GENERAL CONDITIONS
October is always a special time of the year at Los Vaqueros Reservoir. The winds have lightened up and with one more rain the hills will begin to turn green. As the water continues to cool the fishing is usually outstanding. Trout, Striped Bass, Catfish and Largemouth Bass are all active. The water level is now 132,500 acre feet. We anticipate the water level to remain stable for the rest of October. Our water temperature is 65-66 degrees depending on wind conditions and air temperature. Our water temperature should continue to drop as we go through October.

A few Rattlesnakes continue to be out and active so caution is advised. Watch where you are walking, stay out of high grass and stay out of rocky areas. Never try to pick one up or kill one.

We are now seeing tarantula's walking around. Please leave them alone and they will leave you alone. They are pretty amazing to watch. We are still in the fire season so extreme caution with any fire sources is required. We do close barbeques on extreme fire danger days. Fishing at the North End of the reservoir is now more easily accessible. A 15 minute hike (depends on what kind of shape you are in) will get you to an area with about 300 yards of open shoreline. Caution on the trail is advised. We also suggest (as always) being snake aware. This area is accessed by a short hike from the Dam. The fishing platform is now available to anglers.

The Interpretive Center is open from 9 to 4 on Saturday's and Sunday's.

During October we close at 6PM and boats are due in by 4:30 PM. We continue to open at 7AM

TROUT
Fishing for trout has been very good for anglers fishing with bait in South Cove. Trout average a pound and a half but range up to 5 lbs. Limits have been common for skilled anglers. 2000 lbs of trout went into the reservoir on Wednesday 9-25. These fish averaged about 1.5 lbs and ranged up to 7 lbs. We planted another 1000 lbs of trout on Monday 9-30. We planted 2000 more lbs of Mt. Lassen trout on Wednesday 10-9. Fish and Wildlife planted 4500 lbs of 1 lb trout on Tuesday 10-15! That is nearly 10,000 lbs of trout in less than a month. In my 40 years of fishing Bay Area Lakes I have never seen so many trout planted to begin the fall season. Garlic power bait in rainbow, chartreuse power bait, orange mice tails and nightcrawlers are all good choices. A few anglers have been fishing nightcrawlers under slip bobbers and having success. Garlic scent on any bait seems to help. It is important to use 3- 4 feet of leader. Using light line also helps; 4 to 6 lb test is plenty. There is no need for heavy weights. Vary your casting length; most of the time shorter casts are better than longer ones.

Trolling for trout continues to improve. Anglers trolling a variety of lures off of points and in the mouths of major coves are catching trout. Limits for anglers trolling are not common yet with the average being about 2 to 3 fish a rod. We expect limit type fishing to begin soon. Vary your depths until you start catching fish. Anglers trolling will catch trout on a variety of lures including kastmasters, roostertails, rebels, rapalas, and Thomas Buoyant. We anticipate some great fishing in coming weeks. Save some dates now and don't miss what should be some really fun fishing. We anticipate very frequent trout plants through the fall and winter. Boating anglers are also beginning to catch trout on bait in the major coves. Anglers report catching limits in 8 to 12 feet of water in the very backs of Howden and Cox coves. Use a bobber or very small weights. Nightcrawlers or power bait is the way to go. There is no need for line heavier than 6 lb test.

LARGEMOUTH BASS
Most anglers were focused on stripers or trout. We heard of a few fish caught but nothing special. Please release any big largemouth bass you might catch. They are the future of largemouth bass fishing in the reservoir. The reservoir is now full of excellent habitat for the bass so we anticipate this fishery to improve over the coming years.

STRIPER
Stripers are chasing schools of bait fish all over the reservoir and trolling for stripers is now rated very good. Many anglers reported catching limits of small stripers trolling in Cowboy Cove and Peninsula Cove. These anglers were using shad raps, rattletraps and other lures with shad patterns. When you find the stripers chasing the bait fish stay with the action as long as you can. Cast to the edges of the school and try not to spook the fish. If you catch it just right it is easy to catch 5 to 10 fish.

Currently fishing for stripers with bait is an up and down affair with some anglers catching limits of 18 to 23 inch fish. Cut anchovies or shad will do the trick when bait fishing. Stripers need to be 18 inches or more. We continue to see a tremendous number of under size fish being caught and released. Sometimes anglers catch dozens of small fish from 8 to 17 inches. Please release the small fish as quickly and carefully as possible. They are the future of our striped bass fishery. Fishing from the pier below the marina has been a solid bet.

SALMON
No salmon were reported this week. If they are going to show up now is the time of year when anglers begin catching salmon.

CATFISH
Anglers continued to catch a few catfish last week. Anchovies, liver, mackerel and nightcrawlers all caught catfish. As the water cools we anticipate seeing the catfish action slow down. We encourage and appreciate the release of any monster catfish (15 lbs plus).

GENERAL INFORMATION
We are still giving out Whopper mugs. It takes a 5 lb trout to earn a mug, 12 lb striper, 12 lb catfish or a released 5 lb largemouth bass We have 2013 State of California Fishing Licenses for sale at the marina. Fish and Wildlife has been checking fishing licenses so make such you have one for everyone 16 and over. We suggest taking advantage of the second rod stamp that is available.

Hours for October are 7AM to 6PM with boats due in by 4:30 PM

HOURS OF OPERATION
Open seven days a week 7:00am - 6:00pm
Boats are due in by 4:30pm.