Oroville Area Fishing and Outdoor Report

Oroville Area Fishing and Outdoor Report

06 / 08 / 2016

By Craig Bentley ©2016

Lake Oroville

The Lake surface elevation is at 882 feet. The lake is dropping about six inches a day. The surface temperature is 76 degrees. The main body is clear green. There may still be some woody debris on the lake and caution is advised for boaters to watch out for submerged logs and stumps.
All the launch ramps are open; Bidwell Canyon, Lime Saddle, Loafer Creek and the Spillway.
All the Car-top boat access points are open, with Dark Canyon, Enterprise, Foreman Creek, Nelson Bar, Stringtown and Vinton Gulch all open. Boater's may call the lake's Visitor Center at (530) 538-2219, to check the daily status of launch ramps prior to making a trip up to the lake.
The weather will be sunny and warm through the week. High temperatures will be from 85 to 95, Lows will be 61 to 64 degrees.Winds will be light and variable from the south-southeast at 5-9 mph, afternoons, then light and easterly early mornings.

Brent Cline at Oroville Outdoors says the bass bite has slowed some, however there's still lots of small fish being caught in fair numbers and boating anglers are catching 20 to 30 fish on a trip. Finesse fishing plastics continues to be the go to and most productive technique.

Boating anglers are finding fish from 20 feet, down to 30 feet deep. Its mostlysmaller fish, 10" to 14" long that are being caught. Fish along the points, or on the flats with small rocks, along steep walls and in flooded brush, or trees. The Middle Fork and North Fork Arms have been good.
Finesse anglers are either drop-shotting small tubes, or fishing 5" Roboworms on dart-headed jig hooks to catch a few bass averaging 1 to 1-1/2 pounds, but most are small. Texas rigged worms,- Roboworms, Senko's or shaky-head worms are all getting bit. Natural bait fish colors such as Baby bass, Shad and Bluegill are catching bass. Earth tone baits, like watermelon, pumpkin, oxblood or brown are also working.

Panfish have been on the bite in brushy coves, such as Mc Cabe's or Stringtown in the South Fork arm, or Dark Canyon and Canyon Creek, up the West Branch arm.Bluegill, an occasional Crappie and other varieties of hand-sized perch may be found in those areas. The Catfish bite is starting pick up as the water warms with the hot weather.

King salmon fishing has been fair for boaters trolling. The main body has been giving up some fish mornings until about 10 Am. The Dam, Green Bridge and Bidwell point are good areas to troll now. It's been mostly a mix of smaller fish between 12" and 14" and a few to 23" being caught. Most anglers are releasing the small, 10 to 12-inch long juvenile kings that were recently planted and trying for the 3 to 4 pound salmon, that are 20 to 23 inches long.The fish have been scattered all over the main body of the lake and a few schooled up in the upper river arms. Boaters should try to troll lures down from 35 feet down to the 45 foot mark to catch salmon, with some biting deep at 60 feet.

Salmon may usually be caught while trolling over submerged islands or structure, or along the face of the dam. The best tactic is to try and find bait schools then troll your gear just under the bait. Berkley Power minnows, Apex lures or Hoochies-tipped with a piece of anchovy, rigged behind a medium sized dodger, trolled anywhere from 30 to 75 feet, at 1.9 to 2.2 mph usually works for both salmon and trout.

Diversion Pool
Releases from Oroville Dam to the pool have been up 6524 cfs, from the Hyatt tunnel, Kelly Ridge Penstock and the Spillway. The current flow is about 3528 cfs.The water is clear with about 4-6 feet of visibility. Trout and salmon have been active during the day with releases of water from the lake and some nice fish have been caught. Casting and retrieving minnow imitations: soft plastics, stick baits, or spoons, or fish bait for the trout or salmon.
Please note that DWR advises that flows can increase without notice and flows are subject to change throughout the day. No wading, swimming or floatation devices are allowed on this water above the buoy line that normally spans the pool, 100 yards below the spillway.

