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Northern California Lake Fishing Report

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Wednesday, May 5th, 2004

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      Water Temp: 68 degrees

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Fished the early morning from 6:30 until 10:30 a.m.(half-day boat rental for the slick pond prowler craft Todd rents there). Went right to south end of lake to explore new water. Found a lot of brown tules along the shore, dead stick-ups, brown weeds, and brown moss. Too much brown! ...and no fish. Moved back to main lake basin and explored main lake points where we found healthy green Elodea weeds off shore. While fishing a 7" Green Pumpkin (with black flake) Senko VERY slowly along the bottom through one of these green weed beds, I hooked and landed a beautiful 15 lb. 2 oz. female with a fat belly. Looked like she hadn't spawned yet. What a fight! She made several powerful runs, and a couple of classic jumps. Sure made waiting for the One Big Bite worth it! My son, John, motored over and got several nice pictures, including a nice sequence of releasing her and seeing her swim away. Her picture is on the Photo Page.
      City: Monterey, CA

      Tips: Find the green weeds! They're off shore, outside the shoreline weed beds, in the 12 - 18 feet depth range. The green weeds are on the bottom, and not very thick...seemed to be only a couple of feet tall at most. Big Senko fished VERY slowly...not deadsticked, but just inched along between pauses. Tried several colors, but the green pumpkin worked best. Line was 16 lb. Sugoi fluorocarbon.

  • Sonoma County
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      Water Temp: 60

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Decided to fish from my tube today. Fished the ramp and main lake for a few hours. Splitshot, darterheads,and senkos did most of the work. Caught 25 bass from 1 to 5 lbs. It was pretty much a 50/50 mix between largemouth and smallies.
      Took some on topwater just after I got in. Bite died after the wind changed direction. Only saw 8 trailers in the parking lot. Nice and quiet up until noon. Broke off 6 big bass to wood.
      City: Santa Rosa

      Tips: Bring heavier line to fish wood. same old colors of senkos. 1/8 oz darterheads and Killer Worms in Gray Ghost and Amber.

  • Trinity County
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      Water Temp: 62

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Fished yesterday with a good friend,Bud Bailey, and as usual this time of year what was working Sunday didn't work at all early on. Fished flats and willows and caught only a few small fish on weightless worms. Started throwing cranks and spinnerbaits and the bite and the size improved. Bud showed me some of his favorite spots down lake and they did indeed hold fish. This was only the second time Bud and I have fished Trinity together and it was amazing to see how many dependable spots we had in common. He's been fishing the lake in excess of 30 years and I for 14 and yet we'd have the same tales to tell about the same spots. He did introduce me to a couple of new points and we caught fish almost every where we stopped.
      Around 11 the wind came up and we headed back to the same flats that were so slow early and did a lot better. I know that fishing in the wind is a pain but as Bud said " On Trinity the wind is your friend."
      Ended up with several smallies in the three lb. class taken mainly on main lake points with the Pro Gold red flake worm on a ball jig. After the wind kicked up, cranks and jerkbaits produced better fish with Bud picking up a 4+ LM just before we decided to call it a day.
      City: Weaverville

      Tips: If any of you see Bud, please explain to him that when you are a guest in another guys' boat and using his tackle, you are not supposed to clean his clock.

Tuesday, May 4th, 2004

  • Solano County
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      Water Temp: 70

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Fished Whiskey Sl. Saturday morning from around 8:00am till about 11:00am. Caught a few dinks on 5in Blk/Blue Senkos and one fatty (9.5lbr) on a 7in. Blk/Blue Senko. Buddy Jake Shaw nailed a fat 7lbr' about 10mins. before I got my fatty on a modified Senko.
      City: Holt

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      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: I WENT THIS SATURDAY ON THE FAR COVE DOWN BY THE LAGOON AGAIN AND GOT SOME MORE BASS. I CAUGHT 3 OF SOME TOP WATER POPPERS. MY BIGGEST WAS A 4 POUNDER. THE TOP WATER SEEMED TO BE THE ONLY THING WORKING FOR ME. I SAW LOTS OF BASS THOUGH AND THEY WERE JUMPING A LOT.
      City: OAKLEY

      Tips: USE TOPWATER

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      Water Temp: n/a

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Fished from 3:30PM 'til sunset. Managed to C&Red 2 LM, biggest being ~3.5# and the other ~1.5#. Both caught slow rolling white spinners from the bank.
      City: San Jose

      Tips: Fish & fish some more. persistence pays off

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

      Report: In response to BPC's report. Hey, are you the guy who hand pours those CCT Lures worms? When are those going to be available? I used some of the samples you gave me and the fish love them.

  • Butte County
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      Water Temp: 66-71

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Friend and I caught 50+ drop shotting early before the wind, then later bouncing 1/4 oz jigs with grubs on the bottom in 5-15'of water. Just about any color worked. We caught them on at least 9 or 10 different colors. watermelon, warmouth, pumpkin seed, green pumpkin, aarons magic, morning dawn, new ayu,...

      6 or 7 over the slot, most 12" or so, same as usual. I want to know how that guy caught that 13lb bass in this lake at this past weekends tourney! WOW! I'm sure I'd poop myself after catching these bazillion 12" fish then to hook onto something like that!

      The wind was pretty annoying in the afternoon. Had similar day last Tuesday without the wind and it was nice.
      City: Paradise

      Tips: Rocky shores were best. Better on the midsized chunky rocks than the big bouldery type, but they were ok too. 100+ fish in our last 2 outtings. I guess things are heating up. If you know where those 13lb'ers are hanging outlet me know!

