Los Vaqueros Reservoir
Contra Costa County Bass, Trout, Crappie, Catfish, Salmon
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What's Biting - 1 day ago
Catfish
Excellent
Trout
Good
Striped Bass
Good

Los Vaqueros Reservoir Fishing Overview

Water Description

Los Vaqueros Reservoir, located just outside the metropolitan Bay Area, is a relatively new reservoir created in 1998 aimed at supplying drinking water to Northern California. Despite its urban proximity, the reservoir offers a slice of the wild. Visitors can often spot diverse wildlife, from deer and wild boar to soaring eagles and hawks. Los Vaqueros Reservoir boasts a noteworthy striped bass population, which is particularly active during the spring and summer months, with catches ranging from 5-10 pounds with an occasional 30-plus pound...

Los Vaqueros Reservoir, located just outside the metropolitan Bay Area, is a relatively new reservoir created in 1998 aimed at supplying drinking water to Northern California. Despite its urban proximity, the reservoir offers a slice of the wild. Visitors can often spot diverse wildlife, from deer and wild boar to soaring eagles and hawks.

Los Vaqueros Reservoir boasts a noteworthy striped bass population, which is particularly active during the spring and summer months, with catches ranging from 5-10 pounds with an occasional 30-plus pound giant. The many coves of Los Vaqueros, filled with submerged brush, are perfect hideouts not just for stripers but also a decent population of largemouth bass.

Beyond bass, the reservoir gets a healthy stocking of rainbow trout annually. During the colder months, both trolling and shoreline angling can yield solid results, with a few 10 pounders making headlines each year.

Given its role as a drinking water source, the reservoir operates under tight regulations to ensure the protection of the water and the surrounding environment. Only rental boats from the marina are allowed, with personal watercrafts being off-limits. Furthermore, the reservoir is only open during designated hours, which are updated regularly by the Contra Costa Water District.

Species:
Striped Bass, Rainbow Trout, Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Catfish, King Salmon, Kokanee Salmon
Stocked Date:
Catfish stocked 1 week ago - View Schedule
Trophy Fish:
  • Largemouth Bass: 12 lb (2008)
  • Striped Bass: 45.2 lb (2009)
  • Rainbow Trout: 16.42 lb (2015)
  • Chinook Salmon: 6.2 lb (2010)
  • Catfish: 30.31 lb (2011)
Boating / Access:
Boat rentals onsite only. No outside boats allowed, including non-motorized crafts.
Geography:
Max Depth: 170 ft
Surface Area: 1,400 acres
Surface Elevation: 524 ft
Excellent Catfish bite
Trout, Striped Bass, Catfish
76°F Clear

Vaqueros continues to receive catfish stockings monthly, with another going in last week. The dam area has been best. Obviously, late evening is always ideal for catfish, but guys are finding plenty of action midday. Anchovies, garlic shrimp, and mackerel are working well. Folks are still pulling trout out of the lake too, even though the last...

Vaqueros continues to receive catfish stockings monthly, with another going in last week. The dam area has been best. Obviously, late evening is always ideal for catfish, but guys are finding plenty of action midday. Anchovies, garlic shrimp, and mackerel are working well.

Folks are still pulling trout out of the lake too, even though the last stock was in May (albeit a big 3,000 lb stock). Still fairly surprising for late August. Powerbait is the go-to for shore guys, launched as far out as possible from the docks near the marina (also good reports coming from Cowboy Cove). Trollers are finding big holdovers working the 100 ft range.

Stripers have been pushing into the backs of coves (Peninsula Cove is reportedly fishing well), with trollers nailing them... but most fish are undersized schoolies with the occasional keeper. Shore anglers are finding a quality bite soaking sardines or working glide baits in the mornings.

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Excellent Trout bite
Trout, Striped Bass
55°F Slightly Stained

Los Vaqueros action is running on trout plants right now. Another 2,000 pounds went in in early Feb, and since then, the trout bite has been very good. Spoons and jigs are both producing, with pink, orange, yellow, and brown all getting bit. There isn’t a single must-have color… if you’re around fish and fishing clean, they’ll eat. PowerBait on a...

Los Vaqueros action is running on trout plants right now. Another 2,000 pounds went in in early Feb, and since then, the trout bite has been very good. Spoons and jigs are both producing, with pink, orange, yellow, and brown all getting bit. There isn’t a single must-have color… if you’re around fish and fishing clean, they’ll eat. PowerBait on a short leader off the bottom has also been pulling limits for shore anglers.

The plants are also firing up stripers shallow. The first week after a plant, stripers are sliding up looking for an easy meal. For lure guys willing to chuck and wind, bigger trout-profile swimbaits are connecting on a few quality fish. If you’re staying put, the marina dock is open, and cut anchovies continue to get the occasional cruising fish.

6 anglers found this report useful
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1000 lbs
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1000 lbs
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Los Vaqueros Reservoir Weather

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