Well boys and girls, it's that time of year again; the summer doldrums have stricken the freshwater fisheries, and in some kind of cruel recurring coincidence I'm finding myself drooling over the prospect of capturing a myriad of finned aquatic fauna. The summer in California can be a cruel mix of beautiful weather and poor fishing, so I like to take a more scientific approach in order to ensure more successful trips. As a result of my stubborn persistence and unrelenting obsession, I have a few questions for those of you with the experience to put my "book learnin's" to shame:

1) Does anyone know a good resource for thermocline data in the lowland reservoirs? Alternatively, is there any way I could estimate the depth of the thermocline with immediately available temperature data (e.g. surface temperatures or weather patterns) I would like to save some time putzing about in hopes of finding fish, only to find that my thumb has been planted firmly in my rectum. The lakes in close proximity to Sonoma are my primary target, namely Lake Sonoma, Lake Mendo, Lake Berryessa, etc.

2) Does anyone know of any freshwater fisheries that are consistently producing? I'm not terribly picky about the species, although I'm tired of catching sunfish, and have a preference for bass and salmonids (including trout).

3) Are there any generally good tactics you guys like to employ while fishing lowland lakes and reservoirs? How have you guys been beating the skunk during the summer?

Any and all input is greatly appreciated, and any advice on mini-downrigger trolling is most welcome, as that is my next method of focus. Thanks!

Just wanted to give you all a report, since I went to Phoenix Lake in Kentfield on Saturday.

The water was clear as usual, with a beautiful setting and relatively light fishing pressure for its proximity to civilization. Just don't bring your kayak, because it's not allowed, and you won't even need it anyway (the shore access is great).

Sight-fishing for bluegill with a bobber rig and live crickets from Petco was productive, and fishing a 6" Senko on a shaky-head along the weeds around drop offs produced a somewhat sizable and healthy bass, which I returned unharmed. I'll be heading back there in the next couple of days, and will be providing you guys with another report, if I'm lucky. Attached is a picture of the bass, which was caught around 4:30 pm.

Hey everybody, just felt like popping in and introducing myself. The name's Sully, and I'm just getting back into fishing after a 5 year military hiatus that made fishing impractical, if not impossible. After I got back, I geared up in hopes of reclaiming the honor lost by my ex's deleting the only picture I had of myself with an 8 pound steelhead when we broke up. I was poking around at different fishing opportunities for myself and my 12' aluminum boat, Ol' Burbank (named for the man that was lost at sea on it, in a quest for ling cod back in the '80's), and I found that portaging the old sucker was gonna be a real pain.

I hit some serious luck when I discovered that my mother had a 12' Hobie Mirage Outback fishing kayak sitting around her place with nobody to love it and fulfill its dreams. Hobie and I are now in love, but we're taking it slow.

I'm looking for more people to troll and bass fish Lake Sonoma with, and I'm set up for some serious mountain lake/river exploration, if anyone feels like having a yakkin' partner. I'm the kind of dude that likes to keep a positive mental attitude, and when my friends catch fish, I'm as happy as if the spoils were my own. I believe in preserving our  fisheries, and usually practice catch and release with careful fish handling, but will sometimes cave to the temptation of beer-battering a few trout.

I'm very excited to be here and learn from you guys, and thanks for reading!