VOL . 37 • ISS . 16
Freshwater reports :
Continued from pg 8
lots of smaller fish . Shore and bank anglers are hooking the fish while using G & S Dip Bait , chicken liver and sardines .”
One woman reported catching four catfish and a 19 inch striped bass while using pileworms and sardines from a boat near Verona , but striped bass have been relatively scarce in the catches lately .
Sutter Bypass and other local sloughs are also kicking out channel catfish to 10 pounds , added Bisbee .
Locals are getting geared up for the salmon season on the Sacramento , slated to start on July 16 . Remember that the bag limit is only one this season , due to concerns about an estimated low fall Chinook salmon return this year .
- Dan Bacher
Contra Loma Reservoir
Largemouth Bass , Channel Catfish Lead Summer Angling Parade
FREMONT - The boat ramp is finished , and boaters may resume launching at Contra Loma Reservoir . Fishing for catfish , largemouth bass , and sunfish has been very good .
“ With summer and warmer temperatures , trout fishing is slowing down , and being replaced with catfish and largemouth bass ,” said Edward Culver of the East Bay Regional Park District . “ The catfish bite has been great the last few weeks . Try fishing for catfish at Channel Point or Loma Island with anchovies , nightcrawlers or chicken livers . Boaters have been doing well toward the middle of the reservoir or along the dam .”
“ Black bass have been biting artificial baits / lures or nightcrawlers anywhere around the lake or from boats ,” he noted . “ Many of the larger bass seem to be stalking the stocked trout , and some anglers are reporting success by throwing swim baits on the near shoreline , mimicking the stocked trout . We are getting reports of anglers catching bass up to ten pounds . Both boat anglers and shore-casters are having luck , so keep moving if you are not catching .”
The park district stocked their last load of 500 pounds of channel catfish the week of July 9 .
Davis Lake
Trolling the Top Method for Targeting Trout
PORTOLA - Boaters trolling an array of lures are experiencing the top trout fishing at Lake Davis as the water temperature rises with the arrival of warmer weather .
“ The trout are being picky , so you have to be willing to change lures to find success ,” revealed Jeanne Graham of the J & J Grizzly Store and Camping Resort . “ Fishing guide Ed Dillard is reporting 5 to 10 trout per day while trolling at 10 to 20 feet deep .”
The top lures are Needlefish in red dot / frog and trout or Dick Nite in copper redhead patterns . Most of the fish being caught are 18 inches long and above .
“ Bank fishing for trout is slow ,” she said . “ You have to be in the right place at the right time . Fishermen are finding the best action while using worms or PowerBait at Eagle Point and Camp Five .”
Graham said the hex and damsel fly hatches are starting , so fly fishermen should see increasing success on rainbows .
Brown bullhead catfish are starting to hit doughbaits and worms , while largemouth bass averaging 2 pounds each are biting soft plastic worms in the Lightning Tree area .
Lake Davis is holding 83,000 acre feet of water , 94 percent of capacity and 118 percent of normal .
Del Valle Reservoir
Channel Cats Reward Anglers
LIVERMORE – It ’ s summer time at Lake Del Valle and the channel catfish plants are in full swing .
The East Bay Regional Park District stocked 750 pounds of channel cats in the lake the week of July 2 and 750 pounds the week of July 9 . catfish plants have replaced the trout plants until the water temperature cools down in the fall .
The top baits for the catfish are anchovies , mackerel , nightcrawlers and chicken livers . Anglers should fish early and late in the day for the best whiskerfish success .
Trout plants won ’ t resume until the water temperature cools down in the fall , but you can still catch the trout if you fish deep for them . Fish PowerBait , Mice Tails and nightcrawlers near the dam .
Striped bass fishing is best in the Narrows or by the dam . Toss out anchovies , sardines and chicken livers for the stripers . If the stripers are boiling on baits , throw top water lures and swimbaits to entice the hungry bass .
The smallmouth and largemouth bass are now in summer pattern . Fish top water lures and glide baits early and late in the day along shoreline structure – and fish Senkos , plastic
Jeff Cooper hit Lake Del Valle recently , landing and releasing several bass including this husky largemouth . Photo courtesy of THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN RECREATION COMPANY , Lake Del Valle .
Freshwater
Dan and Tony limited out on rainbows while trolling Don Pedro Reservoir with Capt . Monte Smith on June 15 . Photo courtesy of GOLD COUNTRY SPORTFISHING , Oakdale .
worms and jigs off the points during the day .
Don Pedro Reservoir
Trollers Lay Into Rainbow Trout
LA GRANGE - Trout trolling at Don Pedro has been outstanding since the washout of the Moccasin Hatchery , but this unfortunate event does not account for all of the rainbows showing up in the lake . Limits have been the rule , but trollers have to get on and off of the lake early due to the high volume of recreational boat traffic .
Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing said , “ It is really good fishing here right now , and we continue to score with the smaller ExCel and Needlefish spoons in shad patterns , and the bigger grade of fish are still holding in shallower water . The recreational boating traffic is not bad during the week , but it is best to get on the water especially early and off before noon . There are three distinct grades of trout in the lake with smaller nursery-sized rainbows and brook trout below 10 inches , a solid grade at 14 to 15 inches , and the occasional larger rainbows from 18 to 22 inches .
“ We didn ’ t hook any kokanee this week , but there was a 1.5-pound kokanee at the cleaning station that
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was landed on an Apex lure . The angler thought it was a king , but it was clearly a kokanee , and the fact is that they are getting larger ,” said Smith .
The Blue Oaks launch ramp is back in the water as the lake has dropped to 91 percent .
- Dave Hurley
Eagle Lake
Rainbows Bite At Eagle !
SPALDING - Water temperatures have been steadily rising at Eagle Lake and as a result the trout are moving into deeper water . Currently the top depths for trollers are from 15 to 30 feet .
“ I just got back from a week long fishing vacation . I fished both Eagle Lake and Lake Almanor ,” reported Jeff Garcia of Stockton . “ At Eagle the fishing was somewhat tough , but I was still able to land limits on back to back days . I tried grubs , flies and Red Dog lures and had zero action on them . I also tried Kastmasters and Rapalas and didn ’ t get hit on them either . Everything I caught came on a Gulp ! Night Crawler slow rolled without a dodger . The best depth zone was right at 20 feet .”
“ I caught a total of 5 trout in two mornings of trolling , along with several chubs . I spent most of my time trolling from . 5 to 1 mph at the Eagle ’ s Nest , but I did pick up one trout off the Youth Camp . Most of the fish I caught were around 2 pounds , but two of them were close to 3 . There is a lot of feed in the lake and the trout I caught were full of something that looked like applesauce . I marked plenty of fish on my sonar . I think they are simply full and that makes them tough to hook ,” Garcia speculated .
If you ’ re planning a trip to Eagle Lake and would like to take your RV , get in contact with the team at the Eagle Lake RV Park and ask them about the Fish Sniffer Special ! -( 530 ) 825-3133 .
CONTINUED ON PG 11
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