I'm in the SF Bay Area (Peninsula), and have one weekday off coming up and want to fish hard. Targeting LMB, and mostly just want numbers and consistent action.

 

Constraints:

 

• shore fishing or rental boat only (I don't own a boat)
• can only fish between 9am-5pm (or even later start if the location is far)

 

Since I'd like to fish all day and catch as many bass as I can, I want a place with long shoreline access or rental boat so I can continue to hit fishable waters even as the day progresses.

 

Some ideas so far:

 

• Lake Chabot - rental boat to start shallow then hit deeper waters
• Vasona - rental boat to start shallow then hit deeper waters
• Los Gatos Creek - hike and hit all fishable spots
• Coyote Creek - hike and hit all fishable spots
• Delta - Tracy Oasis - park, walk, and fish
• Delta - Italian Slough - park, walk, and fish

 

Those are some of the spots I have in mind in order to allow for an all day session; no idea if those will produce the numbers though. Out of those, I've actually only fished Vasona/LG. I also don't have any boat experience, and would be fishing solo so a little hesistant.

 

One day to fish and no boat - Where would YOU go?

Close to a large population center in California

Easy/cheap access

Consistent numbers of eager bass

 

Pick any two.

I'm partial to the Delta, though I'm always in my boat.  The only thing from shore which makes it tough (IMO) are the tides.  It can be pretty good on a high tide from shore, but once it drops it makes it tough to fish from the shore.  That being said if you do choose Italian Slough or Tracy Oasis you can bounce between the 2 places pretty easily.  Also with Italian you can always swap and fish Clifton Court for stripers.  In the summer you can catch a ton of shakers on a jerkbait as they push bait against the grass lines.

Can I add a spot? go to Sugar Barge on Bethel Island and rent a boat, fish the delta Frank Tract area. Fish around the wall and the islands. Hit the tullies and frog fish the cheese. During the weekday, very little boat traffic. I was there 2 weeks ago on a Tuesday, very little pressure. if you can, call the marina and get info on the rental. 

I'm in the south bay. Personally, for one day I'd choose Lake Tulloch.

 

Reasons: My Dad has a house on the water, I'm familiar with it somewhat, it has pretty big bass that I actually catch, and it's 2.5 hours away. New Malones is not much farther and is a great lake but I'm not familiar with it. If I had a boat I'd go there maybe instead.

 

The Delta is a top spot for bass and it's a lot closer, but I'm not confident I'd catch anything, I've only targeted stripers there. The Franks Tract tip above is a good one for bass, so I hear. Clifton Court is okay for stripers. Tons of shore access for sure.

 

Vasona? Thought about trying it but doesn't seem like the best choice. Maybe I will try there tomorrow. 

 

I fish Coyote Creek a lot near Morgan Hill and get numbers.

 

Try Uvas Res, good healthy bass there. Walk across the dam and follow the trail around the lake.

Id try to stay away from Vasona if I were you, lots and lots of fishing pressure without much fish being caught in my experience. Or maybe I just dont know how to fish it lol

Last time I went to Clifton Court it was a parking lot from one end to the other. I turned around and left.

On 12/8/2020 at 12:28 PM, trout123 said:

Id try to stay away from Vasona if I were you, lots and lots of fishing pressure without much fish being caught in my experience. Or maybe I just dont know how to fish it lol

No, you are probably correct. I went to that Almaden Lake off Coleman Road. I didn't expect to catch anything, just got a line wet for a few hours, plus you never know.

 

Random: I saw a hot woman jogging with her dog that day. She stopped near me as I was tying a bait - she hocked a loud gross loogie then did a good ol' one-handed farmers blow, then took off running again. I was in looooove!

 

On 12/8/2020 at 3:56 PM, Guitarfish said:

Last time I went to Clifton Court it was a parking lot from one end to the other. I turned around and left.

 

I've been there once. Caught a couple stripes as the sun went down. March 1, 2019. You can walk all the way around it I believe.

15 hours ago, schplurg said:

 I saw a hot woman jogging with her dog that day. She stopped near me as I was tying a bait - she hocked a loud gross loogie then did a good ol' one-handed farmers blow, then took off running again. I was in looooove!

You're killin' me Schplurg.