January 5, 2025
January has always been a challenging time of year for me on the lake and forebay. The lively blitzes and the big schools of bait are long gone. The fish have moved deeper, leaving the shallows empty and lifeless. It seems like the only ones catching fish now are the trollers, consistently working below 50 feet this time of year.

It’s been a month since I last had a lucky day, finding fish around 40 feet that were feeding near the racks. Today’s weather was perfect, though the solunar forecast was only average. The single minor peak occurred at 11:30 AM, and whether by chance or instinct, I managed to catch my one and only striper during that window. The other peaks—at 5:30 PM, 4:52 AM, and 11:30 PM—were unfishable for me. Especially during this season, I try to align my time on the water with solunar peaks to increase my chances of finding active schools.

I made the usual rounds today: fishing Las Piedras, Portuguese Bay, the Bay of Pigs, the dam face on both sides of the racks, and exploring the racks in deeper water. Despite the effort, I couldn’t locate any large schools of fish, even in the deeper areas. The pumps weren’t running, despite the reservoir being up about 25 feet since last month.

This year, they are proposing  a new color-coded re banding system for the region. San Luis Reservoir, O’Neill Forebay, and Los Banos Creek each have their own color. While helpful if you return to the same body of water, the bands don’t eliminate the need for re-inspection when switching locations as usual.

Still, I’m grateful to have caught one today. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to keep the passion alive.