Thermalito Forebay
No recent reports. Trout, salmon, bass, catfish and other species of rough-fish are present in the Forebay. Some transient trout and salmon that have moved down from the diversion pool to the South Forebay are occasionally caught on bait by patient anglers enjoying the solitude of this little used facility off of Grand Avenue.
Thermalito Afterbay

Pool elevation is above 135 feet. The water temperature has cooled off with the large amount of water running through the Afterbay last week. The water is 57 to 60 degrees in the north end and 62 to 65 degrees in the backs of coves in the north end above Hwy. 162 . The water is clear green with about 4 to 6 feet of visibility near Wilbur Road and at the 162 bridge and below.
Decent Bass fishing continues at the Afterbay with the fish showing next to stickups, or structure, along the flats, next to clay shelves, in the shallows near tule beds and along the western rock wall. The fishing had slipped to fair with the influx of cold water and should pick back up as the water warms. Anglers are continuing to catch some nice bass with fish weighing 1-1/2 to 2 pounds, along with a few three pounders and one five pound Largemouth caught last week.
Boating anglers have been Flipping creature baits like Baby Brushhogs, jigs, Texas or wacky rigged Senko's, Roboworms, chartreuse or white spinner baits, into the tules, or working their lures in and along the rocks, or brush piles. Drop-shotting small swim baits, plastic minnows or tubes, off the same areas will also work. Topwater lures like Spooks and buzzbaits are starting to get fish in the evenings on the hotter days.
Productive techniques for bass used here also include casting crank baits, spinner baits, chatter baits and flipping Brush Hogs, Super Flukes, Sweet Beavers, Senko's, Roboworms, or other creature baits to the edges of the weed mattes, tules or along the rocks.
Hand sized Bluegill are being caught in the warmer coves near tules and stickups. The panfish are hitting small jigs, lures and small plastic worms. Standard baits like Meal worms or Redworms should work good. Minijigs and panfish poppers are good lures to use. Deerhair flies like Humpy's or Irresistables in size 10-12 will work for those wanting to try fly casting.

Steelhead fishing has been dead for boaters with very few trying.Bank fishing has been so slow, there hasn't been any anglers fishing at the Wilbur Road canal and near the Hwy.162 Bridge.
Anglers trying for steelhead use pink Gulp eggs, with a nightcrawler or scented marshmallow, use a three to five-foot long leader and a sliding sinker setup, or cast soft baits or lures while bank fishing at the Afterbay.

Boaters usually troll with minnow type lures or a threaded nightcrawler behind a dodger, or drift a flylined nightcrawler from the surface down to fifteen feet deep, along the west wall of the Afterbay, on the flats, or on the edges of the channels in front of the outlets, north of the Highway 162 bridge and the mouth of the inlet canal.

Feather River

Flows are 1700 cfs in the Low flow at Oroville, with 2300 cfs being released from the Thermalito Afterbay Outlet, for a total 4000 cfs below the Outlet. The Gridley gage data showed 4396 cfs at the time of this writing, which is okay for safe powerboat operation and driftboats on the river below the Thermalito Afterbay Outlet.

The water temperature is 57 to 60 degrees at station FRA in the Low Flow. Below the Thermalito Afterbay Outlet at station FOW, the temperature is 60 to 63 degrees. The water is clear green in the Low Flow and below the Thermalito Afterbay Outlet, it is clear green with about 4 to 6 feet of visibility. Occasionally, winds blowing on the Afterbay and watercraft traffic often stirs up mud, staining the water and consequently, the river below the Afterbay Outlet.
Largemouth bass have been on the bite in the river, its back eddys and surrounding ponds, and in the Outlet hole. Tubes, swimbaits, or grubs will take Largemouth, while topwater plugs, swimbaits, Bucktail jigs or bait,- Anchovies, minnows, pileworms and sardines may take Striped bass. Shad have been seen in the river below the Outlet, yet few anglers are trying for the shad.
Fishing in the upper "Low Flow" has been quiet. The releases to the low flow are at 1700 cfs, causing the river to be way up into the stream side brush making wading tough. A few anglers were on the water last week. A report of 14" to 20" fish taking roe baits in the low flow came in from a local angler last week. There are a few adult steelhead in the 20" range present along with a mix of wild trout and a few small summer run fish available in the river now.

