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Northern California Lake Fishing Report

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Sunday, March 18th, 2001

  • Santa Clara County
    • By

      Water Temp: n/a

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Water level has risen slightly from last week, with the main body clearing well and the coves still a little stained. Really warm on the lake today but a moderate breeze and lots of boat traffic made things tough in the afternoon. I fished from 8-3 and had a good day. I tried something different and threw small rodstrainer jigs on my spinning rod, in addition to my normal 3/8 and 1/2 oz jigs. I also threw a blade in the mudlines/windblown areas. I hooked 8, landed 6, and missed 4 strikes. On the blade I got a 5 and two 2's, and on jigs I got one 3, a 2, and a small 12 incher. Would've been a great day had I been able to boat all my bites. Found a hot blade area in the afternoon and caught all my blade fish in under 15 minutes. I wasted the first half hour and the last hour fishing the Bailey Cove side of the lake....zilch....still too soon for this end I believe.
      City: San Mateo

      Tips: Fish from the bank down to about 15'...fish are definitely getting ready to move up very soon.

    • By

      Water Temp: 60+

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Finally took the boat to the lake for some creek action. Fish were there and ready to eat the brushog. Got 9 fish to 4 pounds. Mostly three pounders. Better fish were off shore. Saw many fish caught from the bank where I was fishing the week before. They looked to still be the pound and a half variety. Most bites came on the fall but some had to be worked. The smaller fish smacked the bait and the better fish just loaded up the rod. Fished from 2:30PM to close. The better fish came right away with the sun up high along the creek.
      City: Mountain View

      Tips: Sometimes having new colors in old baits can really make a difference in how well you will do on the better fish. The little fish will eat anything but those better fish need to see something new at times. Get on the Zoom web page and start buying those new colors, they really work!

    • By

      Water Temp: ?

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: I shore fished the south-east side of the lake today, near the horse satbles and such, from 2 to 5PM today. I slow rolled a white blade for 2 hours hoping to pik up a large fish, but it didn't happen. After seeing a nearby boat land numerous 2 pounders on texas rigged plastics, I gave up on the blades and broke out the C-rig. First cast produced a two pounder on the windy side of a point. The calm side had no takers. About a half an hour later, I got two more 2 pounders on consecutive casts. The smaller fish seem to have moved up into the newly filled parts of the lake, but not the large ones. With this warmer weather in should be matter of a week or two before the fishing really gets good on that side of the lake. Walking back to my car, there must have been 5 or 6 shore fisherman fishing the creek area near the stables. I didn't ask them any questions, but I wondered if the fish had really moved back that far already.
      City: San Jose

      Tips: I used a c-rigged watermelon red Baby Brush Hog for my fish. The fish seem to be in groups along structure in the flats, just waitng for the water to rise and warm a little more.

    • By

      Water Temp: n/a

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Water level has risen slightly from last week, with the main body clearing well and the coves still a little stained. Really warm on the lake today but a moderate breeze and lots of boat traffic made things tough in the afternoon. I fished from 8-3 and had a good day. I tried something different and threw small rodstrainer jigs on my spinning rod, in addition to my normal 3/8 and 1/2 oz jigs. I also threw a blade in the mudlines/windblown areas. I hooked 8, landed 6, and missed 4 strikes. On the blade I got a 5 and two 2's, and on jigs I got one 3, a 2, and a small 12 incher. Would've been a great day had I been able to boat all my bites. Found a hot blade area in the afternoon and caught all my blade fish in under 15 minutes. I wasted the first half hour and the last hour fishing the Bailey Cove side of the lake....zilch....still too soon for this end I believe.
      City: San Mateo

      Tips: Fish from the bank down to about 15'...fish are definitely getting ready to move up very soon.

