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Northern California Lake Fishing Report

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Monday, February 11th, 2008

  • Alameda County
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      Water Temp: 48-50

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: trolled the whole lake with flashers and rapala's and multicolored spoons. not one bite. very frustrating. went out to weeks ago and limited out in a couple of hours. the rains and water level have put a damper on the lake for the time being. However, some guy out there caught a 9 pounder on an orange rapala trolling on the surface. this thing was huge. some guys caught a couple on power bait on the eastern bay shore by the damn. good luck.
      City: Livermore

    • By

      Water Temp: 50+

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Took off Monday and it was well worth it!!! The lake is still very muddy but it has warmed up. I'm finally starting to see a lot of fish on the fishfinder. Most are sitting at the 8-10 ft depth.

      I fished the Northeastern part of the lake and didn't have one bite. I then trolled over to the stream entrance on the Southeast end of the lake. Some great cover for the bass since the lake level went up!!!! This area was unaccessible last summer.

      I threw a green tiger crankbait that runs around 6' deep. After tossing it about 12 times, I ran the plug right next to a sunken tree and that was the one!!! Finally a 4+ pound largemouth!!! I pulled her into the boat, took out the plug and then let her go for someone else to have the same excitement I had.

      This lake is starting to show some promise. I think once the lake clears up and the weather warms up, that this could be a fun lake. Only caution to people is that if you want to catch a lot of bass, this isn't the lake. I would suggest moving up to Lake Sonoma or Clear Lake. This is a really small lake but since its in my backyard I can't complain but you need a lot of patience.
      City: Santa Rosa

      Tips: I find the bite best in the morning (7-10am). Change things up, try different lures. I feel the brighter colors work best unless your using Senkos, the darker colors seem to work best at this time. The smelly jelly always seems to help with the bite.

Sunday, February 10th, 2008

  • Amador County
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      Water Temp: 45-49

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Dead Sea
      City: Cameron Park

  • Napa County
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      Water Temp: COLD

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Took the kids out for a early spring wakeboard trip. Beautiful day, sunny and almost no wind. Brought a couple rods and tried a few spots. Flat on east side in 15ft no takers on a bottom walker and none for my son on his drop shot. Tried a couple points as well with no luck. 30+ boats out of Capel. Those I talked to said it was tough. Water is clearer south than north and creeks cloudy. Should improve as water warms. Nice guy in a ranger said he managed a couple spots. Had fun with new toy, fishing camera, fun to look at what's really down there, grass everywhere, rocks, holes, etc.
      City: Pacifica

      Tips: Fishing out of a 23 foot Sanger is a challenge, looking forward to next time with the right boat!

    • By

      Water Temp: 49-53

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Spent a gorgeous day on the lake with my Pops, unfortunately, the bite was tough as nails. Lauched out of Markley at about 7:45 and ran a short way in the narrows. Dad started the day off right with a fat 2# spot on his third cast with a green pumpkin Hula Grub on a 3/8 oz. head. The bite slowed from there so we made our way out to the main lake. About 10:00 I found a real nice channel swing that clipped a large flat immediately adjacent to a major point. The flat came out about 50 yards off the bank before dropping from ~ 12' to 35' of water. Of the 10 bites we had this day, 7 came from this channel drop. Dad missed 2 on the same Hula Grub, I caught 2 on a 1/8 oz. darthead with a 4.5" Prism Craw Roboworm, 2 more on a dropshot 6" Lavender Shad worm from Ultimate Baits, and I missed another shaking a 6" Oxblood w/ red flake Roboworm. All that action took place in about 45 minutes from an area approx. 20 X 20 yards square. After that, we just ran points and channel drops for 2 more fish, each on the darthead/Prism Craw combo. Tough, tough day, but the weather sure was pretty!
      City: Elk Grove

      Tips: Final tally was 7 keepers - 5 spots, 1 smallie and 1 smot (smallie/spot cross). Best five may have gone 8-9# (first spot and smallie were each ~ 2# fish; other fish up to 1.5#). We found one concentration of fish, other than that it was no more than one bite per stop. Also threw cranks, ripbait, spinnerbait and swimbait with no takers.

