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Northern California Lake Fishing Report

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Friday, July 1st, 2005

  • Amador County
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      Water Temp: 80

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Lake Amador is a lake that giveth and taketh away when fishing, depending on her mood. Bass fishing is often great or horrible. My buddy Rick Tietz, owner of the increasingly popular Blade Runner Tackle and I decided to combine our 60 years of fishing knowledge on the lake to see if we could get her to give up some nice bass! We started at 8 pm last night and quit at 8 am this morning. Well, Amador gave and gave and gave!! We finally put a good plan together for night and morning. We boated 52 bass to 4 1/4 lbs and I continue my winning ways with catfish (see Clear Lake report), catching an 8 pounder on a 6" Senko at night, and catching another 8 pounder on a crankbait in the early morning. After catching a 5-2 on a Snag Proof frog on my previous trip, I started the evening with another frog fish - a little over 3 lbs. Rick and I each missed a blowup. The night fishing was pretty good from 11 pm to 1 am and the rest of the night was fair. I used a 6" Senko most of the night and Rick was using brush hogs - mostly sour grape color. Worms did not seem to do well. By first light we had 24 bass, but the size was disappointing - mostly 1 1/2 to 2 pounders. After first light, the fun began. I witnessed the most awesome spinnerbait bite I have ever seen! Rick caught most of them on his 5/8 oz Rainbow Trout spinnerbait. The bass loved it to the point that he was getting bit on EVERY cast when we located a feeding school of bass!! It was crazy. With the hot weather setting in, I know the early bite would be good. I used spooks and cranks and caught a few and eventually caught a few on his spinner bait. We boated 28 bass in about 2 hours and lost I don't know how many. The bass were bigger too - several from 3 1/2 to 4 1/4. No real big ones however. Numbers-wise, that is probably one of our best Amador trips ever! Maybe after our combined 60 years - we have finally learned something, har!!!!
      City: Yuba City

      Tips: We fished open water points, waiting for the bass to run shad up shallow. After the sun was on the water for awhile, we started fishing shadows. Bass were shallow early and late, and at night were anywhere from 5 to 20 feet. We don't doubt that larger bass were deeper, but they didn't want to bite. Points were better in the daylight and walls better at night. Go figure!!

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

      Report: went out on the families runabout, fished whenever we anchored. Caught one on dropshot and one on rattle trap...nothing worth braggin about

      Tips: dropshot, rattle traps, carlonia rigged lizards produce at berryessa. Any one catching on top water??

  • Santa Clara County
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      Water Temp: -

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: I arrived at 8AM today and hooked up with a 1.5lb fish slow-rolling a spinnerbait in about 4 feet of water. I walked down to the far dam and hooked up with another 1lb fish on a dropshot rig. Around 10:30 the jet ski, wake board circus came into town with the heat of the sun and the day was done. I saw several other shore fishermen and a few bass boats but I didn't see anyone hook up.
      City: san jose

    • By

      Water Temp: upper 60's - 70

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Hey Zack! I don't know what you are using, but try moving up in size. If you're dropshotting 4" worm go to 6" worm or try a taxas rigged brush hog or jig. Also try a rip bait because those better fish are keying in on baitfish and baby bass fry early and late in the day.It's a lot of fun when a 2-3lb bass stops your lure dead in it's tracks. Also if you find any type of weedline at all "flip it" .
      City: San Jose

      Tips: Don't listen to idiots like Johnny "BOY". These are some real tips that should get you that quality fish you are looking for.

  • Solano County
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      Water Temp: 78-80

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: What a day! Launched at 5:30A and fished Beaver/Hog/Sycamore sloughs area. We caught 7 keeper size stripers (largest 8 lbs) before we caught 3 keeper size bass. All of this action happened before 7:00A. Ended the day catching 15 keeper size bass (largest 5.1 lbs). Off the water by 11:00A.
      City: Dixon

      Tips: Stripers were real active this morning and caught outside the weedline on spinnerbaits. Majority of bass also caught on spinnerbait (wht or wht/char). It's hot out there so bring plenty of liquids to drink. Don't forget your sun screen.

  • Sacramento County
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      Water Temp: ???????

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: eric, no one cares about bluegill reports. U can catch those anytime, anywhere.
      City: san jose

    • By

      Water Temp: warm

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: went out today caught a small bass on a night crawler and 3 cat fish 1-4 pounds i was by the brigde saw a bunch of people leavein with some nice lookin cats
      City: Antioch

    • By

      Water Temp: Warm

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: David, Jeremy, and I went started out today at the western corner of the dam. We got a couple small drop shot fish there and a little further down I caught a 1lb. 5oz. jig fish. Jeremy caught a few more dinks in the back cove and back dock on a drop shotted flirt worm. We didn't get anything near the lagoon but we didn't fish it much. David got one blowup on a frog but missed the fish. We ended the day at the boat ramp. I caught 4 more jig fish which were all dinks except for one that was maybe 12inches. David caught a dink on a small finesse worm and one on a jig. Jeremey caught some more dinks drop shotting. A tough day overall. Has anyone been catching any nice fish lately?
      City: Antioch

      Tips: Brown/black jigs and brownish or pumpkin colored drop shot worms with some blue or purple in them. The best spots right now seem to be past the back dock to the corner of the dam and the boat ramp...at least for us anyway.

    • By

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: ya, i also got lots of action on a brown jig and drop shot. iv'e been going for catfish more lately but these next two weeks i'll go for bass.
      City: oakley

      Tips: iv'e seen and heard of people getting a lot of action by the boat dock.

