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NORCAL LAKES: New strategies may well be needed at Shasta as lake rises
BY ROBIN WADE/WON Staff WriterPublished: Feb 04, 2010
NORTHERN CAL WEEKLY LAKE REPORTS
REDDING — Lake Shasta has been very low this past year, and many were getting concerned about the water level. At the beginning of the month it was123 feet down and now it is at 88 feet from full pool. That’s almost 50 feet it has come up this month, and it is still rising.
“This is very good news, and we are not finished with the rain, plus there will be some minor addition from the snowmelt,” said Greg Agresta from Phil’s Props in Redding. The addition of water and the rising shoreline will impact how fish relate to it and the changing conditions, but a little change in strategy may be all that is needed.
“For bass anglers I would say that Senkos are still the way to go, but under these changing conditions, anglers should start with reaction baits such as swim, rip and spinnerbaits. Then go to the bottom with Senkos,” Agresta said. Another point Agresta made was regarding the runoff. “There still is a lot of it, as well as debris in the water, I’d suggest anglers stick to the main body and main points for now. The fishing should be good.”
“Stay away from major inlets for trout until the storms pass,” said fishing guide Roger Keeling. “From the dam to the I-5 Bridge at Bridge Bay, trout are in the top 20 feet. I’d be working from 8 to 18 feet and move to where the debris has been moved out,” he said. Digger Bay and Frost Gulch are good for windy days. “Until the lake clears, use lures with some vibration but troll slowly.” Gold/red Speedy Shiners or chartreuse, hot orange or hot red were Keeling’s recommendation.
Clear Lake stained but clearing, fish deep for bass, in sloughs for catfish
BY ROBIN WADE/WON Staff Writer
LAKEPORT — The lake level continues to rise and by this weekend Clear Lake will be close to 4.5 feet Rumsey, which is higher than at any time last year and an increase of close to three feet over the past week. Water clarity is good to very good in the deeper portions of the lake, but muddy to stained in the shallower portions. Bass anglers are still struggling, but those fishing deeper are finding better success.
“The areas around Redbud, Rodman, State Park, and Nice are pretty stained. They will settle out quickly and will move around a little with the wind, but for now, I’d say stay in the deeper part of the lake,” Said Clear Lake guide Ross England. Even tournament anglers are having a tough time. This past weekend a tournament here only drew 30 to 34 boats and almost a fourth of them blanked.
“The best bet in between storms is to look for the clearest water you can find and spend some time really picking it apart. When you find fish there will be more in the same area. The anglers who are fishing deeper seem to be having better success than the anglers staying shallow right now. The magic number of 25 to 35 feet is where successful anglers were fishing. For anglers using artificials, there were a few who reported catching up to 20 fish in a day, though most were finding it hard to put together a 5-fish limit,” England said. Even anglers using live bait are reporting the bite to have been slower than anticipated.
Jigs and plastic worms have been the most productive baits for tournament anglers recently, with a few of the tournament anglers doing well with rip baits.
Regulars still bringing in limits at Lafayette Reservoir
BY ANITA JONES/WON Staff Writer
LAFAYETTE — Anglers familiar with Lafayette Reservoir continue to catch limits of trout.
“The end of the week produced more limits of trout than the first half of the week,” said Andie Leandro of the Lafayette Recreation Area. “We saw a couple trout up to six pounds caught from shore and boats. On Tuesday, one angler caught an 8.14-pound rainbow in the South Cove on Power Bait.”
Old timers and regulars are catching their limits on worms and Power Bait while those not familiar with the reservoir are finding it slow going, taking one to 2-pound trout three at a time. Fishing is best off of boats in the South Cove using NeedleFish or broken backs. Shore fisherman are faring better in the East Cove floating a worm. Most trout are being caught from the surface down to 10 feet.
Leandro said that anglers are also catching 4- to 5-pound catfish using worms in the middle of the lake. The water is murky from the runoff.
The next plant of 1000 pounds of trout will be February first.
Some Crystal Basin lakes are productive if you can get to them
BY PAT YOUNG/WON Staff Writer
RIVERTON — Trollers who can get into Ice House Reservoir and Union Valley Reservoir should find good action on rainbows, browns and Mackinaw according to tackle manufacturer and guide, Kyle Neeser of Pollack Pines. Boaters may have to use secondary access to the lakes due to main road gate closures, but the fishing can make the extra effort worthwhile.
