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Northern California Lake Fishing Report

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Thursday, September 1st, 2016

  • Butte County
    • By

      Water Temp: 74-76

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Launched at Lime Saddle about 6am, fished till 11am, an hour longer then I normally fish, because the bite was so awesome at my last stop. Could not get fish to hit at the hwy 70 bridge pilings, even though they were stacked in the corners again. Fished mostly the N. Fork, headed towards the main lake, picking up a fish or two each stop, at 10am, had only 10 fish, then my last stop, found them like we all want. Fished one 35-40 foot section and seemed like every cast got a spot, over and over for an hour, with my last fish the 15" so called it a day with 24 spots, even though fish bite was still strong after an hour fishing one location. A typical rocky bank, but holding a large school this time. Total count, one 15", one 14 1/2" smallie (dark picture), 4 14-14 1/2" with the rest typical 13-14". Those stick like bushes that hold fish are now above water, no fish below them now. Remember, spots tend to school, so always give a location a chance, paid off for my with 14 fish!! much better then moving on after a catch. Water is cooling to 74-76 degrees, fish are slightly shallower for me today, mostly 20-30 foot range. Weird, hardly any wind today, like Lunker Larry say, slightly cloudy valley, no winds! As always, released all fish. Pictures in fishing forum.

  • Shasta County
    • By

      Water Temp: 77

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Did some bassin on Shasta today caught a lot of fish in the Squaw arm probably got 40 to 50 spots most small none keepers and 2 Smallies both small. Got 1 nice spot around 2 1/2 pounds. Awesome day on the lake. Fish were anywhere from 5 to 40 feet deep most were suspended chasing shad. Best lures were half blue half silver 1/4 ounce cast master, 4 in dropshot rigged senkos and Megabass top water for on the top. Overall had a great day for first time ever fishing the lake... Can't wait to get back soon!

Wednesday, August 31st, 2016

  • Alameda County
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      Report: 500 Pounds Catfish planted in Lake Chabot today!!

  • Lake County
    • By

      Report: Clear Lake this week 8/31/2016

      Sorry for the delay this week, I thought I had published this and realized today I had not done so.

      Lake level is at 2.42 Rumsey and the water temps are running 74-79 degrees. Water clarity is improving considerably and the bite seems to be doing so as well.

      Summer is winding down quickly and a sweatshirt in the morning can be a welcomed addition, and with it the “find em in one place” mode has changed considerably as well.

      Success for me this past two weeks has come at the expense of my Chevron card. While
      I was still able to find the numbers hanging out in all of the past haunts; the quality bites for me have come as a result of moving around, and doing quite a bit of it.

      The forecast for the Labor Day weekend is promising and most should see better than average success. In my opinion worth the trip out, and don’t let the wake boats bother you as they can actually help the bite at times. Just use caution because they do not.

      For the past month I have primarily targeted rock, this past week that has changed and I am now finding the better fish in and around weed, up on the flats, or at least what is left of the weed. There are not many lakes around where you can catch a 30lb. bag on a jig and turn around a week later and catch the same bag on reaction and swimbaits.

      September brings out those beginning to practice for the Triton Owners event and is the beginning of TOC Season as most are aware. However, I believe this year may differ just a bit, in that the bite this year should really produce some stud bags for anglers. These fish have plenty of “big bait” to chomp on, and they are doing just.

      Good luck, and have a safe weekend wherever you spend it.

Tuesday, August 30th, 2016

  • Tuolumne County
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      Report: Don Pedro Lake Camping, Boating and Fishing

      Please do not swim within 50 yards of marinas or vessels connected to AC Shore Power due to the risk of Electric Shock Drowning (ESD). ESD results from the passage of typically low level AC - Alternating Current in freshwater through the body at a sufficient level to cause skeletal muscular paralysis. The victim is rendered unable to help themselves and they drown. If the electric current is high enough, electrocution can also occur. ESD is caused by electric current leaking into freshwater around boats & docks that are connected to AC shore power. Such electrical current leakage comes from faulty electrical equipment & wiring, & improper grounding in moored vessels & floating marina facilities. For more information visit www.electricshockdrowning.org.