    • By

      Water Temp: 52.4

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Beautiful day on the lake. Temp was in the mid 60's, light winds. Got kind of a late start due to some trailer light problems and hit the lake around 8am out of Capells. Got a nice 1 1/2 smallie on the 3rd cast on the west rockwall at the entrance to the narrows on a black and brown jig with a twin tailed grub for a trailer. Fish hit that bait hard. After that the bite completely died for us. Graphed tons of fish and bait balls all over the lake in 15 to 20 feet, but could not entice them to save out souls.
      City: Vallejo

    • By

      Water Temp: 48-49.5

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Another rough day, got schooled by the back seater today, he caught one on 1/2 ounce blue and black jig first thing, and one ona 6" warmouth robo worm dropshotting later that afternoon. Needless to say he is a bank fisherman now. I fished a brown and purple 3/4 ounce jig all day.
      City: Lincoln

      Tips: need some blanked last two trips.

  • Lake County
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      Water Temp: 41

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Great advise D.B. and thanks for the info. I did fish a black/blue 1 ton but I was using the rod. I will try your suggestions next time things get tough. Tight lines!
      City: Nice

      Tips: Fish with D.B. ;-)

    • By

      Water Temp: 45-50

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Fished mid-lake today for 3 hours. Man it was beautiful out there. Unfortunately the fish were still hunkered down and tight lipped. We got bit 3 times and got one ice cold fish in the boat. We got bit on the drop and black and blue jig. The fish we landed was taken with the jig. Glad to see the lake level has risen nicely, just about a full pond. Couple more weeks of nice weather and this place should catch fire.
      City: Petaluma, CA

    • By

      Water Temp: 41?

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Hey Kasezilla, it seems like there is a better bite in the south end of the lake right now from what I've heard. Jigs extremely slow in about 15 to 20 feet on rockpiles. Also the tube is deadly. The bites are coming later in the day. From your report I just read, it sounds like you're fishing way too fast and checking too many areas with too many baits. Just an opinion. Fish a jig all day and see what happens.
      City: Petaluma

      Tips: Try a 3/4oz football(Skinny Bear) jig or a 1/2 oz weapon jig and use a yamamoto 5 inch grub as a trailer. Brown and orange barbwire skirt with the 180 color grub or black/blue skirt with the 214 color grub. Trim your skirt up to the hook. Fish extremely slow and finish your retrieve all the way back until under the boat. I get a lot of bites under the boat. Don't move your rod at all. Just use the reel to move your jig. Crawl it back on the bottom all the way. It's a tough way to fish, but it gets me bites when times are tough. Same thing for tubes. Black/blue and watermelon with red and purple flake.

  • Yuba County
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      Water Temp: 40-43

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: started fishing around 11:30 today fished just about every depth i could think of with no takers until about 2:30 then in about 27 feet of water caught a nice 2.5lbs largemouth on a marg mutilator on a shakey head just draging very slowly then at about 3:15 caught a 3.5LBS spot on a hud in about 16 feet of water near the launch ramp since they just stocked on the 8th it seemed like the thing to try and it was at about 4:00 i caught a 5.0LBS spot on a hud near a flat on the west bank in 12 feet of water.
      City: grass valley

      Tips: when the going gets tough relax and enjoy the weather then throw what you have been wanting to try you may not build confidence but then again you just might. other than that i didnt figure to much out but had fun catching big fish on a bait i had'nt caught anything on until today.

    • By

      Water Temp: 50

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: I have been hammering this lake pretty much every day. I have yet to catch a bass, but I know it will be soon. The water is not as clear as its normal , but its clearing up. Still pretty cold. I am getting sick of these powerbait fisherman with their sea rods, and 5 pound weights out there, jeez. Trying to make a good presentation , when all of a sudden a huge weight and gob of powerbait comes crashing down to the water. Trout fishing is alright, it isnt as good as it usually is for me though. Picked a couple up off slow crawling some nightcrawlers, and rattletraps. I have been trying dropshotting, with no luck. Had bites, but no hook ups. Any one that wants to meet up at contra loma, let me know. I am looking for a fishing partner. I live only 5 minutes from contra loma.
      City: antioch

      Tips: GO SLOW

  • Amador County
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      Water Temp: 48-53

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Heard great things and fished hard from 9-3. Caught a trout to salvage a eventless fishing trip. I fished points up the arm,by the launch area,and the main body mostly. I worked jigs,dragged worms and craws,and swim baits.Not a bite anywhere!!!!! Ouchhhhhh! Others said the same at the ramp as well. Give it another week or two of warm weather and it should turn it on!!! I did mark only 10-20 fish all out in 31-36 ft off of points!
      City: elk grove

      Tips: Go anywhere else until water temp increases a few degrees!!!!!!

