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Northern California Lake Fishing Report

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Sunday, April 10th, 2005

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      Water Temp: 60

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Launched at about 3:00 pm. Talked to some guys that were just getting off the lake. They said they had been out since first thing in the morning and the bass fishing was real slow. They were telling the truth. I got only 5 fish and my buddy only got 2 to 2 #'s in 4 1/2 hours of fishing on plastic worms, all over the lake. Also hooked one little stocker trout trolling a gold Super Duper back to the ramp. Sure is nice to see the lake at full capacity though.
      City: Ben Lomond

      Tips: It will only get better with stable weather.

  • Sonoma County
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      Water Temp: 59

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Fished on Sunday. Didn't find any pattern. Hooked six fish to four pounds, drop shotting, and using senkos and brush hogs in the Dry Creek Arm. Had to search for the fish which came in groups from water that had totally different structure.
      City: Novato

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      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: got ther around 8am...fished till about 11:30. nothing...no fish...no bites. couldn't figure it out. must be a confidense thing, as i have none in this lake. tried jigs, grubs, senkos. maybe i didn't give any of them enough time? who knows. i know there are fish cuz i've seen other people catching. nice day to be out anyway. lots of people out there.
      City: SANTA ROSA

      Tips: if you got any to share, please do.

Saturday, April 9th, 2005

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      Water Temp: 57

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: It is a tough lake to catch bass in daytime. Some kids caught a few nest guarding bass on north shore. Bassing from float tube at night will work for sure.
      City: San Jose

      Tips: Drop shotting

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      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: FISHED FROM 3:30PM TO 5:30PM CAUGHT A 5 LB. FISH ON A STORM CRAWDAD UNDER THE BRIDGE. OTHER THAN THAT BARELY A NIBBLE.
      City: Santa Clara

  • Mason County
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      Water Temp: 57?

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Good news bad news. Good news was I caught 12 bass up to 2.5 lbs very quickly in the morning. The bad news was that I spent the next 3 hrs catching nothing but the wind. Morning was overcast and calm after the storms on Fri. I started with spinner bait and picked up 4 up shallow on wood right away. Knowing there was a reaction bite I swithed to a rip bait and picked up 8 more fish between 2-10 ft deep. Then the north wind started to blow very hard and it all ended like throwing a light switch. The real good news is that I didn't have any rattlesnakes decide to join me in the back of my boat like last weekend.
      City: Foster City

      Tips: Start with reaction baits in the grass lines shallow. If nothing bites start working deeper with plastics. If a north wind kicks up head for the house - it is over. I have heard there is a tourny on Anderson this weekend. I will stay clear of that much fishing pressure and go to DelValle for some bigger fish.

  • Yuba County
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      Water Temp: cold

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: fished the north part of the lake for a change all the way up to the no wake zone. We were looking for smallies and my son got one right away, about 1 1/2 lb then it was a spot fest from then on we put 76 fish in the boat between the 3 of us, nothing over 2 lbs though. But still alot of fun, cranks, small tubes, and small grubs, We missed alot of fish as they were slashing at the bait. It was as if they were trying to kill the bait instead of eating it. Fish were bunched up in spots. Mostly in the back of small coves or cuts a few off the points.
      City: b-ville

      Tips: dark colored tubes, grubs, worms in 4 inch

  • Santa Barbara County
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      Water Temp: 63

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: I fished Saturday and Sunday and they were totally different in nature. I did well on Saturday with about 17 pounds for my efforts and did more scouting early on Sunday but still it fished way different. The wind howled on Sat. and so yes fellas there is a blade bite and I wouldn't doubt a buzzbait! I know of frog fish being caught! It just depends on you. If you didn't get bit on a jerkbait don't worry you will...Can't catch em on a blade keep toss'n it you will. Can't get a worm fish...keep trying you will...Fishing is slow but not alarmingly so...There are just so many options open to the bass right now in terms of comfort and they are taking full advantage of this....It is not like fishing in a barrel like years past...Now your going to have to dig out every ounce....You'll remember '05 with fondness in the years to come

