Forebay 10/5

Got to Forebay at 1PM exactly to a light rain shower and 3 mile winds. The clouds were moving slowly but it seemed that they were on their way out and not passing overhead. Threw on my paddle jacket and casted a bit from shore before saddling up. First cast nailed a dink striper. Two casts later another. And another two later, all progressively getting bigger. After the third I thought F&*k it I'm getting out there. Threw everything together and as luck would have it, right when I launched the rain stopped. Paddled across the endless weed (I swear Forebay is a giant pond) to the channels near the rockwall. Threw out some crankbait for some trolling along the rockwall and hooked up dinks. Finally got one with some substance when I switched to a Croc. About a 5 pounder that got off AT THE YAK! .

The clouds broke apart, the wind died, and it was glass. Soon after the sun came out and it was a pleasant and quiet day on the water. The bite hadn't exactly bee on fire so I decided to try some experimental lures... a few nibbles but no luck. As the sun started to get low I went to an area that showed the most fish on the ff. Luckily it worked out and soon there were some fish hitting the surface. I chased 'em around and cast near the action but nothing. Finally BAM! Nailed the Croc with force. This was by no doubt the best striper I've ever hooked up with. It stripped line for days and was basically going berserk, jumping and thrashing around on the surface. It decided to go deep and started to really pull me with some speed. Then the line let up, I knew he was either comin' right at me or spit the lure. I started taking in line like mad just in case and he was still there. He came to the surface once fully out of the water shaking his head, rattling the lure, making all kinds of noise. Another time only half out, and one more time right at me.. and when he landed I heard two splashes. The second only a few feet from the yak, it was my lure.. . He had fun but was like, "here, you can have this toy back." 

The sun was just about down so went back to the car to get off the water. It still seemed pretty fishy so when I landed the yak I waded out from shore a little and proceeded to hammer the dinks. About 10 in 15 min. Fun stuff. Packed it all in in the dark and braved the highway home with all the cranked up truckers.

Z

Excellent.  I have a short window of fishing opportunity tomorrow morning and was thinking of hitting the forebay up.

-Allen

Sounds like a good time! Zeelander!Thanks for the reading material and sweet story I may add.

Way to go  Zeelander. There are big fish in there and persistence will get you into them. I am going to start wearing my waders when I fish there, so when I have to land at curfew (half-hour before sunset) I can shore fish until I cannot see my hand in front of my face  .

FYI all: forecast is for offshore winds starting Monday for a few days. HINT: Monday would be an excellent day to fish the Forebay because an offshore flow means dead calm there. I am going to try to be down there Monday from Noon on.

sounds like a fun time.  when you get shook like that, all the motivation to go back and spank em harder

Great post, man! You got me thinking about it.
Are there Big Moes there?

Are there Big Moes there?

The CA state record 67 lb 8 onces came from the Forebay in 1992.  The CA flyfishing record 54 pounds came from the Forebay as well, off the Madeiros flats.  Yes, there are BIG MOES there.

-Allen

The world record striper on the fly was caught in the forebay I believe.  Over 50#.

Every year there are fish over 30# taken from the forebay.

I ended up not going after looking at the satellite image and looking at my honey-do list.

I may make a shot at it on Monday.

MolBasser

67 & 54 pounds!!?? DAMN, there's some big guys in there. The ff showed a lot of good sized fish stacked along the rockwall yesterday.

Z

Good idea Mol, WAF is VERY VERY important. I got some good points after giving her a fleece vest I won at Paddlefest (way too small for me ).

Z

Richard Kong, the speaker at Fisherman's Warehouse said, in passing, that the biggest striper found in the main reservoir was over a hundred pounds.  They found it when the electrically charged an area of water in order to do a fish count.  After measuring it, it was let go and presumably is still somewhere in the reservoir.

Doug

That would be the world record by a WIDE margine.

MolBasser

As  I recall it was a female they netted--107 pounds accordign to Lee Haskin who told me. The record on a rod in the Lake is around 73 pounds I think. But the Forebay has the top 4 or 5 fly rod recrods worldwide, the largest being 53 or 54 pounds and from a float tube no less!  that says a lot about the approachability of large fish in the Forebay and that is why I fish it most. Although that was a decade or so ago, there are still very big fish in there. I like the intimacy of the Forebay over the Lake and the size of the fish doesn't bother me at all: 30 pounds is a darn big Striper by anyone's reckoning.

I am plotting getting away Monday although the offshore winds start Sunday even Yum Here Mr. Linesides, Here!

It is the striper season!  Sounds like a good adventure.

Zeelander sounds like great fun landed or not what a great fight. What size croc?  Color? Frank