Kelsey Bass Ranch Fishing Reports

DECEMBER 2003

12/29/03 From Bruce Able... "December 22nd, on the water at 8am off at 2pm. A total of 21 fish in the boat and lost several others. All fish on 4" and 6" plastics either drop shot or on darter-head jig. Had to fish it slow and all fish were found in the mid part of the lake in the weeds. No weeds = No fish. Water temp steady 49 degrees. Tried to crank and rip but no takers. Best of the holidays!"

12/18/03 From Dave Kochis... "Fished the morning of Dec 16. Had another great Kelsey Day. Cranked up 22 fish with the best five going 13# 12 oz. They are deep in the weeds. Be patient, they are schooled. Used a Silver Fat Rap # 7. The Bald Eagle is back!

12/11/03 From Dave Kochis... Had a great Kelsey day on 12/4. Caught 16 with several 3's and a 5. Cranked them all in the weeds.

NOVEMBER 2003

11/14/03 From Dave Kochis... Went fishing on 11/12. Caught 8. Got four first thing and then the fish developed lock jaw until the wind shifted. I caught a quick four more. I ripped four and cranked four.

11/03/03 From Ron Wilson... "Things really got tough Sunday (11/02/03). With the weather changes it looks like some tough fishing coming up. We caught about 25 fish or so but we really had to work hard to find them. Size was not that good either but we nailed a few 2 1/2 pounders. Must of been 1,000 honkers on the pond. If you wonder why all the weeds I think I can enlighten you. I have fished all kinds of private ponds over the years including a big pond near Angels Camp. The place is in the backcountry and until recently no bass boats were in it so the weeds didn't get transplanted there by them. They have the same kind of weeds you do, it took me a while to put it together but it is my belief that the waterfowl pick up the seeds and stuff at other locations and either carry the seeds to other areas on there feathers, feet or shit them out after they have eaten then! Just a theory. The weeds are the key to the pond right now. I have caught literally no fish in open water. Rock dam has only produced small fish and nothing of size in two trips. The fish seem to be holding in the thickest anbd deepest grass. They do the same thing in other ponds that I have fished and its very hard to get them to come up out of it to eat!"

OCTOBER 2003

11/03/03 From Dave Kochis... "Went fishing 10/28, Carmin Rosato was the guide. I caught 10 with the largest going 3# 8 oz. It was tough. The fish were in the grass and you needed to coax them out with a Rip Bait."

Just in case you are wondering about Ron and Norval's report from 10/26/03, Ron wrote the following P.S. to us on the 30th... Those bass are hiding in the grass. No grass no fish! The trick is to find a bait and presentation style that will draw them up out of it. I found the whole trick was to jerk a bait fast over the top of the weeds, this method does not give the bass time to look at the bait closely like a sinko etc. and if they are in a feeding mood they slam it! Didn't have the right top water baits with me so I used a fluke! This cold front should change everything again and the fishing condition and style will change again! I have found that when I go to Kelseys I have to learn what the fish are doing each time I go! One time they want one bait and presentation and then the next it is something else. Once I find the right bait its no problem catching a lot of fish but if I don't find one that they are wanting I know its my fault as a fisherman and not because the bass are not there! Check out Norval's picture on my web site at Valley Outdoorsmen. We caught quite a few nice fish and I lost one of the biggest ones I have had on for awhile so I know there is at least one 6 pounder there! Thanks, Ron!

10/26/03 From Ron Wilson and Norval Pimental... "The bite was good once we figured out what to use. Caught at least 50 bass and left before 5 p.m. Had one on in the 6 pound class that threw the bait, got a good look at him as he cleared the water about 3 feet. A good healthy solid fish. landed one close to 4 pounds a couple of the biggest fish I have had on in the pond this year! Caught lots of smaller bass in the 2 to 3 pound class and lots of smaller ones yet that will be good food for the bigger bass if they can catch them!

10/26/03 From Dave Kochis... "Went fishing October 22. Caught 11 fish with the top five going 10 1/2 #. Most of the action was on cranks. The fish remain scattered. Try to locate the less weedy areas. Water temp remains 68 - 69 degrees. The days are absolutely beautiful."

10/17/03 From Dave Kochis... "Went fishing on October 15. Caught 11 fish. I managed to isolate on some schooling fish and caught 7 quickly. The rest can slowly and scattered across the lake."

