San Luis Reservoir and Oneill Forebay are my home waters. The pages beneath, chronicle my trips to these waters with photography and video over the last years. With the advent of GoPro Cameras and advances in video editing software, I’ve tried to capture the feel of fly fisihng these bodies of waters through the seasons having fished there since the 70’s. As many have pointed out, it seems the fishing was better years ago. As tribute to the great fishermen who loved this body of water who are now gone including my father–I say fish for the moment. There are links in this blog to Len Bearden’s 1991-92 fishing diaries giving me a reference to “the way it was” 25 years ago. Someday these blog post will also be considered the old days so till then – YOLO. I try to fish there weekly when work allows.
“…On some of those rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters.”
Wednesday December 4, 2024 The mission for the day was simple in theory: catch one keeper for dinner. But in reality? A gamble, a twisted roll of the dice. December fishing is a schizophrenic beast—either the jackpot of blitzing action or a cruel exercise in futility. Vaughn and his merry band of misfits had taken…
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…
It’s really frustrating that rebanding is no longer allowed, especially now that they’re inspecting boats as they leave. If the goal is to prevent mussel contamination in other bodies of water like the Forebay and the lake, inspecting boats on the way out doesn’t make much sense if. your not rebanding. I timed my inspection…
Monday Nov 4, 2024. – Is it too soon to start slinging Christmas cheer? Hell, it’s the day before the election. The stakes are high, my nerves are fried, and it’s all too surreal to face alone. So, I dialed up my favorite aging Republican fishing buddy, Don, an 86-year-old Stanford PhD in Electrical Engineering…
Friday November 1, 2024 – Someone told me the stripers were going wild in Portuguese Bay all day, so I thought I’d give it a shot on the Friday morning after Halloween. I headed out to the back of Portuguese Bay on San Luis Reservoir, hoping to hook a few big stripers blitzing on shad.…
My last fishing day in October was, as usual, very satisfying. October and November are prime months in the forebay, with large schools of shad moving through, drawing in aggressive stripers eager to chase flies. Today’s action was consistent—I found fish nearly everywhere I looked. Most were smaller, around 15-17 inches, but I did manage…
After a solid day on the lake Wednesday, I thought, “Why not press my luck again?” But this time, I took my game to the forebay, aiming for an earlier start. The plan was simple: hope the powerhouse current was flowing and let the October-November fish fiesta begin. With the shad population going wild and…
Monday October 21, 2024 – It was one of those days where the universe seemed hell-bent on screwing with me. Saturday had me in a sour mood, hunting for fish like some kind of desperate maniac and coming up empty-handed. The only glimmer of hope came in Portuguese Cove, where a brief blitz yielded…
October 19, 2024 Well, all good things must come to an end, and my October streak hit a brick wall today while fishing with Dan Blanton. The weather was absolutely perfect, and I was sure we were in for another great day on the water. After three successful days on the lake and Forebay, I…
After researching the pumping station I refer to as “the Powerhouse,” I hoped to find an online resource that would explain when the pumps are activated. It made me realize that, after all these years, I actually don’t know much about that specific pumping station. Does it really generate power, or is it simply a…
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder” September slipped through my fingers like a greased eel, a mad blur of missed opportunities and restless nights. One measly day of Striper fishing—that’s all I managed in the entire damn month. My dreams were haunted by visions of the lake and Forebay, those elusive, shimmering playgrounds of aquatic…
Monday October 15, 2024 – This year has definitely been the year of the crawdad. It seems like the minnows have taken a break at Big Lake, or they’ve been dodging my sonar for the past 10 months. I did see some fish activity today, though—it’s possible I spooked a school of shad near the…
Wednesday, October 2, 2024 Today, I had the pleasure of fishing with my good friend Steve. Steve is a retired San Jose police officer and Air Force veteran. He worked on F4 Phantom aircraft, much like my son-in-law Ryan does with transport planes. I’ve been waiting all year for a day like today. It’s been…
September 21, 2024: It’s been just over a week since I returned from Alaska, and the itch to cast a fly rod has come back strong. Today was the first calm day on the lake in a week, and by the time I backed the trailer down the Dinosaur Point ramp at 8:00 a.m., it…
After last week’s disappointing fishing trip on the forebay and hearing a great report from Brian about the lake, I was really looking forward to a successful day on the water. I set out a little early to fuel up the boat, but soon found myself stuck in standstill traffic on Highway 152 near San…
Tuesday August 6. 2024 – I’m not entirely sure what cosmic crime I committed to earn last week’s mess, but I’m feeling the desperate need for some kind of divine intervention. The world is spiraling into chaos, with a war escalating in the Middle East, and the stock market took a nosedive that felt like…
It’s been crazy hot these last couple of weeks at San Luis Reservoir. The heat has been so intense that even Dan Blanton canceled a trip due to concerns about heat stroke out on the lake. This prolonged hot weather has made it one of the longest heatwaves on record for the reservoir. Two weeks…
The air conditioners in the house crapped out just in time for the longest, hottest goddamn heat wave in the Bay Area’s recent memory. Instead of sitting in a tub of ice water with my wife all day like a couple of desperate lunatics, I decided to hit the lake again. At least there’d be…
Having missed my annual Dorado escapade in Mexico last week, I was itching to cast a line somewhere, anywhere, to satiate that primal urge. So, I set my sights on the Lake and Forebay, which had been getting hotter than a firecracker on the Fourth of July. The mercury was rising, and the wind was…
After more than five decades of fishing the forebay, my hopes were high for today to be unexpectedly good. Just two days ago, Frank had reported the best day on the forebay this year, with 10 solid catches and a screenshot of a school of large spawning stripers. That was all the motivation I needed…