Anderson Lake

Had a fun morning at Anderson Lake, near Morgan Hill.  Haven't ever heard anything about Anderson on this board, but it is one of my favorite places, as long as the water skiers aren't there.  There was only a couple of cold-looking wakeboarders out today, and a few bass boats.  Pretty quiet, and pretty productive.

I usually just slap on a rapala, rat-l-trap, shad rap, or equivalent, and troll around the lake, trying to stay at a depth of around 15 feet.  Ended up catching close to 10 largemouth, most dinks, but a couple somewhat respectable.  Majority were caught on a shad rap.

Obligatory fish porn...







-- Dave

That's a pretty good score! par for the course, better or worse?

anything besides bass hit your lure ever?

Nice Dave! You need to get in the pool buddy! 

par for the course, better or worse?  anything besides bass hit your lure ever?

This was probably about par.  About 3 or 4 years ago in April, my son and I were trolling and he ended up catching what remains the biggest bass I've seen.  Must have been bigger than 10 lbs., so there are some double digits in there.  I've had 1 trout that also bit once, and I swear it was the most colorful trout I've ever seen -- definitely not a rainbow.  Looked like a golden, but I've got no clue what a golden would have been doing in Anderson.  There are also catfish, but never tried for them, as well as carp.  I've seen entire inlets just rolling with carp during their spawn.

The lake gets to 130+ feet deep, and I very often will see a large arch on my FF way down there.  Makes me wonder if there might be sturgeon as well.
Some of the rocky points that are real productive at times -- you can have your fill of 2 or 3 lbers drop-shotting.

Nice Dave! You need to get in the pool buddy!

You got largemouth in the pool this year?

I'll have to check on that...

-- Dave

In the fishsniffer article on steven's creek,
it says somebody pulled a 50lb sturgeon out of there? 
comment is that they were 'illlegally' planted.

So maybe you saw what you think you saw, 

Any chance that it was a big striper??

Nice winter bass fishin'!

I need to learn how to fish freshwater more productively.

nice work Dave - I never fished Anderson but I heard the crappie fishing is really good. I may try fishing Anderson next Sunday - company welcome.

dave, where do you launch yak? What time of day is good to fish LM?

Any chance that it was a big striper??

Unfortunately, I haven't heard/seen anything of stripers in Anderson.  My guess is carp, catfish, or sturgeon, in that order.

Nice winter bass fishin'!

I need to learn how to fish freshwater more productively.

Ain't much to what I do.  Follow the 15 foot line.  Use crankbaits that get at least 12 feet deep, and don't cry too much when you break one (or more) off on snags.  Oh yeah, paddle about 7 miles 

nice work Dave - I never fished Anderson but I heard the crappie fishing is really good. I may try fishing Anderson next Sunday - company welcome.

Nice work yourself Mooch.  Think your's beat mine. 

There are supposed to be crappies in Anderson, but I'm a bit skeptical.  Haven't targetted them, and don't probe brush or fallen trees too much, but I would have thought I'd caught one trolling around over the few years I've been at Anderson.  I'm sure they are there, but not sure of the quantity.  Can't make the party at Ono's Saturday, but may be able to make it to Anderson Sunday.

dave, where do you launch yak? What time of day is good to fish LM?

Hey, Eric.  Head down 101 towards Morgan Hill, then east on Cochrane until you see the entrance to the dam.  There's a very nice launch, at least when it isn't packed with wakeboarders.  Lake opens at 8am; I got there about 9, and caught my first about 10.  Parking fee is $6 or $7 -- I got away today without paying a launch fee, but when there's a guard, they'll want you to pony up for that too.

-- Dave

I've had 1 trout that also bit once, and I swear it was the most colorful trout I've ever seen -- definitely not a rainbow.  Looked like a golden, but I've got no clue what a golden would have been doing in Anderson.
-- Dave

Probably a brown trout -- many years back they had huge browns (7-8 lbs) in there that people would catch trolling countdown rapalas up by the bridge.  Maybe there are some holdovers, since there is running water for spawning available in the feeder creeks...

Gordon

As far as I know there are no stripers in anderson.

It is an excellent LMB lake for those in the know....

I have been far too lazy in attacking this lake.

MolBasser

Actually, there were two 40 lb Sturgeon taken out of Stevens.  One last year and one the year before.  The rangers think they are from the pay lake (trout farm) near Morgan Hill.  Parkways lake.

If there is an other 50 lb. Maybe that makes 3.  I had my fish finder on last year and saw one swimming across my screen.  It look like a big one.  Could see it tail pusling across the water.  It was suspended off the bottom.

Ken kickfish

Wow.

If 2 or 3 were landed, imagine many more broken off w/trout gear.

Some weird things I've seen/heard:

Seen:  salmon on a duck club, south of Los Banos.
Heard:   starry flounder caught out of the CA aquaduct/Delta Mendota Canal/San Luis Reservoir.
Heard:  sturgeon out of San Luis too.  Picts at Lucky Larry's.

Stuart

  I had my very first top water hit on Anderson, long time ago. way back in the 5 MPH zone. Having never had a top water hit to that point, when my little rattle trap landed at the bank side the water immediatly exploded, (kinda scared me) and the knee jerk response was to set the hook!  Of corse I missed the fish completly as I was thinking about holding on till I felt the fish, those instructions didn't make it to my arms in time....Doh....
  Been back there only 2 times more since then (many yrs back) and  remember not doinig very each time.

Troy