FISHING
SKUNKED AT SAN PABLO
Dozens of anglers came out on an unseasonably warm February Saturday morning to fish San Pablo Reservoir, but the trout weren’t biting. (CHRIS COCOLES)
PLENTY OF ANGLERS GO HOME EMPTY-HANDED ON GORGEOUS WINTER DAY By Chris Cocoles
I
L SOBRANTE–We wondered if we were leaving too late. Myself, my sister Charlene, brother-in-law Alan and their two dogs last month planned a Saturday morning trip across San Francisco Bay to San Pablo Reservoir, a favorite trout fishing hole in the East Bay. We were planning to get up relatively early – I suggested a 6:30 a.m. alarm and getting on the road
by 7 or so for the 44-mile drive from San Mateo – but Alan thought we should leave even earlier. Charlene and I convinced him to get a little extra sleep. We were in the car by around 7:15. As it turns out, it really didn’t matter on this day.
HIGH HOPES The last time I fished here was last summer (California Sportsman, August 2019). I didn’t have high hopes on that
day, which was unseasonably hot and save for one nibble, the catfish weren’t interested in my chicken livers. Plus there was hardly anyone else on the water, so expectations were low. But this time, I was anticipating a good trout bite. San Pablo held its opener the weekend before and with the lake hosting the first of the yearlong NorCal Trout Angler Challenge held at various lakes, the fishing looked like it was trending up. Facebook posts showed happy anglers with rainbows
calsportsmanmag.com | MARCH 2020 California Sportsman
51
