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Northern California Lake Fishing Report

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Saturday, June 9th, 2012

  • Shasta County
    • By

      Water Temp: 62

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Launched at Oak Bottom at 8am and ran out approx 1/2 mile around the islands. Wind was at a slight breeze and water calm. Used a UV flasher (Shasta Tackle) with a 3 foot leader and a silver kastmaster. Ran downrigger down only 15 feet and trolled around the shallow points in the middle of the lake. Every pass I hit a 20-24" rainbow. They were hanging around sides of the shallow points. In 3 hours, we hit 9 rainbows over 20" and almost a dozen Kokes (biggest 18"). After cleaning the trout, the males had nothing in their stomachs and the females were will of snails and grubs plus full of roe. It looks like they are spawning on shallow water beads and the males are protecting the beds. Lots of fun with double hookups at times!
      Take a kid fishing, he or she will remember it forever.
      City: Cottonwood

Friday, June 8th, 2012

  • Solano County
    • By

      Water Temp: 70

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: On the water by 6:00. Fished all around Victoria Is. where I could get out of the wind. 5 fish early on frogs but none in the boat. None on spinners or cranks. Tried worms but the dinks were biting off the tails. Caught a couple on swimming white flukes. Best luck was with 6" green Lizards. Only one at 3# the rest were smaller but fought well. All the fish were caught in @ 5'-6' water and ambushed from deeper shade. Sun at my back.

      Tips: find bait fish. If my boat was in 5' of water, I was over the fish. So I'd suggest to back off a bit.

    • By

      Water Temp: 69 - 72 degrees

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Windy, Windy, WINDY!! Luanched the Custom Valco "BASSBUSTER1" out of Ladd's about 8:30 a.m. and was off the water by 3:00 p.m. My original plans was to fish around Big Al's (light 19) for the day, but decided to seek shelter in 14 Mile Slough. Junk fishing with reaction baits was the only way for me to be successful today. Bass and stripers on crankbaits, lip-less cranks, spinnerbiats, swimbaits, and even had a few blow-ups on the frog(no hook ups this time). All the bass were 2 pounds or less. The stripers were schooled up near the pump house and mostly under-sized, but fun to catch under current weather conditions.
      City: Stockton

      Tips: Look for the calmest water possible or try to fish aggressively in the wind. What ever your preferance is in fishing the delta.

  • Butte County
    • By

      Water Temp: 75

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: 1st trip here, well worth the drive. on the water at 7:30 off at 1:30 with 32 fish. few on top water in the early am. the rest came on combination of darter head robo worms, senkos, and drop shot. threw a few big baits but no takers-but lost interest soon as the smaller baits were putting fish in the boat
      biggest was a lm at around 3 lbs
      City: cool

      Tips: bigger fish came in deeper water around 30-35 feet smaller fisher were 5-20 feet

Wednesday, June 6th, 2012

  • Yuba County
    • By

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Fished Collins while camping with the folks. Collins Lake Camp ground has definetly improved over the last few years. Very clean good job. White spinner baits and shad colored swim baits were the ticket in isolated trees in about 4-8 feet of water. Wait for the wind to blow and go get'em. Best fish 3 lbs caught over 20 in two days top water worked at sundown. Best Collins day in a long time.
      City: Yuba city

  • Shasta County
    • By

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Thanks for posting about Jerry. His reports were always right on, with plenty of commentary and great information on everything from road and ramp conditions to the where the best hamburger joint could be found. I was sorry when he quit posting and will for sure think of him with the next cast.
      City: Delta

      Tips: Live every day without regret.

Tuesday, June 5th, 2012

  • Solano County
    • By

      Water Temp: 68 - 71 degrees

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Luanched the Custom Valco "BASSBUSTER1" out of Ladd's today around 8:30 a.m. and was out by 2:30 p.m. Windy conditions today so I decided to run all the way back into 14 Mile Slough and started fishing at the bridge and worked my way out. Frogs and buzzbaits during the out going tide was the ticket for me.
      City: Stockton

Sunday, June 3rd, 2012

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 76

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: •
      Fishing with Sid‏



























      From:





      Sent:




      To:












      This report covers Memorial Day weekend through this past weekend. Memorial Day weekend had it's ups and downs with the weather but all in all turned out to be a good fishing weekend bringing in limits of trout and bass and including a nice size catfish caught by Dan and weighing in at 9.5 pounds (see photo of Dan and some helpers Quinn, Aiden and Jaden). This past weekend I went out with John and his sons Jason and Edwin. Our first stop was in the narrows where we trolled past one of my favorite spots with no luck. My aim was for the boys to catch something quickly so they wouldn't get bored and lose interest. We headed to another area and tried our luck there. Once I explained how much line to let out and what to look for it made a big difference and they started to get bites. We started off with both boys getting hookups at the same time and landing two nice size bass. After that first doubleheader they kept catching fish for most of the day. We ended up with limits and very happy boys (see photos). Hoping next weekend will be as good. 'til then..................................................................good fishing!!!
      www.fishingconnection.net If you have any questions or stories you would like to share please email me at bestguide@hotmail.com or call me at 650-583-3333.






      http://www.fishingconnection.net
      BOOK A GUIDED TRIP
      AT LAKE BERRYESSA
      City: Napa

      Tips: if u need a tip on lake berryessa call me

Saturday, June 2nd, 2012

  • Sonoma County
    • By

      Water Temp: 72

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: I didn't catch the limit of bass out of 15 I landed last weekend at the lake, but I still got 2 keepers out of 13 fish landed Saturday with the biggest ~14 inches. Used worms and got most the fish in around 5-10 foot depth on the upper end of the Dry Creek Arm. Need to try morning or evening instead of during the day.
      City: Healdsburg

      Tips: Be patient during the day!!