10/13/03 From Dave Kochis... "Went fishing 10/8 with Carmin. I scratched out 12 fish. Most were caught on cranks, little Senko action. The action was in the mid lake where the weeds are at the least. The Osprey were very entertaining."

SEPTEMBER 2003

09/30/03 From Carmin Rosato... "Fished the lake the morning of 9/30. Cool clear morning in the high 50's warming to mid 80's by noon. Just a slight breeze after sun up. Water temperature ranged from 73 to 75 degrees. Could not buy a fish on top water. Caught 21 fish. Largest right at 3 lbs. Two fish on jerk baits, six on senkos in the weeds both shallow and in 5 feet of water. The balance on crank baits. At least one bald eagle is still around the lake. Water level remains about 3 feet from full."

9/26/03 From Carmin Rosato... "Fished the lake the morning of 9/25. Don must have fished another day since I was the only boat on the lake this morning. Water temperature ranged from 74 to 77 degrees. Lake was calm the first couple of hours then a stiff breeze from the NW kicked in. Caught 23 fish, 2 on top water, 8 on senkos both deep and shallow, 2 on hard jerk baits and the rest on cranks out in deeper water. Biggest fish was 3-3. Spotted one bald eagle at the lake."

09/25/03 From Don Dirks... "Went fishing on 9-25. Started at 7 am. Fished untill 11 am. Only boat on the lake. Only caught 4 fish. Fish had lock jaw. The fish I caught were in of shore weeds. The wind came up which made it imposable to see surface weeds. I did see some of the newly planted sunfish."

09/25/03 From Don Dirks... "Fished KBR on 9-9-03. I had not fished for two months due to major surgery. Caught 12-14 fish in 3 1/2 hrs. One 4 lbs one 3lbs. The rest were 1 to 2 lbs. Larger one caught on a senko the rest on crank baits.

09/17/03 From Carmin Rosato... "Fished the lake the morning of September 16th. It was a nice cool morning on the lake with water temperature in the mid 70's. The lake was calm until 8:30AM, then a good breeze out of the NW kicked in. Caught 20 fish, 2 on poppers, 1 on a senko and the balance on cranks."

09/11/03 From Dave Kochis... "Went fishing on 9/10. Caught 13 fish with the best five going 12# 5oz. The largest went 3# 10 oz. The water temp is 74 degrees dropping 7 degrees from last week. Had no crank bait bite. But did catch one on top water, a Jitterbug, and the rest on Senkos."

09/08/03 From Dave Kochis... "Fished Kelsey on 9/3. Caught 13 fish with the best five going 11# 11oz. The largest went 4# 7oz. Caught one on top water, ripped 4 and caught the rest on Senkos in shore side weeds. Fall is coming and the geese are getting restless."

09/04/03 From Carmin Rosato... "Professional Aquaculture Services of Chico reviewed our lake history and the current weight of our bass against the ideal standard and recommended a restocking of forage fish to improve the quality of the fishery. On September 4th, 10,000 Fathead Minnows, 5,000 Sacramento Blackfish and 6,300 Green Sunfish were stocked in the lake. Most of the fish were "ferried" in 5 gallon buckets to the various coves in the lake and released in weed beds to aid in their survival and hopefully their reproduction."

09/05/03 From Carmin Rosato..."Fished the lake the morning of 9/4. It was overcast the first thing in the morning, then a good steady breeze out of the NW. No topwater and very little dragon fly action. Caught 22 fish, 20 on cranks, and 2 on senkos. Fish seem to be starting to chase shad out in mid lake."

09/01/03 From Carmin Rosato..."Fished the lake the morning of 8/31. The lake was like a mirror most of the morning. Expected a good top water bite--only popped one fish. Expected a good dragon fly bite--no such luck. Cranks and senkos yielded another 17 fish. Ended the morning with a 5lb 9oz beauty on a crank in mid lake."

AUGUST 2003

08/29/03 From Dave Kochis..."Fished 8/28. Beautiful sunrise with clouds lighting up the sky in many different hues of red. The fish must have been watching the sun rise and not looking at my bait. Caught only one on top water, a Pop-R. Ripped two on a Bass colored Pointer Minnow. Caught the rest on Senkos up close scattered around the lake. Caught 11 total with the top five going 11# 11 oz."

