# New to freshwater fishing (Calaveras Lake)



## vtx18c (Oct 10, 2009)

Im new freshwater fishing..never been always fish saltwater. But I would like to try freshwater. can someone give me some guidance on what to used to catch reds, catfish at Calaveras Lake. Any tips would be great. Thanks


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## HeadzInAlaska (Dec 8, 2008)

Calaveras has lots of fish...cats, reds and striped bass are real good there. I have caught reds trolling spoons, rattletraps, or just about any other shad looking plug in about 10 to 15 feet. 

I have caught most fish there off the crappie wall. When you come out of the ramps, it will be straight ahead to the right. We throw an anchor over the wall, just make sure you have good fenders cause if its choppy it will beat your boat up real bad. Usually the wind will be at your back, and the best way we fish the wall is use a baloon and live shad, tilapia, perch or crawfish. I use a circle hook, bout a 2 - 3 foot leader, snap swivel. blow up the balloon and clip to your swivel. flip it out and let the wind carry your line down the discharge canal. you can fish a big area like this. I have seen most reds caught near the shorelines in that canal. they will school and come through, tear everything up, then it will die for a while until they come back. I have also caught a good number of stripers throwing a redfish spinnerbait on both sides of the wall while my baloon works down. 

I have caught a few channels down by the trestle on cheesebait. Not really a catfish guy so I haven't figured out where they get the blues but some guys do real well there on catfish.

Hope that helps. I was assuming you are going to have a boat...othewise they catch good reds right on the shoreline with live bait under a popping cork.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Don't know about Calaveras specifically but have some experience with freshwater reds...on Fairfield.

The ballon rig with live bait about 20 feet below the balloon works good on Fairfield. When rigged that way live Tilapia seems to work best for me.

Reds move around a lot...and often the best approach is to just park your boat on a likely shoreline spot and wait for them to come along. I've watched Jackie Kennedy, the best freshwater redfish guide I know of, absolutely perfect this technique. He has mastered it. 

Other techniques that work at various times include throwing big rattling cranks in relatively shallow water in known red feeding areas.

When all else fails, trolling can be effective at finding and catching them. I like to use big deep diving cranks like the DD 16's and 20's and even deeper. 

Those freshwater reds are really a great fighting fish. Every bit as strong as their saltwater cousins.


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## vtx18c (Oct 10, 2009)

*Thanks*

Thanks 2cools greatly appreciated..learn alot from the posts. Again thank you for your fishing knowledge.


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