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Northern California Lake Fishing Report

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Sunday, May 12th, 2013

  • Shasta County
    • By

      Water Temp: 62-73

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Fished a week at Lake Shasta (May 4-11). We caught 40-80 fish per day fishing 2 sessions a day 9am-2pm and 5-9pm. Fishing was awesome. We did not catch anything big, but using light line, it was a blast. Water temp started in the low 60s and by the end of the week it was in the low 70s in the afternoon. 1/8oz leadhead with a pearl or salt and pepper colored twintail grub OR 3/16oz leadhead with a tube (green with some orange and purple. If you like spinnerbait fishing a chartreuse 1/2oz willowleaf with gold and silver blades worked all day.

      Tips: Fish plastics for numbers. top water started early on some days (530) using small poppers (i used a chartreuse Rico) and got 30 swirls on Friday evening). Biggest fish caught was 3lbs, some 2lbers caught. Most fish were 11-14".

Friday, May 10th, 2013

  • Sacramento County
    • By

      Water Temp: 70's

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Started out fishing the trees and saw a TON of carp. tried a jerkbait for a while with no bites. Searched the shore to see if bass were bedding, Nothing. Finally fished some rockpiles and BAM. Got 2-3 bass per rock pile on shad colored worms (darthead) and smoke senkos (wacky rigged) caught 30+fish biggest was maybe close to 3 lbs. spots, lmb's, and smallies.
      City: Rancho Cordova

      Tips: Cast right on top, and to the sides of submerged rock piles. all bites were pressure bites, just test your slack line for that mushy feeling. I was moving the bait kind of fast and was getting bit.

  • Butte County
    • By

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Launched about 7am, off the lake about noon. Fished from Lime Saddle to North fork, and 2 locations on North fork. A little slow for us for some reason. Dana got 2 spots, me 9 spots, biggest just a tad under 15". Darn hot, no wind at all, almost too smooth, no breeze to speak of and HOT!! Fished roboworms Texas style and Jika style. Next trip back to west fork, where we know better locations to fish. Lake down about 10ft now.
      City: Magalia

      Tips: . Anyone with a boat looking for a fish partner, let me know, I'm available 90% of the time. Jewelweaver@earthlink.net

Thursday, May 9th, 2013

  • Yuba County
    • By

      Water Temp: 67-70

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: 60 fish Thursday, 27 half day Friday. Fishing with my son and he caught about the same. Most fish in the 11-13 inch range with 17" the biggest.
      Action was best in evening with bigger fish up in shallow water. Whacky Dingers/ Sticko's took almost all fish.
      City: Reno

  • Lake County
    • By

      Water Temp: 65

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Had great time we only fish here 4 or 5 times a year. My best 5 went 26, 5lbrs common I probably caught 10. My partner had 19lbs. If I wanted to sight fish more I could have stuck 30 lbs.
      Dropshots any color south end worked for us
      Good luck be safe

    • By

      Water Temp: 65

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Had great time we only fish here 4 or 5 times a year. My best 5 went 26, 5lbrs common I probably caught 10. My partner had 19lbs. If I wanted to sight fish more I could have stuck 30 lbs.
      Dropshots any color south end worked for us
      Good luck be safe

    • By

      Water Temp: 65

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Had great time we only fish here 4 or 5 times a year. My best 5 went 26, 5lbrs common I probably caught 10. My partner had 19lbs. If I wanted to sight fish more I could have stuck 30 lbs.
      Dropshots any color south end worked for us
      Good luck be safe

Tuesday, May 7th, 2013

  • Lake County
    • By

      Water Temp: 64-69

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Guiding on a Monday is not always my favorite time-frame, but yesterday was pretty special! Different time period for me too - starting at 1:30 pm up 'til dark - client request. We spend the time trying to RUN from the rain and TO the bass! Succeeded in both - it poured at the south end but we went north and only saw a few drops! Wind was not bad. He was my second client in a row to see Clear Lake for the first time and go home with a 5 pound plus memory!! Actually we wound up with the Bobsey Twins - each of us with a 5 lb 10 oz bass (had not spawned yet). We caught 10 total with a fairly nice 5 bass limit pushing 22 lbs. We caught our fish on isolated tule patches, docks, and rock walls in the Clearlake arm. He caught his 5-10 drop-shotting. I really thought he had a big catfish - took forever to get her in. Always fun when a client lands the big one just before we quit!

