Shasta, Tahoe, Los Molinos, Del Valle, San Pablo Lakes Fishing Report

All Over Lakes

November 4th

Lake Amador:
The Tackle Box Café reported planting another 3000 pounds of fighting cutbows on Tuesday, November 3^rd for a total of 20,500 pounds in the past five weeks. The good news was today’s plant was a larger grade of fish from 5 to 7-pounds. Power Bait and night crawlers from the banks are still the best bets, but silver/blue Kastmasters are also working. Trolling has been fair with most trollers working too deep as the fish are in the top 1.5 feet of the surface. The lake is still 45 feet down, but the launch is on the cement with the dock accessible.

New Melones Reservoir
Melanie Lewis of Glory Hole Sporting Goods in Angels Camp reported regular trout plants are starting, so bank anglers should start seeing some action, especially near the boat ramps The larger trout are feeding heavily on the small threadfin shad that are very plentiful in the lake. Small minnows under a bobber near the mouth of any creek arms or throwing a small silver spoon is another good choice. The rainbows are starting to move up, and they will continue to do so as the water cools down. Still fishing from a boat in the creek arms or upriver from a boat is producing a few trout. Trolling has been slow, but this should improve within the month. Shad-patterned Needlefish, ExCels or Countdown Rapalas are the top lures. Greg Branson of Angels Camp landed a 3-pound, 4-ounce rainbow trout trolling a shad-patterned Lucky Craft lure at a depth of 40 feet near the Spillway. Bass are targeting schools of shad that are holding over wind-blown main lake points. Lewis recommended throwing a swimbait once the wind picks up, particularly with the regular trout plants taking place. At dawn and dusk, there is a top-water bite with Zara Spooks, buzzbaits, or Pop-Rs before switching to a Carolina-rigged creature bait such as a green pumpkin or other crawdad-colored Zoom Baby Brush Hog, Reaction Innovation's Sweet Beaver, or Jeff's Arkie Crawlin' Grub or Crawlin' Fry at depths of 30 to 40 feet over the points. The larger bass tend to eat crawdads instead of shad, so creature baits and jigs seem to be catching the bigger ones.

The catfish have moved into deeper water, and there was good action in the current week with anchovies, mackerel, sardines, chicken liver, or a ball of night crawlers. Eric Guy of Murphys landed a 16-pound, 7-ounce catfish that he caught on oysters while bank fishing during the day near the marina. Jeremia Millard caught a 14-pound, 3-ouncer on crawlers. Crappie and bluegill action continues to be slow with the best action at night under lights at depths from 10 to 30 feet around submerged trees with live small or medium minnows, or crappie jigs with jigs in red/white, black/chartreuse or purple/white in Bear, Carson or Mormon Creeks. The lake dropped a foot to 956.48 in elevation and 46% of capacity. Monte Smith of Gold Country Fishing recommended nearby Lake Tulloch as the top Mother Lode lake for rainbows to three-pounds. The water is still a bit warm for Tulloch at 63 degrees with the best action found in the mid to high 50’s. A trout plant is scheduled at Tulloch this week.

Lake Don Pedro
Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing reported a very slow trout and king salmon bite after a decent bite the previous month. His last three trips have been tough, and they hooked only one large trout on Sunday on a sideplaner near the surface. After experiencing slow trout action, they switched to working from 70 to 100 feet for small king salmon. He marked loads of fish, but they weren’t able to get them to bite. He thought the lake needs to turn over and cool off with the water temperatures currently at 66 degrees. Trout plants are scheduled for the next two weeks. Manny Basi of the Bait Barn reported the largemouth bass has gotten tough with some action on ½ to 3/4^th oz. jigs in browns, brown/purple or dark greenpumpkin from the surface to 30 feet. Basi recommended bouncing the jigs for improved action. Reaction Innovation plastics in Bad Shad Green, Pro Worms in 300 small redflake, Hologram Shad and Senkos in 330 or greenpumpkin are also working. Basi added that there is an early topwater bite with PopR’s or Zara Spooks. The lake is at 775.66 feet in elevation and 70% of capacity.

McClure Reservoir
Manny Basi of the Bait Barn reported things are pretty much the same with a decent top water bite in low light conditions on PoPR’s or Zara Spooks in the mornings before switching to drop shotting with the Reaction Innovation worm in Bad Shad Green or small profile 3/th oz. jig head with a Yamamoto Hula Grub in color 330. A-1 Bait in Snelling has been receiving reports of good bass action at depth from 15 to 20 feet, but these anglers are keeping their techniques quiet due to upcoming tournaments. Trout fishing continues to be slow, but things will improve with the trout plants starting this week. Catfishing has slowed with the best action on chicken livers, crawdads or anchovies along muddy, sloping banks. The lake is at 44% of capacity.

