Napa County Fishing Reports

Water temps are now locked into the 70s... and it's officially salmon season at Berryessa! Reports are coming in with guides pulling good numbers of Kokanee, kings, rainbows (and even crappie) while trolling the lake... especially around the Big and Small islands. Slow trolling has been key, between 1.2–1.5 mph. Pink Hoochies tipped with garlic or tuna soaked corn has been the hot ticket for salmon. Orange Speedy Shiners are doing well for rainbows as well. The key depth has been in the 25–40 ft range.

Bass action continues to be good. Plenty of big fish spotted cruising the shallows and holding in the backs of coves. Stealth fishing has been key... water is so clear fish are spooking quickly and staying tight-lipped. Make those long casts and stay quiet. Small swimbaits, poppers, and finesse stuff have been working best.

Hennessey is seeing some excellent bass action over the last few weeks. Water temps are sitting in the high 60s (70s in the east cove), although this recent cold weather could knock it down a few degrees. Purple soft plastics have been working extremely well... dropshots, Senkos, Texas-rigged creature baits, even jigs. Fish are right in the heart of spawn, so aim for shallow structure, backs of coves, or transition zones. Most fish are in the 1-2 pound range, but one angler noted pulling out a 10 pounder a few weeks ago on a big 8" Zoom worm.

Berryessa water is starting to clear again after the recent stretch of storms, and the king salmon bite should pick up where it left off before the wet weather... guides were pulling quick morning limits earlier this month. Surface temps are still in the low 50s, keeping bass mostly deep on soft plastics. The lower end of the lake is running a few degrees warmer, and with air temps pushing into the mid 60s this week, bigger fish should begin sliding shallow in preparation for prespawn. Crappie anglers continue to limit out over deep structure in 40 to 50 feet.