Sturgeon, Black Bass, Crab and Halibut
Frank's Tract had been seeing the bass bite improving, but lately with the weather all over the place there's just no consistency in the way the fish are moving and biting. It's anybody guess where they'll bite or whether they'll bite until the weather calms down. The crappie have started biting a little at Tracy, and the current bass hot spot is around the Grant Line Canal. If you're going to fish at Tracy, this weekend maybe your last chance at steelhead. There should be some trout biting there soon, too. Rio Vista is still a bit cold for the bass to move much, but it's only a few degrees away. Sturgeon aren't biting very well.
San Pablo Bay is muddy with strong tides and the sturgeon fishing is doing well because of it. Striped bass are biting along the shore, with one weighed in at 45 pounds being pulled out this week. If you want to emulate that success, stick around China Camp and use shrimp. This one used mud shrimp, but other boaters are using grass and ghost shrimp in the area, and near the Pumphouse.
San Francisco Bay is still offering up just a few sturgeon around the Dumbarton Bridge, but everything else has ground to a halt. Suisun Bay has sturgeon near Buoy 4 and the Ozol, with stripers along the shoreline. Pacifica is full of perch right now. Crabs are hard to come by as is just about anything else because of the choppy, high surf.
Trout
At Lake Amador on Tuesday, 3,000 pounds of trout went in. They must be hanging near the shore because shore anglers are doing better than trollers right now. Trollers are doing better in the mornings, and then it fades as the day wears on, but those on the banks are doing well steadily through the day, especially near the dams and the spillway. Kastmasters are still working well around the shoreline, and Rapalas are starting to work well, too. For bait, go with nightcrawlers and bright Power Bait.
Trout are still biting well at Lake Camanche, with trollers doing a bit better than those that stay on shore. Hot spots are the South Shore Pond and the main part of the lake for trout. Stay in the top foot of water and use bright-colored Power Bait for best results. Bass are biting where the water's deep and covering tree-lined banks. Lake Chabot is much less murky than last week, and the trout are moving and biting better. Bass still aren't biting very well, though.
Clear Lake has been back and forth lately but it's slowing down now because of the wind. A few are biting around the north part of the lake, but only down to about 10 or 12 feet. Try using jigs with swimbaits. Bass were improving at Contra Loma but now it's the trout that are biting a bit more in the eastern part of the lake. The usual sure-thing baits like Power Bait and nightcrawlers are what most are using, and getting at least a couple of small trout per trip.
Storms that have muddied the water at Del Valle put a damper on the good fishing that took place over the weekend, even though 1,000 pounds were dumped in on Tuesday. Try the dam and Swallow Bay, where a 6-pound black bass was caught this week.
The Lafayette Reservoir is showing much better biting now that it's getting two plants per week. Stick around the clearest parts for best results. The wind's hampering things right now, but could be mostly gone by the weekend. The recent record-breaking catch at Los Vaqueros pulled people out and disappointed most of them. Stick around the shoreline in places like Peninsula Cove and the Rock Wall. If you're trolling, head for the eastern banks.
At New Melones, storms are throwing a wrench into the fishing which is a disappointment after the way the bass started biting over the last couple of weeks. Now bass are moving slow and not biting, except sometimes near the dam and more toward the center of the lake. Shore anglers are having no luck at all. Try in the coves for trout, with bobbers and minnows.
Some good-sized trout over 5 pounds were caught at the San Pablo Reservoir last week, but aside from them the fishing has been poor. Bass, particularly spotted bass, are more active than trout right now and seem to be taking mostly plastic worms. Pardee is nice and clear down to 10 feet in some spot, and that's where boaters are picking out all the trout. Shore anglers are doing pretty well also, mostly around the boat ramp and the marina. Use bright-colored bait or lures in that clear water to attract them.
At Shasta, not much has changed with the bass being caught in water up to 30 feet deep and taking worms and Senkos. Water's still coming up but is surprisingly clear for those conditions. Quarry lakes is still filling up and is now only 6 inches from full, with fish biting better every week. A trout that weighed in at 13 pounds and 10 ounces was pulled out last week, with some other catches around 9 and 10 pounds. Shadow Cliffs got a ton plant of trout last week, and a second 750-pound plant, with the fish biting slow but steady.
Steelhead and River Conditions
Of the North Coast Rivers, the Mad and the Smith are the places to look for steelhead. Unfortunately, all of the rivers are still too full and too muddy to be much good, but the Smith is pretty clear. Pressure's on at Mad despite the mud. The Eel, the Van Duzen and even Chetco have to clear and drop a little before they'll be fishable again.
Tuesday's rain pushed the level of the Russian River up even more, but if the weather stays dry then it might be all right early next week at least as far down as Guerneville.
Photo Credits: jason.stajich
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bass, Fishing, Fishing Report, lake fishing, Reservoirs, San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay, san pablo reservoir, Sturgeon, trout
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