Submit
Report

Northern California Lake Fishing Report

Limit:

Wednesday, May 12th, 2004

  • Shasta County
    • By

      Water Temp: 66

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Even though I don't think this is the proper place to air a grievance, I feel compelled to respond to the post of the pair of anglers who booked a 1/2 day trip with me to fish Lake Shasta on the 10th without a deposit, We agreed to meet at the guard shack at Bridge Bay @ 0515 not 0530 or 0600, I was there at 0500 and waited until 0545, while waited I made several trips through the marina, I made note of several cars parked, but all were empty, I talk to this guy twice on the phone about the 0515 time, I do not use my cell phone on the lake except for emegencies. Sometimes "OPPOPTUNITY KNOCKS BUT ONCE"
      Now back to fishing reports. Fished with two clients who are fishing in the Future Pro tournament this weekend. They arrived at 0516, launched at 0525, Ran over to the Pit where they started throwing Spooks, one nice fish and several small fish, went to the back of Panther Creek to fish the willows there, throwing worms and jigs no takers. Ran up to Stein Creek and started working our way back, one guy caught six smallmouth in row with four of them in the 2# class all on dropshot. We decided to head back and go up the Sac. We made one stop a one of my spots and I caught a 3.5 and a 2.5 on a worm, I think this made a good impression on my two clients'. fished the rest of the day in upper Sac. These two are very good anglers and very nice young men, we caught alot of fish and had a good day. Bill and Steve, it was a pleasure, good luck!
      City: Redding

      Tips: Always be prompt!

    • By

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: First of all Johnny Mac doesnt own a alluminum boat. He is an outstanding gentlemen and Im sure there must have been a mix up. I know him personaly and really do not think he would ditch you to go salmon fishing. Johnny Mac is a great fisherman and guide so for anyone looking for a guide give him a call, he would love to take you out.
      City: redding

    • By

      Water Temp: 68

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Got on the lake about 6:30 am in the very back of the lake, water was pretty warm and started with some top water-no luck, then switched to a suspending jerkbait, smithwick onrange and black, and caught 4 bass, biggest going 2lbs. my buddy also caught 3 fish none keepers. Tried spinnerbait bite, flip bite with no luck, night time might be better for topwater bite.
      City: Palo Alto

      Tips: early or late in the day is your best bet, topwater could get better with consistent warm weather, tight lines!

    • By

      Water Temp: dunno

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Went out fishing from 5pm to 7pm left of the boat launch ramp. I caught 2 bass, the heaviest weighing 5 pounds. I was using a Texas Rigged Motoroil Senko.
      City: Morgan Hill

Tuesday, May 11th, 2004

  • Santa Clara County
    • By

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: threw spinners and crank-baits - no luck. Landed a 2# fish on a senko. Missed a few strikes using a frog.

      In the last two weeks of fishing this lake I have came home and found two ticks on me. Has anyone else had this happen??
      City: san jose

      Tips: Lots of hits on the black and blue flake senkos. It seems like the bite is slowing down.

  • Yuba County
    • By

      Water Temp: 67

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: I madea short morning trip to Collins today to see what what was going on and found the Senko bite near bushes to be the best thing. I got there later than I wanted and the was a north wind blowing after two cool days, so I didn't expect much. Reaction baits were a zero, so I went to the #240 Senko most of the time and caught mostly largemouth up to 2 1/4 lbs. I caught 10 total, including 3 spotted bass. My first Senko bass had 4 or 5 follow it tot he boat - some of them nice sized! I did sight fish one male after the female left and didn't come back. That was the only spawner I saw. Not a great outing, but not bad either!
      City: Yuba City

      Tips: Let your Senko fall in whatever shadows you can find near submerged brush. Look for brush near deeper water.

