Fish Reports

BURSON – Fall fish plants have started at Lake Camanche, resulting in increasing catches in the lake and the South Shore Pond. The boat ramps at Camanche remain closed through the end of 2025 for launching outside water craft, although shore fishing, mussel-free rental boats, and camping are still available. The first plant of 3,000 pounds of rainbow trout took place on Nov. 7. Mt. Lassen stocked 1,000 pounds at the South Shore Pond, 1,000 pounds at the South Shore Ramp and 1,000 pounds at the North Shore Ramp. The next load of 2,000 pounds of rainbows, including 1,000 pounds of rainbows at the South Shore Ramp and 1,000 pounds at the South Shore Pond, went in on November 13. That was followed by another plant on November 20. That load included 1,000 pounds of rainbow trout in the South Shore Pond, 250 pounds of lightning trout in the South Shore Pond, 1,000 pounds of rainbow trout at the South Shore Ramp and 1,000 pounds of rainbow trout at the North Shore Ramp. Lake Camanche is holding 300,810 acre feet of water, 122 percent of average. Due to the spread of the golden mussel recently discovered in Northern California, the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) will keep boat launches closed to private vessels for the 2025 season. “This decision eliminates one of the primary ways that mussels spread, helping EBMUD keep its commitment to protect the environment and the public water system on behalf of its 1.4 million customers in the East Bay,” the agency said in a press release.

OREGON HOUSE – With 5000 lbs. of trout already planted in October and an additional truck for each week scheduled until May, fall fishing at Collins Lake is really taking off. The lake is 34 ft below spill with a surface temperature of 58 degrees. We’ve had a good mix of cool and warm days punctuated by a few of wind and rain. Most days however have been very pleasant either on shore or in a boat. In Mid-October Jeff Ensley caught a 17-pound monster catfish up along the inlet fishing with Yellow Garlic Marshmallows. He wasn’t the only one with a “late summer.’ Everett Buchter caught a 7.5 lb. catfish up in the channel using frozen shad. Get catches there! Let’s see who will pull up a catfish in November! Trent was pretty excited for the first fall 2025 plants, catching a limit including a big lightning trout. Along with his friends Elijah and Garrett they managed to bring in a triple limit for the day- and all big fish! Trout had been pretty deep but we’ve had more than a few reports of improving shallow and even top water conditions. Jeff and Laurie caught eight trout fishing the topwaters, including a big lightning trout and a trophy rainbow. Local guide “Angling Wes” Wes Ward has had good success, especially using small spoons down about 15′ in otherwise fairly shallow water. Lots of fish have been caught on pink, but as he says “that will change as the weather rolls through.” as the lake has cooled. The trout are definitely migrating further from the lake center and closer to the shore. “The rainy and windy days have been producing the best fishing,” said Kellogg. “My latest trip to Collins produced limits of trout for 3 anglers. The top five fish weighed a total of 17 pounds. There are a lot of 3 to 4 lb. fish, including holdovers from last year, holding at the mouth of the Narrows and in front of the marina on the east side of the lake.” Th best trolling depths are from 1 to 10 feet deep. “We’re doing best using cold steel #5 floating Rapalas, orange Trout Trix Minnows and orange Metalheads at speeds of 1.8 to 2.2 mph. We are also running small sideplaners, trolled at 20 to 30 feet back from the boat,” Kellogg tipped. Fall is a beautiful time of year at Collins and there’s LOTS of mid-week camping availability, including cabins, so if you’re looking for a quieter trip to the California Foothills than you could ever find in summer, or if you want to try your hand fishing a well-stocked Northern California lake head on up our way.

