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Northern California Lake Fishing Report

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Sunday, May 8th, 2016

  • Butte County
    • By

      Water Temp: 65

      Report: Got off work early fished the south fork, tough bite. Only 15 fish between the 3 of us. I really hate these cold fronts shuts the bass bite down, almost like early spring. Coves look great but fools gold. Fish eastern banks for more sun and warmer water points still good like always. Bye bye.

Saturday, May 7th, 2016

  • Solano County
    • By

      Report: by ElGuapo » Sun May 08, 2016 7:02 am

      Launched at 7:30 out of Russo's. Water was 62-67, very stained in some areas, clearer in others. You just have to move around a lot to find the cleaner water. First cast with a frog and caught a 4+. Caught a few more quality fish that way then it died down.

      Trying out a new weedless wacky hook and senko color for bedding fish and it seemed to work - caught one just under 5.

      Caught around 10 for the day, best five went 15+. I'm not winning any tournaments soon but maybe I'll be in the money? :D

      How did everyone else do?

      Watch vid: http://www.westernbass.com/forum/post562705.html#p562705

    • By

      Water Temp: 66-68

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Got out there Thursday and Saturday and man it was on fire. Fished turns of the low tide with bass to 5.5 with an insane amount of 3's. My partner and I had the 1_2 punch going with me throwing top water of course and he flipping sencos. Fish pushed way out to edges of the grass on current side of the points on the first tide turn. Slack tide they were in a little more open water off the grass. Next turn they pushed right on back in that grass. Rain really helped the top water bite happn for us. All in all an awesome two days of catching.

      Tips: Gotta fish to catch

Thursday, May 5th, 2016

  • Solano County
    • By

      Report: Delta Report…. Great Month Ahead for #FishOakley as Anglers from Throughout the West start rolling in for the First Major Events of the Year! Wild West Bass Teams Just a week away the First Major Event for Big Break in many years.

      Isleton Striper Trolling and plug casting has stayed consistent the last few days. Water cleared a bit this week and a few more stripers in the Cache Slough area responded. Trolling the Angry Eyes and Savage Preys is the best bet. Sturgeon anglers moved West . Catfish start to show in better numbers with Mackeral.

      Rio Vista- Shore bound anglers are scoring both species. The best place to score a striped bass or sturgeon remains Sandy Beach and the area of the Power Lines, use Sardines or Shad. Trolling is scoring many limits stripers and occasionally, a 12-15 pounder caught. Savage Prey and P-line Angry Eye lures are key for the trolling anglers. Red White Classic Shimmer jigs around pumps getting stripers.

      Walnut Grove . Bank anglers tossing shad and Sardines prevail for an occasional Striper those looking for bigger bites. Drifting live baits for stripers cracking the 10 pound plus keeps anglers smiling. Trolling Savage Prey baits colors 8 to 10 foot deep is key as the spring push continues. The Dirty “D” is clearing its name and conditions are improving for Black Bass in the area. Spinnerbaits and Fizzle jigs are working in the Hog Area.

      Discovery Bay Larger Stripers started to show a bit this past week including 25 plus pictured. Crappie and Bluegill also had a improvement this week. Biwaa Sevens in Bluegill and RedHorse patterns rocking the few Bed fish are around. Most Blackie anglers are sticking with Senkos and Tail Slapper swim baits paired with Fatsack Swim Jigs, Wind and overcast this weekend slow rolling Fatsack Tackle blades and Strike King square bills searching ledges near sparse tulle flats.

      Frank’s Tract After being beat up by crazy winds for a week. Black bass bite is at a consistent. Hematoma Beavers on over cast days also working well. We are seeing a few Stripers and Black Bass with top water and Chili Craw Red Eye Shad. Others looking to score are starting to crank Chartreuse Shad 6th Sense baits and Big Poppa’s are solid options. Keeper sized stripes are grabbing Bubba Shad a bit more this week and trolled Angry Eye baits.

