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Northern California Lake Fishing Report

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Monday, May 14th, 2018

  • Lake County
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      Water Temp: 64-67

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Just spent five days on Clear Lake. Started out on Wednesday with a great bite on reaction bites when we found the baitfish schools being harassed by bass and Grebes. That bite held through Thursday, the first day of the big FLW tournament with about 200 boats. By Friday our average size on the reaction baits went from about over 3 pounds each to about 2 pounds. Saturday we did not get a reaction fish over 2 pounds. We saw many fish on beds both north and south but they were small bucks, and we were practicing for a high school tournament, so we left them alone. We don't know what the locals know about the secret places all the big fish go to spawn but we did find a couple of beds with fish over 4 pounds on them. We left them alone for game day. We did pick up a few better fish on deeper tules in practice but with the big tournament it was hard to fish anywhere that did not have boats all over it. On Gameday Sunday we ran south to the clearer water and got a quick limit of 1.5 pounders on the reaction bite then went back to Lakeport to find our bed fish. Incredibly, they were still there. I would like to say we hauled those big girls in and really culled up but that did not happen. My anglers could not get them to go and when they did get one big girl, on a whacky senko, she ran off pulling drag and got off before we could turn the boat around and get after her. We culled up a couple fish and almost made 10 pounds. From Wednesday to Sunday we went from 16 pound limits to 10.

      Tips: There are still a lot of beds out there but if you can find the baitfish being pounded, the reaction bite can be really fun.

Saturday, May 12th, 2018

  • Solano County
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      Water Temp: 69

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: With outgoing tide in progress early on, decided to sleep in and miss the early ramp rush; got there around 730am and great, only one other boat launching. Went straight to White Slough and into a cut to stay away from the wind. Tide was outgoing but not bottomed out so started throwing topwater; brother stayed with topwater and I went to a Bomber Long A... jerk jerk long pause. Picked up a few 12"-14"ers. Decided to try some plastics but no takers, bottom or dropshot. Went back to jerkbait but with the tide much lower, went to a Rapala Ripstop; it's 3.5" and shallow diver to keep me out of the weeds. Jerk jerk long long pause, up to 20secs. Another few 12"-13" and then a couple 2lbers when I paused almost 30 secs. Brother was still trying topwater after a few blowups but nothing on the hookset. He then went to jig, chatterbait, dropshot, wacky senko, zip, zero. We went up and down the cut, power poling to work an area every 25-50 yds or so. I would try a lipless suspending crankbait but zip on that. Went back to my jerkbait, this time Rapala Shadow Rap in Albino Shiner. Pow, 2.5lber. My brother finally switches to a Rattlin' Rogue and bam, 2lber. 2 casts later, bam, he gets another almost 2lber...heavy 1 lber if it wasn't 2. I decided to throw one more time and after a couple jerks, i turned and got into some chat with big bro. About a minute or so while still chattin', bam, got a hit that almost took my rod out of my hand, my brother saw the hit before i felt it, watched my rod tip just bend away. Turned out to be a 3lber. Decent day, though I wish the crank bite would take off!

      Tips: Never really ever feel qualified to give tips but what seemed to work for me was forcing myself to lighten my jerks and long long pauses between them... initially 9 secs then went to anywhere from 9 - 20 then 30 secs. That last one hit after at least a minute, possibly almost 2 mins. At least one of the 2lbers had fat belly and the rest appeared to be strong but slender.

Friday, May 11th, 2018

  • Napa County
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      Water Temp: 68-73

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Had a wonderful trip with a client new to our state. He wanted to learn about Berryessa, and learn he did! And catch bass he did!! He caught around 20 or so - all 3 species. Again, not as many smallmouth this trip, but our biggest of the day was his 3 lb + smallie, They sure are skinny after they spawn! But fight - wow!! There were no "hot spots" - bass were scattered everywhere. Some off-shore structure I showed him was devoid of bass, most of the active bass we found were off steep banks. Shade helped. Nothing much deeper than 20 feet. While he was slaying them on Robo worms, I tried some beaver baits and other plastics to no avail. The worm bite was on. We didn't start early enough to try topwater. MM111 was the best color worm, but a few others worked some too.

