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Northern California Lake Fishing Report

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Thursday, July 5th, 2018

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 78-81

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Shout out to Larry Hemphill for the kind words. Before fishing Berryessa, I would read his reports for tips and inspiration. Hope to book a trip with you soon Larry!

      Took a friend who's never caught a bass before to Berryessa. Even though the lake is over an hour and half away, I told him, "I can't guarantee a fish, but this place is the best chance". We launched at around 10:30 on July 5th. Being on the weekday and the fires, we were one of three boats. We pretty much had the lake to ourselves. Conditions for most of the day were calm. Almost no wind. I was nervous about that, hoping it wouldn't complicate things.

      Thankfully the spots that I am slowly accumulating were still decent. With no wind, the water was crystal clear, and we could see everything. Schools of carp, bass, blue gill, it was awesome. That meant the fish could see us too, so we had to be stealthy, slow it down and downsize. Small jigs and drop shots were key. Tried top water but only one taker. Friend hooked a giant Smallmouth, but lost it right at the boat. I would guess 5lbs. Welcome to bass fishing I told him.

      Tips: -Surprisingly, most of the fish we caught were shallow. Even the larger ones. No giants, probably out in deep water.
      -Slow down and downsize.
      -I'm very particular with line visibility and I feel that makes a difference.
      -Don't spook the fish. Be quiet, lay off the t motor, watch hatches slamming, maintain distance etc.

Tuesday, July 3rd, 2018

  • Solano County
    • By

      Water Temp: Water Temp 71 - 74

      Report: by AKBASSFISHING » Tue Jul 03, 2018 8:36 pm

      California Delta 7/3/2018
      Water Temp 71 - 74
      Visibility 1 – 3 feet
      Wind 9 - 15 mph

      Got to the launch ramp at around 6:30 this morning. When we left the house, it was flat calm, but as soon as we hit the water, the wind showed up.

      On our first stop, a strong western wind blew. With conditions being less than ideal for the Senko, I opted for my trusty chatterbait. On the second cast, I hooked a healthy post spawn fatty. You could tell she was feeding by her extended belly and worn fins. Continuing down the bank, my father and I boated a few more good fish on the chatterbait and spinnerbait. With the wind getting stronger, we looked for more sheltered water.

      Switching between rip-rap, tullies, and flats, we fished the remainder of the morning with some success. Nothing spectacular, and lots of one and two-pound fish. Crankbaits on the rocks, Senko’s in the tullies, and punching in the mats. They all produced, but not the quality we were looking for.

      With a decent limit,we stopped at an area that had produced some good fish in the past. On my third cast, my crankbait totally stopped. I set hook, but instead of heading directly at me as most of the fish earlier, this one pulled back. I knew she was a better fish. After a short fight, my father netted her; a good five-pound fish. We continued to fish the area, but had nothing to add to our limit.

      By late morning, we were still looking to cull. We made a stop on a wind-blown flat. My father suggested I use the plopper. Almost instantly, I had a taker. Not big, but it was a good sign. About 20 yards down, another taker, and another. Then a three pounder thumped on the deck. The fish were chewing. My father on the other hand, stuck to his trusty Senko with the Tsuyoi Weedless Wacky Hook. Pitching to the outside of the weeds, he also started to get some good fish. It was perfect, I fished the inside, while he fished the outside. We followed this pattern into the afternoon with great success.

      By 3 in the afternoon, the jet skiers and mega yachts were out in droves. We called it a day. Overall, a pretty good day with about 15lbs for our best 5.

      Tips: Notes
      Current is key! Most fish have finally moved into there post-spawn patterns. They are tired from spawning, and want an easy meal. Current acts as there food delivery service.
      Covered a lot of water today.

Thursday, June 28th, 2018

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 77-81

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: I was happy for the previous posted report about Berryessa. Sounds like they had a great trip! I did my first night guide trip Wed - late afternoon/night. One night before the full moon. Not the night I would have preferred, as we were greeted by another cool front with a fair amount of south wind. We fished the narrows and some of the main body. In spite of the weather, the bite was fairly good the whole trip - lots of very shallow bass. Pressure was off me right at dark as my father-son team became a team - hooked 2 bass at the SAME time - seconds apart! No way to treat a guide - LOL!!! Luckily, the black light was on. Wound up putting both largemouth in the net in back to back swipes!! Lifted them in the boat - barely!! About 9 1/2 lbs combined! Dad's went 6 lbs 2 oz and son's - 3 1/4 lbs. That's the way to start their first night trip!! The rest of the night was good except for a few more quality bass they lost. The wind let up some around midnight and the bite improved. Several bass right on the bank after that. Good trip, especially seeing two bass over 6 lbs for back to back guide trips. I guess they do bite day and night!!

