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Fishing Report 11/21/18
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Shown, angler Gene Ballardo with a few striped bass that were caught recently while fishing the Delta. Photo Courtesy Of Jarod Ballardo

The first year I started tournament fishing I went and purchased what I thought was good rain gear. It worked for a few trips but wasn’t exactly comfortable and started to fail within a year’s time. The following year, once again, I was in the market for rain gear. I wanted to get it right this time. I ended up asking around and was led to a pair of tops and bottoms that exceeded $500 for the set. I definitely wasn’t excited about the price, but wanted to end my search for great rain gear once and for all. So, I ended up making the purchase and will never buy anything of lesser quality again. I figured at the time, and still believe today, that I would have spent far more money replacing lesser quality rain gear than if I would have purchased the right gear from the start. To some, they may still think I’m crazy for paying so much for rain gear, but I know better. A good set of rain gear makes being out in foul weather so much more enjoyable. It will also outlast less expensive gear and is well worth the money. Especially if you plan on fishing through the year. Some of the best rain gear that I’ve purchased has been Cabela’s Guide Wear and Bass Pro Shops 100mph jacket and bibs. I’ve also heard great things about Simms and Gil. My personal favorite has been the Guide Wear by Cabela’s.

 

Delta Report:

Striped bass fishing continues to pick up for anglers fishing a variety of techniques. The three techniques that are working right now are drifting live bait, trolling broken back rebels, and spooning jigs where schools of fish are present. Largemouth bass fishing has been hit or miss lately. As the water temperature has dropped, the bass have become more lethargic. Slower moving baits are more likely to draw the attention of some of the larger fish. The bluegills are still biting around boat docks; anglers are catching them while fishing with red worms.

 

New Melones Lake:

Fishing continues to be tough on the lake right now. Fishing for bass has gone from great to fair as there are fewer fish being caught right now. Anglers having success are relying on their electronics to find schooling fish. There are very few trout catches reported as there aren’t too many anglers making the trip to the lake as in the past.

 

Don Pedro:

Like neighboring New Melones there are very few reports coming out of the lake right now as there are very few anglers venturing out to the lake due to low water levels and less than great launching conditions. Typically, as the water cools the trout start to turn on for anglers trolling. Bass fishing has slowed; anglers are reporting catching them while working their drop shot rigs through schools of baitfish.

 

Lake Amador:

There are a lot of good reports coming from the lake recently as they’ve begun their stocking program of trout that have not disappointed anglers that are visiting the lake. Those having luck are catching fish from both their boats and from land on a variety of baits. Most anglers fishing from the bank are preferring to fish with a variety of Power Bait products. Those fishing from their boats are either trolling, tossing Kastmasters or anchoring around the dam area while fishing with Power Bait.

 

Lake Camanche:

Trout plants have begun on the lake and anglers are reporting catching trout while fishing near the dam. There are a lot of nice trout being caught right now by anglers fishing the ponds as they’ve also been planted recently with Mt. Lassen trout. Bass fishing continues to be good on the lake right now as anglers are scoring good limits while fishing reaction baits and plastics in 10 to 15 feet of water.

 

Tip of the Week:

Batteries are an important part of a boat; most anglers come home from a day of fishing, hook up the chargers and forget about the batteries until the next fishing trip. There are some chargers that will allow for this, but most chargers will continue to heat the batteries shortening the life of the battery. The best way to insure your batteries last long is to charge them right away and remove the charger immediately after the batteries are charged.