      Tips: This is a great time to teach children to bass fish! The bass will hit almost anything and can be found almost anywhere. They will suspend in the shade pockets as they recover from the spawn. Yesterday I really saw the results of the excellent largemouth spawn last year during the high water. We caught many, many largemouth from just under to just over keeper size. This has gone on for several trips. Future looks good. The only problem down the road - and it will be a problem for largemouth - is all the hundreds of bass released near the backs of Markley and Pleasure Coves. I never hear anyone talk about that. Some of us already see the problem at Clear Lake. The casino released bass already have their own zip code.

  • Solano County
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      Report: Delta Report…. Great Month for #FishOakley as Anglers

      Dan’s Delta Outdoors Team event #4 is This weekend and Pro Am #4 (May 19th) at Big Break Marina. Pre Registration available NOW at Dan’s Delta Outdoors. Each team member that comes in early to register will be given a raffle ticket for a 50.00 Dan’s Delta gift certificate.

      Isleton Striper Trolling and plug casting has stayed fair the last few days. Dirty “D” is a bit Windy this 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- WINDY, but forecast to improve later this weekend. 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 Angry Eyes baits in bright colors 8 to 10 foot deep is key as the spring push continues. The Dirty “D” is clearing its name and conditions are improving for Black Bass in the area. Spinnerbaits and Fizzle jigs are working in the Hog Area. Bank anglers tossing shad and Sardines 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 Strike King Blade minnows paired with Fatsack Swim Jigs. Wind and overcast this weekend slow rolling Fatsack Tackle blades and Strike King square bills searching ledges near sparse tulle flats. 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 week, we got a third round of winds. Black bass bite is at a consistent tougher than normal bite. Hematoma Beavers on over cast days also working well. We are seeing a few big Black Bass with ¾ ounce Jigs. Others looking to score are starting to crank DDO Customs and Pranks are solid options.

      West Delta Bundle up and braving the wind is worth trying. The stripers are here Lug Worms, anchovies and sardines in many areas for bank anglers, Antioch Pier and along Sherman Island rd. Stripes to 28 pounds have grabbed baits . 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.

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

    • By

      Report: by Wsc » Fri May 11, 2018 9:20 am

      I hit the delta in the morning out of Russo’s at 6:30 am. Wind was picking up around Franks so I headed SE to connection slough and found calm conditions. My go to bait in the past has been a rage craw but this season it has been ignored. Brush hogs have been getting hit for me. Picked up 5 fish. The first went over 7lbs. She pulled the boat toward some rip rap (18 ft. Lund) before I pulled her out. The fish seem a little spooked this season and require more patience on the retrieve. Maybe due to pressure and the presence of sea lions moving deeper into the delta. Wondering if others are experiencing the same thing?

  • Lake County
    • By

      Water Temp: 62+

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: This is not a real report, but just a reminder how the bite can change at Clear Lake. I did a guide trip last Thurs with 2 good anglers and found the lake to be calm and nearly empty as it was off-limits for the upcoming big tournament. The bite was terrible, though they did catch a few 3 pounders. I guided another angler during the tournaments (yes, more than one tournament!) on Saturday - what a zoo! Over 200 boats! However the bite was much better!! I caught a 5 pounder on the side of a tulle patch that had just been fished by 2 boats. Only had one tourney angler nearly run me over. Our best five was about 13-14 lbs, caught mostly on weightless Senkos.

      Tips: No tips since this is a late report.

