Stevens Creek 5/23

Took it easy today and went for a walk at Stevens Creek Dam, With my trout pole of course. Realise I didn't have any bait or lures with me.So, I  went back to the car and found one pink 1/4 oz Daredevil buried in the corner of my trunk. the face of the dam was starting to fill up with anglers.08:00hr. I started to fish just a few yards in on the dam and started to cast. shortly after A few cast I started to hook-up.  Nice bright fish, all silver and healthy. Got the limit and went home biggest @ 14".
09:00hr.


 

ahh, sounds nice and relaxing! 

I went up there again today also, i got there around 2:30 or 3:00. I started trolling a rainbow kastmaster, and a green/yellow/orange pheobe. I went straight across the launch to the big cove and trolled all around there for my limit in about an hour. The hot lure was the pheobe.

I didn't have my Outback with me today but couldn't pass up Stvns Crk after reading the reports above.  Dropped by the picnic area after work.  Caught one very silver trout 10-12" on a gold kastmaster (one side was painted like a trout).  Several folks were fishing that general area.  Guy next to me was drowing earthworms and brought in 3 little crappies...said he was there the day before with his kids and caught a bunch of crappie on worms.
 
Another guy closer to the parking area (along the cove by the picnic area) had 3 or 4 crappie on a stringer. 
 
While we were fishing, heard something crash into the water.  Sounded like a big bass eating one of the ducks except there was no quacking (just a very big splash).
 
Thanks for the reports.  It got me of my butt and back at the water's edge.  Gotta load my Outback on the truck and try some other spots later this week.

That spalsh could have been a carp, I cornered a big one in the cove directly across the launch last Friday. I was all pumped that it was a big bass or trout then it rolled over and I saw the flash of gold... 

Carp are supposed to be good fighters.  Could be worth targeting it next time just for the play time.  Maybe next time I'll be lucky enough to see what's making the big splash...

my 2 most memorable carp experiences came from Stevens Creek:

1) I was bank fishing with a couple of friends at the picnic area during the "BK" period (BK - before kayak). I was fishing for blue gills with my ultra lite gear (4# test) with a slip float set-up right by some brush. I was using a whole night crawler and my buddies were laughing at me cause they were only using half a crawler and were making a killing. There was a school of bluegills "staring" at my night crawler and a few of 'em attempted to swallow it - but to no avail....a few minutes later, I noticed the bluegills were all gone....a few seconds later, my slip float went under and my reel was screaming. HULI KA!!! A BIG carp took fancy of my nightcrawler and simply swam away with it. Since it was later in the PM, I was battling the monster when the ranger finally came by to close down the picnic access....as soon as he announced the park closure with the loud speaker, my line snapped and I screamed my lungs off  Somehow, the ranger heard me and replied on the loud speaker "that must have been a big one"....

2) I was stream fishing below the dam (BK period) with a coach dog rooster tail for trout (catch and release) when a big carp took my offering HULI KA!!!. Managed to land it on 4# line and had my buddy take a picture of it. Sent the pic to NAFC (North American Fishing Club) - which I belonged to at the time - and got the pic published. Anyway, I took the still-alive-carp home to give my FAB (fellow-asian brother) roomate. I got home and filled the bathtub with water and left the carp in there - still very lively - and then I closed the shower curtain. I went to take a nap...only to be awakened by a scream only a Devil  could appreciate...apparently, my roomates girlfriend decided to take a shower...and met Mr. Carp 

Carp are supposed to be good fighters

Yes they are

I threw my lure in there but he didn't seem interested. It looked as big as the one Joel caught at the forebay. It would have been a blast on my 6lb setup for sure.

Mooch - thanks for the stories.  I was thinking I needed to go with a lighter line since I'm fishing probably 8# or 10# (for no good reason...it's simply a random line weight I answered when the guy selling me the real asked what to spool it up with. Maybe I'll just stay with it in case I luck into a carp out there.   
 
I went by the picnic area again after work today.  My spot from yesterday was occupied and the only 'clear' spot was right under the branches.  I donated yesterday's lure to the trees.     When the water level drops a bit, I can probably shake it out of the tree but I didn't feel like wading today.
 
A buddy of mine fishes Stvns Crk pretty often (lives near by).  He says the bass should be active but they don't like the deep end.  Gotta head up near the fire station where it shallows up to find the bass.
 
That means I gotta wake up early enough for work to have time to load my kayak instead of sleeping in like I did again today.  I was expecting crummy weather so didn't bother loading the Outback.  Man, that was stupid.
 
I saw a couple bugs, one mayfly, over the water.  About 6:20pm, the birds started swooping/skimming the surface in the middl between the boat ramp and the picnic area.  I couldn't tell what was hatching, maybe just midges?
 
The one fish I hooked came after I saw/heard something rise straight out from me so I started casting towards it.  Took a while but finally got the only hit of the evening.
 
It came loose on the retreive - I think I got too aggressive with it because it caught me off gaurd after tossing for a half hour with nothing.  All I saw was a nice silver flash rolling at the surface a couple times and it was gone.  Better than yesterday's but not huge.  No tail dancing while it was hooked so I doubt it was a bass.

I was using a silver kastmaster, one size smaller than yesterday, with a single red powerbait salmon egg on the treble hook.  Nobody around me was having any luck today so I figured I'd add the egg to try to tips the odds in my favor.

It's getting crowded out there.  If we really do hit 80 degrees this Friday, I can only imagine how crowded the banks will be with everybody pouring out to play.