Bigger, better Los Vaqueros is filling up
Tom Stienstra
San Francisco Chronicle
12/18/2011
Up periscope: The injection of 65 feet of water depth in the next three months at Los Vaqueros Reservoir will make it the Bay Area's biggest public lake.
The new dam is nearly complete, the lake is growing by the day, and fishing experts predict Los Vaqueros could become among the top fishing lakes in Northern California.
"We anticipate it will be 100 percent full in the spring," said Jennifer Allen of the Contra Costa Water District.
The transformation of Los Vaqueros is one of the most exciting outdoors stories in the West: a new lake, a new fishery and plenty of buzz to inspire people from throughout the region to make a visit.
If you've never seen it, the first view of all that water nestled in rolling foothills is a jaw-dropping sight. Los Vaqueros is in remote Contra Costa County, roughly northeast of Livermore, south of Brentwood.
At its low point during dam construction, Los Vaqueros was only half full. As the project neared completion, the Contra Costa Water District started pumping in water from the delta. The lake level is now 62 percent of its former capacity, yet 37 percent of its new capacity.
Measured at the dam, the lake is projected to rise 65 feet and fill by mid-March. The pumps will then be shut down for 30 days to protect spawning and migrating fish in the adjacent delta.
One factor that will help fill the lake is that giant San Luis Reservoir on the California Aqueduct is already 90 percent full. So when winter rains hit in January and February, the salinity of the delta will be lowered and plenty of water will be available for Los Vaqueros, rather than pumped at high volumes to San Luis.
The lake was reopened to shore fishing last weekend. The marina has been moved to a new location and will reopen with new boat docks and rentals when the lake fills up (bait and tackle is now available at the kiosk). As before the lake closure in fall, trails are open, and as the lake comes up, new trails will be established.
Golden eagles, which hunt in the foothills and nest in the oak trees in winter and spring, can provide spectacular wildlife sightings. The area's large population of ground squirrels provides excellent prey for eagles and other raptors. Red-tailed hawks, prairie falcons and barn owls are the most common. If you spend much time near the reservoir, you will eventually see deer, coyote, fox and bobcat.
Many believe Los Vaqueros will become the No. 1 fishing lake in the Bay Area.
"The forage base is amazing," said Dan Bacher, editor of the Fish Sniffer, "and that accounts for the quick growth in fish."
This past year, striped bass fishing has often been spectacular. Many will troll rattletraps to find the fish, said Chris Senti at the marina, then stop and cast to them. Some anglers have had sprees of 10 to 15 stripers in an hour or two, and some caught as many as 60 per day.
"It was the best striper fishing I've ever seen in a lake," Senti said. "We had 4,000, 5,000 stripers come out of here in the last nine months. There were thousands of undersized fish caught and released, so the future looks great. A phenomenal fishery."
