Northern California Lake Fishing Report
- Almanor Lake
- Berryessa Lake
- Cachuma Lake
- California Delta
- Camanche Lake
- Casitas Lake
- Clear Lake
- Diamond Valley Lake
- Don Pedro Lake
- Folsom Lake
- Iron Gate Reservoir
- McClure Lake
- New Melones Lake
- Oroville Lake
- Perris Lake
- San Luis Lake
- Shasta Lake
- Sonoma Lake
- Almaden Lake
- Almaden Reservoir
- Amador Lake
- Anderson Lake
- Barrett Lake
- Black Butte Lake
- Blue Lakes
- Bullards Bar Lake
- Calero Reservoir
- Camp Far West Lake
- Chabot Lake
- Chesbro Lake
- Collins Lake
- Contra Loma Lake
- Coyote Lake
- Del Valle Lake
- Dixon Lake
- Eastman Lake
- Guadalupe Lake
- Hennessy Lake
- Ilsanjo Lake
- Indian Valley Lake
- Kelsey Bass Ranch Lake
- Lafayette Lake
- Lake of the Pines
- Lexington Lake
- Loch Lomond Lake
- Los Banos Lake
- Los Vaqueros Lake
- Mather Lake
- Mendocino Lake
- Mendota Slough Lake
- Merced Lake
- Millerton Lake
- Modesto Reservoir
- Morena Lake
- Murray Lake
- New Hogan Lake
- Nicasio Lake
- Oso Lake
- Pacifica Coastline
- Pardee Lake
- Pillsbury Lake
- Pinto Lake
- Piru Lake
- Quarry Lakes
- Radio Lake
- Rollins Lake
- Ruth Lake
- Sacramento River
- Salt Springs Lake
- San Francisco Bay
- San Justo Lake
- San Pablo Lake
- Shadow Cliffs Lake
- Shastina Lake
- Skinner Lake
- Soulajule Lake
- Spring Lake
- Stevens Creek Lake
- Trinity Lake
- Tulloch Lake
- Turlock Lake
- Uvas Lake
- West Delta
- Whiskeytown Lake
- Woodward Lake
- Woollomes Lake
- Yosemite Lake

Sunday, October 24th, 2004
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Clear Lake
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Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)
Report: No buddy's fished up here in a week? Where's all the reports???C'mon guys need help-heading up this next week and wanna catch 'em! Thanks in advance-tight lines!!!
Scott
City: chowchillaTips: Post your reports like everybody else does so we can use YOUR info to help us like yOU use ours to help you.Thanks!
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Del Valle Lake
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Water Temp: 56 -63 degree's
Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)
Report: I and a client didn't start untill 9AM this morning. Didn't seem to matter with the overcast and dead calm water.
Ran too mid-lake and started on the righthand side. My client immediately starting catching fish by drop-shott'in a morning dawn around 20ft where the work and mud join together. HA, we have a pattern developing. I was throwing a jig and never got hit. It slowed up some and I switch his bait to a Robo Black/grape and he proceeded to boat 10 more within an hour. I manage to boat one 2.10lb on a top-water mid stream between nett'in. The fish all ran between 1.5 and 2lb's.
Good luck
Rich Thiel
Pro-Guide for the Delta, Berryessa and Delvalle
City: LivermoreTips: Look for where the Rock and Mud join together and throw according to overcast or blue skies. Also have at least 30-35ft under your boat if you are catching them drop-shott'in. The fish didn't seem to relate to wood, altho the overcast may of had some bearing on it. Overcast use dark color and sun out use light color, morning dawn, green's or light brown/blue streak.
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Folsom Lake
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Water Temp: 61-63
Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)
Report: Went out late on sunday, found balls of bait in the main body. also found some bass going in the coves in creek channels. fish points and banks in 20-35 ft.
City: rocklin
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Merced Lake
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Water Temp: unknown
Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)
Report: Fished in South Lake Saturday afternoon for 2 hours and Sunday morning for 2 more hours. Split shot soft plastics on tule walls and points. Water getting lower and lower...caught several 1-2lb bass both days. Catch and release only.
City: Daly City, CATips: Slowly fish Texas rig, split shot or drop shot finesse baits.
