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Northern California Lake Fishing Report

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Saturday, March 12th, 2005

  • Alameda County
    • By

      Water Temp: 63.2

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Great day on the water. 8 Bass to 2.5 lbs 3 that were smallmouth. 30 trout to 3.5 lbs. most fish came on crack baits (want a blast) The trout bite is on fire. The water is strating to clear up.
      City: san jose

      Tips: Used small crack baits or senko will do the trick.

  • Butte County
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      Water Temp: 55-60

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: 20 fish day, 3 over slot with best fish at 17". Bouncing Carolina/Texas rigged green worms,then letting them rest in 20-30 feet of water near cuts/off points in the Middle Fork. Missed a lot of lite bites.
      City: RENO

      Tips: Watch your line. Some fish hit solid while others barely "Drag" line.

    • By

      Water Temp: cold

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Went out on Sat to try out my new float tube and neoprene waders. I headed for the back pond and Had 4 in about an hour, best went 3.5 then I went over the hill and went to the main lake and got 10 on a dropshot, best about 3lb no monsters for me. I did see one chase my swimbait but would not eat it she looked to be about 10 plus.
      City: San Leandro

      Tips: For me I had to fish real slow, the fish were not overly aggressive.

  • Sonoma County
    • By

      Water Temp: 59-62

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Went with Jimmy Mac, had a good morning in the damp fog. Started on the north shore of the main lake picked up a few on dropshot in 15 to 20 feet of water using various baits.When the fog lifted moved towards the back across from the floating outhouse, same pattern same results. Stayed that way all day until dark. Ended up with 35 fish up to 2.0 lbs. A fun fishing day. Going back Sat.
      City: Pacifia

      Tips: Fish were stacked up at edges of coves ready to go to the beds. Drop around cover in these areas.

    • By

      Water Temp: 57

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: NICE DAY ON THE WATER.STARTED AT 7AM ON YORTY CREEK FISHING TREES ALONG EAST BANK.THREW TIKI STICKS MOST OF THE DAY FOR 9 FISH TO 4LBS.I WAS ON MY WAY BACK TO THE RAMP AND STUCK A HOG.SHE WAS 27 INCHES LONG I FIGURED ABOUT 12LBS.TY SEAN.
      City: SANTA ROSA

      Tips: TIKI STICKS AND ORANGE SMELLY JELLY.DEEP IN COVER AND 10 FEET ON OPEN BANKS.LET SINK TO THE BOTTOM AND BE READY.SET HARD AND HOLD ON.

Friday, March 11th, 2005

  • Mason County
    • By

      Water Temp: 62.3

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Hot day on the water lots of ski boat.
      Fish from 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM
      end up with 6 fish to 3.5
      bigs fish came on a super fluke. most fish in 2 to 15 feet of water.
      south and north ends of the lake sill muddy.
      City: san jose

      Tips: bring lots of water and sun block if you go this weekend.

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 58-61

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Did a Guide Trip today with one client. We started around 7:15AM from Markley Cove and proceeded fishing just outside of the canyon. I started in the morning with "Morning Dawn" until the sun got higher. At around 10AM I change too a 4inch Clear/Blue Streak bait and we caught fish until 1PM. We had around 20 keepers up to 2 1/4lbs. The breeze finally came and I went back to the Dam area using the "New Kreature" put out by Gary Yamamoto Baits. What a butt kicker this bait is. The largemouth moved up on the points and we caught them TX rigged, fish came from 15ft to 30ft movin it slow. In all toll, we caught 40 fish, with the biggiest just over 2 3/4Oz, best 5 went 13 1/4lbs all Largemouth. The spots were average 1 1/2 to 3/4lbs. Out of 40 fish only one smallmouth was caught (early in the morning. The best color in the "Kreature" was in 208, watermelon w/red flake.

      Gone Fish'in
      Rich Thiel
      (925)292-5024
      City: Livermore

      Tips: Hit the long extended point that led into the bay or walls that are broken up that lead into them. Best drop-shot length was 9" to 12". Some came on 6". TXrig 1/4oz. Follow the shade on the Points.

  • Lake County
    • By

      Water Temp: high 50's

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: First trip here this year andI was limited to fishing from 10-4. Started off losing one on a pointer 128 by entrance to keys. Then I blanked in rattlesnake arm till 12:30. Made an adjustment and headed to mouth of spawning area near anderson. First cast a 2.5 on a smaller pointer...............smaller bait at least got me some bites. Caught about 20 in this area, but they got smaller and smaller. I tried duplicating this in several other areas, but found them so full of baitfish that the bass were not interested in my fake fish! Tried a swimbait a bit, but the dam thing swam sideways and I lost interest quickly.
      City: Yuba City

      Tips: I guess that the north end was where the action was for the better fish during the tournament this week.

