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The East Bay Municipal Utility District is known for its scenic, well managed fishing lakes, but I consider Lafayette to be the most beautiful of them all. Situated in the forested Contra Costa County hills at the edge of the city of Lafayette, the popular reservoir draws crowds of hikers, runners and birdwatchers to the trails around the lake every weekend, along with a dedicated group of trout, bass, catfish and panfish anglers clustered around the lake.
The reservoir, with its tree, brush and tule-shoreline and relatively stable water level, makes Lafayette look more like a natural lake than a reservoir. The reservoir, a drinking water supply, gets all of this water from runoff from the surrounding watershed, rather than from a permanent stream or diversions from other watersheds as is the case with most reservoirs in California.
Lafayette has one of the most diverse arrays of fish of any lake in the San Francisco Bay Area. The lake is not only planted with large numbers of rainbow trout during the fall, winter and spring and channel catfish in the summer, but also plays host to self-sustaining populations of largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, and redear sunfish.
The rainbow trout draw the majority of anglers to the lake, although fishing for largemouth bass and panfish is popular. The lake is stocked with rainbow trout from Lassen Trout Farm from October until June or whenever the water temperature reaches over 70 degrees, according to Matt Sporleder, park ranger at Lafayette.
Since October 6, 2006, Lafayette has been stocked with 14,000 pounds of trout. The unusually cold water and air temperatures resulting from northern California's "arctic freeze" this January slowed down the fishing from what it was normally be.
When I visited the reservoir on the Sunday of the Martin Luther King Holiday weekend, frigid temperatures in the twenties and thirties, combined with a brisk wind, deterred all but the hardiest anglers from fishing from shore or boat.
Of the 12 or so anglers I surveyed, only two reported catching trout. The team of Santiago, Guadalupe, Jesus and Jose Elias of Fairfield ended up with one beautiful 3 lb. rainbow. The heavily bundled anglers fished Power Bait from a rental boat while enduring the frosty weather.
I encountered the most successful angler, Joe, at the cleaning station with an amazing catch of four rainbows ranging from 2-1/2 to 6 pounds.
"How did you catch so many fish when everybody had a tough time today?" I asked the day's "fishing hero."
"I used rainbow Power Bait off one of the docks," he divulged. "I guess I was lucky."
When the weather warms up and the fish become more active, anglers should get ready for wide-open fishing. "When the trout go on the bite, the fishing will go crazy because there have been so many trout planted in the lake that have yet to be caught," forecasted Sporleder.
In an effort to further enhance the lake's fishery, the park district stocked largemouth bass and bluegill from other lakes in the East Bay hills over the past year. The district stocked 600 bass ranging from 2 to 6 pounds and 100 bluegill from a half-pound to 2 pounds in the lake in June 2006. They stocked an additional 35 bluegill and 55 bass ranging from 2 to 5 pounds in August and another 80 bass and 40 bluegill into Lafayette in September.
The big bluegill are already beginning to show in the catches. Steve Adams set a new lake record in November 2006 when he nailed a 1 lb. 1 oz. bluegill.
You also have a chance of catching a trophy largemouth on every trip you make to Lafayette. Mike Sutherland of El Sobrante set the lake largemouth record in January 1998 when he caught and released a 14 lb. 6 oz largemouth while using a plastic worm near L Dock. More recently, Sutherland nailed a 5.10 lb. largemouth in the East Cove on December 30.
Because yellow perch have a tendency to stunt and overpopulate, they can become a management problem and compete with other gamefish species. For this reason, the East Bay Regional Park District encourages people to catch them, kill them and take them home.
"If you catch yellow perch, please don't put release them back into the lake," said Licalsi. "These are a non-native species that was illegally introduced and we have stocked Florida-strain largemouth bass to forage upon them."
Apparently, the increased fishing pressure for yellow perch and the introduction of the Florida strain bass is beginning to impact the perch population. Although still very abundant, many of the perch are now are in the 8 to 12 inch range, according to Licalsi. When I fished the lake in the June 2004, most of the perch caught by anglers were in the 6 to 8 inch range, indicating stunting.
