Fall Fishing Is Here: Lake Berryessa Fishing Report
Today we are covering:
Fall Fishing Is Here: What We Learned on Lake Berryessa This Week
Catch Of The Month Contest - September Winner!
Live Bait Update
Fall Fishing Is Here: What We Learned on Lake Berryessa This Week
There’s a point every year when you can feel the fishing season change.
We felt it Monday on Lake Berryessa.
The surface temperature was around 70 degrees, there was hardly another boat around, and the lake had that early-fall feel to it. Cooler morning, beautiful weather and fish beginning to move around the water column.
And about a minute after we started fishing, we were already hooked up.
Berryessa Is in Transition
Fall transition doesn't mean all the fish suddenly move shallow. Monday was a perfect example of why you have to let the lake tell you what's happening.
We began by targeting salmonids with downriggers at 60 and 75 feet, trolling about 1.4 mph with traditional kokanee-style presentations. Early in the morning we started with some gold in the spread, planning to transition toward more natural colors as the sun got higher.
Our first hookup came almost immediately at about 60 feet.
That became an important number.
Another good fish came around 56–57 feet, and throughout the day we kept adjusting our downriggers based on what we were seeing on the electronics rather than stubbornly fishing the depths where we'd started.
That is probably the biggest lesson from the trip: fall fishing is about adjustment.
Watch Your Electronics — and Watch the Bottom
One of our most interesting bites came as we crossed a sharp depth change.
The bottom dropped from roughly 60 feet into much deeper water. We marked fish down around 100–125 feet, dropped a presentation toward them, and got a bite almost immediately.
That's fall fishing in a nutshell.
Don't just look at the number in the corner of your fish finder. Watch for bait, individual fish signatures and changes in structure. A point, drop-off or sudden depth change can concentrate both bait and predators.
And don't assume every fish is doing the same thing.
We were seeing activity at multiple depths. Our deeper rods were targeting salmonids, while we also experimented higher in the water column with a Paulsen Cascade Free Slider Spreader with 2 ounce ball and a Mag Lip as insurance for fish willing to feed above our primary spread.
We than changed that insurance setup to a basic silver flasher followed by a leader and large worm hooked using the worm threader. One of my favorite setups. Who can resist a juicy warm being whipped behind a flasher? It's like you saying no to cold beer and a juicy hot dog on a warm day in the park.
That experiment produced a nice bass around 30 feet. We lost another big fish on the same setup.
By the end of the day, we'd put a couple of kings, a trout and a bass in the boat, lost several more fish and learned a lot about where they were holding.
No limits. No problem.
We had a cooler with fish in it, a gorgeous sunset and, on a Monday, what felt like our own private Lake Berryessa.
What Happens Next?
This is what makes the next couple of months so interesting.
As Berryessa continues cooling, trout will gradually gain access to more of the upper water column. We're still early in that process, and Monday's fish around 60 feet showed that we're certainly not in the late-fall shallow pattern yet.
As we get farther into October and toward the lake's eventual fall turnover, start looking higher.
That's also when we begin changing tactics.
For trout closer to the surface, we'll start moving away from the slow 1.2–1.6 mph kokanee approach and experiment closer to 2–3.5 mph with spoons and spinners.
We'll also increase our setbacks. A trout that's 60 feet beneath the boat isn't terribly concerned about the hull passing overhead. A trout cruising 10 or 20 feet down can be a different story.
That's when 80–100 feet or more behind the boat can make a difference. Planer boards can be especially effective because they put presentations well off to either side of the boat.
And we like to simplify: naked spoons and spinners without a flasher or dodger. In low morning light, start with darker or higher-contrast colors. As the sun gets up, experiment with more flash and natural baitfish patterns.
Most importantly:
Don't fish a calendar. Fish what you see.
Monday, the fish told us 60 feet. Next week, they may tell us something completely different.
Fall Isn't the End of Fishing Season
Berryessa is only one piece of what's coming.
As our lakes cool, bass begin following and feeding heavily on baitfish. Cover water with reaction baits, find the bait, then slow down with finesse presentations once you've located fish.
Meanwhile, striped bass are pushing into the Napa River. Bank anglers can fish pile worms, ghost shrimp, anchovies and minnows or cover water with swimbaits and jerkbaits. Boat anglers can start working the river edges with deep-diving plugs. Follow the bait, pay attention to the tide and don't be afraid to move.
Then November brings one of our favorite Northern California traditions: Dungeness crab. Grab some hoop nets for the boat or a heavy surf rod and crab snare for the pier, add some squid and you've got the makings of a pretty great fall day — and hopefully fresh crab for the family.
And before winter closes the door on the ocean groundfish season, there's still rockfish and lingcod along our coast.
That's why we love this time of year.
The techniques change. The fish move. You have to think a little more.
But throw on a hoodie, grab a thermos of coffee and head out into a cool fall morning. There are a lot of fish still waiting for you.
Fall isn't the end of fishing season. It's the beginning of a different one.
Stop by Sweeney's Sports in Napa before your next trip. We've got the trout and kokanee gear, striper tackle, bait and a fully stocked crab section ready for the fall season.
Catch Of The Month Contest - September Winner!
Congratulations to Fernando (@fernand0.o9_), our September Catch of the Month winner! 🏆
Thanks to everyone who submitted a catch and voted. Fernando, stop by Sweeney’s Sports to pick up your $30 gift card!
Want to be our next Catch of the Month winner? Entering is easy:
Share a photo of your catch on Instagram.
@sweeneys_sports in your post or Tag story.
At the end of the month, finalists will be featured in our Instagram Stories for the community to vote.
The winner receives a $30 Sweeney’s Sports gift card and a feature on our social media.
Keep fishing, keep sharing, and send us your best catch for a chance to win next month!
Live Bait Update
Available this week:
Pile worms
XL Minnows
Medium Minnows
And if you're not sure what to run—stop by the shop and let’s talk strategy.
As always,
We truly appreciate every time you walk through our doors. Thank you for choosing to spend your hard-earned dollars with us. It's a privilege to be of service.
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