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.
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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
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From Sacramento, take Highway 99 South t