ALAMEDA COUNTY – The season is here, and it’s time to celebrate, the lightning trout arrived this week, and just in time for the upcoming holiday. Mt. Lassen Farms and the East Bay Regional Parks District have a relationship that spans the years. Over those years East Bay anglers have come to appreciate the consistency and the quality of their trout and while these fish are superb, the lightning trout are truly special. This week lakes Chabot, Temescal, Contra Loma, and Quarry received 1,000 pounds with 250 pounds of trophy lightning trout. Trout over 5-pounds are considered of trophy size, but when these fish show up, they are often larger. First developed in West Virginia and introduced to anglers in 1954. This strain was the result of crossbreeding Rainbow Trout with West Virginia Golden Trout. Due to their popularity, they eventually made their way West and eventually became popular as a sport fish in the mid 1960’s. A variant of these fish were planted in Bay Area lakes until the late-90’s but the program dropped off until 2019 when the fish were once again added to the EBRPD fish plant schedule. Lightning Trout can be easily identified by their deep golden yellow bodies, pink or reddish highlights on the lower fin tips and gill plates and a bold bright red lateral line. Aside from their unique coloration, these fish are identical to other Mt. Lassen Farm raised rainbows and possess the same beautiful red-pink meat that we have all come to appreciate. Lightning Trout can be caught using the same methods that work for other trout. Light line with a slide sinker rig with power bait, or tube jigs, spinners, or micro spoons all work. These fish are easy to spot by both anglers and predators, so they quickly learn what to avoid and how to stay unhooked. It is not uncommon to see a half dozen bank anglers all casting for the same solitary trout cruising back and forth along the shoreline just out of reach or even worse, oblivious to anything and everything thrown at it. Lake Temescal – Received 1,000 pounds including 250 pounds of lightning trout. The water is dirty following the rain and action was mixed. There were plenty of bows taken but the lightning were a bit tight lipped and only a few hit the beach. Lures in orange, red or black got the most action and should produce until the water clears. The next several days and the weekend should be very good. The fish are spread throughout the lake and most spots along the shoreline should be productive. There is construction ongoing on the Broadway side of the lake and parking may get tight. Lake Chabot – Received another 1,000 pounds including 250 pounds of lightning but action was mixed. It was tough fishing and will probably take a couple of days for the fish to settle. The lake is in good condition with some stain. With the light stain, try lighter or natural-colored lures. Over the next several days, conditions should improve and brighter colors may become more productive. PowerBait is always a good go-to but keep your gear light. The next several days and through the weekend should be very good. Contra Loma – Received the first 1,000-pound trout plant of the season last week and received another 1,000 pounds including 250 pounds of lightning this week. Several anglers have commented that the lake is actually fishing better than I had previously reported and the combination of recent plants should kick lake action into high gear. The shoreline weeds are still thick, but if you can get out beyond them you should be able to get into the fish. The rock area near the dam, the points at Quail Cove, and the docks should all be good and the lake should fish well over the next several days and through the weekend. The water is only slightly stained. Bright, white- and natural- colored baits should work. If you find stained water switch to chartreuse, red, orange and black. PowerBait is always a good go-to! Quarry Lakes – Bass, cats, bows and gold! Quarry has been fishing very well all season, and this week has been even better. The lake has received several plants including another 1,000 pounds of bows and a load of trophy lightning. There was a scheduled DFG plant on the books, but I haven’t been able to confirm that they were delivered. Lake conditions remain only slightly challenging with some weeds along the shoreline and in particular, heavy weeds in the cove. The peninsula, the outside of the weed bed in the cove and the row are all fishing well. Anglers fishing on the outside edge of the weeds in the cove are targeting fish holding under the weeds and schooling along the dock. The water is slightly stained along the shoreline, and most colors should work. There have been several bass taken, plenty of bows and even some cats. The lake should fish well for the next several days and through the weekend. Lake del Valle – Lake del Valle received a double plant last week but no plants this week. Despite the break, action remains very good. The entire shoreline from the downed tree at the narrows, along the East Swim beach and beyond is holding fish. There are pockets of weeds throughout and if the fish aren’t cruising the open water, they are holding under the weeds. The DFG’s are super aggressive, and most spoons or jigs are taking fish. The Lassens have been equally aggressive, but jigs have been their preferred bait. The water is stained after the rain but bright colors are working when the sun is out, and darker patterns once the clouds move in. For spoons, red, black and red, yellow and chartreuse, blue, blue-green, and white have all been very good. Try jigs patterns in grasshopper, watermelon, pumpkin, pink and pink-white. Powerbait in chartreuse, pink or rainbow can also be a good selection. The fish are cruising close to the shoreline and short casts will generally keep you in the zone. Smallmouth action remains fair. There have been a few bass reported but these have been smaller fish. There have been striper boils following the plants, but the bite has been poor. Shadow Cliffs – Received a double plant last week but no plants this week. Despite the break, trout action remains very good. There has been little change in lake conditions. Some of the shoreline weeds are dying off, but it’s still best to fish from the docks or the point adjacent to the ramp to get out beyond them. The lake is just slightly stained. Black is a good starting color for jigs, but yellow, or yellow-white are generally productive. If you’re new to fishing or just want to buff up on some of your skills, check out the East Bay Regional Parks schedule of basic and intermediate hands-on fishing seminars including: -Trout basics, Friday December 5 at Chabot. -Trout intermediate, Saturday December 6 at Contra Loma, and Friday December 12 at Chabot. Registration is required and classes do have a small charge, but all gear is provided. Check out their web site at: https://www.ebparks.org/calendar. Key word “fishing.” There are also plenty of Volunteer Opportunities, that are a good way to get deeper into park operations, clean up your local park, lake or shoreline. For teens looking for community service opportunities, or if you want to provide your own service proposal for consideration, check out the EBRPD Volunteer web site at: https://apply.ebparks.org/custom/501/opp_search. NOTICE: Golden Mussels have been detected in Contra Loma Reservoir! Due to the detection of Golden Mussels in Contra Loma, know that if you launch your boat in Contra Loma, your boat will be quarantined for 30 days from other lakes. There are additional boat inspections at Del Valle, Shadow Cliffs, Lake Chabot and Quarry Lakes. Prior to launching on any water body: clean, drain, and dry your vessel. Boat bands will only be honored from the Lake they were issued. KNOW BEFORE YOU GO, visit the Invasive Mussels Page for more information on current inspection procedures.

