Fishing Los Gatos Creek County Park

Los Gatos Creek County Park, also known as the Campbell Percolation Ponds, is a urban fishing oasis in the heart of Campbell. Six ponds and a creek offer an easy, close-to-home spot for fishing. Many years back, the ponds here were stocked with rainbow trout and catfish, but no longer.

About the Park

In general, choose your pond/creek wisely here. First, there are three ponds by the highway to the east of Los Gatos Creek Trail (sometimes called “Oka Ponds”), that are often drawn down by the local water department for maintenance — as a result, while there can occasionally be fish, these ponds are typically much better habitat for the birds.

This leaves the three ponds to the west of Los Gatos Creek Trail, and the creek itself. The northernmost pond (typically known as Pond #1) is the largest, deepest, and often the clearest pond in the park. It holds some solid but wary bass, bluegill, carp and a sprinkling of catfish. Typically the northern and southern shores of this pond see the most fishermen, as they are by far the most accessible; the pavement on the northern end practically kisses the water, while a fishing dock provides easy access from the south. In contrast, the western and eastern shores require a bit of bushwacking through thick tules to access the water, but might yield better fishing thanks to the resulting reduction in pressure. While the bass can be hard to catch, the bluegill are fairly prolific — a bit of worm on a hook can yield a lot of fun for the kids.

The middle pond (or Pond #2) is probably the smallest and muddiest, but perhaps the best for fishing. There is a pipe on the western side that continuously pumps in water, permanently keeping the water aerated but stained. For the bass, I’ve done ok here with a wacky-rigged Senko, pitched next to any overhanging trees and cover. There are also a couple of carp/koi that call this pond home; while I haven’t fished for them, my bet is that corn or bread should work just fine.

The southern pond (or Pond #3) returns to clear water. For whatever reason, it seems to have the most underwater plant life compared to Ponds #1 and #2. However, it is probably the hardest to access — the eastern shore is blanketed by thick tules, while the western shore boasts a rather steep shoreline that is difficult to clamber around. The northern shore is a little easier to fish, but overgrown trees make it rather difficult to get a good cast in. There are some bass, bluegill and carp.

The creek itself is only open to fishing from the last Saturday in April to November 15, and barbless hooks and artifical lures are mandatory. However, there are some nice bass and carp that roam the banks. If you can carefully climb down to the water’s edge, they can make for some solid fishing.

To be honest, I wouldn’t say the fishing here is great — I think these ponds have seen so much fishing pressure that most of the fish have wizened up. However, it’s a convenient place close to home to wet your line, and maybe that’s all that matters for our busy lives today.

Notes

Official website: Santa Clara County

Recommended Gear

For the bass:

Yamamoto Senko

A must-have soft plastic for bassing on the West Coast. I usually fish these wacky-rigged - basically just sticking the point through the thickest part of the worm without any weight. Cast it out and repeatedly jig it, letting the Senko flutter back to the bottom. It seems to work quite well on the heavily pressured lakes in the Bay Area. Green pumpkin is traditionally considered the best color.

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Strike King Spinnerbait

Spinnerbaits are my favorite lures for covering water when bass fishing, as not only do they provide a lot of action and noise, but they also are relatively weedless compared to other hard baits. Honestly the brand doesn't matter too much here - I've linked the brand-name Strike King lure here. Like other lures, stop-and-go retrieves are the way to go.

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Hula Popper

Poppers are my favorite topwater baits - there's just something so appealing about the way they chug and spit water on the surface, and the way bass attack them so aggressively and visibly. Brand doesn't matter too much here again - I linked the classic Hula Popper. Keep your rod tip low to the water, and repeatedly jerk the lure. You can also "walk-the-dog" on good poppers by repeatedly wiggling the lure in a particular direction, once again with your rod tip close to the water. Your popper will start darting side-to-side, creating action that no bass can resist.

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