Fish Reports

Clear Lake’s Silver Rush: Chasing Trophy Black Crappie By Craig Nelson January 25, 2026 Clear Lake has long been the crown jewel of California’s bass fishing scene, but while the largemouth often steal the spotlight, a “silver rush” is quietly taking over. The Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) population has seen an explosion in both numbers and size over the last five years. Local buzz is reaching a fever pitch, with many suggesting the state record already held by a Clear Lake local might be shattered again any day now. Black Crappie aren’t actually native to these waters; they were introduced in 1908, arriving by rail from Meredosia, Illinois. In the century since, they have done more than just survive; they have established a thriving, dominant population that rivals any panfish fishery in the country. The benchmark for excellence was set on February 17, 2021, by David Burruss, owner of Clear Lake Outdoors. Burruss landed a “Mega Slab” weighing 4 pounds, 5 ounces. Measuring 17.75 inches long with a massive 17-inch girth, the fish shattered a 46-year-old state record. Burruss found the monster in 26 feet of water off the point at Shag Rock. “I spotted a three-pack on my Garmin Forward Facing Sonar,” Burruss recalled. He was using a baitcaster with 15-pound test, a ½ ounce Cool Baits Underspin, and a 4-inch Keitech Easy Shiner. This month marks the five-year anniversary of that historic catch.

California “Black Crappie” State Record David Burress from Lakeport CA To bag “Clear Lake Silver,” you have to follow the water and the weather. Local veterans keep a close eye on the Rumsey Gage, established in 1873 by Lakeport cattle driver DeWitt Clinton Rumsey. Currently, the lake sits just a foot below “full pull” (the official full mark of 7.56 feet). One more atmospheric river should be enough to top it off for a spectacular season. Winter Crappie congregate in the deep waters of the Rattlesnake Arm. Look for the “armada” of boats near Rattlesnake Island, where fish hold in 25–35 feet of water. During spring (March–April): As temperatures rise, the fish move shallow to spawn. They often take over existing bass beds, making the Lakeshore Boulevard area in Lakeport a primary target for spring action. Modern technology is fundamentally changing how we hunt crappie. Forward-facing sonar (like Garmin Livescope) allows anglers to target schools that appear as distinct clusters of dots on the screen. Because a crappie’s eyes are positioned on the top of its head, they feed upward; always present your bait slightly above the school. “Strolling” or slow-rolling a jighead minnow through a school is incredibly effective for tempting big bites. Experienced anglers prefer tungsten jigheads over lead; the denser material provides a much sharper return on sonar, making it easier to track your lures in relation to the fish. Success often comes down to the details. Specialized 10-to-15-foot rods, such as the ACC Crappie Scopin Stix, allow for precise lure placement. Top-performing soft plastics include the Bobby Garland 2” Baby Shad (in Purple Monkey, Key Lime Pie, or Ice Out) and the 6th Sense Panorama “Ghost Pro Shad” on a Cyclops jighead for a “dying-fall” presentation. When the artificial bite is tough, often due to the lake’s abundant natural forage of Threadfin Shad and Mississippi Silversides nothing beats a live minnow. You can pick these up at local bait and tackle shops like Clearlake Outdoors, Lakeport Tackle, Clearlake Bait & Tackle, and The Konocti Bait Shack. The proof is in the live well. Recently, Nate and Michelle Hilligoss of Kelseyville showed just how productive the lake can be, landing a 15+ pound five-fish limit. Nate’s biggest weighed in at 3.7 lbs.’, while Michelle contributed a 3.1 lb. beauty, both caught on 1/16 oz jigheads and 3” Yamamoto Scope Shads.

Nate and Michelle Hilligoss from Kelseyville California caught these giant slabs on a 1/16 jighead, paired with a 3” Yamamoto Scope Shad. Nate’s beauty weighed 3.7 pounds and Michelle’s 3.1 rounded out their 15 plus pound five fish limit. Other notable catches include Marlene Healey, who landed a 3.3 lb. slab on a Gratt Rocker Minnow, and Arnold Valerio Jr., who pulled a 3 lb. fish using a “double jig rig” (a dropshot-style setup with a jighead at the bottom and a loop-knotted jighead above).