      West Delta The stripers are here anchovies and sardines in many areas for bank anglers, Antioch Pier and along Sherman Island rd. Stripes to 28 pounds have grabbed baits . Trollers it’s getting started on both sides with Red Barn being the top choice, if they aren’t there move to the Eddo’s Side. Chartreuse patterns are the best bet.

      Contra Loma – Too many bank walkers popping Bass to 8 pounds off the beds, Please release them! Black bass have been biting on Senko’s and nightcrawlers around the lake. Try a AC Minnow wake bait or a Savage Trout fishing is still consistent on the east side, north side of lake or from a boat with nightcrawlers, Power Eggs, or mice tails.

      Los Vaqueros Trout continues to be best bet. They are being caught in South Cove and Oak Point as well as Cowboy Cove. The baits of choice for shore anglers is garlic scented PowerBaits, nightcrawlers or Kastmasters. Trout average a pound and a half but range to over 5 lbs. Light tackle is important for catching trout with 4-6 pound test being plenty. There was a 1000 lb DFW plant on the way. There was also a 1000 lb Lassen plant this week. With the continuing plants, trout fishing has been holding steady with more limits being caught from all around the reservoir.

      Del Valle . Black Bass are on fire with anglers reporting having caught and released up to 12 bass. Most are smaller and in shallow water creating their beds. Best bet is still Senkos, either wacky or Texas rigged. Also try a plastic crawdad, on either a half-ounce, or a one-ounce football jig head. If you do catch a bass, please release it, as she maybe pregnant. Trout have been active this last week. They have been in the shallow water; anglers are having good luck on Power Bait, nightcrawlers, Rapalas, mice tails and Kastmasters. Many anglers have reported catching their limits.

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

Wednesday, May 4th, 2016

  • Lake County
    • By

      Report: Water conditions

      Lake level is at 7.30 Rumsey, with flows at Cache Creek Dam at approximately
      500 cfps. The lake is beginning to see some effects from the high winds and the water draws, as one can begin to see the difference from one week to another now.

      Surface temps 58-64 degrees.

      Water clarity is poor to fair, and I would average at approximately 2-3 feet in most areas around the lake.

      Fishing

      Fishing continues to be on and off for most with the minnow dunkers really out performing most, as there’s obviously all three stages of the spawn going now. Fry can be seen almost everywhere around the lake, and most of the fish we have been catching are indeed post-spawn.

      However, as I mentioned we’ve experienced all three spring phases this past week.
      One, there’s been a bit of a rip bait bite here and there for what appeared to be all pre-spawn fish. Second, crawl up and behind the tules and trees and one can also find some bedding fish as well, at least where the water clarity allows. Yes they’re shallow, in 1-2 feet or water. Third, it’s time to pull out the frog and buzz bait. Cover enough water with either or both, and you will not be disappointed.

      The Bite

      Overall, I’d rate the bite at fair to good, and yes, north still continues to dominate conversations. Personally, I think we’re in a post spawn phase with the majority of the bigger fish having already gone, tough I still think there’s a big wave yet to come this month as we’re just not seeing a ton of cruising, or sunning fish anywhere.

      This has indeed been a strange spring, and I think it’s really shuffled the fish around timing wise. So I guess time will tell. Personally, I suspect the reaction bite will begin to really come on strong in the coming week(s) as the second wave should be about ready to start chewing.

      I believe most of the FLW fish were first phasers, and I suspect phase two should really start chasing anytime now if I’m correct. If so, that would mean we could probably see spawn fish through June like the ole days, with a big time crank bite to come thereafter.
      I sure hope that’s the case.

      Forecast

      With the weather turmoil of late and the forecast for much of the same, I’d come prepared to “junk fish”.

      Baits

      Underspins, drop shots, carolina rigs, senkos, wake baits, jerk baits, buzz baits or frogs!
      One of em’ will get ya bit. So, get out there and get after them, and good luck!
      Resized_20160502_142905.jpeg
      watch out for these fellas, they're everywhere
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  • Butte County
    • By

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Yes, again, but this time went out with Joe in his boat. Left the launch ramp at Bidwell about 6:30am, off the water about noon. Just like recent trips, didn't seem to matter where one fished. Started in S. fork, got a few fish, then went to as far as we could in the middle fork, but got stopped at the log chain that was collecting wood, couldn't go any further, so just turned around and fished our way back towards the main lake. Full on bite, we managed just 30 fish this trip, me still tossing weightless wack senko's, still getting bites. Two fish right at 15" or maybe a fraction smaller. All the rest the basic fish 12-14", and the usual runts, 7-9", guessing about 5 runts. Overall, great fishing again. It's time to fish this lake, even a novice will catch fish. Great trip Joe. Pictures in fishing forum.

