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Northern California Lake Fishing Report

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Thursday, March 28th, 2019

  • Lake County
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      Report: by On The Water Guide Service » Thu Mar 28, 2019 7:33 pm

      Enough with the rain already. I am starting to understand how those poor folks that live in Seattle feel. We sure have been slammed with storm after storm and what seems like record rainfall amounts this year. The last couple storms that rolled through were a lot colder coming down from the gulf of Alaska. This dropped the water temps back down to the lower fifties and for the most part has moved the bass back offshore a bit. This is that time of year where the bass move up shallow and then back out deep based on changing water temps and barometric pressure. The key is making the right adjustments with regard to your techniques and boat position to find them. This coming weekend should be great fishing with warming temperatures and highs in the seventies forecasted. I would look for the bass to head back towards the shore and to get back into a good pre- spawn feeding situation.

      I would recommend fishing lures that you can quickly cover a lot of water like the A rig. Stay on the move until you catch one and then slow down and cover that area thoroughly with slower lures like a swimbait or jerk bait. A white chatter bait with a Keitech trailer has been working well out in front of the docks. I have also done well on a crawdad pattern square bill crank bait when the fish are up shallow on a hard rocky bottom. I talked with some anglers that were doing quite well and catching good numbers while throwing a 6" worm on the drop shot this past week.

      Crappie action remains good especially in the north end with lot's of one to one and a half pound slabs being caught on a variety of different colored crappie jigs and small live minnows. The action should get even better this coming weekend with the warmer weather.

      Tight Lines,
      Troy Bellah

Friday, March 22nd, 2019

  • Lake County
    • By

      Water Temp: 52-54

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: I had a chance to guide a wonderful husband/wife team on Tues, two days after the big tournament on Sunday! Yea, the lake was it's usual quiet self - even on Tuesday!! But there was room to fish and fish we did. The bass greeted us with open mouths! The morning was cloudy, but very nice with calm water. That lasted for several hours and then things changed - quickly! The south wind came up, and up, and UP, and soon, everyone was running - sort of - to the 5th street ramp. My 21 foot Ranger did it's best to keep us dry, but there was as much water above us as below us!! As we got to the ramp, waves were coming straight in - tossing our boats around. Grown men were running for their vehicles everywhere!!! I got a little bit of the trailer in the water and waited for the next swell to place my boat on the trailer. Worked perfectly!! I only had to juice the Evinrude a bit to place the boat up snug at the top. I checked everything over, and not a scratch. Very grateful!!! I wish there was some protection for one or two of those ramps. Some kind of wall. Southeast winds can be real nasty up north.

      Tips: Fishing was fairly good in the morning, though we didn't get out as early as I wished. We used a variety of baits - drop-shotting Robo worms, crankbaits, swim-jigs,and the new Yamamoto cowboys (great bait in dingy water!) The blue/black was the best color. Bass were pretty shallow and some where next to deeper docks. Not sure how many we caught, but several from 3 to 3 3/4 lbs. Best 5 about 14 - 15 lbs. We fished one of the long canals on the west side. it was either cleaned out over the weekend or the fish hadn't moved in yet. We were almost out to the main lake and - he catches a 2 pounder! Saved the reputation of that area!!!

Thursday, March 21st, 2019

  • Amador County
    • By

      Report: by StanL » Thu Mar 21, 2019 2:22 pm

      This week things are changing up here at Camanche. The lake is clearing up. The surface temperature is up to 59 degrees in the afternoon. The fish were just starting to pull up to the banks but then they dropped the lake about about two feet in four days This happens every year with Camanche since it is the fluctuating pool for pardee.

      We ended up backing out into 10 to 20 feet of water and catching all our fish with a 6 inch worm on a Frenzy Nail “ Shakey Head and a wacky Senko. We got them on places right outside of spawning areas.

      And I also have to congratulate Tim Wells for that 15.1 pound giant last week.

      And remember it is springtime so please practice catch and release and good luck fishing!