Saturday, August 27th, 2016

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 79

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: This past weekend was a highlight for me it seemed like every bass I landed was bigger then the one before. I limited out and my five largest fish weighed in at a total of just under forty pounds yes I said 40 pounds I couldn't believe it myself but it was great!!!! Bob is holding two eight pounders(see photo). The next day the fish were not as large and my limit weighed 16.5 pounds still a good catch see photo of Albert holding a 3.5 pounder. The color of the lure that worked best for me was chartreuse. My son and daughter-in-law fished the same areas with success as well landing limits of bass weighing between 3 to 5 pounds. I'm hoping I'll have some good size hits this holiday weekend too. 'til next time.....................................good fishing!!!!

      www.fishingconnection.net If you have any questions or would like to share some stories or you are interested in booking a guided fishing trip please email me at bestguide@hotmail.com or call me at 650-583-3333.

      Tips: it appears that there is a spawn going on or the female fish looked liked it was full of eggs

Friday, August 26th, 2016

  • Solano County
    • By

      Report: Delta Report….Stripers are starting to show in better numbers.
      This Weekend- Dan’s Delta Outdoors Team event Out of Oakley’s Big Break Marina, Check-In 430 AM – 530AM. The Six Hour Event will conclude with Weigh-in at 1230pm.
      Dan’s Delta Outdoors Back To- School Sale… 10% Off Strike King Square Bills and Red-Eye Shad. Okuma 20% off Through Sunday.
      Isleton Finally and handful of Salmon Anglers have seen success, a few fishing finally started getting an occasional report of success from Salmon searching anglers. Water temperatures have dropped with the cooler evenings. Many anglers to the west are seeing more salmon daily… getting close. . Silvertron’s are the best bet for those who want to try. Catfish are the best target species this time of year that can help you beat the summer doldrums . Anchovies, Mackeral and Sardines are good choices here for the whiskerfish.
      Walnut Grove No Change, Bank anglers Pile worms and cut baits prevail. Catfish action is getting the most praise, Few Stripes are in the area as anglers recover still around as temperatures return more seasonable in the Walnut Grove area as the trolling bite is OK mostly small fish. Best area has been Courtland to Walnut grove. The Sacramento Turning Basin continues to be decent with stripes caught there by lure tossers. Red Eye Shad and small shad patterned plastics are the top choices here as well.
      Discovery Bay Hint of fall? Cooler evenings have the bite changing. Current and shade are the key. Stay near main river current with Crankbaits Strike King XD 6 and 2.5 square bills. Punching is scoring bass on the main river points. Bass pushing the 4 to 6 mark are showing on occasion. Jig bite on points is also good, the TNT Booby Trap is a great replica of Delta Craws come by and check them out !
      West Delta A handful of Salmon success stories have come on the incoming tide with Mepp’s Flying C’s in Pittsburgh and Humphries areas . More Anglers in search of stripers are finding a few keepers on occasion from both boat and bank. Most of the nice stripers coming soaking Shad. Antioch Pier scored stripers to 30 inches this week. From as far west as Honker Bay to the Broad Slough plug casting is getting fish when wind cooperates. Bass Bite stays solid in the Break and surrounding cuts. Cranking and spinnerbaits is starting to improve daily.
      Las Vaqueros Summer fishing is continuing with small striped bass very present; trout and catfish are still active with a few largemouth reported. Plenty of shaker sized Stripers falling to cut bait. Please be more careful in the catch and release of these little guys as they are seeing quite a few fish dying due to poor handling. Cooling temps could allow for Trout planting to resume soon.
      Contra Loma Catfish have been biting at Channel Point, Loma Island or from a boat with any type of stinky baits. Try chicken liver or Mackerel. Trout bite has slowed down. Try fishing for them in deeper water at Channel Point, near the swim area or from a boat using nightcrawlers or variety of power bait. Black bass fishing has been good, biting on artificial baits/lures or nightcrawlers anywhere around the lake. Crappie and bluegill have been biting jigs or worms at the Boat Ramp area, Loma Island and the Channel Point area.
      Provided by Dan’s Delta Outdoors, 1625 Main St Oakley CA 925/234-4694 Follow us on Facebook

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: What a nice time to be fishing. Started before sunrise with cloud cover went straight to top water. With one explosion after another life was great. Carbon copy two pounders were showing there colors for the most part. Switched things up and tied on deeper diving crank and went to the flats in deeper water and caught some nicer bass but not by much. Then switched to a chatter bait and went a little shallower and caught a few more. Here is were the fun was though. There were fish busting all over, chasing shad. Tied on a kastmaster on and had a great time Little butter ball bass up to pound or more, so I retied on a ultra lite rig and went to town on them for a half hour or so.

