February 18, 2015 Newsletter

LV E-Mail Newsletter
February 19, 2015
Golden Eagle Nesting Closes
Some Trails at Los Vaqueros
Jean Douglas of Antioch captured this elegant shot of a
golden eagle at Los Vaqueros. See a video of Jean's photos
tak en at Los Vaqueros.
CCWD closed eight trails at Los Vaqueros on Feb. 18 to
protect golden eagles nesting in the watershed.
Golden eagles are commonly found all year within the nearly
20,000-acre watershed.
During the spring and early summer months, CCWD closes
trails and other public areas near active nesting sites.
Trout Fishing Record Falls Again;
Check this map to see the currently-closed trails. As
biologists find more nests, or unsuccessful nests, the
By 2.7 Pounds!
For the second time in about a month, the trout fishing
record was smashed at Los Vaqueros, this time by 2.7
pounds.
Fernando Gonzalez of San Lorenzo caught his 16.42
pound trout with a gold Kastmaster, in South Cove on
Jan. 24.
closures will change. So be sure to check the map before
you plan your hikes at LV.
Golden Eagle Facts:
· Nesting golden eagles are extremely
sensitive to the presence of people. They will
leave their nest if they see people nearby.
(Their eyesight is much better than human
eyesight!)
It was on Dec. 20 that David Bixler of San Jose brought
home his record 13.72 pound trout to break the old
record by more than a half-pound, also with a
Kastmaster.
· People must stay at least ½ mile from the
eagles to ensure a successful nest. CCWD
closes trails near active nests.
Prior to the latest monster fish activity, the trout record
at Los Vaqueros lay dormant for five years.
· Eagles who are disturbed are likely to leave
the nest. This could cause eggs or chicks to
die.
Kastmasters seem to have a lock on LV fishing, a
Kastmaster was used to catch the first fish ever landed
at Los Vaqueros back in 2001.
· Nesting usually occurs from mid-February to
late-June.
See all the fishing records at Los Vaqueros.
See How Your Water Gets To You!
The Contra Costa Water District has a program that
allows customers to tour its facilities.
These free bus tours are educational outings
for adults that include visits to a water treatment
plant, an intake facility, expanded Los Vaqueros
Reservoir and the watershed.
We'll have lunch at the beautiful Marina building. If
the weather is favorable, we'll include a boat ride
on the reservoir.
Our spring 2015 tours will be held on Fridays, April
17 and May 15.
Call (955) 688-8175 or send us an e-mail for more
information.
· The coastal range in the greater Bay Area
has the largest golden eagle population in the
world. Some golden eagles live at Los
Vaqueros year-round, while others just pass
through the area.
· Golden Eagles have wingspans of up to seven
feet.
Year
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
Golden Eagles Feldged at LV
3
5
8*
4
5
3
4
5
* most golden eagles recorded
Annual Passes Available at Marina, and
Watershed Offices
If you plan to come to LV frequently this year, an Annual
Parking Pass may be an affordable way to go. This pays
only for the parking.
Here's the price structure:
LV Calendar
March
Girl Scout Program -Naturalist Badge
Saturday, March 7
10 a.m. to Noon
John Muir Interpretive Center
Colors of Spring
Saturday, March 14
10 a.m. to Noon
John Muir Interpretive Center
Cub Scout Program -Weblos Naturalist Badge
Saturday, March 28
10 a.m. to Noon
John Muir Interpretive Center
April
Stargazing at Los Vaqueros
Parking Pass (Car/Motorcycle/Small Van) $85
CCWD Customer $75
Senior Citizen (62 or older) $80
CCWD Customer Senior Citizen (62 or older) $70
Fishing Report
We continue to experience some very good to excellent
winter fishing. Trout and striped bass are both active, through
stripers are slowing down. The water level is at 108,000 acre
feet. The water level is dropping slowly. The water
temperature remains at 55 degrees. Our water clarity
continues to be good. A good number of trout and stripers
continue to be caught both from shore and from boats.