Wednesday, March 20th, 2019

  • Lake County
    • By

      Water Temp: 54-58

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Four day trip with Pony Boy from the 20th through the 23rd. The BBT event was postponed, but we decided to spend the time on the lake anyway. Who doesn’t want to be on Clear Lake in March when they have the opportunity, right? We launched at the casino every day, however fifth Street ramp is apparently been open for over a week now. Heard rumors of a reaction bite especially on A rigs and we saw lots of guys and gals throwing mostly reaction. However that was not the case for us. We threw jigs and plastics up on the north end and that worked well enough for us to catch just under 100 fish in the four day stretch. Our big fish was just over six and we caught quite a few between 3 1/2 and 4 pounds but no real giants on this trip. Most of the fish we did catch were as fat as footballs and put up excellent fights. Besides the 3 to 4 foot rollers and whitecaps on Friday, the real disappointment of the trip was other anglers with no common courtesy. It’s unfortunate that you can be fishing a point, a rock pile, a dock and another boat is so inconsiderate that they will either drive their boat with their trolling motor between you and what you’re fishing, or right over the top of where your fishing, or they put down their trolling motor had a far distance from where your fishing but then just creep up on your spot and start making the same cast that you’re making right in front of you.Absolutely no communication or even a wave hello, but just the entitlement and attitude that they’re the only real angler on the lake. Too bad we can’t use the “jerk rule” while out on the water fun fishing and disqualify them from being on the lake for the rest of the day. However it is quite rewarding when somebody pulls up and starts pushing the same pile of rocks that you are and you stick a couple of fours and a six right in front of them and they don’t catch diddley squat.

      Tips: Communicate with your fellow anglers, be courteous, and either get there first or wait your turn until a boat has left the spot you want to fish. Keep your ears open for what the bite may be, but don’t let that be your only resource because the bite is always changing so try other techniques.

    • By

      Report: by On The Water Guide Service » Tue Mar 19, 2019 7:55 pm

      The bite is really starting to heat up on Clear Lake. Spring has Sprung and the results of last weekends tournament is testament to that. I had a chance to get out today and do a little fun fishing with a friend of mine and we absolutely crushed them on the A-rig. Conditions were just perfect for the rig. We has a cloudy sky with a slight breeze coming out of the northwest and the water temps were 55* to 59* with slightly stained water and about a foot and a half visibility. Granted we didn't catch any real giants but we stumbled on a mega school of 2 to 4 pounders and the action was just phenomenal. I had intentions of going out and mixing it up between a swimbait, glide bait and the rig but for the life of me I just couldn't put that A-rig rod down. Hell I even caught a crappie on the darn thing. Lot's of Fun.

      It appears we have a couple storms supposed to come through later this week but I suspect it wont hurt the bite any. The lake level is on a slow downward trend and was at 8.91 on the Rumsey scale this afternoon. We are only going to get a little over an inch so hopefully there won't be any flooding issues.
      The Hitch have been swimming up the creeks and inlets on the first part of their spawning run and that means it is time to break out the big rods and get to work. The 7" and 8" top hook Tallon's have been working well in the light hitch and chartreuse shad colors. The locally made Trash Fish swimbait has also been working well in the LC hitch and light hitch colors. If throwing big baits is not your thing, try a 4.8 or 5.8 Keitech swimbait on a weighted EWG hook. Should be an epic flipping bite this summer with the high water conditions also.

      The crappie bite is turning on and they are heading towards shore to set up for their spawn. Deep water docks, flooded bushes, and creek mouths have been good areas to catch them. Some of the more successful crappie fisherman have been using a sliding bobber technique with a chartreuse or white jig. The key is to find out the depth they are suspending at and set your bobber stop accordingly.

      Tight Lines and good fishing,

      Troy Bellah
      https://bassfishingclearlake.com/

Sunday, March 17th, 2019

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 53

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Water remained muddy as we fished the American Bass team tournament Sat. March 16. You needed over 15 pounds to win it. We got fish first thing on MMIII drop shots in the clearer waters in the narrows but the fish we had been finding all week were not there. We went to cranking in and tossing jigs on the east side of main lake by about 10 AM and got more fish but the bigger ones were hard to find. In the end, we settled in to the middle of the pack. There is a big Wild West tourney and a big high school tournament coming this next weekend March 23-24. We can can say the water is still muddy, the farther away from the dam toward Putah Creek the muddier is gets. It is also high and many of the places you like are still underwater. So plan your time accordingly.

      Tips: I will say from our day on the water that if you are going to the clear water in the Narrows for drop shot and jig water, if it does not happen in an hour give it up and move on. Many thanks to American Bass for a great tournament.