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Saturday, October 23rd, 2004
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Berryessa Lake
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Water Temp: 67
Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)
Report: Wow, what a difference the biggest mid-October storm in 30 years makes!! Since my last trip, the lake really hasn't changed much, but the fish have! They are in their wandering mode now, wandering mostly offshore - probably wondering what happened to fall!! Yesterday was a nice day, especially in the afternoon. I guided two guys for the second time at Berryessa and suggested we start mid-morning and fish 'til dark. That worked out well. The bite was slow in the morning and slowly got better and was fair at dark. We worked very hard for 13 bass - all three species - with one of the fellows landing the biggest of the day just before we left, a nice 2 1/2 smallie, after losing an even bigger one. He was the hot stick, catching 7 of our 13 bass and losing several! We wound up with an 8 3/4 lb limit - not too great. I was hoping for a topwater bite for us as it clouded up towards evening, but it remained only a hope. Nothing! Had a trout hit a topwater!! We fished from Markley Cove to above Rancho Montebello. After my clients left, I decided to try a little night fishing since a front was moving in. I fished for about 3 hours with 4 bites - no fish. This is common for October at night - the bass are not on the bottom and are mostly offshore - suspended in the bait. Last night was no exception! The fishing might have improved if I had stayed, but my warm bed was calling. All in all, a pretty good "tough" day.
City: Yuba CityTips: While my clients were split-shotting Camanche Jack's early dawn, purple ghost, and purple/brown worms, I tried reaction baits, including topwater through the day. They might have worked early in the morning, but not the rest of the day. Didn't have a jig bite either. No spoon or drop-shot fish. Unlike Folsom a few week ago, the Berryessa bait was suspended far off the bottom as the turnover starts. All of our fish were caught split-shotting, and if we caught one, we usually caught two or three. There had to be a deep water break nearby, and sometimes those are hard to find. Many areas produced nothing. Senkos might have worked, but we didn't throw any. The worm bite was just good enough. The 4 1/2 inch worm worked better than the 6 inch ones. There were really no bites, just "ohmygosh - I've got one"! I suggest moving around until you find some willing bass. The weather isn't going back to fall next week, so the fishing may remain puzzling until the weather settles down some.
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Calero Reservoir
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Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)
Report: Fished for 3hrs got 5 with nothing big. Had to find the fish in groups in about 10-15 ft with shallow close by. Cut Tails and BBH split and C-rig'd. Slow Slow Slow. Not the funnest way to fish but still got some.
Tips: Mark fish and drag slow. Didn't try it but Drop Shot with a long tag end might be the ticket.
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Camanche Lake
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Water Temp: 63
Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)
Report: Club tournament today 10 boats. Rain no wind. First 5 minutes 14.25 inch BB on super spook 5 feet off the bank. 2 nd keeper past narrows on rocky point drop shot 25 feet. Several small ones also all spots. Went to marinas and limited out on seinkos fishing corners and grass beds. Had 8 keepers for 2nd place and 8.20 lbs.
City: orangevaleTips: Lots of BB shallow. Top water early. tubes and seinkos in shade and grass pockets. Morning dawn was a good worm to drop shot.
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Coyote Lake
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Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)
Report: Slow morning, fished for about 4 hours. Started off dragging a c-rig on the bottom, which produced a couple dinks. Then tried cranking for awhile, no takers. Went to the jig, caught two more and called it a day. Caught four biggest being 2 pounds. The bite was really soft fish seemed sluggish.
City: SalinasTips: drag a c-rig on the bottom to locate fish, lizards work well in this lake. Fish are deep 20 to 30 feet of water.
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San Justo Lake
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Water Temp: 63-65
Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)
Report: SLOW
City: hollisterTips: BUZZ THE LAKE
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Friday, October 22nd, 2004
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Anderson Lake
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Water Temp: probably... 69
Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)
Report: Havent been catching anything..you guy's give me a tip... don't know...they aren't hitting anything..Carolina rig ? I think brush hog's
City: morgan hillTips: Anybody know... I know that across from the launch ramp....did well..How is the only dock in the lake doing....big tree work's,,,
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California Delta
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Water Temp: 64
Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)
Report: fished the old river from 11:00 am to 5:00pm
striper bite was on! caught 10 6 keeper size to
12lbs. also caught a limit of largemouth crankin' for she stripes. all fish caught on
rattles and timber tigers. (see photo)
City: TracyTips: fish were active....luck more than skill
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Coyote Lake
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Water Temp: 62
Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)
Report: when I hear some good tip's ... let me know.. Hey is there anybody out there that doesn't drop shot..Another thing..Coyote's ranger's are the most considerate people, that I have ever met...If you disagree with me...write....