“There hasn’t been enough snow at Ice House to close the road to the lake, and boaters should be able to get there with little problem,” said Neeser. “Trollers working a dodger or flasher trailing a threaded nightcrawler should do well in the top 15 feet. The secret is to troll SLOW for the rainbows. If slow isn’t your game, then try for the big browns that inhabit this lake with a fast, pumping presentation using a Rapala. Work the big rocky points and banks in the early morning before the sun hits the water.” Be prepared for some COLD conditions if you’re out this early!!
Union Valley Reservoir can be reached via Pea Vine Ridge Road this time of year since the main gate off Ice House Road is locked until before Memorial Day. Neeser reported that the lake has a big population of 2- to 5-pound Mackinaws living in it and lunkers to 25 pounds come out of here every year. “The Macks should be getting active and trollers using Broken-back Rebels and J-plugs can do pretty well once they locate the fish.” Be sure to use a lure color that imitates the kokanee that the Macks are feeding on.
Launch ramp finally open at Emerald Cove Marina on Bullards Bar Reservoir
BY PAT YOUNG/WON Staff Writer
DOBBINS — The recent rains have been a blessing for most of the lakes in the North State and Bullards Bar Reservoir was no exception. The lake level came up enough this past week to put the main launch ramp at Emerald Cove Marina back in operation and now boaters are no longer restricted to using the ramp at Dark Day.
“The lake level came up six feet with all the rain and we finally have our launch ramp back in operation,” said Craig Robertson at Emerald Cove Marina. “Boaters can now launch on both sides of the lake on concrete ramps without taking chances launching off the bank like many boaters were doing before the lake came up.”
With the improvement in launching opportunities now available, more anglers will want to try Bullards Bar for the trophy spotted bass that are starting to be noticed by North State bass chasers.
“Bass fishing has been very good,” said Robertson. “One guy came by the marina this past week and reported that he had caught six spots that averaged 31⁄2 pounds apiece. We’ve heard about a lot of three to five pounders being caught on baits that imitate the kokanee salmon that the spots are gorging on. Many anglers have said that the bass were spitting up small kokanees while being fought up to the boat.” A wacky-rigged shad Senko has been working at 50 feet on main lake points. Meter around until you find the location and depth of the bait and go to work.
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NORTHERN CAL WEEKLY LAKE REPORTS REDDING — Lake Shasta has been very low this past year, and many were getting concerned about the water level. At the beginning of the month it was123 feet down and now it is at 88 feet from full pool. That’s almost 50 feet it has come up this month, and it is still rising.“This is very good news, and we are not finished with the rain, plus there will be some minor addition from the snowmelt,” said Greg Agresta from Phil’s Props in Redding. The addition of water and the rising shoreline will impact how fish relate to it and the changing conditions, but a little change in strategy may be all that is needed. “For bass anglers I would say that Senkos are still the way to go, but under these changing conditions, anglers should start with reaction baits such as swim, rip and spinnerbaits. Then go to the bottom with Senkos,” Agresta said. Another point Agresta made was regarding the runoff. “There still is a lot of it, as well as debris in the water, I’d suggest anglers stick to the main body and main points for now. The fishing should be good.” “Stay away from major inlets for trout until the storms pass,” said fishing guide Roger Keeling. “From the dam to the I-5 Bridge at Bridge Bay, trout are in the top 20 feet. I’d be working from 8 to 18 feet and move to where the debris has been moved out,” he said. Digger Bay and Frost Gulch are good for windy days. “Until the lake clears, use lures with some vibration but troll slowly.” Gold/red Speedy Shiners or chartreuse, hot orange or hot red were Keeling’s recommendation. Clear Lake stained but clearing, fish deep for bass, in sloughs for catfish BY ROBIN WADE/WON Staff Writer LAKEPORT — The lake level continues to rise and by this weekend Clear Lake will be close to 4.5 feet Rumsey, which is higher than at any time last year and an increase of close to three feet over the past week. Water clarity is good to very good in the deeper portions of the lake, but muddy to stained in the shallower portions. Bass anglers are still struggling, but those fishing deeper are finding better success. “The areas around Redbud, Rodman, State Park, and Nice are pretty stained. They will settle out quickly and will move around a little with the wind, but for now, I’d say stay in the deeper part of the lake,” Said Clear Lake guide Ross England. Even tournament anglers are having a tough time. This past