      Rip
      City: Santa Barbara

      Tips: try to fish the animal in it's kingdom by slanting things in your favor. use search baits and you will begin to unravel the secrets of where you are>

  • Solano County
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      Water Temp: 58-60

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Fished Whites, Potato, and Little Potato Slough from 7-2. Thought the day was going to be somewhat better than past trips by starting it off with an 8-15 on first cast with chart/white blade at whites. All small fish after that blades caught the majority of fish, few flip fish. Best bite was morning high tide, rocks/tules.
      City: Sacramento

      Tips: cover A LOT of water

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      Water Temp: 57'

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Went out to White and fished the outgoing. My brother-in law caught a 6-14 off a point and the rest were dinks in the 1.5lb range. Water very stained, cold and muddy. Fish holding tight to cover, hardly any off rocks. Caught them on senkos, zipper and one on jerk. Hardly anyone fishing White or Disappointment today.
      City: SSF

      Tips: Fish between weedline and tules.

  • Lake County
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      Water Temp: 50-55.6

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Fished on Saturday with Mitch from Reno. Our initial plan was ta go up to ClearLake and enjoy some of that awesome swimbait bite we keep ghearin' about. Well, thanks to a bluebird, high pressure day proceeding a storm front, it just wasn't happening for us. We did manage to catch a couple of nice 3 pounders rippen' early. Crossed paths with Rich Pounds who had some clients out fishin minners, whatched catch a 4+ right away, so I knew we wuzon the right pattern of where the fish were. We then bounced around some lookng for a flip bite in some canals, drug some c-rigged green pumkin lizards and Robos with no takers. We worked our way up through Lake Port and were only able to manage a few keepers on the jerk bait following a simular pattern we found earlier. Before heading into Nice, Mitch suggestsed we grab some minners, lets do it, at least we can go locate some fish, then try ta figure out how ta catch em with artificials. Well we went back to the area we started and got fatreal quick on the minners, 4 pounder after four pounder, then Mitch catches a 7 pounder, next cast I git a 9 pound 14oz fish. Okay, time ta try artificials. Three colors later I stick a two pounder on a 9X 194 watermelon Senko, then a 3 pounder. Okay, we got the color they want WATERMELON! We then began to C-rig the same color Lizard and started catching these fish, couldn't catch the big girls but the 2.5-4 pound fish were willing ta hit both the Senco and Lizard. 35+ fish day, best 5 over 30 pounds, not a bad post frontal fishing day. Gotta love this pound!
      City: Oakley

      Tips: Water temps have dropped to the low 50s, these fish are still in transition and in some areas may be staging awaiting that series of warming days to move up on the next full moon. Fish the outside edges, get off the banks and tulles. Stick to watermelon greens and green pumkin colors that closely match the hitch. Also try using light colored jerk & swimbaits with some yellow in it. And then when all this fails, GO GIT SOME MINNERS and have a ball!

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      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: I also caught my first 10 pounder at contra loma this weekend. I was working the north shore when my brother pointed to a spawning bass about 5ft offshore towards the surface. I was using drop shot again and was waving it in front of it and making it mad for a while. It finally grabbed it and i set it. It was a good long 5minute fight. I took some photos and then released it. It was to the left of the north dock right before the north cove. The actual weigth was 10lbs and 1 ounce. My biggest Bass ever. I'll put the photo up soon.
      City: Oakley

      Tips: Drop Shotting along the shore and be quiet because they spook easy.

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      Water Temp: 55-56

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Horrible day- water levels have dropped significantly in the last week, I would venture to say at least 5-8 feet. Got on the water at 8am, caught one minnow less than a pound on a junebug senko. Rest of the boat was skunked.
      City: Los Gatos

      Tips: Wait for the water to warm up- hopefully they will start spawning soon, but its going to be rough since the levels are rapidly dropping.

