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Fishing Report 7-1-20
cal fishing
You must have a fishing license to enjoy fishing, regardless of whether you intend to keep any fish you catch.

While stuck in Arizona recently, I watched a lot of fishing videos. One of the videos I found particularly interesting. So much that I went to my favorite online fishing store and searched for the bait that was in the video. Not surprised, the bait was sold out in every single color except for one color. Not letting that deter me, I purchased several of the baits. A day after I returned to California, the baits arrived. I decided that I was going to paint them the color that I wanted. The paint job came out surprisingly good, but the true test would be how it would hold up in water and being chewed on by fish. I’ve fished the bait twice this week and the results have been better than expected. The bait nearly won money for me during a Wednesday night tournament and the paint is holding up better than expected. I’ve read about anglers using permanent markers, nail polish, and other types of colorings to alter their baits. They all work, but I’ve been really pleased with my air brush set up. Since purchasing an airbrush, I’m no longer limited to what’s available in the stores, and the results have far exceeded my expectations.

 

Delta Report:

Fishing for bass is good on the delta right now. There are a lot of fish up shallow early in the morning and evening hours. During the day the bass like to hunker down in the grass or in the shade. Anglers fishing during the day are tossing Senko’s or punching through the grass with jigs or creature baits. With the weather we have had lately look for shady spots along the bank, or spots closest to deeper water. Fish will either be looking for shade or proximity to deep moving water. If you can find shade next to a deep drop your chance of catching a big fish will be increased. Striped bass fishing is fair for anglers willing to wait it out while fishing with live bait. Anglers catching them are fishing around Rio Vista or Whisky Slough with live Mudsuckers or Bluegills.

 

New Melones Lake:

Fishing for trout and kokanee continues to be tough this year. There are very few reports coming from the lake. There is one report of one of the local guides going out and finding schools of kokanee at 85 feet deep. He was fishing with an “Apex lure behind a Mag Tackle watermelon or Paulina Peak gold-plated dodger.” Bass fishing is still good for anglers fishing Carolina rigged baby brush hogs. Most bass are of the smaller version with a bigger fish mixed in occasionally. Morning and evening top water fish are being caught right now on poppers and spook type lures.

 

Lake Don Pedro:

King Salmon are being caught by anglers while rolling shad between 80 and 110 feet deep. Anglers having the most success are trolling around Graveyard Bay. The kokanee are also on a good bite but are still scattered around the lake and found between 40 and 60 feet deep. The best set-ups are Sep’s watermelon dodger, silver prism or copper dodgers, while trailing lures such as Uncle Larry’s Mad Irishman, Copper Pop spinners or Kokanee bugs, all tipped with white shoe peg corn soaked in Pro-Cure’s carp spit, Kokanee special, and shrimp and prawn oils. There’s an early morning and evening top water bite for bass on the lake. During the day anglers are having to go as deep as 50 feet to find bass. Most anglers fishing deep are using small jigs or worms fished on the bottom.

 

Lake Amador:

Night fishing for bass is a favorite summertime escape for me. Lake Amador in particular is a small safe lake which with any cast can produce a personal best. An hour before the sun starts to go down bass habitually will bring schools of shad to the surface which can create some explosive top water action. The key to catching feeding fish on the surface is patience. With a top water lure in hand, wait for the fish to start exploding on the surface and then make your cast right into the middle of the attacking fish. This technique will surely produce some of the most explosive top water action. Once the sun goes down I either toss a half-ounce black spinner bait or drag 10 inch Berkeley Power worms. Then, if fishing through the night as the morning sun starts to break once again fish will be feeding on the surface, get that top water lure out and repeat the previous pattern.

 

Tip of The Week:

If you’ve got any plastic pieces on your boat, there’s a good chance that it’s gotten a chalky faded appearance over the years. One of the best products that I’ve found to bring those plastic pieces back to life is plastic trim restorer. It can be found in most auto parts stores and works fantastic. There are also videos on YouTube of people using heat to bring plastic back to life.