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Fishing Report
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Have you ever had an idea that you thought could possibly be a great invention but weren’t sure whether or not that idea was already thought of? That was me for the last three years. This past weekend my “bubble was popped,” as they say! While watching my favorite fishing program, one of the products that was being endorsed was very similar to my idea. I wasn’t mad; I was more surprised to see a major tackle manufacturer behind the product. I’ve since taken more of an interest towards patenting ideas and the overall invention process. One of the quotes that stuck with me was that most inventions were thought of because of things that were not working the way someone had wanted them to. One of my favorite invention stories was how a favorite rattling lure of mine was invented. The weights inside the hollow bodied lure had become unglued and made a rattling sound. Unknown to the angler who was catching a bunch of fish with the bait, when he went to buy another one, he couldn’t find one. Out of desperation, he contacted the company and described the bait to them. They then realized that the defect in the bait had actually caused the bait to become more effective. Now of course, rattling baits are found in just about every tackle box.

 

Delta Report:

The current water temperature has dropped some which usually indicates that the fish should be actively feeding. Lots of smaller fish are being caught on reaction baits especially when there is a little wind and cloud cover. The bigger bass are still being caught on top water baits or by flipping. Small schools of striped bass are being found throughout the Delta right now working bait on the surface.

 

New Melones Lake:

Glory Hole Sports reports that “anglers trolling are not catching a bunch of fish, but the ones they are hooking into are very impressive. Try trolling from 70 to 90 feet over the deepest portions of the lake. The fish are feeding heavily on shad, so most anglers are fishing with shad patterned spoons, plugs and swimbaits. There is very little visibility in deep water and darker colors will work best. Black, blue and purple are all good choices. Also, try adding scent to your presentation or tying a scent chamber inline.” Bass fishing remains steady for anglers fishing drop shotted plastics or while dragging small plastics along the bottom. Jig fishing is also starting to become popular as anglers are catching some of the better quality bass while working depths down to 30 feet with brown jigs. The concrete ramp is out of water causing anglers to launch off the dirt ramp. Vehicles equipped with 4x4 are recommended.

 

Lake Camanche:

As the water starts to cool trout are being found a little shallower during the day than normal. Anglers are trolling between 30 and 40 feet deep right now with Excel lures for trout. Bass fishing continues to be steady with a lot of smaller fish being caught while dragging small plastic worms.

 

Lake Don Pedro:

There aren’t too many reports of anything other than bass being caught while currently fishing the lake. Typically, as the weather cools more both the trout and the king salmon start to bite. Bass fishing has been fair for those fishing top water lures early and shad imitator lures during the day around schools of shad.

 

Lake Pardee:

Fishing for trout and kokanee is difficult right now as there are very few being caught right now. Bass and catfish are being caught in good numbers by anglers fishing from boats and from the shore. For bass, any shad imitating bait or small worm crawled along the bottom should work. For catfish, cut bait, along with other popular stink baits have been working well.

 

Tip of the Week:

Fish, unlike us, have blood that clots when in the water. The best thing that you can do for a bleeding fish is to get it back underwater as soon as possible. Far too often I see anglers who don’t seem to know this when trying to keep a bleeding fish alive.