Kings, Kokanee And Rainbows Offer Triple Fun At Berryessa   By: Dan Bacher June 18, 2008 More Articles by Dan

Lake Berryessa, the sprawling Bureau of Reclamation reservoir situated on Putah Creek in the coastal mountains of Napa County, offers a three-for-one special for anglers. It is one of a handful of California reservoirs, including Don Pedro and McClure, where anglers can hook king salmon, kokanee salmon and feisty rainbow trout during one trip.

For decades, Berryessa was known for its quality rainbow trout, black bass, crappie and catfish fishing. I caught all of these species while fishing the docks at Berryessa with Claude Davis, the guy who pioneered downrigger fishing for trout at the lake, from 1986 until a year before his death in 1999.

The historic mixture of species changed in 1999 when the Department of Fish and Game, in partnership with Project Kokanee/CIFFI, introduced 25,000 king salmon into the lake as an experiment. The fish quickly grew big and fat, providing anglers with an excellent landlocked salmon fishery to pursue from boats and banks with a year. Fish up to 23 inches long have been caught in recent years, according to Sep Hendrickson, executive director of CIFFI.

Then in 2001, the DFG planted kokanee in the lake for the first time. Just like the kings, the kokanee took off in the lake’s plankton-rich waters by 2003, providing anglers with their first-ever chance to catch kokanee, landlocked kings and rainbow trout in one day. Since the original plant, the DFG has stocked anywhere from 32,436 to 90,522 kokanee fingerlings annually in Berryessa.

The introduction of kokanee and king salmon to the lake has added a whole new dimension of angling excitement to the lake over recent years. Although kokanee, kings and rainbows are caught year-round, your best chance of catching all three species on one trip is during the spring and early summer.

The fishing began to pick up this April after the water at Berryessa warmed up after an unusually cold winter for northern California. On his first trip of the season, two anglers fishing with Rene Villanueva of Steelie Dan’s Guide Service caught 8 kings to 18 inches and two rainbows while trolling “rolled” threadfin shad behind dodgers at 25 to 80 feet deep on the main body. “We had our limits by 1 p.m.,” noted Villanueva.

Hoping to catch all three species, Villanueva and I made a trip to the lake on Thursday, May 8. After we launched at Markley Cove Resort, Villanueva started putting out his G. Loomis and Shasta Tackle rods at a variety of depths, ranging from 25 to 80 feet, after we went past the mouth of Markley Cove to the area near the dam.

Before we were able to get the second rod in the water, the first rod, baited with shad behind a Sling Blade Dodger, began slowly bouncing. I grabbed the rod after Villanueva popped the line off the downrigger clip and began fighting the fish. As I worked it to the top of the water behind the boat, I could see that it was a good-sized king salmon. After seeing the boat, the king went crazy, making several strong runs until Villanueva was able to net it

The fish was a robust king measuring 18 inches long – a great way to start the day. Over the next two hours, we hooked over 10 fish, keeping a total of two kings, one 15 inch kokanee, a 12 inch rainbow and a 15 inch spotted bass – surpassing our goal of catching three species by adding a bass to the mix.

“Are you ready to try a new spot?” Rene asked after the action slowed down.

“It sounds like a good idea – the bite has dropped off here,” I replied.

So Villanueva fired up the motor and headed over to the Skiers Cove area of the main body. We hooked another six fish, but only got two to the boat, including another 18 inch salmon. Just before we decided to call it a day, we had a double hook-up, with Rene losing his fish as I struggled to subdue an especially feisty 16 inch king, the last fish we boated that day.

Rene opened up the ice chest, and observed, “That’s a really nice bunch of fish.” We ended up keeping four kings from 14to 18 inches, one kokanee, one rainbow and a fat spotted bass – a colorful array of fish.

Throughout our trip, the only fish that popped the line off the downrigger was the kokanee. Often the biggest kings will bite the lightest, barely letting you know that they’re hooked., in contrast to the hard-charging kokanee.

Berryessa is quickly becoming known as a trophy kokanee lake rivaling New Melones, Don Pedro, Whiskeytown, Union Valley and other legendary California kokanee fisheries. Trollers using a variety of offerings have caught a lot of kokanee in the 16 to 18 inch class at Berryessa in recent years – and Hendrickson is predicting that fish over 20 inches will be caught by this fall.

