Will be heading out to Calaveras tomorrow morning. Thanks to the good advice here I know a few more hot spots than I did before. Was wondering where ya'll would try first this time of year. For that matter, how do you rank your favorite hot spots in order of productivity? 1- powerlines, 2-dam, 3 - RR tracks, etc.

Appreciate all the good advice.
Waddy

i fsihed the dam hard a couple days ago and onl got a couple. so i dunno that i'd be in such a hurry to go back there although it can be a very good spot. i fished last friday and got 30 cats fishing along the jetties of the crappie wall. those spots are usually good so thats where i would start. i got an 18lbs blue cat on a jugline behind the rail bridge, but that was the only one we caught there. havent been up to the powerlines in a while, so i dunno what to tell ya about them lately. just get you a bunch of fresh cut shad and move around, you'll find the fish.

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Outdoorsman

Fish the rip-rap with the wind at your back. Use a float set about 3' deep. Cast about 10' from the rocks and keep moving. Any knid of bait will do. I caught my limit this morning with shad but another guy was fishing the same area I was, using the same pattern and he caught his limit with liver that he had treated with salt to stay on the hook. I move around a lot but he caught all his fish between the crappie wall and first reed bed, just going back and forth.
Almost all the fish I caught were very thin.
unclejess

Are there any relatively good spots off the bank? I have had no luck in the past times I have been there. I usually go to the left when entering the park, but this last time I went to the right and fished at the Lily pads, but still nothing. Any help or ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Bank fishing is good at night, with punchbait or shad. Try near the powerlines.

Theres some spots back in zone 4 that are not quite the killers at catching alot of fish but almost every one you catch is really nice.

You are right Texasbassmaster, I have caught some big Blues past the bridge, to the left of the cable to the hot pond. There is an open area just before the lake narrows into Calaveras Creek that has some deep places that are really good in the winter. The wind usually sets up a good drift right down the middle of the open area. The key however is the presence of bait fish. If you don't see bait on the fish finder, it is slow going.
unclejess