      Tips: As I mentioned, we found most of our fish in isolated tule patches near rock, or with a rock bottom. Because of the weird weather, we just stuck with worms and Senkos. The Robo MMIII was working good! This was a hunt and peck trip - could not look for spawners because of the breeze and dark clouds.

    • By

      Water Temp: 65

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Weather: cloudy ,clearing later in the qweek
      Lake Level: 6.00 above rumsey
      still a lot of bed fish, topwater getting better .everything is working.
      Events: sheriff tournament 9th-10th
      fpt 11th
      catfish derby 17th-19th
      Guide Information: clearlake outdoors\Name & Number: 707-262-5852

      Tips: fish your confidence baits

Monday, May 6th, 2013

  • Solano County
    • By

      Water Temp: not checked

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: test
      City: dublin

      Tips: test

  • Alameda County
    • By

      Water Temp: N/A

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: 2 on spinnerbait and 2 on soft plastics in the green stuff. 5# and 1.5# on reaction bait fast and 3# and 2# on plastics. Topwaters got looks but no takers.
      City: dublin

      Tips: All on shore related stuff.

Sunday, May 5th, 2013

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 58-66

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Started in the narrows,caught a few smaller fish. Went to the main body and found the water temp quite a bit cooler 10+ degrees.Fished the isolated brush pattern again using senkos and rattle traps,used something differant to trigger strikes from spawing fish when i found them. Fishing consistant all day long 15-20 fish most all in the 2+ up to 4lbs.
      good luck be safe

      Tips: Long casts, the fish are shallow when you look you'll think they can't be there.....they are.

  • Lake County
    • By

      Water Temp: 67

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Fished 4 days. Started Sunday night in front of the rain & lit it up! Most of the fish came on Reaction Innovation Double Wide Beavers & Kinami Nories Bugs & PsychoDads. I ordered the Kinami baits to try them & we went through them, they only come 6 to a pack! Found then around rock structure. The hits were very soft. They were picking it up on the fall & swimming away with the baits. Boated over 20 fish with the best 5 at 33.7 lbs. Great night. On Monday the day bite softened up with the wind & rain factoring in. We ran alot & managed 5 in the 4.0 - 5.5 range. At night, we did a little better going 9 fish in the same range with the top two at 7.2 & 8.5. The rest of the trip (Tues. & Weds.) were tougher with the fish hitting Senkos & Kinky Beavers. We averaged 8 fish for both days & nights combined & the fish were somewhat smaller, 3.0 - 5.0. They were fighting hard though & made for a fun trip.

      Tips: We fished south again, Jones, Jago, & Konocti plus the docks behind Buckingham. I think the small storm system affected the bite as the week went on. The Senko bite was much improved over last time we were here plus the weeds are starting to grow. All the fish we caught were healthy & strong fighters! Watch your line, that weed you think you snagged might start swimming to your boat!

Saturday, May 4th, 2013

  • Butte County
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      Water Temp: 64-68

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Wife and I fished from 10-4:30. Not a breath of wind to start the day. Wifes 2nd fish a nice fat 16+ incher. Was a bit slow after that until wind picked up. By 4 o'clock I had 45 in the boat and she had around 15. Most fish in the 12-14 inch range but a few over 15. At 4:30 it was pouring rain and she was sitting under the canopy in our Procraft declaring it was time to get out of the lightning. It was an ocean heading back to Bidwell and we came across a couple in their Ranger about 3/4 of a mile out trying to make it back to ramp with their trolling motor as the big Merc was dead. Towed them back safely, but man was it rough out there with the waves pounding the ramp and dock.
      All in all it was another great day on the Middle fork for us fishing whacky. Darker colors seemed to work better today under cloudy skies with most of our bigger fish coming right off shore.
      City: Reno

      Tips: Fishing the windblown banks where the fish seem to be much more active.

