So what do you do when they red light San Luis Reservoir?  Sometimes when the winds are too high like in the summer months, lake management will not allow people to take their boats out onto the lake.  But on some occasions, they will open O’Neill Forebay to boating if the waves and winds are tolerable.  Today was one of those days. I got a call from Xiong the day before about a last minute fishing trip.  He wanted to take his brother in law Steve striper fishing at San Luis Reservoir and…Read more …

I took a much needed break from making the Tackle Builder Atlas Umbrella Rigs and took my boys out fishing at San Luis Reservoir yesterday.  One of my son has been asking me to take him out the past few days so it was good timing. The fishing reports coming from the FishAholics community at the big lake has been consistent action and productive from shore.  It’s the windy season so not too many boaters were willing to risk being turned down after a long drive to the lake.  I was going to…Read more …

I am not familiar with New Hogan Lake at all.  In fact, I’ve never fished Hogan Lake before this trip.  All I knew about Hogan were the stories that fishermen tell.  Stories about massive striper boils.  Non-stop action all day.  Enough to make your arms fall off.  Even stories about a mysterious creature.  A local lochness monster that lurks in the deep. I’ve been on the fence about hitting Hogan for a few years now.  Most fishermen who fish there have a love hate relationship with the lake.  The striped bass can be…Read more …

It’s been a while since I last took my boat out.  I’ve been so busy with family and events.  My last trip to San Luis Reservoir was more than two months ago when I fished during a cold front in the rain and cold.  Itching to go again, Nick and I decided to hit San Luis Reservoir for some striper action.  I called the wind hotline on the way there but it wasn't working.  As we passed O’Neill Forebay, I could already see the white caps.  I scanned the lake for the warning…Read more …

I was invited to go with David on his boat to troll the Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel aka DWC.  My last visit here, we hammered them on the chartreuse colored Atlas umbrella rigs. The is one of those places I’d love to fish more often but live too far to visit on a regular basis.  We made the trek all the way to the cargo docks from Rio Vista. Its distance from the closest public boat ramp deters many boaters from traveling here.  Most water craft in the area are kayaks and…Read more …