NORTH COAST RIVERS

North Coast streams and rivers are regulated by low flow closures. Always call ahead to determine the condition of the river you want to fish. If not mentioned, the river is closed or no reports. The DFG’s Low Flow Closure Hotline for north coast rivers is (707) 822-3164. For the Russian River and counties of Mendocino, Sonoma and Marin, call (707) 944-5533.  South Central Coast streams number is (831) 649-2886. Many streams close, and others change to artificial/barbless only on, March 31 and others on April 25. Trouble identifying salmon or steelhead? Go to: http://www.swr.noaa.gov/fmd/identify.htm.

ROGUE RIVER, Grants Pass, Ore.—Some salmon are still being taken upriver from the dam down to Shady Cove, plus there was a small salmon bite in the Gold Hill area this week.  Best catches are still being made on sardine-wrapped Kwikfish, or back-bouncing roe or sand shrimp. Starting July 1, anglers will be able to keep wild fish taken below Dodge Bridge. Over 100 steelhead showed up in the hatchery this week, said guide Troy Whitaker at U-Save Tackle in Grants Pass.

UMPQUA RIVER, Sutherlin, Ore.—Smallmouth bass are providing the majority of the fishing action here this time of year, and it’s the premier smallie fishery in this area of the state. “Summer steelhead are showing a little more at the top end of the river,” said WON Field Reporter Curtis Palmer of River Secrets Guide Service. “I have been hearing of a couple people catching some steelhead at River Forks Park just west of Roseburg. This is where the South Umpqua and The North Umpqua come together. It’s been an evening bite.” Palmer had a warning for boaters here, though: “We didn’t see much of a snowpack, and that has exposed the ‘canopener’ of rocks just below the surface in the entire Umpqua drainage. Please scout unfamiliar waters before going over them on your next trip.”

UMPQUA RIVER, North Fork, Glide, Ore.—There have been some springer salmon caught in this area of the North Fork, and you can easily identify where the salmon are holding by seeing them roll on the surface, according to guide Curtis Palmer of River Secrets. “Most of the salmon are quite old by now,” he said. “As for the steelhead, we are seeing fresh fish that are brighter than a new nickle. This river has a continually-changing geography that makes it inviting for all anglers, whether you throw spinners across the big flats or like bouncing a lure through a deep, rocky current. Bait has been the No. 1 producer for steelhead recently, and eggs are what you will see many of the fisherman using, but a small piece of shrimp with some yarn is what one of my friends used the week before last when he caught an 11 1/2-pound native.  The North Umpqua has a place for just about every method when it comes to catching steelhead, where 10-pound fish are common and the water is still cool enough to provide long hours of enjoyment.”

 

TRINITY-KLAMATH

KLAMATH RIVER, Irongate Dam—The tailwater trout fishery is still good below Irongate now, but the hatch has been going for a couple of weeks now, the weather is hot and the hatch is about over.  The heat, and the algae are taking their toll on the river.  Fishing is about over until the fall.

KLAMATH RIVER,  Klamath Glen—Fishing has continued to be challenging.  Flows have been low, warm, and algae has been a problem, fouling lures and fouling nets.  It’s tough for salmon fishing downstream, but fishing is better on the Trinity River upstream.  Flows drop toward 450 cfs the beginning of July.

TRINITY RIVER, Gray’s Falls—Fishing was very good last week, as flows were dropping toward their summertime level of 450 cfs.  There were some good catches at Gray’s Falls, but now that the river has settled into the summertime flows, fish might be having problems getting over the falls.  Try tuna wrapped in Moline or a combination bait of tuna and roe.

TRINITY RIVER, Junction City—Some Chinook are moving upstream toward Douglas City and can be seen in the pools below, but they’ve been lethargic and just milling around.  Fishing for small steelhead has been better.

 

NORTH COAST LAKES

CLEAR LAKE—While the north end has been productive, most are headed south where there are less weeds and it is deeper. The 4th of July holiday will bring more boat traffic. Most motels state they are booked up. The lake is slowly dropping, but most of the ramps around the lake are still usable, boaters need to exercise caution and look out for shallow areas that are not marked.

LAKE BERRYESSA—The Big Island and the Ranch House are still the place to be for kokes to 19 inches. Early in the morning, fish for bass shallow with topwater baits across main body points. After the sun gets higher, work deeper points and ledges with jigs, worms and tubes.

