San Pablo Reservoir: The Trout Plants Continue!   By: Dan Bacher June 2, 2009 More Articles by Dan

San Pablo Reservoir is one of the approximately 175 waters taken off the trout planting schedule by the Department of Fish and Game under the terms of a court order by a Sacramento Superior Court Judge, but that hasn't stopped the lake's concessionaire aggressive trout stocking program.

"We're very fortunate that Mt. Lassen Fish Farm will continue to stock rainbows in the reservoir just as they have for years," said Marcia Garrett, manager of That Dam Company. "Most of our plants are private - the DFG has planted relatively few fish compared to all of the rainbows we stock every year."

The recreation area, located on San Pablo Dam road between the towns of Orinda and El Sobrante in the East Bay Hills, opened to fishing on February 28 amidst rising water coming from San Pablo Creek and the E.B.M.U.D. pipeline from Lake Pardee. Since the water is cloudy due to the recent inflows, bait anglers rather than trollers have experienced the best action since the opener.

The park district planted the lake with loads of trout for the opener. Mt Lassen on February 21 planted 4900 pounds including 300 pounds in the 3 to 8 pound range. Approximately 37,100 pounds of rainbows will be planted in 2009. Of course, the lake also sports thousands of holdover rainbows from last season's plants also.

"We've seen lots of limits of trout so far this season, along with some whoppers 5 pounds or over," said Garrett. "Boaters and shore anglers are doing about equally as well. The best bet is to bait fishing with Power Bait, Berkley Gulp, worms, scented with Berkley Trout Attractant."

Though the trolling hasn't been as good at the bait fishing, anglers are using J-7 and J-9 Rapalas to catch their trout. Nightcrawlers behind flashers and dodgers, Needlefish, Cripplures and other minnow imitation lures are good tempters to use.

Steve Roger topped the lake catches to date with a 7 lb. 14.4 oz. rainbow taken while bait fishing at Bobber Beach. Mike Hoyt landed a 6 lb. 11.2 oz. trout while soaking Power Bait, also at Bobber Beach. A. Wright demonstrated his angling prowess by enticing a 6 lb. 7 oz. trout, while Philip Alvarez of Hercules bagged a 6 lb. 9 oz. rainbow.

Unlike some major reservoirs, San Pablo Reservoir Recreation Area, one of the finest fisheries in the Bay Area and the state, is in great shape for fishing and boating this spring and summer. The lake is 75 percent of full and is only 17 feet from its maximum pool of 314 feet above sea level.

During a trip I made to the reservoir on March 8, the hills and shoreline were covered with a lush carpet of green grass and dozens of anglers were fishing the shoreline and piers in the Main Recreation Area. The nearly full appearance of the reservoir was in stark contrast to 2007 when I fished the lake. The lake at that time was considerably lower.

Although many reported tough fishing, others reported excellent success. For example, Aidan Roberts of Moraga caught his first-ever fish, a 1 lb. 9 oz. rainbow, while trolling salmon eggs with his father.

Harold Staff of San Francisco landed three rainbows, including a beautiful 3 pound holdover, while soaking Power Bait in the main recreation area. His fishing partner, Kerwin Jeung, also bagged 4 rainbows to 2-1/2 pounds while using rainbow Power Bait.

Spring and early summer are the top times to catch rainbows at the reservoir. When the water temperature warms up in the summer and early fall, anglers needed to use lead core line or switch over to downriggers when the fish move into the thermocline.

Fish grow up to trophy size at San Pablo. Stephen Dwy caught the lake record rainbow trout of 22 pounds, 12.8 ounces on April 18, 2001 while soaking chartreuse Power Bait off Oak Point.

Although trout by far are the most popular species at San Pablo Reservoir, the lake also sports good populations of black bass and sunfish. An electro shocking survey conducted by the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) in September 2004 turned up high numbers of centrarchids (sunfish) including largemouth bass, spotted bass, black crappie and bluegill, according to Roger Harwell, EBMUD supervising biologist.

With its big Florida-strain largemouths, the reservoir is the popular target of a hard-core group of big bass devotees. Anglers fish an array of methods, such as tossing spinnerbaits, split shotting with plastic worms and drop shotting with plastics.

