04-30-2013, 08:19 AM
Northern CA Freshwater Fishing Report
Bass Lake fishery is coming back to life
From WON.com
MERCED — Things are looking up for the Bass Lake fishery after the dam reconstruction that clouded the lake and pretty much wiped out the huge kokanee that lived there.
The lake is almost 70 percent full making the approximately 25,000 pounds of planted fish that now live there and the fishermen who fish for them smiling once again.
<IMG border=0 alt=mikeharoutunian align=middle src="http://www.wonews.com/images/image-manager/2013/jan/mikeharoutunian.jpg" width=450 />
MIKE HAROUTUNIAN OF Clovis hooked, landed and released this 9.2-pound spotted bass on 6-pound P-Line with a natural shad Senko in 6 feet of water at Bass Lake recently.
Bank fishermen have been using Power Bait and ‘crawlers and trollers have been going 1 to 2 colors deep with dodger/’crawler combos or dodger spinners with ’crawler catching 12 to 18-inch trout. Some anglers are going down to 30 feet trolling firetiger Rapalas catching some of the better fish.
Fishing guide Todd Wittwer of Kokanee.net Guide Service said “I have been catching 2nd-year-old kokanee at depths from 10 to 15 feet with pink Radical Glow Tubes behind a Rocky Mountain Tackle Dodger in Pink Ice, Pink Tiger, Mad Cow and Crush Glow.” While most of the kokanee are 9 to 10 inches long Wittwer has been boating a few 12 to 13 inch fish in the mix. These fast growing salmon should get fatter and longer as summer heat builds the algae that they feed on.
The spinner bait bite is there but it has not been as productive as tubes or hoochies said Wittwer, the only guide I know that fishes Bass Lake.
“The trout bite for trollers has been the best from the Sheriff’s Tower up away from the murky water near the dam said Merritt Gilbert at Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis.
Mike Haroutunian of Clovis was fishing with his partner Brant Bruke of Fresno when he hooked and landed and released a huge 9.2 pound spotted bass on 6-pound test P-Line with a natural shad Senko recently. He was fishing in 6 feet of water in the middle of the lake. Mike said there best 5 fish would of hit the scales at 21 pounds all caught on Senko’s and swimbaits.
Bass Lake fishery is coming back to life
From WON.com
MERCED — Things are looking up for the Bass Lake fishery after the dam reconstruction that clouded the lake and pretty much wiped out the huge kokanee that lived there.
The lake is almost 70 percent full making the approximately 25,000 pounds of planted fish that now live there and the fishermen who fish for them smiling once again.
<IMG border=0 alt=mikeharoutunian align=middle src="http://www.wonews.com/images/image-manager/2013/jan/mikeharoutunian.jpg" width=450 />
MIKE HAROUTUNIAN OF Clovis hooked, landed and released this 9.2-pound spotted bass on 6-pound P-Line with a natural shad Senko in 6 feet of water at Bass Lake recently.
Bank fishermen have been using Power Bait and ‘crawlers and trollers have been going 1 to 2 colors deep with dodger/’crawler combos or dodger spinners with ’crawler catching 12 to 18-inch trout. Some anglers are going down to 30 feet trolling firetiger Rapalas catching some of the better fish.
Fishing guide Todd Wittwer of Kokanee.net Guide Service said “I have been catching 2nd-year-old kokanee at depths from 10 to 15 feet with pink Radical Glow Tubes behind a Rocky Mountain Tackle Dodger in Pink Ice, Pink Tiger, Mad Cow and Crush Glow.” While most of the kokanee are 9 to 10 inches long Wittwer has been boating a few 12 to 13 inch fish in the mix. These fast growing salmon should get fatter and longer as summer heat builds the algae that they feed on.
The spinner bait bite is there but it has not been as productive as tubes or hoochies said Wittwer, the only guide I know that fishes Bass Lake.
“The trout bite for trollers has been the best from the Sheriff’s Tower up away from the murky water near the dam said Merritt Gilbert at Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis.
Mike Haroutunian of Clovis was fishing with his partner Brant Bruke of Fresno when he hooked and landed and released a huge 9.2 pound spotted bass on 6-pound test P-Line with a natural shad Senko recently. He was fishing in 6 feet of water in the middle of the lake. Mike said there best 5 fish would of hit the scales at 21 pounds all caught on Senko’s and swimbaits.