    • By

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Went to take my new WaterSkeeter Day Triper float tube for its first outing and had good results. Started at the island got some flipin and on dropshot nothing over 2. Moved over to some trash by Channel point and got a 5. Kept moving along to CatTail where I picked up a 2 moved on down nothing till I got past the dock had a good swirl on a custom poper from Jeremy Anderson "Bassman custom lure and design co." But missed the hook set. Kept moving right along nothing worth mentioning untill I got to the dam more probably got 12 fish off the dam most going 1lb biggest going 5lbs on dropshot. Moved into the last cove on the way back to the boat ramp and nailed 6 more fish on blades. Good outing.
      City: Pittsburg

      Tips: Revenge Blades, Robo Worms in purple hues and flipin senko/kenami Flash.

    • By

      Water Temp: 68

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Fished from 6:30 am til noon. Caught 5, with the largest being 5 lbs. Caught the big one on a spook early, caught one dink on a Red Shad senko, caught the rest crankin the dam with a DD-22(green back with flake).
      City: Sunnyvale

      Tips: Topwater early, then go deep.

  • Shasta County
    • By

      Water Temp: n/a

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: hey thanks for not recomending J Mac, that's sucks..... he has no class. Don't worry to much about the tournament, you'll catch fish, but if you are catching small ones, move to another area or change baits. Fish are everywhere in that lake. Good luck guys. See you on Saturday.
      City: Citrus Heights

Monday, May 10th, 2004

  • Lake County
    • By

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Heads Up. Bowfishing Trny May 22, and 23. Should be a lot of carp guys out the next two weekends. Always looking for tips.

  • Butte County
    • By

      Water Temp: 69

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: I hit the lake at about 3 p.m. today and fished till 8:30. I hit the Bloomer area first and did well with a jerkbait. Moved to the west branch and fished Spring Valley, Vinton Gulch and shithouse cove, used a 6" robo on a jig-head and slayed them. I finished in Parish Cove and did well there too. I used a bitsy jig green/brown with a black Yum trailer. I landed three nice large-mouths in Parish along with a bunch of spots. The biggest one was 3 pounds. I caught two fish on topwater right before I left, with a zara spook.
      City: Paradise

      Tips: It really is useless to give any tips right now. Pretty much anything you throw out there gets bit. I guess the only real tip I can give you is watch where you park your truck and trailer. I had some useless idiot hit my trailer while I was on the lake. The @!#% face hit it hard enough to dent my fender into my tire. So pay attention to who you are parked next to. I know I will for now on!

    • By

      Water Temp: 69 degree

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: New to this forum. Here's my take, slow as heck at the boat launch, alot of crappies and bluegills running off with my weightless crawlers, thought for a while a bunch of hungry lunkers taking it. Alot of good size trout caught at around 6am to 11am, then the bite just shut down for trouts. Basses cruising in at dusk around 6pm looking for their dinner attacking bluegills and crappies. The crappies are SMALL 3-4 inches TOPS, so are the bluegills 2-3 inches. I didn't see any LUNKERS cruising but some 3-4 pounders females. One guy caught a 4 pounders with eggs on Rat-L but he let it go ASAP, probaly still spawning around the area, he'd told me he caught it around 7am. Things should pick up after spawing when the hawgs eat up to get their weight back around the tules feeding on blurgills, crappies, and trouts. Use weightless worm on 6lbs test spinning outfit, they'd hit it around 5minutes sitting, a few caught basses around 2-3 pounds using this method.
      City: Concord

      Tips: Rat-L traps in the morning up till 8am, weightless worms thru out the day around the tules and weeded area, lunkers come in around 6pm to feed ranging 12lbs and up.

  • Shasta County
    • By

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: PS we also got J mac's cell phone # from wife he had turned it off!!! we drove 4 Hrs to pre fish the lake and he didn't have the class to even call us to this day.I guess he wanted to go Salmon fishing with his Friend! Some pro guide!!!. again do not recommend to any other future pro member use this guide.
      City: Alameda

    • By

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Was to meet johnny Mac for guided fishing trip @ 5:30am. we arrived at 4:30 am from alameda slept in car waiting for Johnny mac, woke up at 5:40am no johnny no call.called his phone no answer, drove around Brige bay. no Johnnny, Called again wife said he left to meet to clients, 6:30 see someone drive to launch drove over to see 2 perple in aluminum boat with salmon gear, called wife again asked what kind of truck johnny had she said dakota, it was johnny mac leaving to go fishing with someone else, no call or nothing Johnny Mac you suck!!!!!! we rented a boat @8:00am (that what time they opened) caught a couple of spots.never recommend J mac to anyone!!! you know who we are Johnny you drove right by us you@#$$%#%^%%^
      City: Alameda

      Tips: Don't use Johnny Mac!!!!