      Tips: My clients gave the topwater bite a good shot, using buzzbaits. With the cold wind, it was slow for them. They did have one or two good blow-ups, one a good bass! Had it been a nice evening, I think they would have done well. After dark it was fun to do a night trip in my new Z521. Jeremy of C&C Marine did his usual excellent job getting my boat ready for night fishing. Fun to remember how big those bass sound at night!! We fished a few different baits, but the 7" Berkley Power worm again was the best bait.

  • Jackson County
    • By

      Water Temp: 75

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Took a newbie out to Rollins today. He wanted to sleep in so we did not get on the water until after 7 AM. I was surprised the bite seemed tough in the morning. With a usual limit by 9 AM, I was lucky to have a keeper by 9 AM. We tossed drop shot worms in MMIII and pumpkinseed tubes. Fishing was slow and the fish were small so we tried something different. We got off the typical summer pattern of fishing deep and we went shallow. We went up the river a ways to find water that was 70 degrees down from the 75 we found on the main lake. Then we switched to whacky rig green worms and fished shallow water, 2 to 4 feet, up close to a shore that had any kind of shadow on it. It was like flipping, just quick pitch, couple shakes, then pick it up if no one is home. The fish started coming but were still small. As the day wore on and the shadows increased shallow fishing began to produce keepers and a few nice ones to 3 pounds. So it started out slow and then turned into a good day. Ski boat traffic was surprisingly light as well. The lake remains more stained than normal. By now it should be clear down to about 20 feet but its clear to about 6 feet.

      Tips: Working in that close, we turned off all electronics and turned the trolling motor down to about 20.

Wednesday, June 27th, 2018

  • Solano County
    • By

      Water Temp: Water Temp 73 - 76

      Report: by AKBASSFISHING » Thu Jun 28, 2018 9:17 am

      California Delta 6/27/2018
      Water Temp 73 - 76
      Visibility 2 – 3 feet
      Wind 5 – 18 mph

      Wasn’t summer just here? Man it was chilly.

      Put in at 6 in the morning. Met up with a buddy and his god son. They wanted numbers, so that’s what we did.

      On our first stop, the tide was ripping through the area. After a little while and no fish, it was clear the fish didn’t want to be in the direct current. Seeing this, we made a small adjustment and cranked down some side channels. We boated a good number of 10 – 15 inch bass.

      By mid-morning, they seemed like they were tuckered out from catching “monsters” haha. So we made another move to fish some shallow weed flats. The tide was still moving out, which left only about a foot of water above the weeds. Even though the sun was pretty high, I decided there was enough wind to create a good chop on the water. I tied on a whopper plopper for the god son, and he went to work. After a couple of casts, a mule came rocketing out of the water. It looked like something from shark week. He fought the beast for a little, but about halfway to the boat, she came unbuttoned after she jumped. That was the biggest bass he had hooked, but was a little bummed that she came off. That’s fishing for ya though, can’t catch all the big ones. We followed this pattern for a short while, but the wind laided down for a bit. With the chop gone, the plopper bite died off. We switched to Senkos paired with Tsuyoi Weedless Wacky Hooks and proceeded to put on a clinic. Fish were flying left and right! Overall, a good time.

      By noon, we looked for some more water, but stumbled upon a fellow boater in distress. His motor had no power after hitting an obstruction. We towed him for a while, and he told us to cut him loose after getting him most of the way there. A great guy, but unfortunate that had to happen to him.

      Owen, if you're reading this, hope you made it back safe and your motor is ok.

      After our little adventure, we cranked more walls and the bass were more than willing to eat. In the more protected areas, we found the Senko bite very fruitful and the god son even managed his personal best at just over 2.5 pounds. He was very happy.

      By late afternoon, the wind was howling and we called it a day. The ride back was a fun experience to say the least.

      Notes
      Offshore weedlines with slight current held large amounts of fish. That said, heavy current or dead water was void of life.

      If you can't get bit on anything, go to a craw crankbait. You'll at least have a pull-down.