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      Water Temp: 68-72

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Had a anther great day today caught 40 more. I would have caught more but with the wind I was on my trolling motors all day and drained the battery. 80+ fish in two days I can't complain. Yesterday I caught all my fish on worms today I could only use worms til about 10:30 then the wind came up and I went to a crank bait with the same colors as the worms that worked good brown and green.
      City: Yuba City

      Tips: Today I caught my fish on a crank bait. I fished rocky shore lines with A deep running crank bait some fish where deep around 15-20 feet and some where right on the top.

  • Bayfield County
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      Water Temp: 60-65

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Fished the Benefit tourney for the Van Duzen Youth sports. Lot of good size bass lots of small bass. I caught the biggest bass ever on this lake nearly 4 lbs. Hooked it on a tube bait green crawfish color, 3 inch senko green pumpkin, and drop shot with a morning glory worm.
      City: McKinleyville

      Tips: Fish have moved to deeper water mine were all caught next to trees and in weedbeds. FISH REAL SLOW AND THEN SLOWER..............

  • Shasta County
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      Water Temp: 71

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Fished Jones Valley on the 4th and the upper Sac. on the 5th, in the afternoon both days. Best fish went 3+ with most caught on Senkos.Got off the lake on the 4th around 3 p.m. Stopped at the Jones Valley store and on the front door are pictures of some blacks over 9 lbs. caught on minnows within the last week and a half. These pictures were taken at the store. My question is were these fish returned to the lake or tablefare? Has anyone noticed the decreasing amount of largemouth sightings the last couple of years on this lake? These fish are extremely vulnerable come springtime and if this keeps up there won't be any left.
      City: Redding

      Tips: Did manage to see one male largemouth guarding a school of fry and one spent female.

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      Water Temp: 73

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Fished with a client from Reno who is fishing the Future Pros Tournament on the 15th, he was a very good fisherman. In at 0530 at Bridge Bay, calm with a full moon. Started up the Sac, arm and the wind picked up to about 20 mph, first stop Potty Point, client ripped two spots about 2.5# on a 78 pointer in ghost minnow and I ripped one about the same size on a Stayee 90 in Auroa Black. Fished Half Way Cove, nothing on any thing we throwed. Went into O'Brien, nothing there, up the Sac to the Gooseneck throwing a good 6" worm weightless landed appox. 30 fish to 2.5#. Showed my client where he could expect to find quality fish. Best five was appox. 12lbS
      City: Redding

      Tips: Take advantage of this full moon and get out there to fish.

Monday, May 3rd, 2004

  • Solano County
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      Water Temp: 74

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Took my 4 year old for a few hours in the afternoon. We got 6 blow ups on kermit - mostly dinks and one 5lber that appeared to be spawning/bedding by the looks of the bloody tail...all fish were in shallow weedbeds...my son lost a 2lb fish on a chartruese spinnerbait...missed a few on a white flippn tube...Surprising no senko fish for us in the 3 hours we fished. All fish that we put in the boat came of the frog.
      City: Suisun

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      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Try near the dock by tha dam for crappie.
      Where did you get the bass. In the A.M. or P.M.?
      City: san jose

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      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Can anyone provide any tips on where to fish for crappie in this lake? I've heard that there are crappie in this lake, but have only pulled out bass.
      City: San Jose

  • Butte County
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      Water Temp: ???

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: 80+ fish 7 over the slot only 2 LMBs. Biggest fish maybe 2lbs. The spots will eat anything!
      City: Dixon

      Tips: Be prepared to lose some skin on your thumbs!

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      Water Temp: 68-73

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Left bidwell this morning and it looked ugly very windy went strait to the south fork and it was glass and I never left. I caught more bass today then I have ever caught in one day 40-45 fish lost count. I caught all but 2 on a 4" brown and green tip worm the other two on a crank bait. Talk about fun I am going back tomorrow for more.
      City: Yuba City

      Tips: Fish slow with worms shake it and let it sit and watch your line A lot of my fish I did not fill just watch my line start going to one side or the other and set the hook. Watch your line.

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      Water Temp: untested

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: I guess there are still people claiming 20 fish days at SPD, so very sad people out there that like to give false reports, Last time I'm posting in regards to this issue here. You can't do 20 fish days at SPD unless your day consists of a full year. over 15 years I've fished this lake and all the bass fisherman I've spoke with have never caught 20 fish. good luck and this report blows now because of stupid people.
      City: san pablo

      Tips: plastics is the best chance at a 20 fish day here.

Sunday, May 2nd, 2004

  • Mason County
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      Water Temp: 75

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: went out with a friend sunday at 8:30 started at woodchoppers went straight across into a little creek my friend pulled two little bass out of there on a green baby brush hog we cought five.The boat patrol is weird we were in float tubes and he asked us where are life jackets were and he said that you dont have to wear them just strap them to your float tube some how and he kicked us off the lake.Good day fishing though
      City: morgan hill

      Tips: try the banks

  • Santa Clara County
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      Water Temp: 65-68

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Fished both Saturday and Sunday here. Got 2 bass 3+ pounds on a slow rolled plastic worm. Sunday targeted crappie for a few hours and caught and released 50 of them little buggers. GOt one slabber almost two pounds. Seeing alot of folks taking fish out of this reservior, even though there are signs everywhere about the mercury content. Don't mind them removing some of the panfish, but keeping a post spawned bass sure chaps my hide
      City: san jose