    • By

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Hit the water just after safe light and headed for tule point area. started throwing swimbaits with my partner just outside of the reeds. Ten minutes later bam!! partner hooks a monster of a fish. What a fight! After getting in the boat she hit the scale at 7.23lbs. After putting her back and calm down a bit I flipped a sweet beaver in a nice pocket and out came a huge hen which hit the 4lbs range. Moved around more and picked up a couple others off jigs and ripping. After eating a snack around ten o'clock, patner picked up the swimbait again and luck struck him twice in a day. After struggling with her to get out of the grass and tules. she was a knockout to look at. She went 8.53lbs.. Caught some others and called it a day.
      City: Nice, CA.

      Tips: The reaction bite was on, didn't seem to matter what kind of plastic either. Just fish hard and hold on.

  • Mendocino County
    • By

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: O.K. guys, for the July 4th trip, You want to get out early before the skiers and jet skis hit the water. Try your favorite topwater (mine is the Zara Spook in bass or shad) along the end of points or dam. The dam always holds both small and largemouth and will produce in the morning. Also, try long point, across the lake and just north from the south boat ramp. Topwater on the flat until the sun hits the water and then pull off to deeper water with jigs and dropshot until the skiers make you so mad that you want to scream and then go find some deep water out of the way and dropshot red and green pumpkin 4-6" worms. Deep water and shade are a must in July. As far as catfish....stinkbait, worms, and bloodbait all work well at night. Throw it out on a big hook and grab the ice chest of Bud and be glad you ain't workin'.
      Stripers are a hit and miss proposition here at Lake Mendo. If you hit it right (April,May/Sept, Oct are usually best) it is a blast. If you are in a boat, you "chase" them. In the morning, they will drive schools of shad to the surface and feed or as we call it"boil". This is so fun to do, you run up to the boiling fish but not into them. You must stop as soon as you can reach them with a cast and stop the boat and shut off your motor. This is important because if you run into the school or leave your motor running they will spook and disappear. If you are in a boat with a trolling motor, throw it down and follow the school as you fish. If they stay up, the school will drift and this will allow you to stay within casting distance without firing up the big motor and spooking the fish. Cast a white fluke or Bass Assassin rigged weightless on at least a 2/0 hook into the boil and twitch it. Ripbaits also work well at time. Stipers "lock" onto the size of the bait they are feeding on so try to use a size close to their food. You will see dead shad floating after they boil. Then hang on for a great time. I use a 7' spinning rod spooled with 10 florocarbon for the best action. If your there at the wrong time, forget it. You can try trolling deep diving plugs in shad pattern but that is best in March and April only. If you are on the bank, try headless anchovies off the bottom.
      City: Ukiah

      Tips: Hope this helped. Please remember to be courtious to others fishihg around you. This is a small lake and gets real crowded in the summer. See you out there.

      Tight lines and good luck!

  • San Francisco County
    • By

      Water Temp: cold

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Went out for an hour just before sundown. Got one small bass (1 lb.) on a hula popper. It's gonna get better, if the weather just stays warm for a couple more days.
      City: Daly City

      Tips: Work it over and over...switch baits after a few casts and fish slowly...very slowly

  • Butte County
    • By

      Water Temp: 62

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: 30 fish day. sunny banks in PM. Rocks in South Fork. Oxblood worms, Brown Grubs. All slot fish nothing big but a fun day.
      City: Auburn

      Tips: Throw up to shore line. Retrieve slow.

    • By

      Water Temp: cold

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: dudeman, that tap was probably the bottom dude. I read these reports often and can't help but laugh at your attempts man, you sound like a mess out there. But keep up you efforts, it will get better, drop shotting a plastic wackey style will usually produce fish , but if its muddy like it was last weekend, you have to drop the bait on their nose to maybe get a hit. Muddy water is not a bass anglers best friend! good luck
      City: Pleasanton

      Tips: they don't stock those back ponds w/ bass, so catch them, admire them, take a picture with them, but let tham go back and get fat and happy!

