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Northern California Lake Fishing Report

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Thursday, February 23rd, 2017

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 52 TO 56

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Went out with Bobby on Thursday at eight in the morning to check out the lake before this Saturday's tournament. We trolled with a chartreuse Speed Trap lure which always catches fish but the water was too muddy and no bites. I decided to go take a look at the Glory Hole it was great to see the water spilling over the top after all the dry years. The lake looks great and I will have to adjust to the new depths and structures which I'm really looking forward to. We checked out many of my favorite spots but in fifty-two degree water and less then six inches visibility it was almost impossible for us to lure any bass our way. We ran into a boat that had some luck they had caught three bass and one weighed six pounds 12 ounces (see photo). All these bass were caught on different lures a Senko worm, a jig and a chatter bait in about fifteen feet of water. I enjoyed the day even though we had no fish we had a good time checking out the lake which promises to be very productive going into spring and summer. I met Albert the next day he was going to do some shore fishing and asked my advice on what to use I told him since the water is murky to use a strong scent Pro-Cure with garlic is perfect with a spinner bait white with chartreuse and it worked he landed this two pound four ounce bass in twelve feet of water (see photo). 'til next time...................good fishing!!!
      www.fishingconnection.net 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.

      Sent from my iPad

      Tips: bass where staging to spawn in about 15 feet. will be a great spawn when the water will be 5feet or more visibility,

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2017

  • Amador County
    • By

      Water Temp: 50

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Tough fishing , the water is muddy and cold. We threw the kitchen sink at them and boated 2 spots around 2lbs on a drop shot.

      The fish we did graph were glued to the bottom on island ledges.

      Once it clears up a bit the fishing should improve.

  • Trinity County
    • By

      Report: i would predict tough fishing conditions for this year because the water level has not been up for several years. Last I heard the fish had not moved up yet and were still holding in there winter areas. Your best bet will be fishing near spawning flats in deep water.

      Tips: fish slow! water is cold and fish lethargic

Tuesday, February 21st, 2017

Monday, February 20th, 2017

  • Trinity County
    • By

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: The launching ramps are open and wet. The lake is still coming up. I haven't been on the lake yet so I can't report on the fishing. Hopefully soon!

Saturday, February 18th, 2017

  • Solano County
    • By

      Report: Delta Report…. Big Black Bass Start showing and warming temperatures! Some Studs start to show! ABA goes Out Of Russo’s Saturday!
      Isleton Water temps raised a bit this week and a few more stripers in the Cache Slough area responded. Catfish started stirring in dead end sloughs, Cut Baits and Crawlers get the top call. Sturgeon remains the focus here. Diamondback anglers are heading to 41, Liberty and Cache Slough areas with roe and eel reporting success.
      Rio Vista- A few more Small stripes and occasionally, a 10-pounder is caught. Eel continues to lead the way for sturgeon anglers in front of Collinsville. Rio Vista Pier also is scoring both species. The best place to score a striped bass or sturgeon remains below Decker Island in the area of the Power Lines at Light 14 and the Red Barn, where boaters anchor and use threadfin shad or Red’s Bloody Eel.

      Walnut Grove . Most are sturgeon fishing now with eel and cured ghost shrimp. Trolling for stripers is non exsistant. Bank anglers tossing shad and eel prevail for an occasional sturgeon or Striper those looking for bigger bites.

      Discovery Bay As water temps reach mid-fifties the black bass bite is getting started! Most Blackie anglers are sticking with jigs and slow rolling blades searching ledges near sparse tuie flats. Others looking to beat the muddy conditions are starting to crank Red-Eye Shad and Blades. Keeper sized stripes are grabbing Bad Bubba Shad a bit more this week ..

