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Northern California Lake Fishing Report

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Monday, December 29th, 2008

  • Amador County
    • By

      Water Temp: 49 - 51

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Bite was tough for us today. Only boated 2-3 fish each. All were keepers in the 1lb. to 2lb. range, and all were caught on plastics in 10' to 25' of water. Water is lower than I have ever seen it.
      City: Modesto

      Tips: Watch your graph, when you find them fish slow with plastics, jigs, and spoons.

  • Ventura County
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      Water Temp: 58-61

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Fishing has been tough as nothing has been working consistently. Able to scratch out some 2-4lbs around the schools of shad on ice jigs and headspinners. Had 2 swimbait fished hooked yesterday and lost both, saw one and he looked in the 4lb range. Both fish were hooked in the first 15 casts then not even a follower after 7:30. I managed to snag a few shad on my ice jig through the nose so i put them on for bait and did get a 8lb, long and skinny. Nice day on the lake weather was too good.
      City: ventura

      Tips: Fish the shad balls the bass are near, but hope they want to eat what u have. I keep changing baits until they find something to their liking. Good luck

    • By

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Actually, it is not totally illegal. You can IF you use bait fish from the lake.

      There are a TON of shad in that lake and every summer they gather around all of the docks to spawn and are fairly easy to catch with a minnow trap or butterfly net. You can not use cast nets but they aren't necessary any way.

      They also gather around the bubblers in the summer ...
      City: New Orleans / Pittsburg

Sunday, December 28th, 2008

  • Mason County
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      Water Temp: 53-54

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Only caught 2 dinks all day. One on a shakey head, the other dropshotting, both RoboWorm Aaron's Magic 35' off of a point. Only 5 or six boats on the Lake.

      On the way back from the bridge a spotted a guy on a point trying to recover something from the water with a long stick. Motored over to him and saw that he was standing in his boxers with his clothes drying on the rocks beside him. I asked him if he need any help. In a Russian accent he said that a big fish had pulled his rod and reel into the lake. Asked him what he was fishing for and he said he was using corn for Carp. So I started casting across the point and dragging a spoon along the bottom. Snagged some 30# Stren and started pulling it in.

      Sure enough, at one end was a 15# Carp and on the other was an Abu Garcia spinning rod and reel. He offered me the carp but I declined. Gave the whole mess back and had him take a picture of me holding the Carp. My biggest catch of the day.
      City: Monterey

      Tips: Carp like corn ;)

  • Napa County
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      Water Temp: 52-54

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Fished by myself today my boys were sick and I had a new pole to break in. Checked the water temp first and found it to be 52 so I thought crank bite. Cranked for 1 1/2 hours with out a bite noticed that the fish were pinned to the bottom in 25-40 feet. Switched to a jig and had a fish in 5 min. Stayed with the jig and picked up 4 more all in the 2lb range plus a small mouth spot cross that was 4.25lbs. Picked up a few on drop shot and brushhog. All the fish were nice sized running 2 to the 4.25 pounder. Around 9 fish total 5 best at 13lbs.
      City: Vacaville

      Tips: Most of the jig fish picked up the bait and ran at the boat so reel up until you feel the fish before setting the hook. Fish slow.

  • Lake County
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      Water Temp: 45.6-47.1

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Lets say the bite isn't red hot, but we boated 30+ fish today to 4.5lbs using Jumbos. Fished from 8-4 in the south end of the lake (15-30' depths). If you want to take someone over just for some fun without working your tail off for a couple of bites on artificials, pick up some Jumbo Minnows and hang on.
      City: Yuba City

      Tips: The water is cold, let the fish run with the bait before putting the hammer to them. For you purists out there... Don't knock it till you try it :)

  • Sacramento County
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      Water Temp: 51 degrees Sout

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: No takers on reaction baits. Went up s. fork caught all spots 2-3 lbs in no deeper than 5 feet. All on plastics. A lot of algae.
      City: sac

      Tips: majority of fish are holding no shallower than 70 ft up river. That will change as the days get shorter.

    • By

      Water Temp: 45

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Decided to get out on the lake and see if these rains helped. The lake is up and looking pretty good. Much easier to launch now. Its still very clear and the bite sucks, period!!! What happened to a few months ago when I was catching dinks all day long??? Would have jumped for joy if I had even one today. I'm not even graphing fish now. This happened last year and finally it broke open. I would suggest Sonoma or Clear Lake if you want fish. Seemed like ever cast I had some kind of slime on my lure, not much fun.
      City: Santa Rosa

      Tips: Wait for more rain. The rain helped but this lake is in a dead mode. I wouldn't waste my time until after the New Year.

