Stream fishing in the bay area

[matt brisbin]

Hi,

I'm new to fly fishing and am looking for a route this weekend (4/20) around the bay area. More specifically I'd like to backpack in with my new tenkara setup rather than drive up to a stream.

Any suggestions for this time of year?

Thanks,

Matt

[Bob Gross]

I was hiking in Henry Coe State Park on Saturday, and there were minnows only in the stream by China Hole.

The Ohlone Wilderness has some streams, but too many of them are intermittent and findable only after a rain storm.

Alameda Creek has to have fish.

–B.G.–

[matt brisbin]

Yeah I was down near china hole a few weekends ago and didn't see anything. Good to know about Ohlone Wilderness though, that was on my list to checkout.

[Richard Gless]

Henry Coe has pretty decent fly fishing for bluegills and small largemouth bass. Try Bass Pond, altho the low water years haven't helped it much. Spring is the best time. Sometimes getting to the water can be a problem around some of the lakes at Coe and some people carry in float tubes. The fish aren't big but they can be fun, and there is the occasional largemouth that would be a thrill on your Tenkara. There used to be trout, and I caught some nice fish in some of Coe's streams in the early '90s, but a ranger told me a few years ago that all the low water years in the late 90's pretty much wiped them out.

I've heard rumors of fish in the lakes south of Wildcat camp at Pt Reyes, but never checked it out. Maybe Alameda creek if it doesn't run dry.

Lake Sonoma also has some bass and panfish fishing possilities, but I haven't explored them much from the backpack campsites, only from drive in sites. There might be some other lakes/streams as you go up north.

Puta Creek is a drive in stream and has some nymphing for trophy trout during the winter flyfishing only season.

[Justin Baker]

This isn't a stream, but Hood Mountain in Santa Rosa has some ponds that are full of bass. Fishing in them is almost too easy. It's a short hike in.

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