      Frank’s Tract Like a army marching forward the black bass bite is getting on track at a decent pace. Strike King Bullworms, Senko’s and Dragon Fly jigs are great options while Orange Bobby D’s spinnerbaits get the mentioned as well. We found a few Stripers and Black Bass with Jigs, vibrating jigs and Red Eye Shad.
      West Delta Sturgeon Still leads the way. Eel is the best bait over all, but roe and shad also scoring diamondbacks Broad slough and surrounding cuts. There were many shaker sturgeon reports and double hook ups. Bouy 18 at Collinsville West to Honker Bay has been best. There were few shaker stripers and keepers in the area. The stripers starting to show anchovies and sardines in many areas, bank anglers, Antioch Pier and along Sherman Island rd.
      Contra Loma - Black bass have been biting on artificial baits/lures and nightcrawlers around the lake. Try a wake bait or a party crasher. Trout fishing is still good at the east side, north side of lake or from a boat with nightcrawlers, Power Eggs, or mice tails. Try fishing at Channel Point, Loma Island or from a boat with nightcrawlers or chicken liver.. Try fishing for Crappie or Bluegill with jigs or worms at the boat ramp area, Loma Island or Channel Point area.

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

  • Mariposa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 51

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Fished the TriValley Bassmasters club tournament. Despite numerous phone calls, MID didn't open the Barrett Cove launch ramp until 08:30 ( Doh). May not have mattered, because fishing was really slow. Winning bag was 13 lbs. Biggest fish was a 4 lb large mouth caught by legendary
      Bassmaster Bruce. Grubs, jigs, and drop shot worked best in 5-10 feet of water. Best bite was in afternoon, though early morning was not possible to test. Previous high winds moved most of the debris off of the lake. Very few boats on lake.

      Tips: With very few boats on lake, Fish and Game AND Sheriff have little to do. Make sure you obey rules especially; fishing in counter clock wise direction and have license with you. If ticketed you may have to go all the way to Mariposa County Court house. Though there are plenty of uglier places to visit.

Thursday, February 16th, 2017

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 54-55.3

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: I took a client from Nebraska yesterday, not really expecting a good bite. Just amazed to see a full lake again - just inches below the glory hole! The water color in the narrows is very dingy, with visibility of about a foot. I showed him the upper lake as far as Big Island, and the visibility was 6 to 8 inches. Very dark murky water. Did not see any boats up there, only in the narrows. Fishing was very slow for us, though his biggest was a nice 3 1/4 lb+ largemouth - in about 3 feet of water on a wall. I did lose a heavy bass also. We used so many different baits, I can't remember which bait he caught the 3 pounder on. I lost my big one on a D&M Piranha swim jig - set too late!! We started about 8:30, hoping for an afternoon bite. It didn't happen, probably because of wind and the incoming storm. Tuesday was probably a better fishing day with lots of sun!!

      Tips: Did not see much debris in the narrows, but saw a big area of it in the main body. Other than that, debris wasn't much of a problem. Don't have many tips because the bass didn't tell us much. I was surprised the jig bite didn't happen for us. My client was a great guy and very involved in Nebraska bass fishing organizations.

Tuesday, February 14th, 2017

  • Solano County
    • By

      Report: From Cooch's Fishing
      The Almond blossoms are here, indicating a big wave to the shallow, muddy waters by the Delta bass is about to take place. A few anglers have reported this week of a few big catches. Yesterday's clients and I found a few smaller fish willing ta feed shallow on jigs later in the day as temps climbed to 54-56, even found one area popping 60 degrees! WHOA! I hate it when the River blows by 55 degrees in less than a week! Water is still very dirty in many areas off the SactoR and SJR. The further away from the two main Rivers you'll begin to find cleaner water if that's yer preference. We caught fish in both dirty and stained water patterns yesterday, yet the key for us seemed to be rock patterns. These river rocks will heat up areas faster forcing the craws out of the mud and the bass will follow in looking for them. All our fish had rooting craw red jaw lines! Delta still a lil tough fishing in most areas, but good fishing can be had by moving around and locating areas where the fish are moving up shallow to feed.

  • Mariposa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 56

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Rough day fishing. Went trough the tackle box. Nothing worked. Was prefishing for a tournament on Saturday. Maybe rapidly changing lake level has fish confused, probably most fish in McClure have never seen the level this high.
      On a good note: lake is beautiful, very little fishing pressure.

