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Northern California Lake Fishing Report

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Tuesday, October 9th, 2007

  • Napa County
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      Water Temp: 70

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Early fall did come for my clients and me - on a holiday Monday no less! We started at 7 am out of Markley Cove and basically stayed in the narrows all day. There wasn't much activity on the shoreline, which is no surprise this time of year. We targeted small coves with creek channels until we found some shad. Bingo!! I first tried the 3/4 oz white ghost Duh! spoon. That is what they wanted. Insane bite!! I switched my clients to a drop-shot rig, using a Basstrix 4" flashtrix plastic minnow. Bingo again! They struggled getting them in the boat for some reason - especially one of the guys. Dropping the rod tip is always the problem. They were hooking bass so fast for an hour that it didn't matter how many they lost - they landed plenty! I later tried a 2 oz spoon with poor results - they wanted a slower fall rate. One of the guys landed 2 crappie that were mixed in with the bass - one a nice one about 1 1/4 lbs. We fished as far as the mouth of the narrows, catching one here and there. One guy was throwing his drop-shot rig to the edges of weedlines in Wragg Canyon and actually caught 2 bass - maybe 3 or 4 feet of water. We caught around 27-28 bass and the two crappie. We also hit for the cycle - largemouth, smallmouth, spots, a hybrid bass, and crappie. The only downside was their size - nothing over 2 1/4 lbs - maybe a limit of 9+ lbs. Beautiful sunny day for people but not for feeding bass.
      City: Yuba City

      Tips: As the previous posted mentioned, cooler water will be a blessing - it was still 70 yesterday. Bass are working the bait, but mostly offshore. Quality topwater fish should be available as soon as the water dips into the mid-60's. The jig bite will soon follow. Fish drop-offs in the 20 to 35 foot range when the water cools. One might try a rip bait soon, early and late. They do work in the fall if the water remains clear. Not many people talk about that. Also, think about 6 and 7 inch Robo worms - and the same for Berkley Power worms. You don't need 4 inch worms in the fall if you are looking for quality bass. Good luck!! Finally, lets hope the court situation goes well on Oct 12th. I have fished Berryessa since 1962 and I count it a privilege to visit the lake all these years. Lets hope the court renders a solution where the "folks" win!

  • Santa Barbara County
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      Water Temp: 60's

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Ferndog - try tossing senkos and drop shot. easy fishing. your wife will catch something. spoons are (literally) over-rated.
      City: Buellton

  • Sacramento County
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      Water Temp: 66

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Went out from 10-4 up the north fork. Caught 11 fish, only two of them between 2-3 pounds. Dropshotting with margarita mutilator seemed to produce the most fish.
      City: Roseville

      Tips: This is my first time posting on here. I just got a boat and back into fishing. I started tuning into this sight and about gave up on it because of all the back and forth between a few people. What's the deal. Can't you guys just e-mail each other if you have a problem instead of involving everyone? Thanks

    • By

      Water Temp: ?

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Went fishing at this lake for the first time last saturday. Didn't get a hit or anything. Fished for only two hours and only saw one bass follow my lure, and it was tiny. Does anyone have any tips for this lake and what kind of fish are in it? Any advice would be helpful.
      City: Fremont

      Tips: Give me some!

Monday, October 8th, 2007

  • Napa County
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      Water Temp: 69

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Iwent out first light in the morning and looked for surface activity and found them with no greeds around. I immediately threw top water baits and hooked about six. Smallies and spots mostly.Half an hour later I started spooning and I hooked fish after fish for good five hour straight. Mostly small fish ranging from 10-18 inches. The bite fineally died early afternoon so I headed out to the east side to my favorite spot and I could see them crusing the shallows. I then threw top water and flukes and caught a bunch of fish. bite slowed down so I went back to my spooning spot inthe evening and caught about twentfive more bass. Funny thing though I was catching Mostly smallmouth, spots,largies and bunch of those hardheads. I also tried dropp shotting and caught a coupple os dozen bass. Over all I couldn't ask for a better fishing trip. It was simply a awesome day. I never caught so many bass in my life! I've caught close to 180 bass that day. From 7am to 7pm.
      City: san mateo

      Tips: Loook for surface activtity in the morning. thats a dead give away! Graff the area, try the usual spooning and drop shot. When spooning deep water thumb your spool so that your spoon will fall a little slower. stop the spoon about every ten feet or so . The fish sometimes will bite when you stop the spoon from falling.

