On 8.07.05 Went out rock fishing out of Bodega. Went on the Sandy Anne. We took a 40 min ride north to the mouth of the Russian River. This was a 6 pack boat but the only people on it were my dad, my girlfriend and myself. Was nice to have a 24ft boat all to ourselves. My girl used spinner with 10lb test and my dad and I used flippin sticks. We were tossing 1/2 leadheads with fish trap bodies. My girl used white flies with 1/2 weight at the bottom of the rig(dropshot style). She caught a 6lber right off the bat. 5 minutes later I got a 5. We moved around alot getting a few fish here and there. The guide was thowing the same white flies and get a small blue on within seconds hands the rod to me and had a big ling on. Got abot 10 cranks into it, it made a powerful surge and I realized the drag was to tight on his reel and SNAP. Never did to get a ling. But we all got fish!!! All and all we ot 18 rockfish before it got a little to rough. Th biggest was a 7 lb yellow and black. Let me tell you they tasted good. Came home and made killer fish and chips!!!!

Ok now the next day 8.08.05 @ aroung 6 met up with a guy and his grandson at Lake Sonoma. Now his grandson is only 11 but this kid could cast and flip like there was no tommorow(with a baitcaster). I have never seen a kid his age cast this well. Anyway they are both really good steelhead guys and had down riggers set up when i got there. We trolled under the bridge and a rod goes off. I grab start reeling and got my 1st steelhead!! Was a little 1 1/2lber. Rerigged made another pass and this time got a nice 3 lber. It got to be time to show these guys how to bass fish. These guys didnt know a thing about bass fishing but could cast well though so that made it easy. I set 1 up with a jerkbait, i had a spinner and 1 had a crank. right off the bat got a keeeper. We fished the dam. The grandpa gets hammered by a nice 2lb smallie. We move down the bank I get 2 more on the spinner. We made it the end it was sunset and decided to hit the dam again. Went back to the other end of the dam and did it again. This time I got a nice 2 1/2 smallie. I got hammered by that fish. We make our way down and i give the kid my spinerbait so he could start catching and whaddya know WHAM 3rd cast he caught fat 2lber. We ended up with 2 steelhead...2 largemouth and 9 smallmouth.Would have a limit for about 11lbs. Not to bad for 5 1/2 hours of fishin......

Daniel

Sounds like a good weekend!

Mike F

Thinking of going up there Friday afternoon wat types of crankbaits and spinnerbaits were you using?

Sounds like you had a good time.
We ought to take our kicks out there for some ling cod action.
\m/ }( \m/

I was using Chris's mad Dad craw(as always) and a chart/white spinner. Once the sun went down I kept using Mad Dad but switched over to a black spinner.....

Daniel

Rocky
Smallies at Sonoma? What's a good part of the lake to put in
a float tube for smallies?

Hmmm...if you put in at the private marina(pay the $5 to park) you can kick all the way to the dam fish it starting around 6. Fish till after dark and kick your way back. Its a long way to kick but can be worth it!!!! Or launch at the public ramp kick across under the bridge(make sure you wear BRIGHT colors) and hopefully you dont become a speed bump. The closer you can launch to sunset the better off you will be with boaters getting off the water.

Daniel