NORTH COAST RIVERS

ROGUE RIVER "Surprisingly, a fairly decent surge of springers made a showing in the river this past week, allowing for some decent catches, even 3 early morning fish for one pair of anglers. Flows were clearing, so the fish were moving from their lanes in 4 to 6 feet of water to deeper channels. The peak of the run is supposed to be over, so things should be tapering off now, according to WON Field Reporter Dave Pitts.

RUSSIAN RIVER "Everything was looking great for a shad run here, especially after the last big storm, but it just didn't pan out-.no shad!!! The number of fish that came in was way low, and anglers are getting 2 or 3 fish an evening, maybe 5 max, according to Nick Wheeler at Kings Sport and Tackle. Smallmouth bass bite is good, and even a 20-inch largemouth for one angler. Shad run usually peaks Memorial Day.

TRINITY/KLAMATH RIVERS

KLAMATH RIVER, Klamath Glen "The river was dropping and clearing back into shape, and a few fish were being caught off the anchor in the lower river on CV-7 spinners. Nothing red hot yet, but fishing should be rapidly improving by the week.

KLAMATH RIVER, Iron Gate "The salmon fly hatch has yet to begin, but trout fishing has been red hot anyway. In fact it's hard to imaging getting any better, with the very few anglers on the water catching two dozen trout and small steelhead or more an outing on just about everything--backtrolled Hot Shot,/worm combinations, plugs, drifted bait and flies.

TRINITY RIVER, Douglas City " Flows have dropped back to 2,000 cfs, and they should continue to drop. No reports of salmon yet, but the first ones should be showing at the Falls anytime now.

SIERRA LAKES & RIVERS

BOCA LAKE "The dam area has still been good for browns early in the morning, then it gets warm and the bite slows. Evening has a little bit of action, the a.m. is better. Throw small Rapalas, Panther Martins for the best success. Inlet has also been slow. Stay in the non-moving water, said Bryan Nylund of Mountain Hardware and Sports.

CAPLES LAKE "All the ice will be gone by the time you read this, and the lake is currently at 42 feet and expected to get to 57 feet, only 5 feet from full. Launching on the beach will be possible on the weekend, and rental boats will be available from Caples Lake Resort. Trout being planted on Friday by the DFG, then 9,000 pounds more in June, then even more.

CARSON RIVER, (East, West forks) "The East Fork is still way up and colored. It's tough fishing for those who don't work the edges. Anglers working the edges and side are doing fine, but you just can't fish the main flow. West fork is a little clearer and salmon eggs and 'crawlers are doing well.

DAVIS LAKE "Great trout bite but most of the fish are on the small side, and it takes a bunch of catch-and-release to wade through before you get a good limit, according to guide Rick Kennedy who fished the lake three days last week. Color was more important than the lure, and copper or copper and red were important. Trolling is far more productive than shore fishing, and while the island is good for numbers, bigger fish were found up near Eagle's Nest.

DONNER LAKE "Bankies are doing close to nothing here because the lake is on the "no plant" list, so it's not getting any rainbows. About the only game in town is for kokanee that are running big, 15 to 17 inches and down between 30 and 50 feet. Mackinaw are below them, down to 60 and 80 feet. No recent big fish, though.

GOLD LAKES BASIN "Roads are open and anglers are getting to all the lakes. It's been good fishing, but no details, as it varies from lake to lake and stream to stream. Plenty of good brookies up here in the small creeks, big Mackinaw in Gold Lake, and good overall action in Sardine and Packer lakes.

ICE HOUSE RESERVOIR "Still being effected by the full moon, according to Julie Seibert of the Ice House Resort, although some browns were caught off the bank. Trollers are just doing fair.

JACKSON MEADOWS "The road is now open and the launch ramp is usable, and some anglers are taking advantage of a great trout bite. Bryan Nylund at Mountain Hardware & Sports said the lake is full, and there's some nice limits of rainbows and browns coming out "fish 15 to 17 inches. Inflated nightcrawlers are good, or salmon eggs at the inlets, or troll minnow-imitating lures like Rapalas.