Sunday, May 9th, 2004

    • By

      Water Temp: 71

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: got at the lake at 530 pm. Went straight to west side willows, found the largest trees and fished them. Ended up landing around 15 fish and hooking and losing 20. Hooks werent working to well, had a chance of catching about 40 fish between 3 of us. Pretty good fishing
      City: Orland

      Tips: worms, catch and release

  • San Francisco County
    • By

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: You do not need a special permit on this lake anymore. Believe it or not, I have seen boats launched here, but you could use inflatables or tubes. Right now, I would be throwing Senkos in the tules and shallows for bedding bass or dropshotting 4-6 inch worms in an oxtail or margarita mutilator color.

Saturday, May 8th, 2004

  • Napa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 68 degree

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: New to this forum, here's my take, alot of SM basses caught on spinners 1-2 lbs of the shore. I didn't get into a boat or borrow my buddy bass boat (he sold it) so I decided to fish off shore around Markley cove. Alot of bites for SM basses, didn't hookup any LM basses at all using spinners, cranks, plastics and anything else in my tackle box. They'd probaly went DEEP beyond 15+ feets of water, but the action is great from 7am to 6pm all day. Spinners, cranks, plastics all work plus weightless crawlers. Alot of bluegills everywhere, maybe the LM basses are hitting live fishes... didn't get any minnows, don't want the hassle of carrying a bucket around on shore! Great action.. catched and released all day with SM basses, caught a few crappies with my spinning outfit too, didn't bring my lunker rig, I don't fish lunkers until summertime when they'd are hungry trying to get their weights back from spawning.
      City: Concord

      Tips: Lunkers from shore... FORGET IT! Not possible unless you have a boat. Smallmouths everywhere tossing spinners, plastics, and live crawlers. No size but a few 2 pounds females. Get a ultralight outfit and do some bluegills and crappies fishing! Trout bites too with floated worm slide sinker rig... forget powerbait, trouts don't believe in the stuff at Berryessa.

  • Alameda County
    • By

      Water Temp: 65

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Caught 6 fish - 3 LM, 2 SM, one trout. Caught one big 6.8lb LM on the first cast of the morning into 2 ft of water near a log along a bank using a senko. Caught 2 more senko fish good size and took 2 on a carolina rigged brush hog. The 3lb trout was taken on a drop shot rig in 8 ft of water. Fished the morning for 4 hrs. Bite was strong for the first hour to 8:00. It shut down completely after that except for one small fish taken on a weedline with a ripping a jerk bait close to noon.
      City: Foster City

      Tips: Fish are shallow early. Once the sun comes up move to outer edge of the weed line and throw carolina rigged plastic in 15-25 ft of water along drop off or weed point.

    • By

      Water Temp: 70

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Water level is very high now. Fish are off the banks. Caught one L.M. approx. 3.5 lbs. on a carolina rigged Zoom lizard in the south end outside a tulle bank in 10 feet. Worked my way up to the north end eventually. Caught 4 more nice smallies in Heron Bay. The wind was pretty strong. I was throwing a 1/4 oz silver/black back Rattle Trap in quite muddy water. Medium speed retrieve. Lost one big one too.
      City: Sam Ramon

      Tips: Fish the wind blown banks and pockets. Back off the bank.

    • By

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: continuing from last report for temperature, in some places also 70s. Temperature makes a big difference! i was feeling the water the entire time and i only caught fish in the 70 degrees water!

      Tips: just put your hand it. if its warm enough to make you want to jump in then fish it, if its cold, move.