Pelicans in FW?

Probably a stupid post so feel free to make a mockery of it

I went to Camanche lake for xmas and in the early morning when the sun rose I saw fish boiling out in the water, with cormorants diving in on them and I swear there were also Pelicans?  That stuck me as odd, as I only think of them being near the coast.  Do pelicans normally look for food sources inland? 

One of the days there I actually got to get out and near enough to cast at bait balls and tossed a 3" white swim bait but never got a hookup.  I'm guessing this is a school of shad and have heard that they migrate up creek channels in the winter to spawn?  What would you do to try and get a hookup in this case, toss spoons or small jigs?  What kind of fish would be chasing them, bass, trout, crappie?  Trying to understand what I was seeing there and how to better try and take advantage of it the next time it happens.

I've seen them at Folsom lake many times.

Yup, pelicans in freshwater are a thing. If I remember right Clearlake has a notably large population and they migrate there to spend the winters.

As for the fishing question if you are seeing Shad being chased it could be anything from bass to trout to panfish to even catfish! A 1/4 oz kastmaster is a good start or a 2.8 keitech fat on a 1/8 or 1/4 head. Just upgrade the stock hook on the kastmaster.

OK so wasn't far off using a keitech, wished I had a shad color on me but the extras were in the truck.  I had rigged up all my other rods for trolling and didn't have one ready to use with a spoon and it wasn't too long before everything settled down and I went back to trolling.  I was intrigued by a method Alan Fong posted about last year called the drop and drag, and am thinking that might have been a good time to try it.  Oh and I have a pack of a hundred owner siwashes to replace all my kastmasters with as soon as I get them 

Do pelicans normally look for food sources inland? 

I was at Del Valle in Dec during a trout plant. I witnessed a group of about 7-8 pelicans working together. They swam together on the surface in parallel, herding the lethargic trout to a corner by the boat dock, then they scooped up any trout within range. In a matter of 5 minutes, I saw them scooped at least 10 Lassen. The trout were in the 1-4 lb range. The cormorants were only able to swallow small trout. These pelicans have become a much bigger problem in the local lakes that have regular stocking of trout in my opinion.

I've seen them at Rancho Seco.

Of course where I was seeing the pelicans at Camanche is the south shore boat ramp, which they likely put the plants in as well.  That sucks if the adapted to feeding on planter fish...

Probably a stupid post so feel free to make a mockery of it

I went to Camanche lake for xmas and in the early morning when the sun rose I saw fish boiling out in the water, with cormorants diving in on them and I swear there were also Pelicans?  That stuck me as odd, as I only think of them being near the coast.  Do pelicans normally look for food sources inland? 

One of the days there I actually got to get out and near enough to cast at bait balls and tossed a 3" white swim bait but never got a hookup.  I'm guessing this is a school of shad and have heard that they migrate up creek channels in the winter to spawn?  What would you do to try and get a hookup in this case, toss spoons or small jigs?  What kind of fish would be chasing them, bass, trout, crappie?  Trying to understand what I was seeing there and how to better try and take advantage of it the next time it happens.

If you are targeting fish feeding in shad in any of the gold country lakes, try "matching the hatch" by rolling shad. The backs of coves and creek inlets are definitely the places to head if you are looking for this sort of thing. I used to get fresh shad at a baitshop on hwy 4 in Stockton, and have found them frozen at Dicks

There's loads of youtube videos on rolling shad. Here's a link to a wonky one I made 10 years back. I'm laughing at myself watching this...not exactly the same production quality as our more modern youtubers! 



Also there are substantial populations of pelicans at a few lakes I frequent (or had frequented in the past). Eagle lake and lake Almanor are included. I’m not sure if they stay year round, but would guess there’s some migration goin on

I see pelicans at all of the East Bay lakes. However, all the ones I see are white versus the grey coastal/bay ones. I can’t remember ever seeing white ones on the coast.

Yes, as stated earlier, White Pelicans are a common occurrence inland (they can be a downright nuisance at Stampede), Brown Pelicans are more strictly coastal. I once came across a dead White Pelican in the Delta that happened to be banded. The band was so worn I couldn't read the numbers. After acid etching it, I reported it and it had been banded 21 years earlier at Stillwater NWR in Nevada.

Yeah they were stark white for sure, not grey.  Interesting I had no idea they lived that long either!

there are kayakers solely paddling clearlake to birdwatch the huge groups of pelicans.  i was there once and there were hundreds of white pelicans.

i went by looking for Bass and asked, "what's everyone looking at?" 

There are many White Pelicans that inhabit the coastal sloughs in south Santa Cruz and north Monterey Counties. 
I see them frequently in Watsonville and Moss Landing feeding by dunking their open beaks in the water and closing them, squeezing the water out.  Perhaps filtering out the food stuffs? 
I just don't remember the season they are more prolific

Yes - white pelicans in fresh and the brown ones in salt generally. It even holds true for Lake Merced in SF. I've only ever seen white ones at the lake and .25 miles away at the beach I only ever see brown ones.

The flock at San Pablo reservoir is all white and many of them have growths on their beaks. They look pretty nasty and deformed.

Cheers,
Brad

The flock at San Pablo reservoir is all white and many of them have growths on their beaks. They look pretty nasty and deformed.

Cheers,
Brad

Are you referring to the "breeding horn"?

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_White_Pelican/id