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Northern California Lake Fishing Report

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Saturday, January 24th, 2009

  • Butte County
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      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Has anybody been fishing this lake? There's a boat dock at the spillway and lots of gravel to keep you out of the mud. Same amount of fish but lots less water like a rain barrel.
      City: Marysville

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

  • Napa County
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      Water Temp: 52

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: went out with my brother caught 2 trout trolling 10 to 15 feet down . did not get a chance to break out bass rods cause my optima 115 took a dive brand new not a year old, used trolling motor to get in back to markleys . took boat to gone fishing and they could not figure it out what a dissapointment , hope to get boat back so i can get out and fish....
      City: Elmira

      Tips: none

  • Lake County
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      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Hey Larry. Just quick question. What color of brushhog do you use at night? I have been hearing you have success with the brush HOG.

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

  • Lake County
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      Water Temp: 46-49

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Glad the reports section is working again - thanks Gator! Last Wed night (14th) I fished by myself from 7:30 pm to midnight and found the bite to be good - first trip in '09! I used Power worms, brush hogs, and a Chatterbait-like thing I bought from Bob Higgens. It worked! I had a 23 lb + limit and told myself I had to quit at midnight because the ISE show was the next day. On schedule - at 11:58 pm! - in 30 feet of water my brush hog got crunched. For the first time ever I was totally fooled - I knew it was a catfish by the way it fought, side to side motions. But she gave up after two minutes and I netted something without whiskers. "Mama Bass" weighted 10 1/4 lbs and filled the length of my salmon net. The 10th bass of the evening was a "10", and I could leave on time - almost! Friday night was much slower - I only had 7 bites and landed 1!! How's that for Clear Lake payback?! My fishing buddy landed 3 or 4 nice bass, but nothing over 4 lbs. We went again this Tues evening, fishing from 7 to 1 am and found the bite to be pretty good - for me! Yea, poor guy. He only landed one - at 6 lbs 5 oz! I did pretty well with my biggest at 7 3/4 lbs and several from 4 to 6 1/2 lbs. We did put together a nice limit between 29 and 30 lbs. Nights were chilly but calm.
      City: Yuba city

      Tips: When one fishes several days (or nights) in the winter, it is amazing how important the timing is. A spot will be great at 11 pm one evening and dead two evenings later. The first trip I mentioned found the bass more active for a longer period of time than is normal for winter. They got more active as the last quarter moon rose, about 10:30 pm. The bass seemed to move into the new forming shadows and that is where I hooked the "10". It is dark of the moon now so none of that will matter for awhile. I am using a lot of Smelly Jelly this time of year. The night I lost 6, many were on the chatterbait thing, but they wouldn't hold on long enough for a good hookset. One needs a good hookset for that bait! We only fished deepwater areas that had ledges, or a flat with a breakline. That is the key for winter fishing.

Sunday, January 18th, 2009

  • Solano County
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      Water Temp: 47

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: warmed up a little but still tough fishin. my partner and i caught 3 LGM with 4 bites. largest fish went 2.5 and total weight just over 6, not impresive but it beats being skunked in JAN. all fish came on drop shot (MM111 robo worm) in a 8' weed line
      City: oakley

      Tips: don't know if it's relevent but all bites happend as soon as the sun was over the area we were fishin. i doubt the water warmed up but my partner and i took our jackets off!!

  • Amador County
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      Water Temp: 51 F

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: What a day. STarted out around 39 degrees but warmed up to around 65 or something!! by 10 am, all the thermal underwear was off. sure is fun fishing in Jan with short sleeves! okay, to the fishing. overall it was a tough bite. our club fished with around 22 boats blasting off at the North shore low water ramp (1 lane only with short dock). we caught a total of 8 fish. first 4 on one spot we camped at from 7 till noon: one on tube, others on darterhead, all in around 10 feet. tried adjacent deeper water with no luck. when we decided the fish were not going to move up on this spot (like they had in pre fish the week prior for my partner), we moved to a side of a hump adjacent to a creek near Hat Island. we dragged along this slope and hooked up 4 more to cull out 3, and missed 3 more. all on jigs or hula grubs around 20-30 ft. weighed in 11 even for 4th place, with 1st place around 12.2 lb. despite 1 week of stable and warming weather, the reaction bite was not there. minimal wind today. water level around 38% of full. no one broke a prop (that I know of) and everyone made it back safely.
      City: Folsom

      Tips: Fish slow. try shallow, try deep, try all your slow techniques. we marked no bait nor fish when we caught these. brown jigs, green pumpkin tubes and hula grubs are what worked for us today.