JENKINSON LAKE (Sly Park) "Bass bite is doing real well. Big fish was a 5-pound largemouth caught by Aaron Davis of Pollock Pines on a rubber worm in the narrows, and his son, Clayton, caught a 3 1/2-pound smallmouth. Trout are supposed to be planted this week.

PROSSER LAKE "Pretty slow action here, only a "couple fish here and there," according to Bryan Nylund of Mountain Hardware and Sports. Prosser Creek arm is a good bet, since there's almost always some fish in that area. The smallmouth down by the dam are getting real active as the water warms.

PYRAMID LAKE "The spawn is over here and things have picked up, as the trout are active and hungry, according to Pyramid lake Store. Fly guys are doing well in evenings and mornings at Pelican Point and Warrrior. Boats are finding success almost anywhere trolling 20 to 40 feet with Tor-p-does, Apex or FlatiFish. The cutthroats are running 6 to 12 pounds.

STAMPEDE RESERVOIR "Quick kokanee limits are available here at 30 to 35 feet, especially in Jay's Cove, according to guide Rick Kennedy of Tight Lines Guide Service who fished it last week. He said the macks and browns didn't show much activity, but that the kokanee of 12 to 14 inches came quick! Stocked this week,

TAHOE, LAKE "Mickey Daniels of Mickey's Big Mack Charters said fishing is pretty good. His clients caught "10 or 11 fish" on Sunday and lost 4 or 5. It's an early morning bite and starts shallow, then goes deeper, getting his bigger fish in shallower water early, before 6 a.m. 7 pounds was the biggest this past week.

TRUCKEE RIVER "Water is coming down and the temperature is going up. Fish the faster water. Stone flies and feather-tailed March browns are good still, or use PMD nymphs. For those using lures, it's a good time since the water temp is still cold and there can be big fish. Use a Needlefish or spinner, barbs bent down, and keep it in the fast water but stay near the bottom, according to Bryan Nylund of Mountain Valley Hardware and Sports. The regulation section is from Trout Creek to State Line, barbless only and the limit is 2 fish 15 inches or over, above Trout Creek is general regulations and a 5-fish limit.

UNION VALLEY RESERVOIR "They've opened the gate at Sunset Campgrounds at the eastern end of the lake finally, but no reports on the fishing yet.

SACRAMENTO VALLEY

AMERICAN RIVER "Shad fishing was excellent all the way to Rossmoor Bar, and should be all the way up to Sailor Bar any day. Spin fishermen are swinging curlytail grubs in pink and chartreuse using enough weight to keep the jig close to the bottom. Dead-drifting the jig under a bobber is good too, and hangs up less. A few stripers were showing, but fishing continued to be poor. Fly fishers need fast sinking shooting heads to get their shad flies down deep enough. . .

FEATHER RIVER, Outlet/Low Flow Section "A few salmon were being caught at the Outlet on spinners as part of a Department of Water Resources study of salmon movement habits, but volunteers for that program are no longer needed, and anyone targeting salmon can be cited. And the occasional steelhead was still being caught in the Low Flow Section on nightcrawlers.

FEATHER RIVER, Yuba City " The river has come down and cleared, but it is still quite cold, and anglers have been finding fair, not great striped bass fishing in the still-cold water. Jerry Lampkin of TNG Motorsports reports that the minnow bite below Shanghai Bend has returned, while the shad bite is "full on" since the storm. A very few larger stripers were reported from farther downriver. Shad fishing was pretty good below the rapids.

FOLSOM LAKE "Bass fishing continued to be good, but except for an early reaction bite, the best action continued to be on plastics. Carolina-rigged Robo-Worms in Aaron's Magic and morning dawn was one of the better methods for catching numbers. Fishing with swimbaits was slower, but gave a better chance of hooking a lunker.

SACRAMENTO RIVER, Sacramento "The water dropped and cleared, and the striper bite turned back on for both bait fishermen and trollers. A 31 pounder was caught at Miller Park, and a nice sturgeon was caught by the I-Street Bridge. Shad fishing turned back on, too. All, in all, a pretty good fishing week.