    • By

      Water Temp: Unknown

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Full Moon + Outgoing Tide = Bad Day of Fishing.

      That's what we thought when we got on the water at 6:00A out of Paradise Marina. There was a slight breeze. We headed up to Frank's Tract and hit a lot of spots as we worked our way there. For 2 hours, we had only got a couple of bites between the two of us. No keeper size fish. It looked like we were going to have a bad day on the water.

      We got to Frank's Tract at 8:00A. I was still throwing a Chartruese/White chatterbait and my cousin was going through his arsenal of lures. In the next hour, I caught 5 keeper size bass (largest 2 pounds) and my cousin caught 1. Then, we headed down to Mildred. In the Mildred area, we caught a bunch of keeper size bass. Two of the bass that my cousin caught were 3-4+ pounds cranking a Megabass lure along the outside of the weedline. We got off the water at 11:00 after a good day on the water.

      Tips: I threw the chatterbait almost the entire day because of the slight breeze. A chatterbait is my "go to" lure. My cousin cranked a variety of lures along the outside edge of the weedline as the water level dropped.

      At times, both of us were cranking a Whopper Plopper over the weeds. Didn't catch any keeper size fish, but caught a bunch of little guys.

  • Butte County
    • By

      Water Temp: 77-78, elevation 806.80

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Got launched early right at 5:30 am, stopped fishing at 9 am. Headed to the N. Fork and found many fish, but dam, all small buggers. Fish were plentiful, but all small as they come. Could not find anything over 13" today out of 19 fish caught. Might be the warm water 77-78 degrees. Looked deep, still nothing worth a photo, so in the way in, picked up a typical fish at hwy 70 bridge pilings and took a picture of the basic fish today. Fishing and catching these small ones makes me want to not fish, but will fish anyway. Water has cleared up a lot, from some of the areas that had or still has algae bloom. Cleaner water had the better fishing. Picture in fishing forum.

Tuesday, June 26th, 2018

  • Santa Barbara County
    • By

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Shore fishing at cachuma lake near Borona Butte across from space 315 at around 530pm caught 3 small bass using yellow and red crank bait threw them back.

      Tips: They seemed to hit only when cranked fast, I tried green, orange and pink plastic work no bites

Monday, June 25th, 2018

  • Amador County
    • By

      Water Temp: 78

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Ill do my due diligence as an angler and report.. Killer day on the lake. I launched a bit late but the top water bite was still on.. Had a "bumper" come up and smack a hulla popper but apparently it was just a nose bump. My lure bounced about 5' in the air and landed back on the water. I stayed with that popper for awhile but ya really can't cover too much water with a popper so I switched to my buzzbait. Worked the shallow shade lines for awhile and finally got bit on a chatterbait. A nice 2#er. I landed another decent bass with the same chatterbait over some grass (1.5lb) Landed another bass with the same chatterbait in some laydowns and then my biggest catch of the day.
      I was working a laydown and checking out the water.. I seen bluegill sharing space with bass under a tree. This told me, the bass and bluegill need that space to survive so they're going to defend it. I rattled that cage awhile and.pulled some bass with a senko and chatterbait. Just about to leave when I tossed one more cast in the heart of the tree and a 3# took it. That's the best I got today. About a 10# bag, respectable but not all the great either. I had a few feeding bites but for the most part, a defensive bite in shade. Any day fishing is a great day though!

Sunday, June 24th, 2018

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 78-81

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Last week was our first time at berryessa and we caught 20, staying in just one arm of the lake. This time, with a little experience, we wanted to break that number.

      We launched at 12:30 pm. Given the extremely hot weather on Friday and Saturday, we were unsure how the day would go, especially since we were launching at a non-optimal time. Boy were we in for a treat.

      Without giving too much away, we fished the west part of the lake starting at school house island. We landed 49 fish on the boat, which should have been 60+ if we weren't screwing around. Most of the fish were smallmouth with a few largies and spots thrown in. It seemed like anytime we found likely underwater structure/ledges, a finesse jig or dropshot would kill it. Submerged humps, dropoffs, rocks, you name it. What an amazing lake. Too amazing really, now I'm spoiled.