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

      Report: Corrected e-mail address mikessyderek@ca.rr.com

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      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: I read in the Mercury News that Coyote will be closed on the weekdays or road repairs through the end o the year. It may be shorter, but I'm pretty sure about it.
      City: San Jose

  • Butte County
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      Water Temp: 58-61

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: I took a couple of great guys out Monday who I've had out before. The lake is still droping and is now about 165 ft. down. We found lots of bass in the West Branch and in the main body. Only two over in their half day. The bite was a bit soft but they took bass on a variety of baits. Jigs, texas worms, drop shot and senko's and all in several colors.
      City: Paradise

      Tips: Start up close to the bank in the morning and work your way out deeper as the day progresses. Fish rocky banks, points, steep walls, and shade lines. The lake is getting clear again except for the main river branchs. They have a lot of sedament churning in them.

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

      Report: Arrived at daylite and ran back to Portaguez and it was a little windy but fishable.Started out with a Rat-l-trap and cought 5 between 3 an 4 pound's.Then tried a Pearl white Fluke and was catching them allmost every cast.When the wind let up and the sun hit the water it just turned off.Fished other spot's with no luck.Not to often do you see this lake like glass but it also shut's down the reaction bite.So I anchored in 60' of water back toward's Dino point and dropped an Anchovie.Before I could get a Sandwich I had a fish on.I sat there and cought another dozen or so all between 4-6 pound's.All very strong and healthy fish.Each trip the lake get's higher.Only saw one boil in the afternoon and those fish were tough to catch only picked up a few.Overall the lake is fishing fantastic.
      City: Salinas

      Tips: Allway's take Anchovie's so when the reaction stop's anchor in 60-80 feet drop straight down and leave your bail open fish are biting very light.

    • By

      Water Temp: 66

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Look for bait on the flats around Goosehead and Basalt area. caught 15 fish tonight with my dad on flukes, rattletraps and 4 on the "Sammy".
      City: San Jose

      Tips: Be at the right place at the right time!

  • Shasta County
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      Water Temp: 68 deg

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Fished the Pit Arm. Had 20 bass.2 smallies the rest spots.Biggest fish 2and a half on a spinnerbait.2 fish crankin crawdad pattern crankbaits. The rest came on texas rigged watermellon/red flake power worms.Had a 3lb. rainbow on a plastic worm and a 5lb rainbow on a crankbait. Go figure.A few more degrees and the bite should really be goin.
      City: Redding

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

      Report: Will be going camping and boat fishing on Whiskeytown later this month. I have never fished this lake this time of year. Any helpful hints?? We are particularly interested in a bass bite. Thanks for any help.
      City: Redding

Sunday, October 7th, 2007

  • Solano County
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      Water Temp: 60

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: went out late morning to mokulemme river out of b&w tide was low at 9:00 wanted to catch the imcoming water . caught some decent fish nothing real big 2, 3 lbers . got my fix early , fish morning with senko. 3 hour before high tide broke out the stipper rods me and my wife are looking for stripers, soaked some bait and drifted live mudd suckers under georgeana slough bridge NADA, nothing.. for you stripper fisherman word is a couple more weeks till some stripper action , till then ,going to go every weekend till they show up.. black bass is dropping off on the bite, still can catch them but bite will be tough and it will bring out the hard- core bass fisherman for good practice, for next spring sharpening up teqniques . yyea stippers all showing up in south delta discovery bay etc . no real big ones yet. keep tight lines,see ya on the water...
      City: Elmira Ca

      Tips: none today

  • Amador County
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      Water Temp: 68

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Smallmouth pressure bites and dinks pecking at plastic. No hard bait bites.

