear Lake I know and sometimes love, tried to put on her best night ace. We caught ish in several avorite rocky areas without weeds. The Weapon jig (black/chartreuse) with 6" Yamamoto grub trailer was producing the best quality bass and the most aggressive bites, including the two I lost. The junebug 8" Dead Ringer and 10" black Power worms continue to work well We caught 2 on crankbaits and one on a black Terminator spinnerbait. The best bite was 2 to 4:30 am. The previous trip (see post) was dead at that time. The moral o the story - don't ever sleep - just keep throwin' that bait!!!!
      City: Yuba City

      Tips: Whatever bait you choose to use in rocky areas - remember to "swim" these lures so they "tick" the rocks. Deadsticking jigs and worms on some rockpiles is only or the rich and amous, with emphasis on the rich! Learning to do this well with a spinnerbait (one o my goals or the past two years) is absolutely deadly in late summer and all.

  • Tuolumne County
    • By

      Water Temp: N/A

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Took my loat tube out on saturday and stayed in the 5 mileper hour area. Only had 4 all day. One on a Lipless Frenzyand the others on a dropshotted ringed dilly lure. The combine wieght was around 6 lbs.
      City: Livermore

  • Fresno County
    • By

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Me and my riend ished at Millerton rom about 5:30 to 7:00 and caught 10 ish!!! However they were these little ass bluegill. We kept all o them, and on the way back we threw them on the highway. It was great un!!!! (just kidding)
      City: resno

      Tips: Unless you like catching little ass bluegill, stay home or ish somewhere other than Millerton.

  • Shasta County
    • By

      Water Temp: 82

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: back out with John this evening at Packers Bay at 630 pm, lake at 69.20t air temp 101 and very busy, ran up the McCloud near Ycotti creek and grabbed a couple quick o a rolled point in 25 t, moved over to the east bank as the sun got o the water and worked an emerging island or a hal dozen and one smallmouth to 1.6, ran dwon near the shasta cavernsdock and picked up a near 2.0 at ater dark in 28 t, continued down the east shore hitting points on the steepeer stu or a totalo 13 with one coming on a blade that John was throwing, water very murky with huge mudlines as aras 200 yards o shore, took ish in 6 to 30 t with most coming out o the 12-15 t area, throwing the bigger jigs again and most hit with authority, didn't miss as many tonight but didn't get bit as oten as last night, out at 1130 pm on a beatiul moonliteevening, air temp down to 73 when we got out.
      City: Redding

    • By

      Water Temp: 81-85

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Did the annual weeklong houseboat trip to Shasta last week. First time we spent the entire week on the Sacramento arm. Started the week o back in O'Brien, moved around some ater three days there. Had a hard time getting the irst ew ish and iguring out a pattern. Most o the ish started out well o the sides o points in about 12-15' o water, but as the water warmed, they moved up closer to the tops. Fish aren't too thrilled about chasing crankbaits, but picked up a ew with Fat Free Shads, Rebel Deep-wee craws and Yo-zuri rattlin vibes. Fish seem more interested in smacking the cranks than eating them- oul hooked quite a ew ish. Plastics seemed to do a better job... M-90's & Morning dawn worked best, but almost anything with some red in it will work too. Best bite seemed to come between 9:00-10:00 PM, never did that well in the mornings (but didn't get on the water that early most days). Biggest ish all week were 2 to 2.5# spots with tons o smaller ish. Most productive places were the points southwest o Marshmallow. Seems like ish are relating to the shorter points, didn't pick up as many ish on long, slow tapering points.
      City: Fernley, NV

      Tips: There must be an unwritten law or the "pleasure boaters" to get as close to ishermen as they can without actually getting in your boat with you. Had one stupid @**#!^$ pass between me and the shore while I was sitting in 30' o water working a point. A well placed cast with a big-ass Rogue got his attention. You're better o catching the evening bite ater the other boats get o the water.