      Most of the fish were caught with finesse. Around 2pm, after which we caught well past a limit, my partner decided to throw a topwater and only topwater for the rest of the day, because who doesn't like topwater? Some people will disregard the proven technique just for those few blowups. I can't say I disagree. Not expecting much, we were blessed to find a school of smallies munching on bait. Excited, he tied on a popper and lit them up.

      I would estimate our best five at about 13-14 lbs, all of them smallmouth. We did have a giant largemouth hit a zaraspook but we couldn't hook up. I'm hesitant on guessing weight but it would've definitely been the biggest of the day. I moved here from central North Carolina 4 years ago, and have not caught a smallmouth until 2 years ago. So catching this many smallies was truly heaven.

      Tips: If you're the type of fisherman who only throws reaction or senko close to the shore, you need to change your strategy. California reservoirs are not like the stained water reservoirs on the east coast. With frequently drawn down water levels removing shallow cover, you need to be comfortable fishing deep water. We literally threw everything just for fun. As stated before, a finesse jig or dropshot were the most effective for use, however we caught some on spinnerbaits, poppers, spooks, and cranks. Rocks and dropoffs were key, though flats were good if there were baitfish as well.

Friday, June 22nd, 2018

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 78-81

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: I have mentioned in my reports about the good average size of the bass this year - and it continues! Buddy Mike Sperbeck and I hit Berryessa around 2 in the afternoon. That is usually when I am getting off the lake! So, what does he do? Breaks the rules and lands a 4 1/2 lb+ largemouth about 3:30 on the of the hottest afternoons yet (glad we are not there today and Sat)! Overall, the bite was good up until dark - except - the topwater bite. I got one small bass on topwater and no other interest. I really wasn't surprised as it was suddenly very hot in the evening with surface temp in the 80's. Some of the smaller keeper bass showed up again yesterday. Once again, only 2 or 3 smallmouth, but Mike did get a nice 2 3/4 lb smallie. None of the numerous 3 lb bass clients have been catching on my guide trips showed up yesterday. I think summer is here! Bass will need a little time to adjust to the heat.

      Tips: Topwater might have been better on the east shore - around weeds and wood. Drop-shotting Robo worms worked well most of the trip. The new Yamamoto Senko "Moondust" attracted a lot of bass for us. Most all of our bass were caught in areas that have deep water access available. Not a lot of bass on the shoreline now. Our best five were probably around 12-13 lbs - summer limit!! One more item. The lake was almost empty out in the main body yesterday afternoon. Very quiet. Then, around Big Island, we thought we heard bugs coming. Then the bugs showed - 3 bass boats going north at the cruising speed of around 65-70! Then I remembered - Thursday night tourneys. Of course!!

Thursday, June 21st, 2018

  • Solano County
    • By

      Water Temp: Water Temp 70 - 72

      Report: Postby AKBASSFISHING » Thu Jun 21, 2018 8:58 pm

      California Delta 6/21/2018
      Water Temp 70 - 72
      Visibility 2 – 3 feet
      Wind 0 - 13 mph

      Launched the boat at 7 morning. The tide was steadily moving out and the water was like glass. With conditions so calm, I assumed the surface bite would be good.

      At my first stop, I pulled out the old frog. After 45 minutes and many rolls, the fish did not want the frog. I think the water was too calm. Seeing the fish in this negative mood, I switched to a crankbait, but this only yielded small fish.

      I made three more stops, and the fish all reacted the same way. Finally, I put down the reaction bait, and switched to a Senko. Immediately, I got bit. Following this pattern, I fished outside weedlines for the remainder of the morning with good success.

      By late morning, the wind had picked up and the tide had started to come back in. I switched back to reaction baits since the weightless Senko was hard to fish in the wind. The chatterbait and craw crank again produced for me, but surprisingly, the crank got the majority of my better fish. Yes, you will go through many 10 – 13 inch fish, but had some fish up to three pounds eat.

      The sun was high, but as long as the water had a good ripple on it, the reaction baits produced. That said, I found some protected areas and could not buy a bite on reaction baits. Switching between the Senko and light punching filled the gaps.

      With the temperature rising and my patients for the ski boat who seemed to be following everywhere dwindling, I called it around 3 in the afternoon.

      Tips: Notes

      The bite was tough for me today. Lots of fish, but size was the issue. The Senko with the Tsuyoi Weedless Wacky Hook and crankbaits got me better bites, but nothing over three pounds.

      Fished my post-spawn spots and still have yet to see the numbers in those areas.