City: morgan hillTips: Listen to the ranger's. ask them.. carefull.. lot's of wildlife.. boar's and their babie's..Buck's .. Been along time since Iv'e seen four different one's... It's a great place..don't shoot any thing... and for god's sake no camp fire... thanks and take care
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Eastman Lake
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Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)
Report: W O W !!!! Drove up to Eastman Friday evening-I HAVE NEVER seen it this low! There was only one boat out there (probably was Juan!) I just cant allow myself to launch my new Stratos up there! Friggin Islands and brush and etc sticking up EVERYWHERE! Why do they allow these lakes to get soooo low? Dont gimme this crap about rain neither-I have seen all the water coming thru Chowchilla! Seems to me they would keep as much as they could till they see what the winters gonna be like! Anyone that goes up there be careful-its an awesome lake but its pretty dangerous right now this low. Tight Lines Guys!!!
City: ChowchillaTips: Juan I'll make a point of it to look for ya around Thanksgiving up there-I'll be in a White/Blue?silver Stratos w/a Yamaha 200!
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McClure Lake
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Water Temp: unknown
Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)
Report: Fished Friday evening for a couple hours and all day Saturday. First time to the lake, and had a wonderful couple of days fishing with my young son and nephew. Caught 8+ fish in a couple hours on Friday evening splithshotting and on drop shot. Biggest went 2lbs on a drop shot.
Day Two: Got on the lake early and the bite on the main lake was tough for the first three hours, as we managed to catch 6 fish. Four on drop shot and two on spooks. Left the main lake and began to catch fish consistently in the 1.4-3.0 range. All fish came on drop shot and jigs. Caught over 40 fish for the day with the best five going 8 - 9 lbs. All but two were spots...largemouth for the other two (13-14) inch fish.
City: brentwoodTips: First time on lake so I'm not certain where we were most of the time. I do know that purple & black, or brown & purple were the colors of choice. Used Robo Black Grape, Mutillator, and Oxblood for drop shot & split shot fish. Jig fish all came on brown/purple. Caught fish from 2 feet (spook) to 45 feet. The most consistent bite came when we did nothing with the bait and baitfish were present. I also noticed that all our fish came inside points where there were defined depth breaks. Fun lake, enjoyed my first trip. Stay safe. TG
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Shasta Lake
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Water Temp: 65.5 to 65.9
Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)
Report: In at 9:00 am at Jones Valley with the blonde in the back. Ran out to the mouth of the Pit and picked up a small one right off. Tried a new color and it seemed to work fair. Started throwing a 6" eel and caught a few more. Most fish came out of 25 to 30 feet and a real slow presentation. Managed 11 total with the largest going 1.8lb. and it came on a MGM 109 Hoo Dun It on a 1/2 oz. football head. We picked up a few on a spittin' image on top but they were all small, but a lot of fun. Jerry, I guess I must just fish better with blondes, LOL. Saw quite a few BASS guys running around and not much catching. The bite was pretty slow for us.
City: Cottonwood -
Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)
Report: The ramp at packers is now usable. They just planted 6000 lbs of trout there a couple of days ago.
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Spring Lake
Thursday, October 21st, 2004
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Calero Reservoir
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Water Temp: 62
Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)
Report: use a jig.... dark...with a trailor
City: San JoseTips: Jig with a trailor''
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Water Temp: Not sure
Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)
Report: Some stupid folk on this thread I can see. Anyways, for the better people the bite is getting a little better. Caught a 3 & 5 pounder from shore today in about 10 feet of water. I would still say that the majority of catchable fish are a wee-bit deeper close to any quick drop.
City: San JoseTips: Both fish hit pretty agressively on plastics on the bottom. I don't truly believe that the slow presentation is a must just yet. Feel free to try reaction baits.
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California Delta
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Water Temp: 62
Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)
Report: Touugh bite for me, mabe the sudden drop in water temp made catching fish. but then agian hoo knows.I onely caught two fish from noon till 4:30 well good luck out their.
City: TurlockTips: got me
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