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

      Report: Well first time here since my last report.Got a late start about 9:30 lake was like glass when I arrived and stayed like that all day.First started along the rock's where there's water on both side's of the Highway and threw Rat-L-Trap and jerkbait nothing.Then I ran back over and fished where I useually fish below the windmill's.Fished about a half hour and finally picked one up four pound's.Fished until 4:00pm and cought 8 fish all the same size 4-5 pound's all on Ghost pattern Husky Jerk.Lost two on Rat-L-Trap.
      City: Salinas

      Tips: All the fish this time came on point's no other type area's produced.Also use as light of line as you can I use 10lb floro nothing bigger as this water is very clear.good luck and just stick with it right now.I would catch one about ever half hour or more

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

      Report: thew road into packers has been cleared of snow and downed trees, maybe shasta rec can do what they are supposed to do and put the other dock segment in at the ramp
      City: Shast Lake City

  • Sonoma County
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      Water Temp: 47-53

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: ABA tournament was won today in the back of Warm Springs. Jigs, brushhogs, worms. I think they had 21lbs. Warm Springs is fishing so much better now, because they are pulling so much water out and the Warm Springs side is least affected(more stable) when they do this. Dry Creek arm fish are more affected(unstable) and suspend and are harder to catch.
      City: Petaluma

      Tips: Fish the Warm Springs for a better chance of catching fish right now. Still gotta fish slow, but try blades when the morning starts to warm up.

    • By

      Water Temp: 49

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: big crappie is on photo page now.
      sorry i didnt take picture of 5+lb bass.
      City: santa rosa

      Tips: large plastics/swimbaits(6-12" trout/minnow)

      fish slow.

    • By

      Water Temp: 47-49

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Well I started off at the main parking area with my fish cat. Threw a rip bait shad pattern to test out my old loomis out, but no takers. I knew if the fish were going to bite it would have to be plastics. I practically fished the channel all the way to the north end near the damn with many different booyah jigs, no takers. At one point near the point break where all the beds are I had one quick bite and missed him.

      Then I fished at my spot near a big section of just beds between two tule sections in 9-12 feet of water and started throwing a senko. I worked it in different ways but the best way is to texas rigg weightless style it. JUST DEADSTICKING IT for 10-15 seconds after every fall I caught this amazing fighting 5+lbs LRG BASS. too bad i different bring a camera...but after that I was satisfied and started trying to find different fishing holes. About 15-20 yards from that spot I got a tap tap and decided then it was time to set the hook. I CAUGHT A 2-3lb CRAPPIE...had to be 13-14 inches. I thought it was another bass but smaller. I took a picture of that but ill get that picture up later.
      City: santa rosa

      Tips: work your big plastics in 8-15 feet of water and just deadstick after the fall of the plastic. maybe even a 6 inch swimbait will work if you work it very very very slowly.

      THERE ARE BIG ONES OUT THERE. THROW BIG STUFF.

      email me at domdoan@hotmail.com if you want join belly boating. or provide me with a backseat=)

Saturday, February 9th, 2008

  • Napa County
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      Water Temp: 48 to 51

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: first time out this year. Beautiful day. I found five nice spotted bass all around three pounds on a steep bank in the narrows. My buddy Doug fishing with me did not get a fish. The fish were biting real light. I got mine on shakey heads with a brown trick worm. We ran to the northend to look around in the afternoon, metered fish and bait. No takers though. water was cloudier in the north end.
      City: brisbane

      Tips: Slow down. look for steep banks. I did not try dropshot which might have worked also

  • Solano County
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      Water Temp: n/a

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: My first trip of the year fish out of pittsburg and fish all the islands to sherman I have been doing this for many years the large mouth bass in sherman lake are showing I have been sticking some nice ones up to 6 lbs I also have fished some new rock on some islands out this way with some fattys on it I love fishing out this way you guys can all stay out there in franks tract i will take pittsburg and antioch nice to have so much water to myself
      City: Pittsburg

      Tips: I have been throwing some really big zipper worms there really called wacko tackle worms and are about 8 inches long with a 3/8 bullet brass and black glass bead it moves a lot water good luck