  • Trinity County
    • By

      Water Temp: 76

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: WE went out 11 mornings o a 21 day trip. Fished rom about 6-10 AM. Our best smallmouths came on Junebug worms in 4 or 6. Splitshotting worked better than drop shotting or Texas rig. We ished rom Packers Gulch north most days and got ish in 10-30 eet on main lake points. Best ish was close to 4. Oxblood and red with yellow tail also worked well. The lake is about 40 eet lower than normal or this time o year but a single lane concrete ramp is still avialable in Trinity Center.
      City: Belmont

      Tips: Its a straight summer pattern with main lake points producing the best. For rippin or topwater un, head way north to the rock piles but watch out or prop eating rock piles that stick up.

Friday, July 27th, 2001

  • Tuolumne County
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      Water Temp: 81-??

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: We ished rom 5:30 pm too 10:30 PM..Caught 18-20 bass..Only 6 were keppers,up to 2 1/4 lbs.Lost 4 ish,3 o these would o been Keepers..All keepers were caught on Worms & reapers,setting in 25-35 t o water & casting too the bank.One ish on a spinnerbait,one on a crankbait```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
      City: Riv

  • Butte County
    • By

      Water Temp: 80.2

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Results o Friday nights Night Stalker Bass Tournament...19 boats...Big Fish-7.16 Rainey&Olivera...1st Rainey&Olevera 12.07...2nd Flanders&Zinda 11.25....3rd Morris&Lackhart 9.15 ...4th Sipes&Smith 8.72...Congradulations to all. "Remember this Friday night Aug.3rd our third tourney... ull moon .... Come have some un,
      City: ooroville

      Tips: Us Cranks, Black Spinner baits,black buzz baits.... The big ish are up close eeding

    • By

      Water Temp: 80.2

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Results o Friday nights Night Stalker Bass Tournament...19 boats...Big Fish-7.16 Rainey&Olivera...1st Rainey&Olevera 12.07...2nd Flanders&Zinda 11.25....3rd Morris&Lackhart 9.15 ...4th Sipes&Smith 8.72...Congradulations to all. "Remember this Friday night Aug.3rd our third tourney... ull moon .... Come have some un,
      City: ooroville

      Tips: Us Cranks, Black Spinner baits,black buzz baits.... The big ish are up close eeding

    • By

      Water Temp: 70+

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Fishing was just air. I was doing alright with a bite hereand there in the trees with reaction baits, while my partnerwould pull one every once in a while behind me with Junebug plastics. During the day I had a chance to ish with a riend Ray who has done very well in the AAA ranks. He has a nice new Triton and I was tagging along while he was doing some drop shotting. He pulled a lot o ish but or the 2 days he was there probably only managed 4 over the slot. It was still a great learning experience. As ar as the report goes. Try to get a bite out o the treesbut i unsucessul, look at your graph and ind schools o shadand give drop shotting a try.Good Luck
      City: San Jose

    • By

      Water Temp: 80

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Forty anglers showed or Thursday nites big bass tournament and the team o Maynard Crider and Dennis Webb picked up the jackpot o $400.00 with one 19" ish caught on a seinko. Fishing or better ish seemed a little tougher this week as the lake level continues to drop, the water stays warm and churned up rom boat and jet ski traic. All types o baits were tried with none being better over the other.
      City: Paradise, Ca.

  • Shasta County
    • By

      Water Temp: 79

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: met up with and old riend I haven't seen in years, John Wiley rom Sacramenttook o or jones vally and in the water at 630 pm or so, lake down to 68 t, water at 79 air temp 96 and tons o traicthe jones valley loat is again o the track, the two lanes ar down to about 3/4 o one lane. ran up to blue canyon or one and a ew hits, took o or the squaw pointand put point area at 845pm and got bit repeatedly or 45 minutes with 12 total including one decent smallmouth but all were small, missed 4 times as many as we got into the boat.moved back inside o jones valley as the moon went down and got what seemed to be the beginning o a blade bite but only 4 on and one in the boat, John did have a decent ish next to the boat but it promptly jumped o. not a killer night but cetainly better than some I have had, John has signed up or another go-around tomorrow evening, might do the McCloud, tons o skiers and jet skiers out water is cloudywith about 4t o clarity and murky. tossed jigs most o the time.
      City: Redding

Thursday, July 26th, 2001

  • Plumas County
    • By

      Water Temp: 70 plus

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Just a little update. ALmanor has been good. with topwaterand some cranks working. A ew plastic worms and a lot oishing. But it is ishing and the weather has been nice. Early and late are best. You can see ish all around thelake, but they are slow biting. Have un
      City: susanville