  • Solano County
    • By

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: I HAD A GOOD DAY TODAY WENT FISH IN IN BIG BREAK NEAR THE BEACH IN MY TUBE.I SAW A LOT OF PEOPLE FISHING TODAY OUT THERE.I SAW BOBBY BARICK OUT THER HE SEEMED LOST HE WAS DRIVING EVERYWHERE HE SHOULD OF SAYED RIGHT WHERE HE WAS THE BASS WHERE EVERYWHERE.I COUGHT 6AND HAD4 OTHERS ON THAT I LOST.ALL WERE ABOUT 3 POUNDS.ALL IN ABOUT 2 HOURS AND IN A 50 YARD STRECH OF TULES.
      City: ANTIOCH

      Tips: IF YOU WANT TO CATCH A LOT OF FISH RIGHT NOW STOP USING THOSE BIG FLIPPIN STICKS.TRY USING A 6 FOOT SPINNING ROD WITH 6 POUND LINE.YOU WILL CATCH ALL THE FISH THE OTHER GUY MISSED.

    • By

      Water Temp: 64

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Took my grandson up or the day and had a great time. Lots o ish on the TD minnow, spinnerbaits and Senkos.Best ish were in the 2.5 range. I you need to practice up on some o your weak areas this is the Lake. The ramp is on the bad side but the ishin is wide open. Danny B.
      City: Carm.

  • Alameda County
    • By

      Water Temp: 60

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Threw crankbaits, plastics, swimbaits, you name it we threw it at them today no takers, ollowers, or did we even see a bass. As ar as the report goes or the 16th. DO NOT BELIEVE IT. I have been ishing this lake or 30 years and I know it is alse. In the uture please do not post alse reports or a lake thats this tough to ish. I know I havent caught a quality ish since november and I ish every week at least once
      City: Castro Valley

      Tips: speed traps? Maybe try clear lake I hear it is red hot. Chabot is still way dead action

  • Alameda County
    • By

      Water Temp: 60-65

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Went out around 10am, had to try out new 50lb trolling mtr.I like it!!! Any I ished worms,dropshot,spinners,cranks,and ew othersall the way down the narrows to were it opens up. Did'nt get a bite. Was mostly just checking to see i they have move up yet.Not yet but should be soon, the temp is right and the water is clearing up more every day.
      City: Livermore

      Tips: I would say go down by the dam till the water clears up a little more.

    • By

      Water Temp: 54-58

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Fish points with large rocks and creeks entering the lake I was throwing Rhythm & blues 4in. or a Brown salt & pepper with a chartreuse tail. ish 2-20 t. The bite is sot, use a carolina rig with 1/16 oz. wt. 1 1/2 t. leader. the ish would usually hit the worm deadsticking let worm sit or about ten seconds ater it hits bottom. Just about the time you drag it, they would jump all over it. Fish were running 1 1/2 to 3 lbs. Good luck!
      City: Valley Springs

      Tips: Crank or throw blades irst thing in morning, some ish are starting to hit jerk baits

  • Amador County
    • By

      Water Temp: ???

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Trolled or trout 1st thing in the morning. Picked up 3 in 2hours ishing nightcrawler on surace. saw bank action was better, so anchored up and illed limit by 10:00am. Switched over to bass, caught 5, 3 smallies to lgmouth, biggest 4#. Done at noon
      City: stkn

      Tips: trout shallow 8t or less. Bass also shallow 5-10t

    • By

      Water Temp: 50+

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Fished rom Bigpoint to Launch ramp with worms crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Not a bite. I dont even think a bass even looked at my baits. well I guess you take the good with the bad maby next week i the water warms up a little they will come up.
      City: Richmond

      Tips: cant wait or CLEARLAKE

    • By

      Water Temp: cold about 30de

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Didn't catch one .
      City: p-town

      Tips: Baby bass crank bait.

    • By

      Water Temp: N/a

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Went rom about 6:15 to 11:45. Was using an electric grapecolored Berkely pulse worm and was lippin' in the tules.Got a nice bluegill right o the back. Wasn't much biggerthan my worm. Later got about a 1lb. bass just dead stickin'it. Berore I let I lost a trophy in the tules! Then I losta 2lber in the same spot! Man I was mad. But I'll be back tonight(hopeully).
      City: Livermore

      Tips: When the sun is out, lip in the tules. The bass I caughtand the ones I lost were in the small pond.