  • Tuolumne County
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      Report: by Andrew5414 » Sun Mar 17, 2019 8:09 pm

      Went out with the wife and kids today, got a late start got on water about 12:30 fished till about 530. Kids and wife caught them on 6in senkos with no issues plenty of action I fished a jig and got some quality fish my big went 5.80 today, I also found some fish chasing shad got on A great little top water bite for about 20 minutes on the fish busting shad around 5pm.

      The smaller fish have moved up shallow. The quality bites for me have still been about 25 to 30 feet deep. Water was 59 on moccasin area.

Saturday, March 16th, 2019

  • Solano County
    • By

      Report: by Synwyn » Sat Mar 16, 2019 6:30 pm

      I launched today out of Sugar Barge and caught 4 or 5. Every fish was in 7-9 feet of water and they'd only bite a squarebill .

    • By

      Water Temp: 54 degrees

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Well after a few days of no rain my buddy and I headed out of Big Break to our favorite shallow water spots, where water temperature is a little higher than the main channel. As far into the slough as possible we had water temperature max out at about 57 degrees. No bites, caught one LMB about 1.5 pounds on a TRD with 1/4 ounce weight. Weather was beautiful, minimal wind. Rain is coming this week so I'm going to say that April, assuming temp continues to rise, will be the month to remember with all the rain we've had. Water levels were extremely high. We fished for about 3 hours, throwing everything from jerk baits, to chatters, to wacky, etc.

      Tips: Stay home 'till April if you plan to fish the Delta. Or go to a reservoir in the lower Sierras where it's going to heat up sooner, and be clearer in clarity.

Thursday, March 14th, 2019

  • Solano County
    • By

      Report: by monte300 » Thu Mar 14, 2019 3:14 pm

      I was at the Delta yesterday and the 20-25mph north wind flat out kicked our ***. However, in the Whiskey Slough/Empire Cut/Tiki Lagun areas the water clarity was pretty decent. Everywhere we went looked pretty safe but for us the bite was tough

  • Tuolumne County
    • By

      Report: by RMANZO » Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:36 am

      Just finished a “2” day trip to Melones w/client Paul Arias.. Always awesome when a client becomes a friend..Tuesday we caught fish all day anywhere from 10-40 feet.. No swimbait fish but had a 5 pounder and best 5 went around 18 pounds.. today we decided to hit a different area of the lake, and the switch up payed off.. Paul got his first Wagtail fish and first Homicide Glide fish.. A nice one over 5 pounds and the other close to 5... I love the excitement I feel when I tell a client exactly where to cast and which swimbait to throw for that situation, and it pays off :D . Once again, we caught fish all day long, and although we didn’t get any giants, our best 5 went over 23 pounds.. one spot we hit was just loaded w/quality 4 pounder after 4 pounder.. Thank you Paul for your business, and look forward to fishing w/you again soon...
      For anybody out there that is wanting to go out and catch fish all day long, or is looking for their new personal best, “now is the time”!!! **SPECIAL** The next “3” people to book a trip w/me, will get a rate of $200 for a full day... What are you waiting for “BOOK IT”!!! On a side note, I am putting in another order for some wagtails and homicides this weekend.. let me know what you need

Wednesday, March 13th, 2019

  • Mariposa County
    • By

      Report: by RCook » Wed Mar 13, 2019 12:40 pm

      3-13-19 Lake Mclure Fishing Report
      On the water 7:30 a.m
      Off the water 12:30 p.m
      Water temp 52.5°
      Water clarity 5-15'

      My buddy Bryce Dibble and I took his two young boys out for a few fun fish catching hours on Lake McClure, and catch fish they did. We targeted main lake rocky points from 5'-35' of water throwing jigs and tube baits, with a few underspin fish mixed in.

      Today was all about trying to keep the kids on fish, and we were throwing baits with exposed hooks so they could get a hook set easier into the fish. We fished slow and caught fish consistently, probably boating 35+ largemouth and spotted bass, not bad for 5 and 6 year old! The Spring bite seems to be a couple of weeks behind, but I expect these fish to be moving up shallow in a big way very soon! Call today today to book your trip, Spring is almost full! 559-691-7008

  • Butte County
    • By

      Water Temp: 50?

