Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 2723 Oct 26-Nov 9 | Page 19

VOL.37 • ISS. 23 Shadow Cliffs Recreation Area Facts Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreational Area To Pleasanton Drawn by Dewayne Hight Stanley Blvd. Paved Bike Path Rapids Waterslide Maximum Depth Approximately 66 Feet Swimming Beach Marsh Ar De So u l V alle Fishing Pier Leve Marina View e Tr th A ra Shadow Cliffs Lake ail Lak e il Tra i l Arroyo Area No Swimming or Boating Vineyard A ve. No Park Access Via Vineyard Ave. Fishing Piers Leve roy o Boat Rental Seven Limbs Fiesta Lakewood Heron Pond To Bernal Avenue To Livermore Restricted Shoreline Docks North Beach Size and Location: Shadow Cliffs is situated only a mile from downtown Pleasanton on Stanley Boulevard. Swimming, fishing and non-motorized boats are allowed at the park. The park was formerly a gravel quarry and was donated to the Park District; 266-acres have been developed with an 80-acre lake, parking and picnic grounds. An arroyo with a chain of smaller lakes and ponds provide retreats on hot summer days. Contact Information: 2500 Stanley Blvd. Pleasanton, CA 94566, (925) 931-0540 Parking Fees: Parking $6 Vehicle / $25 Bus, Trailered Vehicle $5 each Launch Fees; Boat $5/day per trailered boat, Car-top or Inflatable $3 per day, Windsurf Board $2 per day Other Fees: Dog Fee $2 per dog, EBRPD Fishing Permit $5 per day. Contact the Lake for Annual Parking & Fishing Membership Prices Boat Rental Fees:: Type First Hour Add’l Hour Deposit, Aluminum/Electric Boat $15 $10 $50 Kayak $15 $8 $40, Pedal Boat $15 $8 $40, Paddle Boards $15 $7 $40 Canoe $15 $8 $40 Fishing:: Rainbow trout are planted in the fall, winter and spring. Channel catfish are planted during the summer when the surface water temperature is too warm to stock trout. Bluegill and largemouth bass are also found in the reservoir. Snack Shack Hours.: 11:00 am – 6:00 pm Easter Weekend – Memorial Day: Weekends Only Memorial Weekend – August 14: Open 7 days a week August 15 – September 10 ,2017: Open Weekends Only Concession: Food – hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries, nachos, sodas, Icees, sports drinks, ice cream, chips and candy. Beach Toys – inflatable toys, sand toys, water guns, beach shoes, beach towels, etc. Picnic Items – charcoal, starter, condiments, plates and cups. Boating and Beach Rules: • Size Limit: 17 feet • Electric Motors allowed • No Jet Skis • No Gas Engines • Pets and glass containers are not allowed on the sand portion of the swim area • Swimming is not allowed in the arroyo areas 17 Oct 26 - Nov 9, 2018 Map Feature Res tric ted Sho relin e e Tr ail Island Pond Trail Ends Fishing Notes • Rainbow Trout fishing is most productive from November through early May, when the East Bay Regional Park District and DFG plant the lake with trout. Bank fishing for trout is best from the docks throughout the lake; use Power Bait, nightcrawlers and lures. Trollers do well also, particularly as the fish move into deeper water in the late spring. • Channel Catfish are planted during the summer and early fall. Anglers toss out chicken liver, nightcrawlers and mackerel for the feisty cats. • Largemouth Bass provide the most consistent action in Arroyo Del Valle and the Island Pond. Use spinnerbaits, worms, lizards and soft jerk baits. However, some hefty largemouths are also caught by knowledgeble anglers in the main lake. • Crappie and Bluegill are found in Shadow Cliffs, but aren't very abundant according to fishery biologists. bass element,” noted Culver. “The largemouth bass are apparently spawning each of the years sampled but it is virtually impossible to track the growth of these fish or estimate the numbers of adult largemouth bass due to the configuration of the lake.” “We know, however, that the adult bass are in the reservoir as evidenced by the large bass caught and often released by anglers as well as the number of largemouth bass spawning nests that are observed each spring along the shelf Trout fishing can be very good at Shadow Cliffs, as this angler of the lake adjacent to found out when he bagged this fine stringer of rainbows. Photo courtesy of the ROCKY MOUNTAIN RECREATION the east shoreline. It COMPANY. is important that we continue to monitor lbs. in addition to one 26 lb. catfish, these fish communities because one 15 lb. and one 16 lb. 14 oz. the more we can learn about them, largemouth bass, and a 17 lb. rainbow the better we can make decisions trout, according to Culver. to manage this important fisheries Additionally, in May 2017, the East resource,” he concluded. Bay Regional Park District held a Besides the trout, channel catfish and Special Kids Derby at Shadow Cliffs largemouth bass populations, the lake where 240 anglers caught a total also features a solid carp population, of 267.8 lbs. of rainbow trout, that as I found on a trip I made to Shadow were donated by the District’s trout Cliffs. As I caught trout, another contractor, Mt. Lassen Trout Farms. angler, originally from England, was “Shadow Cliffs remains an targeting carp with expensive and important east bay fishery for not specialized gear and his own dough only the planted rainbow trout and bait concoctions. He said the gear he channel catfish but it also supports brought down in the cart cost around a very popular trophy largemouth $4,000. “Carp is the thinking man’s fish,” he said, as he got ready to set the hook on a carp. “I catch and release all my carp. I would never keep a creature as magnificent as a carp.” The recreation area also features another unique fishery – the catch and release largemouth bass fishery in the back ponds of Arroyo Del Valle. Fishing the ponds requires purchasing an EBRPD Daily Fishing Permit, as well as a CA State Fishing License. The fishery is limited to catch and release, barbless hooks and artificial lures only. No boats – only float tubes – are allowed. For more information, contact the Rocky Mountain Recreation Company, Shadow Cliffs Recreation Area, 2500 Stanley Blvd, Pleasanton, CA 94566, Phone: (510) 544-3230, http://www.ebparks.org/parks/ shadow_cliffs/ Jeff Cooper caught and released this beautiful largemouth bass while fishing at Del Valle Lake near Livermore. You can catch and release quality largemouths while fishing both in Shadow Cliffs Lake and the Arroyo Del Valle Ponds. Photo courtesy of the ROCKY MOUNTAIN RECREATION COMPANY.