Low, flat cloud sitting over the water, with air barely moving and pressure on the rise. Start the search at Spring Lakes along sheltered bays and points. The productive run goes night into morning. Start on the obvious water and expand from there. Shortening days concentrate the feeding into fewer hours.
The bites are excellent now
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Evening
Look for Spring Lakes in the Santa Cruz County part of California. Salt water lies 5.8 miles off. You can fish the entire water from one spot if you pick it well. On size it sits at the modest end of our Santa Cruz County list. Scotts Valley lies 1.1 miles from the water. Mount Hermon is 1.5 miles away, with Felton at 2.2 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.
Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Records held for Santa Cruz County cover flathead grey mullet, rainbow trout, bluegill, cabezon and buffalo sculpin. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. On Spring Lakes that means starting tight and working out.
On the long-term average, August reads 65°F and December reads 49°F. Fish stay active all year, but they move with the heat. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer squeezes it into the edges of the day. April and May are the settled weeks, with October close behind. That is the shape of the year on Spring Lakes.
We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. A parking area is marked roughly 150 yards out. Mapping shows a picnic spot within half a mile. Toilets show in mapping about half a mile away. This lies within protected land, so the rules will be stricter than usual. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. The nearest alternative is Loch Lomond, 5 miles out. Where Spring Lakes is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.
89%
The bites are excellent now
| 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 8.9 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 4.4 | 4 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 3 | 3.2 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 3.4 |
| 57° | 56° | 56° | 55° | 55° | 56° | 56° | 55° | 56° | 59° | 62° | 64° | 62° | 65° | 65° | 66° | 67° | 65° | 63° | 61° | 60° | 60° | 59° | 58° |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29.85 | 29.85 | 29.86 | 29.86 | 29.83 | 29.85 | 29.86 | 29.86 | 29.86 | 29.86 | 29.87 | 29.86 | 29.87 | 29.85 | 29.83 | 29.82 | 29.82 | 29.82 | 29.82 | 29.82 | 29.82 | 29.82 | 29.83 | 29.84 |
| 82 | 87 | 85 | 88 | 90 | 87 | 88 | 88 | 86 | 79 | 72 | 74 | 81 | 72 | 72 | 70 | 68 | 73 | 77 | 81 | 81 | 86 | 88 | 89 |
Sam
AI Fishing Assistant for Spring Lakes
Best bite time
Best bite time
Best bite time
Best bite time
Best bite time
Best bite time
Best bite time
