Forebay is fishing well--Good luck Mendo Bendo

Not in quantity but quality. Fished from 15:30 to sundown Thursday.
Fished the usual Clouser on my 7-wt fly rods.
One little schoolie and two nice ones: 4- and 5-pounds.
Stripped line on runs. Wahoo.

One other big one, probably 5 or so pounds judging by the pull (but you never know) swam into the weeds and broke off my 12 pound leader. The lake may be low, but the Forebay is just fine.

I've heard people say there are no fish in there. Not so. You have to learn how to find them there. At 10 plus years fishing there I am just now starting to really 'get' that fishery--and jsut barely. Lee Haskins started me out--he is the master of the Forebay. If you can take his class you will never get skunked there ever. They are there but you have to know where to look and find 'em--wind willing.

Best of luck to the Mendo-Bendo crowd. They are always bigger there when you can get 'em.
And I know you guys will. Don't think I'll make it (family, job, the usual stuff that's pulled me out of fishing much for the last couple of years) so I'll blast some clay pigeons to vent

Stripers beat the heck out of Steelhead pound-for-pound any day for me--less driving, more fishing. And the Mendo Stripers are some of the best lake Stripers in California.

thanks for the intel.  What do you consider the max wind that leaves the forebay fishable?  Calling the windtalker today, the average seemed to be 12-15 with gust of 25.

It was 10-12 mph when i fished last Thursday and easily fishable though that's not far from the limit of the fun zone for me--after the yellow lights come on (15 mph) I'll fish if really determined that day but but sometimes it's tiresome. If the lights are flashing yellow, it is usually a wild white-capped ride with wind waves from 1 to 2 feet--while you can catch fish I find it reaches the lower border of fun usually for me. I chose my float tube Thursday.

Kayaks are a blessing and a curse on that water. The higher the wind, the easier the kayak is to use to get to the fishing spots but harder to control while fishing--the float tube is the opposite. Float tubes and kick boats can usually fish when boats are dangerous and kayaks are frustrating--the best fishing is along the weed lines and the wind will blow the kayak around into the weeds and anchoring doesn't help much because the schools are usually on the move. I fly fish there mostly and it takes two hands so the paddle is idled. That said, there is nothing better than chasing down the boils with my kayak while the float tubers curse in frustration--so from late October to December (when the winds tend to cease most days), I tend to start using the kayak more. Maybe the Hobie drive kayaks would be a good compromise--I haven't tried one there.

Here is the detail on the wind and then a link to Dan Blanton's site with a lot of info:

Boating Safety
San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area consists of three lakes:  San Luis Reservoir, O’Neill Forebay, and Los Banos Creek Reservoir.  Each lake is susceptible to sudden changes in wind and weather conditions.  Wind warning lights are used on San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay to alert boaters of the current wind conditions.  On San Luis Reservoir, watch for the 3 wind warning lights near the Basalt entrance station, Quien Sabe Point, and Romero Visitor Center.  On the O’Neill Forebay, wind warning lights are located near the old Medeiros boat ramp and above the South Beach area.

 Wind Velocity        Condition           Light Color
 Below 15 mph         Okay              All lights off
 15 to 29 mph         Use caution         Amber
 Over 30 mph   Closed to boating         Red

Current wind conditions can be retrieved by calling 1-800-805-4805.

Boaters should also be aware of the lake hazards during water drawdown on O’Neill Forebay and San Luis Reservoir.

Boating hours are from sunrise until sunset.  All boats must be off the lake and out of the closed day-use areas by sunset.

http://www.danblanton.com/SanLuisstripers.html

Thanks for the great information.   I fished the Forebay twice.   The first trip was by float tube -  landed 2 LMBs and 3 stripers in about 40 minutes, before getting blown right off the water.   No way i could kick against the wind.  The only good thing was that the wind was blowing towards where i launched -  a very good thing.   Otherwise, it would be a long hike back. 

Second time was by kayak.     I got zilched, while a float tuber seemed to be doing well.   I was quite puzzled, since it seemed the kayak had much better mobility and ability to cover more water.     Maybe the tube could fish it slower than my yak. 

Hope to get out there again during the low wind months.

Went again Sunday night--4 schoolies and two nice fish of 3-lb. and 4 3/4-lb. right at sunset.

This is the time of year when the Central Valley starts to cool and the daily hot air rise in the Valley that pulls the marine layer over the mountains causing the big winds decreases markedly. Not quite there yet but I am already seeing low wind days. It will be prime in a few weeks.

Its a personal preference and it's an evolving one for me. I prefer the kayak whenever possible though because it is just more enjoyable to paddle and glide through the water rather than kick.

Did float tube again because the wind was averaging 4-5 mph which would blow the kayak around more than I like--fly fishing takes two hands so I lose control unless I anchor. And I find I waste a lot of time trying to get in the right position to anchor and fish a fly rod when there is wind especially in the flats where the best fishing is right next to the weed lines. I also found that especially true deep fishing midges at Crowley lakes for instance--I had to anchor because my wind drift was faster than a midge swims.

I choose the kayak if I want to go long distances over to the channels and troll, drift around them, and chase down boils--and there isn't a lot of wind. I choose the float tube when it is either windier or when I intend to fish the flats and holes--less of a distance from the shore.

Marmot, Good to hear from you again  Thanks for the report, I'll be heading there sometime soon!

Nice reports Surfing Marmot. Do you ever float the main lake or is it too far to walk to the water now?

The reservoir is so low that it looks like a mud hole--I think it would be difficult to drive very close without getting stuck in the mud and even if not it would be a long slog to get to the water.

I figured it would be a mudhole, but that's when I had some very exciting days in the main lake.

How about near the dam where the ground is a little more solid?

The reservoir has some big fish--no doubt and a lot of them. And they are certainly concentrated.

But until I scope it out I don't have plans to try it--calling for a tow is not my idea of a fun fishing trip--and I am driving a V8 Touareg Air Suspension which is a fairly capable off-road vehicle. I am sticking to the Forebay this fall. A 70-pounder was caught there last month and somebody catches a 30-plus pounder every other month there. Monsters lurk there. Less mud waddling time and more fishing time--that's the ticket for me.