I am going to be in the San Jose CA area this weekend and would appreciate any recomendations for bass or bluegill fishing. Thanks Dave
Stevens Creek Reservior just got its first trout stocking of the season and is due for another on the 4th.
That means the bass in there should be hanging out around the launch ramp and dam waiting on that next meal to be delivered.
I’ve caught crappie there before but you have to get out on the water for that…
Calero can be fished from shore and I’ve caught bass there on spin equipment. I’ve seen plenty of fly fishers there too.
How far are you willing to go for fishing opportunities? There are some lakes within an hour or so’s drive that rent boats so you can get out the water if you want.
Lake Del Valle in Livermore has largemouth and striped bass…some smallies too I think. Bluegill are in the lake along with catfish and trout.
You could hit O’Neil Forebay for stripers also but you have to bring your own boat, tube, whatever.
You can get a list of county parks that allow fishing by pointing your browser to:
[url=http://parkhere.org/:c3243]http://parkhere.org/[/url:c3243]
Click on park activities, then water recreation, then look in the middle for a fishing link…scroll past the warnings not to eat the fish (mercury contamination from old mining activities), and you’ll see a list of local parks with links to them and to CA fishing reqs.
Where are you coming from an how long are you staying? Loch Lomond opens on the first (Tuesday) in the Santa Cruz mountains…nice scenery, a bit tricky to find, you can rent row boats or fish from the shore. Bass, trout, bluegill…
Ocean fishing is available also. Lots of charter boats.
You could fish the delta for stripers…
I think steelhead season in the Santa Cruz mountains ends at the end of Feb (check the reqs first!!!).
Some places require barbless, some places don’t care. Make sure you know the rules for where ever you’re at!
Let me know if you need more info/links. I can also point you at some local shops that can help you find what you’re after. San Jose Fly Shop, Mel Cottons, Reed’s, Fisherman’s Warehouse…any of them should be able to help set you up on local water.
If you have access to a Windows machine, try this page:
[url=http://www.dfg.ca.gov/fishing/html/FishingGuide/FishingGuide.html:f137b]http://www.dfg.ca.gov/fishing/html/FishingGuide/FishingGuide.html[/url:f137b]
The CA Fish & Game folks posted that interactive guide to fishing…
While you’re on their site, make sure you check out the license regulations:
[url=http://www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/fishing/sportfishingfees.html:f137b]http://www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/fishing/sportfishingfees.html[/url:f137b]
If you can’t find the '05 regs online, you can pick them up where you buy a license. Mel Cottons had plenty last weekend while I was there.
Look up the water you’re thinking of fishing on. Lots of rivers, etc have very specific rules.
If you’re interested in something “new”, the beaches are producing perch now. Info on that can be had here [url=http://www.fliesunlimited.com/:71e39]http://www.fliesunlimited.com/[/url:71e39]
among other places.
…lee s.
If you didn’t bring saltwater gear with you, drop by San Jose Fly Shop…they have/had rental gear available for pretty decent prices. You can find them online at:
[rul]http://www.sanjoseflyshop.com/
or by phone at:
408-377-3132 if you’re local
877-626-7621 if you haven’t left for San Jose already
They’re at 15569 Union Avenue in Los Gatos which is just off Hwy 85’s Union Avenue exit (Hwy 85 is really short and should be pretty easy to find on a map). That’s right along the southern, maybe southwestern, side of San Jose.
Thanks for the info. Going to try a couple. Will be a here acouple days and hour or two drive is not unreasonable. Thanks again
Dave
Dave,
You can find info on Del Valle and some other local places that rent boats for fishing by pointing your browser at:
[url=http://www.norcalfishing.com/:2d3e8]http://www.norcalfishing.com/[/url:2d3e8]
Lake Chabot is supposed to be good but I haven’t tried it yet. You can get the latest fishing reports for several area lakes from that site…the reports are updated weekly.
The Merced river is a 2 hour drive. I went steel heading there recently…not sure if the season is over yet. It’s not as good as the Trinty or Klamath but it’s a lot closer.
Guides are available on the Merced: [url=http://www.sierraflyfisher.com/:2d3e8]http://www.sierraflyfisher.com/[/url:2d3e8]
You’re also not far from Yosemite…not sure if it’s too cold to fish there this time of year.
This time of year, the rattlesnakes probably aren’t an issue at Calero or some of the other local spots…ask the Rangers when you get there.
If you go to Stevens Creek Reservior, make sure you park outside or make sure you pay the parking fee (find the machine). Parking is much cheaper than being ticketed.
There’s also a casting pond in Campbell (very close) maintained by a local fly fishing club (but open to the public). Google didn’t turn up a map for it, but there are some hits readily available. It’s near Hwy 17 where it meets Camden Avenue.
There are perc ponds near the casting ponds that were recently stocked with trout. Most folks fishing there are using spin gear but the occassional fly fisher shows up.
Float tubes are allowed if you have one with you. They’re pretty small ponds though…
Don’t know how far this is from S.J., but here’s a report today from Don Pedro Lake… [url=http://www.ncffb.org/~gmiller/ncffb/cgi-bin/ncffb2.cgi?noframes;read=294322:174fb]http://www.ncffb.org/~gmiller/ncffb/cgi-bin/ncffb2.cgi?noframes;read=294322[/url:174fb]
…lee s.
Don Pedro Lake is past Modesto so it’s about 120-130 miles away. If traffic cooperates, that’s probably 2.5 hours or so.
More info can be found at: [url=http://www.tid.org/donpedro/default.htm:0ff9f]http://www.tid.org/donpedro/default.htm[/url:0ff9f]
Another place to find some fishing info for CA in general is:
[url=http://www.fishsniffer.com/maps/:0ff9f]http://www.fishsniffer.com/maps/[/url:0ff9f]
Thanks Thwack and others. Spent a day at Calero and pick up a couple of bass and had a ball introducing my son to fly fishing. The lake is perfect for shore fishing and loks even better for tubes. Again I do appreciate all the info.
Dave
Thanks Thwack and others. Spent a day at Calero and pick up a couple of bass and had a ball introducing my son to fly fishing. The lake is perfect for shore fishing and loks even better for tubes. Again I do appreciate all the info.
Dave
Spike-2,
Glad to hear you were able to catch some local bass while out this way. I flew over Calero late last year in a small plane (Piper Lance). I took a couple shots from the air and the water level was pretty low…found a little island towards the back of that reservior that’s likely a good hiding spot for bass when the water’s at normal level. 
Next time you’re coming out, let me know in advance and I’ll send you a copy of the picture.
That lake has some good spots reachable by foot from the parking lot.
Just watch out during the hot days of summer…the rattlesnakes like to come out to play…gotta watch where you walk. That’s why I prefer getting out on the water there.
In warm weather, boaters churn up the water and some folks fish right along the edge of that trying to draw out the big fish that lurk in the murk to ambush stuff in the clear.