GENERAL CONDITIONS
Largemouth bass fishing continues to be hit and miss. The water level is now 124,000 acre feet. This is more water than the reservoir has ever held. We anticipate the water level continuing to slowly rise through August. Our water temperature is 66-72 degrees depending on depth, wind and air temperature.

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. This time of year they are more active in the mornings and late in the afternoon or evening hours. Never try to pick one up or kill one.

We are in the fire season so extreme caution with any fire sources is required. We do close barbeques on very high fire danger days. Extreme caution is advised when fishing or hiking on very hot days.

The North entrance to the reservoir is open with a few limitations. Access to the reservoir for fishing at the north entrance is open but requires a strenuous 1.5 mile hike up and over a major hill. Caution is advised. The fishing platform can not open until the reservoir receives another 4 to 6 feet. See the CCWD web site for details. The Interpretive Center is open from 9 to 4 on Saturdays and Sundays.

Fish Plants
Currently we are not able to plant any trout until our water temperatures go down several degrees. We were not able to plant any trout in July but hold over rainbow trout continue to provide solid action.

We planted 1233 lbs of channel catfish averaging 2 lbs on Friday, July 19. We will be planting 600 lbs of catfish late this week.

PLEASE NOTE:
We are still giving out Whopper mugs. Our program has changed some so check with us at the marina. 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 Game 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.

TROUT
Fishing for trout has been fair to good depending on your skill and luck level. Trout average a pound and a half but range up to 4 lbs. Limits has been difficult to come by while we are in our summer pattern but we see a few limits every day. Many of the points east of the marina and past the rock wall have been producing some solid trout action. The south cove also continues to produce some nice fish. 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; sometimes shorter casts are better than longer ones.

Trolling for trout continues only fair but our regulars continue to catch a few nice trout. The successful reports we are receiving are from anglers trolling a variety of lures off of points and in the mouths of major coves. Mix it up until you start catching fish. The fish seem to be holding between 5 and 15 feet. A few fish have been caught at deeper levels. Vary your depths until you start getting strikes. Look for areas that have the best visibility and are free of algae. Anglers trolling catch trout on a variety of lures including kastmasters, roostertails, rebels, rapala's and Thomas Buoyant.

LARGEMOUTH BASS
Not many anglers are focusing on largemouth so we have little to report here. Bass fishing is considered slow. One angler caught and released 2 fish in the 3 lb range fishing in the back of cowboy cove. Please release any big largemouth bass you might catch. They are the future of largemouth bass fishing in the reservoir.

STRIPER
Fishing for stripers with bait as always is an up and down affair but many anglers are catching limits of 18 to 23 inch fish. It seems to be good for a few days then drops off only to pick back up a few days later. Cut anchovies or shad will do the trick when bait fishing. Stripers need to be 18 inches or more. We are seeing a tremendous number of under size fish being caught and released. Please release the small fish as quickly and carefully as possible. They are the future of our striped bass fishery. We have not seen any large striped bass caught recently as all the keeper stripers are in the 18 to 23 inch range. Fishing from the pier below the marina has been a good location. Several boats came back with limits caught on cut anchovies fishing in cowboy cove. Anglers trolling continue to pick up a few stripers on a wide variety of lures. Bait fishing currently is the best way to go.

CATFISH
Fishing for catfish was a solid choice last week. Anchovies, liver, mackerel and Fishing for catfish was a solid choice last week. Anchovies, liver, mackerel and nightcrawlers all caught catfish. We suggest fishing with as little weight as possible and watch for very soft bites. The back of cowboy cove and the south cove are good bets. We also had some nice catfish come out of Peninsula cove. We encourage and appreciate the release of any monster catfish (15 lbs plus). We had several catfish over 15 lbs caught and released this week.

HOURS OF OPERATION
Open seven days a week 6:00am - 8:00pm
Boats are due in by 6:30pm
These hours remain in effect through August
In September we begin opening an hour later at 7:00am and close an hour earlier at 7:00pm.

We encourage all anglers to report their stories, comments, or concerns to the Marina. Or, email csenti@calparksco.com. Thanks again for choosing Los Vaqueros Reservoir as your recreation destination.