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Northern California Lake Fishing Report

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Sunday, December 12th, 2004

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

      Report: Went fishing on Sunday with my fishing partner, Dad and another friend. Started fishing about 6:30am. Tried all my normal spots in the lower end of the lake throwing just about everything in my tackle box with not even a bite. Finally decide to head up the river and at 10:30 finaly got the first fish drop shoting. We had finally found some active fish! Unfortunately the wind kicked up and created 3' swells so we had to leave. Headed back to the lower end of the lake and picked up one more 1 lb. fish. Made it back to the dock at about 3:00. Finished the day with 3 fish for 2 lb. 10oz. My dad finally found some active fish in the lower lake around 1pm drop shoting. And ended his day with 4 lb. 2oz.
      City: Denair

      Tips: Everyone I saw on the lake was drop shoting. The bite was very slow which is normal for this time of year.

Saturday, December 11th, 2004

  • Solano County
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      Water Temp: 45-49

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Basin Bassmaster from Loomis and I went out of Miner Slough. Put the boat in at Arrow Head Marina in the fog/pea soup. Denny Howard and I fished spinner baits getting a 5 lb and 3 lb striper first thing in the morning. I was using a brown/purple 3/8 oz jig with a brown/blue double tail grub. Most of our fish came in around the tules next to rocks in deep water in front. Water was very muddy and curent was fast at times. Use bright colors in that muddy water and smellie jellys scents help at times. Run your lights in the fog, or the local castople will stop you. Have fun and be careful out there.
      City: rocklin

      Tips: fish spinners and Rattle traps , speed traps and jigs.

  • Sacramento County
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      Water Temp: 51-52

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Fished the north fork 1/2 day and it was slow. I figure I got bit a dozen times on my favorite drop shot setup, but put the hook in only 1 undersized fish. Fished humps, deep points, and vertical rocks. Located fish in 20-40'. I did end up with 1 nice (24") trout that I will eat for dinner. Good luck.
      City: Folsom

    • By

      Water Temp: Cold

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Float tubed Lexington from noon to 5PM. Got skunk! The water was cold and muddy, zero visibility. Tried to locate sharp drop-off near the south end but couldn't find one. Looked to me like a big flat with gradual slope. Average depth was 4 feet, with the deepest around 15 feet. Fished spinnerbaits, jig-n-pig, Rat-L-trap, and brushhogs but couldn't commit a bite. Decided to move north and fished the dam for about half an hour before dark. No bite there as well.
      City: Palo Alto

      Tips: Wait a little bit until the water clears up.

  • Westchester County
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      Water Temp: ?

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Fished the lake for a few hours. Didn't get an early start on it, but ended up with a limit of catfish. Had the first fish on within the first 30 minutes and it never ended until I ran out out of bait. I must have hit the right hole and also the past weeks rain must have helped too. Trout fishing was slow and I saw one big fish caught across the shore from where I was at. Ranger told me that alot guys were getting the skunk on since fishing early in the morning.
      City: DC

Friday, December 10th, 2004

  • Solano County
    • By

      Water Temp: high 40's-low 5

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Went out on Thursday and Friday. Fished Hog and Sycamore sloughs. On Thursday, we had 2 boats with 4 of us fishing. Keepers for the day were 7 stripers (4 - 9 1/2 lbs) and a 1 1/2 lb bass (also caught a 11 3/4 inch one too). My friend and his buddy caught their 2 limits of stripers in an hour. On Friday, just 2 of us fished and we caught 4 keeper stripers (6 - 7 lbs - actually caught a 5th one about 5 lbs that we released) and a 2 lb bass. We caught our limit of stripers in a hour too.
      City: Dixon

      Tips: Just keep tossing a shad colored Rat L Trap. 3/4 oz Rat L Trap caught most of the stripers. Fish the channel behind the boat -- that method caught 9 of the 12 keeper stripers. All the bass caught on a 1/2 oz Rat L Trap.

