San Joaquin help!

[crainer8787]

I’ve been fishing in California for almost 2 hours real time today. All I can catch is small mouth bass. I’ve tried everything. Watched YouTube videos (that were kinda old) and experimented myself. Any tips would be appreciated

[shadrays]

Cali is one of the best waterways in the game, there are a ton of options for fishing there...
the ^guides tab above^ is your friend, check it out you will find all the info you need to be successful.

[crainer8787]

Ok thanks. I’m really having no luck. This is first spot of the game has got me frustrated. I’m lvl 37 so I’ve been playing awhile

[shadrays]

Well its hard to give any advice not knowing what style of fishing you prefer, lure or float?
Do you like light gear or heavy? There are options for all of this so my best advice is to check out a guide, even if its old its still gonna apply in most cases. Good luck.

[Leadmagnet]

I mostly fish from the center dock where you get the kayak and use the 3/4oz narrow holographic red spoon. I want to say retrieve speed 3 and either stop & go or twitching.

[crainer8787]

I’ll try that. But I like fishing both. I’m following guides with some luck. Just 1 fish every 20-30 min isn’t what I was used to I guess

[savageanimal]

try a 4/0 med spoon try poppers and shiners

[crainer8787]

Thanks the med spoon worked the best. Got one for the leaderboard. Still need some time at this location

[Leadmagnet]

Going to Cali for me was kinda like going to a minivan from a race car especially when I had been catching fish pretty fast in Oregon, even when it wasn't peak time. Time and the guides will help though.

[crainer8787]

I like he minivan comment. After moving around spots to get my confidence back I landed back at San j today. Once again catching 9 lbs total in over a hour of fishing. In my opinion it’s most boring spot on the game

[shadrays]

Put yourself together a heavy float rig and Ill be happy to meet up and help you catch some uni stripers.

[mdram]

popper works great for me

[Marshall_maz]

Crankbaits and medium spoons works well for me there

[Cederic]

In order of ease for catching the uniques:

Peas or corn on a #4/0 hook will get you unique carp in the right spot.
Try waxworms on a #1/0 for the unique Redear Sunfish.
Striped bass are plentiful all over, and will take a range of lures. The unique ones are harder to track down but shiners on a #6/0 hook will do it.
Steelheads and salmon are easy to catch from the rocks in the middle, casting away from the dam. Again, a range of lures will work unless you want unique steelheads, in which case it's the 1 1/2oz #4/0 lemon tiger medium spoon every time.

After Alberta, California is a real step change in the game. You have to really plan ahead and know what you're targeting - which is important once you get to Michigan..

[Leadmagnet]

Originally posted by Cederic:

After Alberta, California is a real step change in the game. You have to really plan ahead and know what you're targeting - which is important once you get to Michigan..

After reading this; I believe that is where most of the difficulty is for me at least. I'm bringing what works well in one place and expecting it to work well in the Cali map and while it works, it isn't the best for the fish type or location. I also never target a specific species which means my approach is more generic and probably dilutes the sucess rate to some extent.