  • Sonoma County
    • By

      Water Temp: 57 am -62 pm

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: On the water @ 7:30 ran up to mouth of Yorty and nailed three quick ones in first hour one on drop shot in a tree in about 25 ' the other two off the shade line on the point with a crank bait. Worked my way over to Brush Creek and started down the south shore and three boats came in, moving further up the cove. Fished on down trying various techniques with no luck. Decided to find some new water, so I cruised on up Dry Creek and hit a nice cove on the far bank from Cherry Creek. Caught four more, one on the drop shot and 3 on a Senko. All came near wood with a defined shade line. All were 1 1/2 to 2 lbs. Cruised up into Cherry and couldn't get anything to go. Off the water about 1:30. All in all not a bad day. Would liked to have stuck a decent size fish, but hell it sure beats working on a Friday.
      City: Sonoma

Thursday, March 10th, 2005

  • Amador County
    • By

      Water Temp: 62

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Decided to try some night fishing last night, knowing it would be a warm night. But I was really surprised that, after a warm day, the heavy, moist air was still with me (been that way all winter), and it did slow the bite as it always does. I drove back to Yuba City after 2 am in the worst fog I have seen in years. Anyway, I started about 4 pm and did poorly until just before dark when a 3 pounder took my Weapon jig off a point in Jackson Creek. After dark, I landed another 3 pounder in a Mountain Spring tree - on a brush hog. I was using my new Loomis GLX 7'5" rod - talk about sticking that bass! In Rock Creek I landed another 3 pounder (they were all clones!) and about 11:15 stuck a nice 5 lb 7 oz bass on a rock ledge. I dumped two others at the boat, so, 4 bass for about 14 1/2 lbs. After midnight, it might as well have rained on my boat. No more bites and I left about 1:30 am.
      City: Yuba City

      Tips: I tried spinnerbaits, jigs, and worms after dark, but could only catch my bass on black/red brush hogs. Shad are either at the 40-50 foot depth or on the surface. Take your pick!

  • Mason County
    • By

      Water Temp: dont know

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Hey guy's need some answer's water temp,, color..everything .. Please help me out..Thanks.. Zack...
      City: livermore

      Tips: the tip of the day is ..Watch out for the boom box, Ski Boat's... Chance' are the "DRIVER" of the boat isn't looking at you and or me..That's why they have "OBSERVER'S" Ya right.. most of the observer's dont know what to do.. and or how close they can come to another boat.. What do you think?? Im ready for a response...!!!

    • By

      Water Temp: cold

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: My son and I got to the lake at about 6:00am, walked the shores at the atv side and got nothing, so we tried the other side by the campgrounds, both of us cought a few bass, nothing big, 1 to 1.5lbs. The water level is the highest I ever seen there, so we decided to try the picninc grounds by the dam where there's submerged trees. We got hit right of way 1.5 lbs to 2lbs for a total of 12 fish. We had fun and that's all that matters. We left by noon becouse the winds picked up.
      City: San Bruno

      Tips: Sweet bevers!!

  • Santa Clara County
    • By

      Water Temp: 59-63

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Its amazing how this lake holds up year after to the intense fishing pressure but it does and is as good as ever. Today was a guide trip with Chris Young of San Jose and Nate Sullivan of Venice, Ca. hard bottom flats close to deep water is where I kept the boat most of the day and they put 30+ fish in the boat to 5lbs.. Windy but managable. Fished Plastics slow all day and the bite was very subtle.
      City: San Jose

  • Solano County
    • By

      Water Temp: 59 early 63 lat

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Started out with rip baits [husky jerk and rattling rouges] in Whiskey Slough near the harbor at first light. Fished just off the weedline and picked up a 2 and a 3 the first hour. Tried a june bug mag 11 zoom worm texas rigged off the rip rap for nothing the next half hour. Decided to try the tules with senkos. used a 5 inch green and white and dyed the white part chartruse and painted black bars down the sides with a sharpie and red dots in between the black bars. This pattern always seems to work right about now every year. i call it my fire tiger senko. First 5 casts got a 3, a two, two around 1.5 and one the same size as the senko. No fish hit on the fall. All hit after at least 15 seconds of dead stickin. After that length of tule line shut down I moved up the slough a bit to fish a tule island. The tide was moving in fast by now and a wave of dirty water and debris came with it. Everything kind of stopped. I got 2 more dinks and headed in. On the way in I saw near the bank what looked like a stringer of fish someone lost. I looked closer and it was a bass around 5 lbs with a bass around 3 head first down his throat. Looked to me like he tried to eat that 3 lber and they both died. Weird stuff.
      City: Union City

      Tips: I thought the rip bait bite would be better but the bass seemed to only be relating to tules and holding tight to them.

    • By

      Water Temp: 62 Degrees

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Launched again out of Whiskey Slough. Took the wife fishing for her first time this year. She busted all her fish on PBJ Senkos biggest went 3lbs lots of small males. I fished a different pattern drop shotted Aarons Magic Roboworms in Mildred outside weedline edges. Caught several fish biggest was 3.5lbs. Total weight for both of us was for five fish was 15lbs. All in all it was a tough day fishing. Looking for the big bite to come on.
      City: Tracy

      Tips: Drop shot bite was consistent. Remember changing the pattern will put fish in the boat you will be suprised. Success to all.