Tuesday, May 3rd, 2016

  • Butte County
    • By

      Water Temp: 62

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Launched at Lime Saddle about 6:15am, fished till 11am. Bite was better today. Tossed wacky weightless Senko's the whole trip, and glad I did. Seemed every single stop on the way to the N. Fork had fish to catch, crazy good fishing right now. Managed 23 spotted bass this morning with two 15", 4-5 14-14 1/2" and the rest basic 12-13". Oh, and one red eye attached a 5" senko half the size of the fish!! crazy how small fish take on bigger baits. Crazy busy on the lake now that the water is up, like a weekend day in the summer!! Caught most fish from 5ft to 25ft. Kind of like wacky fishing, slow and easy, just right for this old man!!Pictures in fishing forum.

Monday, May 2nd, 2016

  • Solano County
    • By

      Report: by ElGuapo » Mon May 02, 2016 12:51 pm

      Got a late start out of Russo's due to having to clear out 50# mono from my t-motor prop before launching! :x

      Fished inside islands, breaks, for the first couple hours and finally got bit. Went a little further south and got bit a lot. 20+ fish for me, 40+ for the boat but the majority were smaller fish. My best 5 would have been >15lbs. though, a personal best.

      Key for me was targeting deeper beds in clearer waters. There were mostly smaller fish up shallow. Better quality (back to back 3#ers) came off stick ups.

      Gave my new wacky rig set up a work out (Dobyns Champ 704SF + Shimano Ci4+). Thanks to Richard Dobyns for the recommendation!

      How did others do?

      Watch vid: http://www.westernbass.com/forum/post562555.html#p562555

    • By

      Water Temp: 67

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Launched out of Big Break about 2 hours before high tide. Winds were about 8MPH but gusts were up to 29MPH. Had to hide in some of the back slews to find perhaps 100 feet of rip rap that was wind protected in a few places. Wind was changing direction most of the day. The gusts were insane but managed to hold position when needed. Fished with my buddy Joshua and we caught 15 fish wacky style. The biggest was about 3 pounds, most were in the 1-2 pound range. Coming out f Dutch and heading back to Big Break we hit 3 foot rollers moving in the same direction as the boat. Couldn't believe we saw a a 12 foot aluminum boat out there with 3 passengers earlier in the day

      Tips: I use Willie Weather as my main site for weather reports. They can actually zone into Big Break and Frank's Tract. You can get a good handle on wind projections by the hour.I was surprised that the marine weather channel I typically use for small craft advisory reports didn't update their post to forecast what was in my opinion seriously significant winds. My tip actually comes from Stacy King when he did a special on handling turbulent water- "take one wave at a time" . If the rollers are heading in the same direction as your boat DO NOT cruise the tops at a constant high speed thinking the flow is going to be the same. Personally I think when the rollers are moving in the same direction as your boat it's more of a challenge. Be prepared to adjust your throttle speed as necessary and play it safe. One wave at a time.

Sunday, May 1st, 2016

Friday, April 29th, 2016

  • Solano County
    • By

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Launched out of Orwood around 10:30 am with my buddy Tri Valley Bass-master Bruce. Tide was almost out, fished Sinkos to Discovery Bay. Bloody wind kicked up made things difficult. Headed into Disco bay and looked for calm spots on west side. Fished the shadows near the shoreline and around docks. Bruce caught a nice 5.5lbs female on a dark Sinko. Totaled 6 fish for the day.

      Tips: Looking forward to calmer days. If wind is going to be over 10mph, I'll get some work done around the house. Good luck.