McSwain Reservoir
Diana Mello of A-1 Bait in Snelling reported some limits of planted rainbows have been taken from the banks at the Brush Pile or Handicapped Docks with night crawlers or various colors of Power Bait. Trollers continue to pull blade/crawler combinations or chartreuse/ruby red Wedding Rings tipped with a crawler behind a dodger from the Dam to the 2^nd Fence Line

San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay
Ly Tu of Ly’s Fishing Goods in San Jose reported an excellent striper bite with extra-large minnows drifted near the Trash Racks and into Portuguese Cove. Theare have been fish to 8-pounds taken on minnows, but there is another good bite on Zara Spooks or surface Yozuris with the stripers chasing bait on the surface. The water is rising and cooling, and the linesides are pushing up the shad schools. One boat put in four limits in ½ hour to 7-pounds by following the birds and plugging into the boils. The lake has come up and the Dinosaur Point launch ramp is accessible. There is heavy angling interest in the Forebay, and anglers are wading out into the lake and tossing live mudsuckers for some larger fish to 7-pounds. The lake rose to 25% of capacity with 10,377 acre-feet of water pumped from the Delta. Wind conditions: 800-805-4805.

Delta Mendota Canal and Sloughs
Merritt Gilbert reported selling a few Lucky Craft Pointer 128’s in ghost minnow or American shad for local anglers working the Aqueduct. One angler reportedly lost a huge fish on anchovies. Both major tackle shops reported selling several bags of anchovies for the canals. In the south Aqueduct, Pete Cormier said the striper bite continues to improve with clearer water without moss and good flows. George Flud of Bakersfield landed a 23-pound catfish and a schoolie striper on anchovies in the Aqueduct near Twisselman. Blood worms are another effective natural bait with swim baits and the orange/green sculpin tube baits starting to pick up stripers.

Eastman Lake
Ranger Keith Willis reported a continued mediocre bite with rain and colder temperatures needed to pick things up. There was some action on live crawdads for bass to 5-pounds, and Willis said one of the anglers lost a big fish on 40-pound test. The best action has been in 5 to 10 feet of water in spots next to deep water access to 20 feet. Patrick Movey said a few fish have been following up swimbaits, and there was a reported 8-pounder landed on a swimbait. This bite should improve with the scheduled trout plant this week. Catfishing is fair after dark with a few bluegill to be had once they are located. The lake dropped a vertical foot to 471.09 feet in elevation and 9% of capacity.

Hensley Lake
Merritt Gilbert said fishing have been “deader than a mackerel” with one experienced angler working all day for no fish in the past week. A trout plant is scheduled for this week, and the plant might start up a swimbait bite for the larger bass as well as trout fishing from the banks on Power Bait or night crawlers. The lake is holding 477.01 feet in elevation and 21 % of capacity.

Millerton Lake
Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun said numerous small fish are the rule with a 6.5-pound limit being a good tournament weight. Drop shotting 3 to 4-inch plastics in shad patterns or jigs along steep walls with deep water access in the main lake have produced the most fish. Striper fishing continues to be non-existent or perhaps fishermen are not reporting. The lake dropped eight feet to 531.82 feet in elevation and 62% of capacity. A trout plant is scheduled on the lower San Joaquin River for the next three weeks, but there are only a few anglers at Lost Lake.

Pine Flat Reservoir
Merritt Gilbert said the bass bite is good with a 12-pound plus limit taking the weekend tournament with several other limits over 10-pounds. Drop shotting, jigs, or Texas-rigged plastics are the top techniques in 30 to 40 feet in depth along the steeper walls. The shallower water is holding loads of small fish. Gilbert added that “dead-sticking” for 30 seconds or more with a slight movement has been the best technique. Trout fishing is hit or miss with some anglers working all day for limits to 14.5-inches in 5 to 6 hours of trolling. The majority of fish are holding near the Power Lines, Lefevre Creek, and the Deer Creek Marina with Needlefish, Cripplures, Humdingers, Thomas Buoyants or ExCels in shad colors at depths from 3 to 5 colors. There is so much shad in the lake, the fish are scattered throughout the main lake chasing the bait. The key has been to locate large concentrations of bait, but the fish are gorging themselves on the natural bait. A trout plant is scheduled for this week. The lake rose four feet to 784.14 feet in elevation and 27% of capacity. Trout plants are scheduled on the lower Kings for the next three weeks.