Thursday, August 25th, 2016

  • Lake County
    • By

      Water Temp: 77-79

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Fishing buddy Mike and I hit the lake Wed for a few hours of summer fishing. Nothing of any size at first but tons of bass up to 2 1/2 lbs. Seems that all the small bass of 8 to 12 inches of 2 years ago are all keepers - some really fat!! We saw dead shad everywhere - and some huge ones - Wow!! We hoped to get a good bite at dusk - like our last trip. Didn't happen - with ONE exception! I was throwing a 5 inch Senko in a shad pattern and got an ordinary bite. This bass was different - by many pounds! After a grueling battle with 6 lb test, Mike nets my 7 lb even bass. Where did she come from??? After dark, as is usual for the summer, no bites.

      Tips: It really doesn't matter what you throw for a lot of action. Anything plastic works!

Wednesday, August 24th, 2016

  • Alameda County
    • By

      Report: Fishing for catfish is starting to heat up again!!!! Ken Kruse of San Lorenzo caught this nice 8.33 lbs Catfish near the Dam.

  • Lake County
    • By

      Report: Man, what a difference a week can make. While the numbers bite remains good, the quality of fish being caught
      has diminished considerably with these cooler daytime temps, and with the coming weekend approaching I'm glad I can take the weekend off and wait for some warmer days, at least I hope we see some warmer days before fall arrives.

      This week the reaction bite seems to be the early morning ticket, with the jig and carolina rig coming on stronger once the sun is up and warms things up. Dingier water seems to be holding the better fish right now, with the cleaner water holding the numbers. Crankbaits such as the Lucky Craft BDS 2, 6th Sense 300, and Megabass S Cranks, along with a Jackall Muscle deep 7 can all entice bites if you find the right tempo. Personally I've been burning them on a 6:1 reel and a fairly high rate. Same can be said for a 3/8 Chatterbait fished on the flats or around tule lined banks. Be prepared though, there are some really nice fish holding in 2-3 feet of water when you find em'.

      Tuesday, as well as today, the jig bite did not come on until the sun was high in the sky and the water started to get dingy from the baby algae blooms. Again, fish are anywhere from 3-15 feet deep, in and around the rocky areas. Mid-lake, eastside, westside, and Lubo are all holding fish.

      Everyone asks, "what about up north"? What about it...;)? It's still there....yes you can find a topwater bite should you choose to look hard enough for it, and yes, the "trap" bite is beginning to happen as well. Find some canopy and the punch bite can be decent. For me though, the quality has been better south, but that's me. Trust me, there are a number of guys getting them up north as well. It really is a matter of personal preference where and how you fish, so just go fish and enjoy some of what has been a summer bite to remember!
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  • Butte County
    • By

      Water Temp: 77-78

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Much better fishing today for me then the last two weeks. Launched at Lime Saddle about 6am, stopped fishing at 10am. The bridge supports at Hwy 70 still have fish stacked on the corners like in the past. Not easy to get them to bite, but patience produced the large fish of the day, right at 16 1/2". About half the time, a nice fish comes from this bridge supports. Managed 18 fish today, other then the 16 1/2", 5 were 14" range, with all others 12-13" basic size. Hardly any wind today, made for a better trip. Fish caught in the 20-35 foot range, better fish on the deeper side. Water dropping fairly fast, now down 114.92 from high water mark of the year. Found fish on a smooth rubble like bank, which was the side of a point, also those stick looking old bushes hold fish, and around a few boulders and narrow points. Cleaner water tends to hold fish better, murky water nothing today. Released all fish as always, to catch again one day. Picture in fishing forum.