    • By

      Report: Isleton Striper Trolling and plug casting has improved the last few days. Water cleared a bit this week and a few more stripers in the Cache Slough area responded. Trolling the Angry Eyes and Savage Preys is the best bet. Sturgeon anglers moved West . Catfish start to show in better numbers with Mackeral.

      Rio Vista- Shore bound anglers are scoring both species. The best place to score a striped bass or sturgeon remains Sherman Island in the area of the Power Lines, use Sardines or Shad. Trolling is scoring many limits stripers and occasionally, a 12-15 pounder caught. Savage Prey and P-line Angry Eye lures are key for the trolling anglers. Red White Classic Shimmer jigs around pumps getting stripers.

      Walnut Grove . Bank anglers tossing shad and Sardines prevail for an occasional sturgeon or Striper those looking for bigger bites. Drifting live baits for stripers cracking the 10 pound plus keeps anglers smiling. Trolling Savage Prey baits colors 8 to 10 foot deep is key as the spring push continues. The Dirty “D” is clearing its name and conditions are improving. Stay in the Wimpys area for best conditions. Best bet, Savage Prey and P-line Angry Eye lures.

      Discovery Bay Larger Stripers started to show a bit this past week including 25 plus pictured. Crappie and Bluegill also had a improvement this week. Biwaa Sevens in Bluegill and RedHorse patterns rocking the Bed fish are around. Most Blackie anglers are sticking with Senkos and Tail Slapper swim baits paired with Fatsack Swim Jigs, Wind and overcast this weekend slow rolling Fatsack Tackle blades and Strike King square bills searching ledges near sparse tulle flats.

      Frank’s Tract Black bass bite is at a consistent pace warm days only helps the Big Girls bite. Hematoma Beavers on over cast days also working well. We are seeing a few Stripers and Black Bass with top water and Chili Craw Red Eye Shad. Others looking to score are starting to crank Chartreuse Shad 6th Sense baits and Big Poppa’s are solid options. Keeper sized stripes are grabbing Bubba Shad a bit more this week and trolled Angry Eye baits.

      West Delta The stripers are here anchovies and sardines in many areas for bank anglers, Antioch Pier and along Sherman Island rd. Stripes to 18 pounds have grabbed baits including 40” monster pictured. Trollers it’s getting started on both sides with Red Barn being the top choice, if they aren’t there move to the Eddo’s Side. Chartreuse patterns are the best bet.

      Contra Loma – Black bass have been biting on artificial baits/lures and nightcrawlers around the lake. Try a AC Minnow wake bait or a Savage Trout fishing is still consistent on the east side, north side of lake or from a boat with nightcrawlers, Power Eggs, or mice tails. Too many bank walkers popping Bass to 8 pounds off the beds.

      Los Vaqueros Trout action best bet. They are being caught in South Cove and Oak Point as well as Cowboy Cove. The baits of choice for shore anglers is garlic scented PowerBaits, nightcrawlers or Kastmasters. Trout average a pound and a half but range to over 5 lbs. Light tackle is important for catching trout with 4-6 pound test being plenty. There was a 1000 lb DFW plant on the way. There was also a 1000 lb Lassen plant this week. With the continuing plants, trout fishing has been holding steady with more limits being caught from all around the reservoir.

      Del Valle . Black Bass are on fire with anglers reporting having caught and released up to 12 bass. Most are smaller and in shallow water creating their beds. Best bet is still Senkos, either wacky or Texas rigged. Also try a plastic crawdad, on either a half-ounce, or a one-ounce football jig head. If you do catch a bass, please release it, as she maybe pregnant. Remember that by taking one bass, anglers could be taking thousands away from the lake, so please, during the crucial spawning period, release any bass caught. Trout have been active this last week. They have been in the shallow water; anglers are having good luck on Power Bait, nightcrawlers, Rapalas, mice tails and Kastmasters. Many anglers have reported catching their limits.