YUBA CITY – Now that the limited salmon season is over on the Feather River, anglers are concentrating on steelhead and striped bass. “Steelhead fishing is best now on the river above Live Oak,” said Brian Willis of Johnson’s Bait and Tackle. “Anglers are catching the fish while drifting salmon roe and soft beads in the riffles. Most of the fish range from 2 to 6 pounds.” He has experienced solid striped bass action on his most recent trips in his boat on the river down from the mouth of the Bear River. “I caught and released a 20 lb. striper, along with fish in the 10 to 17 lb. range, while fishing Evergreen Amazon top water lures,” he reported. Willis also said that one fisherman reported catching a 45 lb. striper on the river below Beer Can Beach on a Megadeath Megadog lure. Other anglers have found success while using black plastic worms on ½ oz. jig heads. Upstream migrating fish totals through the Feather River Fish Monitoring Station between Jan. 1 and Nov. 10 are: 17,712 spring-run Chinook salmon (April 16 through June 30): 17,733; Fall-run Chinook salmon (July 1 through present): 41,492; and Steelhead: 1,249. Feather River flows are at 650 cubic feet per second (cfs) through the City of Oroville with 1,800 cfs being released from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet (Outlet) for a total Feather River release of 2,450 cfs downstream. DWR continues to assess Feather River releases daily.

FOLSOM – The fishing for king salmon and rainbow trout at Folsom Lake continues to be tough, but the black bass are active. “I fished a few hours around the Granite Bay side,” reported John Mulhall on the Folsom Lake Fishing Report Facebook Page. “I caught and released 7 bass, with 6 on nightcrawlers and 1 on a Yo-Zuri Pins Minnows. I found some big trees up the North Fork.” Shore fishing for rainbow trout and king salmon should be on the upswing, now that the lake water is turning over with the cooler weather. Try fishing inflated nightcrawlers, Power Bait, Power Eggs and live minnows off the points in the Brown’s Ravine and Granite Bay areas. For black bass, Don Paganelli of Paganelli’s Bass Fishing Experience recommended fishing Robo Worms on drop shot rigs in the creek channels leading into the coves at Folsom. “Use your electronics, to find out where the fish are when the lake level is down like this.,” Paganelli stated. “Target the outside points. Don’t let the low water fool you - you can still catch bass. However, watch the weather. - storms moving through can cause the action to slow down a little or a lot.” The open launch ramps are Granite Bay Stage 1 and Brown’s Ravine Hobie Ramp. Folsom Lake is holding 437,578 acre feet of water, 45 percent of capacity and 110 percent of average. The water level is 409.04 feet in elevation. Here are the boating requirements: Vessels completing the 30-day quarantine may return to Folsom Lake have the seal removed by authorized staff, and be allowed to launch. Boaters wishing to return to the lake in the future will have the option to have their boat sealed upon exiting the water and will not be required to quarantine thereafter as long as the seal remains intact. All trailered vessels are subject to the inspection, quarantine and seal program. Hand-launched, non-motorized watercraft, such as kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, rowing shells, outrigger canoes and rowboats are not subject to the inspection, quarantine and decontamination requirements. Hand-launched watercraft with electric trolling motors, such as fishing kayaks, are also exempt from these requirements. DBW maintains a list of contacts at: https://dbw.parks.ca.gov/inspections. Additional information on the golden mussel prevention program including inspection site locations, frequently asked questions and hours can be found at www.parks.ca.gov/FolsomLakeGoldenMussels.

SOMES BAR – While the fall Chinook salmon returns to the Klamath River and tributaries are much better than last year, steelhead fishing continues to be very tough on the middle Klamath River, despite great water conditions, according to Doug Cole Marble Mountain Ranch fishing lodge and guide service. “We had 9 guide days over with the San Jose Fly Caster’s Club. and…OUCH! We totaled 4 adult steelhead over the three days, and a few juvenile fish…sigh…and not a single half pounder,” said Cole. Fishing conditions were ideal. “It rained the morning of Nov 13, but cleared up mid-morning and remained beautiful and comfortable for fishing conditions through the next two days,” Cole stated. “The river flow was 3300 - 2800 cfs during the outing, clarity was around 20,” and temps in the high 40s/low 50s. Everything was beautiful. And the two best adult steelhead were those store bought steelies that we teriyaki smoked for dinner last night,” he quipped. “This has NOT been a good year as far as quantities of fish in the mid Klamath to support sport fishing. However, the river conditions have been appropriate and enjoyable. So, let’s hope for a stronger steelhead population for this sport fishing passion next year,” Cole remarked. “We are not encouraging additional bookings this year due to the low fish counts, but if you want to just experience the canyon float and try for the few adult steelhead in the region. - then come on down,” he concluded