LAKE SONOMA—The topwater bass fishing continues, but fish first light or end of day. During the day, slow down and fish the standing timber in the 5 mph creek zones.

 

NORTHEASTERN AREA

LAKE ALMANOR—Get out early and troll north of Rec. 2, and from Rec. 1 to the A-Frame. Most hits have been coming off the downrigged deep rods between 35 to 45 feet or about 6 to 8 feet off the bottom. For leadcore lines try 3 to 4 colors down.

BAUM LAKE—This lake is always a go-to spot with its cold, clean water and abundance of habitat and insects. Try to fish early and late when the sun is not high.

BUCKS LAKE—The koke bite has been wide open using silver dodgers or the new Pro Troll UV 4-inch dodger with Uncle Larry’s spinners in pink tiger tipped with corn from 20 to 30 feet down for fish from 12 1/2 to 13 inches.

EAGLE LAKE—Trolling the Broccoli Tree was productive most days, but with a hot spell approaching the fish will be deeper.

FALL RIVER—The Fly Shop in Redding reported good morning hatches and fishing. The evening fishing has also been great.

UPPER HAT CREEK—As the weather warms up, so has the fishing with the hatches. The Power House no.2 riffle has been giving up fish. Water conditions have been great. Fish early and late, during the day scout the flats for rising fish.

McCLOUD RIVER—River conditions are good and the fishing has been great. Dry fly action has been good early and late. Fish are rising in the flats and near the lips of riffles

PIT RIVER—Hatches have been going off mid-morning to early evening but cover some water. It’s been fishing well all day.

SHASTA LAKE—For a bunch of little bass throw Senkos. It’s topwater time early and late in the day. Look for rainbows in 40 to 80 feet on rolled shad on the west side of Toupee Island.

WHISKETOWN RESERVOIR—This lake continues to be red hot for 11- to 13 1/2-inch kokes and easy limits. Troll both sides of the 299 Bridge at 40 to 60 feet. Try a pink hoochie behind a 6-inch Sling Blade and a pink Apex behind a 4-inch Sling Blade. If it starts to slow down or gets too crowded check out the coldwater curtain and fish from 60 to 80 feet down.

 

SACRAMENTO VALLEY

AMERICAN RIVER—The majority of the striper action has been on shakers. Bank anglers are using cut bait anchovies with nightcrawlers and crawdads. Shad are still around in the upper portion, and anglers are getting 2 to 4 fish an evening after the sun sets and before dark.

FEATHER RIVER—The water level on the Feather has come up, resulting in good bank action on shad for anglers in the area of Shanghai Bend. Boaters need to take care with the low water levels, and most aren’t even trying it by boat.

SACRAMENTO RIVER, Sacramento—Striped bass fishing was slow.  Catfish have been one of the better bets in the Deep Water Channel, and at the slow spots on the river and the sloughs and up to Knight’s Landing. Black bass fishing produced a good option, with the largest from Sunday weighing in at 5.56 pounds.

SACRAMENTO, Ward’s Landing—Some good fishing for striped bass was occurring using a variety of methods–plastic worms, Clouser minnows thrown toward shore, minnows, and swimbaits.  Some folks caught up to 20 fish to about 8 pounds  around Ward’s Landing and Meridian, but it’s about the only “hotspot” for stripers.

SACRAMENTO RIVER, Redding—Trout fishing continued to be good from Redding to Red Bluff, and they were being caught very early and very late, mostly on combo trips late in the day.  Some shad were being caught all the way down to Chico. Trout fishing was still good for fly fishers dead-drifting small caddis nymph imitations and pmd’s, while spin fishermen were drifting nightcrawlers and Glo-Bugs.

YUBA RIVER—There were still a few shad being caught very late in the day in the lower half of the river.  Trout fishing still hasn’t changed much and continued to be slow,

 

SIERRA LAKES/RIVERS

BOCA LAKE—The lake is at 39-percent capacity.  The inlet was producing a few big rainbows and macks in the early morning or late evening for small boaters or float tubers getting out to the deep ledge.  The lake gets overrun with jetskiers during the day.

CAPLES LAKE—The lake is at 99-percent capacity and was stocked with 1500 pounds of rainbows to 3 pounds by Kirkwood PUD and EID this past week.  Trout fishing was excellent this past week in light of all the plants over the last month.  Shore anglers and trollers were picking up easy limits of rainbows to 3 pounds at the dam, Wood’s Creek inlet, Emigrant Bay, and near the resort (where all the fish were planted).