However, if you want to target big largemouths, probably your best is to toss out a rainbow trout swim bait such as a Castaic or Huddleston's, since the bass gorge on the planted trout. "Once the bass get big, they are able to gain a lot of weight, without expending a lot of energy, by feeding on the trout," said Hartwell.

Ironically, it was a trout angler, Victor Barfield, who caught the lake record 18 lb. 11.2 oz., largemouth, one of the heftiest bass ever taken in northern California, on March 22, 2001. He was fishing with a nightcrawler and Power Bait for trout in Scow Canyon when he hooked the monster bass!

"San Pablo is a great bass lake," noted Garrett. Although she has heard of just a few bass caught since the opener, she expects the action to improve as the water warms up and the pre-spawn bite begins.

The concessionaire switches over from trout plants to catfish plants when the water temperatures get too warm to allow to stock trout stocking during the summer. The concessionaire expects to stock 6,300 lbs. of catfish in San Pablo in 2009.

Although most of the cats are in the 2 to 5 pound range, trophy cats roam the waters of the reservoir. Dave Edwards of Vallejo set the lake channel cat record when he nailed a 31 lb. 4.8 oz. monster using an anchovy off Oak Point on March 23, 1995.

Crappie, redear sunfish, and bluegill offer good fishing in the spring and summer for anglers using an array of small baits and lures. The lake crappie record stands at 3 pounds, 3.2 ounces, while the redear sunfish record is 3 pounds, 6.4 ounces.

The lake also hosts a sleeper population of white sturgeon that are occasionally caught by anglers bait fishing for trout and catfish. "We didn't see any sturgeon in 2008, though anglers caught several keepers the year before," noted Garrett.

It will take a really big sturgeon to beat the lake record of 105 pounds. Nai Saephan of San Pablo caught the diamondback on frozen shrimp on June 13, 2003.

San Pablo Reservoir is an EBMUD drinking water reservoir, so swimming, wading, and other body-contact activities are prohibited. To further preserve the high water quality, only four-cycle engines using MTBE-free gasoline are allowed on launched boats. Rental boats are also equipped with four-cycle engines.

For more information, contact That Dam Company, 7301 San Pablo Dam Rd., El Sobrante, CA 94803 (510) 223-1661.

San Pablo Lake Facts

General Information: San Pablo Dam has 866 surface acres and 14 miles of shoreline that offers anglers their choice of fishing from boats, both private or rentals, or from shore. This EBMUD reservoir is a drinking water supply and therefore no swimming or wading is allowed.

Recreation Area Facilities: Amenities at San Pablo include a well stocked bait and tackle shop, fish cleaning stations, a handicap fishing dock, a variety of boat rentals, picnic grounds, a children's play area and the San Pablo Grill, serving cooked to order breakfast and lunch with a lake view.

Boating Regulations: There is a $4.50 daily boat launch fee for use of the three-lane ramp and a $4.00 daily float tube launch fee. No 2-cycle engines, dry stack jet boats, water skies, personal watercraft (jet skis) or windsurfers are allowed. A 25 MPH speed limit is enforced. Electric motors only are allowed in the preserve area. All motor boats must be registered. The minimum width is 23-1/2 inches on all types of boats.

Vessel Inspections: The San Pablo Recreation Area boat launch is open seven days a week through July 5th. All boats coming in to the boat launch will be inspected for invasive species and standing water. If there is any standing water in your boat, you will not be allowed to launch.

Hours: Open annually February 28 through October. The main recreation building and marina open from sunrise to one half-hour before sunset.

2009 Fees and Permits: Park entry fee $6.50. Park entry fee; van 10-20 passengers $17.00, daily fishing access permit $4.50, dog charge $2.00

Picnicking: Many first-come first-serve picnic sites are available with tables and barbecues. There is a children's play area. One reservable group picnic site called The Oaks accommodates 50 to 200 people. For reservations, call (510) 223-1661

Information: That Dam Company, San Pablo Reservoir, 7301 San Pablo Dam Road, El Sobrante, CA 94803, Phone: (510) 223-1661. For a brochure, call Urban Park Concessionaires at (925) 426-3060.

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