“The DFG was originally worried about the kokanee competing with the lake’s forage fish, pond smelt and threadfin shad, for the available plankton,” said Hendrickson. “However, there appears to be enough food for all three species – kokanee, kings and rainbows – in the lake. “

The fishery has also been boosted by the initiation of the CIFFI pen-rearing project at Berryessa in 2001. King salmon were put in the pens the first year, but rainbow trout have been placed there in the years since.

The rainbows residing in the four floating 1,200 square foot pens get a growth jump over the typical catchable rainbow released into the lake, according to Dennis Lee, retired DFG fishery biologist and currently a DFG consultant.

The fish are raised in the pens for 4 to 5 months from November through early May, depending upon the weather and water temperatures. CIFFI volunteers and marina employees feed the rainbows with pellets twice daily.

While in the pens, the fish become acclimated and start feeding on natural forage, including pond smelt and shad. By the time the fish are released into the lake in the spring, the fish are fat, healthy fish in the 2 to 3.5 pound class ready to fend for themselves.

Villanueva, who has been fishing the lake since a young boy growing up in Davis, said the partnership between CIFFI and the DFG to introduce kings and kokanee to the lake has substantially improved the quality of the reservoir’s salmonid fishery.

The DFG stocks Berryessa with an average of 58,000 Eagle Lake and Coleman strain rainbow trout every year. For many years, the Department planted the trout in March and April. More recently, the Department expanded their planting scheduled from January through April with the hopes that this will allow more planters to survive and become feisty holdover rainbows.

While trolling is the most effective way to catch salmon and trout during the spring and summer when the fish are holding deeper, shore fishing can become very effective for kings and rainbows when the lake turns over in the fall. Anglers fishing from shore with minnows and nightcrawlers under bobbers catch some of the largest fish of the year during the fall and early winter months in the dam, Markley Cove and Spanish Flat areas.

For more information about booking trips on Lake Berryessa, call Rene Villanueva of Steelie Dan’s Guide Service at 916-684-7148 or cell 916--825-8341.  

Lake Berryessa Facts  

Monticello Dam Facts: the dam is 304 feet tall, 90 feet wide at the base, and 12 feet wide at the crest. The dam spans 1,023 feet across the canyon (Devil’s Gate).  

Lake Facts: the reservoir is 23 miles long at longest point, 3 miles wide at widest point, 165 miles of shoreline. The storage capacity is1.6 million acre-feet of water  

History: Under the waters of Lake Berryessa lie ghost roads that once led to ranchers, farmers, miners, Native Americans, and Mexicans. The earliest dwellers of the Berryessa Valley were the Miwok and Patwin Indian tribes who lived on the valley floor along Putah Creek and its tributaries. In 1947 Solano County in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation formed the Solano Project in order to provide water to Solano County and surrounding irrigable lands.  

The Solano Project: The Secretary of the Interior authorized the Solano Project on November 11, 1948, under the terms of the Reclamation Project Act of 1939. Construction of the project began in 1953. Monticello Dam and the Putah Diversion Dam were completed in 1957 and the Putah South Canal was completed early in 1959. The Monticello Dam, the Putah Diversion Dam, the Putah South Canal, and the Green Valley Conduit and distribution systems are owned by the Bureau of Reclamation and through an agreement operated and maintained by the Solano Irrigation District under contract with the Solano County Flood Control and Water Conservation District.

Public Day Use Areas: The Bureau operates, Oak Shores, Smittle Creek, and Capell Cove Boat Launch. The day use areas offer a spectacular view of the lake with picnic tables, barbeque grills, hiking trails, off-shore fishing, beach related activities and shade.  

Camping and Marinas: Lake Berryessa offers opportunities for camping, overnight use, restaurants, marinas, and other visitor services in seven resorts that are managed by private concessions under contract with Reclamation. The concessions contracts for the seven existing resorts expire in 2008/2009. For more information, go to http://www.usbr.gov/mp/ccao/field_offices/lake_berryessa.  

Fishing Guide Services: Trout and salmon guides include Rene Villanueva of Steelie Dan’s Guide Service, 916-684-7148 or cell 916--825-8341, and Captain Les Fernandes of Fish On Charters, 707-875-2313 or cell 707-490-4067. Larry Hemphill, 916-674-0276, offers guided black bass trips on Berryessa.

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