Fished the middle of the lake yesterday morning (8/3/22). Walked the bank at Oak Shores while a buddy tried kayaking a bit ... new to the sport and he wanted to try some different craft - so I let him get his feet wet with my Hobie.

Managed to get a half dozen grabs on topwater between 8AM and 10AM, but what little action we had was limited to the mornings only. This is traditional Berryessa August fare ... so get on the water early and switch to conventional tackle as the heat builds (so you can get to the deeper water with more oxygen).

Blazing hot yesterday, temps built to about 102 and chased us off the lake with authority.

Was using a black 2/0 popper with furnace hackle and white legs. The bays have a lot of weeds on the surface and I would run the popper along this edge to wake things up. Saw plenty of fish early and nothing later, so they are getting into cover and out of thin oxygen as the heat builds.

Landed a smallmouth and unbuttoned a similar fish before retiring early

Get on the water early and bring plenty of fluids.

This was the first experience with my kayak where I saw myself a navigational hazard versus the traditional "predatory" angler.

The fog in the delta was so thick that visibility was about 35 yards, so wisdom won out over bravado and I stayed on the south side and fished the rock rip rap that lines that side of the area. A lot of parked trucks and the entrance road stuffed with bank fishermen suggests the fish are in the area, but the fog bank tempered my enthusiasm - and I stayed out of the traffic lanes.

I managed one 16" fish up near the launch area - and caught an enormous Pikeminnow further down on the same streamer. I was fishing the traditional "baitfish" colored 6" bucktail (white belly, peacock top, flashabou center), and added lead eyes and lots of flash to counter the off colored water.

Once again I figured the water color was the driving force in the result - as I only had about 15" of visibility on that side. Tules and weeds filter the water better, but I had neither on my side of the impoundment.

Fished two hours of the incoming and two hours of the outgoing, which yielded only the two grabs mentioned above. The fog is a real obstacle, so if you venture into it make sure you have your lights and whistles ready (or stay near the bank like us wimps!)

I keep reading of the saltwater exploits of the community and shake my head ... absolutely no way am I going to tempt fate by sticking my big toe in salt water.

... but then I think, sissy! Get your big boy pants on and get a little brine on them ...

Then I turn on the telly to have a bit of news to aid the digestion, and find out about the explosion in the Great White population off of California. There's damn few things that turn a fellow's knees to water, but something with teeth bigger'n yours is bound to be one of them.

https://phys.org/news/2021-05-great-white-shark-northern-california.html Apparently the conditions are ideal to support a larger population ... and I interpret that to mean my lilly white rear end in a plastic boat being part of that recipe.

Nope. Even all them halibut you're catching won't make me do it.

I remember reading a book on sharks and how researchers called the color of life preservers (the traditional orange kapok military stuff) Yum Yum Yellow. Apparently big sharks prefer that color to Puce or Mango ..

I was looking for something that might serve as a definitive guide for maintenance on a Hobie Drive ... Hopefully it would cover what to lube, what to check for wear, what adjustments to make over time, simple things that would increase the longevity of the beast ...

I checked the Hobie site and other than a few tips, came up empty. Does something akin to a maintenance manual exist? (or must I comb this and other sites to make mine own?) I did find the post on dismantling the 180 drive, but was also looking for simple information (or tips) like, "lube this every trip" versus "grease this only once per year" type info.

I had never tried fishing the opener at East Park ... Colusa County operated lake that opens in April and closes in October each year.

Caught some nice Crappie on a gray Wooly Bugger (#6) and caught bass on larger Brown Buggers, size 2. Lots of anglers on the bank, a few boats, and nine fishing kayaks. Most of the bass were caught on rip baits (that I witnessed) a few on Spinner baits.

Nice lake, no trash (although that may have changed due to all the opening day visitations)

Retired recently and treated myself to a Hobie Kayak as a means to make amends for all those years of nose-to-the-grindstone. Fly fishing junkie that specializes in fishless fishing at Berryessa, Indian Valley, East Park, the Sacramento Delta, and (on foot) chasing Shad in the American.

Looking for like minded types - with good sense of humor and low self esteem. No, I am not trying to find out your secret spots I'm thinking that my next of kin would be notified of where to drag for the body ...

Thanks in advance for enduring my questionable humor.