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Northern California Lake Fishing Report

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Saturday, February 18th, 2006

  • Napa County
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      Water Temp: 51-52

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Devil Mountain Bassmasters club tournament at Berry essa on Saturday. We launched 5 boats on a very cold morning. Overall the bite was tough. Water was a chilly 50 in teh morning and only warmed a few degrees through the day. We had only 3 limits brought to the scales and three anglers blanked. Winning weight was 11.2 lbs with a 4.6 lb kicker largemouth. Most guys got their fish on worms, drop shot and split shotting. Winner found a reaction bite and got his limit on jerkbaits and upgraded his fish with jigs. Beautiful day but cold. Make sure you bring the cold weather stuff.
      City: Walnut Creek

      Tips: Look for pre-spawn staging areas with access to deep water, throw reaction baits but slow down. Jigs in the deeper areas as the sun came up. Seemed the fish dropped down deeper when the sun came up.

    • By

      Water Temp: 51

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Loomis Basin club tournament. Several different clubs launched out of markleys. Kinda zoo at launch. we had 10 boats with several teams short one man because of snow in colfax. Temp in dodge truck read 30 going up the hill to the lake. Fishing was totally different than last sat. Where I caught largemouths I caught smallies?Where I caught smallies I caught largemouth? Bite was on hulla grubs and brush hogs carolina rigged or split shot.Mike Dean and I had a 2 lb average. Only one dink. No jig bite today.Mike and I fished very slow and deliberatly. We fished the same area for 3 hours to get first 4 keepers.Ran to putah for next 2 returned to starting spot for one more nice smallie. Pre fishing helps.We covered a 100 yard stretch over and over. Mike wanted to leave but I'm stubborn.
      City: orangevale

      Tips: Next week fish will move back into shallows. North east corner should be good again. Putah held largemouth in the pockets 10 to 15 feet deep.I cranked 2 nice smallies on a manns 15+ crawfish pattern crank bait first half hour.I might have caught more but the cold wind kinda made me fish slower baits.

  • Ventura County
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      Water Temp: 50s

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: bigest fish to date 11pds 8ozs previous biggest fish 11pds 4oz black berkley worm
      City: ventura

    • By

      Water Temp: 58-59

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Weather was cold with air temp in the 30's-40's and rain showers in the morning, and 50 or so mid day with mixture of clouds and sun. Wind was easterly about 5 knots and water temp was 58-59 with about 4-5 visibility and slight stain- it seemed like the water was clearer than last week.

      Started with swimbait again and had 1 follow to the boat from an offshore hump. This fish was easily 7-8 lbs, and very thick. She charged at the bait but turned off about 5ft from the boat and left a deep boil alongside the boat. Dang! No other follows or bites on swimbait.

      Went looking for last week's worm pattern in the brush lines in 15-20' Did not get bit on this pattern and did not mark fish on the brush edge. Eventually found the worm bite and developed a pattern on secondary points in 10-15'. Landed 9 fish and had 12-13 bites. Got most fish shakin and the rest split shotting, 6-8lb line, and robos in oxblood lt red, MMIII, aaron's. Like last week they were all schoolie sized 1.5-3lb. These fish were all short fat football shaped fish- its nice to see Casitas so healty.

      Tried senkos, rippin, jigs and a little spinnerbait and crankin for nada. Found some nice backwater type habitat with flippable brush and wood in the water and saw one small cruiser up shallow but no shallow bites. Finished the day under a heavy dark sky tossing swimbaits.
      City: Thousand Oaks

      Tips: Bring your rain gear, wear layers, gloves etc - it was friggin cold! There was snow on the hills above Ojai and my wife called to tell me there was a hail the size of small marbles falling in Thousand Oaks.

      As far as tips for the smaller fish- work the brush and figure out how the fish are orienting to it. Once you have an idea of the pattern you may be able to fish fairly fast because when you put the worm in front of them they readily bite it. Most of the bites occurred on the sink or within the first few shakes. I can only guess where the bigger grade of fish are, so no tips for the bigger fish.

    • By

      Water Temp: ?

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Has anybody been out lately and what would be a good lure for the muddy water?
      City: antioch

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

      Report: fishing started picking up with the warm weather but unfortunatly I was only able to get out once it started getting cold. Despite the snow in the hills around the lake we had a decent day. we got 10 fish no real size to them unfortunatly. We were using carolina rigged robo worms, senkos, and, baby brush hogs. We even caught two trout off robo worms.
      City: Sacramento

      Tips: Try fishing anywere there are fist size rocks on about a 30 degree slope in about 25 feet of water. Fishing picked up after 10am. Brown with yellow tails, and purple roboworms are working the best. Did good off pumpkin baby brush hogs too. No hits off the huddlston yet...

  • San Francisco County
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      Water Temp: Cold

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Spent an hour at the Lake. The air temp was 39 degrees. Tossed a whacky rigged Senko along the tules from the bank at the North Lake. It was cold and it started to rain about 40 minutes after I got there.

      The fish are there...I just couldn't get any to bite. Maybe tomorrow...
      City: Daly City

  • Calaveras County
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      Water Temp: 50

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: We had 5 boats and eight guys fish this lake to prefish for our tournament and the bite was tough. One fish per day average for each guy. The 3 lb smallmouth I caught was on a 1/8th oz. darthead with a baby bass worm in 20 ft on the side of a main lake point. My partner caught one in 10 ft in green springs before the 5 mph bouys on the same darthead worm. Tough and cold go to Berryessa instaed that's what we did and there were 10 limits and 95 fish caught for 25 guys and 16 lbs won it alot more fun there right now.
      City: Fremont

      Tips: Fish slow and stay on the main lake points and down size your line and baits because of the clear water.