  • Lake County
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      Water Temp: 52

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: wow what a great two days of fishin. started on friday in the morning and netted a 6.8. in the south end. then later on found a honey hole and ended up with 24.8 pounds for best five. all caught on artificials. all fish caught were from rattle snake area to the south end. then the next day ended up with 24.12 pounds big fish was 7.12.the fish were all on ledges or drop offs working the bait from deep to shallow. my favorite thing to do in the fall winter periods.
      City: fremont

      Tips: reaction type baits.

  • Yuba County
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      Water Temp: 48

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: We took 4 total, 2 Largemouth, 2 Spot, Largemouths to 2.5 lbs. Spots about 15 inches. All on the main lake, but all were scattered. On fish at 17 feet, on fish at 30 feet, one fish at 10 feet and one at 40. The two deep fish came on Senkos the other 2 on 4 inch worm.
      City: Woodland

      Tips: All was scattered for us with no particular pattern that we could get on.

  • Nevada County
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      Water Temp: 43-48

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: A zero, skunked, zip, zilch, nada.
      I fished hard and quietly for 8 hours and could not get a fish in the boat. I only had one bite I'm sure was a fish. Bluebird skies 70 degrees and cold water made for a tough day. I did see a pair of bald eagles chasing each other all day. Still it beats work.
      City: auburn

      Tips: Dont do what I was doing. I tried everything, deadsticking senkos, grubs, jigs. jigs and pigs tried dartheading,spoons,tubes, ripbaits, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, swimbaits, chatterbaits traps(speed and rattle), flukes, and spooks, dropshotting, Tried brush hogs, and frogs,tried Logs, Tried shallow, deep, flats, grass, mats, docks, rocks, cattails, tules, buoys, aerators, the dam, the launch and everywhere in between.

  • Sonoma County
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      Water Temp: 47-55

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Beautiful day! Took my son Mikey (11) out for his first trip of the new year. Went up to Cherry to try our luck and there was very little water up that way. Lake is really low. Tried thumb camp location with Spinner Bait, T-Rig, Crank Bait, Jig, swim bait. Nada, zippo, nothing. Started at 8:30 one fish on T-Rig lizzard that got wrapped on one ofthe thousands of trees that are now visible and broke off. Tried south for 1 - 3:30 no results on same baits, even whimped out and tried a drop shot down there. No fish but we had a great time mikey even jumped in (lasted about 2 seconds) he said the Lowrance is wrong that the water was 35 degrees.

      Tips: Don't do anything we did.

Saturday, January 17th, 2009

  • Napa County
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      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Able to get out with both my boys. Stayed in the lower end trying new water for a change. Started out with a jig and the boys were working mojo rigged brushhogs. Cought fish in the first thing and the bite stayed steady all day. Most fish came on the brushhogs with a few on jig and dropshot. Nothing very big most were spots in the 1.5 - 2lb range. One smallmouth around 2.5 and a 3.5lb spot on a dropshot at the end of the day. 17 fish for the day best 5 at around 10 lbs. One of our smallest limits of the year but still a good time.
      City: Vacaville

      Tips: Most of the spots were cought on the sides of the points but the bigger ones were in the tops. All the fish were cought in the 20-40ft range. Most fish were pinned to the bottom so watch your graph.

  • Sacramento County
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      Water Temp: 48-52

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: First boat on the water and quickly got rewarded with a rip fish. However, it was a 2 pound trout. Sucker pounded the super rogue. We started kind of slow, but then we got on to a great jig and drop shot bite. Most of the fish were in less than 15 feet of water. They were really getting active from the solid wee of sun. We fished the last 3 hours of the day in shorts and t-shirts. Beer tasted dang good as well. Fish were puking up pond smelt, but it was very digested already. I bet they had fed on the moon and that would explain the slow morning bite and digested bait.
      City: Roseville

      Tips: Just like how my Oroville trip would be the next weekend, the fish were concentrated. 3 or 4 in some areas and then nothing for an hour. Of course, I'm sure the bite is totally different since I am writing this report on 1-26. Our best five went 12 1/2 pounds. Big fish was a 3 1/2 pound spot.

