The Reel Life: Finding bait schools key at Berryessa; lake in offseason operation

Lakes and rivers

At Lake Berryessa, the bite for multiple species remains outstanding when the fish decide to feed. The action for Eagle Lake-strain trout remains solid from the surface to 80 feet with shad-patterned spoons. Catfish, bass, king salmon and trout are all feeding on the lake's shad, but boat traffic has been heavy in small areas of the lake. The key is finding the bait schools.

For bass, working Blade Runner spoons has been extremely effective at depths from 30 to 40 feet along with plastics on a drop-shot rig. There are several tournaments scheduled in October, including the two-day Best Bass Tournament of Champions this past weekend. California Inland Fishery Foundation's net pens have been installed, and they will be loaded with rainbows for next year. The lake has dropped slightly to 85%.

Fall is big fish time at Clear Lake. Even though a lake-record 37.4-pound catfish was caught and released last week, the big story is the two-day limit at 55.38 pounds by 20-year-old Chico State Bass team member Fisher Perkins — yes, Fisher Perkins, who was fishing solo to take the American Bass Association North Team Classic. Five two-day limits over 50 pounds were recorded.

A variety of techniques are helpful in picking up the larger fish, including ripbaits, jerkbaits, chatterbaits or square-billed crankbaits. While the launch ramps are in good shape, the lake has dropped to 2.19 feet on the Rumsey Scale.

Oceans and bays

Striped bass inside San Francisco Bay have been plentiful as party boats have been loading up with linesides within a short window. Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions out of San Francisco was near Angel Island one morning last week at 6:15 and by 6:40 the group had limited, allowing time to work the sand for a handful of halibut.

Halibut continue to come outside the Golden Gate on the North Bar or inside the bay around Southampton Shoal. Shark fishing remains outstanding, with plenty of leopards to go around for those willing to sit on anchor for them.

Lake Berryessa fall hours

The Bureau of Reclamation moved into offseason operation at Lake Berryessa, closing some facilities so it can perform necessary maintenance and allow for natural resource recovery.

All other Reclamation-operated locations at Lake Berryessa remain open year-round, with the exceptions and hours listed below:

• Oak Shores Day Use Area: The north end of Oak Shores will close for day use. South Oak Shore gates and restrooms will be open every day from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Smittle Creek and Eticuera day-use areas: Gates will open at sunrise and close at 5 p.m.

• The Smittle Creek Trail is open and can be accessed from the Smittle Creek Day Use Area. Parking lot gates will close by 5 p.m.

• Capell Cove Boat Launch will remain open from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m.

• The Dufer Point Visitor Center (5520 Knoxville Rd.) and gates accessing day-use areas will be closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Otherwise, the center is open from noon to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

• Oak Shores, Smittle, Eticurea and Capell are propane-only day-use areas; no charcoal is allowed.

Maps, information, and America the Beautiful and Lake Berryessa annual passes are available during operating hours. Visit the Lake Berryessa website at bit.ly/408MtvI for information on activities, fees, directions, pet restrictions, and other concerns.

Recreational crab season opens Nov. 2

The 2024-2025 recreational Dungeness crab season is scheduled to open Saturday, Nov. 2. For those using crab traps, make sure to have a recreational crab trap validation; this is not required when taking crabs via hoop nets or crab trap loops. The limit is 10 crabs that meet the minimum size of 53⁄4 inches.

To stay up to date on announcements regarding trap restrictions or other announcements regarding whale entanglement risk, please visit the Whale Safe Fisheries web page at bit.ly/3Ubx0ai and consider subscribing to receive updates from CDFW about Whale Safe Fisheries efforts.

AB 460

Governor Newsom has signed AB 460 into law. This bill, introduced by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan and co-sponsored by CalTrout, will help keep water in our rivers leading to healthier and more functional watersheds for all Californians.

What does the bill do exactly?

AB 460 empowers the State Water Resources Control Board to enforce their rules by raising fines when water is unlawfully diverted from rivers or streams. Previously, fines were so low that they could easily be ignored.

"This bill closes that loophole and makes the existing law stronger, and it's an important step in disincentivizing water theft," explained Analise Rivero, CalTrout Associate Director of Policy to LA Times.

Why does this bill matter?

We need adequate water flowing through our rivers to promote healthy, functioning watersheds. When a river does not have enough water in it, it cannot meet the needs of people that rely upon it (spoiler: we all rely on rivers). Similarly, native fish species cannot survive with no water to swim through. AB 460 will help keep water flowing through our rivers, meeting the needs of both fish and people.

Brent Randol can be reached at or 707-481-3319.