Saturday, June 16th, 2018

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 78

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Since Memorial Day weekend the fishing has been red hot. On some days the top water bite was pretty good. My largest bass on top water was a little over 8 pounds and was caught on a whopper popper made by River2Sea. Kitty and her grandson caught some nice bass and a 3 pound trout (see photos). I took Abe and Freddie out and they each caught a limit of nice size bass (see photos). This past week I captained a pontoon boat for Tom, his two sons and his grandson (see photos). We had a very enjoyable time and caught bass drop shoting and Texas rigged Senko worms at the Vineyards using crank bait was the most successful method my favorite colors are blue and silver and chartreuse square bill. I feel that the fishing will be good through the summer. I want to wish all the Dads a very happy Father's Day and 'til next time............................good fishing!!!!
      https://nam05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=www.fishingconnection.net&data=02%7C01%7C%7C0e0886bae2f34b2cd3e808d5d2209a94%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636645959835247135&sdata=0yaaTCoLxIkUVL2%2FQePfBTc2Y%2B1cy5GEK6fDDihL5wA%3D&reserved=0 If you have any questions or stories you would like to share or are interested in booking a guided fishing trip please email me at bestguide@hotmail.com or call me at 650-583-3333.

      Tips: caught a few top water fish we used a whooper popper the fisherman next to me caught a 10 pounder he also caught it on top water Sammy email request to see photos.Eagles are having babbies the bald eagles on goat island nest the branch broke and the nest fell to the ground...6foot wide nest.good news they relocated near the tubes near the B O R.

  • Solano County
    • By

      Report: Delta Report…. Weekend Bite looks Good! Weather for #FishOakley #fishbethelisland anglers looks great for Dads Day. Special Welcome to BBT Teams.

      Isleton

      Striper Trolling and plug casting has improved the last few days. Dirty “D” has been much better this past week. Trolling the Angry Eyes and Savage Preys is the best bet. Sturgeon anglers moved West . Catfish start to show in better numbers with Mackerel.

      Rio Vista

      Warm seasonable weather ahead finally for Holiday anglers, and forecast is Awesome. Shore bound anglers are scoring both species. The best place to score a striped bass or sturgeon remains Sandy Beach and the area of the Power Lines, use Sardines or Shad. Trolling is scoring many limits stripers and occasionally, a 10-12 pounder caught. Savage Prey and P-line Angry Eye lures are key for the trolling anglers.

      Walnut Grove

      Trolling baits colors 8 to 10 foot deep is key as the spring push (While Late) continues. The Dirty “D” is clearing its name and conditions are improving for Black Bass in the area. Spinnerbaits and Swim jigs are working in the Hog Area. Bank anglers tossing shad and Lug Worms prevail for an occasional Striper those looking for bigger bites. Drifting live baits for stripers cracking the 10 pound plus keeps anglers smiling..

      Central Delta

      Most Blackie anglers are sticking with Buzz Baits and Whopper Ploppers. 6Th Sense Poppers are a player now as well. Larger Stripers had another cameo appearance this week yet it was very brief. Crappie and Bluegill also had a improvement this week.

      Frank’s Tract

      After being beat up by crazy winds for a weeks, we some of the best water conditions of the year. Black bass bite is at a consistent yet, tougher than normal bite. Green Man Bear Pigs and Beavers also working well. We are seeing a few big Black Bass with ¾ ounce Jigs. Others looking to score are starting to buzz Zoom Frogs and Accent Buzzbaits.

      West Delta

      The stripers are here anchovies and sardines in many areas for bank anglers, Antioch Pier and along Sherman Island rd. Stripes to 27 pounds have grabbed tossed lures . Trollers it’s getting started on both sides with Red Barn being the top choice, if they aren’t there move to the Eddo’s Side. Chartreuse patterns are the best bet.

      Los Vaqueros

      A potpourri of opportunity I was reminded this week by a new friend that Catfish Stripers and Trout are all available there now.

