Very rookie fisherman, need tips for where to find fish.

[RustyShackleford]

I am very new to fishing. I am going to be fishing on a fairly large lake this Sunday (Lake Berryessa, Napa, CA). We had a guide planning to go out with us, but he ended up having to work. We still want to go out though. I am installing my fishfinder on Saturday. We are planning on getting there about 6AM and we are going to be fishing for Salmon and Large Mouth Bass since that's what everyone says is biting right now. What I am wondering is, what are some strategies for finding good fishing spots for these fish? Looking for certain water depth, close to shore, away from shore...? Also, do I need to sneak up on them, or what? Sometimes I see bass boats zooming up at like 30MPH and then just killing the engine. Is that normally the way to approach? I am on a pontoon boat, if that makes any difference.

Also, if I want to fish near where other boats are, what are the "rules" for that? How far away should I stay from other boaters to not annoy them. Any other "rules"? Any other tips? I tried googling and browsing the forum, but I can't seem to find anything that doesn't pretty much assume you already know what you are doing. I can barely even tie a knot right.

 

[LongLine]

Re: Very rookie fisherman, need tips for where to find fish.

Never fished out there but I'd suggest you google both specie habitats. In NY, they're entirely different fish. Bass in the warm water shallows with heavy physical structure - weed beds, trees etc; salmon much colder water & water column temperature dependent. Stay away from other boats - at least 150 ft & try not to throw a wake. (I don't think you'd like anyone coming too close to you.) While on google, search for palomar knot - probably the easiest & one of the best fishing knots you can tie.

Good luck,

Tom B.
(LongLine)

 

[Jlawsen]

Re: Very rookie fisherman, need tips for where to find fish.

I am very new to fishing. I am going to be fishing on a fairly large lake this Sunday (Lake Berryessa, Napa, CA). We had a guide planning to go out with us, but he ended up having to work. We still want to go out though. I am installing my fishfinder on Saturday. We are planning on getting there about 6AM and we are going to be fishing for Salmon and Large Mouth Bass since that's what everyone says is biting right now. What I am wondering is, what are some strategies for finding good fishing spots for these fish? Looking for certain water depth, close to shore, away from shore...? Also, do I need to sneak up on them, or what? Sometimes I see bass boats zooming up at like 30MPH and then just killing the engine. Is that normally the way to approach? I am on a pontoon boat, if that makes any difference.

Also, if I want to fish near where other boats are, what are the "rules" for that? How far away should I stay from other boaters to not annoy them. Any other "rules"? Any other tips? I tried googling and browsing the forum, but I can't seem to find anything that doesn't pretty much assume you already know what you are doing. I can barely even tie a knot right.

If I get my downrigger parts today or tomorrow I should be out there between the Island and the Ranch House in the channel around 6:30am. Just a hunch. I'll be running a wedding ring and a Uncle Larry's. One will be tipped with a 1/2 worm and the other with corn. I'll be trolling around 1.25 - 1.75 mph and just running down the channel. One of my rods will be on the down rigger at 45' and the other will be a topline out about 125'.

I have the "Pole Dancer", my little Jetcraft and I'll be launching down at the public ramp at Capell unless its a mess then I'll head over to Spanish Flat. The roads are a challenge but at least they're well paved now.

As for respecting others, if you can pick a line and run with the pack it will be easier to see how it's done. If not, just be really careful when crossing in front or behind other boats. Some of us run our lines way back and others are running boards that keep the lines way out to the sides. Keep your eyes open and you'll be fine. When comming in where there's one or more fisherman, consider it a no wake zone and you'll make a lot more friends.

 

[gpfishingdude]

Re: Very rookie fisherman, need tips for where to find fish.

Do you have any bait shops around there? They like to give people tips on how to catch fish so that they will become regular customers. If you can get a contour map that shows the bottom features you might be able to pick out a few small humps in the bays or holes along the channels that hold fish. Watch to see what other people are catching fish on it can save you a lot of time getting the right color or action in a lure. You can learn a lot from hiring a fishing guide for a few hours. The guide we hired in Florida roared right up on the fish and when he tossed the anchor out it splashed so hard everybody in a half mile turned around to see what happened. We caught heck out of big bass though. He said bass aren't smart you just have to know where they are to catch them. He knew that they were concentrated around a food source.

 

[Jlawsen]

Re: Very rookie fisherman, need tips for where to find fish.

No downrigger parts so I'm not going to Berryessa Saturday. There's not much point if you can't get down to the fish. Sunday is filled up with other stuff so maybe next weekend.

 

[RustyShackleford]

Re: Very rookie fisherman, need tips for where to find fish.

Thanks for the replies, guys. I didnt get notifications, so I missed them. We read a bunch of the fishing reports for tips and tried out my fishfinder (which seems awesome), and I got some nibbles. Probably would have had one if I didnt pull too soon. I found a good spot that I am going to head back to in the morning next time.

 

[gpfishingdude]

Re: Very rookie fisherman, need tips for where to find fish.

I was looking up swim baits on the computer and found an article by Craig Gottwalls-Bass Tackle Depot, about how he fishes the points that stick out into the water. It is called De-Mystifying Swim Bait Fishing. It made me want to jump in the boat and head for a nice bass lake with a lot of points on it. Notice at the end he tells that if you do a lot of jump fishing to make sure you have enough battery to start the engine to get back to the ramp. I thought this was one of the best articles I have read about fishing in a long-long time. I'm kind of a half a55ed fisherman but I'm always willing to learn.