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

  • Butte County
    • By

      Water Temp: 62

      Report: Bored, so had to go fishing. Launched at Lime Saddle about 6:30am, off the lake at 10:30am. Slow morning for some reason. Tossed Senko's and roboworms and managed to catch 17 spots, mostly small fish, with just 4 fish in the 14" range, all the larger fish caught on Senko's, the smaller 12-13 1/2" on roboworms, texas rigged. Fished the Lime Saddle area, always a housboat in sight. Next week heading to N. fork, see what I can coax in to biting. All fish caught less then 25 ft, no deep fish, but did try. Pictures in fishing forum.

  • Amador County
    • By

      Report: Hi, well here is a few few caught, one is a Beast Largemouth 6lb + fish caught on 6lb test flouro 100% seagar clear, also many other good bass including some smallmouth, there is also a really nice trout i caught only took maybe 5 casts with a blue fox inline spinner and fish on!
      Really nice fish over 3 1/2 lb's under 4lb's this fish was caught using 6lb flouro seagar as well.
      the weather was either cold or slighty warm at best,
      fish were caught on plastics and lures see video below for some big fish!!! lots of fun
      Watch Video: http://www.westernbass.com/forum/post562283.html#p562283

Thursday, April 28th, 2016

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 63-64

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: So, where were all the rest of you on Wednesdays exciting weather event at Berryessa? There were only 3 rigs at Markley's ramp area - plus Matt Allen somewhere out there taking photos of our water spout that hit the lake in the afternoon thunderstorm! The 3 of us made it back to the ramp just as the rain and hail hit - and it was a major hit! I am no fan of lightning out on the water. As for the fishing, I had a client from Florida who now loves Berryessa! He did very well and caught is first-ever spotted bass - and several more that keep getting bigger, up to 3 lbs. Now he knows how those spotted bass fight!! He hit for the cycle too, getting a largemouth and a smallmouth. The cloud formations over the lake were absolutely amazing in the morning. As the day went on, they grew and grew, got darker and darker, it got windier and windier, and we quickly went 0 to 60 back to the dock!!

      Tips: I have to make one more comment about my last trip to Bullards Bar (see report). I have always wondered what goes through a clients mind when they are out on a famous lake - like Clear Lake or Bullards Bar (no, it wasn't always famous), and catch an amazing big bass (7lbs14oz spot) in the first few minutes ever on the lake. Something like: Wow - this IS a good lake, or, this lake is EASY, or, this guide IS great - no - probably not that thought - LOL! And who get the biggest thrill - the client or the guide? There were some scary moments until she was in the net! Anyway, back to Berryessa. We fished in the narrows mostly. I was going to head out to the main body, but the narrows bite was good and getting better. We used Robo worms most of the trip. Could net get them to touch a Senko that day. Points were no good but the steep walls would produce a nice bass here and there. We did not find any concentration of bass, maybe because of all the weather turmoil in the past few days. When I did take him out to the main body, showing him the size and layout of the lake, it was nasty - big swells! So much for the main body! Gotta call Matt - see if he made it back in one piece!!