      Tips: Some huge trees floating in the water, be careful.

Tuesday, February 7th, 2017

  • Lake County
    • By

      Report: by clearlakeoutdoors » Tue Feb 07, 2017 12:04 pm

      Ok guys the county had a meeting today and came up with new regulations. They imposed a no wake zone out to 2500 ft off shore.There is still alot of debris out there so i would not suggest running wide open out there.
      DO NOT RUN THE BANKS FAST OR THEY MIGHT CLOSE THE LAKE.
      Midlake remains fish able and the crappie bite is taking off .
      No news on county ramps opening but State park and Konocti vista ramps are open
      Dave

    • By

      Report: DanIsaac » Tue Feb 07, 2017 9:15 pm

      Clear Lake this week 2/7/2017

      Wow, what a past couple days. Lake level is now at 8.69 Rumsey and climbing.
      Predictors have it topping off at 9 Rumsey or above by Thursday afternoon, coming with that minor to moderate low level flooding.

      Updates on the reduced speed are varying, though Dave at Clear Lake Outdoors has reported the County has modified its previous guidelines, having lifted the 5 mph limit 2500 feet from shore.

      This basically translates into idling out away from the launch facility into the middle of the lake, where you can then proceed on plane. You then must shut down once again 2500 feet from shore when you arrive at your destination. I still advise you to proceed with caution as even more debris fields have developed around the lake with the rising waters.

      All County ramps remain CLOSED at this time, with State Park, Konocti Vista, and Red Bud remaining OPEN.

      Ok, fishing report. Fishing has been good one day and then bad the next with regularity.
      Fish have been averaging 2-3 pounds with an occasional 5-7 pounder for most. A-Rigs, LV500s, TN70s, and jigs have all been doing their fair share of damage. Pick your poison as they say!

      Once this crazy weather breaks and we have a continued warming trend, with clearing waters, I suspect the bite will improve dramatically for quality fish. I would expect that is still a couple of weeks away though, but only time will tell.

      Still spring is not too far away. Hang in, we’ll get there!...;)

  • Tuolumne County
    • By

      Report: Fishing Report from Glory Hole Sports

      Water Conditions
      New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,053,748 acre-feet of water. The lake level came up nine feet this past week and will continue to rise with the recent and upcoming rainfall. It is currently at 950 ft. above sea level and 133 ft. from full. The water clarity is stained in most of the lake with some areas clearing faster than others. There is scattered debris floating on the surface throughout the lake. The water temperature dropped, with the average being 49-52 degrees.

      THE MIDDLE RAMP ON THE GLORY HOLE SIDE IS OPEN!

      Trout
      The forecast is calling for rain all week long, with a break for the weekend. With the water rising quickly the lake is changing from week to week. Areas that have been dry for years are now well under water. The flooded vegetation will break down and provide the lake with nutrients. Many anglers have found trout swimming near the shoreline in these nutrient rich waters. Bank anglers have been finding some luck fishing off of Glory Hole Point and near the 49-bridge. When fishing with bait it is very important that your presentation remains afloat. If your bait settles on the bottom it will sink below the thick vegetation and become nearly impossible for nearby fish to locate. A long leader with a light wire hook is recommended. Power Bait dough is very buoyant and will keep your bait off the bottom. When fishing a crawler it is best to use a worm blower to inflate it. Try casting lures near the shoreline and over shallow point and flats. Trolling anglers have been catching planted and holdover rainbow trout. Brightly painted lures are still a very productive option. Lures that create sound and vibration will attract fish when fish in stained water. A faster trolling speed from 2.8-3.8mph will allow the angler to cover water and will force the fish to respond quickly, resulting in a reaction bite.




      Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week goes to Ted Campbell of Sonora. He caught a beautiful 3-pound, 6-ounce rainbow trout on Power Bait first thing in the morning near Mormon Creek.

      We do encourage catch and release of brown trout, as there does not seem to be a large population of them in the lake. Carefully measure, weigh and photograph trophy fish and send us pictures and information.