Lake Kaweah
Sierra Sport Fishing reported a strong crappie bite around the Houseboats or rockpiles at 10 feet in depth with small minnows or minijigs. Bass are hitting jigs, dropshotting shad-colored plastics or large minnows throughout the lake. There are large schools of shad throughout the lake, so locating the bass hasn’t been easy. The lake has dropped sixteen feet to 593.88 feet in elevation and 9% of capacity.

Lake Success
Crank baits or drop-shot plastics are the top techniques for the few anglers working the lake. The bite should continue to improve as the water cools down this fall. Trout fishing should begin shortly with a plant scheduled for next week. The lake is holding at 586.76 feet in elevation and 8% of capacity.

Lake Isabella/Bakersfield area
Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait reported a slow top water bite with the best action on drop-shot plastics, jigs or crank baits for a few bass. Numbers of fish have been hard to come by. Crappie fishing continues to be strong with good action near Rocky Point in the submerged trees at depths from 15 to 20 feet in 30 to 40 feet of water with small minnows or minijigs. A large crappie was taken by a trout troller near Rocky Point. Trout fishing is starting to pick up near the Dam and also near the river inlets as the water has cooled to the low 60’s. A trout plant is scheduled for this week. The lake is holding at 2547.41 feet in elevation and 18% of capacity. In the Bakersfield area, trout plants at Hart Park, Truxton, the Park at River Walk Lake and Ming this week. These are strictly put and take waters with fishing slowing shortly after the plants. Power Bait or night crawlers are the top offerings. Trout plants are scheduled to start at Buena Vista around the middle of November prior to their derby. The lower Kerns River is running slow, and catfish and bass are the top species.

Bass Lake
Patrick Movey of the Fisherman’s Warehouse in Fresno reported a good bass bite for spots and largemouths with jigs or deep-diving cranks around ledges with deep water access. There have been largemouths to 8-pounds reported. Merritt Gilbert said the ramp is getting very touchy to launch, but drop-shotting Robo Worms or grubs as well as jigs are producing spotted bass to 2-pounds at depths to 40 feet outside the weed line. There is a ripbait bite very early in the morning. Trout fishing continues to be slow with few boats trolling the lake. The lake dropped to 52% of capacity.

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Captain Jack Yandell put in three of next year’s kokanee to 13-inches on Monday trolling the Fat Bug in perch or orange tipped with straight corn behind a Shaver Lake Dodger in silver or gold. He was fishing from 25 to 32 feet in depth from Ski Island to the rear of the lake. He added that another boat found 3/5^th limits of kokanee/rainbows on blade/crawler combinations. Dick Nichol’s of Dick’s Fishing Charters reported overall slower fishing, but Madeline Kuber of Clovis boated a 4-pound rainbow on a chartreuse/orange Dick’s Trout Buster at 17 feet in depth near Road on Sunday. The Kuber family experienced eight hookups on their recent trip with Nichols. Smallmouth bass can still be found in the rocks with crickets or small spinners. Shaver has dropped slightly to 68% of capacity with Huntington dropping to 56%. There are a few boats launching in the sand off of the lauch ramp, but a 4WD is necessary. The lake is very low with mud and submerged stumps exposed around the lake. There are some large kokanee in spawning colors running up Rancheria Creek.

Wishon/Courtright
Chuck Crane of Wishon Village RV Park said the RV park and store closed over the weekend for the season, but the lake is still accessible with high water allowing for launching off of the concrete ramp. There have been very few fishermen working the lake, but blade/crawlers combinations or lures at 2 to 5 colors should work for the remaining fish. The road to Courtright is still accessible, but there haven’t been many fishermen at this elevation.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool
Not much information on the Kaiser Pass lakes. Edison is holding at 53%, Florence has risen to 7% with Mammoth Pool rising to 28%. <CF22> Call:</CF> 259-4000

Lake Nacimiento/San Antonio/Santa Margarita/Lopez
Will Hesch of Central Coast Bass Fishing reported a sleeper spotted bass bite at Nacimiento. He fished Santa Margarita on Monday for a couple of hours for a few small fish. Lopez is limited to small fish on the dropshot. San Antonio is still limited to a few largemouths with the smallies and stripers not biting. San Antonio is holding at 722.85 feet in elevation and 33% of capacity with Nacimiento dropping to 718.45 feet and 17% of capacity.

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Gun Owners of California Banquets
June 6th, 2009
Oroville Banquet
Municipal Auditorium Feather River Recreation & Park District 1200 Myers Street Oroville, CA 95965