Marlene Healey from Kelseyville California 3.3 pound “Black Crappie” Caught on a 3” Gratt Rocker Minnow, 1/16 tungsten jighead.

Arnold Valerio Jr. from Lucerne California 3 pound Black Crappie Caught on a 2” Bobby Garland Baby Shad “Ice Out” 1/16 Double Jig Rig. For those without a boat, Clear Lake offers excellent public access. The pier at Lucerne Harbor is a prime venue for groups, and various parks around the lake offer dock access perfect for a simple jig-and-bobber setup. If you’re looking for a guided “Masterclass,” Ed Legan of “Fishing with Ed” is the resident expert. His pontoon boat is a common sight in the winter months, consistently finding the schools when others can’t. Clear Lake may be famous for its bass, but for those who have experienced the “Silver Rush,” the real treasure is the slab of a lifetime waiting just beneath the surface.

Craig Nelson is a former professional golfer who fell in love with tournament bass fishing 20 years ago. He found Lake County after fishing an FLW Stren Series event and never left. He’s the back-to-back winner of the Konocti Classic and runner up in the inaugural WON Bass Clear Lake Open.

Few folks fishing are catching some nice trout.

A few hardy anglers have been getting out between storms but traffic on the lake is very lite. The water level is on the rise thanks to recent winter storms. Since the beginning of the new year the level has risen just over a foot and currently sits at 4487.25 just under 7 feet below full pool. Flows on all the lake’s tributaries are high and fast carrying silt and debris into the lake. Water temperature is now running in the low 40’s and trending down with the colder air temps. The trout are spread throughout the entire lake feeding on the pond smelt population. Not a lot of information is currently available, but fish have been caught by trollers from the dam to Prattville along the west shore and from the dam along the east shore. Watch for water clarity issues as you get closer to Hamilton Branch. Of course there are always a multitude of ways to catch fish, but this time of year, and with these conditions, most trollers agree that going slow is in your best interest. Slow trolled (1.5 mph or less) worms, plastics and trolling flies are all solid choices especially in baitfish patterns. The cooler water temps have opened up the entire water column to the fish which now can be caught at all depths. Recent outings have shown results with baits trolled in the 10-to-20-foot range with a few fish being seen at the surface. The catch is a mixed bag of Rainbows and Browns ranging from small to large. Canyon Dam boat ramp is open and should continue to be available throughout the winter subject to access being blocked by snowfall. The dock has been pulled at the USFS west shore ramp north of Prattville, leaving Canyon Dam as the only public access boat ramp with a dock. It looks like we are headed into an extended period of nice weather giving you a chance to head out to the lake. Report courtesy of the Almanor Fishing Association.