That was one of the most memorable shore fishing adventures I ever made. While fishing for a couple of hours in the late evening, I caught one rainbow trout, several big bluegill, one redear sunfish, a large "mess" of perch and, believe it or not, two completely intact fishing rods!
The perch can be taken year round, but the best fishing is available when the water is its warmest in the summer and early fall. Not only are they a blast to cast, but also I consider them to be the best tasting fresh water fish.
The docks and weed beds around the lake are the best areas to target the delectable perch. Your best method is to fish with a "high and low" rig with one or two baited snelled Kahle hooks above a small dipsey sinker. Hold the rod nearly motionlessly with a tight line until you get a bite. The moment you feel the bite, set the hook or the perch will often steal your bait.
The top baits are waxworms, bits of shrimp, redworms, mealworms, golden grabs and pieces of nightcrawlers. You can also tip small jigs with worms for the panfish.
Channel catfish, stocked by the park district during the summer, provide another top-notch fishing opportunity at Lafayette. Though most of the fish are much smaller, the lake has some monster channel cats. Victor Fung of Orinda set the lake catfish record of 35 pounds 12 ounces while dunking mackerel in Harry's Cove in June of 2000.
For more information about the outstanding fishing and other recreational opportunities at Lafayette, call the Lafayette Reservoir Recreation Area at (925) 284-9669.
Lafayette Reservoir Facts
History and Size: Lafayette Reservoir is located off Mt. Diablo Boulevard on the west end of Lafayette. Completed in 1933, the reservoir is a standby supply of drinking water for East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) customers. The 925-acre site with a 1.4 billion gallon reservoir was opened to public recreation in 1966 with hiking, fishing, boating and picnicking.
Fishing Season: Fishing and other recreation are open year round during daylight hours. Opening and closing times are posted at the gate. Species found in the lake include rainbow trout, largemouth bass, channel catfish, bluegill, black crappie, redear sunfish, yellow perch, brown trout, and brook trout. The fishing access fee is $4.00 per day at the reservoir and the usual state license requirements and bait restrictions apply.
Entrance and Parking Fees: There is a $6.00 daily entrance fee. Short term (metered) parking is $.50 per 1/2 hour - 2 hour maximum. Annual gate card is $105, $55 for seniors (over 62 years), and $55 for disabled.
Boat Launching: Privately owned rowboats, canoes, kayaks and sailboats are allowed at the reservoir. Only car top boats with a 7 ' 10'' minimum length are allowed. No trailers or gas engines are permitted, but electric motors are ok. There is a $4.00 fee for boat launching. In addition, there are rowboats and pedal boats for rent at the activity center on an hourly, half-day, or all-day basis.
Picnic Sites: Surrounding the reservoir are 35 picnic sites to accommodate families and small groups. Most picnic areas are located near the dam; others are scattered around the reservoir. Two sites, located across from the children's playground on the east side of the dam, are set aside for reservation. The small picnic site accommodates up to 75 people. The large picnic site accommodates up to 250 people. There is a prepaid reservation fee required. Sites can only be reserved in person at the Lafayette Visitor Center.
Other Recreation: Hiking, walking, and jogging are available on the 4.7 mile dirt Rim Trail and on the 2.7 mile paved Lakeside Trail. Bicycles/rollerskates/blades and scooters are allowed on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon until closing and on Sundays from opening until 11 am (on the paved trail only). No skateboards are allowed.
For further information: Call the reservoir at 925-284-9669 or visit www.ebmud.com and www.lafayettechamber.org/pages/reservoir.htm.
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In addition, Lafayette harbors a large population of yellow perch that was illegally introduced over 18 years ago, probably by what the DFG refers to as "bucket biologists." The only other lakes in California that host good populations of these fish are Iron Gate and Copco reservoirs on the Klamath River near the Oregon border.
Don't be surprised if you hook into a brown or brook trout at Lafayette, since the park district has also stocked these fish. "We used to stock the lake regularly with just rainbow trout," said Terry Licalsi, park ranger. "Then we started planting channel catfish during the summer. Over the past year, we have also stocked brook, brown and Lightning trout into the lake."