    • By

      Water Temp: 72 - 78

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Saturday, 6/2/12 I fished from the back of my buddy’s boat. The air temperature was around 80° but was very comfortable because of the strong breeze all day. The water temperature in Cherry Creek, where we fished all day, was 72 - 78°. My buddy and I caught a total of 38 fish for the day. We started with top water baits because the sun wasn’t fully on water. Within the first few casts my buddy caught a nice 4 lb 3 oz. large mouth and a few casts later a 2 lb 13 oz small mouth both on a shad-colored Bass Assassin rigged weightless. He continued to catch 5 more but smaller fish on the Assassin. Against my rule of thumb of switching baits if two or more fish are caught on a particular color, bait or technique, I continued using a walking the dog top-water lure with no luck. I did finally switch to a Bass Assassin but by the time I did, the top water bite had turned off. Both of us switched to drop-shotting RoboWorms and started catching fish on red or purple colors like MM. After several fish each, I noticed that my buddy’s fish were all larger than mine. Contrary to normal thinking, my buddy was catching larger fish on a smaller 4½-inch worm compared to the ones I was catching on the larger 6-inch worm. This time I used my rule of thumb and switched to a 4½-inch worm. Sure enough, I started to catch larger fish. Over the remainder of the day, all the fish caught were in the 1 lb to 2 lb range with perhaps 10 dinks. We also tried wacky-rigged Senkos, jigs and a Texas-rigged Brush Hog with no success. Most fish were caught in 5 to 10 ft of water around entrances to cuts and as far as 50 yards back into cuts also along drop-offs on flats. Because of the breeze all day, I couldn’t see if there were any fish still on beds. In one area where the water was calm enough, I did see one large cloud of fry around a stump. We did not see any balls of shad like we saw two weeks ago.
      City: Pinole

      Tips: As I suggested in my report two weeks ago, if you are on the lake early in the morning or late in the evening, top water baits will work, particularly a Bass Assassin.

Thursday, May 31st, 2012

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 74-77

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: I had the pleasure of taking a star pitcher for the SF Giants, Matt Cain, along with his lovely wife, to the oven at Lake Berryessa. After a 20 game stretch, he was ready for some R&R. I knew it would be really tough - post-spawn, hot, and FLAT water - no breeze! We had a 4 hour window to fish, from 10 am to 2 pm - quite a challenge - 95 degree when we quit. I helped his wife with her casting skills and gave Matt a few tips on worm fishing. He has done bass fishing in the past and loves it. A night trip might be in his future! So, who catches the first bass? His wife - with a dandy 2 1/4 lb spot. Pressure is off!! Because of the time limit, we stayed in the narrows, though I showed them the main body since it was their first time to Berryessa. Matt and his wife caught several more from 6 to 13 inches. Matt got the only smallie, about 12 inches. We went into Skier's Cove to a flat I like, but no results. Just as I was going to pull the Minn Kota up, she says she has one. And did she ever! It took her nearly 5 minutes to get the near 3 lb spot to the net. I couldn't believe it - this fish had not spawned yet or had eaten several craws. Big belly! I only fished about 45 minutes, trying other baits - catching 2 small ones but losing a nice one. Our total catch was about 11 or 12 bass and several missed hits. I was very pleased that the bite was ok, considering the very tough conditions and time frame! We finished in Wragg Canyon with a few more small ones. Again, their best bait was a Texas rigged morning dawn w/ chartreuse tail 6 inch worm. with about an inch bitten off. The worm that enticed the big spot probably only had 4 1/2 inches left on the 6 inch original. My 250 hp Evinrude got them back to the dock at 2:03. Great day!!
      City: Yuba City

      Tips: I don't usually make personal comments about my clients. I have guided and worked with many pro athletes and enjoyed them all, but Matt Cain (and his wife) were simply great people to be around. What a pleasure to spend a few hours with them in my boat! They both fished hard the whole time and didn't even touch the lunch they brought! Lots of laughs and joking around. It's never too hot to enjoy the great outdoors with great folks!!

  • Alameda County
    • By

      Water Temp: 70 in narrows

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: One bite all day. 4# largemouth on a pencil popper on a main lake point.

      Tips: Get out before the wind starts up. Fought it for 6 hours without a bite.