SACRAMENTO RIVER, Colusa "The river cleared and dropped, but striper fishing continued to be somewhat slow. The best action was down by Grimes, on minnows. Move around!
SACRAMENTO RIVER, Redding "The river cleared but was still high, and boats were banned from going under the Cypress St. Bridge again. Trout fishing was excellent, especially on Glo-Bugs, and 20 to 30-fish days were common. Check flows at (530-246-7594).
YUBA RIVER "The river dropped but was still somewhat high. There wasn't the number of shad or striped bass to go up the river that folks had hoped when the Feather River was high, so fishing was slow.

NORTH COAST LAKES

CLEAR LAKE " Waters here warmed up and bass were acclimating and sluggish. With plenty of fishing pressure, bedding bass were in a defensive strike mode trying to protect their space. The deeper docks also produced fish with Senkos, drop-shot worms, and tubes. Based on water clarity, watermelon varieties were a good choice to start with. Watermelon candy is a good example. Catfish were targeted in the south end with cut baits and minnows, while a few spread out crappie down there were taking medium minnows and medium crappie jigs under a bobber.

LAKE BERRYESSA "Kokes up to 19 inches were netted from the river channel, where the water is colder and the fish are 40 to 58 feet down. A 3/0 Sep's chrome Starlight and 3/0 watermelon dodger pulling a Radical Glow Tube in red, chartreuse, and pink colors or Uncle Larry's spinners in a Red Tiger color caught early koke limits, a few trout and even a salmon. Bass were excepting topwater tackle such as 5-inch hollow belly swimbaits slowly rolled through the weeds on the east side of the main body. They were averaging 2 1/2 pound with a few larger ones going to 5 pounds.

INDIAN VALLEY RESERVOIR " If you have a small car top boat or a float tube, you can access the largemouth, smallmouth bass, as well as the catfish near the dam. No one is targeting kokes here this year, as the water level is very low.

LAKE PILLSBURY "Needlefish, Apex's, Kastmasters, and worms trolled in the top 20 feet found recently planted trout as well as a few larger holdover's. Bass are also in the shallows here; try some topwater tackle for them.

LAKE SONOMA " A good bass bite was found up in the arms on spooks and Senkos under trees. Back in the upper arms is where the better bass bite has been. No word on the land-locked steelies but you can bet that the "usual" Needlefish, Apex's, Kastmasters, and worms trolled in the top 20 feet found some by the dam.

UPPER BLUE LAKE "Trout fishing has been excellent with Power Baits, worms, and Kastmasters all good choices here. The three Big Bad 'Bow tagged trout are still in the system. Also in the news here, DFG will soon be able to stock here again as well since no red-legged frogs or hardhead minnows were found in recent DFG surveys.

NORTH SALTWATER

BERKELEY "Still no live anchovies available. Still the potluck boats persisted with some decent scores caught while the anglers on board used frozen anchovies on the Berkeley Flats to Alameda. Fish to 18 pounds caught on the Happy Hooker, which had over one around on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The New Easy Rider had a great day on Friday, finding 19 halibut for eight anglers and the Cal Dawn scored on Sunday with 8 anglers catching 24 halibut and two stripers.

BODEGA BAY " Very quiet still, with only shore action on surfperch and some shore rockfish action north of town. Rockfish season opens in June, and should bring some life back to the landing.

EMERYVILLE "Up and down scores on the potluck boats, which are using frozen anchovies to find up to two fish per rod. The bite was hot down in South Bay earlier in the week, off the Alameda Rockwall, then moved north as the tides slowed. Weekend scores fluctuated the most, but some highlights included a day on the Captain Hook that produced a real variety catch including 9 halibut, five striped bass and a 23-pound sturgeon.

EUREKA "Opening day of rockfish and lingcod fishing was a little bumpy, and most chose not to run down to Cape Mendocino, instead waiting for a calmer ocean, which happened on Sunday. That was a little too late to make this paper. A couple more 30-pound class Pacific halibut were caught straight out, but no other details were available.