08/26/03 From Carmin Rosato..."Fished the lake the morning of 8/26. Had some thunder, lightning, high winds and showers first couple of hours. Wind was out of the east and had a good crank bite. When the wind switched to out of west and sun came out the crank bite shut down. Senkos in the protected trees worked pretty well after that. Water temperature ranged from a low of 74 on south end early on to 81 on the north end at mid day. Caught 27 fish, majority in the 2-3lb range. None over 3 lbs."

08/22/03 From Dave Kochis..."Fished the lake on 8/21. With a storm front moving in, I had hoped for a "hot" bite. It did not materialize. I caught 14 but had to scratch them out. I caught one on top water. I caught one on a Frog but had several blow-ups but could not set the hook. They were pushing it aside. I ripped one and the rest were caught on Senkos at the shore line. The water temp was 81 degrees. The top five went 10# 10z."

08/19/03 From Carmin Rosato..."Fished the lake the morning of 8/18. Had the lake to myself and with no wind first thing in the morning expected a great top water bite. No such luck. Picked up only three fish on top--all in midlake. Around 9AM the dragon fly bite started mostly in midlake. It's a sight to see the bass leaping out of the water right in the middle of the lake. Wind came up and the dragon fly bite ended. Could not get a fish on a crank today. Managed to get 16 fish-largest was right at 3.0. Water temp first thing was 77-78 degrees. At noon it was 78 on the south end and 82 on the north end."

08/19/03 From Tree Plumbtree..."August 16...I was looking forward to a big morning topwater bite but I was only able to hang six fish between 6am and 8am. Top five were just over 9 lbs. When the topwater bite shut off, I tried flukes and brushhogs but found no takers. I was able to catch two more from the bank as I was driving out and noticed the dragonfly bite start to fire up."

08/12/03 From Carmin Rosato..."Fished the lake on 8/12/03. Water temperature ranged from 72 on south end to 78 in shallow coves. Had a great topwater bite from 6 to 8AM as well as a good crank bite. Caught 20 fish by 8AM, then the bite shut down. Only managed another 8 from 8AM to noon. Caught these on cranks and senkos."

08/12/03 From Carmin Rosato..."Fished the lake 8/5/03. It was very windy and the water temperature had dropped to the mid 70's. Caught 24 fish with the best 5 going 14-14. Caught a few on topwater where the shoreline provided some wind break. Best fishing was with crank baits both shallow and mid lake."

08/9/03 From Dave Kochis..."Went fishing on 8/1. Water temp had dropped to 78 degrees. It was windy all day. Fishing was tough. I caught 7 including one on topwater and one cranking the dam. The remainder came scattered across the lake on Senkos. I tried various baits and techniques all over the lake but the fish had lock jaw."

8/1/03 From Dave Kochis..."Went fishing on 7/31. The weather was unusual as it threatened rain all day. It was overcast and we had quite an electrical display before sunrise. I caught 17 fish with the top five going 11# 11 oz. The biggest fish was 2 # 14 oz. All the fish were tight to the bank. I could catch nothing out away from shore. The drastic weather change seemed to drive the fish deep into cover."

FOR JUNE 2003

06/05/03 From Dave Kochis..."Went fishing on June 4. Had a great Kelsey day. Caught 28 fish but what made it great was 3 distinctive bites. I had a top water bite first thing. A rip bite followed later in the morning. Then early afternoon I got a great "dragonfly bite". If you don't know what a "dragonfly bite" is, you're missing out on a lot of fun!"

06/10/03 From Ron Wilson..."Had a great day Sunday, June 8th, Fished topwater from 9 a.m. until our arms got tired at 3 p.m. We even stopped and had lunch in the shade at noon. It sure is beautiful and quite out there. The fly fishermen seemed to enjoy it also. I tried to help them catch more fish by telling them what the fish were doing and how to catch them. I heard some hollering of fish on from some of them when they got one on so I know some of them were successful.I really appreciate being able to come out there. Bait of choice was a bubblegum fluke! However a white frog got its share of fish. Fish are shallow in the grass if you are throwing into open water outside the grass the action was way to slow and not exciting for us at all. The fish are feeding on dragonflies! Nothing beats the splash of a nice bass taking a bait! We did catch some in the 3 to 4 pound class this trip they were some of the nicest fish I have seen caught yet this year! Still none of the big boys that used to be out there. Norval and I have to get you out on the pond one of these days with us so you can see what motivates us to go crazy! Hee Hee Thank you, Ron Wilson"

05/01/03 From Carmin Rosato..."Fished the lake the morning of 4/30. Had a cold north wind the whole time. Water temperature started at 63 degrees and got to 67 degrees in the warmest cove. Boated 16 fish all on senkos. Fish came from shoreline weeds and trees. Did not catch any fish in deep water."

