Sunday November 24, 2024 – The first major atmospheric river of the year swept through the Bay Area this week, and as in past years, I made an effort to hit the Forebay after the first big rain. Fortunately, today’s weather cooperated—flat water and sunny skies made for an ideal day on the water, even though the temperatures barely climbed above 60°F, and a winter chill lingered all day. Water temperatures were in the low 50s, with current flowing into the powerhouse and through Check 12.
Getting through the inspection was a breeze this time. It helps when the staff knows you, and I always make sure my boat is clean, dry, and ready. Storing it in my garage has its advantages—I doubt I would’ve passed if it had been sitting outside in the rain, as they’re strict about wet carpet or damp trailer bunks. Even a stray drip can mean failing inspection.
Once on the water, I noticed a big change—the shad that had been abundant near the launch a couple of weeks ago were completely gone. Maybe the Golden Mussels killed them. Not a single bird was working the water. It was clear from the start that it was going to be a tough day. Still, I had planned to fish while keeping an eye on the 49ers game.
Using the Livescope, I eventually located some large schools of fish near the Tire Pile in front of the water tower by Check 12. Normally, when there’s plenty of bait and warmer water, getting the fly within 10 feet of a fish is enough to trigger a reaction. You can see them speed up and chase the fly on the scope. But today, they were far less responsive, ignoring most casts unless the fly was practically in their face and barely moving. It required pinpoint accuracy to get their attention—what I like to call “video gaming” the fish.
Despite the challenge, I managed to land 10 fish, including three around 18 inches. When the water gets this cold, the stripers in the Forebay tend to shut down. It wasn’t a banner day for catching, but it was still a fun outing—though it was disappointing that the 49ers lost so badly.
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I keep having to remind myself that when it turns cold. Fishing goes from red hot to blue cold in a week. There sure were lots of fish on the sonar though. Just lockjawed. Here is a post from Len Beardan’s diary from 11/23/1991 nearly thirty three years ago to the day.
“Fished south island from 11:15 am to 5:15 pm with Mike McNutt. Al was there. Weather was hazy and clear. wind calm, temps in the 60’s, water clear and about 55 degrees. First session lasted until about 2:30. Took 6 fish 12-14 inches. Fished out to third buoy. Metered quit a few fish close to grass but they wouldn’t eat . Grass is breaking up quickly. From 3-5:15pm took 7 fish – 5 were 17-19 inches. Fish were out in 12 feet of water with an 18 count . Mike took 4 small fish. ”
Things haven’t changed that much in over 30 years at least on this day almost 33 years to the day with some really good fly fisherman working the Forebay. Len taught me that having a Fishing Buddy Side Finder was critical to his success. That was the livescope of the day. I still have that old unit which hasn’t worked in years. Vaughn gave me three non working ones as well.
Glad you’re still getting out, Meng. Having good sounders and knowing how to use them to full advantage sure makes a difference when the fish slow down and are not aggressively feeding. Having all that equipment back when there was a lot more fish didn’t matter as much as it does know with declining fish populations.
Dan Blanton