Wednesday, April 27th, 2016

  • Shasta County
    • By

      Report: From Lake Shasta

      Lake Shasta Good afternoon Shasta Lake Fans!!!
      The sun is coming out from the clouds and warming up. Currently we are at 63 degrees and a slight breeze.
      The Forrest Service held a meeting today with businesses, marinas and others who had an interest in operations on the lake this coming summer. Some of which I wanted to share for everyone to get the best out of our 2016 summer! AS you can imagine, everyone at the meeting was thrilled to have the lake at the level that it is at.
      First and foremost, the biggest question on everyone's mind is what the expected draw downs are...
      Estimations are that the lake will bottom out at 75' below full pool by the end of October!!!
      If you recall the highest lake level we saw at the beginning of 2015 was 71' down...that is where we started the 2015 summer season.
      Although, it is still a prediction, it was tremendously good news for us all, and quite the relief comparative to years past! grin emoticon
      With that said, here is some more useful information about just a small portion of the activities on Shasta Lake this summer:
      Boat-in campgrounds
      • Ski Island, Arbuckle Flat, Greens Creek and Gooseneck Boat in campgrounds are currently open. Given current water levels, we are already seeing use even on weekdays at these sites. Hazard tree reduction is complete as we continue ongoing fire prevention and vegetation management. All developed boat access campgrounds have received an initial cleaning and will continue to receive regular service throughout the season.
      Floating Toilets
      • We maintain 6 floating toilets on Shasta Lake. Normally, our goal is to ensure all floaters are installed prior to Memorial weekend. However, as we have a full lake and our toilets have
      received recent maintenance and repair, they will likely all be in place prior to mid-May.
      Regulatory Buoys
      • As a courtesy to the Sheriffs office, the Forest Service maintains about 50 regulatory buoys identified by County Ordinance. Most are currently in place. Regulatory buoys include 5mph and No-Ski buoys.
      • Many of you buoys had to be removed last season due to low lake levels.
      • We are currently in the process of reinstalling regulatory buoys.
      • Our target is to have all County Ordinance areas marked by Memorial weekend.
      Obstacle Marking Program
      • The obstacle marking program is a volunteer program implemented by Shasta Lake Marinas and now Shasta Lake Boaters (new partners)
      • The Forest Service provides materials, guidance and monitoring for the program.
      • There are 321 areas identified in the obstacle marking program.
      • The fall survey conducted October, 2015 identified 45 markers needing repair.
      • According to returned survey forms (not all are in), volunteers provided 54 hours of labor to
      replace 24 out of 45 damaged markers or about 93 overall success.
      • Thank you Obstacle Marker Volunteers! (all marinas and Shasta Lake Boaters) lake Clean-up
      • Despite extensive past man made debris clean-up efforts, high lake levels have floated a noticeable amount of marina related debris.
      • We will continue to collect floating lake junk and time and opportunity permits
      • Please take care to secure broken or unwanted sections of docks, booms, foam, etc and remove it from the lake and dispose as soon as possible.
      Woody Debris
      • Storms in January and February deposited a fair amount of new woody debris into the lake. Using booms purchased from Bagley Fire BEAR funds, we captured nearly 4 compacted surface acres on the McCloud and Squaw Creek arms. Our intent was to leave the booms in place long enough to capture any additional debris washed in by winter storms so it could be contained and transported to an area which facilitates easy access to wood cutters.
      • Unfortunately, recreational boaters loosened both booms (presumably to attain access) and ALL debris was lost. It is unlikely the FS will attempt woody debris management in future years due to decreased reliability of our aging booms and the inability to monitor public interaction at all times.
      Mother's day-Memorial weekend
      • Expect a large turnout.
      • Extent of Forest Service involvement is picking up the mess at the end of the event.
      • Shasta Lake Boaters were a huge help last year and I expect a fair turnout from them again as
      well.
      • Thank you Shasta lake Boaters!
      Lake Level Report (04/27/2016 at 13:00)
      Lake Elevation: 1055.53' (11.47' below full pool)
      Lake Elevation (2015): 993.20' (73.80' below full pool)
      Storage: 4,218,322 af (estimated)
      Storage (2015): 2,683,198 af
      Outflow: 4,708 cfs
      Inflow: 7,884 cfs
      Precipitation (24 hr @ dam): 0.00"
      Precipitation (Season @ dam): 61.54"
      Precipitation (2015 Season @ dam): 48.10"

Tuesday, April 26th, 2016

  • Riverside County
    • By

      Report: From DVL Marina
      We are so excited to share the exciting news that we will be open for private boat launching starting May 18,2016!!! We will be having giveaways during the first 5 days from May 18-22! Can't wait to see you all. We will be doing inspections and boat banding the two weekends prior from 7am-3pm if you want to get your boat pre-inspected.

  • Butte County
    • By

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Drove over to Bidwell so I could fish the middle fork, launching about 6:20 am, off the lake about 11:15am. Decent day, not a lot of larger fish, just one 15", 5-6 14-14 1/2" with all the rest typical 12-14", total 23 fish today. Bite seems to be good just about anyplace with some type of structure. Most fish on Roboworms today, just 5-6 on wacky weightless senko's, but the senko's did catch the larger fish. Fish shallow to 25-30 foot or so. Dinks kind of rule the first 10ft. Picture in fishing forum.