    • By

      Water Temp: Cold

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Fished from 3-6pm, rained on me 3x, caught 2 2lbers using a chart\white white spinner bait. Both bites came after I bounced the bait into the bottom (rocky). Also slowly fished a dropshot with a "gulp" worm 2 and 3 feet off the bottom. Nothing. They seemed to want the bait moving and making a commotion.

      Despite the rain, the lake was beautiful and very still following the showers.
      City: San Jose

      Tips: Bang a moving bait against any cover\structure you can find.

Friday, February 17th, 2006

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: I know 1 think Bay tackle in El Cerrito doesn't have...My favorite, Trilene XT. Also no Stike King lures, such as Wild Shiners, Lipless Crankbaits and regular Crankbaits. But you guys have a lot of other stuff.
      City: El Cerrito

  • Sacramento County
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      Water Temp: 47 to 50

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Cold + Windy Morning - AM/Cranked 12' to 15' off suttle points with one taker at 2lbs. After 10:30 started to pick up, Darter w/cinn & green or Tex w/morning dawn, down 10' to 18'. Best five 16+lbs
      City: Sacramento

      Tips: Watch the birds...

  • Ventura County
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      Water Temp: 53-55

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Fished the lake friday morning before the rains came. Caught all fish on cranks and spinnerbaits. Found all fish on the main lake points and brush. Caught 3 over 3# the rest were in the 1-2lb range. Tried flooded brush with ikas but no takers. Tried spooning in 30-60 ft of water and got one bite. Tough day.
      City: ventura

  • Sonoma County
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      Water Temp: 52.5

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Started out about 8 am in yorty creek. Sky was overcast and light rain was off and on. After about 10 minutes hooked a 4.0lb bass drop shotting a worm. 20 minutes latter my boat buddy landed a 3.0 lb bass. No more luck until about 2 pm on a large yorty creek submerged point, we got three more in about 15 minutes near drop off. Bass were all almost white but had guts on them so they are eating. 5 fish for 14 lbs nothing under 2 lbs, not too bad on a cold winter day.
      City: Fremont

      Tips: My partner hard some good hits from the fish he caught, my were all pressure. When in doubt set the hook.

Thursday, February 16th, 2006

    • By

      Water Temp: 55

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: thank's Hank for your tip..I heard that the lake is a mud sukin brown ..
      City: livermore

      Tips: Hank thank you again for the report. It will take a month for that to clear up.. but I will be there before...found a new bait.. cant wait to try it.. It's modified... just like all the motor's that I build.. Take care and fish safe..

    • By

      Water Temp: 53

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: question is .. is everyone ok... ???
      City: livermore

      Tips: found a new bait.. let ya know how this thing work's... Ive modify'd it ... cant wait. to try...boat will be ready in a week.. 1 new reel and the rest are the same... take care my freind's .see ya and fish safe..

    • By

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Has anybody seen what the water level is recently at this lake?

Wednesday, February 15th, 2006

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 53

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: LAUNCHED OUT OF MARKLEY AND WENT UP TO PUTAH AND POPE CREEKS. BIG SMALLIES AND LARGEMOUTH WITH ONLY ONE DINK (1.5#) SMALLIE. PATTERN WAS SHALLOW. ALL CAUGH IN LESS THAN 15 FEET.
      City: WINTERS

      Tips: USED NORMAN LURES WHITE/CHARTREUSE AND WHITE /GREY. BLUE/BLACK JIG W/ YUM TRAILER ALSO WORKED WELL.

  • Lake County
    • By

      Water Temp: 45-50

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Lauched out of lucerne 0730 ran over to long tule pt. fished the points and all around clear up to the casino nothing, not a bite. Next over to rocky pt, still the same, nothing. Tought I would try and save the day by going a getting some cappie for dinner. Stopped at county park to give it one more try, this time in the other direction, toward kelsy creek 1100hrs. Left the water at 1800hrs never used the big motor till then. Bass there wouldn't let my white spinnerbait (small col/wil)alone. When it was all said and done 30+ fish, 20-solid 3lbers with a 5.8 just for fun. Never got that many of that quality before. The where every, run the bait by and around the dead tulies. 1-6ft deep,if there were tules,(both above and below the water) the bass were around. It was just NUTS.

      Tips: never give up! BIO-FREZZE for sore arms, and shoulder.

    • By

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Thanks for the update I'm from out of the area but love the lake. Their are not enough reports on this lake. Please keep us posted. Thanks in advance.

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

      Report: Fished the lake both Sat. and Sun. with a buddy. We had a small club tourney Sunday out of the spillway ramp. Got on the water Sat around 9:30am found a freind and his wife fishing about 3-4 miles up towards lime saddle and started fishing by them, my buddy got one right a way on a pig n jig, We then drop shot, darthead, and texas rigged worms bite was slow. Threw brown 1/8oz. tubes the rest of the day and cuaght a lot, every one in the slot. Sunday morning we went back towards lime saddle and threw reaction baits for an hour and a half, one fish in the slot. Started throwing tubes and had 3 over fifteen within 2hrs. We caught 6 over fifteen in one particular stretch and got pushed out by debris from all boats running and gunning. Ended up taking 2nd place with a limit of fish over 15" for 10.02lbs. 1st I believe was 10.14 or 10.17 and 3rd was 10.02 as well but we had a slightly bigger fish than they did.
      City: susanville

      Tips: Cast to bank and work slow, slow, slow, try hitting the red clay points with flats in between them first, use scent enhancers-the bite is really light without them and you will miss alot of fish.