Lake Berryessa
Giant Kokanee Reward Deep Trollers
SACRAMENTO – The kokanee salmon, king salmon and rainbow trout fishing continues to be superb at Lake Berryessa even though it is late in the kokanee season.
Nate Kelsch of Big Nate’s Guide Service reported “amazing” kokanee, king salmon and rainbow trout fishing on his most recent trips to the reservoir.
“The kokanee range from 14 to 22 inches long,” he noted. “The largest kokanee caught this year so far weighed almost 4 pounds. The kings average 3 pounds each, with the largest one going 6 pounds. The trout range from 3 to 3-1/2 pounds.”
On one recent trip,, he reported that three anglers fishing with him caught 14 kokanee, I king salmon. and 1 bonus trout.. They caught the fish on Tpex lures and Uncle Larry’s spinners in dark colors at 50 to 100 feet deep in the main body. He has been reporting 10 to 20 fish per trip.
Then on the following trip, he reported even hotter fishing. “Today I had one of my favorite crews on the boat to kickoff trophy season for kokanee and they landed the biggest kokanee in years,” he reported. “We ended the day with a box full of fish and 6 kokanee between 18 and 22 inches and almost 4 pounds. I do a lot of different techniques to target these monsters and it’s not a numbers game, it’s a trip for the donkeys only.”
“I am looking to put my clients on their personal best and at any moment during our our trip you have the opportunity to catch s fish of a lifetime. Catch America Tpex lures behind 6 and 9 in offset Dodgers, and Chrome Killer Corn is what I use for these monsters. We fished down to 140 ft deep today at speeds between .5 and 1.5 mph.
Don Paganelli of Paganelli’s Bass Fishing Experience advised anglers about the fall bass bite happening soon on Lake Berryessa
“It’s getting to be that time of the year when the fall bite starts to come on . This can be some of the best bass fishing of the year. Bass start feeding pretty heavy as they get ready for the winter. The days start getting shorter and the water temps start to cool down,” said Paganelli.
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 more information, contact BOR-Berryessa@usbr.gov.
- Dan Bacher
