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This weeks California Hot spots

17K views 33 replies 3 participants last post by  kichigai1 
#1 ·
Castaic Lake

THIS WEEK'S HOT SPOTS

STRIPED BASS: Castaic Lake has been kicking out quality stripers to 13-0 for anglers fishing anchovies or sardines from 40 to 100 feet deep. Most fish are weighing from 2-0 to 6-0, but plenty of bigger fish are showing. Lake Silverwood has been kicking out fair numbers of stripers from 2-0 to 4-0 on anchovies. The bite has been better for boat anglers fishing the deeper waters near the inlet, spillway, and dam. The California Aqueduct from Bakersfield to Hesperia continues to pump out fish with minimum fishing pressure. Best times to target this area is early in the morning or late in the evening due to high temperatures. On the Colorado River, striper fishing broke open at Mohave and Mead. Weekend boat traffic has still been heavy and slows the fishing, so the best fishing is reported around mid-week or at night.
 
#3 ·
AQUEDUCT AT TAFT: California

AQUEDUCT AT TAFT: Stripers continue to be fair to good on blood worms, anchovies, or lug worms. Many fish to 4-0 are being landed. Catfish continue to make a strong showing on frozen shad, chicken livers, or anchovies. For more information contact Bob's Bait Bucket at (661) 833-8657.
 
#4 ·
Lake Pyramid San Diego County

Lake Pyramid has been on fire for stripers and most anglers are landing easy limits of fish to 10-0 each. Most anglers are getting in on a wide-open topwater bite most mornings and then switch to drifting anchovies and sardines for the rest of the day. Most fish are running from 2-0 to 5-0 but fish to 10-0
There is no marina, bait shop, boat rentals, or campground. For information, call the USFS at (661) 296-9710
 
#5 ·
CALIFORNIA HOT SPOTS

THIS WEEK'S HOT SPOTS

STRIPED BASS: Lake Pyramid continues to have the best action in the Southland with easy limits of fish from 1-0 to 6-0 being landed on most days. Anchovies or sardines continue to be the best baits. Castaic Lake has slowed down from last month but fair fishing on quality stripers can still be found. Lake Skinner was closed much of the week due to a nearby fire, but fishing was fair to good before the closure and should be after the lake reopens on Thursday. The Colorado River has been excellent from Laughlin to Blythe on cut anchovies. Most fish are under a pound, but a few fish to 9-0 have been landed. Lake Mead has also been on fire for smaller fish under 3-0. The stripers are staying on the surface until noon if the boat pressure isn't bad. Once the fish go down anglers are vertical jigging small spoons to 50 feet deep for the best action
 
#6 ·
LOS ANGELES COUNTY LAKES CASTAIC

LOS ANGELES COUNTY LAKES CASTAIC What's biting: stripers, largemouth, catfish; Hot spots: off the shore near the dam, Elderberry buoy line, Dry Creek and Elizabeth Canyon intersection (stripers), all over near the rocky shorelines and the points (largemouth), the cove (catfish); Best baits: cut anchovies, sardines, buzz baits (stripers), buzz baits, spinner baits, plastic worms, live crawdads, nightcrawlers (largemouth), crank baits, cut anchovies (catfish); DFG stock: No further stocks until October; For further info: (661) 257-4050, Ext. 1
 
#7 ·
Suisun-Delta:

Suisun-Delta: Really quite good for striped bass, odd as that seems, with the schools still out in the ocean and down along the beaches. And yet ... the trollers are putting a hit on the fish in the shallows around Rio Vista, the west bank and Old Dairy. Most are pulling shallow-running Rebels ...
 
#8 ·
Hot spots Alameda County

Isleton:Striped bass action is good at Decker Island and off the old dairy for anglers trolling broken backs. Catfish (six to eight pounds) have been caught by the harbor and Long Island using shad. Riverside Bait (916) 777-6662.

Benicia: Striped bass, typically 24 to 30 inches, are being caught on blood worms and pile worms. The best spots are by State Park and 12th Street.

San Pablo Bay: Striped bass fishing has picked up for anglers trolling. Try the Marin shoreline, The Sisters and the Brickyard. San Francisco Bay: Striped bass are being caught by boaters near the Brisbane tubes, Oyster Point and by shore anglers near the PG&E plant.
 