CARSON RIVER (East, West)—Both rivers were stocked by the DFW this past week.  Todd Sodaro at Todd’s Bait and Tackle at the Creekside Lodge reported that the East Carson was fishing “extremely well”—limits of DFW planters in less than 1/2-hour using salmon eggs and worms.  Markleeville Creek, Silver Creek, and the West Carson flows were getting low and fishing was getting tougher.  Alpine County will stock 1800 pounds of 1- to 4-pound rainbows this week in the East and West Carson.

DAVIS LAKE—The lake is at 62-percent capacity.  Ed Dillard at Dillard’s Guided Fishing reported that trolling was hit-or-miss.  On one trip this past week, he landed seven 19- to 20-inch rainbows on yellow watermelon or red-dot frog Needlefish, and copper/redhead Wee Dick Nite spoons trolled 25 feet deep at the island.  Shore fishing was slow. Flyfishermen were picking up a few fish on damsel and Hex patterns along the west side.

DONNER LAKE—The lake is at 96-percent capacity and was stocked by the DFW this past week.  Trout fishing was good on the west end after the plant.  Some 18- to 25-inch macks were caught on the west end using a Rapala or Krocodile spoon while they were up shallow prowling around for a DFW stocker.   Kokanee were still hitting in the Loch Leven to China Cove area and across from the boat ramp suspended over 120 feet of water.  Dodgers trailing hoochies or spinners in pink, orange, chartreuse, and blue were working at 55 to 65 feet deep for limits of 12- to 13-inch fish.

FEATHER RIVER CANYON—Butt Valley Reservoir was producing rainbows to 5 pounds trolling a threaded nightcrawler at 2 colors in 20 to 25 feet of water on the upper end of the lake, according to Dick Mason at Dick’s Guide Service.  Mike Hanson at Caribou Crossroads Resort on the North Fork Feather reported that trout fishing was still excellent with everyone catching limits on salmon eggs, worms, and crickets.  Three generations of one family from 4 to 84 all caught limits.

FRENCHMAN LAKE—The lake is at 43-percent capacity.  Ed Dillard at Dillard’s Guided Fishing reported picking up 7 rainbows on floating dough bait while anchored in 32 feet of water west of the Frenchman ramp.  On a second trip he caught 2 fish on bait and 3 trolling a red-dot frog Needlefish at 15 feet deep.

GOLD LAKES BASIN—One troller reported catching easy limits of planter rainbows at Gold Lake toplining a dodger/worm combo.  Shore fishing was still good at Salmon, Sardine, and Packer.

ICE HOUSE RESERVOIR—The lake is at 92-percent capacity.  Trolling was good for planter rainbows using a dodger/nightcrawler at 20 to 30 feet deep.

INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR—With fishing so good in the East Carson, few anglers were going here, according to Todd Sodaro at Todd’s Bait and Tackle at the Creekside Lodge.  One angler reported drifting back and forth across the dam in a small boat and only catching 2 fish.

JACKSON MEADOW RESERVOIR—The lake is at 87-percent capacity. Guide Brett Brady at Bare Bones Guide Service reported that trolling was excellent for small DFW planters.  Trolling a Crystal Basin Wild Thing Dodger with a nightcrawler, Sep’s grub, or a brown or green fly at 25 to 30 feet deep right out from the launch ramp was producing fast limits of 11- to 13-inch rainbows.

JENKINSON LAKE (Sly Park)—Sly Park Resort reported that trout fishing was excellent after the heavy DFW plant.  Shore anglers were doing well at the first dam and the trollers were scoring all over the lake.

LAKE TAHOE—Both Chuck Self at Chuck’s Charter Fishing and Mike Nielsen at Tahoe Topliners Sportfishing did excellent on macks this past week at North Shore.  Self was trolling and catching limits of 5 to 9 pounder by 5:30 to 6:00 a.m. on spoons and Lucky Craft minnows at 120 to 150 feet deep.  Nielsen was jigging 2-ounce Williamson Vortex jigs tipped with a minnow and getting limits of 3 to 6 pounders in as little as 45 minutes at King’s Beach and Tahoe City.  Zack Gordon at Tahoe Sportfishing said their kokanee trips were producing limits of 12- to 16-inch kokes with the occasional 20 to 21 incher to 3 1/2 pounds on dodgers and flashers with Wedding Rings at 40 to 100 feet deep.  Trolling under the kokanee schools was producing one or two 4- to 10-pound macks each day.