      Provided by Dan’s Delta Outdoors, 1625 Main St Oakley CA 925/234-4694 Follow us on Facebook

Friday, June 15th, 2018

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 74-78

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Just a quick report on my guide trip today (Friday). I had three clients today and they all fished well. Thank goodness for a big largemouth that saved the day. They caught fish nearly everywhere we fished, but the bite was much slower - one fish here and one there! Again, not many smallmouth, and none of the big ones we have seen lately. The cool down may have hurt the bite, but sure helped the fishermen! Beautiful day with increasing main body wind. 20 degrees cooler today than on Wednesday! I decided to fish them in Pleasure Cove during the morning. Sometimes the decisions are good, especially when a 6 pound largemouth finds the net! We were chasing shadows and one held this mini-toad. She took his drop-shot Robo worm and I was very happy that the small hook held up as she jumped once and fought for about 5 minutes! Fun, Fun!! We released her about a half-hour later, making sure she was ok!! I really felt the summer bite is here now as we didn't get the nice noon bite we have had for the past several weeks. Water temp up to 78 degrees in the afternoon. Spring is over although a cool weekend is ahead. I did hear in the Markley store that someone caught a 7 pounder today. That would be sweet. We were close!!

      Tips: With 4 in the boat, no treble hooks, so no topwater. Bass seemed more scattered now, and some of the dinks have reappeared. As you have noticed, steady weather patterns still haven't happened. Overall, it still has been a great spring - and a LONG one!!

Thursday, June 14th, 2018

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 73-76

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Can the bass fishing get any better at Berryessa? I guess so, somehow! Yea, more 10 pounders would do the trick! I took a well-known outdoor writer to the lake yesterday as he is doing an article on major lakes in California, for a magazine you all know. Would the bass cooperate?? Would the guide fine 'em?? Happy to report - YES on both questions!! Another good trip of 15-16 pound limit and a big fish of all three species. Perfect for his camera!! I caught a 4 lb largemouth, a 3 1/4 spotted bass, and a 3 lb + smallmouth. The latter has been tough to find lately. Funny, I have known the writer for many years and fished with him several times. He was struggling to catch bass which is not like him. He finally did catch a few. it was a hoot having him take photos in different spots around the lake. Near the end of the trip, we needed one more spot with a shadow. I knew all my years on Berryessa would pay off!! I found the spot in the narrows. He said "perfect!" We got the final photo.

      Tips: As for the fishing, this has been the best spring for bass - size-wise, that I have ever seen. I am doing all the right things? I seriously doubt it!! The bass are just bigger this year, plus the hundreds of small largemouth which have now dropped out of sight. There are "jaws" roaming around everywhere on their post-spawn bite. Still a lot of fairly shallow bass eating drop-shot worms and wacky-rigged Senkos. I would start adding small nail weights as the water warms. They will go deeper as hot weather sets in. I did get a few topwater bass but was too late for a good bite. I was going to try the jig bite, but never got around to it. I did notice that some quality bass were hanging just on the outside of newly forming weed beds. Just throw a #301 weightless Senko! You will see lots of bare banks with little rocks sections. Fish those!! Or an isolated tree in the water, etc!!!!!

Wednesday, June 13th, 2018

  • Solano County
    • By

      Water Temp: Water Temp 70 - 74

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: by AKBASSFISHING » Thu Jun 14, 2018 1:11 pm

      California Delta 6/13/2018
      Wind 8 - 15 mph

      Put in at around 6:30 in the morning. Another slight western breeze blew on the water and the tide had just started to move out.

      My friend and I opted for surface lures since they had produced so well the previous week. We started to throw frogs and had some blow-ups, but the action was slow. My friend switched to a buzzbait and I switched to a chatterbait. Both got small fish, but the morning bite was definitely off.

      Hoping to change our luck, we decided to fish windblown points with whopper ploppers and cranks, but this again yielded smaller than usual fish. Stumped, I switched to my Bullshooter hoping to find some bigger fish. On my third cast, I had a swirl and my rod loaded. I excitedly cranked the beast in, then I realized the fish was no more than two pounds. Talk about eyes bigger than your stomach.

      By eleven, we had not boated anything over 2.5 pounds on surface lures, so we finally put the surface lures away. We broke out old reliable, the Senko paired with the Tsuyoi Weedless Wacky Hook, and proceeded to go to work. Fishing the outside weedline, we boated a good number of healthy fish ranging from 2 pounds to around 3.5 pounds.

      By noon, my buddy called it a day and we returned to the ramp. I was supposed to pick up my other buddy, but he cancelled last second. So, I headed back out and fished for a couple more hours.