FORT BRAGG "Bottomfishing opened for boaters on May 15, and while that day was a little bumpy, the ocean improved through the weekend, offering some opportunities on the local reefs. Top spot for Captain Jason Rosetto was up at Westport, where his anglers scored 3/4 limits on Friday, but the good news was the 15 lingcod to 16 pounds that put some weight in the sacks. "We had a good grade with lots of vermilion and copper rockfish," said Rosetto. Hot depth was between 70 and 80 feet. Saturday's trip also scored, with limits of rockfish and 12 lings.

HALF MOON BAY "Sherry Ingles of Half Moon Bay Sportfishing and Tackle reported the first bottomfishing trips of the year on the Queen Of Hearts, those trips heading south to the open waters below Pigeon Point. On Saturday, Captain Bob Ingles reported he had 25 anglers who caught 131 rockfish, two lingcod and two cabezon,

LOCH LOMOND "Captain Gordon Hough on the Morning Star reported the first three potluck trips of the year, sometimes called live bait potluck trips when there is live bait available. While his anglers did have a few live shiner perch available, they also used frozen anchovies to find halibut at Brooks Island, Southampton Shoals, and the Richmond Rockwall.

POINT SAN PABLO "Captain Frank Miller on the Fury reported surprisingly good action on halibut while his anglers used frozen anchovies fishing Red Rock and Paradise on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's group of five anglers caught eight halibut to 10 pounds, while Sunday's six anglers caught 9 halibut to 8 pounds. He said part of the trick is using the standard live bait rig with a treble trailer to catch the short strikers.

SHELTER COVE "Weather was questionable on the bottomfishing opener on May 15, but the ocean was laying down fast through the weekend. Top bets are local spots at the Hat and up the coast towards Punta Gorda. No reports of any possible charter trips by deadline.

SUISUN BAY "Captain Kevin Yost on Lucky Strike Too reported some good sturgeon fishing with a couple of huge oversized fish, one measuring 89 inches, the other 72 inches.

NORTHEASTERN AREA

LAKE ALMANOR " Go for a "reaction bite" for trout, as there's no use competing with the hatches. Try Speedy Shiners or Rapalas in gold, red, and black colors. If you're under clear and bright skies, try a minicrawler on a No. 8 hook. The east and west shores are still the best areas to target rainbows, brown trout, and salmon. A better moon phase and cooler temperatures this coming week should determine how long the surface bite will hold. Practice catch and release in the shallows for pre-spawning smallies if you can. The topwater bite should be good here.

BATTLE CREEK RESERVOIR--This lake is now open for action! No reports yet but fish are hungry and waiting. PG&E plowed what remained of the snowdrifts so access to the dam and campground areas is available. Bait fishermen using worms and Power Bait should be able to pick up cruising fish. Lures will also work well in this lake so try some casting and work the shoreline. Fly fishermen should see some topwater action as the weather has warmed considerably. That being said, the season is young and wet flies should entice more fish this time of year. Try buggers, prince nymphs, copper Johns etc. The water is very high and fish are cruising the shallows.

BAUM LAKE "PMD's, caddis, callibaetis are on the water, with pheasant tails doing best for nymph fishermen. Lure fishermen still preferred Kastmasters and Panther Martins for best results, while nightcrawlers and Power Baits are the bait fishermen's choice. Lots of fish being caught, but no huge fish are showing currently.

BRITTON LAKE " Crappie bite is starting up and should really take off this week with the warm temperatures also on the rise. Smallies are spawning, so look for some good action from them too.

BUCKS LAKE "Anglers are targeting the Mackinaw here by starting on the east side of the Mill Creek channel behind Rainbow Point and trolling lures such as Pro-Troll Stingfish, and flies like a Tandem Trolling Fly from Arctic Fox in Kokanee color, with a healthy dose of Pro-Cure's Rainbow Trout Sauce. Largest one went to 17 pounds.

BURNEY CREEK " Above the falls has been quite productive with lures and nightcrawlers but there have been no report from below the falls.