  • Shasta County
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      Water Temp: 66 - 71

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Close to 20 of us gathered on two house boats on the pit arm for a great time. 9 boats and a daily weight in had most bringing 8 to 10 lbs each day to the scales. 100 plus spots and small mouth caught each day. early am and pm top water was off the hook. drop shot, keitech, wacky, cranks, poppers and many others were our go too's.

Tuesday, May 8th, 2018

  • Solano County
    • By

      Water Temp: Water Temp 68 – 71 Degrees

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: by AKBASSFISHING » Tue May 08, 2018 7:09 pm

      California Delta 5/8/18
      Water Temp 68 – 71 Degrees
      Visibility 1 – 4 Feet
      Wind 10 - 20 mph

      Put in at around 8:30 in the morning. Conditions were calm, but the wind was forecast to blow (and that it did).

      With the tide still fairly low, we tried our luck at punching. The first few spots only yielded a few bumps, but no takers. As the wind started to pick up, so did the bite. I was initially using a ¾ oz tungsten to get through the mats, but the mats were much thicker. My father who was using a 1.5 oz tungsten had a much easier time getting through and getting more bites. I switched over, and managed to finally stick a few fatties.

      With the wind getting stronger, we moved over to some rocks and had some good luck on craw pattern cranks. All 1 to 2 pound fish, but surprisingly fat and healthy looking fish.

      By noon, with sun high in the sky, the wind blowing hard, and the fish in a negative mood, it was hard to get bit. Then our luck changed.

      Attempting to hide from the wind, we tucked up in a shallow cove. I punched for a bit, but had no takers. Then I noticed a large female sunning herself. I switched to my glide bait (one that I recently painted) and cast past her position. I retrieved the bait to her position and killed it. Her fins flared and she inhaled the bait. I set hook and had her on for about ten seconds, before she came off. Disappointed, we continued down the bank, but I had a nagging feeling that I should return. So I did, and cast in the same exact spot. BOOM! Fish on again! It was her, but this time she was hooked good. We got her in the boat, took a few pics, got a weight (7.2 lb), and let her go.

      With the wind howling now, we called it quits.

      Tips: Notes
      Punching, and cranks got the majority of our fish today.

      As for the glide bait, straight retrieves will get you tons of followers (although some will eat it like that). If you want to cut down on followers, vary the retrieve. The one that works the best for me, is a steady retrieve, pause, and then two small rod twitches. Repeat until you are finished with your cast.

  • Butte County
    • By

      Water Temp: 67.7 to 68.6 degrees, elevation 824.11

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Short trip today, as the wife needs taken in for a blood draw, so only fished till 9am. Seemed slow bite for some reason, not nearly as good as last week. Tried a tad of crappie fishing with a marabou jig, and to my surprise, got one in 22 feet of water. Should have fished longer for them, but bass were calling me. Got one decent crappie is all, forgot to measure, but 15-16" is my guess. Think I'll devote my first hour to these slabs, and learn how it goes on this lake. Caught 19 fish this am, best spot right at 15", most the basic 13-13 1/2" and yes 2-3 dinks in the 10-12" size. See lots of dinks hanging around the shore line, 10 feet or so. Pictures in fishing forum.

Sunday, May 6th, 2018

  • Tuolumne County
    • By

      Water Temp: 65 to 70 F

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Headed out to New Melones Lake today with Moo Lee from MooMoo Outdoors and Josh Parris. Josh is a well-known stick on the Motherlode Lakes and he decided to accept the challenge to swap out his Nitro for a Hobie and fish out of a kayak today on his home lake. The fish were shallow in about 15 feet of water. We found a ton of fish on beds and got a ton of bites! We focused our efforts in the Glory Hole Marina and Carson Creek areas.
      On the water: 7:00 AM
      Off the water: 3:00 PM
      Air Temp:
      High: 79
      Low: 47
      Water Temp: 65 to 70 F
      Wind: Weather report said NW at 5 mph (It was blowing at least 15 mph when we launched, it settled dow mid-day and then picked up again in the afternoon)
      Water Clarity: Clear (10 plus feet visibility)
      Sky: Partly cloudy
      Barometric Pressure: 30.0 inHg
      Fish Activity: High

      Tips: The shaky head and ned rig were the ticket today. Fishing them slow in the 10 to 20 foot range yielded the best results. Main lake pockets with sun at our back was the best bite.