      Kokanee
      The kokanee generally will not start to bite until spring. April is a good month to start targeting the kokanee again.

      Bass
      Bass fishing has remained steady, even with the water temperatures being fairly cold. The spotted bass are feeding regularly and the largemouth bass are taking advantage of the flooded vegetation that is lining the lake. The lake level is rising each week and anglers will have to search for new locations and areas to fish. The fish can be found scattered throughout the lake, some shallow and some deep. Keep an open mind and fish various conditions until a pattern is detected. The grass that was down deep is starting to break up and float to the surface. This will make dragging the bottom a little easier. A heavy football jig can be used to target these deep fish. The grass near the shoreline can be frustrating to fish. Try using a lure that can be pulled through the grass without hanging up, or one that can be fish above it. A Texas rig is very weedless and the bullet weight will pull through grass without getting stuck. A Carolina is also a good choice. Small swimbaits can be fished just above the grass and down to deep water. Try rigging them on a weighted belly hook or an underspin to produce flash and vibration. PLEASE PRACTICE CATCH AND RELEASE. Take photos and carefully release the fish back into to the lake to maintain a healthy fish population for generations to come.

      Catfish
      The catfish bite during the winter months is generally pretty slow. There will be small critters that are trapped during these conditions and the catfish will often take advantage. Nightcrawlers are a good choice for bait during the cold winter months and into the spring. A little scent will also help the fish locate your bait.

      Crappie
      The crappie are starting to bite and the prime time to catch them is right around the corner. With the recent rising water level the crappie will start to move back into some of the coves and creek channels. They love flooded brush and vegetation. Try using small spinners or mini jigs to locate crappie. We will have live minnows in a week or so. They work extremely well for locating schools of fish.

Saturday, February 4th, 2017

  • Solano County
    • By

      Water Temp: 51.0

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Went out of Kings Island on Saturday. Warm and cloudy in the mid 60's with low pressure; very nice day. Started pitching plastics around bullrush and landed one 12" 0.75 lb fish. Threw keitech, underspin, swim jigs and senkos with no takers. Moved over to south side in Disappointment slough and cranked along a ledge, fish were there. Afternoon crank bite was good, 3 fish all over 2 lbs in about an hour.

Thursday, February 2nd, 2017

  • Amador County
    • By

      Report: From Cooch's Fishing Camanche bite still strong! — at Lake Camanche.
      February 2 at 6:49am ·
      Took another day off from The River to head up to Lake Camanche, to continue our field testing of the new TNT S20 jig pattern and just CATCH some bass! We didn't catch any of the bigger fish we've been catching up there during previous high sky days, but on this leading edge of a new storm rolling in day, we caught 4 nice quality largemouth ta go with our eight, 2-3 pound Spots. The fish were scattered all over, in 16-30 feet, on the back side edges of ledges and humps with big trees and brush piles. Ya had ta git that jig down in the tree and yo-yo it up and down the limbs ta git bit. 1/2oz Waddas, inside of 20 feet and a 3/4oz Football, both tipped with a Yamamoto 208 Watermelon Red flake Flappin Hog was the ticket. Bob also caught a few suspended spots dropping his S20 Spade worm on a dart head right down on their noses when we could see the arches on his Hummingbird. Camanche is fishing great right now, as are a number of our Northern California lakes. The Delta is fishing really tough right now, it will bust open very soon, until then, ya owe it to yerself to head to one of our foothill lakes and go have some fun!

