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California Fishing Reports
| Fishing Reports for California. If you have a report for your area send it to us at reports@bobberstop.com. Please put "Fishing Report" in the subject line of your e-mail and please don't forget to include the location. |
** Last Update was made on 5 - 5 - 08 **
CALIFORNIA FISHING REPORTS - LICENSES - REGULATIONS.
LAKE TAHOE - North Shore: Gene St. Denis of Blue Ribbon Charters at South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
(530-544-6552): Fishing has been good to excellent for the last three weeks. Lots of limits. Our
largest was 15 pounds. We have been trolling 50-300 feet deep, going deeper later in the day. We
locate the fish on the fish finder and then troll Dodgers and a live minnow in a "Figure Eight"
pattern, bouncing the bottom. I've been trolling at the Tahoe City Shelf and at Dollar Point. There
was a report of a 10-pound (30 inches) brown caught at Sand Harbor with a dodger and minnow.
South Shore: Gene St. Denis: Fishing at the Ski Run Mound, 150-240 feet deep, with a
Thunderstruck lure for Macks, 2-7 pounds. We caught an 8-pound (29 inch) brown off of Eagle
Point near Emerald Bay with a Thunderstick lure in 25 feet of water.
East Shore: Gene St. Denis: Has been slow to good. Several Macks 10-18 pounds, trolling 20-40
feet deep, using Trophy Sticks and AC plugs. The shore fishermen are catching 1-4 pound
rainbows that are full of roe. They are using worms or minnows. We caught a 6-pound brown at the
Cave Rock hazard buoy with a Thunderstick lure.
SHASTA LAKE - The salmon bite picked up in the Dry Creek Arm but the dam should also be good
for fish to 3 pounds or so. Troll from 50 to 150 feet. The brown trout bite dropped off some.
Darthead worms, Senkos, a few spinners, and rip baits fed hungry bass. They should start to move
up in greater numbers this week, in which case, look shallow and fish Brush Hogs and Lizards in
bedding fish.
AMERICAN RIVER - No Report
FEATHER RIVER - Both Striped Bass and Shad have moved up to the rapids at Shanghai Bend.
Striper fishing wasn't exactly red hot, but there were some nice fish taken last week on everything
from bait to big Clouser streamer flies. Shad have shown up as well, and anglers were catching
mostly small males on Shad jigs and flies. Flows were still very low, so it was a jetboats only boating.
KLAMATH RIVER - The flow coming out of Iron Gate was still high, at nearly 3,000 cfs, and fishing
conditions were poor throughout the river.
SACRAMENTO RIVER - The most popular float for fly fishing drift boaters lately has been
Bonnyview to Balls Ferry, as the upper river is not driftable right now because of the Cypress St.
Bridge Construction Zone. Try amber-wing Prince Nymphs, flashback P.T's, micro Mayflies in black,
brown, or olive, and superfloss rubber legs. Jet boaters can run back up or downstream from the
Cypress Ave. Bridge. Spinfishermen scored on back-trolled Hot Shots and drifted Glo-Bugs.
SACRAMENTO RIVER, CALIF: Dave Jacobs (Professional Guide Service) (800-355-3113): Rainbow
Trout: Fishing for wild rainbow trout from Redding downstream below Anderson has been good with
multiple hook-ups for anglers, both on conventional spin and fly gear. River releases from Keswick
dam near Redding have increased to 7,500 CFS. Boats can pass the Cypress Bridge construction
in Redding, from 7,000 CFS and up. Trout fishing is improving with the increased Spring flows. Side
drifting small Glo Bugs in various egg pattern color combos and/or live cricket or nightcrawlers with
a Quickie puffball have worked well. Back trolling small Hot Shot 50's or small K-4/K-5 Kwikfish in
various color combos can also be very effective for wild rainbow trout one to three pounds.
Striper: Reports of better striper fishing have come in for guides who find the schools of striper's in
and around the Colusa/ Grimes area. Best striper action has been spread out with most activity
near Grimes/Tisdale area. The bigger concentration of stripers are down river below Tisdale. Some
days reports of limits come in with a couple of days where guides are reporting working hard to
bring in their limits of stripers. Sardine cut bait fishing from anchor has worked as well as
backbouncing minnows or pile worms producing nice stripers to 10 pounds. Trolling Rebel style
lures in various color combos has also brought in nice stripers. Striper fishing should improve
through April and into early May.
Sturgeon: Reports of good numbers of sturgeon have still come in with fish being found from
Princeton downstream around the Tisdale area of the Sacramento or Sac River. Angler's soaking
pile worms, ghost shrimp or store-bought eel from anchor have produced most sturgeon bites.