With only a few exceptions, mild conditions have dominated the days, providing excellent weather for fall fishing. Traffic on the Lake Almanor is light. The water level has basically stalled, with very little fluctuation over the last week and currently sits at 4483.2 or about 10.5 feet below full pool. Flows on all the lake’s tributaries are at seasonal norms. Water temperature is now holding in the low 50’s and trending down. The trout are spread throughout the entire lake feeding on the pond smelt population. Much of the fishing focus has been on the east shore as well as both sides of the peninsula. Some pockets of fish on the west shore have been providing action as well. Trout have been caught on a wide variety of offerings recently for the trollers. Slow trolled worms, plastics and trolling flies, along with fast trolled Speedy Shiner and other spoons in bright as well as bait fish patterns have all produced fish over the course of the last week. The cooler water temps have opened up the entire water column to the fish which now can be caught at all depths from the surface down to 25 feet. Recent reports mark the 17-22 foot level as productive for quality fish. The catch is a mixed bag of Rainbows and Browns. Smaller aggressive Rainbows have moved into some areas and will need to be picked through to get the nicer fish. Remember to release these smaller guys responsibly, they are future big fish. Bait fishermen have been netting a few fish at several locations of the west shore. Again, the cooler water temps have the fish moving in close. Fly anglers suspending flies under indicators as well as stripping pond smelt imitating flies on sinking lines are tempting the fish focused on the forage minnows, and with the fish moving shallower, they are easier targets for the fly crowd. Canyon Dam boat ramp is open and should continue to be available throughout the winter subject to access being blocked by snowfall. The USFS west shore ramp north of Prattville, as of today, is currently open but look for this dock to be pulled and ramp to be closed at any time. As always, keep an eye to the weather and be prepared for changing conditions. Report courtesy of the Almanor Fishing Associatio .

LIVERMORE – Trout fishing is the main attraction at Los Vaqueros Reservoir with the start of fall and winter trout plants. The first plant of the season of 2,000 pounds of Mt. Lassen trout took place on October 24, followed by another plant of 2,000 pounds of Mt. Lassen trout on November 12. Shore anglers have the most success using garlic scented PowerBait followed by night crawlers. Trolling from rental boats is doing fairly well especially in the backs of coves. Light tackle is important for catching trout. 4-6-pound test is plenty. On days the winds allow boats, the marina staff have seen a number of limits as well as anglers with just a couple. Remember: Limit is 5 per angler for the day. Meanwhile, anglers are picking up decent numbers of striped bass while fishing from shore and rental boats. Most of the fish are the 18 to 24 inch range, along with a few larger stripers mixed in. Bait fishing with anchovies is yielding the best success. South Cove, the pier near the marina, Cowboy Cove and Howden Cove are among the better spots to target striped bass. Channel catfish can be caught around the lake. Most of the fish are in the 2 to 5 lb. class, with some larger fish mixed in. The South Cove, Cowboy Cove and Oak Point are among the better spots to target the catfish with anchovies, chicken liver and nightcrawlers. The fishing pier at the Marina Complex is temporarily closed for repairs. Shore fishing and boat rentals remain open. If you are interested in renting a boat, the marina recommends calling ahead to check current wind conditions as they are unpredictable and can impact the ability to safely rent boats to visitors. Wind speeds change suddenly and boat rentals are typically suspended when they exceed 15 MPH and when heavy gusts are forecasted. Remember – rental boats are first come, first served. Weekends and some weekdays sell out quickly. The reservoir is holding 145,000 acre feet of water. For more information, call (925) 371-2628.

NAPA – If you’d like to troll for stripers on the Napa River from Cuttings Wharf, then Captain Dennis Grossi of Grossi’s Guide Service has a report for you. Capt. Dennis tells me that he’s putting his customers on limit fishing. Capt. Dennis is averaging 25 hook-ups a trip, with stripers averaging 5 pounds up to 10 pounds. One ounce Rat-L-Traps continue to be his lure of choice. Sturgeon fishing (catch and release) should also improve on the Napa River. Anglers should use salmon roe, ghost shrimp, grass shrimp and other baits for the diamondbacks.

ANGELS CAMP - Fishing for rainbow trout remains great on New Melones Reservoir, according to Kyle Wise at Headhunter SportFishing. “We had another fun day on the lake with Ed and his father from Oregon,” said Wise after a recent trip. “it took a little bit to find fish, but when we did, the bite was on. It was no uncommon to be fighting doubles all afternoon. We use stick baits down to 55’ while trolling at 2.5 mph.” One another fishing adventure, Wise asked, “What do you do on Veterans Day? You take a vet fishing and let him catch monster trout. Ed did that and we had lots of other action, catching limits of bass to fulfill his day.” Now that the lake waters have turned over, the trout fishing along the shoreline in Glory Hole and other areas on the lake should improve. Anglers should toss out PowerBait, nightcrawlers, Kastmasters, spinners and other offerings for the rainbows. The Bureau of Reclamation requires that all boats launching at New Melones Lake participate in a seal program to prevent the spread of the new invasive mussel species, the Golden Mussel, that was found in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Any boats wishing to launch at New Melones must be left out of the water for 30 days with a documented wire and Red seal attached through the bow eye of their boat and wrapped around their trailer, effectively tying the two together. After 30 days, the boater can return, have their wire/seal cut, and launch. Upon exiting the water, the boat and trailer will once again be banded together, but with a Green seal and wire. This marks the end of their 30-days, and that they can return any day during the hours listed. The seal/wire must remain intact to launch (a New Melones staff member must cut the seal/wire allowing the boater to launch), and any boats found with tampered seals must restart their 30-days. Boaters can stay overnight, but must be off the water by the given time frame to be resealed. Valid seals are applied by staff at open boat launches during the hours of operation. This seal program only works for New Melones Lake. New Melones Lake is not accepting other seals or sealing for other lakes currently. New Melones Lake Marina is decontaminating boats for same day access at a fee. Find more information and make an appointment on their decontamination website, or call (209) 785-3300. Hand-launch vessels such as kayaks, paddleboards, canoes, etc. do not need to participate in the banding process if they are hand operated or use an electric trolling motor. No gas-powered motors allowed. For hand-launch vessels with trailers, the trailer cannot touch the water. Current launch hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Glory Hole Point. The Tuttletown ramp is now closed. New Melones is holding 1,632,799 -acre feet of water, 68 percent of capacity and 126 percent of average.