CASSEL FOREBAY " Fishing in the canal above Power House No. 1 is picking up. Eggs or worms have been working best but throwing a spinner or spoon should entice some nice rainbows as well. Most fish being take are in the 1- to 2-pound class. The action here seems best in the mornings for the bait fisherman. Fly fishing is picking up as the days have turned hot and hatches are starting to show. Nymphing has been productive but topwater action is also getting better. PMD's, callibaetis, and mahogany duns are producing.

FALL RIVER WILD TROUT AREA " Fishing reports have been good with PMD's, and caddis for dries, wooly buggers, and zugs for nymphs.

HAT CREEK WILD TROUT AREA "The riffles are best fished with pt's, birdsnest, and hare's ear. Some green drakes and salmon fly patterns are also picking up a few fish. Also look for PMD's, caddis, and callibaetis with the warmer temperatures.

UPPER HAT CREEK "Fishing pressure is still light and water depth and clarity have improved although the water is still running a little high and fast for the typical Memorial Day Weekend. Worms were the preferred bait this past week, but as is common for this stream, salmon eggs and Panther Martins or other flashy spinners still catch a lot of fish. Fish and Game typically plants two to three times for the holiday weekend with one large plant of huge brooder brookies or rainbows in the 3- to 6-pound class. With high water the fishing will be a little tough. Use more weight as needed to get your presentation deeper as most fish are near the bottom. Fly fishing on the upper creek is still slow this time of year but the bite is picking up. Last week stonefly nymphs were the way to go and should continue to entice fish for weeks to come. Mosquitoes are out so this may be a good bet for topwater action as well.

IRON CANYON RESERVOIR--Latest report showed fish were biting well but the water was quite low.

LEWISTON LAKE "Fish early and late when the sun is off the water. Trolling and shore anglers are finding limits. Leaches are working well in front of the marina, by the island, as well as down across from the 10 mph sign. The hot setup right now for the trollers has been a Sep's flasher below a sliding sinker with about 2 feet of leader and a Cripplure or a Red Dog. Wedding rings and Needlefish have also been working quite well.

MANZANITA LAKE "This water is now open and fishable. Not too many reports as yet but nymphing with very small presentations in size 18 to 22 typically induces more strikes. Topwater action has still been slow but that could change anytime now. Work the drop offs near weed beds and pebble beaches or inlets and keep your fly selection smaller. This time of year prince nymphs as well as PMD's or callibaetis nymphs will pick up fish. Remember to heed the special fishing restrictions for this lake.

PIT RIVER " Fishing once again remained good with nymph fishermen doing best however, watch for some caddis or salmon flies on the river throughout the day and evenings.

LAKE SHASTA "The Pitt arm and Dry Creek were good areas for limits of trout. Mid-sized Rapalas in blue and UV Glow Hum Dingers trailing an Apex in watermelon color were trolled from the surface down to 25 feet. From the shallows out to 15 feet is where to look for bass. Throw dart-headed worms or try surface lures to start the day like Pop-R's. Then it's on to jerk baits, rip baits, and crankbaits after that.

WHISKEYTOWN RESERVOIR "The koke bite picked up a bit with the surface temperature up one degree warmer than last week to 57 degrees. Most of the fish were being caught on the south side of the 299 Bridge with a good number of schools starting to show there. Surface fish were toplined at 6 feet using the new Shasta Tackle PPK spinner hoochie in orange/white behind a UV Sling Blade. With the weather warming up the bite should get better as well.

NORTHERN FOOTHILLS

AMERICAN RIVER "The North Fork is high above the North Fork dam. Lots of people are visiting the confluence of the North Fork and Middle Fork below Hwy. 49. Anglers hiking down into the Middle Fork at Rocky Chuck are catching rainbows from 19 to 20 inches and browns running 22 to 23 inches. The browns are full of baby rainbows. The South Fork below Kyburz is high and cold; visitors should use extreme caution near the water. The flows in the South Fork below Chili Bar are controlled by the dam. Remember that the American River will not be planted by the DFG this season.