Huge Trout Top Winter Catches

IONE – Anglers fishing at Lake Amador reported some of the largest trout of the year to date, with a bunch of fish weighing in the 10 to 12 lb. class brought into the store. James Morris topped the lake catches with a monster 11.28 lb. Cutbow caught on a Panther Martin from Dry Creek Point, according to Lee Lockhart at the Lake Amador Resort. Not far behind, Ryan Johnson successfully battled a behemoth Cutbow weighing 11.26 pounds. He was using a CMI swimbait in the launch cove when the giant grabbed it. William McKenzie landed a brute of a Cutbow weighing in right at 10 pounds. He was fishing in Jackson Creek with a rose gold spoon. “Bob trusted the guidance of Big Bruce and ended up with a monster Cutbow weighing in at 9.66 pounds along with two others which put the total stringer weight at 14.42 pound. They were fishing spoons by boat in Jackson Creek,” noted Lockhart. Noah and Alex went up to Jackson Creek in a kayak and came back with a trophy 9.64 pound Cutbow caught on a curly tail grub. Bob trusted the guidance of Big Bruce and ended up with a huge Cutbow weighing in at 9.66 pounds along with two others which put the total stringer weight at 14.42 pounds. They were fishing spoons by boat in Jackson Creek. Other successful anglers include Marco Talavera and Luiz Rico with a very heavy board of 8 trout. They caught their fish on mini jigs and spoons on the RV Park side of the Launch Cove. During the latest plant, the resort stocked 900 lbs. of trout, including 600 lbs. of 2-3 lb. Golds and Blues and 300 lbs. of Trophy Cutbows ranging from 6 to 12 pounds. “Some were let go in the Launch Cove and the rest were released at the Dam and Spillway. I’m getting reports that trout are running shallow in the mornings and evenings but if the sun is out midday they are going down deep as 25’,” said Lockhart. “Small lures, PowerBait, and nightcrawlers are your best choice from shore, while boaters are trolling grubs, Rapalas, and Speedy Shiners. Lots of sunny weather and cold nights means great fishing ahead, time to get a line in the water,” he tipped. John Richardson of Here Fishy Fishy Guide Services reported that the trout bite at Amador has been “slow to fair.” “Fish are coming anywhere from top to 30’ and best action has been in the main body of the lake. 1.4 - 1.8 mph seems to be the ticket and fish have taken a variety of baits ranging from dark colored Rapalas, spoons and soft plastics,” said Richardson. “Their derby currently runs through 3/29 with lots of prizes still up for grabs via tagged fish and raffle tickets. Entry is a one-time $9 per angler and fish up to 17 lbs. have been planted so far,” he added.
The lake is full, the surface temperature is 50 degrees and the water clarity is 10’. Dan Bacher

Black Bass Begin to Stage for Spring Spawn

SACRAMENTO – Bass fishing on Lake Berryessa is the hottest bite now as smallmouth, spotted and largemouth bass begin to stage in shallower water in preparation for the spring spawn. “Fishing is pretty good as the bass start staging for the spawn,” said Don Paganelli of Paganelli’s Bass Fishing Experience. “All three bass species are hitting now. The smallmouth, spotted and largemouth bass are fattening up for the spawn. We will see them move onto the beds soon.” “On my last trip, we caught and released around 15 bass at Berryessa, including all three species,” advised Paganelli. “The fish averaged 1-1/2 to 2 pounds each, with a couple of 3 to 4 lb., bass mixed in. We used small swimbaits and jigs in 5 to 20 feet of water. We started in the Narrows and then began working secondary points in the main body.” After a fabulous year for rainbow trout and kokanee salmon fishing at Lake Berryessa, the action was bound to slow down temporarily. Nate Kelsch of Big Nate’s Guide Servoir reported tough fishing on his latest guided trout fishing adventure on the lake. “Today I had Wes and Debbie out for her birthday trip and got them,” Kelsch reported. “Fishing was tough, and we had to cover a lot of water to find the fish. The wind from last week really tore the lake up, in addition to the muddy water coming down river.” “Trigger Spoons Jrs, and stickbaits smothered in Chrome Killer at depths between 10 and 40ft worked best. I tried to keep my speed around 2.8mph, but the wind had me trolling 3+. I,” Kelsch advised. However, Kelsch got out the lake in his new boat on February 6 and confirmed the hot bass fishing that is available on Berryessa now. “Today was my first trip with clients since before the ISE show and on this new, big, beautiful Kingfisher of mine and our crew absolutely crushed it. We went out in search of crappie and we found ‘em, caught ‘em, but it was slow to say the least,” he noted. “So we switched gears to bass and we smashed ‘em. Triples and Doubles were the norm with an occasional quadruple hook-up. We caught three species to go along with our crappie,” he continued. This reminded me how much I loved bass fishing,” Kelsch stated. “Abdul, the birthday boy, caught his birthday donkey as part of a triple with his son and daughter and that was truly the icing on the cake,” he added.. “Having my Catch America family out on the re-maiden voyage was amazing and RJ was back on the deck. If it swims in Lake Berryessa waters we can target it. Kokanee/king salmon fishing will start next month, trout/bass whenever you want to go. And when the water warms a bit more in the next 2 weeks, crappie fishing will explode.” Reclamation now requires all boats launching at Lake Berryessa to participate in a seal program to prevent the spread of invasive golden mussels. All vessels wishing to launch at Lake Berryessa will be inspected, according to the Bureau of Reclamation: A red quarantine seal will be applied for 30 days during which the vessel will not be permitted to launch. Vessels that have finished the 30-day quarantine may return to the lake and have the seal removed by authorized staff and will be allowed to launch. For questions about this new protocol and vessel decontamination, contact BOR-Berryessa@usbr.gov.
Lake Berryessa is holding 1,403,887-acre feet of water, 88 percent of capacity and 119 percent of average.