OROVILLE – Fishing for rainbow trout and king salmon has been tough lately, but the bass are definitely on the bite at Lake Oroville “The jig fishing is definitely off the hook,” reported Tony Mello at Johnson’s Bait and Tackle. “We caught and released quality one spotted bass after another from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm on my most recent trip to Oroville. The fish were all in the 1-1/2 to 3 lb. range. The fish hit best on Keitech jig heads with dark green pumpkin Yamamoto double tail grubs. The A-Rig bite should start soon with the water temperature dropping to 60 degrees.” “On my last trip to Oroville, we ended up with one king, no trout and 8 bass while trolling,” said Rob Reimers of Rustic Rob’s Guide Service. “Most of the spotted bass were fish in the 14 to 16-inch range. We hooked all of the fish while trolling with Brad’s Cut Plugs at 35 to 55 feet deep.” “The rainbow and king fishing should improve once the lake water turns over,” he stated. “The surface water temperature was still in the sixties on the day we went out.” DWR is reminding the public that boat ramps at Lake Oroville are no longer open 24/7. Watercraft must be out of the water by ramp closing time or they will be locked into the facility overnight. Please plan ahead. More details about DWR’s mussel inspection program are available at water.ca.gov/mussels. Watercraft Inspection Location/Decontamination Services, North Thermalito Forebay at Garden Drive and HWY 70 in Oroville. Hours of operation: Daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sealed Vessel Launching at Lake Oroville is available at the Spillway, Bidwell Canyon, Lime Saddle and Loafer Creek/Loafer Point. Lake Oroville is holding 1,776,850-acre feet of water, 52 percent of capacity and 100 percent of average. The lake level is 768.87 feet in elevation.

Pyramid lake has turned over and the surface temperature has dropped almost 10 degrees in a matter of a couple weeks. The lake is still stabilizing and fish are scattered from the surface to the bottom of the lake. The bite has been slowly but surely picking up. Landing 20-40 fish while trolling has been the standard. Shore fishing has also dramatically improved. Shore fishermen have been throwing Sierra Spoons and little Cleo’s as well as large spinners such as Blue Foxes, Mepps , and Panther Martins. Fly fisherman are getting on a good indicator bite using bead head nymphs and balanced leaches as well as stripping streamers and Popcorn Beatles through bait balls. Trolling seems to be the best method right now allowing boaters to cover a lot of water picking away at the Lahontan Cutthroats. Fish are stacking up on structure so working the rocky points is key. Depths vary and we’ve picked up fish long lining on the surface and down to 80’ with downriggers with the most consistent bite at 40’-60’ for fish on the chew. Everyday seems to be different on the lures and colors that are working best. We’ve found Apexes, Sierra Spoons, Lyman’s, Mag Lips , Flatfish, Doctor Spoons and Papa G spoons are all catching fish. Watermelon patterns have been the most consistent as well as tui chub, red dot frog, rainbow trout, gold, and when targeting the deeper fish purples have dominated. Speed has varied as well. Apexes, spoons, Lyman’s, and Mag Lips have been best from 2.6-3.2 mph. Flatfish, Sierra Spoons , and Papa G spoons have done better at 2.0-2.2 mph. The best concentration of fish have been found at Pelican, Spider, and Warrior points on the west side of the lake. Artillery, Anderson bay, and Red bay have been tops on the east side. We have had a lot of bites that take the lure out of the downrigger clip and then nothing is there. What has really improved our hook up rate is when the fish pulls the lure out of the down-rigger clip, Instead of setting the hook, drop the rod tip to the water even let out about 10’ of line and reengage the reel. Over half our fish are getting hooked after the fish has pulled the lure from the clip and keeping the lure in the strike zone as long as you can Report Courtesy of Cory Kellar. Black Beard Worm Company