Some notable trout last week were a 10.8 pounder caught on
a Rapala in Howden, a 10.43 fish on PowerBait in South
Cove, a pair of 8.47 and 6.87 pounders in Cowboy Cove on a
Kastmaster, an 8+ and a 6.7 pounder on PowerBait in Penn
Cove and Oak Point giving up a 6.6 on PowerBait. There
were plenty of limits of regular-sized fish seen from both
shore and boats
TROUT
Fishing for trout continues to be good with the cooler weather
Wednesday, April 22
8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Kellogg Creek Picnic Area
Butterflies and Insects of California and the
World
Saturday, April 25
10 a.m. to Noon
John Muir Interpretive Center
May
Reptiles and Insects of Contra Costa County
and Around The World
Saturday, May 16
10 a.m. to Noon
John Muir Interpretive Center
Stargazing at Los Vaqueros
Saturday, May 30
8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Kellogg Creek Picnic Area
and regular trout plants. They are being caught in South
Cove, Oak Point as well as around the lake. Peninsula and
Cox coves both have reported trout. The baits of choice for
shore anglers are garlic scented PowerBaits, nightcrawlers
or Kastmasters. Trout average a pound and a half but range
to over 5 lbs. Light tackle is important for catching trout with
4-6 pound test being plenty. There will be another Lassen
plant sometime this week. Last week 1000 pounds of trout
from Lassen went in on Tuesday. Limits and large fish are
coming out of the lake all over.
This week continued to have anglers catching significant
numbers of fish. More large fish were caught all around the
lake. A lot of nice stringers were seen this past week with a
number 5-8 pound fish being caught as well. Trolling is doing
well. Boating anglers are catching trout trolling Rapalas and
other lures in the major coves. Some trout are being caught
in Cowboy, Howden and Peninsula coves. Bait fishing and
casting lures like Kastmasters is doing well. There is no
need for line heavier than 6 lb test. We suggest moving every
half hour or so until you find some feeding fish.
Anglers are catching fish scattered along the shore with the
South Cove reporting the most fish as many anglers are
choosing that cove.
LARGEMOUTH BASS
Winter hours underway
through the end of February,
LV is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Boats due back at 3:30 p.m.
On March 1, hours will increase to 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Stay up to date with Los Vaqueros with our Web
App
For Your Smart Phone!
Most anglers were focused on stripers or trout. Some
anglers have been working the shore around structure and
several bass have been caught and released. Keep in mind
that largemouth need to be 12 inches to be kept. Please
release any big largemouth bass you might catch. They are
the future of largemouth bass fishing in the reservoir. The
reservoir is now full of excellent habitat for the bass so we
anticipate this fishery to improve over the coming years.
STRIPERS
Striper fishing has slowed with the cooling water but fish
continue to be caught. Limits of 18-24 inch fish are being
caught both off the shore and from boats with the fishing pier
by the Marina being a popular location with a lot of shakers
and keepers being caught. This week a 6.2 pound fish
showed up off of the pier on an anchovy. Trolling lures using
everything from Rat-l-traps to bombers to super spooks
seems to be working. From shore, cut anchovies or shad is
the bait of choice.
Stripers need to be 18 inches or more. We are continuing to
see a significant number of under size fish being caught and
released. Please release the small fish as quickly and
carefully as possible. They are the future of our striped bass
fishery.
CATFISH
With the cooler water there have been few reports of catfish
this week. For those wishing to target catfish, anchovy
continues to be the best choice of bait. We encourage and
appreciate the release of any monster catfish (15 lbs plus).
GENERAL
. The 2015 State of California Fishing Licenses are now
available for purchase at the Marina. They are good
beginning January 1st 2015. Don’t get caught without one.
Have a comment or suggestion? Give us a call at (925) 688-8175, or send us an e-mail.
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