• Dan Bacher

EBMUD Will Reopen South Shore Camanche Boat Launch on May 1

BURSON – The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) plans to reopen boat launches on a limited basis at both Lake Camanche and San Pablo Reservoir. Boat launches at the South Shore of Lake Camanche will be open from May 1 through October 1, 2026. The North Shore boat launch will not open in 2026. San Pablo Reservoir boat launches will open from February 8 through October 31, 2026. The closure provided the EBMUD the time needed to evaluate the threat from the invasive golden mussel and devise a plan to protect the East Bay’s public water supply and billions of dollars in public infrastructure. The EBMUD Board of Directors unanimously approved the reopening plan at its regular meeting on November 12, 2025. To date, the destructive species has not been detected at any of EBMUD’s reservoirs. However, detections have spread quickly throughout the state since the golden mussel was first identified in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in October 2024, and the mussel’s presence has been reported near EBMUD’s vital infrastructure. The reopening plan requires inspection of all trailered vessels and a mandatory 30-day quarantine and banding before they will be allowed to launch at Camanche Reservoir South Shore in the Sierra foothills and San Pablo Reservoir in the East Bay. The plan also allows EBMUD the ability to close the launches if conditions change. Pardee Reservoir, which collects 90 percent of the drinking water supplied to EBMUD’s more than 1.4 million customers, will not reopen to recreational boats in 2026. EBMUD’s plan requires that boaters clean, drain and dry their vessels prior to inspection. At the inspection, a tamper-proof band will be attached to the boats that have been cleared for a 30-day quarantine. The plan also addresses unique customer demands and resources at each reservoir: Car-top: Vessels that cannot be banded, such as car-top boats, kayaks and canoes, will be inspected and cleared prior to launch at Camanche, San Pablo, Lafayette and Chabot reservoirs.
Boat rentals are available at the following reservoirs: Pardee (16), Camanche (30), San Pablo (53), Lafayette (40), and Chabot (75). EBMUD is working to create an appointment schedule for boat inspections and quarantines at Camanche Reservoir where demand is highest. Inspections and quarantines at San Pablo Reservoir will be on a first-come, first-served basis during regular boat launch hours. More plan details here. The golden mussel originated in Asia and was first detected in North America – in Stockton, Calif. – in late 2024. EBMUD closed its boat launches soon after to prevent golden mussel introduction to its reservoirs by boat, which is among the most likely ways mussels spread. The mussel presents a significant threat to the environment, ecosystems and infrastructure. They reproduce quickly, attach themselves to hard surfaces, clog pipes and pumps, and feed on plankton that fish rely on, disrupting the natural food chain. An invasive species risk analysis shows that the mussel would thrive in EBMUD waters due to favorable calcium levels and temperatures. The mussel has since spread throughout the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and to southern California. View the California Department of Fish and Wildlife detection map. Meanwhile, Lake Camanche continues to produce rainbow and lighting trout for anglers as trout plants continue. During the most recent plant, 1,000 pounds of trout went into the pond, 1,000 pounds at the South Shore Ramp and 1,000 pounds at the South Shore Ramp.

• EBMUD

Amazing 45.16 Lb. Bass Bag Caught During Best Bass Tournament!