      Report submitted by Motherlode Kayak Angler Kayak Bass Guide Service (209) 230-3159

Saturday, May 5th, 2018

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 68.5

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: This past weekend was great fishing! We caught two and three pound bass all over the lake. I was fishing with my buddy Albert. We were using crank baits in about fifteen to twenty-two feet of water when I got a big bite and I asked Albert to reel it in for me. It was a 5.5 lbs largemouth bass (see photo). We were happy thinking that was our big one for the day boy were we wrong. We continued fishing and again I got a huge hit and Albert started to reel it in and at some point he said he was stuck so I took over and knew as soon as I started reeling that this was going to be a big fish. Sure enough it was a whopper weighing in at just over 12 lbs (see photo). The day ended on a high note with two very happy fisherman. The following morning I took out Marcus and Hognoon. I showed them the pictures of the bass we caught the day before. They were all hyped up and raring to get started. They asked for a tour of the spots l felt were most productive so we did that for awhile and caught a lot of two and three pounders hoping to repeat yesterday's catch. We fished in shallow water with shrubs all over able to see the fish cruising. At the end of the day they had a nice limit of bass (see photo).
      If you would like to see the pictures please email me at bestguide@hotmail.com
      'til next time........................................good fishing!!!!!!!!!!!!
      https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=www.fishingconnection.net&data=02%7C01%7C%7C7d4a9152bc1444903a6708d5b69bdf3e%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636615702931482661&sdata=69Sa5Jd1s3eQFP6H%2Btdw3RS3XvPvYH8G40mma13dZ68%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: knowing where the fish should be is a good way to start, a very few fish still on beds ,the water is still a little high to find my stumps in the vinyards, the next spawn should be may 25 to june 3rd full moon may 29th.call if you have any fishing related questions.

  • Yuba County
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      Water Temp: 64-67

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Not to many days where the breeze never picks up, but this was one of them. Overcast most of day. Excellent bite till about 1:30. Then it slowed down considerably. Most fish came out of around 15 feet. 4 pounder off a big boulder in about 5 feet. 44 fish in the 12-15 inch range. At least that many smaller than 12. Wife put around 20 in the boat. A nice 3 pounder was her reward for sight fishing a huge hollowed out stump that had a bed in it.

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

      Report: My son wanted to go fishing but he just had knee surgery so I didn't trust him on a boat. Took my two teenage sons fishing from shore for about 3 hours in the afternoon, keeping company with the folks fishing for trout. Caught 7-8 fish each, mostly spots, one largemouth and a few smallies. Most were smaller, largest around 2 lbs but the kids had fun. Only had bites on dropshot with roboworm. Didn't see anyone catch any trout.

Friday, May 4th, 2018

    • By

      Report: Caught lots of small bass! Caught one 3 pounder and a NICE 5.49 pounder!!!

  • Solano County
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      Water Temp: ??

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: I launched at Tracy Oasis and fished grant line canal all day. Looking for that honey hole no one knows about, because no one usually fishes the long stretch of this canal from the bridge to old river. Why I never see anglers pitching the banks here? I'm beginning to realize. I've fished this canal for a few years and have only pulled a few fish out of it. Today though, the water was like chocolate milk. I left my ff at home so I don't know the temp. I mixed up my techniques trying to find what worked with the only clue being a buzz-bait swell-up @ the edges of hydrilla. I stuck with the buzzer for a good long while and no more takers. The hydrilla was green, which is a good sign of filtration and oxygen. Threw a black and tan frog over some snot and hydrilla patches, nothing. Bluegill pattern chatter bait on the inside weed-line/rip rap at high tide, nothing. Deep chartreuse crank-bait down the middle of the canal for awhile, nothing. This is a long stretch canal with (4) banks, I primarily fished from the launch ramp and went west until I hit the second switchback. My experiences on the delta this Spring has been a heavier stained clarity level than usual. I'm wondering if bass move further than I once thought they did (+-30 yards a day) to completely relocate when spawning or the clarity chokes them out. I don't know. I tried!

