18 March 22 , 2024 VOL . 43 • ISS . 4

FRESHWATER REPORTS :

CONTINUED FROM PG 15

LOS VAQUEROS RESERVOIR

Shore anglers continue to hook some striped bass while tossing out anchovies in the South Cove and off the fishing pier near the marina . The keeper fish average 18 to 21 inches long . Anglers targeting channel cats are fishing chicken livers in the South Cove and elsewhere on the lake . The catfish being caught average 2 to 5 pounds , but bigger fish are out there . The surface water temperature is currently 56 degrees . The water level is currently at 133,000 acre feet , as of March 11 , 2024 . Boating has been limited due to wind . Please call the marina and check the conditions before arriving so you can plan accordingly . For more information , call ( 925 ) 371-2628 .

LAKE OROVILLE

Trollers Battle Landlocked Kings

OROVILLE – If you want to hook landlocked king salmon , it ’ s time to hit the rising waters of Lake Oroville .

“ We had another incredible day on The Big O ,” reported Rob Reimers of Rustic Rob ’ s Guide Service after his latest trolling adventure at Lake Oroville on March 11 .. “ Our biggest fish measured 21.25 ” and weighed 5 pounds , 5 ounces . The fishing was solid early today with doubles and a triple , but the bite slowed as the north wind picked up .” Reimers has been using Brad ’ s Cut Plugs and Kokanee Cut Plugs behind 8 inch Pro-Troll Dodgers at 30 to 40 feet deep . He uses a 18 inch leader between the lure and the flasher . Dave Koistenen ’ s most recent trip to Oroville also produced kings . “ King salmon are starting to bite ,” he stated . “ I went 3 for 5 , with the biggest 18 inches and a couple of 15 inch fish . I trolled with Tornado Flashers 8 ” green 360 and white hoochie and the Christine special cut plug worked . The fish were hitting at 75 to 85 ft deep .” On his latest bass trip to Oroville , Koistenen reported his best bass success while trolling in the middle fork with a 3 inch zman smelt swimbait in 20 to 30 ft . of water . “ Get your bait on or near bottom ,” he advised “ A 3 / 16 oz dart head jig works well .” The Bidwell Canyon , Spillway , Loafer Creek , Lime Saddle and Enterprise boat ramps are all open to launching , according to the Lake Oroville State Recreation Area . The Foreman Creek , Nelson Bar and Stringtown car top ramps are also open to boat launching . Lake Oroville is holding 2,997,641 acre feet of water , 85 percent of capacity and 128 percent of average .

- Dan Bacher

LAKE PARDEE

Trout and Big Crappie Reward Trolling Enthusiasts

IONE – If you like to catch rainbow trout , it ’ s hard to beat the fishing at Lake Pardee right now . “ Today we had Andrew and crew consisting of his kids , Elijah , D ’ Angelo , and Mila out on Pardee ,” said Nate Kelsch of Big Nate ’ s Guide Service after his

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Ernie Marlan was using a drop shot on Lopez Lake in San Luis Obispo County when he caught this healthy smallmouth bass .

Photo Courtesy of Ernie Marlan

most recent trip to Lake Pardee .“ These guys started the day off with the Largest crappie I ’ ve ever seen come out of this lake , then followed it up 1 trout shy of 4 limits by 1 pm . We also lost a lot of fish near the boat , and had multiple fish that didn ’ t stick .” “ They wanted to load up for a family fish fry and they called it a day with 20 ,” he stated . “ We are on the fish . It was a busy day on the lake , so I had to keep moving around due to people running over my lines , cutting me off and literally not having any boating etiquette at all , but that ’ s all part of the game .” “ We fished a lot of different presentations with everything getting some love , but I think the key was depth as most fish came between 8 and 15 ft .,” he stated . “ Today we had Bryant and Tara out on Pardee to sharpen their skills and they knocked it ouf of the park ,” said Kelsch on the previous

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day . “ These 2 definitely were ahead of the curve , but wanted to learn a few more things to add to their arsenal when fishing for Trout this time year .” “ We fished some tough glassy conditions most of the morning but still managed to get their limits by 11 a . m . We used a variety of stick baits , soft plastics and spoons at depths down to 20ft . We are on a red hot bite on quite a few lakes right now , and with most of them being filled to 85 % or moe , it ’ s going to great fishing thru the summer ,” he added .

- Dan Bacher

PYRAMID LAKE

Beaches Produce Best Lahontan Cutthroat Fishing

SUTCLIFFE - Much to our chagrin , Pyramid Lake didn ’ t exactly get red hot this week as the storm pushed though , but it was still fishing better than the prior week ’ s when sunny , highpressure days were present . We suspect that fishing will improve slowly , but steadily over the next few weeks , as we see the water temps rise along with the longer days of spring , initiating the cutthroat ’ s yearly spawn . We are looking forward to the warmer days with fish cruising in the shallows , and sipping midges with increased regularity . As for now the fish are being a bit more elusive than we would like but can still be found using most standard tactics such as indicator fishing midges and leeches , as well as stripping buggers , beetles , and boobies . We have been seeing the most consistent fishing along the beaches in the middle of the lake , which is typical for this time of year . In the last week , the indicator bite remains a bit more consistent than stripping , as the fish have not quite made the switch to cruising the shallows just yet and are mostly found along shelves and drop-offs at 6-12 feet . If heading out this week , put a stronger emphasis on midges over leeches in most situations . The exception would be made if you find yourself fishing very deep drop-offs or if there are large swells present . For stripping , we have noticed the bugger outfishing the floating bugs , and we have been doing a high contrast color combo , with one black bugger and one white bugger fished together . While the mornings remain the most consistent , there has been an increase in activity late evenings as the sun goes over the hill . That was not the case through most of our winter this year . So , if you ’ re making a full day of

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