      Fishing was tough, and the Senko bite we had found earlier died off. Almost calling it a day, I made one last stop on a weedline and cranked it. First cast, I hook a small dink, then cast again and hooked another, and another, and another. Four consecutive casts, I hooked four fish. They were all small, but getting bigger. For around 20 minutes straight, I hooked fish off this weedline with the better ones ranging from 3 to 4 pounds. I even hooked a good 6 pounder, but she came off right at the boat.

      Satisfied, I called it a day.

      Tips: Notes
      Morning bite was oddly tough, but found the better bite in the afternoon on Senkos and Cranks.
      Finding clean weeds with current is a must!

Tuesday, June 12th, 2018

  • Butte County
    • By

      Water Temp: 73-74, elevation 815.92

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Launched about 5:30 am at Lime Saddle and fished till 9:30 am. Tried the drop off again, not nearly as super as last trip, picked up just 8 fish, then went to N. Fork and got another 18 for 26 fish today. Size kind of sucked, just 2 14", with about half the rest 13- to just shy of 14", the other half 11-12" tiny ones. Surprised at how much algae is in the water, and so soon in the season. Some areas cloudy, with clump like algae, other areas clear as can be. Guess the algae is good for the hatch this year, as fry need food!! Water 73-74 range and with warmer water, so many runts along the shore line. Surprised again at how calm and no winds. Pictures in fishing forum.

Saturday, June 9th, 2018

  • Solano County
    • By

      Water Temp: Water Temp 69 - 71

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: by AKBASSFISHING » Sat Jun 09, 2018 10:33 am

      California Delta 6/8/2018

      Visibility 2 – 4 feet
      Wind 5 - 15 mph

      It feels good to be back on the water. We launched at around 6:30 in the morning. It was a bit chilly, but the water was warm.

      Our initial game plan was to fish topwater all morning, and the fish seemed to definitely be feeding. On our second spot, we loaded the boat with about a dozen bass ranging from a pound to around three-pounds. The fish were very tight to cover, so making accurate casts was a must. With so much luck in a single area, we went back through the area with Senkos and managed some more decent fish up to three-pounds. The fish were super aggressive, and even the small six-inch fish couldn’t deter the Tsuyoi Weedless Wacky hook from sticking them.

      We followed this pattern for about two hours, and then the bite simmered down once the sun came out. With the sun, came a steady western breeze. This put a nice ripple on the water, so I switched to my handy chatterbait. Almost immediately, I started to put bass in the boat. The fish that ate the chatterbait, were generally larger, ranging from two to three and a half pounds. Surprisingly, the bite was good all day in the murky water.

      This pattern lasted until noon, then the water seemed to clear up. With our bite slow, we took a short lunch break at Sugar Barge. Their hamburgers are surprisingly good haha.

      After our lunch, we searched around for a good bite, and found it on a bluegill colored crank. Again, the nicer fish started to chew with the best pushing four. Fished a little longer and found some more fish on the drop-shot. My sister had a blast and even managed a fatty!

      By two, the wind was starting to gust, so we called it a day. Overall, not a huge limit, but a fun day regardless.

      Tips: Notes

      The fish were very aggressive in the morning, but as the sun got higher in the sky, the bite slowed.

      Fishing topwater early, and then switching to the chatterbait and cranks got some good fish. Senkos and drop-shot continue to pick up solid fish

Thursday, June 7th, 2018

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 72-76

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Just a short report. I did another guide trip yesterday - Wed - and found the bite holding up well in spite of the very "cool' late spring weather. Even postponed a trip for today until more stable weather. The bite was fairly good yesterday with one of the guys landing some nice ones in the 3 lb range. Around noon I did some drop-shotting out in deep water as my guys were working a more shallow area that was good last Saturday. We were talking some and I had stopped working my Robo worm. As I went to retrieve it, I couldn't feet anything. My line wasn't where it was!! And then - panic - I had something big on. And a few minutes later we saw it was big - sorta. My little drop-shot hook had captured a 4 1/2 lb largemouth - 4 1/2 exact on the scale. She had lost some of her belly but hardly had a spawning scar on her. Kept her in the livewell for awhile to make sure she was ok, and she was. Always fun to release a fish like that!

      Tips: Hard to give reliable tips since the weather isn't reliable lately. We left the main body soon after the big largemouth as the lake was white capping with a cool south wind. That's right - we had summer last Saturday. Our post-spawn limit did hit 15 lbs and some change - a good day. Topwater still isn't happening much.