Fishing Shadow Cliffs

Shadow Cliffs Reservoir is a converted gravel quarry that is stocked with trout and catfish. There are a few bass ponds within the park that provide additional fishing.

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About the Lake

The reservoir does not really have a huge amount of fishable shoreline. Most of the trails by the edge of the lake are closed, so you can only fish from the corner of the lake on the left of the swim beach to the second dock, and a tiny sliver of land from the third dock to the other corner. That means that in peak trout season, the lake can be quite crowded.

People seem to do ok off the docks here using Powerbait — some hot spots are the second dock, and the bench to the left of the boat ramp. Cast as far as you can to get to the deeper water. The water can be quite shallow from the swim beach to the first dock, but the stocked trout can congregate here if they are freshly planted — throw a minijig or a spoon for a few casts, and move on. It is extremely snaggy here though, so be wary. They also seem to show up on occasion in the really shallow water to the left of the swim beach, for whatever reason — people will wade out and cast at them (at your own risk — there are no wading signs littered throughout the park).

The third dock gives you access to a mix of shallow and deep water that can provide action on occasion. Following the third dock, there is a small fisherman’s trail that goes to the end of the reservoir where it gets extremely deep, but it’s quite hard to fish thanks to overhanging foliage and the lack of flat ground — wear good boots.

There are some big resident bass. There are also catfish that are planted in the main reservoir as well — apparently the fishing can be quite good after trout plants, as they supposedly feed on the crawdads that in turn feed on dead stocked trout.

The back ponds provide an option if the fishing at the main lake is slow. They’ve been full of weeds at the spots I’ve tried, but the fishing has been decent for bass and some large bluegill — try to stick to weedless gear.

Notes

The EBPRD charges both a $6 parking fee (more than Quarry), as well as a $5 fishing fee. Expensive, but can be worth it if you can find the fish. You can park outside and walk in, but make sure to buy a fishing permit.

Official website: EBPRD

Fish plants and somewhat biased fishing reports: Angler’s Edge

Check out my Bay Area trout fishing guide.

Recommended Gear

For the trout:

Acme Kastmaster, 1/8 oz

One of my favorite lures for trout fishing, very useful for covering a lot of water and finding where the active fish are. It's a very aerodynamic lure that can be casted quite far on light line. I've had the most success on stop-and-go, erratic retrieves. Use gold Kastmasters on sunny days or in murky water. Use silver Kastmasters on cloudy days or clear water. Kastmasters can be somewhat expensive - South Bend also sells Kastaways which are somewhat cheaper but can't say I've personally used them.

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Thomas Buoyant, 1/4 or 1/6 oz

A Kastmaster alternative. It casts a somewhat smaller distance, but the spoon has a slightly different fluttering action that seems to sometimes entice more hits.

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Panther Martin, 1/16 oz

A classic trout spinner. I like a retrieve with many erratic jerks with these spinners, to let the blade flutter as much as possible. Traditionally the gold blade with black body and yellow spots has been the most effective for me, but the other colors should also work.

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Mini jig, 1/16 or 1/32 oz

A small tube that can be twitched in the water to entice wary trout. Keep your rod tip high, and wiggle the lure in the middle of the water column. Can be very effective, especially if you can see the fish. Can be hard to cast far, unless you're using very light line (2 - 4 lb)

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Powerbait

A must-have trout bait. Take a small bit of the dough, and mold it around a size 14-16 treble hook on a sliding sinker rig. Cast the bait out and just let it sit. It can smell kinda bad, so be ready to vigorously clean your hands afterward. I've linked the garlic flavor, but the corn and original scents work just as well. I personally don't think the color matters a whole lot, but some people swear by chartreuse.

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Powerbait Micetails

A less messy version of Powerbait, which is basically a piece of soft plastic infused with the Powerbait flavoring. I prefer the micetails in moving water, as they have a more natural appearance and drift more naturally.

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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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