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Fishing Report
fishing1

Last week I mentioned that I was going to be fishing for bass with a childhood friend. It’s been at least six months since I’ve been on a bass boat. We ended up fishing the Delta. Both of us were expecting a great bite since it was the perfect time of year and the tide was going to be big. Anytime the tide chart goes from a plus to a minus tide the fishing is usually pretty good. My friend was trying out some new baits for his sponsors while I was trying to fish baits that would cause the least bit of distraction to what he was doing. We ended up catching a limit of fish but the big one that he was hoping to get on film never bit. As expected, when I was least ready I had the biggest bite of my day but the fish ended up spitting out my bait before I could set the hook. Springtime fishing for bass is like that. Often the fish are just trying to move a bait than actually trying to eat it. Consequently it leads to a lot of missed bites and a lot of fish that are barely hooked. All in all the day was great, the weather was nearly perfect, and I got to spend some time with an old fishing partner.

 

Delta Report:

There are not many places I’d rather be than fishing the Delta right now. Fishing has been great as baitfish can be seen throughout the system right now. Big fish are still being caught by anglers fishing beds but a lot of post spawn fish are also being caught. This past full moon has brought another wave of spawning bass up shallow. For those not sight fishing try tossing senko’s, craw patterned crank baits and spinnerbaits when the wind picks up. The topwater frog bite has also started to pick up so make sure to have one of those tied on as well. There have been some reports of anglers doing well trolling broken back Rebels throughout the Delta right now.

 

New Melones Lake:

All the reports of trout being caught have been from those trolling between 25 and 50 feet deep. Not many bank fishermen are catching trout right now as the trout have vacated the shallows. Bass fishing has really started to pick up for a lot of anglers. Many fish have made their way shallow and have become very aggressive. Anglers have reported catching anywhere from 20 to 30 fish per outing. An increased number of fish have also been seen lately preparing to spawn or spawning in the backs of coves. There are currently no paved launch ramps open for launching.

 

Lake Don Pedro:

Trout fishing has been good for anglers trolling in the top 30 feet of water early in the day. The kokanee bite is starting to really turn on for anglers who are trolling between 30 and 35 feet deep. Bass fishing remains good right now as the fish are in all three levels of the spawn right now. All baits seem to be working well right now for numbers.

 

Lake Pardee:

Anglers fishing in the launch ramp cove are still doing good while using Power Bait early in the day. Those anglers trolling for trout are catching them while trolling 10 to 30 feet deep. Fishing for kokanee has picked up as anglers are catching limits while trolling as deep as 45 feet during the day. Bass fishing is improving as there are a lot of fish found up shallow either spawning or just feeding. Bass anglers are catching them on pretty much anything that they are throwing at them.

 

New Hogan Lake:

Angers trolling for stripers are doing well while trolling between 20 to 30 feet deep with rolled shad and anchovies.

 

Tip of the Week:

For those of you who don’t believe in paying a lot of money for boat wipe down chemicals, regular Lemon Pledge works great for keeping your boat looking nice and clean. I’ve been using it for years without any negative side effects. I even use it to wipe down my seats and engine cowling. What’s nice about Pledge is that it also has a pleasant smell to it. Just be careful when stepping in and out of the boat as the surface will be slick. I also was told to stick to Lemon Pledge as some of the other scents supposedly are bad for the finish.