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Dues in the mail, this one for ash.
      A tale of to worlds.
      High pressure north eastern winds. Started at McCabes excess road point the easier one. Blown out and busted I was still destined to catch a bass today or die trying. I saw ash’s posts bout big mama or even lil mama this time of year. And that 5 year old out fishing me really don’t sit to well.
      Started around 11, bad idea Dr Jones. Cold windy and nasty uncatchable. So the hell with this I need deeper water an at least a lil shelter. Moseyed my way to McCabes point/rocks. Beaten and defeated I sat down on rock and gave it one more cast; 2 o’clock. I’ll be darned if I got a bite. Fish on! Yeah buddy this bout to be good. Then no more bites for next hour, craps. One and done? Walked back on ’dwr road’ all proud of myself ready for more. When I got back water wind and points looked way different. Think that cold front had run its course. Now fishable caught one more on point. (Pylons) the better one. Missed another lil guy too! Hopefully that’s that, and good fishing here on in.

      Tips: If you think your fishing to slow fish slower.

  • Shasta County
    • By

      Water Temp: 48-50

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Stayed, launched, and fished Bridge Bay Resort. Water was stained to clear despite recent rain. Over 4 days the weather was a mix of cold snow and rain to sunny and warm. Found most of the bass in 20-35 ft of water with an occasional deeper or shallower bite. Caught fish on rocky points and steep walls. Dropshot, shakey head, and jig rig produced the best. 20 +/- fish a day 1-3 lbs.

      Tips: -Braided line to fluorocarbon leader worked better than straight fluoro or mono. More sensitive and less line twists.
      -I got better hookups with a 1/0 gama octopus hook compared to similar sized gama finesse split shot/dropshot hook.
      -Watch your graph for fish, but I do think my graph was not picking up fish that were tight to the bottom or laying in crevices.

Tuesday, March 12th, 2019

  • Napa County
    • By

      Report: by Duke » Tue Mar 12, 2019 4:54 pm

      WOW, what an exciting weigh-in! First, a 9.74lb Pig gets weighed in the first flight, then a 11.19lb Mammoth comes to the scale in the last flight! Thanks to the 39 Teams that fished the 6th event of the Pasote Tequila & Berryessa Bass Tournaments Circuit that was on March 10, 2019 and hosted out of Markley Cove. The rain was falling through check-in, but stopped for blast off! We had a sunny warm weigh-in! The lake is full, the Glory Hole is flowing, and the Bass seem to be on the 1st spawning wave, or maybe even 2nd spawning wave! Most of the teams struggled for a big bite all day, but a few teams got their kicker! Most teams reported catching their fish in 5 – 15 feet of water. Water temps are down into the low 50’s range with the water clarity slightly murky tan/green, especially after the rain and winds again. Top weights are getting better, but overall in the 13-14lb range. Teams reported catching their fish on Jigs again. Most teams were fishing all over Main Body of the lake and the Narrows.

Monday, March 11th, 2019

  • Lake County
    • By

      Report: by On The Water Guide Service » Mon Mar 11, 2019 6:22 pm

      Things are shaping up for a good early spring bite on Clearlake. We are finally forecasted for a warming trend starting this coming Wednesday with plenty of sunshine and a high of 60* and possibly even up to 70* by Sunday. This should bump the water temps up a bit and improve the bite considerably. I would expect to see some impressive weights coming to the scales in the 32nd annual Clear Lake team bass tournament scheduled for this weekend. The lake still remains in the flood stage with a reading of 9.78 on the Rumsey gauge as of this afternoon. With no rain forecasted for this week, the lake level should start slowly going down as the amount of water being released at the dam is greater than the amount flowing into the lake. All public launch ramps remain closed at this time. You can still launch at Konocti Vista Casino for $10 or you can launch mid lake at Braito's marina for $5. I recommend you bring some rubber boots to launch at Braito's because there is some water between the courtesy dock and dry land at the ramp. I heard Keeling park launch is open but is kind of sketchy launching by yourself. The State Park also remains closed.

      Water clarity is also steadily improving all around the lake. The muddiest water still seams to be coming out of Rodman Slough with a plume that stretches through Nice and most of Lucerne. Most of the creeks on the north end are running dirty but could switch over to running clear any day now. The last two storms that hit were pretty cold and the mountain ridges north of the lake have a good dusting of snow on them. Water temps are still hovering in the high forties in the morning and low fifties by the afternoon. I would look for the reaction bite to be the deal on both ends of the lake this week with some of the better size fish biting on lures like the A-rig, chatter bait, underspin, suspending jerk bait, squarebill, and swimbait.There is also a decent finesse bite going on with a shakey head, ned rig, and drop shot with a short leader. If you fish any plastics, use some scent and just let it marinate on the bottom.