05/01/03 From Dave Kochis..."Went fishing on April 30. Water temp went from 64 Degrees to 66 degrees. With 3 previous weeks of cold unstable weather and a cold windy day, the fish had "big time" lock jaw. The usual shore line haunts and weed patches were not producing although I did manage to crank one in deeper water. I switched to flipping weighted Senkos tight into the sloppiest looking trees and found the fish. Caught 15 out of trees most over 3 pounds including the largest at 4# 2 oz."

05/08/03 From Carmin Rosato..."Fished the lake the morning of May 8th with a friend. It was overcast, cold, windy and rain at times some blue sky around noon. Water temperature ranged from 63 to 67 degrees. Caught 28 fish all but four on senkos in 2 to 7 feet of water along the bank weedlines and in trees. Caught one 3 lb fish early on a senko where no one else had fished today. That fish had been caught by someone else in the last day or two and had been gut hooked, with a BARBED hook, and with mono tied on and the senko still in its throat. We were able to get both hooks out with the curved forceps so it could live to be caught another day. Obviously some members or guests are not following the barbless hook and braided line requirement for senkos."

05/09/03 From Dave Kochis..."Went fishing on May 8. It started out slow with the weather cold and windy. Got a few sprinkles early afternoon. But as the day progressed the fishing improved. Water temp was 64 to 65 degrees. The lake is at full pool and clear. I left early to run some errands but ended up with 13 nice fish. The weeds are beginning to grow and the lake and fish appear to be moving into the late spring/early summer pattern. I am looking forward to warmer days.

05/14/03 From Carmin Rosato..."Fished the lake on May 14th. It was overcast and windy until about 1 PM. Started to finally warm up as I was leaving. Only two other boats on the lake and water temperature was 70 degrees first thing and it got as high as 72. The fish really cooperated today. Caught 41 fish all but 3 on senkos. One 4.3 lbs several 3+ lbs. Most fish caught in 3 to 5 feet of water in the weed bed areas or in the milfoil pockets that are quickly forming."

05/15/03 From Dave Kochis..."Went fishing on May 14. The day was cold but the fish were hot. Caught 36 including 7 on top water first thing. See Carmin's report. I also caught several flipping them out of trees."

05/22/03 From Dave Kochis..."On May 21, my guest Dan Fisher and I caught 39 fish. The day started slow but it picked up later in the morning. There was a lot of top water action first thing, but the the fish seemed more interested in pushing the lure aside than eating it. But with that said, we still caught 7 on top water. With the exception of one crank fish, all the rest were caught with Senkos (all colors) from shore side weeds."

05/29/03 From Carmin Rosato..."Fished the lake on 5/28. It was sunny and very hot. Air temperature was 100 by 12:30 and water temperature ranged fron 75 to 81. No other boats on the lake until one showed up around noon. Caught 30 fish, seven on poppers early, three on crank baits and the rest on senkos. Half the fish were small. The larger fish seemed to be in the thickest weedbeds. Caught one just under 4 lbs out in the middle that was gorging on a ball of bass frey."

05/30/03 From Dave Kochis..."Went fishing May 30. Air temp cooled significantly from triple digits two days ago. It was a very pleasant day with moderate wind. Water temp was 77 degrees. Caught 19 fish including top water, ripping, and pitching Senkos to shore side weeds and trees. The fish were relatively small with the largest going 2 1/2 pounds."

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LAST YEAR'S LAKE ODDITY

03/29/02 From Jon Kelsey..."These two beautiful bass were hooked today and drug ashore by two fly fisherman, Bill Ward and his friend, at the park at KBR. The thing was, the two fish were already dead. Their fly had caught one by the gills. One, who weights 4 lbs., 2 oz. had apparently tried to eat the other fish, who weighed just 4 lbs., and they died together because they were stuck. Apparently, the fine rows of teeth in the mouth of the larger fish (biter) got hooked on the scales on the head of the smaller (bitee). Both fish measured the same length, about 20 inches. So how hungry are the fish at Kelsey Bass Ranch? Don't put your leg in to find out!

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Click here to read about the 6th Annual Kelsey Bass Ranch Invitational Tournament.

Click here to read about the Take a Special Person Fishing 2001 event held at The Ranch.