Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3626 Dec 8- 22 2017 | Page 8

8 FRESHWATER Dec. 8 - 22, 2017 FRESHWATER REPORTS: BERRYESSA LAKE AMERICAN RIVER Big Crappie, Trout & Bass Are Biting CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 cont. VOL.36 • ISS. 26 surfacing and jumping all over. “We caught 19 more fish by 3 pm – all from 17 to 19 inches and fat. And some of the hardest fighting trout we have ever caught! They would rip it off the downrigger and immediately be jumping behind the boat. Then they would rip drag off the reel 3 or 4 times before finally coming in. Fantastic!!” he said. “We ended up with 22 rainbows for the day. The hot ticket was a watermelon Apex set on the downrigger at 10 feet deep, all off both ends of the Big Island. We did notice 3 boats trolling back and forth on the far east side – we have to try that next time. What a beautiful day – no wind, just the right temperature and lots of fish.” As the water temperature cools at Lake Berryessa, black bass are fewer in the catches, but the chance of hooking quality fish goes up. That proved to be the case on a recent trip to Berryessa by Larry Hemphill, fishing guide, and three clients. “I took two guys and a gal out for some night fishing, and, of Rene was all smiles after boating this big bad Lake Almanor course, it was the coldest night rainbow on November 1. so far. There was not any wind, Photo courtesy of BIG DADDY’S GUIDE SERVICE, Quincy. though. Some trips are quality, not quantity,” he noted. CAMANCHE RESERVOIR “The older gentleman was fishing the D&M Piranha swim jig I gave him and Heavy Trout Plants Greet had a great hit around 7:30 pm.,” recalled Anglers Hemphil. “She was a beauty, going at least 6-1/4 lbs - a largemouth.” BURSON - Big trout plants continue “A little while later I felt my Power Worm at Lake Camanche, spicing up the trout get stuck in some wood - I thought,” said catches for bank anglers and boaters. Hemphill. “No bite! She came half-way in “Before the Thanksgiving Holiday, Mt. with no movement. Then she understood Lassen dropped 4,800 lbs. of rainbows the situation! Wow - she went all over the into the lake, splitting the load 3 ways with place and finally in the net. 1,200 lbs. to the pond and both north/south “She turned out to be a 4 lb spotted bass ramps,” said Terry Willard of the Camanche - my biggest spot at Berryessa. I’ve been Recreation Company. “We received another close, but never there. All my big spots are load of 1,800 lbs. the next week.” from other lakes. We had a few more soft Plants begun this fall at Camanche on bites, but no hookups. Only 2 bass - but October 27. Since that time, they have worth it!” said Hemphill. planted a total of 19,200 pounds so far this “I think his bass and mine were about season. the same depth - 15 to 20 feet. His was on Pardee Lake rose from 93% to 96% due a point and mine was on a wall. We fished to recen rains. Lake Camanche’s elevation some good-looking areas in the narrows increased slightly to approximately 217.47′ and saw a lot of bait,” and still holding at 70% full at the time of he added. this report. Lake Camanche was releasing The water 499 C.F.S. and was receiving approx. 492 temperature as 61-62 C.F.S. from Lake Pardee. degrees and the water “At 61 degrees the surface water was clear. temperatures are still pretty warm. The lake WINTERS – Crappie fishing is excellent at Lake Berryessa – and lots of big fish, including some big ones over 3 pounds, are showing in the catches. “Six of us fished for three hours for crappie and caught over 150 fish,” said Alan Fong of Fisherman’s Warehouse. “We fished finesse minnows around structure in Markley and Cappell coves. The largest fish weighed 3.2 pounds.’ “We fished from 30 to 50 feet deep,” he noted. “The largest fish all came from 50 feet.” Rainbow trout fishing is also really good. Paul Kneeland, Fish Sniffer Publisher, fished Berryessa with John Brassfield of Trucksmart “We lunched at Markley at 6:30 am --- 1st boat on the water,” said Kneeland. “The temperature was 35 degrees and a breeze so it was chilly. We Fished around the dam for nothing and drove down to the mouth of the narrows off the rock pile. Water temperature was 58 degrees and we saw a few fish working the surface. “ “John landed a beautiful 18 inch rainbow on a toplined black/silver Apex,” note Kneeland. “We thought it was a salmon at first because it was so silver! We headed over to the Big Island and I caught a 13 inch rainbow on a toplined shad pattern Cripplure. Not much happening. “We ran up to the mouth of Putah Creek and tried that for a while for nothing – water was a little cloudy there from the recent rains. Went back to the Big Island and about 12 oclock all hell Jason hit Eagle Lake with Bryan Roccucci on October 23 and broke loose! Trout were Nimbus=strain fish. The hatchery has taken a total of 3.31 million eggs from Nimbus fish to date, reported Paula Hoover at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery. The hatchery has also trapped 24 steelhead to date, a good number for this early in the steelhead season. Anglers are experiencing decent steelhead fishing in the open section of river below the SMUD powerline at the southwest boundary of Ancil Hoffman Park to the Howe Avenue area. “Bank anglers are finding steady action on steelhead in the 2 to 3 lb. range while drifting roe and nightcrawlers near the Watt Avenue Bridge,” reported Dennis Pfanner at Sacramento Pro Tackle. scored his first ever Eagle Lake rainbow. Good job Jason! Photo courtesy of BIG DADDY’S GUIDE SERVICE, Quincy. Rancho Seco Recreational Area Stay and play! • Wet a line • Launch a boat • Hike a trail • Have a picnic • Pitch a tent Rancho Seco Recreational Area is located 25 miles south of Sacramento at 14960 Twin Cities Road in Herald, CA. Sacramento 80 Vicinity Map 99 Cl 1-5 N Twin Cities Rd. Donate a new toy this Holiday Season to warm a child's heart... Benefitting Shriner's Childrens Hospital Herald 104 Park Entrance Clay Rancho Seco Recreational Area 1 7' A RI M A SEA RA NG ER Beautiful Cuddy Cabin design with fibreglass dual hull construction, full canvas, 27 gal fuel tank, molded in fish box and cooler, Yamaha 115 hp HO outboard, galvanized trailer and much more! From Sacramento, take Highway 99 South t