    • By

      Water Temp: 49.3-50.7

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Fished around Bethel Island for about four hours with only one bite the fish that we caught was small and was cold.
      City: MArtinez

      Tips: Find another place to fish.

  • Butte County
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      Water Temp: 46

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Fished Bidwell marina area from house boat marked lots of fish from 30ft to 70ft boat in 110 ft of water,46 degrees @ top with live bait no takers,stopped boat and drop shot the drocks from 30 feet to 60ft with all the Robo worms no hits fishing slow in the marina area for the last two weeks
      City: Chico

      Tips: buy herculize lure with long fuse,worked in W2 have fun still a better day than working

  • Shasta County
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      Water Temp: 54.6-55.4

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: I need more days like this! 17.37 for my best 5 with 11 total and nothing under 1.8, damn what a morning.
      In at Packers at 0710, heavy fog in Redding but clear after mountain gate. air temp going in was 44, lake up a bit over 5 ft and now at 97ft down with a lot of small debris and a few chunks of wood and mostly in the lower Pit. Lots of guys getting in this am, I got a spot down below and I was #3.

      Pulled out to the island out front and started throwing a spook as I moved down the bank, got one bump and gave it up after 15 minutes. Drag out my 3/4 oz stuff with a MGM hoo-dun-it in #109 and get out to the point of the island and standing in 70ft throwing back at the point. The first cast sails in at about 10ft and it just stopped, rell up bit and feel some weight so I swing on it and off we go. This is a good fish. It heads down that steep bank and pumps the rod hard and I get it up and have a look and got nervous, get the net underneath it and in come a very nice spot. Weigh it after my hands quit shaking and it is 5.56lbs. It was acting kinda slow so I put in in the box to see how it would do. Moved off hitting a few other points on the way out towards the channel and see a friend over the front of his boat doing something with his trolling motor. Its Bill Quinn Sr, and his motorguide won't go. he fiddles with it a bit and asks my how I am doing and I said I just got one and go digging in the box to brag a bit. He's got a couple of guys with him and their eyes light up when i get that fish out which has now come to life. drop her back in with my chest all stuck out. Bill isn't all that impressed because he has a habit of catching fish like that very frequently. He is a blade and spooning wonder. They go off back to the ramp and I get over some fish in 35-40 ft and drop that hoo-dun-it down and move about 10 ft and stick another decent fish tht weighed 3.16 and I am greally feeling good now. I had to fizz that one and go back in again in the same area and stick another good one that weighed 3.41. I feel like I have died and gone to heaven. Fished for about 15 minutes and stick another decent fish that fought like crazy and it weighed 2.40. Took off over into the middle pit and no bites for an hour and then fished some cuts heavily eroded by the last storm and get one more good one at 2.86. i am nearly beside myself as i don't get to do this very often. Fished to 1115 and had 3 more and nothing smaller than 1.80 and that was a smallmouth. Head back in and out at 1130, air temp 61 and no wind at all. Both lanes at Packers are completely usable now.
      City: Redding

      Tips: once again the color #109 did the trick. The bass fed guys ought to produce some great weights this weekend. I just wish i could do this more often.

Thursday, December 9th, 2004

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

      Report: Hit the trusty West Delta on Tuesday afternnoon and Wednesday. Fished Tuesday afternoon with a few small fish nothing too exciting. Throw on a top water plug and bam first cast a 8lb striper. Missed one more blowup(squawfish I think). Wednesday was great! Really heavy fog until almost 10:30. Fished around Big Break and Bethel Island, probably got around 20 fish. A couple of nice ones thrown in the mix was fun. Best 5 around 15 all on Beavers.
      City: Walnut Creek

  • Fresno County
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      Water Temp: 54

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Fished all day for six small fish. I am new to the area. Only third time on this lake. Dropshot, senko and tube worked for me. Looking for fishing partner or club to learn the lakes in this area. I run a 20 foot Green Ranger, see you on the water.
      City: Coarsegold