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2016

  • Solano County
    • By

      Water Temp: 77-81

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Had a good few days out in Tracy, found a few active fish on a LV on weedy points. Once the bite slowed picked up a little swim bait worked the same areas and slaughtered them for 23# for 5. Went out again tried to get some topwater going, lot of strikes no hook ups. Decided to flip, right decision. Started catching immediately. A little way down a favorite bank flipped in and landed a nice 8#er (see photo) ended the evening with a solid limit of 25# with another couple good bass.

Monday, August 22nd, 2016

  • Solano County
    • By

      Report: TravisH » Mon Aug 22, 2016 6:34 am

      Hey there guys, just sharing a little delta report from over the weekend. I got on the water about 7:30am and fished this area shown in the pic before all the pleasure boaters came out in force. I caught 22 fish throwin a chatterbait and pitchin a senko.. overall fun little morning session on the delta...

  • Lake County
    • By

      Report: Clear Lake this week 8/22/2016

      Lake level this week is 2.89 Rumsey, and it’s time to be really careful in and around boat ramps, and rock piles.

      All ramps are open and operating just fine. However, 2.5 Rumsey or so is where things start to get a bit dicey on some of the ramps around the lake. Just remember to trim up coming in and going out and you should be fine.

      Road closures from the past two weeks are all gone, though you may find construction zones all around the lake depending on the day and time of day.

      Lodging? Well, that’s where things are beginning to get a bit dicey as well. Apparently, KVCasino’s remodel is a bit behind schedule, and with the downtown renovations in Lakeport, the fire clean up in the Lower Lake area, the various Highway construction projects around the lake, and they assorted firefighting agencies and evacuees around the county, lodging is extremely tight. Will this continue into the Triton, and TOC tourney timeframes? I would think so, at least to the degree I would have a back-up plan or two already in place just in case.

      Options? There isn’t many. However, there is the Twin Pines Casino Hotel in Middletown, the Rancheria in Nice, and Blue Lakes resorts on Highway 20 west of Lakeport. Certainly most of this will depend on the progress at KVC and any remaining fire issues that may linger.

      Fishing? It remains better than normal, though it is beginning to slow just a bit. The topwater bite is finally beginning to pick-up with some consistency, as is the crankbait bite. Still I just can’t put the jig down, and with multiple 30lb days last week I don’t think I’m going to anytime soon.

      Water conditions continue to improve and are nearly fall like at this time, though surface conditions continue to hover around 85 degrees. Cooler nights this week will likely contribute to an even more improved topwater bite in the AM so I would still be prepared to throw it. Toads, Ploppers, and smaller buzzbaits are all getting bit right now.

      Have fun!

Friday, August 19th, 2016

  • Solano County
    • By

      Report: Delta Report…. Overall slow but Stripers are starting to show

      This Weekend

      BIG Thank You for all those that came out last week for Oakley Kids Fishing Day Saturday August 13th at the Antioch-Oakley Pier. 77 smiling youngsters plenty of action and lots of pics here,

      Fish taco sized stripers are moving around Mildred

      Isleton Catfish are the best target species this time of year that can help you beat the summer doldrums . Anchovies, Mackeral and Sardines are good choices here for the whiskerfish. Still waiting as I Looked again for a few anxious Salmon anglers while there were only a few fishing finally started getting an occasional report of success from Salmon searching anglers. While the temperatures get ready to heat up again this weekend look for no change in the Salmon bite this week. Silvertron’s are the best bet for those who want to try.

      Walnut Grove Salmon showing, Mepp’s Flying c’s and Silvertrons. Bank anglers Pile worms and cut baits prevail. Catfish action is getting the most praise, Few Stripes are in the area as anglers recover still around as temperatures return more seasonable in the Walnut Grove area as the trolling bite is OK mostly small fish. Best area has been Courtland to Walnut grove. The Sacramento Turning Basin continues to be decent with stripes caught there by lure tossers. Red Eye Shad and small shad patterned plastics are the top choices here as well.