      While most of the good crappie action has been down in the deep water of the south end, I would look for the action to start getting good in the North end with this warming trend. Anyone coming up to fish, please remember there is a 1/4 mile 5 mph zone being enforced around the entire lake. Remember to please be considerate to the home owners that are flooded around the shoreline. Good luck to everyone fishing in the tournament this weekend and enjoy your time on the water.

      Tight Lines,
      Troy Bellah

Sunday, March 10th, 2019

  • Amador County
    • By

      Report: by StanL » Sun Mar 10, 2019 6:57 pm

      I have been fishing 9 of the last 10 days and it has been a blast.

      Of the 10 days, 7 of them were at Camanche and 2 were at Melones with the surface temperature being really close to the same at both lakes.

      It starts out in the morning about 51 and goes up to 54 at Camanche. The water is as dirty as Camanche gets. I've been catching a lot more fish in 15 to 25 feet of water on 1/2 oz black and blue Jigs by working it SLOW in the main lake and the river.

      At melones, we’ve been catching them real good on drop off’s in the 35 to 50 foot range. I know that there are shallow fish there also, but we were on a pretty consistent bite in that depth range with 3/4 oz football jig and a Green Pumpkin Yamamoto Hula grub.

      GOOD LUCK FISHING!
      Stan

Monday, March 4th, 2019

  • Butte County
    • By

      Water Temp: 50

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: FYI - Lime Saddle Marina is open, but choked with debris. Also - if you launch there - it is very shallow to the right side, its not marked - cheat to the dock side (won't be an issue in a few days as water keeps coming up). Fished all day in the rain Sunday - beware, there is quite a bit of debris and a few pretty large sleepers just below the surface. Also - the lake is looking a bit different, so beware of those long points and islands that are now under water. West Branch was chocolate - main body was dirty to dirty green. Water temps ranged 49-51. Bite was extremely tough. Be safe - good luck to those fishing the 90 next weekend.

Sunday, March 3rd, 2019

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 51.3

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Today’s fishing pretty much sums up my last few weeks of fishing.. Terrible... started the day on the main part of lake and threw everything at them... Ned, swim, drop shot, Jig, and Jerk. Between two boats we caught two fish and they were Dink’s.... water level has risen quite a bit and water clarity was terrible... tried deep, fried some areas with trees and even went back into a cove to search for them shallow... Can’t wait for the weather to warm up and get the fun fishing back... this dude needs to build up his comfidence....

      Tips: Fish slow and throw the kitchen sink! Many boats on the water and they seemed to struggle as well...

  • Lake County
    • By

      Report: Postby On The Water Guide Service » Sun Mar 03, 2019 11:35 am

      Fished both ends of the lake recently. Had to truck over and put in at Braitos Marina being that the public ramps are closed. The North end is quite muddy with less than a foot visibility and all the creeks coming into the lake are raging bank to bank with muddy water and debris. Water temps were 46* to 48* and the north end bite was tuff to say the least.
      Fished North for a few hours without a single bite and came up with the following mathematical formula :
      46* muddy water + Florida strain largemouth = 0 bites

      The next day I fished south and the water clarity was much better although temps were about the same. I did a lot of scanning with my electronics and was able to graph a few fish far offshore and close to the bottom. Regrettably I had to get the fairy wand (spinning rod) out of the rod locker to catch a few on a shakey head. I had to just dead stick the bait on the bottom to get bit and the bites were very subtle and mushy. I did try some other lures and the reaction bite was non existent for me although I did catch a couple crappie on a vertical jigging spoon.

      Other than being in the flood stage, the lake Is really healthy and in good shape. There are huge schools of threadfin shad everywhere and the bass are shaped like footballs. Once we hit and maintain 50* water temps, the bite should improve considerably especially the North end. To anyone going out fishing, be careful out there, I saw a bunch of widow makers and lower unit takers (trees) floating out there in the middle. Next week I am going to hit the North end again and going to try to get it dialed in. I will submit another report in about a week or so. If this rain doesn't stop soon, I'm going to start building an Ark out in my back yard.

      Tight Lines,

      Troy Bellah