LOON LAKE—The lake is at 87-percent capacity.  Fishing was good for planter rainbows trolling dodgers and worms or grubs in the top 20 feet.  Afternoon winds can be a problem, so get out early.

PROSSER LAKE—The lake is at 30-percent capacity.  The most consistent action was still being found at the dam and the shorelines out from the dam for smallmouth bass.  Casting from a small boat, kayak, or float tube to the face of the dam was the most productive using small brown jigs, tubes, or darthead worms.

PYRAMID LAKE—The trout season closed on June 30, but anglers can still fish for Sacramento perch.  Trout caught incidental to perch fishing must be immediately released unharmed.

RED LAKE—Not much to report from here with fishing so good at Caples Lake after all the recent trout plants by DFW and Kirkwood PUD/EID.

SILVER LAKE—The lake is at 92-percent capacity.  The Kirkwood PUD and EID stocked the lake with 1200 pounds of rainbows to 3 pounds this past week.  Trolling and shore fishing has been excellent with the multiple plants made in the past month.

STAMPEDE RESERVOIR—The lake is at 28-percent capacity.  With the water level well below the concrete ramp, launching has become difficult even for 4-wheel drives—use caution or small boats only.  Kokanee were spread out all over the lake and hitting copper dodgers and pink or orange hoochies at varying depths—35 to 45 and 55 to 65 feet deep.  Fish were schooling up near the boat ramp, the island and in the Little Truckee arm.

TOPAZ LAKE—No launching of trailered boats available on the lake at the low water level that had the ramps closed at Topaz Landing Marina and the County Park.  Cartop boaters can pick up some rainbows in the early morning, but later in the day the jetskiers take over the lake since they also can launch off the shore.

TRUCKEE RIVER—Flyfishing was good in the mornings and evenings with the warmer weather.  PMDs were active in the late morning to early afternoon, while the caddis and stone patterns were best in the evening.  Strong winds require high-sticking techniques, according to Brian Nylund at Mountain Hardware and Sports.

UNION VALLEY RESERVOIR—The lake is at 94-percent capacity.  Trout fishing was good for trollers working dodger/hoochies at 30 to 60 feet deep for kokanee.  The kokanee bite was slow this past week.

WEST WALKER RIVER—The Little Walker and West Walker were stocked by the DFW this past week and are both scheduled for DFW trout plants this week.  Pam Hamic at the West Walker Motel reported trout fishing was excellent for fish to 5 pounds with lots of 2 to 3 pounder hitting bait and spinners.  The Northern Mono Chamber of Commerce will stock 750 pounds of 3- to 6-pound rainbows in time for the start of the “How Big Is Big” Fishing Derby that starts on July 1 and runs through the whole month.  The official weigh-in site is the Walker General Store.

 

NORCAL SALTWATER

BERKELEY—A mixed bag of fishing required some adaptability… halibut and striped bass bit in the Central Bay at mid-week, then tides muddied the water. Happy Hooker and California Dawn did well. Later in the week and weekend the focus was on lingcod and rockfish along the Marin Coast.

BODEGA BAY—Six pack boats and New Sea Angler all pulled limits of lingcod, during a “torrid bite”. On some days, crews pulled crab pots to add limits of Dungeness crabs to the table fare.

EMERYVILLE—Salmon trips didn’t generate much in the way of success, as the fleet awaits the salmon, although some kings were caught. Bay potluck trips and also rockfish/lingcod trips along the Marin Coast did much better.

EUREKA—The first albacore of the season came aboard commercial boat Tail Chaser, 63 miles out of Eureka. The boat got 4 fish. Local salmon fishing is crazy good, with early limits common, especially on charter boats like Shellback, Reel Steel and Seaweasel. A few pacific Halibut were caught, with the big one of the week running 56 pounds.

FORT BRAGG—Charter boat Bragg-in reported limits of salmon on 3 consecutive days late in the week. Shore fishers did very well on cabezon, especially for those using abalone trimmings for bait.

PACIFICA/HALF MOON BAY—Surf fishing near Pacifica was downright exciting, thanks to a solid bite on very large striped bass. The big bass pounced on topwater plugs and swimbaits. Half Moon Bay boats including Huli Cat and Queen of Hearts enjoyed phenomenal fishing for rockfish and lingcod down the coast near Pescadero and Tunitas.

