Angling Report - Lake Berryessa - 09/29/21
Well, Interesting day. First time back on this lake in many years, and this time as a boater. I wasn't sure what to expect. I missed the early morning bite due to some equipment issues that I got straightened out on the water but it took a couple hours of boat surgery while the bass were busting bait all around me. I knew shad were on the move and decided to start just out of Markley cove on the first point ledge leading into a flat and small cove. This area was loaded with shad and other balls of bait and the bass were busting them everywhere. Topwater was not happening so I put it down in favor of a smaller profile 3/8oz white spinnerbait. I do suspect that topwater could have been game on if I had not missed that morning bite when the shad were probably pushed up even more shallow. The one and only bass I caught today was a largemouth that came off the edge of a shallow weed patch in about 5' of water. If you were to go out tomorrow I would say start with a variety of small topwater such as a Jackall riser, small walking bait, a frog and a fluke or even better yet a donkey rig. As the bite was leaving me I decided to move round and try to feel out the entire lake as lake Berryessa is big but not that big. I graphed balls of bait mostly less than 25' and the closer I got to the backs of any pockets the more there was. This is textbook fall fishing. It's just a matter of finding which pockets are the more productive as some were very stained while others had more visibility. Some had a lot of weeds, some had few. The most activity seemed to be taking place on the Western shore which to me seemed to have more grass and be more of a flat than a steep bank overall. Pretty much anywhere along the western shore had bait and grass. That pretty much sums it up. A pretty uneventful trip overall but I'll be back out again friday with everything functioning and should get on that morning bite.
- Tow Vehicle: Ford F-150 FX4
- Boat: BassCat Pantera Classic
- Motor: Mercury ProXs 200hp
- Trolling Motor: MinnKota Ultrex 80lb.
- Electronics: Humminbird Helix 12" x 2, Humminbird Mega 360, Hydrowave
- Rods: Quantum Smoke S3,
- Reels:Quantum Smoke S3 ,
- Line: 30 lb Cortland Master Braid - Moss Green – Cortland Line North America - 14lb. fluoro leader
- Lures used: Damiki Spinnerbait in White
- Pressure: no clue but it was post frontal conditions as the two previous days were only in the upper 70's
- Moon Phase: Waning Crescent 42.6%
- Weather: Sunny
- Air Temp: 57-82
- Water Temp: 71-73.5
- Water Clarity: 0-2'
- Areas targeted: Western shoreline, Shallow weedy flats and back of pockets. Steeper gravel, rock, mud banks didn't have much activity.