Monday, April 25th, 2016

  • Lake County
    • By

      Report: Well, another big tourney come and gone, and with it, our stable weather! While the lake is at 7.46 Rumsey, just below full pool, the wind and rain continue to muddle up what was once a promising spring bite. Water clarity has suffered immensely, as has the day time water temps, now hovering in the low 60 degree range.

      FLW anglers got to experience a little bit of everything last week and through the finals Saturday, and as expected, the post spawn fish looked to have made the difference. One could hope for a big bed fish and there were a few caught, but from the looks of it, post spawners were not all that hard to find, and most were willing if the right offering was made.

      The fish being bait related the birds and the dark colored bait schools would show most the way to some decent bags. I know the eventual winner stated he was throwing a combination of a-rigs and underspins, and that seemed to be the pattern at least half of the top ten was chasing, and I know for certain what third place finisher Wade Curtiss was chasing as well, underspin Keitechs and stand up jigs with Lil Creeper Sunfish. Underspin jigs with a 3.8 Keitech for the bait chasers, and stand up jigs tipped with a Lil Creeper Sunfish for the bed fish. I also know he’s now missing a few he thought he had. Just kidding, he was nice enough though to leave a few before heading home. Wade has his own line of jigs and swimming baits, and he can be reached on the internet @ Ladies Man Custom Baits, or by text at 949-735-2943. Check his baits out, quality made custom, according to your specifications; color, size, hook etc. etc.

      Now for the forecast; already winds have taken their toll on anglers both yesterday as
      well as today. Extremely high winds and big water took this boat and it’s anglers by
      surprise and they were lucky to be able to walk away. Their boat, not quite so lucky, and
      these kind of occurrences happen all of the time up here. When this water does get big
      up here it is usually extremely hard to get up on top of, so my advice is DO NOT try.
      Stick your bow up in the air and take your time. Better to get back in one piece than risk
      this here. That said, I’m sure this happened so fast they didn’t have much of a chance.
      One more tip, should something like this happen to you, try and stay calm, do not panic,
      and check you kill switch if you’re motor will not re-fire. Trust me, I’ve been there!
      Hopefully the remainder of the week will go as forecast and we will begin to see some
      warmer, more stable weather come our way. Once it does, I suspect the bite is gonna pick
      up, especially down south, or at least we can hope!

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Sunday, April 24th, 2016

  • Yuba County
    • By

      Report: Lunker Larry's client with a post-spawn spotted bass at 7 lbs 14 oz - Bullards Bar, using a Robo worm.

      I had a guide trip Friday and today - Sunday - a rare Sunday trip for me. There really wasn't much fishing pressure either day. Mornings were calm with bad winds both days starting late morning. I guess I should start with todays (Sun) trip as the father of my father/son trip showed son how it's done!! Did he ever - to the tune of a 7 lb 14 oz post spawn spotted bass. That's the way to start a trip!!! I had him fishing a morning dawn 6" Robo worm. When I saw that fish rise to the surface, I just about freaked!! Quite a tussle at the boat but I somehow got her in the net on the first swipe. After those Bullards spots spawn, they are still tall - top to bottom! After that, they just caught small ones up to 13 inches - smaller than the Friday trip. That trip started off well as I put a 4 1/4 lb spot in the boat and lost another big one which broke my line. In spite of the horrible wind that came up, we caught several keepers up to 2 lbs. The total bass caught on both trips was about the same, 25 to 30+.

      Tips: One has to assume that the bigger spots are only up shallow early and maybe late in the day. They just are hard to find now during the post-spawn. I was surprised that the Senko bite hasn't been very good - at least in my boat. It is hard to get away from the Robo worms - in 2 or 3 favorite colors, when trying to get clients into post-spawn action. Almost every cove now has flooded trees - some totally submerged. Wow - talk about cover. The lake is still rising - now about 91% - and should fill before long. Bullards Bar is a simply gorgeous lake when full - enjoy!!

      Pix here; http://www.westernbass.com/forum/post562090.html?hilit=bullards#p562090