  • Sonoma County
    • By

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Fished from 9am-3pm. Launched at the main ramp and shot up to Yorty. Quickly got a small SMB and buddy picked up a small LMB. One on jig the other drop shotting. The bite slowed so we motored up cherry creek. Between the 3 of us we boated 7 more fish; the best went 3-09 the rest were under 2lbs. 2 of the last 7 were jig fish the rest were drop shotting, one was pulled off a bed the others were hugging submerged trees in coves and on points.
      City: Santa Rosa

      Tips: Jigs in green or orange with dark color craw trailers and drop shotting bold bluegill roboworms.

Friday, May 3rd, 2013

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 75 down to 72

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Had a wide open bite from 2 pm to 6:30 pm in the narrows with drop shottin. Saw quite a bit of threadfin shad right on the surface. Got some bigger one on cranks in afternoon. Bite shut off all together in evening. Temp was 75 at 2 pm and 72 in evening. Strange bite shut off during the "better" temp and with the shade!

      Tips: Used a 12" leader on drop shot. Not sure how much difference a shorter or longer leader would have mattered. We started off with a 12" leader and never had to change up.

    • By

      Water Temp: 66-72

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: I guided a senior citizen yesterday (Thurs) at sunny Berryessa. What wind??? Ha!!! The lake was dead-flat calm which helped to make the bite kinda tough, though some previous windy areas were pretty dingy. We only caught 7 or 8, but my client took top prize with his first-ever smallie - just under 3 lbs! Yea - there're all that big! I could hardly believe it. After losing a nice fish previously, he threw his morning dawn Robo worm on top of a shallow rockpile - about 10 feet deep - and hooks the big smallie. This was about noon - pretty rare to catch a quality fish that shallow at high-noon!! She ever jumped twice - fun!!! Caught one largemouth and the others were 1 1/2 to 2 1/4 lb spots. We both missed several good bites - not sure why. We fished 6 1/2 - 7 hours.

      Tips: Most of our bass were caught in the narrows. We saw some shad spawning in a cove on the west side of main body. Interesting! I tried to get topwater going with my Chug Bug - nothing doing after the wind event. Got a few on #301 Senkos - like THAT is unusual!!

  • Butte County
    • By

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Launched at Lime saddle about 7am, off the lake around noon. Water level down a good 6 feet today and seemed to slow the bite just a tad. Dana got 7 spots, me 14 spots, largest a tad over 15". Had one double hook up, with twins a tad over 14". Overall an ok day, could have been better. Fish still a tad on the smaller side. Water super clear in certain areas, looks to be 15 feet or better. Fished Roboworks Texas style and Jika style. Both produced about the same. .
      City: Magalia

      Tips: Anyone with a boat needing a fish partner, let me know. Available 90% of the time. Email me at Jewelweaver@earthlink.net

Tuesday, April 30th, 2013

  • Lake County
    • By

      Water Temp: 60-65

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Weather: clear warm in the 90 s this week windy afternoons
      Lake Level: 6.05\Best Depths: 1-30
      lots of bed fish to be caught
      frogs are working fish em slow!!
      flipping, drop shot ,senkos, everything is working
      swimbait bite best early or late
      Big Bass: 1-30
      Ross England had a client catch an 11 pounder last week!
      Events: BBT on the 4th
      WRL on the 5th
      catfish derby 5/17-5/19 out of the oaks
      Guide Information: clearlake outdoors\Name & Number: 707-262-5852

Monday, April 29th, 2013

  • Butte County
    • By

      Water Temp: 64-69

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: I did a half day trip with 2 local guys - fishing from 8:30 am to 1pm. As we drove over the spillway, I was surprised to see lots of water leaving the lake. Sure enough, I found the outflow was raised to 8000 CFS. That may have slowed the bite some, but we did ok. They were learning to fish Robo worms effectively and did fine, catching many up to near 15 inches. I caught a few on a Chug Bug in what shadows I could find. It will be interesting to see how the bite will be now that the lake is dropping. I imagine lots of bass will now change into their suspending summer patterns.

      Tips: Unlike the previous report (congrats on a good trip!), our first 2 hrs were good and then the bite just died. Timing is everything!!