2024 Lake Sonoma Best areas how to hunt, fish, Hunting Map plusTurkey, Deer on BLM

 Click here or on Map to get a PDF Trail map of the lake, concentrate on North West sections for best hunting
 

Bullet Facts Lake Sonoma:

• Location: ln Sonoma County between Geyserville   and Cloverdale off Highway 101.
• Species: Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass,  redear sunfish, steelhead trout, bluegill, green  sunfish, Sacramento perch, channel catfish. 
• Boating: There are three boat launches in operation.  The first is a public ramp that requires some  strenuous hiking up to the parking lot (parking fee aslo pays for launch) when you  retrieve your rig after fishing. A private ramp is  available at Lake Sonoma Marina (full service with good selection of boats to rent) for $8 which  includes parking.
• A third public ramp  at Yorty Creek but only car top boats or vessels not trailered are allowed.
•   Camping: Public camping (110 sites) is available   around the lake on a first-come, first-served  basis. Camps accessible only by boat or hike-in   (113 sites) are located around the lake.  Lake Sonoma Marina,  707-433-2200 Lake Sonoma Recreation Area, 
• Hunting:Archery and crossbow only Pig Hunting Thanksgiving weekend through mid-March and Lottery Spring and Fall Turkey and Hunting Youth Programs .  You must go through lottery /draw process at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/uplandgame/gamebird/
• Regulations: Familiarize yourself with hunting regulations at Lake Sonoma, including legal shooting hours, designated hunting zones, and firearm restrictions: https://www.spn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Lake-Sonoma/Hunting/
•  
• Purchase of pig hunting permit required at Park headquarters and other places  and info to obtain the Pig Permit: (Requires driver’s license, hunting license, and California state pig tags)

1. Lake Sonoma Marina (707) 433-2200
2. Park Visitor Center at base of dam
   
3. Turra’s Back Room Archery Shop in Santa Rosa, CA
   
4. West Coast Archery Shop in Petaluma, CA.

 Support our FREE info by considering our sponsor - get access to 50+ ranches screened membership and Family camping:

 

 

 

Here you get access to our giant free hunting and fishing Map site, with how to fish and where to fish or hunt these Lake Sonoma Public lands.
Get access to Hunting Clubs and Private ranches for fishing and hunting in Sonoma and all over California. Always free with no strings attached to help preserve our Outdoor Heritage.

            

 

 

 

 

 

Big Pig Map  | How to Hunt | Best Guns  | 5 SoCal Maps |  How to Butcher/Gut, etc.

Hunting:

• Species: Wild pigs (archery and crossbow only), deer (archery and crossbow only during specific seasons), and turkeys (archery only during designated seasons).
• Regulations: Familiarize yourself with hunting regulations at Lake Sonoma, including legal shooting hours, designated hunting zones, and firearm restrictions: https://www.spn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Lake-Sonoma/Hunting/
• Best Areas: Pigs: Oak woodlands, riparian areas, and around the lake shoreline. Deer: Hilly areas with oak woodlands and chaparral. Turkeys: Oak woodlands and meadows.

Lake Sonoma, located in the Coast Range of Sonoma County,  was built in 1979   has some excellent fishing so anglers  are bypassing the  big lakes and  heading the  much smaller, but  productive Lake  Sonoma.
Sonoma has  excellent numbers  of largemouth,   some  of the best redear  sunfish populations in the state!    These  fish scale to 11/2 pounds and stringers are easy once you locate  the schooling fish, catching them are using worms and  grubs. Small jigs, such as a red and white or yellow and  white Mini-Jig will entice these panfish when cast and  worked in the brush. 

Occasional steelhead trout! Although the Department of  Fish and Game doesn't plant them anymore, anglers still  catch a fair number of steelhead trout. They're holdovers from  plants in the early and mid-80s, including some big fish to 6  pounds that are probably native steelhead of Dry Creek and  the Russian River system. -

One of the neat features at Sonoma - the fact that  there is such outstanding habitat. When the dam was built in  1979 Dry Creek flooded acres of standing oak trees and  madrone. Most of those trees are still standing today, and they  make great spawning habitat for sunfish, bluegill and bass 

Find the brush, and you’ll find  sunfish,where  the limbs are sticking out.   Some of the best redear sunfish action can be found in  Upper Dry Creek, Cherry Creek and Yorty Creek, but Brush  Creek is worth a try too. Warm Springs Arm is another good    producer for anglers dunking redworrns, mealworrns or casting and retrieving Mini-Jigs. 

