Whiskeytown Report

Thanks for the report. I think I’m making the drive tomorrow. Probably get there 8 or 8:30.

My buddy and I were there today. Fished the bridge for nada.
Just could not get dialed in. We were on a boat though.

I made the 3+ hr drive up there hoping to get at least a couple, realizing the weather was warming. I launched and fished the far end. I had my Lynx so no DR. I used 2oz and 4 oz sliding sinkers, several different depths. Marked several scattered small schools. Couldn’t get a bite except maybe 1 short strike. They didn’t have corn at the marina so I tipped my pink hooches with bits of nightcrawler. Long drive home with an empty cooler sucked even with good traffic.

I made the 3+ hr drive up there hoping to get at least a couple, realizing the weather was warming. I launched and fished the far end. I had my Lynx so no DR. I used 2oz and 4 oz sliding sinkers, several different depths. Marked several scattered small schools. Couldn’t get a bite except maybe 1 short strike. They didn’t have corn at the marina so I tipped my pink hooches with bits of nightcrawler. Long drive home with an empty cooler sucked even with good traffic.

Dang, sorry if I’ve hyped up the bite report. Corn is always king, plain even outfishes worms or other baits with the exception of maggots. Berkeley gulp maggots can be a good replacement to keep in the bottom of the tackle box in case corn is forgotten; I’d probably forget the nightcrawlers. Sometimes other boaters can oblige, I’ve answered a few hails on freq 69 for corn. If you’re fishing the green bridge, the fish go deeper in that spot specifically because of all the boat traffic pushing them down. It’s another reason I find un-disturbed waters to find fish.
Another tip for out of town visitors is to bring an assortment of hoochies and other baits. Differing leader length is probably the biggest variable next to lure action, and then color most of the time.
If by the far end of the lake you mean by the dam or the curtains on the east end, the lower lake bite hasn’t been very productive for me so far this year. Most of the fish have been hanging between brandy, oak, and whiskey.

I launched and stayed in the Oak Bottom area. You did point out that the bite can be very specific, and I was missing at least 1 piece of the puzzle, without corn. I figured they would have it at the Marina, but they didn’t. The guide there recommended the night crawlers as a backup but also recommended the bridge area. Fished from 9-1 and it was sunny. I marked at least 5 small schools and crossed them 2-3 times each. There was only one other fishing boat working the area and I saw them get a couple hookups but not a lot of action. Kokanee can be frustrating, but I don’t think I’ve ever skunked at BB or Stampede.

Same Joe, SaltyTherapy proceeded to run a clinic while I got 2 bites at lower end of the lake last week. Tried my luck solo this morning at Oakbottom and could mark fish but could not present something they wanted. And I had CORN! Running sliding weight and a clip weight, I might convert a reel into a leadcore one again as that seemed pretty simple and effective.

So I guess its just finnicky like that, we should have linked up I was up at trinity lake this weekend! I had a blast catching some bass on topwater lures over there, I should have done that again this morning but whiskeytown is such a beautiful lake I really like kicking around there.