Report By: Jim Bevens
CALIFORNIA FISHING REPORTS - LICENSES - REGULATIONS.
LAKE TAHOE - North Shore: Gene St. Denis of Blue Ribbon Charters at South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
(530-544-6552): Fishing has been good to excellent for the last three weeks. Lots of limits. Our
largest was 15 pounds. We have been trolling 50-300 feet deep, going deeper later in the day. We
locate the fish on the fish finder and then troll Dodgers and a live minnow in a "Figure Eight"
pattern, bouncing the bottom. I've been trolling at the Tahoe City Shelf and at Dollar Point. There
was a report of a 10-pound (30 inches) brown caught at Sand Harbor with a dodger and minnow.
South Shore: Gene St. Denis: Fishing at the Ski Run Mound, 150-240 feet deep, with a
Thunderstruck lure for Macks, 2-7 pounds. We caught an 8-pound (29 inch) brown off of Eagle
Point near Emerald Bay with a Thunderstick lure in 25 feet of water.
East Shore: Gene St. Denis: Has been slow to good. Several Macks 10-18 pounds, trolling 20-40
feet deep, using Trophy Sticks and AC plugs. The shore fishermen are catching 1-4 pound
rainbows that are full of roe. They are using worms or minnows. We caught a 6-pound brown at the
Cave Rock hazard buoy with a Thunderstick lure.
SHASTA LAKE - The salmon bite picked up in the Dry Creek Arm but the dam should also be good
for fish to 3 pounds or so. Troll from 50 to 150 feet. The brown trout bite dropped off some.
Darthead worms, Senkos, a few spinners, and rip baits fed hungry bass. They should start to move
up in greater numbers this week, in which case, look shallow and fish Brush Hogs and Lizards in
bedding fish.
AMERICAN RIVER - No Report
FEATHER RIVER - Both Striped Bass and Shad have moved up to the rapids at Shanghai Bend.
Striper fishing wasn't exactly red hot, but there were some nice fish taken last week on everything
from bait to big Clouser streamer flies. Shad have shown up as well, and anglers were catching
mostly small males on Shad jigs and flies. Flows were still very low, so it was a jetboats only boating.
KLAMATH RIVER - The flow coming out of Iron Gate was still high, at nearly 3,000 cfs, and fishing
conditions were poor throughout the river.
SACRAMENTO RIVER - The most popular float for fly fishing drift boaters lately has been
Bonnyview to Balls Ferry, as the upper river is not driftable right now because of the Cypress St.
Bridge Construction Zone. Try amber-wing Prince Nymphs, flashback P.T's, micro Mayflies in black,
brown, or olive, and superfloss rubber legs. Jet boaters can run back up or downstream from the
Cypress Ave. Bridge. Spinfishermen scored on back-trolled Hot Shots and drifted Glo-Bugs.
SACRAMENTO RIVER, CALIF: Dave Jacobs (Professional Guide Service) (800-355-3113): Rainbow
Trout: Fishing for wild rainbow trout from Redding downstream below Anderson has been good with
multiple hook-ups for anglers, both on conventional spin and fly gear. River releases from Keswick
dam near Redding have increased to 7,500 CFS. Boats can pass the Cypress Bridge construction
in Redding, from 7,000 CFS and up. Trout fishing is improving with the increased Spring flows. Side
drifting small Glo Bugs in various egg pattern color combos and/or live cricket or nightcrawlers with
a Quickie puffball have worked well. Back trolling small Hot Shot 50's or small K-4/K-5 Kwikfish in
various color combos can also be very effective for wild rainbow trout one to three pounds.
Striper: Reports of better striper fishing have come in for guides who find the schools of striper's in
and around the Colusa/ Grimes area. Best striper action has been spread out with most activity
near Grimes/Tisdale area. The bigger concentration of stripers are down river below Tisdale. Some
days reports of limits come in with a couple of days where guides are reporting working hard to
bring in their limits of stripers. Sardine cut bait fishing from anchor has worked as well as
backbouncing minnows or pile worms producing nice stripers to 10 pounds. Trolling Rebel style
lures in various color combos has also brought in nice stripers. Striper fishing should improve
through April and into early May.
Sturgeon: Reports of good numbers of sturgeon have still come in with fish being found from
Princeton downstream around the Tisdale area of the Sacramento or Sac River. Angler's soaking
pile worms, ghost shrimp or store-bought eel from anchor have produced most sturgeon bites.
Report By: Jim Bevens