Thursday, May 3rd, 2018

  • Butte County
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      Water Temp: 61

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Fished the area near the houseboats ---walls, inside and outside the bridge and then across the lake towards the dam where there are floating camp sites --looking for a place out of the wind. Caught 15, all small running about 12". Talked with a park ranger and he said people were reporting small fish. Tom Growall did much better but I notice the water temperature on the part of the lake he fishes was a little warmer...but Tom is a good fisherman and he knows this lake. It was my first outing at Oroville this year. Caught mine away from the bank on a chartreuse grub and drop shotting. It is such a magnificent lake but how the wind can seemingly blow from 360 degrees!

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2018

  • Butte County
    • By

      Report: by Joe daddy » Wed May 02, 2018 2:46 pm

      Found 66 degrees by 2:00pm. Over 20 fish a piece. Broke my old nasty line,(hook tie) on possible lunky.

    • By

      Water Temp: 63.8, elevation 821.87

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Got an early launch at 5.50 am, stopped fishing right at 9:50 am as the breeze began to pick up. Windy city on the water today, calmed about 9am for about an hour, then back breezy at 10 am. Water 63.8 as a high, and fish willing to bite. Picked up 28 spots, 3-4 dinks 10-11", but managed to get a nice 15 3/4" and 2 14", with all the rest basic 13-13 1/2" About 1/3 of the fish taken on the fall, rest finesse Carolina rig. Fish are schooling a little, so catch one, work the same location as more then likely more fishing waiting to bite. Water beginning to clear up a tad, much better then last week. Released all fish to grow bigger and catch again one day. Pictures in fishing forum.

Tuesday, May 1st, 2018

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

      Report: Fished this morning for 3 hours with a friend who is a good companion but a novice to bass fishing. Caught 8 smallish bass and noticed no particular pattern. Had three others come loose. Did not fish the trees because of my friend. All were caught dart heading/grub or on a Rapala SR5 Shad. Pretty morning till the wind came up. Not much boat traffic up the North Arm.

      Folsom gets so much pressure...

Monday, April 30th, 2018

  • Solano County
    • By

      Report: 2nd Basshole » Mon Apr 30, 2018 7:28 am

      Launched out of rivers end, around 6:15, headed towards Victoria slough to get to the backside of Coney Island to a big flat. Started on the outside edge around the opening into the flat with a Plopper Flopper. With no takers picked up my Snag proof root beer brown frog, and on the 3rd cast, had a taker 2.5 lbs. That was it as the tide slacked! Did have an otter come out to play with my frog, and I had to jerk it away multiple times. Someone must have been feeding it, for it seemed friendly or over curious. I played around the area and found fish on the graph but nothing could entice. I headed over to where Italian slough hits old river, a big flat area (Widdows Isalnd). Started on the outside, near the opening, threw all my typical plastics with no takers. I decided to switch to a crank bait (Storm wiggle wart V37 craw color) and threw into the opening, bam 4 fish in 4 cast, biggest two around 2lbs. I knew I was on to something, then a boat wanted to pass through the opening, so I waived him by. I stepped back on the trolling motor pedal and nothing. After checking fuses and breakers, I realized my day was done at 10:00 and headed back to the marina. I felt good that I was able to find something they would bite on and to get a frog fish in April was my highlight of the morning.
      Thanks Western Bass for I found a killer deal on a replacement trolling motor in the classifieds, and am ready to go on my next adventure.
      Dennis