      Discovery Bay Really while we just had a nice stretch a couple cooler days ahead this next week there is hope for the Punch bite to be decent once again. VBO Golden Shiners are proving to be a rapidly growing favorite. Current and shade are the key. Punching is scoring bass on the main river points. Bass pushing the 4 to 6 mark are showing on occasion. Jig bite on points is also decent!

      West Delta More Anglers in search of stripers are finding a few keepers on occasion from both boat and bank. Most of the nice stripers coming soaking Sardines and Shad. Antioch Pier scored stripers to 36 inches this week. From as far west as Honker Bay to the Broad Slough and Antioch pier persistent bait dunkers with Mackeral and Sardines ae finding fun action. A few Salmon success stories have come on the incoming tide with Mepp’s Flying C’s . Bass Bite stays solid in the Break and surrounding cuts. Punching get’s the bites the key is staying square to your target and setting hard.

Thursday, August 18th, 2016

  • Butte County
    • By

      Report: From Grant » Thu Aug 18, 2016 11:26 am

      Fish are still there. Sunday bite was good after the wind came up a bit and put some chop on the water and some stain as well. Caught fish shallow (less than 20 ft) in the south fork on a flat adjacent to a recently dry island top. It could be that the fish are feeding at night with this full moon and the morning bite suffers due to that. Nothing on reaction baits and you had to let them chew on the bait a bit before setting the hook or you swung at air and sometimes lost your worm in the process.

      Look for the recently dry scrubby bushes (don't know the proper name for them) and fish in areas where you can feel your bait coming through them. It seems like the fish are hiding in and around them to ambush the bait as it swims by. Some of the prominent broken rock piles which extend into the water will hold fish too early but when the rocks heat up later in the day the fish seem to move off those to the bushes or seemingly bare flats.

      Hope this helps as your posts have helped me get an idea of what the Oroville are doing quite a few times.

Tuesday, August 16th, 2016

  • Butte County
    • By

      Water Temp: 77-78

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Where have the fish gone to, me, no idea. This will be the second week in a row that fishing is way off for me, could not find much to catch, and tried it all. Drove an hour to launch at Bidell to try the middle fork, as in the past, lots of fish to catch, not today, feels like a wasted trip for me, only getting 6 fish, and all small 12-13" size. Water looks good, still 77-78 degrees, but fish are not wanting to bite much. Days like today, makes me want to skip fishing for a while, as it's my worst day fishing ever on the lake. Water down now at 103ft from this years high water mark. Water used to be right below where the boat is in the picture. Wondering, is the bite off for others? Picture in fishing forum.

Monday, August 15th, 2016

  • Lake County
    • By

      Report: Well, as most have heard Lower Lake has burned and the fire continues basically out of control.

      As a result the Lake can only be accessed via Highway 20 out of Lakeport, 20 out of Williams, and Highway 175W out of Middletown (which I would not advise). You cannot access the intersection of Highway 29 in Lower Lake.

      Please be advised, all arteries around g get lake are extremely busy so major delays can be expected.

      Please be advised accommodations are FULL around the lake as a result of evacuations and fire fighting personnel.

      Power is off and on in the Lower Lake area as is Internet services so be prepared fuel and food wise if you do come up.

      Waiting a couple of days or accessing the lake from Lakeport might be ones' best bet at this time.

      As far as the bite, it is still above average but certainly not what it had been over the past three weeks...all in all though it is still pretty good.....just hard to get too excited with all of what is going on.

      Prayers go out to all of those impacted by this fire.
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Sunday, August 14th, 2016

  • Napa County
    • By

      Report: Lake Level Status: 8/14/16
      The lake level is now at 402.38 feet - 37.62 feet below Glory Hole.
      At the present level, Lake Berryessa holds 911,793 acre-feet of water - 57.0% of its 1,600,000 A-F capacity.
      The lake continues to drop about an inch per day.
      Evaporation of the lake is averaging .25 inches per day.
      The water temperature is above 80 degrees.
      The lake level at this time last year was 400.65 feet, 1.73 feet lower than today.
      The Capell Public Launch Ramp is closed until next year.
      All recreation areas - Markley Cove, Pleasure Cove, Steele Canyon, Spanish Flat, and Putah Canyon - are open for launching and will remain open all summer and beyond.