#9 ·
Napa River

Napa River
How many ways can we say this? "Catch your striped bass here now!" We've had weeks of wide-open fishing for stripers up and down the river. It's another reason why Napa Valley is so special. Bankies -- soak sardines or anchovies. Find some live bait like mud suckers and catch some bigger fish. Trollers -- continue to use Rattletraps, broken back Rebels or your favorite trolling rigs. Let me know when you catch a monster.
 
#11 ·
FRESHWATER HOT SPOTS

FRESHWATER HOT SPOTS

STRIPED BASS: The Willow Beach stretch of the Colorado River has been cranking out some huge stripers to 36-0 on trout plugs. Not a lot, but enough to note. This bite will only improve through fall and winter. Smaller Lake Mead stripers to 4-0 continue to chase bait to the surface in the morning and topwater plugs have been killing them. During the day fish are suspended in 30 to 50 feet of water. Anglers jigging spoons have been cashing in. Lake Castaic has been good with limits of fish to 2-0 being landed on cut anchovies or sardines. Lake Silverwood has been good on under 1-0 stripers. Pieces of nightcrawler or anchovies have been best. Fish reports for Lake Pyramid have been near-impossible to get, but word has it that fishing is fair to good on stripers to 2-8.
 
#12 ·
San Pablo Bay

San Pablo Bay: Striped bass fishing is red hot. Anglers catch limits drifting live anchovies and hook a few halibut, too. Muddy water slowed fishing a few days ago, but four anglers aboard a six-pack boat were catching and releasing fish with frequency Wednesday. Some fish are undersized, some weigh 6-8 pounds (which can be considered big) and an occasional fish weighs in the lower teens. There are a few salmon at California City if anglers want to troll on the high tide, then drift for stripers on the moving tide. Loch Lomond Bait Shop (415) 456-0321.
 
#13 ·
THIS WEEK'S HOT SPOTS

STRIPED BASS: The best striper action has been at Lake Havasu where anglers are catching and releasing from 25-75 fish a day. Striper fishing does not get any better than this. Elsewhere in the Colorado River region, Lake Mead continues to have a good bite on jigged spoons for smaller fish up to three pounds. In Southern California, the best striper action continues to be at Lake Castaic. Fishing has been fair to good on anchovies or sardines. Top areas have been the buoy line or Elizabeth Canyon.
 
#14 ·
Paradise area.

SAN FRANCISCO
The fleet will continue to run for salmon until the season ends, occasionally mixing rockfish with the kings. On board the live bait trips, the Bass Tub found wide-open striper action last week with 100-plus fish days from the Paradise area.
 
#15 ·
FRESHWATER HOT SPOTS

FRESHWATER HOT SPOTS

STRIPED BASS: The only bite in Southern California that improved with the cooler weather and rain was the striper bite at Lake Skinner. The few boat anglers that were out fishing the inlet were rewarded with limit-style fishing on stripers to 10-0. Stripers were up boiling on shad and anglers connected with topwater plugs, Storm Wildeye Shad swimbaits, or Rat-L-Traps. Once the fish leave the surface anglers are fishing cut anchovies or chicken livers on the bottom. Wide-open striper fishing also continues at Lake Mead with many anglers catching and releasing 50 fish a day. The lower basin has been the hottest area, and fish have been staying on the surface all day. Topwater plugs and shad swimbaits were the hot lures this week. The striper action at Lake Havasu has cooled down some, but fishing has been excellent early in the afternoon on surface baits or shad-type jerk baits and cranks. Before and during the rain, striper fishing had been good at Lake Silverwood with good action in Miller's Canyon and Outhouse Cove. Lake Silverwood has also been receiving DFG trout plants and stripers to 27-0 have shown on trout swimbaits since. Striper fishing at Lake Castaic continues to be good with fish on the surface feeding on shad most mornings. Top methods for taking fish have been working boils with topwater plugs or trolling silver Kastmasters on five colors of leadcore. Lake Pyramid has been a little slow, but some big fish to 27-0 have shown on trout swimbaits since the DFG began planting trout two weeks ago. The lake is set to be planted again this week so that should get the big fish stirring again
 
