It's that time of the year again when the lake is full and so are stringers. Water temp is up to 62 degrees on the surface by the marina. Today's forecast is suppose to be 85 degrees and sunny in Livermore, which means high 80's maybe even 90 today here in the canyon. Wind is still blowing hard in the early afternoon but some days it dies down by the evening. Department of Fish and Game just planted 2500 lbs of Rainbow trout today at the public launch all in between 1-5 pounds.

A lot of other species are species are starting to come out and play. Catfish are making their presence known, swimming around in shallow water where the sun has risen the water temperature. Cats can be caught with a wide variety of bait including anchovies, mackerel, sardines, chicken livers and just about anything that stinks. The South End is harboring most of these whisker fish but, they can be found all over the lake with enough patience.

Striped bass are coming on the feed again yet they are being picky. Most stripes are eating cut Sardines probably beacuse of the sardines high oil and fat content. A good place to start fishing for them is on the West or East beach.

Crappie are being caught in large numbers which is good, we haven't had a good crappie season in a few years. Little jigs and worms are the best to catch em. Doctor Al Hurwitz came back out to the lake for a day of dragging lines, here was his report. "Four of us gave it a shot trolling the lake on April 9, 2015. Other that two small Smallmouth Bass, no other fish were caught. Not many fish were seen on the fish finder, suggesting that they moved out and are scattered in deeper water. There is a lot of algae in the water, particularly in the northern half of the lake. I suspect that the Delta water inflow (which maintains a nice water level) is at the expense of optimum fishing, due to water shifts, salinity, and algae influx. There is no substitute for a natural rainwater to improve quality fishing, but unfortunately, we're not going to have that for a while. Other trollers and boaters are having the same problem right now. The movement in of a high pressure system after the rain last week probably didn't help the bite either. It is interesting that prior week (4/2/15) brought better fishing, with my friend, Larr Fordyce, catching a beautiful 12.8 lb, 30 inch rainbow trout trolling a panther martin out by the entrance to Heron Bay.

Waiting for warmer temperatures, settling of algae. and stabilization of the water conditions for what should hopefully be a good upcoming bass season particularly for smallmouth bass. Best Regards, Dr. Al Hurtwitz " Thank you and Good Luck everyone!