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Fishing Report
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I’m not sure the exact reason but this is the time of year when I see the most arrests being made for poaching on the water. The following information was taken from the California Department of Fish and Game website: “If you witness a poaching or polluting incident or any fish and wildlife violation, or have information about such a violation, immediately dial the toll free CalTIP number: 1 (888) DFG-CALTIP 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Be prepared to give the fullest possible account of the incident including the name, address, age and description of the suspect, vehicle description, direction of travel, license number, type of violations and when and where it occurred. Your identity will be protected. A warden or dispatcher will take your call. Information from the call is relayed to the Fish and Game region where the offense occurred and an investigation is undertaken locally. If the information supplied by the caller results in an arrest the caller becomes eligible for a reward. (Rewards up to $1,000 have been paid.) All reward money is acquired through private donations; no state funds are used. The case is then reviewed by a volunteer citizen’s group known as the CalTIP Citizen's Review Board.”

 Delta Report:

Striped bass fishing is really starting to turn on right now; anglers are catching them all over the Delta right now with the best areas being around the Pittsburg area. A variety of baits are working well as both anglers fishing live and artificial baits are having luck. There is a lot of hyacinth floating around right now making it tough on anglers trolling. Bass fishing is good right now for anglers fishing the outside weed edges with worms and jigs.

 New Melones Lake:

Trout fishing is starting to improve as the water temperatures have dropped considerably. The Department of Fish and Game has begun their weekly trout plants which have provided some action for anglers fishing off the bank. Most anglers are having some success while fishing power bait off the bottom in the backs of coves. Bass fishing has slowed down and anglers are currently struggling to catch even the smaller bass. Those that are catching them are fishing small worms off the bottom or fishing around schools of baitfish of main lake points.

 Don Pedro:

Fishing for trout has improved as anglers are trolling large spoons with approximately 4 to 6 colors of lead core line out. The trout are still feeding on schooling baitfish making them easy targets to catch once the right school is found. Bass fishing is slow but steady for anglers working the bottom slowly with jigs or drop shotted worms.

 Lake Camanche:

Weekly trout plants have kept anglers busy; trout are being caught right now by trolling and fishing off the bank. Bank fishermen are having luck while using Power Bait along the North Shore day use area. Anglers trolling are targeting the top twenty feet of water and using an Uncle Larry’s spinner tipped with a nightcrawler along the dam. Bass fishermen continue to have luck while fishing shad imitating lures along island tops or main lake points.

 Lake Amador:

Weekly plants of trout have provided good action for those venturing to the lake. Last week a 7 pound trout was caught by an angler while fishing off the bank. Some anglers are tossing lures such as Kastmasters and spinners while others are fishing with Power Bait. The fish are pretty much all over due to the planting of them so there is no real pattern. Bass fishing is slow right now as the bass have become very lethargic. Anglers fishing for them are crawling jigs and worms along the bottom for small limits.

 Tip of the Week:

You get what you pay for when it comes to rain gear. In my garage I have a bag full of rain gear that has failed me. I opted for the less expensive gear and in the long run ended up having to buy the more expensive set of gear. So, if you added up all that I spent on gear that has failed me, plus what I spent on the right gear, I would have saved money if I would have just bought the right stuff to begin with.