SAN FRANCISCO—The fleet, including Wacky Jacky, Salty Lady and many others eagerly await the arrival of salmon. Meanwhile, just a few were caught. Boats fished for halibut and bass in the Central Bay and for lingcod and rockfish along the Marin Coast. Argo and Bass Tub kept up the pressure on bass and halibut inside the Bay and on rockfish and lingcod outside the Gate.

VALLEJO—On the San Pablo Bay side of town, it seemed that stingrays were everywhere and people also caught a good number of leopard sharks. On the Napa River system side of town, there was continued action on stripers and sturgeon, especially near Cuttings Wharf.

 

NORTHERN FOOTHILLS

AMERICAN RIVER—The South Fork at Coloma was stocked by the DFW the past week.

BULLARDS BAR—The lake is at 62-percent capacity.  Kokanee trolling was good for limits of 12-inch fish from Dark Day to Garden Point on dodgers/spinners and bugs at 40 to 50 feet deep.

CAMP FAR WEST—North Shore Resort rated the fishing slow with the heavy recreational boat traffic on the lake now that school is out.  Try early in the morning during the week for the best chance at a few small bass in the Rock Creek arm.

COLLINS LAKE—The lake is 27 feet from full and was stocked with 2000 pounds of rainbows by the DFW this past week.  Trout fishing was still best at the dam in the early morning, off the docks at night, or trolling in deep water in the channel toward the dam.  The biggest trout of the week was a 4 pounder caught by Mike Collins at the dam on a floating dough bait.  Trollers were using dodgers and nightcrawlers or Radical Glow Tubes at 30 feet deep.  Dave Callison of Yuba City scored a great limit of bass topped by 5 3/4 and 4 1/2 pounders caught on plastic worms along the east side and up near the bridge.  Catfish to 7 pounds were hitting nightcrawlers at the dam.

ENGLEBRIGHT RESERVOIR—The lake is at 93-percent capacity.  Rick Kennedy of Tight Lines Guide Service reported trollers catching mixed limits of 14- to 16-inch rainbows and 13- to 15-inch kokanee on Sep’s watermelon Side Kick Dodgers and a threaded nightcrawler from the top to 16 feet deep from the marina up to the ‘No-Ski’ buoys.  It’s best to fish early in the morning during the week to avoid the recreational boat traffic so prevalent on the weekends.

FRENCH MEADOWS RESERVOIR—The lake is at 52-percent capacity.  Boat launching was getting tough with the low lake level.  Will Fish Tackle in Auburn reported that trolling was good using a threaded nightcrawler behind a dodger for 12- to 16-inch rainbows 20 feet deep over 40 to 50 feet of water from the ramp toward the dam.

HELL HOLE RESERVOIR—The lake is at 60-percent capacity.  Fishing was good for browns at the river inlet in the early morning fast trolling a Rapala.  Macks were hitting a fast trolled 4-inch Lyman at the dam at 80 feet deep.  Kokanee were still hitting pink hoochies and chrome dodgers at 20 to 30 feet deep at the powerhouse.

LAKE OROVILLE—The lake is at 44-percent capacity.  Guide Ron Gandolfi reported that the bass were moving deeper during the day, so fishing was best early and late.  The reaction bite using lipless cranks, spinnerbaits, and topwater was getting better early and late.  During the day, use drop-shot worms at 30 to 40 feet deep on steep walls and points.  One boat fished for salmon this past week and landed 4 3/4- and 3-pound coho salmon and an 18 1/2-inch kokanee for 9 hours of trolling.

ROLLINS LAKE—The lake is at 92-percent capacity.  Ryan Drake at NID reported that trout were moving into deeper water and shore fishing had slowed.  Bass were hitting Pop-R’s early in the morning before the sun hit the water and again in the evening after the sun was off the water near the dam and on the points at the Bear River inlet.

SCOTT’S FLAT LAKE—The lake is at 76-percent capacity.  Trollers were still picking up limits of rainbows in the middle of the lake between the marina and Cascade Shores on flasher/worms at 20 to 25 feet deep.

SUGAR PINE RESERVOIR—The Foresthill Ranger Station reported that the campgrounds were open, but fishing was fair at best with no recent DFW trout plant.

STUMPY MEADOWS RESERVOIR—The Georgetown Ranger Station reported the trollers and shore anglers were still catching DFW planters.

THERMOLITO AFTERBAY—The lake was at the 133-foot elevation at press time—75-percent capacity.  The best bass action was found casting black/blue jigs and crankbaits on the rip-rap banks or Senkos and frogs on the tules for fish to 5 to 6 pounds.