Most of our lakes are now in that time of the season where you catch a lot of smaller bass. Most of these are Males that have been guarding beds and fry. The feeding is starting all over again as these fish are hungry so they will be fun to catch. Top water baits early and late in the day along with small swim baits, rip baits and spinner baits are great when you find them chasing shad along the banks. You can also find schools of bass chasing bait off shore sometimes in the middle of the day so have some rods ready for anything. As the day gets warmer move off shore with drop shot rigs, Carolina rigs and jigs.
Local lakes
I am always asked when it a good time to catch Bass, now is that time most of our lakes are in full swing when it comes to Bass fishing. Lake Berryessa and Clearlake both have Bass up on beds all around the lake. Foothill lakes like Folsom even though it is low Bass are moving up to spawn along with Camanche, Hogan, and Pardee lake. With this info there is no excuse not to go out and try your luck, for maybe the biggest Bass of a lifetime now is that time.
Don’t forget to have fun!!!
Feb 22, 2021
Folsom Lake is slowly coming up now at 393 feet. When we get to 400 the 5 MPH should come off and the lake will hopefully start to fill for spring. Fishing now is starting to pick up with Spotted and Smallmouth bass getting into prespawn mode. Spotted bass will start to group up and it is not hard to get into a bite that can be crazy this time of year. Rip baits and small swim baits along with single tail grubs are great tools to find these fish. Work on the new EID pipe replacement in the south fork is what I heard is holding back on raising the lake level, lets hope they finish fast.
Winter Time Bass
Lake Berryessa is always a great place to fish all year long. Bass are now feeding on the large shad population along with Trout and Salmon. The bite has been from fair to good with fish ranging from 25 to 60 feet deep. This is a great time to search out this fishery and unlock the wintertime bite. Working spoons and drop shot rigs has proven to be the best techniques. Schedule a trip and come out and learn how to get these fish this time of year.
Clearlake is one of the best Bass lakes this side of the Mississippi and now is a great time to find out. These fish are feeding on the shad getting ready to soon make there move to shallow water to spawn. The best way to find these fish is with Jumbo minnows fished under a slip bobber or just dragged along the bottom. We have had some great days with 50 plus fish caught in a day up to 6 pounds with the bigger ones thrown in. When the water starts to warm up into the mid to high 50’s the lure bite will get better and some big fish can be found in the 10′ range. Come out on a trip and you will be hooked on this great lake.
Stripers?
This should be the time we see Stripers moving into the upper Delta but they have been holding back. We have seen a few now and then but the consistent groups have not shown. We keep trying with some success but not to many big fish yet, you just have to keep at it. S Wavers have been the best with some top water action using pencil poppers. A lot of smaller fish down around Sherman lake and Broad Slough make for a fun day, just watch the Tides and you will find the bite.
Delta Smallmouth
Sacramento River smallmouth are on the bite. These fish don’t run big but they are very eager to take a topwater or plastic worm. We average 20 to 30 fish on every trip and its a fun time for all levels of experience even novice fishermen and women. Book a trip and get in on the fun.
Stripers
Lots of Stripers in the river from Rio Vista up to Chico. I have been finding lots of fish in the Liberty Island area along with Miner and Steamboat Slough. Top water, swim baits and fish traps have all been working at different times. Start working the Tides first 2 hours before through 2 hours after for best results.
Stay safe
We can still stay safe and fish. If you are fishing from the bank just keep a safe distance from others. I have seen many large groups fishing from the bank over the weekend, looked like families getting together for a picnic. This is what they don’t want yo to do. I would like to fish with friends myself but for now we just have to get though this.
Fishing from a boat is much easier to keep your distance except when you launch or when you come in just keep that in mind and we can keep getting out.
Fishing in a Pandemic
As you already know fishing for us guides has come to an end for now until we have the all clear. This should not stop you from going out and trying your luck. This is the best time of the year for Bass fishing in our state. Lakes like Folsom can be fished from shore and this is the best time to do just that. You don’t have to take much in the way of tackle, just a few plastics like Senkos, tubes, and small swim baits will catch plenty of fish. keep a sharp eye out for cruzing fish looking to move up on beds and fish already on beds. Top water baits worked slow over some of these areas can produce some great strikes.
This soon will pass and we will remember this for a long time. Don’t be surprised if they leave the Trout opener closed for now as the locals in the foothills are afraid of the COV19 coming into there areas. We can all pull together to see this thru to the end and fishing will always be there when its over.
End of Summer
Kids are back in school and most lakes are still full of spring rains. Folsom lake has been fishing good with the lake level dropping very slow for the first time in many years. The lake is usually brought down to 50% by this time for flood control so we are very lucky to have this much water. The fish really like it and show by the catch rate I have on every trip.
Lake Berryessa has always been my favorite place to go. It offers both Great topwater action along with all the other techniques we use to catch Bass of all 3 species. The fall bite is always fun when fish start to put on the feed bag and lamost anything you drop in the water produces a bite. We will start to see the spoon bite take off soon as September is a good month to see this start up.
