NorCal Fishing BS

Bay Farm Bridge has some pilings they like. Dog walk the other night and they were jumping like mad. Only had an hour to fish the other night and got a shaker on live bait. Anyone with cut bait just gets stingrays

 

Good to know. Once they start running down here you should come down and we can go out to the delta and snag some keepers.

 

decided to make a trip down the coast made for 3 fish tacos!

 

So the day before yesterday I was casting an old hand me down bait caster. It ended up in the junk pile because it apparently would backlash fir no reason on the original owner. He gave it to me. I attached it (happy as a clam) to a new 7’ Dobyns. First cast.....it backlashed right at take off. Picked it out, second cast.....briiippp. Put it away and proceeded to get skunked with my other rod/reel combo. Sane model reel as #1.

I went and got respooled plus an old old Curado I had. I mumbled, “they should advance reel technology so we can’t backlash”.

the kid spoiling my line says, “follow me”.

o-oh. He hands me.a Curado DC! Holy crap. Talk about a siren song of temptation. /I went home due some research .....and now o have a new reel in my Dobyns. New Shimano SLX DC! The colors clash a bit, but faack...I’d cast a flesh colored rod with a tangerine reel if it worked.

in the front yard with a practice plug I can cast 20 yards further than with my regular bait caster. Against the wind.

troubke is. I bet I have a mental lapse and bird nest my Lews reel switching back and forth.

Casting while sitting low in a kayak has been a learning experience.

 

Hey. Any harmless tips (I wouldn’t ask for any honey-holes) for a rookie kayak voyage to lake Berryessa? (On paper) I like the non-motorized section between the islands and the west shore. I’m looking for my first smallie. Think that side is any good for fishing?

I’m not big water experienced yet in my kayak and would appreciate calmer waters.

 

yeah man the DC reels are tits!

 

@LTDSC might be able to help you out, I’ve only fished Berryessa once. I know he fishes it a good bit.

 

In the non motorized area. The small middle island is where I’ve caught the most fish. From the Spanish Flat entrance side it’s the small little bump right in the entrance.

Typically jerkbaits and about 20’ from the little island and all around it gets fish. Berryessa can be tough to catch anything but I’ve consistently pulled fish out of these two spots within that non motorized area. All on jerkbait.

 

That was above/beyond helpful! Thanks. I’m gonna add that lake into my rotation. Let me know if you wanna hit the make together. Beers are on me. (After).

 

Let me know if you catch anything. The waters warm and dropping fast so they seem to be going deeper but around that area is 15-20’. I typically circle that island a few times and always pull out some fish. Never pulled a tank out but consistently 2lbs

 

I will Sam. Thanks again.
I need to order a few jerkbaits. I’m so new to this I own virtually no lures. So far, I’m loving fishing plastics. That “tap tap tap” of a bass at the end of my line is addicting.

I’ll get some shad replicas I suppose.

 

I try to stick with Shad colors as well. They also seem to react to ones with red or orange spots on the belly. Gives them a target from what I’ve heard/read

 

Went back to blue lakes with the wife and dog yesterday. Didn’t really get to fish until I we got back to the bank, but managed to get one!

 

Great pic. Love the realistic image. You didn’t hold the fish at arms length. Ha

 

Yeah I only SOMETIMES do that. Haha.

Reminds me of a catfish trip a few years ago where we were playing with the cameras and trying to get some good shots.

Here’s a photo of a 12-13lb channel cat I hooked into (which is big, but in the photo it looks like a damn Amazonian beast haha):

 

My friend does it all the time he goes to great lengths to even hide his hands and fingers. Super funny.

 

Speaking of cheap rods from the other day, happened to pull my old Ugly Stik Lite rod out of the closet yesterday and thought of all the big catfish/carp/stripers I’ve caught with it over the last few years.

Found the rod at the bottom of an old family pond about 10 years ago, only to find out the previous owner’s kid had dropped the rod in the pond 5 or 6 years prior to me finding it.

Rod still works amazing and looks ok after all these years. Pretty crazy how durable those rods are for the money!

 

Finished that rod I was working on. Nothing fancy but I got it done!

 

Looks badass! How's the rod itself feel? Looks like a MH or Heavy action. Is it stiff or super sensitive?

 

It’s a 7’ MH Fast action. Gonna be like the perfect flipping and pitching rod.