Overall, crab fishing has been better than most anglers expected, with some rough saltwater conditions near the end of the week slowing it down a little. Those looking for sturgeon are mostly holding out for some good rains to get them biting again.
Striped Bass, Crab and Halibut
In Berkeley/Emeryville, people are pulling in their limit of crab. Bass are biting well and improving bit by bit, and the recent poor halibut fishing is starting to improve. At Pacifica, crab fishing was good early in the week but slowed late in the week because of a choppy surf. Still, some were pulling in good takes using small-fish baits like mackerel, anchovies and sardines, as well as some squid.
Pillar Point is showing a little action early in the season but the crabs are small, usually under 2 pounds. Suisan Bay has been a good spot lately and that hasn't changed yet, but rain should improve conditions here even more. Fish along the Martinez shore for bass and halibut, and troll along Grizzly Bay if you're looking for sturgeon.
San Pablo Bay has halibut and isn't being heavily fished for halibut right now, so some good spots are near Paradise and the Red Rock area. Sturgeon aren't biting much but should improve with the coming rains. Bass biting has been fair but the fish have been small. Right now it's mostly sharks and some rays coming out of San Francisco Bay. Bass, halibut and sturgeon aren't biting very well.
At Frank's Tract, swim baits are best for striped bass right now, with some also having good luck with Topwater lures. The striped bass are biting well overall, but they're all in the small range. Black bass are being pulled in with jigs, and in general the bright lures are doing the best because of the current, very clear water conditions.
At Tracy, bass fishing is slowing down right now but the fish are in a larger range, usually from 8 to 12 pounds. Black bass are hard to find. A few sturgeon are biting at Rio Vista, but it's not consistent. Striped bass are biting pretty well for anglers using shrimp, shad and mudsuckers as bait, especially near San Joaquin and around the islands.
Trout
At Amador, trout are biting at the surface. Well over a ton of trout went in a couple of weeks ago, and the trout fishing is still good here with the 3 to 4 pounders at the surface. Rapalas and Kastmasters are the lures that are bringing in the most trout in that weight range. On Tuesday, November 24th, Lake Amador hosts a trout derby.
Contra Loma's average trout size is still hovering around 3 to 4 pounds, but they're biting well over various parts of the lake. Catfish are also biting well, though not as well as trout thanks to 500 pounds of trout going in this week.
Lake Chabot is still benefiting from the ton of trout put in a few weeks ago, with them hovering in the deeper waters near the dam and the bay. Catfish are responding well to bait like anchovies and liver, with most near the island bank. Clear Lake showed some bass action over the last week if you could find a good spot. Anglers have had the best luck using live minnows in areas no deeper than 25 feet, with most of the biting, when you can find it, at the northern and southern ends of the lake.
Some 8 pounders came out of Lake Camanche this week, especially in the area near the damn and between it and Hat Island. Anglers are regularly pulling their limit in trout by fishing the top 15 or 20 feet of water in this area. Bass are biting lures well in rocky areas and spots where they can get 30 to up to 50 feet down. Bait fishing has been going well in the South Pond.
Quarry Lake has had many making their limits thanks to recent plants, and the most recent happened just this week with some bigger fish than the usual 3 to 4 pounders. Three-quarters of a ton went in and included some 6 pound fish.
At the Lafayette Reservoir, catfish have been dropping off from their good biting a few weeks ago. The recent thousand pound drop of small trout has helped with trout takes, though as the day wears on the trout are much less active. Anglers have had the best luck with Power Bait in the mornings, and the biggest takes seem to come from the south part of the Reservoir.
Berryessa Lake shows great bass biting in the areas near the damn, and most in the northern part of the lake. Trout are starting to bite a little bit near the surface, but not enough yet to make it a destination for a good trout take. Less wind at Del Valle this week helped the trout biting. Fishing from the bank and out in shallow areas like the Narrows showed the best trout take. The dam and the marina area also showed some trout biting, as well as a few bass.
New Melones Lake is full of trout, all in a good size range, usually biting well in areas of the lake up to 25 feet deep. Power Bait has been a popular choice over the last week, as has shad for the bass that are biting in parts of the lake that are up to about 40 feet deep.
Los Vaqueros had has recent trout plants which have improved trout fishing, but the reservoir is still slow for anglers. On the upside, the salmon that are being caught are ranging from about 3lb to 5lb each.
Salmon
Rainfall is helping some rivers open and helping those that are open even more. It's contributing to the good salmon take going on right now. The Smith River has seen a lot of salmon heading into the lower river, and has been improving week by week. Salmon of 20 to 30 pounds are consistently coming out of the Smith, and some even larger than that are showing up. Steelheads of about 8 pounds to 10 or 12 pounds are also coming out of the river, giving the Smith some of its best fishing conditions in a long time.
Trinity River is low and not good for fishing right now. Eel and Mad Rivers were closed last week due to low flows but forecasted rain could have them opening for next week.
Photo Credits: ingridtaylar
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Angling, Berkeley, CA, Crab, Emeryville, Fishing, Fishing Report, Halibut, Salmon, San Pablo Bay, Striped Bass, catfish, steelhead, trout
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