Bass action can be spectacular at times, but don’t expect a  lot of monsters at Lake Sonoma  Most of the bass are largemouth, and a bunch of Florida- strain  blacks were planted in 1982. Some of those  fish are now 7 and 8 pounds, are great fighters, and a 20-fish day  means lots of action and a few good fillets! 

The whole lake offers good  bass fishing but in the summer you’ve got to stay  away from  the waterski areas.

Cherry Creek is a good bass fishing, while Smith Creek is  fair, and people catch a lot of fish out of the Warm Springs  Arm.  “Even more fish on Dry Creek.

Top bass lures are twin-tail grubs in brown and salt and  pepper,. Simply work  the plastic worms and grubs through the brush and you’ll  catch fish, even if most of them are still growing up.  The bass target  redear, bluegill and green sunfish, there is a lot of  forage fish in the lake.

Along with smallmouth  bass, channel catfish and bluegill, but redear sunfish are the  best fishery on the lake.   

  STEELHEAD  are available in Lake  Sonoma, but the trout program has been discontinued and  only a handful remain. Trollers can still catch them along the  east side of the dam and up the canyon with flashers and  nightcrawlers.     Trout, which are rapidly  vanishing in the lake, but  Anglers can still catch those trout this summer if they fish  the proper depth.

In 35  to 45 feet of water, pull Ford Fenders  and a nightcrawler.  The red and silver blades are best, let out 120, feet of line and troll real slow.Top trout areas are the dam,  the main body of the lake in Dry Creek, the canyon area, the east bank  coming off the dam and the high cliffs areas are best for  Anglers will have to use a downrigger, Deep Six diver,  Pink Lady or leadcore line to get to trout-holding country, and  once there, troll with the flasher-crawler setup for hookups.

Story about Hunting Boar Lake Sonoma, and other find out how and where to Hunt pigs at Lake Sonoma

 

See our other posts on Where to find pigs, how to hunt this area and also fishing info

Read below a hunting story below about a hunting trip to Lake Sonoma!

 The Elusive Boars of Lake Sonoma:

The early morning mist clung to Lake Sonoma as Mark and his son, Liam, launched their small boat. Today's target: wild pigs. Liam, eager for his first successful hunt, bounced with anticipation. Mark, a seasoned hunter, knew patience was key in the unforgiving California wilderness.

They navigated the calm waters, scanning the shoreline for signs of pig activity. Mud wallows, rooting marks, and the telltale scent of musky earth guided them. Yet, despite spotting several promising areas, the pigs remained elusive. The frustration mounted as shadows stretched and temperatures soared.

As the sun climbed higher, Mark decided to abandon the boat and venture deeper into the hills. Following faint pig tracks and the occasional snort echoing through the brush, they walked for hours. Hope flickered with each rustle in the leaves, each snapped twig, only to be extinguished by the absence of their quarry.

They reached a vast, sun-drenched valley, dotted with oak trees and thick undergrowth. Mark positioned Liam at the mouth of the valley, instructing him to wait while he circled down from above, hoping to drive any hidden pigs towards his son.

The trek was rough. Thorny shrubs snagged at their clothes, loose rocks rolled under boots, and the relentless heat sapped energy. Yet, fueled by the shared thrill of the hunt, he pressed on. Liam, bow firmly grasped, scanned the brush with laser focus, imagining the triumphant moment of finally seeing a boar emerge.

Hours passed, marked only by the chirping of unseen birds and the distant drone of cicadas. Disappointment began to settle in. Just as they were about to turn back, a sudden crackle from the brush near Liam sent a jolt through them. Liam's gaze snapped towards the sound, but the dense foliage revealed nothing. He held his breath, every muscle taut, waiting for another sign.

Silence. No snort, no rustle, just the steady hum of the summer afternoon. With a sigh, they emerged from the valley, empty-handed but not defeated. The hunt, though unsuccessful, had strengthened their bond, tested their resilience, and etched another unforgettable memory in their minds.