For the spinning or gear angler trying for trout or steelhead on the Feather, try side drifting jigs under a float, Glo-bugs, single eggs, small clusters of cured roe, nightcrawlers with a 4mm florescent red bead, or size 14 Corky, Steelhead worms, Berkley Trout worms, or Micetails, on a sliding sinker setup, using a light slinky weight or pencil lead.
Lure caster's use spinners, Rooster Tails or Vibrax, spoons- Lil' Cleos, Kastmasters, small jigs and small minnow imitating plugs, such as Rapala's. Size 30-50 Hot Shots in copper, gold, or silver are good and the 3.0 Flatfish in Copcar, Firetiger, or Perch color, aregood choices for wiggling, diving lures used for trout and steelhead.

Fly fishers should try Caddis, Mayfly, or Fry patterns, Glo-bugs, Egg patterns, black, purple, or cerise colored Articulated Leeches, olive, brown, or black Wooley Buggers. For indicator fishing try Troutbeads, Glo-bugs-in size 8-10,followed by a size 16 or 14 Birdsnests, Fox Poohpah, Prince Nymph, or Soft Hackle Emergers, in green, olive, or tan, also San Juan Worms, in red, bubblegum or tan.

Boat traffic is minimal on the river below the Hwy.162 Bridge. Most drift boaters fly fish nymphs or egg patterns under strike indicators, or swing wet flies or streamers when fishing for trout or steelhead in the Low Flow. Some boaters pull plugs or side drift from drift boats on un-crowded days on the low flow.
Fishing for King Salmon on the Feather River opens on July 16 and good numbers of early fish are making a showing at the hatchery. DFW will be tagging and releasing the Kings back to the river.

* Please note that only hatchery trout (those fish under 16 inches) and hatchery steelhead may be taken from the Feather. Wild fish- (those with an adipose fin) must be released. The daily bag limit is 2 hatchery trout, or steelhead, with a maximum of 4 in possession for two days of fishing.

*The Feather River, from the Hwy 70 Bridge to the Table Mountain Bicycle Bridge in Oroville is open to fishing from Jan. 1st, 2016 to July 15, 2016 for Steelhead.
* Barbless hooks and a 2016 Steelhead Report Card are required.
* The King salmon season will open July 16th, 2016, for the water from the boat ramp above the Afterbay Outlet, downstream to 200 yards above the Live Oak boat ramp at Pennington Road.

* Fishing for the king salmon is closed all year in the Low Flow above the Outlet. There is no allowance for any catch and release fishing that targets salmon when any water is closed to salmon fishing.

* Below the Hwy 70 Bridge, the Feather River is open year around for steelhead, trout, bass, catfish and panfish. Check DFW regulations for species limits, gear restrictions and salmon regulations.

Oroville State Wildlife Areaponds will produce a few bass, bluegill and sunfish for anglers fishing the ponds near weed beds or stickups. Use creature baits, small chatter-baits, buzz baits, plastic worms, or nightcrawlers for bass and red worms or small flies and work them slowly for the bluegill or sunfish.

Hunting
The General Hunting Season closed in the Oroville State Wildlife Area Jan. 31st.
* Spring Turkey season closed May 1st.
* No other hunting seasons are open in the Oroville Area until Sept. 1.

*See regulations regarding Hunting and area use at Ca. Dept. Fish and Wildlife,
www.dfw.ca.gov/regulations