# Seeing Red at Calaveras lake 9/3



## Teamgafftop13 (Mar 6, 2011)

Headed out to Calaveras lake at around 5:45am Tuesday morning to accompany a friend of mine on his first "real" kayak trip to Calaveras lake. 
After unloading all the gear and netting a few dozen 2-3" tilapia at the kayak launch we paddled out to troll across the dam at about 7am. Marked some nice fish on the fish finder, but no takers. Once we crossed in front of the dam we decided to head over to the crappie wall. We proceeded to hoist our yaks up onto the wall and get baited up.










It wasn't long before I had a hit on a 2" tilapia sitting on the bottom. Started playing it in on the light action rod, with my first thought being "rat red" as it wasn't putting up much of a fight, but still was trying to dive for the bottom. I was pleasantly surprised when my suspicions were proven wrong and up popped this small but keeper channel cat!









One for the cooler!

attempted running some balloon lines which worked for a little while till the wind pretty much died on us. None the less some of the guys around us were catchin some decent reds, and it wasnt long before my buddy Dane's balloon started swirling around no more than 20yds off the wall and he was hooked into a pretty 18" red, not a keeper, but his new PB at that point. (dont have a picture of his fish)










We kept running lines and hangin out (at this point my catfish is still my only catch) not even the rat reds were interested in any kind of artificials that day. Dane hooked into a feisty 22" multi spotted red making that his new PB and his first ever keeper red, he was so excited he could barely control himself! (again, I dont have the pic)

At this point the fishing almost died, people started leaving the wall, and Dane wanted to get back to the truck to drop off out catches in the cooler and get something to eat. So we made the long paddle back to the launch, and took a break before heading back out. 
Next stop we headed back across the dam and back into 181 cove, running tilapia and fresh dead shad under slip bobbers and on the bottom. I had one small pull on shad from what I assume was a catfish, but no hookup.










The wind started changing direction so we decided to paddle back over to the wall and see if the bite was picking up. 
Got to the wall to find out the reds were coming in hot and were hittin live lined tilapia like nobody's business. Another kayaker next to us hooked and landed a 32" as we were getting rigged up. 
I didnt have to wait long before my drag started screaming and I had myself a good 10 minute battle with this chunky 28"er that came in right at 10lbs

















(same fish after the sun came out and I wasnt shadowed)

I proceeded in catching a 25" and a 20" to round out my limit before I decided to call it quits and head home, as it was pushing 4pm and I needed to get these fish on ice.










Dane decided to stay on the wall trying to get one last fish before turning in, so I made the last long paddle back to the launch by myself, loaded up, cleaned my catch and started for home. Shortly after I got my gear unloaded I received a picture mail from Dane saying he left the wall about 30 minutes after me with no luck but he had decided to troll a spoon behind him on the way back, and had a 29" red stop his kayak cold! Took him 15 minutes to land the fish on the yak but he got it in and ended up with another PB for the day!

9 hours on the water, caught some great fish, had a blast, and my friend re-set his Personal Best 3 times in the same trip! Cant ask for much more than that!


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## hopn (Jul 5, 2012)

Didn't know red were that far inland and in fresh water. I googled the area and it looks like you stayed outside of the wall middle of the lake? I presume it's restricted water inside the closed area? Thanks for sharing.


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## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

Sweet fishes!!


Hopn. I think they are stocked in that lake.


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## Teamgafftop13 (Mar 6, 2011)

@hopn, Fishn' Soldier is correct, they stock fingerlings in Calaveras and Braunig every year. They can thrive in freshwater, but they cannot breed in freshwater. And you are correct, we can get on the wall, and can fish inside the channel, but we cannot go inside, it's CPS property. That is one of the intake points for the cooling systems on the power plant


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

TP&W stocked redfish in a few of the power plant hot water lakes. Calavaras and Fairfield were the two most successful.
Unfortunately there was a huge algae bloom fish kill in Fairfield a few years back. As far as I know the TP&W gave up on Fairfield. It is now the home of Mozambique tilapia and a few bass.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Great report!


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## hopn (Jul 5, 2012)

Thanks everyone for the schooling.  But a 3 hr trip just to fish 3 is not my ideal road trip, oh well, there's always Galveston Bay. :-D


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## Teamgafftop13 (Mar 6, 2011)

@shadslinger thanks bud!


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## Newbomb Turk (Sep 16, 2005)

Not a good idea to block the wall like that with your rigs. When you hook up a big red there is sometimes a lot of back and forth on the wall depending on which way they run. Could be hazardous for other anglers. Just drop an anchor line over the wall an it will hold your yak against the outer edge of the wall. Just a suggestion.


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## Newbomb Turk (Sep 16, 2005)

A few reds from the wall. If I see you out there, I'll give you another bait tip...


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## Teamgafftop13 (Mar 6, 2011)

Newbomb Turk said:


> Not a good idea to block the wall like that with your rigs. When you hook up a big red there is sometimes a lot of back and forth on the wall depending on which way they run. Could be hazardous for other anglers. Just drop an anchor line over the wall an it will hold your yak against the outer edge of the wall. Just a suggestion.


yea, I occasionally employ that technique, it can just be extremely hard on a kayak doing that especially if there is a lot of boat traffic. In fact my friend almost had his kayak flipped over by a wave one time from a passing boat wake, so unless its calm out my yak (the green one not the red)goes on the wall. That being said I typically set my yak back on top of one of the struts that sticks out towards the dam, so my rig isnt really in the way anyway, at least no more than all the rod holders and stuff other people have stuck in the wall. Havent had a problem so far  appreciate any help you can give as well, ill see you on the water!


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