weekend a tournament here only drew 30 to 34 boats and almost a fourth of them blanked. “The best bet in between storms is to look for the clearest water you can find and spend some time really picking it apart. When you find fish there will be more in the same area. The anglers who are fishing deeper seem to be having better success than the anglers staying shallow right now. The magic number of 25 to 35 feet is where successful anglers were fishing. For anglers using artificials, there were a few who reported catching up to 20 fish in a day, though most were finding it hard to put together a 5-fish limit,” England said. Even anglers using live bait are reporting the bite to have been slower than anticipated.Jigs and plastic worms have been the most productive baits for tournament anglers recently, with a few of the tournament anglers doing well with rip baits. Regulars still bringing in limits at Lafayette Reservoir BY ANITA JONES/WON Staff Writer LAFAYETTE — Anglers familiar with Lafayette Reservoir continue to catch limits of trout. “The end of the week produced more limits of trout than the first half of the week,” said Andie Leandro of the Lafayette Recreation Area. “We saw a couple trout up to six pounds caught from shore and boats. On Tuesday, one angler caught an 8.14-pound rainbow in the South Cove on Power Bait.” Old timers and regulars are catching their limits on worms and Power Bait while those not familiar with the reservoir are finding it slow going, taking one to 2-pound trout three at a time. Fishing is best off of boats in the South Cove using NeedleFish or broken backs. Shore fisherman are faring better in the East Cove floating a worm. Most trout are being caught from the surface down to 10 feet. Leandro said that anglers are also catching 4- to 5-pound catfish using worms in the middle of the lake. The water is murky from the runoff. The next plant of 1000 pounds of trout will be February first. Some Crystal Basin lakes are productive if you can get to them BY PAT YOUNG/WON Staff Writer RIVERTON — Trollers who can get into Ice House Reservoir and Union Valley Reservoir should find good action on rainbows, browns and Mackinaw according to tackle manufacturer and guide, Kyle Neeser of Pollack Pines. Boaters may have to use secondary access to the lakes due to main road gate closures, but the fishing can make the extra effort worthwhile. “There hasn’t been enough snow at Ice House to close the road to the lake, and boaters should be able to get there with little problem,” said Neeser. “Trollers working a dodger or flasher trailing a threaded nightcrawler should do well in the top 15 feet. The secret is to troll SLOW for the rainbows. If slow isn’t your game, then try for the big browns that inhabit this lake with a fast, pumping presentation using a Rapala. Work the big rocky points and banks in the early morning before the sun hits the water.” Be prepared for some COLD conditions if you’re out this early!!Union Valley Reservoir can be reached via Pea Vine Ridge Road this time of year since the main gate off Ice House Road is locked until before Memorial Day. Neeser reported that the lake has a big population of 2- to 5-pound Mackinaws living in it and lunkers to 25 pounds come out of here every year. “The Macks should be getting active and trollers using Broken-back Rebels and J-plugs can do pretty well once they locate the fish.” Be sure to use a lure color that imitates the kokanee that the Macks are feeding on. Launch ramp finally open at Emerald Cove Marina on Bullards Bar Reservoir BY PAT YOUNG/WON Staff Writer DOBBINS — The recent rains have been a blessing for most of the lakes in the North State and Bullards Bar Reservoir was no exception. The lake level came up enough this past week to put the main launch ramp at Emerald Cove Marina back in operation and now boaters are no longer restricted to using the ramp at Dark Day. “The lake level came up six feet with all the rain and we finally have our launch ramp back in operation,” said Craig Robertson at Emerald Cove Marina. “Boaters can now launch on both sides of the lake on concrete ramps without taking chances launching off the bank like many boaters were doing before the lake came up.” With the improvement in launching opportunities now available, more anglers will want to try Bullards Bar for the trophy spotted bass that are starting to be noticed by North State bass chasers. “Bass fishing has been very good,” said Robertson. “One guy came by the marina this past week and reported that he had caught six spots that averaged 31⁄2 pounds apiece. We’ve heard about a lot of three to five pounders being caught on baits that imitate the kokanee salmon that the spots are gorging on. Many anglers have said that the bass were spitting up small kokanees while being fought up to the boat.” A wacky-rigged shad Senko has been working at 50 feet on main lake points. Meter around until you find the location and depth of the bait and go to work. |
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