      Tips: Fish slow with lite line

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

      Report: ATTENTION: There will be a turkeyshoot held a lake Oroville Sat. (12-11-04)If anyone is interested please show up at the Spillway ramp at 6:00am. Thank you and hope to see you there.
      City: Yuba City

    • By

      Water Temp: 54-59

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: wear are all the reports? Ive never seen it go this long without a report. amazing.
      City: Yuba city

      Tips: fishing is ok the fish are moving alot so watch out there one day gone the next

Wednesday, December 8th, 2004

  • Alameda County
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      Water Temp: N/A

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Please Please Please come and help us with the habitat restoration project at Chabot this year. This will unfortunatly be the last one for this lake. Next year we hope to do Del Valle. We are going to try to sink 500 trees into Chabot this year. Last 2 years we did 350 so we need more help. We are going to meet at the marina for coffee and b-fast snack at 8 am Janurary 8th. Bring a pair of gloves and some raingear bottoms because the trees retain the rain water that could get on them. Hope to see you there.
      City: Castro Valley

  • Sacramento County
    • By

      Water Temp: 51.8 main body,

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Started out newyork,jigs,1-3ft.Two nice keeepers.Not enough fish, left went back to main lake aREA TOOK SEVEN FOR 12LBS. fISH WERE1-4FT, DART hEADS. bITE WAS agressive. Feeders came up at noon. Sk=y cleared a little.Structure was a flat with immediate drop to deep watrer. Heard a 7pounder caught on white cranks at 5% area.Nice of someone to share info. Thanks. Good luck Jim
      City: Sacto

      Tips: As fish move up to eat after a bad storm,the bites will be more aggressive than clear water conditons. Get color and size to them, they are hungry.

    • By

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: I don't know why, but I always manage to get out on the cold nasty days. Anyway, small slow baits. Shame that my rockpile by the dam is so popular now. I don't catch nearly the numbers I used to 15 years ago. Anyway, 5% was my big producer. Back in the days, I used to throw 6", then 4" but now, I'm throwing 3" worms. The fish have changed from smallmouth to spots. This is not really new to anyone, I know, but I miss the days when ice was forming on my rod tip and I would get these awesome 2-3 lbs. pressure biting smallmouths. Pound for pound, the best fighting bass by far.
      City: Folsom

Sunday, December 5th, 2004

    • By

      Water Temp: 55-60

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: went fishin again and it was with michal but we wernt as lucky today no 7 pounder or any fish we got are butts handed to us. not many people fishing and the ones that were wernt having any luck
      City: sj

      Tips: find deeper water most of our hits came from 10 to 20 feet

  • Mason County
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      Water Temp: 53

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Hit the water at 8am. Hit one dink ripping and then went to a 4" robo work. Hit 3 fish then switched to a jig. All in all caught 7 fish all in the 1-2lb range. Wind was pretty strong.
      City: San Jose

    • By

      Water Temp: 75

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: wnet out fishin tryin for bass in the morning, but nothing is working for me. Havent seen any bass get caught lately either, probably cause of the water being raised.
      City: oakley

      Tips: nothing really

  • Alameda County
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      Water Temp: 50-52.5

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Guide trip today with Michael Chen of Oakland and Sandra Sueoka of Santa Clara.. both good fisherman/women with hearty souls as the am air temp was a brisk 32F with an 8-10mph wind out of the SE. Much more like Shasta then whats typical for the Bay Area..We started in the south end of the narrows and they were getting bit from the get go in 30-35' on the dropshot. Once the sun peeked its head over the tundra the fish backed out and hung around the 40 mark today and the fish didn't move around much with a mushy bite..A little dead time from lunch till 1:30 but pretty consistant for much of the day with one here one there...30+ fish for them together with the best fish around 3.5 caught by Sandy. One decent fish did come in about 15ft late in the day off a main point. But for the most part we stayed deep and were never close enough to hit shore with there baits and didn't target them. fish is good right now if you slow it down and keep one eye on your graph.
      City: San Jose