Saturday, December 27th, 2008

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

      Report: fished franks tract today only caught 1 fish and it was a nice one. the rip bait/reaction bite is all i can get going lately. no takers on the jig or drop shot. is anybody catching jig fish? if so how? white jigs (shad patern) or standard brown or black?
      City: bethel isl

    • By

      Water Temp: 45

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Launched out of Paradise. Partly cloudy with slight breeze. Fished outside weedlines in 10 feet of water with a Lucky Craft suspending Pointer all day. Caught clone 1 and 3/4 lb bass with the bait just suspending there on the weedline. You just see the line swim away during the pause... Water cold and clear, even after the recent rains.
      City: Manteca

      Tips: Bites are few are far between. Sharpen those hooks! All fish were barely hooked, didn't need the pliers at all!

  • Nevada County
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      Water Temp: 45

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: I think the falling snow killed the bite, My friend Don And I worked our butts off for two fish that came on jigs. One of them in 35 ft. the other in about 12
      City: auburn

  • Mariposa County
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      Water Temp: 54~55

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Bass on rocks, in the river, in the creeks, basically everywhere ... key depth is 15'. That's the depth where the bait were today.

      However, if you REALLY want to have some fun. The trout action is OUTSTANDING. I caught a limit in 1/2 hour on a small ripbait (~10' diver). Couldn't catch any bass on it, but the trout was all over it.
      City: San Jose

      Tips: Get a limit of trout for dinner and go catch a bunch of bass. Overs are tough to get though! :(

Friday, December 26th, 2008

  • Lake County
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      Water Temp: 47

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Beat my brains out for bites from 11am till 5pm.Fished from Jago to Konocti and points nearby.Headed back, hit pump-house skuned!!! and finally No-Name Reef.Stuck one on the spro lippless<(4 lbs)and two shakin the Mavrick worms,One 4.5 and one 6 on the dot!!!!!Seventh stop and it was yards from the boat-lift!!!F@#$K
      City: lower lake

      Tips: Dunk Shiners if You want to catch a-lot-o-fish!

  • Sacramento County
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      Water Temp: 49

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Launched out of Granite Bay ( Very easy just single boat launch ) Went to south fork first thing and nothing water temp back there was 45 degrees. Came back out on the main body and found bait fish in 20-25 ft of water and drop shot a sexy shad worm. Ended the day with 6 and my two friends each had a fish a piece. Biggest was a couple of pounds.
      City: Antelope

      Tips: Find the bait and slow shake the worm and wait for the tick.

Thursday, December 25th, 2008

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

      Report: Hey Vern I though the ramps were out of the water. And I though Jimbo was strange. With that I say......... Merry Xmas to all the Folsom Dudes.
      City: Granite bay

Wednesday, December 24th, 2008

  • Leon County
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      Water Temp: 48

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Amar, all you've got to bring is some gear for drop shotting/shaky head jigs, and some wacky rigged senkos( i prefer greens here). Robo worms for dropshot and your favorite shakyhead worms. The fish here are real finicky about what color they want and presentation speed, so switch it up. Other stuff works to but for numbers this is the way to go. Well as for right now the fishing is dead, I went to try some deep jigging for a few hours but no takers, too cold. And to top it off nobody on the lake could get a trout to hit for anything.
      City: Benicia

      Tips: Fishing really isn't that great right now for bass, but in spring when the water is around 67 degrees and your timing's right it can be ridiculous here. just don't get used to it. My best day last year was around 23 or so bass over 3lbs biggest of the day coming in at little over 8. It would have been something like double that but I ran out of all my greenish colored senkos and all I had left was flouresent pink. I have never seen a day like that at this lake and I fish here since before I could hold my own pole.

    • By

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Thanks Troutman and Burben. I'm probably gonna head out there this weekend. I'll make sure to get there early so I can get on the dock.
      City: Fremont

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008

  • Napa County
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      Water Temp: 55

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Fished south end of the main lake, north end of the narrows, and Big Island area. The water is extremely clear. No muddy runoff yet. Me and my partner fished from 1030 AM to 130 PM. Caught 4 Spots to 1-1/2 lbs. on jigs and shakey head worms.
      City: Fairfield

      Tips: Fish slow. Pressure bites.

  • Lake County
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      Water Temp: 49

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Went out from 8-12 threw swimbaits the whole time ended up with one for 6.4 Best christmas present I could've asked for!
      City: Clear lake Oaks

      Tips: put in work and hope for the best...watch out for rocks and Merry Christmas!

  • Alameda County
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      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: I came here around 3:30 after fishin at shadow cliffs for a couple hours and catchin a 4lb trout in the first 10 minutes and then nothin after that. We fished the south end and I caught 9 trout and my buddy caught 2. They were hittin on pretty much everything i threw at them-spoons, inline spinners, small crankbaits, floating rapalas. It was gettin bite after bite for almost an hour then it died down around 5pm.
      City: Fremont

      Tips: Most of the trout they plant will stay in or near the south end most of the winter for fear of the stripers in the deeper parts of the lake.