  • Sonoma County
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      Water Temp: 45-48

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Had our club Tourney it was a great day. 76 no wind and no bite. We went up yordy creek. i started throwin a Sexy red eye shad while my partner was throwin his basstrix swimbait nothin. so we went around the bend a little bit throwin swimbaits. jigs, brushogs, crankbaits, weightless reapers,senkos, shakeyheads. i even whipped out the ol" dropshot. I had two bites flippin the many trees out of the water. I lost one about three pounds. My partner also shook the hook on two swimbait fish but oh well. We had six boats and four fish were caught. we had four fish on and the tourny in our hands. but thats why its fishin and not catchin.but it beats sittin on the couch at home.
      City: Ukiah

      Tips: Stay on the outside tree lines in 25-49 feet and stick with plastics and 5 inch swinbaits.my opinion dont go 2 sonoma its a waste of time and wrong time of year..but goodluck anyways.

Thursday, January 15th, 2009

  • Solano County
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      Water Temp: 45

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: sturgeon bite just got a lil better. started out fishing out at little cut during the incoming tide for about an hour and caught and released a 69 incher and had a few shaker stripers.just as the tide went slack i decided to fish the flats at grizzly island, had no success so i pulled up and went towards the mothball fleet in about 11 feet.just as the tide started going out i managed to land a 59 lb diamond back a about 15 anoying flounders and 2 schoolie stripers. all the fishes was caught on ghost and pile combo. great start hope yall do the same
      City: sacramento

      Tips: bring you heater

Monday, January 12th, 2009

  • Shasta County
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      Water Temp: 48

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Just spent the last two days fishing. Day 1, between two of us we caught 13 fish. All but two were on minnows. The other two were on a hula grub on a football head. Day 2, we caught 25 fish, All but 4 were on minnows again. The four were on sweet beavers. Tried spinner baits, senkos, flukes,and money minnow. They want the real thing right now, not rubber.
      City: Roigh and Ready, Ca

Sunday, January 11th, 2009

  • Shasta County
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      Water Temp: 46.5

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: 3 people in the boat. each caught 10. green or brown tubes. brown worked the best. we had to find the warmer water. all fish were in the 16-20 ft. range
      City: redding

Saturday, January 10th, 2009

  • Tuolumne County
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      Water Temp: 50

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: CBL- Christain Bass League had it first inagural bass tourney today. 12 teams fished, two with kids under 16. It looked like the fog would be gone by blast off, but thank God for a GPS. I was half way to Rogers when I wanted to go to Big Creek. The sun finally came out and it was a great day. Most of the field caught fish off the bank dragin a worm, drop shot, shakey head or the likes. My son caught the only keeper in our boat throwing a white rip bait. The Big fish was caught by Clayton, who is 14. The fish was 3.15#. Only one limit for 5+ #s. Our next tourney is on McClure. David 209-988-5818
      City: turlock

      Tips: Fish slow and throw the plastics mostly on steep sloaping points. Keep it on the bottom. Trout are fun to catch but don't help our sack.

  • Sacramento County
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      Water Temp: 49

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: On the H20 by 10 am with first fish a Smallie on drop shot Sxe shad 4" in 25ft about a pound or so.
      Moved up to south fork with my friend a caught a couple of nice 2.5 - 3.0 on swim baits later picked up a few more on jigs and swim baits. 7 fish total missed about 5 or 6 with largest pushing 3 pounds. Caught fish in 10 ft out to 30 feet.
      City: Lincoln

      Tips: time on the water means everything!

    • By

      Water Temp: 47

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Drag a Jig in 25-45 ft in the north fork and the main body early in the morning around small rock near deeper water. you can find 1 1/2 to 3.0 pounders.
      City: Rocklin

      Tips: get out early and stay warm

  • Shasta County
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      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Trolling up the McCloud Arm @ 3-4 mph. No luck with the Megabait minnow or Cripplelure. The Brass Kastmaster never fails, but a Krocodile Spoon Wobbler seemed to be the ticket, netting 7 good size salmon in a few hours.
      City: Redding

      Tips: They seem to still be hitting off the top.