  • Shasta County
    • By

      Water Temp: Low 70's

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Bass fishing at Lake Shasta has still been great for numbers of fish caught. There are still fish in all stages of the spawn as the weather has not been consistent enough for them to really go. Look for them close to shore in the mornings with topwater baits and tubes and later in the day around the tree's with senkos. Look for a mid day crankbait bite in the mudlines once the boat traffic starts getting heavy.
      City: Shasta Lake

Wednesday, May 30th, 2012

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 74-76

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: This was a great week for some nice bass on my favorite lake. I took out one client on Wednesday and up until then had never caught a Bass. He ended the day with 15. Largemouth up to 4 pounds, smallmouth up to 3.5lbs. and spotted bass 3.5lb. most of the fish came on a dropshot rig and the rest on Carolina rig. The next day I had 2 clients and they also landed some nice fish up to 4 lbs on the same rigs. Top water bite was very slow but we did see a lot of bait moving around so I expect it to get better soon.
      City: Sacramento

      Tips: Work the outside points in the main body from 5 to 20 feet. Most of the fish are post spawn and feeding. Try top water baits early you never know when that bite will take off.

Monday, May 28th, 2012

  • Lake County
    • By

      Water Temp: 70,s

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: went up to the lake monday and did pretty well again.boated 16 bass - the 2 biggest were a 6.8 and 6.1 with the rest all over 3 pounds and more then half of them over 4 pounds only 2 fish were under 3 pounds a two pounder and a dink. this is my 4th trip up there in 5 weeks and have gotten a grand total of 88 bass,35 one trip,22 second trip, 15 third trip and 16 the fourth trip- nothing over 7 lbs. yeah i know this sounds like bullshit to some of you- but im fishing from a kickboat and putting in 12 hour days (slow and hard)no need for minnows- just dont move around to quickly- throughly work bassy areas then work em again- most were caught on jigs, punchin, t rigs and topwateres too!! good luck!!
      City: santa rosa

      Tips: after you flip, skip, pitch or what ever just let it chill for a little while before movin it- trust me ;) tight lines

    • By

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Got 7 largemouth on drop shot fishing the back lake from shore. Also threw baby brush hog, jigs, and senkos for a good amount of time but no luck. All of the fish were small but it was still a good day for shore fishing. 4 of the fish were caught on 5in Roboworms and 4 on 7in drop shot worms.
      City: Castro Valley

    • By

      Water Temp: warm

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Fished only the back lakes. Started using a texas rig but got nothing. Switched to a drop shot and caught 7 little ones(1-2 lbs). Used only plastic worms. Green pumpkin and darker colors seemed to work the best. Saw like 5 cruisers just couldn't them to bite. No fish early morning or in the afternoon. All the fish bit between 8-11.
      City: Castro Valley

      Tips: Bring extra tackle... TONS OF SNAGS! but thats where the fish are so you gotta live with it.

Sunday, May 27th, 2012

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 72

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: nice fish thanks for the pictures
      City: napa

    • By

      Water Temp: 69

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Fished early mornings during the Memorial Holiday weekend. Friday a front came in, rained a bit but Sat, Sun and Mon was clear and breezy. Concentrated in North coves with Carolina rigged plastics. Hit only one 1 lb large mouth on a 6inch watermelon punpkin seed brush-hog. Switched to every plastic and color I had (and I have 25-30 different types) - Nothing. Moved to the dam area and hit one more 1.5 lb large mouth on a berkly brown 8" power worm. Nothing else. Moved to the west end of the lake and through a 8" chartruse lizard. One 2 lb hit in the submerged trees but that was it.
      I used to come to this lake and catch 20-30 fish every morning. What was up???
      Decided to call it a day about 10am and noticed thousands of little frylings in every cove. Lots of baby fish! What were they? So on my way back to camp I seen so many fish on the fish finder about 25 feet of water. I decided to throw out a brokenback rapala and troll for awhile. BAM! a fish hit hard and I fought it for a few minutes. This was a big fish and when I netted the brute, I couldn't believe my eyes. It was a squaw fish. A 32" Pike!!!. This lake has been over-run by squaw fish. The same fish that are creating havok in the Sacramento river. They eat every fish egg they can find.
      I trolled another hour and hooked three more 24-28" pike. This was it for me. Pike are no good to eat and they are a menice to water-ways every where. I believe that Black Butte Lake has been ruined with the introduction of this fish.
      I have been coming to this lake for over 30 years and this past year was the first time I have ever caught pike.
      What a shame...
      City: Cottonwood

  • Solano County
    • By

      Water Temp: 67-71

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Fished from 7:00a-3:00p. Started in east Frank's Tract and worked south to Orwood. Haven’t been out for a while so I was just trying to find some kind of pattern. During slack-tide I was picking fish off of isolated, hard structure with a 5” PB&J Senko. When the water flow picked up, I got ‘em throwing a square-bill crank into current near slack pools (they showed a preference for the KVD 1.5 green gizzard shad). Keeping 8-12 feet of water under my boat gave the best results. No monsters, but I averaged 3 fish an hour so it was a good day in my book.
      City: Sacramento

      Tips: Thank you for a real report portuguee joe, secret spots and baits don’t help me much.