Thermolito After/Forebays....????

[Darian]

Hey guys,.... Anybody fish the Thermolito After and Forebays below Oroville Dam

There's some info about the fishing on maps of the area but I've rarely see anyone boating on those bodies of water. It sure looks inviting.

[AndreD]

Darian

I visit the afterbay pretty regularly during the summer, I see some people in fishing boats, but can't say if I have ever seen fish being caught. On the north side it stays pretty cold and it warms up considerably on the southern end by the outlet. I haven't been there during the winter times, but durin the summer, the water is filled with jetskis and skiboats and v-drives. I wouldn't personally try and fish it during the summerand I would never be in a non-motorized craft. We jetski there all the time and I never see any fish rising, probably because the water is much to chiotic, but it keeps them off the better fishing lakes I guess, since its the only place I take the jetski.

Andre

[Tony Buzolich]

Hey Darian,

Andre is right about the temps being cooler on the north side. This is where the water enters and warms as it heads toward the outlet at the river.
The north end does hold more trout and they do plant up there round the north park. The rest of the lake is primarily a warm water fishery, black bass, blue gill, catfish.

The lake was built as a check dam area to Lake Oroville but it's primary use is for warming the water for the rice growers up here. Rice won't grow in cold water.

So, when you see water temps in the main Feather starting to hover around 70 degrees, and you wonder why the salmon aren't moving even when they're in the river, it's because they're trying to go deep and stay cool wherever they can find a deep hole.

Thermolito would be a great striper lake if they ever plated it, sort of like San Luis.
TONY

[Tracy Chimenti]

Hey Tony, when I was a boy I had a fishing map of the river and forebay and it did indeed have stripers in it at one time! Would you believe they even tried to establish stripers in Goose Lake (Northern CA)?!!

Tracy