Tuesday, January 31st, 2017

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 51

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Finally made it up to the lake after almost three months and what a difference the lake looks great and I was so excited to get out there and fish. John, Albert and I headed out on Saturday morning. The fog was pretty thick with less then twenty feet of visibility so we slowly headed towards the Narrows looking for cleaner water. Our first stop was to the back of the Monticello Ski School to see how it looked to my surprise their were about six other boats who had the same idea. They told me they hadn't had any luck to speak of. We drop shot for about five minutes and then decided to move to another location in the Narrows. I decided to go to the Dam thinking the water would be clearer there. It was a little better and we caught the first bass on a Speed Trap lure there (see photo). From there we headed back to the main lake and we fished over the mountain which is under water now by the Ranch house. We were drop shooting with one hit that John missed. We checked out some other spots but the water was so dark and the debris was so thick I decided to head toward home and make one stop at the rock mountain by Spanish Flats. We tried our best but the fish were not interested. The water temperature was fifty-one degrees with no wind it was a beautiful day but still to cold to coax the fish out. But it won't be too long before the fishing will be great. The next day I took Jim and his sons out with basically the same results (see photo).

      'til next time..........................................good fishing!!!!!!!!!!!

      www.fishingconnection.net 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.







      California Fishing Guide - Bass, Salmon, Trout, Catfish

      www.fishingconnection.net

      Tips: bright colors something that you can see in dirty or muddy water or hear.

Monday, January 30th, 2017

  • Butte County
    • By

      Water Temp: 45-46

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Launched at Lime saddle about 6:45 and found plenty of wood stacked up on the launch ramp, as the winds always blow it to the ramp early am. As I always do, give the ramp a try before leaving and 9 out of 10 times, pick one up. Water still plenty cool, 45-46 degrees in my travels. Slow bite today, just 4 spots, like the one in the picture. Wishing it was mid March to have a decent bite again. !! Picture in fishing forum.

Saturday, January 28th, 2017

  • Shasta County
    • By

      Water Temp: 49

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Saturday morning after the sun hit the water and frost begin to thaw, the wife and I launched our Design Concept River-Jet at Centimudi ramp. The water was calm, clear and cold. We set out for Dry Creek first thing and dropped down riggers in attempt to find a few rainbows or salmon. Multiple flasher/lure colors were presented with no fish to be found on the graph. After about an hour, we switched to bass rigs and headed for main lake primary points. The blonde in the back focused on using Keitechs while my choice was green/white Senkos. After approx. 30 minutes I located a school of females between 40-50 feet of water. My first strike was very light and I admit that my drag was too loose and I flubbed the “set” and didn’t get a good hook set. It came off after 3-5 seconds but I felt she was heavy. We concentrated on that hole and I was able to hook five descent fish but only boated two. Both were females at 2.5lb and 2.2lb. We brought them home for dinner and I was surprised to find each was already producing nice sets of roe. I will regret saying this but I skunked the wife today and she is already asking for a rematch!

      Tips: Take a child fishing. They will remember it forever!

Wednesday, January 25th, 2017

  • Santa Barbara County
    • By

      Report: MikeR » Thu Jan 26, 2017 7:12 am

      Gibraltar Reservoir, upstream of Cachuma, is now at 100% capacity. Earlier in the week it had been 4.6' below full pool. The watershed is still producing run-off. This is great news as once Gibraltar fills, it becomes a "pass through" and we should see Cachuma rise at a more rapid rate with any remaining storms this season. There's a long way to go however.

      Cachuma bottomed at 7% according to the State Water website but honestly it had to have been near 6% before inflow numbers increased and the lake storage numbers began to grow before the storms began, indicating they had turned "the spigot" on or possibly bought some water. They are connected to the State Water project and are required to buy water on a yearly basis to support the construction of the project. They were cut off or had their allotment greatly reduced during the last few years due to the drought conditions.

      The lake is up to 11.9%, a very low number, but there might be some hope if the current weather patterns hold up now that Gibraltar Reservoir is full.

      The miracle on the Central Coast and Central Valley and North is still going strong.

      Lake Isabella, 37%, 132% of historical averages and snow pack on Mt. Whitney, which feeds the Kern, that feeds Isabella, is very good right now. Inflow from the Kern is nearly 6 times what it was December 2016. It should fill this year at the rate it is going now as long as we can get a few more storms.

      The water level in most creeks in North Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo, and Monterey County is good and they are still flowing today:

      Salinas Reservoir, better known as Lake Margarita Reservoir is now just under 70%!
      Lake Lopez, 33.9% a little weak, not sure why. (Maybe Feds involved here too).