#16 ·
FRESHWATER HOT SPOTS

STRIPED BASS: Lake Silverwood is still the No. 1 lake in Southern California for the shot at a huge striper over 20-0. Fishing has slowed on the big fish and this week's DFG trout plant for the lake was canceled. Smaller sized fish from 1-0 to 5-0 are showing on chicken livers, anchovies, or night crawlers. Striper fishing has been on fire at Lake Castaic if you can net some live shad for bait. Anglers able to make bait have landed easy 10-fish limits of stripers to 10-0. Lots of quality stripers from 10-0 to 17-0 showed on trout swimbaits after a DFG trout plant last week. Skinner has slowed, but still fair action on cut bait. Cold weather also kicked all of the Colorado River striper bites in the butt, with just fair action for small fish under 4-0 at Havasu and Mojave on cut baits.
 
#17 ·
STRIPED BASS:

STRIPED BASS: Big striped bass went on the attack at Lake Silverwood and anglers throwing swimbaits are cashing in. Fish to 40-0 were landed last week and a DFG trout plant this week should keep the action hot. Smaller stripers from 1-8 to 6-0 continue to hit cut anchovies, nightcrawlers, or trolled Kastmasters. Lake Mohave in the Colorado River region kicked out a 50-0 striped bass also on a trout swimbait. Many other fish from 11-0 to 30-0 showed along Cottonwood Cove. Striper action at Lake Castaic is excellent for anglers who are able to net live shad. For anglers who can?t net live shad, fishing has been fair on cut anchovies or trolled Kastmasters behind 10 colors of leadcore line. Lake Mead produced a good number of stripers from 7-0 to 14-0 also on trout swimbaits since trout plants started two weeks ago. Smaller stripers are still being landed in fair to good numbers on cut baits or jigged spoons.
 
#18 ·
THIS WEEK'S HOT SPOTS

STRIPED BASS: Castaic Lake was set to receive a DFG trout plant this week. That should get the big stripers biting near the launch ramps. Casting trout swimbaits from shore or from a boat should be good. There has been little word of action at Lake Pyramid, but this lake is also set to receive a DFG trout plant, which should get the big fish stirring. Striper fishing continues at a fair to good pace at Lake Silverwood with a few big stripers and fair to good numbers of smaller fish from 1-0 to 2-8. Big fish are showing on trout-like swimbaits, and smaller fish are showing on cut anchovies, nightcrawlers, or trolled Kastmasters. Skinner is a sleeper spot with very little angling pressure, and the Colorado River's Lake Mead continues to produce a few big stripers in stretch from Cottonwood to Willow Beach each week.
 
#19 ·
Freshwater hot spots

STRIPED BASS: Striper action is just starting to rebound at Lake Castaic and Lake Silverwood thanks to clearing water. Bad news is that the bite could die again if - when - rains pound the region again this week. Overall, Lake Skinner continues to have the most consistent bite on both cut baits and big trout swimbaits. Seven fish over 10-0 were weighed in last week by boat anglers using trout swimbaits. Anglers fishing cut anchovies or chicken livers near the inlet have had fair action on fish to 4-8. At the Colorado River, Lake Mohave broke wide open last Friday after trout were planted in the Cottonwood Cove area earlier that day. Anglers trolling A.C. Plugs or soft swimbaits have hooked from one to five fish the day of the trout plant and they were from 10-0 to 35-0. At Lake Mead, striper fishing has been hot for anglers using big trout swimbaits after right after trout plants each Friday with fish to 15-0 or a little better. The bigger stripers continue to show on A.C. Plugs either slow trolled or cast from boats to boiling fish.
 
#20 ·
FRESHWATER HOT SPOTS

FRESHWATER HOT SPOTS

STRIPED BASS: Excellent striper fishing continues along the California Aqueduct near Taft. Most anglers are catching and releasing up to 100 fish a day on Lug Worm and night crawler combos. Cut anchovies, white Gitzits, or Rat-L-Traps are also taking fish averaging from 1-0 to 5-0, but fish to 15-0 have been landed. Lake Castaic continues to have a fair bite on cut anchovies fished on the bottom in 20 to 30 feet of water for shore anglers, or in 80 to 100 feet of water on the bottom in the fish arm at the buoy line. A few quality fish from 2-8 to 12-0 have been taken by boat anglers trolling Bomber jerkbaits in 10 to 25 feet of water. On the Colorado River, Lake Mead continues to produce good action on striped bass to 7-0 from Las Vegas Wash to Government Wash. Stripers are feeding on shad and anglers able to scoop a net full of live shad have had excellent fishing all day long. Anglers without live bait are working topwater plugs or jerkbaits through boiling fish and then drifting cut anchovies once the stripers leave the surface.
 
