Fishing Report (10/7/09)

VALLEY

• NEW MELONES RESERVOIR — Melanie Lewis said bank fishing at Melones is over and won't pick up again until mid-November. Trollers have been picking up rainbows on firetiger, red, frog, or other brightly-colored Needlefish, Excel or Rapalas, without dodgers or flashers at 40-60 feet in the main lake and upriver. Night fishing for trout under a submersible light has been great. Most catching limits of 2- to 3-pounders. Sink your light 20 feet and fish at 30-50 feet with a crawler or crawler/Power Bait combo. For browns, troll Rapala Countdowns or Trophy Sticks in rainbow trout or shad patterns, or roll shad, 50-60 feet (in the same areas, but closer to structures). Lots of small bass, but bigger fish are harder to find. Bass are chasing shad in the coves and out over deeper water — watch for the shad boils and you will find the bass. Good top-water bite at dawn and dusk; throw a Zara Spook, buzz bait or Pop-Rs. When the sun is up, throw shad-colored split-shot or drop-shot rigged 4-inch worms, rip-baits or Senkos. The red-eye bass and smaller spotted bass will take just about anything you throw near the shad boils. Catfishing is still good with lots to 9 pounds. Use anchovies, mackerel, sardines, chicken liver, or a ball of nightcrawlers. Using a sliding sinker weight, leave your bail open so the cats can pick the bait up and swim with it. Crappie are fair to slow. Night fishing under a light is best. Crappie can be found hanging out in submerged trees, about 10 to 30 feet. Bear Creek, Mormon Creek and Carson Creek are all good bets.

• TULLOCH RESERVOIR — Danny Layne said the bite is moving toward prime time. Target the south-shore ramp to the dam, areas east and west of Black Creek at 10 to 20 feet. Most productive set-ups are rolling shad using a Pro-Troll E-chip harness, Ex-Cel lures, Cripplures or Slim Fin lures. Due to water clarity you need to move your presentation at least 75 feet behind the boat. Call: 736-4333, Monte Smith 581-4734, Danny Layne 586 2383, Sierra Sport Fishing 599-2023.

• SAN LUIS RESERVOIR / O'NEILL FOREBAY — Ly Tu said the big lake has been very good for stripers to 34 inch on jumbo minnows by the trash racks. Colder water and surface boils of American and threadfin shad are enticing the stripers. Early action on topwater plugs and on Rattletraps have been productive. Forebay action has been moderate for fish to 20 inches on grass shrimp, with most anglers working the bridge. Lake level is dropping about six inches a day. Call — Ly's Fishing Goods (408) 629-9644; Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711.

• McSWAIN RESERVOIR — Diana Mello of A-1 bait said the fishing has been very good in the mornings for limits of nice rainbows. Flasher and crawler combos are good for trollers working above the brushpile, while both boaters and bank fishers have found that Kastmasters are effective. From shore, use light green colored baits with white mixed, in for the best results. Call: 378-2534

• McCLURE RESERVOIR — Diana Mello at A-1 Bait said the trout have gone deeper with anglers working at 60 feet near the dam for limits on Excels in shad or green shad colors. Night fishing under a light with minnows has been very good. For bass, Mello suggests Smelly Jelly Crawfish scent on live crawdads as something different. Manny Basi said the bass bite was good with the best sizes coming from topwater plugs like the Lucky Craft, Gunfish in a chartreuse shad color. He also touted a Reaction Innovation dropshot worm in Bad Shad green. Smaller bass are chasing shad schools, so you'll have to cull them for bigger fish. Catfishing is slow; crappie is very slow. Call: A-1 Bait 563-6505, Fishwrangler's Guide Service 604-8222, Bub Tosh 404-0053.