RIO VISTA – The striper bite for trollers in the Delta has been very slow lately, according to legendary trolling expert Mark Wilson. Mark said he and his friends have been navigating all over the Delta trying to locate the now elusive stripers. Mark said he finally located a few in Montezuma Slough trolling from the “Glass House” to the “Birds Landing” areas, but he and his friends have only been able to get 3 to 6 keepers a trip trolling both deep diving and shallow running P-Line and Yozuri lures. He has heard that those casting swim baits have been doing somewhat better. The areas producing for those casting are Sherman Island and in Broad Slough. Mark believes that it’s just a matter of time before the stripers arrive back in the Delta from San Francisco and San Pablo Bays. The sturgeon catch and release fishery opened again on October 1, 2025. “My cousin Tom and I caught limits of stripers to 7 pounds two days in a row on my last two trips on the Delta,” said Cal Kellogg of fishcalkellogg.com. “We hooked the fish while vertical jigging with P-Line Laser Minnows in chartreuse and silver. We landed our fish at Light 46 on the San Joaquin. The key is to cruise around the fish marks while going up current until you locate biting fish. The fish size is variable; one fish will 14 inches and the next one will be 25 inches.” “The fish are just moving into the system – they have beautiful blue backs. If want to plug, work tule breaks with 4-inch Fish Traps on 3/8-ounce jig heads. You got to be patient. Throw at riprap most on riprap outside of the tules on the San Joaquin,” advised Kellogg. Meanwhile, Captain Mike Funtanilla of Bend Ur Rod Sportfishing said he has been putting his clients on multiple hookups on each trip. Capt. Mike went on to say that he’s been doing well from Pittsburg and the Middle Grounds in 25 feet of water, as well as in 55 to 75 feet of water in the deep-water channel (see the attached photos). Roe continues to be the bait of choice. Capt. Mike has also been soaking grass shrimp on these same trips for stripers, so his customers can enjoy catching a striper as well. If you would like more information about the California Striped Bass Association (CSBA), go to our website (www.striper-csba.org). You will be able to access all the information related to the 4 CSBA Chapters. New members only pay $25, that includes a one-time $5 initiation fee. After the first year of membership the annual dues are only $20. Your membership helps to strengthen our mission to protect striped bass and our fisheries. Some Chapters will give you a free gift just for joining. he Isleton-Delta Chapter gives all new members two free Isleton Chapter decals and a Chapter hat as a thank you for joining our Chapter. Membership forms are available for each Chapter on the website. Just click on your Chapter of choice and go to the membership page, fill out the application, print it and send your application and payment to the address listed on the application. The Isleton Chapter accepts credit cards online on the website for new memberships, membership renewals as well as our chapter’s events. The website also has Chapters’ newsletters, photos, interesting articles, and useful links that will help you plan your next fishing trip.

Lake Tahoe: Most ramps are closed for the winter except Sand Harbor, Pine Forest, and Cave Rock. Mackinaw are holding 50–150 feet deep off the west shore, Cal Neva Hole, and South Lake. Trollers are picking up trout around 100 feet down along shoreline drop-offs. Shore anglers are finding a few fish in the mornings 20–30 feet from shore. Afternoon fishing has been great as the days get shorter. Live bait has been the best for the mackinaw and fish are also found on the west shore near Camp Richardson, trolling and jigging down to 200 feet deep. Report courtesy of Mountain Hardware and Sports, and Tahoe Sportfishing.

TRUCKEE - Donner Lake: Fishing remains solid. Mackinaw are hanging deeper—50 to 150 feet—and responding well to larger plugs and slow-trolled spoons. Shore anglers are connecting with rainbows near China Cove and the west-end ramps using worms, PowerBait, and spinners. Early and late in the day remain best before boat traffic picks up. Boca Reservoir: Fishing remains good, though the boat ramp is now closed. Surface temps are in the 50s, and trout are active near the dam and west-end creek. Kokanee have fully colored and are no longer biting. The reservoir is sitting at roughly 60% capacity. Stampede Reservoir: Trout fishing has been steady. Rainbows and browns are being caught along the north shore during early and late hours with worms, lures, and PowerBait. Trollers are finding suspended fish 40–60 feet down on spoons or Rapalas. Cooler mornings are bringing trout shallower, making early hours most productive. Prosser Creek Reservoir: The reservoir is providing a fun mix of bass and trout. With the boat ramp closed, shore anglers are seeing the best action. The lake is around 60% full with surface temps in the 50s. Bass are holding in coves at about 10 feet, taking plastics, jigs, and crankbaits. Trout anglers near the dam are getting bites with worms, eggs, and PowerBait. While not known for big fish, Prosser continues to offer steady action. Jackson Meadows: The pass creek gate and boat ramp are now closed, limiting access to those willing to make the trek in. Trout anglers fishing near the dam are still finding success with worms, PowerBait, and small spoons.

TRUCKEE - With the rain/snow mix over the last week we did see the river come up and get a bit off color for a short while. As of today, the water has cleared back up and the flows have stabilized. Overall, for this time of year, the flows are incredibly good along the entire system. Just under 300 CFS in Glenshire, around 450 below Boca, 450 in West Reno, and just under 500 at Sparks. It’s very rare to see such consistency along the entire 100+ miles of this river. The colder days have caused temperatures to plummet, making it a little harder to get the fish to move on your fly. This is the time of year where the later starts will be advantageous as things warm up later in the day. This is also the time of year where your fly selection should consist of a few key bugs that remain active during the winter. Stoneflies, worms and eggs are all great attractor nymphs right now, and pairing these larger flies with the small bugs of winter, I.E. baetis and midges, is really all you need to focus on at this time. With the surge of rainwater pushed through the system this week, worms should be top of that list. At these continued low flows, we are strongly encouraging anglers to avoid fishing the Little Truckee River until we see water levels come back up. These over-pressured fish could really use a break from seeing people, especially as the browns attempt to spawn at 48 CFS. With so many other excellent options for fishing right now, we feel strongly that anglers should look elsewhere for the time being.