#21 ·
STRIPED BASS: The excellent striper fishing along the California Aqueduct near Taft slowed over the weekend due to a decrease in flows and heavy fishing pressure near the flood gates. Anglers are still catching and releasing up to 70 fish a day on lug worms and night crawlers, while anglers fishing cut anchovies, white Gitzits, or Rat-L-Traps have been averaging 15 to 30 fish each. Most fish are averaging from 1-0 to 3-0, and fish to 11-0 were landed last week. Castaic striper action is fair and improving on cut anchovies fished in 80 to 100 feet of water on the bottom in the Fish Arm at the buoy line. Trollers are scoring quality fish from 6-8 to 12-0 on Bomber jerkbaits fished on five colors of leadcore. Lake Silverwood has a good striper bite for anglers fishing off the boat dock. Fish have been running from 1-0 to 5-0 and the best action has been reported on cut anchovies. Boat anglers are scoring some fish on drifted anchovies from Quarry Cove. On the Colorado River, Lake Mead has been pumping out good numbers of striped bass to 6-0 for anglers fishing cut anchovies in 20 to 40 feet of water in Overton Arm.
 
#22 ·
FRESHWATER HOT SPOTS

STRIPED BASS: The striper action on the California Aqueduct near Taft is slow compared to the 100-fish-a-day action last month. Now anglers who keep their bait moving are catching up to 10 fish a day, but many fish have been in the 18- to 24-inch range. Lake Silverwood striper action has been fair to good on striped bass weighing 1-0 to 5-0 for weekday anglers fishing from the boat dock with cut anchovies. Boat anglers are taking fair numbers of fish averaging 2-0 to 7-0 on cut anchovies or night crawlers when boat traffic isn't to heavy. On the Colorado River, Lake Mojave is wide open with many anglers reporting 100 fish days on cut baits. While most are under a pound, the bite is excellent. Lake Mead is also good and the fish are from 2-0 to 6-0 here and showing all over the lake on cut baits and live shad. Lake Havaus is fair with flurries of good action in 30 to 60 feet of water on cut baits.
 
#23 ·
This weeks hot spots

STRIPED BASS: No other striper bite in Southern California has lasted as long as the on-going bite at the California Aqueduct near Taft. Since February this stretch of aqueduct from Buena Vista Lakes to the pump house just past the golf coarse has been in one of two modes good or awesome. Most fish are averaging 1-0 to 1-8, but fish from 3-0 to 8-0 have also been landed. Best bait has been cut anchovies, but frozen shad, lug worms, white gizits, and Rat-L-Traps have also taken fish. Castaic Lake has a good bite on stripers from 1-0 to 3-0 on cut anchovies drifted 25 to 80 feet deep. Before the weekend there was also very good surface action with lots of boiling fish in both arms of the lake. That slowed over the weekend with the boat traffic. When fish are on the surface, bigger fish to 13-0 or better have been landed on jerkbaits or swimbaits trolled 10 to 20 feet deep through the boils. On the Colorado River, the striper bite has been wide open in Lake Mohave on small fish to 2-0, and Lake Havasu is almost as good. The Lake Mead bite, which had been good, was shut down by holiday boat traffic but should bounce back. Lake Elsinore has been stocked with 20,000 pounds of hybrid-striped bass since the beginning of June. The fish were stocked in hopes they would eat carp fry and keep the carp in check.
 
