Quotable “They’ll average about 2 to 3 pounds.” — Guide Danny Layne on Tulloch Lake rainbows.In the Oct. 5, 2006 issueFISHING Smith River salmon * American River salmon * Kern River trout * Sacramento River salmon * Folsom Lake bass * Trinity Lake bass * Eagle Lake trout * Guide shares salmon tips * Tulloch Lake trout * Lake Casitas bass * Lake Jennings bass * Klamath River steelhead * SoCal bonito * Coyote Reservoir bass * Isabella Lake bass * Pine Flat Reservoir bassHUNTING Tule Lake, Lower Klamath waterfowlEVERYTIME Statewide Trends * Quotable * Editor’s Picks * Outdoor Lineup * Trophy Tale * Astro Tables * In the Bullseye * Photo Contest Winners * Where To Go on the Web * Where To Go * Outdoor Outlet * Gearing Up |
This Issue’s Featured Article |
Sabrina Fritz of Los Molinos holds a 30-inch striper, her biggest fish ever, caught Aug. 12 on the Sacramento River. Joe Fritz sent the photo. (Eagle Claw/Nitro Bait Photo Contest entry) Contest ID 8412CA Bass population grows at Coyote ReservoirSan Jose — Coyote Reservoir is known to harbor the largest bass in the greater Bay Area and for the most part, in the last few years, that’s all anglers have been able to catch there. However, this year, anglers have noticed an increase in the overall bass population. Several year classes of bass are now present.”Something happened there this year where the lake has gotten way better with numbers,” says Steve La Russa of Coyote Bait and Tackle in South San Jose (408-463-0711). “Guys are going out there catching a ton of fish lately. I don’t know why we are seeing the smaller fish now. There’s like wolf packs of fish that are three-quarters of a pound, and we never used to see those fish. We used to only catch fish that are 3 pounds and bigger.”How deep?: Normally this time of year anglers are targeting weed beds at Coyote. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been an option. “This year the weeds didn’t grow so you have a lot of fish in the 10- to 15-foot range. They aren’t up shallow like they used to be. I’d fish from the bank to 15 feet,” La Russa adds. “Use the biggest, meanest jig you’ve ever seen. They eat up crawdads out there. I’ve seen more giants come on 10-inch worms and jigs than anything else. Fish it slow around rocks and around the points.”Swimbaits should be effective too. “You want to target the areas around the dam with swimbaits. That’s what I do if I wanted to target a big fish,” La Russa adds.— Chris Shaffer |