There is a small native population of trout within Lake Sonoma. The trout are hold-overs from the steelhead that used to migrate up Dry Creek before the lake was formed. The best time to catch rainbows is in the spring near the feeder creeks leading into the lake. In the latter part of summer and into the fall months, the trout can be found deep in front of the Warm Springs Dam. Trollers pull silver hammered Triple Teasers and Rainbow Raiders with gold/silver or gold/green tape in depths from 30 to 50 feet to entice fish.

Lake Sonoma has been managed into an excellent warm-water fishery. Trees were left standing in the arms of the lake to provide ideal habitat for game fish when the lake was formed in 1983, after the completion of the Warm Springs Dam.

In 1987, the Department of Fish and Game stocked the lake with threadfin shad. The shad have flourished and they are now the primary forage fish for the bass.

The smallmouth bass have done very good in Lake Sonoma also, though not quite as good as the largemouths. Fishermen have reported smallmouth being caught in the 4 pound range.

The best areas to try for largemouth are in the forks of the lake. The upper reaches of Yorty Creek, Cherry Creek, Warm Spring and in the Dry Creek Arm are the most productive areas. Smallmouth bass can be found along the face of the dam, where hungry fish are chasing shad up against the rip-rap along the shore.

Like most other lakes, bass fishing at Sonoma is best during the spring months, but fish can be caught most anytime of the year. In the summer months the fishing gets tougher as the fish spent most of the daylight hours in deep water. Anglers use pig-n-jigs and plastic grups to get to fish that are down as much as 45 feet. In the early morning and late evening hours, the bass move up to start feeding. Topwater techniques with Pop R's, Zara Spooks, and buzz-baits intice fish into striking. Fall months can provide as good of fishing as an angler will find in the spring-time. Fishermen using spinnerbaits, Berkley Power Craws and Power Worms, and shad colored plastic worms and grubs in the the trees will have the best success. The bass tend to hold anywhere from 0 to 20 feet this time of year.

You'll find catfish, after the water warms up. Use nightcrawlers, anchovie or chicken livers in the coves, and on shallow sloping banks. Fishing at night is the best time since the cats do most of thier feeding during the evening hours.

There's a good population of redear sunfish in Lake Sonoma. These tasty panfish can be found most anywhere in the lake. Fishing redworms under a bobber will most often produce fish. Other preffered baits are minnows, nightcrawlers, and mealworms.