  • Shasta County
    • By

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: I appreciate you guys making reports or the weekend because I need all the help I can get. I ished all day Sunday or 9 ish and 8 o them weren't caught until ater 2:30. The eight ish I caught in the aternoon were in iteen eet along a mudline. They took a our-inch blue worn on a split shot rig. All the ish were 12" to 14".
      City: Weaverville

    • By

      Water Temp: low 50s

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Federation tourney, draw team event. Caught ish all day, probably over 40 between my boater and I. We ished steep rocky banks all day. Started with brown jigs and drop shotting 6" worms in a oxblood red color. Early ish were the smallest, mostly around 13-14". As day progressed, we switched to smaller worms, drop shotting 3" shad pattern baits and the size o the ish increased. Limit by 0830 and culled probably 15 dierent times to get a six ish limit at 10.87#. Our biggest ish was only 2.10# and the rest were a bunch o 15" clones. Winning weight was 13.40# with a big ish o 2.65#. All ish we caught seemed to be aggressive small bucks. Couldn't seem to get the atter emales to bite today.
      City: Redding

      Tips: Fish were tight to the bank and wanted a slow presentation.

    • By

      Water Temp: 46-53

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: just inished ishing a club tourney with the Castro Valley Bass Classics, winning boater weight was 21.3 lbs and the winning non-boater had a little over 22 lbs, the boater winner, Scott Lagan used a MGM #26 witches t in a curly tail or most o his ish. the Rainbow #99 caught a bunch or me and a ew others, the average ish went about 1.75 lbs and many were caught. the lake is up to 26.5 t and has warmed considerably in the past 5 days, most ish were ound in 17-25 t and o red mud banks, islands and rock walls in all arms, we used split shot, dropshot, darter heads and jigs, the darter heads seemed to be the best way to go, had a dinner last night at RC's steakhouse across room Phils and everybody had a good time, Mr Joh Coyle, the owner o MGM Lures sent in a bunch o worms or the club members as gits and most seemed very pleased, especialy Scott Lagan, godd job Scott! Big Daddy was here and was a pain in the ----!
      City: Redding

  • Sonoma County
    • By

      Water Temp: I have no idea,

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Well, the creeks were a little odd. First my buddy and i went up to the end o dry creek and it was over 6 ood visibility. Working our way out it got more and more stained and by the time we got to the end o dry it was less than a oot o visibility. We didnt get touched ishing in dry creek so we worked our way too cherry creek. Got three ish in about 6-9 eet. All ish on wood and we got two on jigs and one on cranker. Red seems to be a good color and they were pretty active. Spinnerbaits should start up so keep throwing them and post some ishing reports on them. Have un up there
      City: Petaluma

      Tips: Jigs, Cranks, spinnerbaits, worms, and ish on grassbeds and in the wood, stay shallow.

  • Calaveras County
    • By

      Water Temp: 57

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Fished FBC tourny. Caught a 8.45 black on a black & blue jig in one oot o water about 9am. Caught number o small bass and one 22" squawish carolina rigged. No other keepers. Most caught good lookin smallies that were spawning. Winner caught 11.78 lbs/5 ish.
      City: Fresno

      Tips: spinnerbaits and plastics produced more

    • By

      Water Temp: 64

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Fished late in the day. Ran into one good spot. Caught about 15. Largest ish about one and a hal pounds(how sad). Even caught a 6 inch ish on a 7 inch senko.
      City: Morgan Lomas

      Tips: Carolina rig or texas. Liked junebug and pumkinseed. Dark green senkos. Use light line or super small bass.

Saturday, March 17th, 2001

  • Amador County
    • By

      Water Temp: 54

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Fished with a riend o mine on Thursday rom about 5:30 pm till 11 pm. A little ront had just passed through and had more eect o the ish than I thought. Fishing was slow - several bites, mostly on worms but only 2 or 3 in the boat. I did ish a Weapon Jig beore dark in Jackson Creek, trying to get some deep ish we spotted to bite. At about 40 eet I elt the jig get heavy and I set the hook. Glad I did - It was 8 lb 2 oz. We took photos and released it immediately so she wouldn't go belly up. She went down ine. The night was surprising cold and damp, and so was the ishing. Timing is everything. Any evening since then would have been better, I trust. But an 8 is a good ish on any trip.
      City: Yuba City

      Tips: Obviously, some o the big emales are still deep, but will come up as soon as the water warms about 4 or 5 degrees. The crank and rip bite should take o, and the jig bite will always be good.