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

      Report: You've catching 50 - 100 bass per day plus 5 trout????? You should get a guide license. I know guides that have been fishing the lake for years and they are struggling to hook a dozen fish per day. Your claim is amazing to say the least.
      City: sacramento

      Tips: Keep it real

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

      Report: i have caught some catfish at sonoma on chicken livers left in the sun for a while. the rot smell seems to work better. i have heard the bridge is the best place because the fish are larger, but have caught fish to 16lbs in yorty creek. near the ends of the creek a bit after dark seem to be best
      City: penngrove

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      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: I have fished this lake for about 7 years and over the hundred times ive been there never been skunked. it has one of the best february bites around. lately been catching fish to 4lbs among the smaller fish. if y'all have to complain about the lake dont come again, it wont miss you.
      City: penngrove

  • Trinity County
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      Water Temp: 76-79

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: WOW what a great day on the lake. Launched out of Trinity Center and headed north-east to fish brush piles in the water where the creeks are flowing into the lake. The water coming into the lake is moving full force. Fished senko's wacky style and caught fish after fish. Landed 2 large mouth one was around 5lbs and the other was an easy 8lbs. It did not matter on the color green pumpkin blk flake, watermelon red flake and I even got slammed tossing a rainbow trout senko right as it hit the water. We caught fish all day long even when the sun was beating on the water.
      City: McKinleyville

      Tips: Keep back away from the brush pile in the water. Hold on and have fun.

Thursday, June 30th, 2005

  • Santa Clara County
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      Water Temp: 82

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: caught 2 bass and a blew gill, the first bass was about 7 pounds cought in the back of a cove on a white and pink spinner bait. I also had a lot of huckups with smaller fish but they never made it into the boat
      City: san jose

      Tips: there a lot of shad in the back of the coves so use somthing that looks like a shad

    • By

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Launched at 9:30, out by 2:00. Caught and released a 4.5 lb LM on buzzbait at back end of Bailey's cove, over the weeds in water three feet deep. Unfortunately, this was the only bite I had all day. The no-bite "cast" of characters included the usual suspects, i.e., spinnerbait, frog, crankbait, dropshot robo worm (Cali Rig?), splitshot w/kalin's hand poured worm, senko, baby brush hog, spook, swimbait, etc. Fishing was very difficult today at Calero. I ran into another fisherman who felt the slow fishing could be due to Calero's fluctuating water level during the last week or so. (I can't remember if he said up or down.) It was nice not having to battle the wind today...fairly calm conditions until about 1 p.m. when it got a little breezy but not too bad. A good day to be on the water! Note: Saw two other LM's landed by bank fishermen using the dropshot. One fish was a dink, the other appeared to be around 3lbs.
      City: Santa Clara

      Tips: Couldn't figure out a pattern so can't really offer any credible advice on how to catch em. However, if you are easily annoyed by water skiers and jet skis, you may want to consider fishing somewhere other than Calero this holiday weekend. Had a holiday-like crowd there today (Thursday).

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

      Report: Had some luck today in Bass Cove. 4 bass to 2 pounds, all caught on a Pop-R about an hour before sunset, just off the tulies. Saw no big fish, but the action was good for the couple of hours fished. Since May, I've been having good luck with surface plugs and no luck with anything else. It always seems that Chabot is best when the weather is warm. Fishing seems to slow on the days the fog makes its way in. Hopefully, the weather stays hot and gets into the 90s or the 100s.
      City: Danville

      Tips: I've had the most success with surface plugs by popping and then skimming lightly for a few seconds, followed by a complete stop and then a pop again.

    • By

      Water Temp: Warm

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: With the water down so long the lake is full of vegetation. That means lots of good cover for the bass. I havent been able to go for bass a lot lately because of my foot but from what i've seen and heard the bass bite is going good. Just from sitting on the dock throwing my gold/silver double bladed spinnerbait i got good action. in about 30 minutes from casting in the same area constantly i got 2 1.5 pounders. Lots of chasers too. The shad and bait fish are really active now. all around the lake they are in schools exploding on topwater from the bass going at him. my brother and neighbor have been getting action off spinners too.
      City: Oakley

      Tips: anything that may resemble baitfish is a good choice right now.

  • Westchester County
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      Water Temp: Non-Wader temp.

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Not complaining, caught 4 small mouth with in one hour. To bad that hour came during my fith hour of fishing.
      City: Fremont

      Tips: Three words, small brush hoggs

Wednesday, June 29th, 2005

  • Mason County
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      Water Temp: 79

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Well i sure wish this place was open before 8:00
      of course when you get there at 8:00 they still are late.started out on the shallow end of the lake.tried spinnerbait nothing then switched to green and white senko.had two dinks on the senko.
      of course the party crowd showed up so i ran down to the other end whrer the bridge is to get away from the crowd.found a very large shallow area that had steep drop off to about 60'of water.started fan casting out to the deep water with a fat frre shad reeling as fast as i could.ended up with nine fish two just over 4lb.the rest all cookie cutter 2lb.fish.wanted to stay and try topwater but was burnt out from crankin so hard.
      City: SALINAS

      Tips: go back to the bridge area and fan cast out in deep water this time of year you may be surprised.

  • Alameda County
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      Water Temp: n/a

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: It seems the fish are moving out of the shallows, and moving down & out towards the ever-so-quick growing weeds at about 10-15 feet off the bank. It must be a little bit cooler for them hanging out in that deeper shady cover.
      City: Oakland

      Tips: Fish deeper water, and have patience!