Last week I was able to get out for a few days of fishing on the Delta. The bite wasn’t the best but we did manage to catch our limits. As far as the weather, it was absolutely amazing. I was also able to fish Lake Pardee, we didn’t get a single bite but once again the weather was great. What I did find humbling about my trip to Pardee was that as we were heading back towards the launch ramp, I counted several people walking up to their cars with limits of trout on their stringers. Then, as we exited the lake, the lady working the check-out booth was surprised that we didn’t catch anything. She said, “Everyone’s been catching their limits!” She then went on to mention the area that they were fishing and of course, it was the one area that we didn’t fish. So, all the way home all I could think about was what could have been. Maybe this weekend I’ll be able to get back out there and give it another try.

Delta Report:

Bass fishing is slow but steady for anglers tossing reaction baits. In the early morning hours spinnerbaits, rattle traps, and swimbaits are working well. Once the sun is high jigs have been the dominant bait lately in black and blue or black and red. Bass have started to move into the shallows along the south corner of Franks Tract but are very spooky. In the weeks to come the bite should turn wide open as the water temperatures have reached the mid fifties in most areas. Striper fishing continues to be tough for a lot of anglers although an occasional keeper can be caught around the Big Break area.

New Melones Lake:

There have been several nice brown trout caught recently by both trollers and bank anglers. Brown trout are believed to be making their migration towards the shallows to spawn. Because the lake is no longer being planted with brown trout it’s highly recommended that they be released back to reproduce. The rainbow bite continues to be tough for anglers both trolling and fishing off the bank. Inflated night crawlers and marshmallows have been working the best lately for anglers fishing off the bank. Bass fishing remains tough for a lot of anglers; look for groups of fish to be making their way shallow as the water warms up. There was a new lake record spotted bass caught recently, Randy Pierson of Oakdale catching a 10-pound 1-ounce spotted bass, 3 ounces below the current state record set at Pine Flat Reservoir. Randy declined to mention the bait that was used to catch his fish.

Lake Don Pedro:

Trout fishing has remained fair regardless of the unstable weather. Most anglers catching Trout have been catching their fish while trolling the top 20 feet of water. Bass fishing has been improving slightly as the spawn is right around the corner. Anglers are catching fish while working both shallow and deep with various soft plastics and shad imitating reaction baits.

Lake Pardee:

Fishing for trout seems really good for anglers fishing the launch ramp cove with spinners. Last week I saw a lot of fishermen walking towards their cars with limits of trout. For anglers trolling the bite has been tough in the main lake. Limits of trout are being caught right now for anglers trolling the narrows down to 25’ deep. Bass fishing continues to be tough. Once the water temperatures rise, the fishing should get better.

Lake Amador:

Trout fishing is excellent on the lake right now; power bait is hard to beat this time of the year right now on the lake. For those trolling try fishing a small shad imitating lure such as a Yozuri Pin’s Minnow no deeper than five feet. Bass fishing continues to be slow for a lot of anglers but should be picking up soon. The lake is on the rise right now; hopefully it will be close to full by this summer.

Seminar:

There are weekly seminars at Fisherman’s Warehouse on Thursdays starting at 6 p.m.

On Thursday, March14 Bub Tosh will be speaking about Pre-Spawn bass fishing.

Tip of the Week:

One of the reasons why I’ve always struggled with spinning reels was the line twist that usually developed over time. A friend showed me a trick of his, which has since solved my line twist problems. What he did was let all the line out while he was driving his boat at a low speed, reeled it back in, and all his line twist was gone.