      San Antonio -24%
      Nacimiento - 79 % and should be at 80% by the weekend.
      However this notice was just posted on the County website regarding Naci and S.A.:
      Releases are being made from Nacimiento Reservoir to enhance adult steelhead migration conditions in the Salinas River. Releases are part of an adaptive management approach being followed in collaboration with the National Marine Fisheries Service (THE FEDS) to conserve steelhead in the Salinas River watershed. Releases from Nacimiento Reservoir up to 460 cubic feet per second (cfs) were authorized by the Monterey County Water Resources Board of Directors on January 17, 2017. Releases from San Antonio Reservoir are expected to remain at 3 cfs.


      Lakes further South:

      Cachuma - 11.9%
      Casitas - 36.7%*

      *Ventura and a number of Ventura County water districts/agencies are now considering hooking up to the state water project as Santa Barbara had done with Cachuma years ago. This includes the Calleguas Municipal Water District, United Water Conservation District (Piru), and CASITAS Municipal Water District. Last year alone the city of Ventura paid $1.5 million to the state to help maintain the State Water project which holds open their option to "hook up" at some time if deemed feasible. They have been paying for that ability or right for 35 years but never acted until now. The study and it's cost $653,000+ shared between the 3 or 4 entities, was approved by Ventura's City Council in a 7-0 vote. For Casitas this could only mean good things as a small amount of pressure will be taken off the lake when another source is available. Of course, if the FEDS hadn't meddled with Casitas, and had established a more reasonable diversion policy, Casitas would be in much better shape today.

      Mike

Tuesday, January 24th, 2017

  • Amador County
    • By

      Report: From Lake Camanche

      Preparing for the runoff Lake Camanche has continued strong releases which currently leave the lake at 76% of capacity. The California Dept. of Water Resources is estimating that Lake Camanche is receiving 3,843 cubic feet per second of water flowing from Pardee. Lake Camanche is releasing 4, 940 CFS. To see the most current information regarding water levels please go to:
      http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/reservoirs/RES
      *
      Thursday 1/18/17 Mt. Lassen release 1,200 lbs. of trout with 600 lbs. planted to each ramp at both shores. Another release of 1,200 lbs. is expected this week before the weekend. Watch our FB page for the plant update. https://www.facebook.com/LakeCamanche/
      *
      Guest columnist Michael Coleman of www.RBBassing.com gave his account of fishing Lake Camanche in his report at http://rbbassfishing.net/bass-fishing-reports/lake-camanche-fishing-report-by-michael-coleman-2/


      “1/18/17 Air temp 36, water temp 48, water clarity 3’ main body and up the river 0 clarity”
      “With one of the biggest storms in recent years just coming to a halt I saw an opportunity to fish my home Lake Camanche. In the morning it was socked in with fog and had a very cold north wind. Air temps were in the mid 30’s and the lake was on the rise in a big way. I was not too sure what I was in for since the lake came up 20’ or so in the past few weeks. I wasn’t sure if the fish would move up with the cold weather and dropping water temps. I started on south shore bluff wall in 30’ or so and not even a nibble. The bluff wall came to a point and a shallow cove so I tossed River2sea jig with Bass Assassin pure craw trailer in about 12’ of water and Booooom a nice fat 4 lb. largemouth was in the boat. I then started targeting the new cover that hasn’t been in the water for years and the bigger largemouth were there! The fish were shallow in the 12’ to 17’ range and the dropshot began t play a huge part and caught the big fish! I was dragging the gig every now and then and I would use my Lowrance see a arch and drop my Bass Assassin lit’l Tapper in watermelon red down on them with about a 1’ leader and ¼ ounce weight. I was targeting the spine of the points, but it seemed the fish were on the side of the points farther back. There is still a ton of good fish on the south shore islands they are getting heavily pressured and are a little harder to catch. All in all it was a great day. Staying to the north will find you the cleaner water and some better fish.”
      We thank you for the detailed report Michael!