BULLARDS BAR "Water level is at 97-percent capacity. Lake is loaded with debris and boaters are having a very tough time navigating the lake. Consequently, fishing has been difficult for trollers because the debris is fouling the fishing gear and the motors. There are some big bass showing around the marina docks if boating is too much of a hassle. Shore anglers should have an easier time fishing for small bass and trout. The lake will be planted by the DFG this week.

CAMP FAR WEST "Bass fishing is still going strong with lots of fish coming in on worms and jigs. There should be pretty good reaction bite, too. Watch out for all the hot boats on the lake over the holiday weekend.

COLLINS LAKE "Water level is only 11 feet from full. Shore anglers are doing better earlier in the day before the temperature gets too warm, driving the fish into deeper water. The dam and swim area have been producing rainbows up to 7 1/2 pounds on Power Bait. Trollers have been using Rapalas, Kastmasters, Needlefish, Speedy Shiners, TripleTeasers, and nightcrawlers to pick up big stringers of rainbows from 5 to 8 1/4 pounds at 20 feet near the dam, the eastside, bay, and the power lines. Catfish up to 6 1/2 pounds are starting to show up more frequently for anglers using anchovies, chicken livers, and sardines. A few crappie are hitting for those targeting the tasty panfish with mini jigs and minnows. Two lucky anglers caught trout with $100 tags on them this past week and there are still a lot of tagged fish left in the lake.

ENGLEBRIGHT RESERVOIR "Water is still murky from runoff and fishing has been a little slow. Trollers have been having a tough time, but bait drifters running up to the confluence of the rivers are catching some rainbows running 10 to 14 inches on worms and Power Bait. The majority of the bass have spawned and the males are still on the beds guarding the fry. Bluegill are starting to spawn and should provide lots of action for the kids on worms.

FRENCH MEADOWS RESERVOIR "The Foresthill Ranger Station reports that the roads are open and that anglers are fishing the lake. The DFG is scheduling trout plants in the near future. Ranger Stations will be open 7 days per week starting Memorial Day weekend.

FULLER LAKE "The lake is accessible and was planted by the DFG last week. There were no current reports available, but since the lake is still being planted it will have good fishing compared to a number of the larger lakes in the area that aren't.

HELL HOLE RESERVOIR "The Georgetown Ranger Station reports that the access roads are open and anglers have been visiting the lake. The DFG is scheduling plants in the near future.

LAKE OROVILLE "The big news here last week was the FLW Stren Series tournament which was won by local boy, Dave Rush of Palermo with 29 pounds 8 ounces for three days. The big fish for the event was 5 pounds 11 ounces. Bass action was very good with reports of 50 to 60 fish days on drop-shot worms, Senkos, and reaction baits. As with most lakes where spotted bass are predominant, limits were common and very close in weight with only 6 ounces separating the Top 3.

ROLLINS LAKE "The lake is full and all facilities are open daily at Long Ravine Campgrounds. Trollers are going deeper as the surface temp warms up, but trout action is only fair without any DFG plants. Some bass are already on a post-spawn pattern, so back off and slow down your presentation with worms and jigs. Catfish are starting to show up on anchovies, chicken livers, and hot dogs.

SCOTT'S FLAT LAKE "The lake is full and clear. Fishing for trout has been tough for most anglers most likely due to the lack of plants by the DFG. NID is planning on looking into private planting and pen-rearing programs for the future. Smallmouth bass are hitting white grubs along the shallows, and weigh up to 3 pounds. Some catfish up to 2 pounds are hitting worms, chicken livers, and hot dog chunks.

SUGAR PINE RESERVOIR "All access and facilities are open to anglers fishing the lake but the success rate is low due to the lack of plants by the DFG.

STUMPY MEADOWS RESERVOIR "Access is open and there are reports of anglers doing fair for nice holdover trout trolling dodgers and worms across from the launch ramp.

THERMOLITO AFTERBAY "When the water is up in the tules, the bass are up on the bank. Some guys from Paradise hit the lake this past Wednesday and caught a bunch of fish on Senkos and spinnerbaits. The bite is all about the water level which tends to fluctuate often with all the water releases.