LAKEPORT – Clear Lake definitely lived up to its reputation as the top producer of big limits of largemouth bass in the West – and the nation - during the inaugural “Golden Mussel Tournament” on Feb. 1, 2026. Chris Perez of Rocklin and Kent Simpson of crushed first place with a 45.16-pound bag during the event. Alec Pitts of Santa Rosa and Christian Burns of Petaluma weren’t far behind with 42.20 pounds that enabled them to secure second place Mason McAbee of Bakersfield and Mark Cobey of Woodland took third place with 37.95 pounds.
Big fish honors went to Chris Perez from Rocklin and Kent Simpson from Galt with a largemouth weighing 13.07 pounds.
Mason Mc Abee from Barkersfield and Mark Cobey from Woodland placed second in the “Big Fish” awards with a largemouth weighing 11.06 pounds.
Nathan Phillips from Kelseyville and David Burruss from Lakeport, the owner of Clear Lake Outdoors, took third place with a fish weighing 10.96 pounds The tournament drew 25 boats, with four teams weighing in limits exceeding 30 pounds. “The inaugural Golden Mussel event at Clear Lake, California, launching out of Konocti Vista Casino and hosted by Clear Lake Outdoors, delivered one of the most memorable days of fishing, Ever,” observed Randy Pringle of Best Bass Tournaments.. “We started seeing 30+ pound bags, which alone was impressive. Then a 42-pound bag hit the scales, and we thought that had to be the winning weight. But Clear Lake wasn’t done yet,” Pringle continued. “When Kent Simpson and Christopher E. Perez weighed in 45.16 pounds with a 13.07 big fish, it changed everything. It was unreal to watch, and we actually had trouble fitting all those fish into one bag on the scales, but our team made it work,” he stated. “In total, there were at least five double-digit bass weighed in, with big fish of 10.95, 11.06, and 13.07 officially recorded. We know there were at least 2 more fish over 10 pounds, and several others that were right there. Since we only weigh each team’s big fish, some of those giants never officially hit the scale,” he added. Pringle emphasized, “Perfect conditions. A wide-open lake and some of the biggest weights in the Country, that is why Clearlake is #1,” he stated. Equally important, he reported zero fish mortality, confirmed by the release boat, and 100% dog sniff compliance, according to Bob, Lake County Inspection Supervisor Pringle thanked the Clearlake Bassmasters and Lake County Inspectors for working with them to protect both the fish and the resource. Sponsors and partners for the event included: Clear Lake Outdoors, G-Ratt Baits, CMF Baits, OnWater Fish App, Deps, Gold Country BBQ, John Pearl Guide Service, iRod, and Konocti Vista Casino.

• Dan Bacher

Hot fishing in mild winter conditions

Tim Noxon of Fish Traveler Guide Service gave us this report: Eagle Lake fishing is hot right now. The beautiful fair weather that has been in place for over a month gives us mid-day temperatures of 50 degrees or higher. Low temperatures in the morning have been in the mid 20’s, which is very mild for this time of year. The lake level is up 13 and a half inches over last year, and has come up 4.2 inches this month alone! Fishermen don’t need to start early as the bite is on all day, sometimes better in the afternoon. Fly fishing from shore from the launch ramp down to Pikes Pt and off the jetty is really good with nymphs. Trolling flies produced over thirty fish recently for Robert Muller of Northstate Guide Service. Hot orange and “All Around Best” have been excellent. Hardware trollers are getting lots of fish on red/gold Thomas Bouyant, Excel and Needlefish spoons. Fish are biting all over the lake, in close to shore, trolling from the surface down to about 15 feet. Almost any tried and true bait will catch fish right now, including spoons, grubs, flies, and of course, nightcrawlers. The launch ramp is in great shape, but there is no dock in place. Eagle Lake is open for fishing through February 28, then closes until Memorial Day weekend. For more fishing information, contact Tim Noxon at 916-201-4648, www.fishtravelerguideservceeaglelake.com or Eagle Lake RV Park at 530-825-3133, www.eaglelakervpark.com