  • Shasta County
    • By

      Water Temp: 79

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: This report covers about the last week-- The 7:30-9:30pm bite has been OK, cant catch a rico ish, but the spook bite has been pretty good- having moved up rom the the bay area I am having Frog Withdrawl- I think I need to join FA and get some counseling, I still have my rog rod in the boat:( actually clear lake isant too ar away.....The night bite has been un, 5/8oz jigs- thrown on the bank and dragged in, most o the hits have been pretty quick- the irst oot or two. Havent gotten anything huge but some good solid 2-2.8 pounders. I you want to ish the mudlines they are everywhere and extend out urther than I am used to, maybe its normal or this time o the year, I havent ished shasta in the summer that much.Jones Valley puts you closest to the no ski zone up the pit and thats where I have been going out o.
      City: Redding

Wednesday, July 25th, 2001

  • Solano County
    • By

      Water Temp: 75

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Guide Trip 2 persons Fished in the wind storm around Franks with only 4 ish by 8:00, then to connection and pitched lukes inside the weed line at high tide landed 8 more in an hour, then Mildred ound a nice rock bend than was loaded we landed another 7 ish on shad lukes and a 4in red shad berkley worm in 15 minutes we then ran around south ishing rocks bends and points with ish alomost everywhere, pumps not running today or runnning slow the water was moving much slower and ish moved up on the bank, had 6 bites on the buzz bait only landed one but the clients landed all but one on lukes as a ollow up bait. It realy seems that when I thorow the buzzbait the worm bite get better the ish get active? 4 and 6in worms really work good this time o year any craw colors. The 10th 30+ ish trip in a row it bound to slow soon?
      City: Concord

      Tips: You can ind a ish on almost every spot were the weeds end and the water gets deeper. A spell checker in this orum would be great!

  • Sacramento County
    • By

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Anticipated a tranquil summer evening o topwater action in calm, clear water. Howling winds and low muddy water is what the reality was. When you can kite sur successully as somebody was doing, it's time to get o the water. My buddy Blademan caught a ew including a 2lb smallie in the south. When the lake level gets to this point I guess the exposed silt easily mixes and today the water had the look I'm amiliar with rom November through Febuary when this resevoir is at low pool. Good to see Blademan come through. He pushes me. I it wasn't or him I might still be casting beetlespins with a Zebco 202. My Terry boat is only 16 t and while maybe it was a current bass ishing platorm in 1979, it's basically a iberglass pram with a 90 mounted on the stern. On the delta it can be especially brutal. Then there was the day at Clearlake when the Coast Guard rolled up and asked me i I needed assistance. There were rogmen on deck ready to deploy. Speaking o the delta, ished there last Sunday with my Newbass partner. The action exceeded my expectations- This must be the mildest July in history and cool conditions usually cools the bite. Delta rats is a term or some o the anglers that ish this water perpetually, but it's also it to describe most o the ish we caught. Persistance and moving constantly allowed us to nail a ew ish between 2 and 4lbs. We launched out o B&W and the highlight o the day was the reighter moving up the channel. Looked like a 600 ooter in the middle o the day and all the cruisers got a taste o thier own medicine as this time they had to scamble to deal with a big wake. I said I had a story on Almanor and I apologized i you went to that lake or a report. Just beore I was going to submit it, I was contacted by a member o the editorial sta o a regional outdoor rag and I was asked to submit a story. I said my material isn't it or human consumption. He responded by saying that's ok- it's open to any style and it's our policy not to edit the content. Wow, I don't think they knew what they were getting into, but I e-mailed my Almanor story as a ile attachment anyway. I haven't heard a word since. I wanted to give them the exclusive. I'll probably submit it sometime next week.
      City: El Dorado Hills

      Tips: There's ish to be caught. Nasty days like today keep the ski traic down and the kite surers like the open water o the mid lake. The hot weather will be back and so will the surace action.