#24 ·
Suisun-Delta:

Suisun-Delta: The striped bass are pouring in from their summer of salt and fog, and it's good times once again. Out at The Sandbar, off Pittsburg, the boaters soaking bullheads are getting their fish on a fairly steady basis. Along the shoreline and from the pier at Martinez, the striper fishing is nearly as good, with the added bonus of small sharks and the usual reel-straining 'rays. On the Benicia side, there's a daily lineup of fervent anglers, all bent on tempting a migrating salmon, which stream by that side of the strait. Daily, though, the catch ranges from zero to maybe 10 fish. But you can see the fish as they swim past, some jumping, some rolling, but mostly in the gaping maws of the resident sea lions ... Top billing seems to be the trolling for striped bass. Charter-boat skipper Barry Canevaro fished late last week with friend/seminar pal Mark Wilson, and the two caught and released 25 bass to 22 pounds, from the west bank of the Sacramento to Broad Slough. The Wilson Way, according to Canevaro, is to troll just off the shoreline in exactly 7 feet of water. More importantly, though, his reels are spooled with braided line, which allows him to "see" even the slightest hint of a fouled line or lure.
STRIPED BASS: In Southern California, Silverwood has been fair to good on 4-0 to 12-0 class fish, mostly on cut baits and swim baits, but a 40-0 was landed last week near the boat dock. Skinner's striper bite has been fair on 1-8 to 4-0 class fish along the dam and by the inlet on cut baits. Castaic is excellent on fish to 51/2 pounds, mostly on shad, anchovies or swim baits. Lots of boiling fish at all three of these lakes. The Colorado River continues to have fair to good action on small stripers in all of the major reservoirs ? Mead, Mohave, and Havasu ? but cooler water temperatures are scattering the fish. Anchovies fished in 20 to 60 feet of water is still the best bet, but there are fish on the surface chasing shad most mornings and evenings now. Willow Beach was producing a few bigger stripers on the big trout-like plugs, but that action has dried up and only small fish under 3-0 have been reported in the past week ? which makes no sense with all of the trout in this stretch of river.

October 2 2005
SAN PABLO BAY - Tremendous striped bass fishing continues here. The "Touch of Gray' a six-pack boat out of Loch Lomond Marina, has been averaging a catch-and-release rate of 20 fish per person for two weeks. The skipper has been both live bait drifting and trolling from the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to Hamilton Field. Salmon are showing again at California City. A 38-pounder was caught Monday. Call (415) 456-0321.
 
#25 ·
Suisun-Delta: The Barry Canevaro Report, on a Wednesday, under gray skies: "Pretty good (pronounced "prit-ty gewd") striped bass fishing. We had poor tides there over the weekend, but now they're looking good, perfect for the weekend. And the water is cooling off quickly, too. We've had limits of bass the past two trips, fishing bullheads and shad at Seal Island and back in Montezuma Slough." For the coming weekend, tides lean toward ideal, with about 4 feet of movement in both directions. Canevaro plans to soak bait anywhere from the Middlegrounds to Seal Island, if not in Montezuma Slough. For sturgeon, some of the better spots should be Pittsburg to "Sturgeon Alley," off Ryer Island, and Big Cut. Top baits: salmon roe and eel ... Trollers in the Delta still are getting their bass, most at Decker Island and along the West Bank of the Sacramento River. Heading higher up, the water looks excellent for trolling between Isleton and Walnut Grove. From shore, Sherman Island is prime, with some access to Mayberry Slough, and the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. Best bait here might be mudsuckers.
 
#26 ·
Sacramento River

Sacramento River

School-sized striped bass, 18 to 24 inches, are common for bait dunkers who use shad minnows or live mudsuckers on the Sacramento River from Sandy Beach Regional Park to Decker Island. Two sturgeons -- 25 and 80 pounds -- were caught at the Rio Vista Bridge and the Powerlines below Decker Island on ghost shrimp. Trollers run the west bank down to Collinsville and Chain Island. Trollers seem to be hooking the larger bass, running 10 to 12 pounds, up to 25 pounds.
There are loads of striped bass on the San Joaquin River side, as well. Productive spots include Beaver, Sycamore and Potato sloughs, and the Mokelumne River South Fork. Trollers and those on the anchor all catch stripers, 18 inches to 11 pounds. The largest fish of the week was a 20-pounder caught on shad.
Off Highway 4, bank anglers are taking stripers that weigh less than 10 pounds at the black bridge on the San Joaquin River and Old River off Bacon Island. Shad and mudsuckers do the damage. Information: 916 777-6662 Isleton; 707 374-2372 Rio Vista; 333-1692 Lodi; 369-0204 Lodi; 473-2239; 948-6344
 
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