Fluctuating Flows Challenge Striper Enthusiasts

YUBA CITY – The Department of Water Resources (DWR) has been alternatively lowering and then raising water releases from Oroville Dam. The striped bass bite was just starting to heat up as fluctuating flows made fishing more difficult. Combined releases from Oroville Dam were 9,744 cfs at press time. “The fish anglers were catching were solid schoolies averaging 5 to 6 pounds,” said Bryan Willis at Johnson’s Bait and Tackle. “They used 8 inch Glide Blades to hook their fish. The top lure colors were bone, blush trout and cotton candy.” “DWR is conserving as much water as possible while continuing to meet federal guidelines for downstream flood protection,” according to the latest DWR Lake Oroville update. “Between Dec. 20, 2025 and Jan. 22, 2026 Lake Oroville rose 87 feet in elevation and gained approximately 1 million acre-feet of water thanks to a series of strong storms in December.” With ongoing fluctuations in river flows due to required flood control releases from Oroville Dam, DWR has suspended operations of the Feather River fish monitoring station. Operation of the monitoring weir is expected to resume in early March to coincide with the return of spring-run Chinook salmon. To see fish count data from previous years, visit CalFish.org.

Rainbow Trout Bite Sizzles for Trollers

FOLSOM – Trollers are catching big numbers of rainbow trout, along with some Chinook salmon, in the beautiful weather we have been seeing. Jerry Lampkin of TNG Motor Sports Guide Service reported superb trolling for rainbows on Folsom lately. His latest trip was on February 6 when he, his neighbor Steve, and Cal Kellogg of fishcalkellogg.com boated around 25 fish, all rainbows except for 2 king salmon in the 12 to 14 inch range and one 17 inch spotted bass. “We kept eight fish and released the rest,” said Lampkin. “We caught all of the fish in the top 25 feet of the water column. The rainbows were in the 16 to 17 inch range, along with some smaller fish. The fish hit toplined Rapalas in clown and tiger patterns. The fish also hit Trix spoons, pink Trix Worms and watermelon Trinidad Tackle Popped-Eyed lures.” “We started the day at Folsom Point,” he noted. “We then moved up into the North Fork. We caught several fish on nightcrawlers slow-trolled, but the rest of the fish were caught while trolling fast, 3 mph and over. Other trips I’ve made on the lake in the past two weeks also produced great action.” Tom Malley of Get the Net Guide Service reported solid rainbow trout action on guided trolling adventures on Folsom Lake. He noted that February is one of the best months on the reservoir for trout fishing before the summer crowds show up. His most recent fishing adventure produced four quality rainbows.. “Folsom is still fishing well for trout and even a few good sized salmon,” he stated. Folsom recently received a plant of 4,000 pounds of rainbows from a CDFW hatchery in the north state that have boosted fishing for both bank anglers and trollers, Malley noted. “The trout they put in Folsom at Browns Ravine are larger than the normal CDFW fish and also pretty cool looking – they’re heavily spotted,,” he observed. “I thought one of the trout was a brown until we got the fish in the boat.” Lonnie Weber also reported great success on his latest trip to Folsom on the Folsom Lake Fishing Report Facebook Page. “As Folsom Lake continues to put some nice rainbows on the hook, I invited Gary Forcier for a troll today,” Weber advised. “We got 18 rainbows to the boat and missed another ten. Wonder bread, Watermelon, Gold/Red and Frog pattern Speedy Shiners enticed them. All were safely released. 2.6-3.1 mph, top 20 ft and 75-150 ft back are the details. The fish are scattered. You have to put some time in to find them. Big Nate’s Guide Service chrome killer scent was used.” David Oien reported the “bass version of the Folsom slam” on his recent weekend trips, with smallmouth, spotted and largemouth bass reeled in. “We were getting bites in 15-30 on finesse swimbaits in the main lake,” he revealed. “We also used heavy tube jigs in 30-40 up the north fork.” Both the Browns Ravine-Hobie Cove and the Granite Bay Stage 1 boat ramps are open now. Motorized or trailered vessels are only able to launch at the above launches and must have completed the 30-day quarantine or have a green seal in place that is accepted at Folsom Lake. Please visit the Golden Mussel Prevention Program for more information. The lake level is 424 feet in elevation., 42 feet from maximum. The lake is holding 564,431 acre-feet of water, 58 percent of capacity and 125 percent of average.

