05/08/23
Spring is here to be followed very quickly by Summer weather. Rivers are running high and cold with reservoirs and lakes filling fast. Shasta is full after being at record low levels this time last year. Sierra snowpack will provide spring river and stream conditions well into the summer. High flows in the valley rivers will extend the striper spawning runs as water temperatures slowly creep up. The Delta has been
producing for trollers over the last few weeks. San Francisco Bay has been producing limit style fishing for halibut on live bait. The weather has been cooperating making outings more appealing.
BULLARDS BAR: Kokanee fishing continues to be very productive at Bullards Bar. There are fish from 30' down to 70' that are taking dodger/hoochie, dodger/cut plug, and dodger/spinner combos. Average size is 11" with a few coming in over 12". If you are looking for an active fishing day that will result in a pile of one of the best eating freshwater species, give Bullards Bar a try.
COLLINS LAKE: Collins is full and fishing well as the spring planting program winds down. Plenty of cold water coming into the lake will extend the spring fishing for planted trout. Fish are cruising the shoreline and top 10-20' for trollers. Trolling flies, small plastic worms, grubs and Rapalas are preferred methods.
FOLSOM LAKE: Bass, bass, bass, are on tap at Folsom. A Folsom black bass grand slam, large mouth, spotted, and small mouth can be achieved this spring. Slow presentation drop shot and ned rigs are producing and the shift to reaction baits is happening. Cold water species continue to hit trolled presentations with quality hold over rainbows taking spoons and stick baits. A few kings have been landed but we haven't seen the quality we experienced the last two years, yet.
OROVILLE LAKE: Lake is coming up and the bass bite is mirroring Folsom. Lots of spotted bass are hitting several different presentations. It is a good time to experiment with different baits to see what works. Not much information on the Kings has surfaced yet. It is time to go give Oroville a try for the cold water
species and see what happens.
DELTA: Striper fishing has been good to great for trollers as bass move up and down the system during the spring spawn. Fish are being caught that are ready to spawn and very green. Deep divers in 12' to 16' of water and Rat-L-Traps in the shallows are doing the trick. Try crawdad colors along rocky banks over the next few weeks as the bugs emerge and become a key striper target.
MID ELEVATION SIERRA LAKES: This is the time to explore the mid elevation lakes on the Sierra west slope. Think lakes from 3500-5000' elevation like Sly Creek, Scotts Flat, Rollins, Sugar Pine, Stumpy Meadows, Union Valley, Sly Park ... Some of the smaller, lesser know reservoirs in the mid elevation range can be outstanding for trout and small mouth bass this time of year. This year should be exceptional for these lakes as they get plenty of cold water throughout the summer.