    • By

      Water Temp: 74

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Started by dam at 6 am w/crawdad crank. Hooked then lost a 4+ then boated an 11" dink. Switched to Pop R & had a 3+ inhale it beore the ripples settled ater the cast. Ater 3 drag pulling runs it spit the bait. Moved to the weed beds just west o the day camp & tried buzz bait, senkos, & worms w/no takers or the next hour. Cleared the weeds & started splt shotting 4" curly tail watermelon w/red lake worms along the rocky, steeper sloping banks just beore the blus. Hooked a 3+, 2.5, a 2, & several dinks. Curly tail motoroil w/red lake also worked but they wouldn't touch a 6" witch's T w/chartruese tail. Worked our way back along the south side rocky banks & wormed up several more dinks & one 14 incher. Out o the water by 11 am.
      City: Delhi

      Tips: Top water or crank baits early then split shot 4" worm along the rockier, steeper sloping banks w/little or no weed growth.

Tuesday, July 24th, 2001

  • Lake County
    • By

      Water Temp: 72

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Hello - is anybody ishing Clear Lake these days? I guess no one wants to say how great the ishing is this summer - just kidding! I hope some o you are doing well, because the rest o us are working harder than normal or any decent ish recently. I did hear that someone got a 10-1 yesterday on a 10" Power worm, during the day. That is the great thing about Clear Lake - every day, someone does something right! I did give it a try again Monday night with a ather-daughter team. We were going to start about 6:30 pm, but they got delayed, and we wern't able to start 'til ater dark and ished about 4 1/2 hours. We ished the Rattlesnake arm and had about 7 bites, using 7 and 10 inch Power worms, and junebug Dead Ringer worms. Dad and I were teaching the daughter how to cast and work a worm. When he did start to ish or himsel, he soon hooked a heavy ish which eventually broke his 17 lb test. The ish hit ater he was shaking the worm o a rock snag, which might have caused the line to break. I it wasn't a catish, he lost one to talk about or a long time. That happened to me last year and luckly the line didn't bread - it turned out to be 9-1! He just wanted to catch one nice bass, and the last place we stopped, on one o the tips o Rattlesnake Island, he did manage to land a nice 4 pounder on a Dead Ringer. He was happy and so was I. They let, and I went back out by mysel about 3 am and ished some rocky areas and couldn't get bit! Perect temp, dead calm lake, no one in the boat to tie on baits or, and the ish go to sleep. Some people have all the luck!!! I went back to my Yukon and dozed or an hour and went back out at irst light, about 5 am. What a dierence - irst cast with a black 10" Power worm - a bass just under 6 lbs nails it. Ater releasing her, nothing or 5 minutes. Then I threw a Weapon jig on a rockpile - something stupid I like to do - just to see i I get back without snagging! Thunk! - didn't have to worry about it this time - a 5 1/4 pounder ate it. And that was the extent o my leeting luck. I missed my next three bites, and that was it. They shut o even beore the sun hit the water. Another ellow was throwing topwater near me, and he said that he had two roll on his lure, but missed them both. It seemed to me that topwater would be awesome on this warm morning, but I couldn't get anything either. Ater I gave up on the worms and jigs, I threw spinnerbaits and crankbaits over rockpiles and ledges or 40 minutes without a strike. Then I made the best decision o the trip - I took my tired body home!! This was not the Clear Lake I know and love. But still, some nice bass were landed.
      City: Yuba City

      Tips: This has been an interesting summer - some o the other lakes I guide on at night have been red hot this summer, and Clear Lake has not! I can't speak about the north end since I havn't been up there yet this summer. The bass are starting to migrate to o-shore structure, which gets me very excited. I am thinking that all the weed spraying is moving bait and bass around more than normal. I have seen sick-looking tules all over - rom the chemicals. The night bite has to get better in August - it always does. I'll be there!!!!

  • Tuolumne County
    • By

      Water Temp: 77-78

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: I ished rom daybreak to 11am.Second cast caught a 14 in spot on a spinnerbait,got one other hit on it.that was it or the spinnerbait.one 6in ish on a crankbait,one 13in ish on a tubebait.Caught 5 more bass on worms,all small ish.It wasn't a very good day.Talked too one other isherman & he said he had caught app 8 bass & they were all small.
      City: Riv

  • Shasta County
    • By

      Water Temp: 79-81

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: I can see why I lunked typing in high school, that was supposed to be the Hidden Valley Market in Jones Valley, sorry about that Larry.
      City: Redding