• Dan Bacher

Black Bass Fishing Gets Tough

OROVILLE – Brad Willis and Mike Searcy of Johnson’s Bait and Tackle reported “tough “fishing” on a bass fishing adventure to Lake Oroville in early February. “We struggled to get fish,” Willis reported. “I caught and released four spotted bass, while he hooked and released 10 bass. We hooked the fish while fishing ripbaits parallel to the shoreline. The fish were all spots in the 1 to 2 lb. range. We used the M shad+2 swimbaits.”
On the latest trolling adventure at Oroville by Rob Reimers of Rustic Rob’s Guide Service, he reported “a mixed bag day.” “Brad’s cut plugs were not partial; they catch everything. We got kings, trout, and bass all on the same lure, the Christine Special in the KCP size,” he noted.
Lake Oroville is holding 2,800,593 acre feet of water, 82 percent of capacity and 135 percent of average. Releases out of Oroville Dam have were 9,744 cfs at press time. 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.

• Dan Bacher

Winter fishing is in its prime!

Cory Kellar of Blackbeard Worm Company gave us this report: Pyramid Lake is in its prime!! This is one of my personal favorite times to fish the lake. The trout are shallow and catching and releasing is easy. This is the main stretch till the Cutthroat spawn and the lake turns over in the spring. Shore fishing is epic! The folks fishing from ladders are crushing it. This is that time of the year that the locals get out to catch monsters and don’t talk about it much. So there is very little buzz on social media. Very few fishermen are talking about how good it really is. Sure we don’t get the big number of fish landed like in the fall jigging season. With that being said, forty plus fish days is very possible. What tops that is the larger twenty pound class of cutthroat are caught daily. Even better than that, the males have on their pre-spawn colors so catching that beautiful full colored buck is in the cards. For fly fishermen, this is the time of the year that the eleven foot switch rod earns its spot in your arsenal, and Indicator fishing is in its prime. The key is having enough leader to allow that bead head nymph or balanced leach to be as close to the bottom of the lake without touching as possible. That takes lots of trial and error and knowing the location you are fishing. Don’t be afraid to ask the folks around you how long of a leader is needed to get the correct drift. Having a good North or West wind to keep your indicator moving to help cover more water is helpful. The wind also makes for sore arms from casting all day. That’s why that two handed fly rod has gotten so popular and why fly companies have designed fly lines just for Pyramid. The Rio Chukar and Scientific Anglers integrated switch lines are a must. They are designed to help cut through the wind with a super heavy weight forward design to get the distance. They are even marked to take all the guess work out of how much line you need out to get a proper cast. It’s as simple as putting the twenty four inch marked area at the tip of the rod and then do a simple roll cast. If there is plenty of wind, the indicator will have all the action it needs. If not make sure your twitching the indicator every minute are so to give your flies a little movement. Conventional fisherman are throwing spoons, spinners, and soft plastics. Make sure you’re mixing up your retrieves. Stop reeling, let your lure flutter down and then reel again. You’ll be surprised how many more bites you’ll get when you re-engage the retrieve. Boaters are using winter trout tactics with long lines and side-planers are the go to methods fishing the surface. Make sure to vary your speeds so s-turns and zigzagging should become second nature. We have found 2.5mph-3.2mph to be the best speeds. As for lure selection all the corner stone lures are producing at any given time. Yakima bait company’s Flatfish in a u-20 size and Mag Lips in 3.5”. Spoons , spinners, Apexes, and Lyman plugs in 3” have been doing well. The last time I was out red dot frog and bleeding frog colors out produced everything else. On the sunny days silver and blues and silver and black lures did great. On the over cast days brass and gold lures as well as tui chub patterns hit the water. Make sure you are rotating through different lures each day to figure out what the Trout want that day. Then start rotating through colors after that. You’ll be amazed just by doing a little extra work how dialed in you can get. It’s the difference of “yeah we got a few trout” and “man we put forty fish over the rail including a pig over twenty pounds”. I’ve truly never fished a lake that every day is different and colors can change hourly. These Lahontan Cutthroat and be super picky eaters at times. So having a well-supplied tackle box in my opinion is the key to success.