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

      Report: How do you catch the bass here? saw a bunch cruising the shoreline buy no takers, threw everything at them.
      City: Morgan Hill

  • Lake County
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      Water Temp: 62-66

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Everything was real nice for my night trip to Clear Lake Sat evening! Great weather in spite of post-front conditions, great clients, NO WIND (a 2007 first!), and pretty good fishing. We launched out of Red Bud at 4:15 pm and started fishing bass alley. One of the fellows started his early release process as he lost the first two he hooked - one a good fish. We spent the entire trip in the Jago area - fishing both on and off-shore structure. We actually found a "school" of 4 pounders - one after another in the boat. Really amazing after a few slow weeks. The quick-release artist in the middle of the boat was fishing jigs and hooked the fish of the trip - 6 or 7+ pounder. She came up to the surface - said hello, and spit the hook. Client and guide then proceeded to have a discussion about hooksets!! The average size was excellent however and we had good success right up until dark. Probably 25-30 bites in 3 hours. After dark the bite started out slow. I kept waiting for the carp to become active. They really never did and the bass never really did either. The post-front night was very quiet and still. The only bass that would come out and play were 2 and 2 1/2 pounders. One of the guys got big fish of the night - 3 lbs! We kept working on our 20th bass and it finally hit about midnight. Now we could call it a night. A good night - clients with quality bass up to 4 1/2 lbs and a limit of between 18 and 19 lbs. I almost forgot - the token cheap thrill - one got a catfish about 6 lbs.
      City: Yuba City

      Tips: We found fish a little more shallow than on previous trips. I tried to fish my clients on ledges and breaklines from 10 to 18 feet and the bass were feeding there before dark. I think we will soon see the evening bite pick up. The evening and mornings will soon see cold temps while whatever warming there is will happen in the later afternoon. The late afternoon water temp for us was 66 degrees (surface). A few hours later it was 62. I noticed that some of the bass we caught actually allowed us to feel the "bite". This is a sign of "feeding" bass. I tried to see if there was a crank bite - still couldn't get it going. Our best worms were 10" black Power worms and 7 1/2" Robo worms in the Aaron's Magic w/R&B flake. We didn't find many bass around docks yesterday, but mostly on rock structure.

  • Sacramento County
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      Water Temp: 66.9

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Cold mornings by the sun came out moving the bass back up in 20 ft of water. Quency and I found some small bass @ Beal's Point around the rocks using drop shot and split shot. Went out to the main point in 30-50 ft by the wind sock using a JK Jig in watermelon red flake and a Green pumkin. No reaction bite.
      City: Rocklin

    • By

      Water Temp: 66

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Launched at GB around 8am and headed to the main body. We found a drop shot pattern that worked fairly well while metering the bait. Picked up 11 fish. Most were 1-2 range and had two fish in the 2-3 range. Best five 11 lbs.
      City: Rocklin

      Tips: Pumpkin colored berkely worms and senkos were on.

    • By

      Water Temp: 76

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: still no reaction bite. Had one good day on Sept 20th right before a storm system came in, 1 hour with 3 4lbers. 2 of em took 1oz deep diving cranks in bluegill and in shad patterns, 1 on 3/4oz rattle trap.
      City: San Jose

      Tips: Until the turnover approaches, use finesse baits. Better yet just go to Calero.

    • By

      Water Temp: 64-67

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Took the wife with me to the lake on Sunday. Got there at 6:30, a little breezy and air temp was 42. Cruised the lake and found a boil up river. Shut down early so as not to spook them and kicked on the trolling motor, my wife pointed at the size of some af the splashes and another boat saw this and blasted right in on top of them! Bite shut down no takers. Cruised up river some more and saw how low the lake is. Spotted on a few spots and caught some real small smallouth and a largemouth. Came back down river, found a cover with no wind, sunshine and a few splashes. Fished a dropshot no takers and then all of a suden the boil starts! Hook up with one and after a battle on 4# test landed and weighed 6lbs. Boil goes down and then comes up again 100yds away, Troling motor on high, catch up, and hook another one and so does the wife! Land both for 6lbs each, just cookie cutters of each other. Boil goes down and never shows up again. As I but the day together the fish started in the back of the cove and worked out to the main channel. All this happened by 10:30. Wife had a great day and that's what mattered the most. Caught all fish on headspins and roadrunners. Color is important, has to have a green tint.
      City: Oakdale

      Tips: 1. Don't run up on the school, see what direction their going and use your trolling motor.
      2. SMALL baits green is the color.
      3. Pleasure boats cause too much chop. Bite done when they arrived.