Check out the new Issue of The Fish Sniffer magazine for November 29, 2025 In this issue of The Fish Sniffer, we are moving from Fall into Winter. Much cooler temperatures, rain and some snow has come to Northern Californial. Trout, salmon, bass, panfish, stripers, catfish and all other species will go on the bite to fatten up for the lean winter ahead. Check out the articles in this issue of The Fish Sniffer, including information on catching 3 different varieties of trout at Lake Amador, the beginning of the great fall season at Eagle Lake and much more. Check out Dan Bachers conservation features with some very good news about the future of salmon fishing in Northern California. Read how to catch more fish and enjoy the wonderful outdoors in Northern California for the season. The golden mussel problem is still impacting boaters all over the state and has caused major boat launch closures and strict new inspection and quarantine rules several lakes in our area. These rules are starting to change, with Lake Pardee and Lake Comanche announcing they will allow outside boats on their waters next year, with banding and inspections in place. Be sure to check out the regulations at any lake you want to fish before you go. All you need to know about fresh and saltwater fishing in Northern California is now available in the new issue of The Fish Sniffer Magazine!

SACRAMENTO — Opponents of the Delta Tunnel project last month celebrated their successful campaign against Newsom’s trailer bill to fast-track the Delta Conveyance Project through the State Legislature, but the zombie project continues to slowly move through other government processes.

Newsom on October 23 announced what he described as “two recent key victories” in his unrelenting political campaign to advance the 43-mile long Delta Tunnel. He cited a court decision reversing a preliminary injunction that was previously blocking pre-construction geotechnical work, along with a California Department of Water Resources (DWR) submission to the Delta Stewardship Council for a “certification of consistency” for the broader project.

He claims the project is a critical infrastructure project to “safeguard California’s water supplies amid a hotter, drier future,” while Tribes, fishing groups, environmental justice organizations, family farmers and elected officials say underground tunnel would devastate imperiled salmon and other fish populations and wreak havoc in communities throughout the Bay-Delta region.

Newsom claimed that these “victories help the Delta Conveyance Project move forward in compliance with the Delta Reform Act” — the state law that creates a regulatory framework to protect both the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta ecosystem and a reliable statewide water supply.

“California must quickly complete the Delta Conveyance Project to protect our state’s water supplies,” Newsom gushed. “No piece of infrastructure is more fundamental to our water supply and economic success. This is the most effective strategy to ensure that the state can continue to deliver water for Californians in future hotter, drier, and more extreme conditions. Enough delays, we must quickly move forward to protect Californians’ water supplies, and we look forward to completing this project sooner rather than later.”

However, opponents of the project said the tunnel would do anything but protect the Delta ecosystem and the state’s water supply.

“The Governor’s statement ignores more practical ways to secure California’s water supplies without sacrificing the Delta, namely continuing to maintain our existing levee system,” said Osha Meserve, Counsel for numerous Delta interests in administrative and judicial proceedings.

“The reference to a hotter drier future is particularly ironic, since the Delta Tunnel proposal actually would fail to perform as promised in that climate scenario. With complex challenges like reduced snowpack and a sinking aqueduct, simplistic yet extremely costly big pipe solutions like the Delta Tunnel are not going to cut it.”

In response to Newsom’s boasting about “two key victories,” Roger Mammon, President of California Striped Bass Association, West Delta Chapter, pointed out, “The Governor can tout about overcoming two hurdles for the DCP, but it still remains the most environmentally destructive project ever imposed on our Delta and will have negative affects on all Californians.”

Carolee Krieger, Executive Director of the California Water Impact Network (C-WIN), said the Governor’s claim of “two key victories” for the Delta Tunnel is just “more of the Governor’s smoke and mirrors to cover up the facts.” She noted that the Delta Tunnel has to still go through many steps before it could be ever approved.

Krieger said the proposed “$100 Billion boondoggle tunnel” still has no approved water rights, no authority to issue bonds, and no permit from the State Water Resources Control Board.

“With no water, no money to build and no permit, it sounds like it isn’t even close,” Krieger stated. “This will harm the ratepayers, the area of origin water rights farmers in the Delta and the fish. It’s time to pull the plug on this money sucking waste!”

Frank Egger, President of the North Coast Rivers Alliance, said the claim that the Delta Tunnel will protect Californians’ water is “totally false.”

“The tunnel creates no new water. It further diverts our Northern California rivers south, first to irrigate Westlands Water Districts high plain desert to grow products to export, not feed America, then to drive new development in the Southland. There are real alternatives to meet So Cal’s water needs,” he revealed.

He also noted this the 3rd year of closure for California’s commercial salmon season, due to the collapse of Sacramento and Klamath River fall-run Chinook salmon populations.