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

      Report: Shaun wasn't with me today, brought the girlfriend out at about 530 pm for a quick trip. Ran up to New York creek, caught 1 spot and 1 smallie in the first couple of casts on LC rip bait. Kate (the girlfriend, throws a senko back in a cove by a tree and nails a largie a little about 4.5-5 lbs and loses it due to weak hookset, I keep telling just hit em'. Cruised slow around a point, her drop shottin' a Reaction Innovations flirt worm in stinky pinky color and nails a 3.5 lb spot, gets that in the boat. I get one more on a rip bait then off to another cove. She picks up another good spot just under 3lbs and another about 2. All I could manage was serveral more all small (under 2lbs). Last time I take her fishing! ha
      City: rescue

      Tips: Rippin' lucky crafts, split shottin' aarons magic robo worms, and drop shottin' stinky pinky flirts were all working, for less than two hours of fishing we put 10 fish in the boat and lost serveral others. Not bad for an evening

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      Water Temp: 53-58

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Started out late @ 10:30am. The water is coming up, but so much cold water coming in. The lake is staying cold. You can find bass in the back of the coves in 6-15 ft with plastic and jigs. Most of the bass were 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 lbs, most spots. Winds were light, sun out most of the day. We started out on rocky coves with drop offs near, working our way down into the creek channel. The bass were in the backs in some and not others. Found some beds and some beds empty.
      City: rocklin

      Tips: light line with a split shot, # 266 leach, green pumkin lizard 4 ". brown/green jigs with a green grub or brown (double tail).

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      Water Temp: 64

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Went float tubing on Saturday from 11:30AM-5PM. The lake was full and still on the rise. The wind blew hard (~25MPH). Anchored at one cove and caught 5 fish up-to 3 pounds. All but one were caught flipping/pitching zoom brush-hog in the middle of trees. The other one ate Carolina-rigged worm.
      City: Palo Alto

      Tips: Fish are up shallow (8-10 feet of water) and close to dense cover.

  • Shasta County
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      Water Temp: 53

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: fish willows-good luck. watched sports center today on local calif anglers.congradulations to aaron martens,and i hope this is taken the right way,when they talked about the smear campaigns there right!!! i know of 3 shasta pro's 1 oroville,2delta and a father/son team from jones valley they even turned into peta. i do think this pertains to shasta fishing as our local pro's make it big they are smeared in a highly competative world.
      City: red bluff

      Tips: go fishing have fun and remember pass it down to the next generation.good fishing K.C.

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      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Fish are there, went out about 8 and caught a nice five pounder and a couple smaller ones. Alot of people out there on the weekends kind of a pain in the A*#.Over all a good morning.
      City: Rohnert Park

      Tips: senko, that seems to be everyones go to tactic.

Friday, April 8th, 2005

  • Solano County
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      Water Temp: 67

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Went out today with a local Pro today. Fished Mildred and Franks all day. We caught more fish than we could count. Fishing was awesome. Senkos and flipping tubes. Most fish were in the 3-4 pound range but some were over 6 and 7 pounds. Mildred is on fire right now. We had at least 35 lbs in the boat today between us.
      City: Sonora

      Tips: Soft plastics, slow! Found tons of bed fish. When you think you're fishing slow, slow down some more.

  • Tuolumne County
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      Water Temp: mid 50's

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Miserable weather. Intermittent rain . Fished Mormon Creek arm on south facin g banks and secondary points. Good clarity to water. fished from 4-7 PM took 7 fish to 3.5#. Every fish came on a crank bait. All in the red to orange color range. Old craw color FatRap and orange/green Poe's Super Cedar. Nothing on spinner baits, same on swim baits. Didn't really try a worm--too breezy.
      City: Modesto

      Tips: Bite is very tentaive; be alert.