“Califonia’s Chinook Salmon are teetering on extinction and commercial fishers are facing bankruptcies. We ran a Statewide Referendum to stop the Peripheral Canal and we can run a Referendum to stop this proposed $20 billion dollar boondoggle,” he concluded.

Gary Bobker, Program Director of Friends of the River, summed up the essential dilemma posed by the project.

“A project that takes more water from the Delta inherently cannot protect the Delta. This project wastes a million taxpayer dollars each day. The Governor needs to move on,” he concluded.

California Chamber files ballot initiative request eviscerating CEQA

In another development regarding the Delta Tunnel, the California Chamber of Commerce on October 21 filed a request for a ballot initiative titled the “Building an Affordable California” initiative, according to the Chamber’s website.

“The Building an Affordable California initiative would streamline the review of essential projects under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Rather than provide piecemeal exemptions, it would establish reasonable timelines for local and state agencies to review plans and solicit public comment. Timelines would also be established for any necessary judicial review,” the Chamber wrote.

“The initiative would ensure timely decisions are made on proposed essential projects such as housing, improvements to water supply, transportation, energy, and facilities for health and public safety,” the Chamber stated.

In a press release responding to the Chamber’s announcement, Restore the Delta noted that “essential projects’”are defined so broadly that virtually any public, private, or utility infrastructure project could qualify—paving the way for large-scale construction without the environmental review and community protections CEQA provides.

“This is a direct attack on environmental justice communities, Tribal sovereignty, and the ecosystems that sustain our state,” said Morgen Snyder, Director of Policy and Programs at Restore the Delta. “At a time when California residents are on the verge of losing their SNAP benefits and healthcare, framing this initiative as ‘affordable’ is frankly disrespectful. While housing affordability is a real crisis, removing community voices and environmental safeguards for the sake of industry profits is a massive step in the wrong direction.”

Snyder said the proposal follows “a growing wave of legislative efforts to weaken CEQA in the name of speeding up large infrastructure and housing projects—despite the fact that many of these recent streamlining measures have not yet been implemented or evaluated.” If passed, the new initiative would:

• “Eliminate key community and environmental protections, including shortening the timeframe for public comment, which places an undue burden on impacted communities — often with fewer resources — effectively eliminating or severely limiting their ability to provide input and advocate for mitigation of harms.

• “Undermine AB 52 Tribal consultation requirements, replacing them with vague, limited language that weakens tribal sovereignty and confidentiality.

• “Leave mitigation decisions entirely to the lead agency, giving developers and state departments unchecked authority to define their own environmental accountability.”

Notably, the proposed ballot language defines an “essential water project” as one that repairs, replaces, improves, or augments public water systems — or falls under the state’s Water Resilience Portfolio, according to Snyder. Under this definition, the controversial Delta Conveyance Project would almost certainly qualify as an “essential project,” the group said.

That designation would effectively shield the Delta Tunnel from meaningful CEQA review — silencing Delta communities and ignoring the project’s massive environmental and economic consequences. The Delta region supports a $780 million recreation and tourism economy, a $1.5 billion commercial fishing economy, and $5 billion in agricultural production — all of which could be undermined by the project’s disruption of Delta flows and ecosystems,” said Snyder.

The group also took issue with Governor Gavin Newsom’s announcement celebrating new “wins” for the Delta Conveyance Project, including a court decision allowing preliminary geotechnical work to resume and the Department of Water Resources’ submission of a Certification of Consistency with the Delta Plan.

Restore the Delta cautioned that these developments “are not victories for Californians, but rather signals of a deeper pattern of state leadership prioritizing politically connected water agencies over the Delta’s ecological and economic health.”

“The Governor’s framing of the Delta Tunnel as a climate solution is profoundly misleading,” Snyder added. “It will not create new water, it will only reroute it — deepening harm to Delta communities, Tribal resources, and ecosystems that are already at a breaking point. There will be appeals and debate around whether this project is even consistent with the Delta Reform Act’s coequal goals: protecting the Delta and ensuring reliable statewide water supplies.”

Restore the Delta is calling on California’s elected leaders to reject “backroom attempts to gut environmental review and instead focus on truly sustainable, community-driven solutions for water resilience such as investments in regional self-sufficiency, ecosystem restoration, and equitable access to clean water for all Californians.”

I’ll conclude this piece with a question that I’ve posed to state officials at numerous hearings and meetings regarding the Delta: Can you give me one example in U.S. or world history where a project to divert water out of a river or estuary has restored that river or estuary?

Not one Delta Tunnel project proponent has ever been able to answer that question.

🎣 Mid-week Fish Plants for 11/23/2025 - 11/29/2025 Thanksgiving Fishing, and the trout are biting Hey anglers, here’s your midweek update. 4 additional spots are planting fish, bringing totals to 15,650 lbs. of trout across 24 locations. This week, the early Winter’s chill continues to have trout feeding aggressively across California, and they’re getting closer to the surface. Most spots are open the Friday after Thanksgiving. Check reports and switch colors as water color and sunlight will change freqently this time of year.