The other day while driving home from work I saw a truck towing a trailer with a couple snowmobiles on it. I thought to myself, that’s odd being the middle of summer. Then as I thought some more, I thought about my boat parked in my backyard with very few places to go anymore that have any water. Like a lot of you, I’m hoping for an early fall and lots of rain. If I’ve learned anything through writing this column, it’s that our weather system seems to go through cycles. I’m hoping that this current year we are brought what we need the most, rain. I’m not sure how we would be able to handle another year of drought; I’m hoping that we don’t have to.
Delta Report:
Fishing continues to be tough for a lot of bass anglers right now. For a lot of people fishing this past weekend the flip bite all but died down as the top water bite accounted for some of the bigger fish caught. There are lots of smaller schools of bass actively feeding on small baitfish which can be caught on reaction lures and small top water baits. Catfishing remains good right now for anglers fishing cut bait. Look for bigger catfish to be relating to deep holes along the river right now.
New Melones Lake:
Bass fishing continues to be good for smaller bass on soft plastics while worked along the bottom. Bigger bass are being caught in the early morning hours on topwater lures and at night on top as well. During the day anglers are dragging Carolina rigged plastic baits such as brush hogs and lizards. Kokanee fishing is slowing down, limits are still being caught but they are a little harder to entice than earlier in the summer. Anglers trolling are catching a few trout while trolling between 40 and 60 feet deep. As we get later into the summer the trout fishing usually starts to pick up. Bluegills continue to provide steady action for those fishing around boat docks and the backs of coves. Fishing for catfish is good right now for those fishing at night.
Lake Don Pedro:
Bass are being caught on Senko’s and top water baits right now. Hula grubs and crank baits are also working well while fished between 5 and 10 feet deep. Trout are pretty active right now in the river channel near Moccasin Creek at depths from 40 and 60 feet deep on small spoons, spinners or blade/crawlers.
Lake New Hogan:
Bass fishing remains good for those fishing senko’s and topwater baits during the morning and evening hours. New Hogan is one of those lakes that gets very little fishing pressure compared to the other local lakes. There is a small fee of no more than five dollars to launch a boat and fish for the day. It does get a lot of boat traffic during the weekends, though. It’s well worth the visit if you can manage a day off during the week.
Lake Pardee:
Kokanee and trout are providing plenty of action for anglers trolling early on in the day. For kokanee anglers are trolling as deep as 90 feet deep and for trout anglers are having luck trolling between 25 and 35 feet deep. Bass fishing is hit or miss right now. The best bites are coming early and late in the day.
Lake Camanche:
Catfishing is king right now on the lake as there have been a lot of large catfish being brought up to the marina to be weighed. Anglers fishing for catfish are fishing around main lake points with cut bait or inflated night crawlers. Bass fishing is also good right now for anglers fishing around the visible islands with small worms such as Robo Worms. Bluegill are also there for the taking just about anywhere along the shoreline where there is some type of structure for them to swim around. Anglers fishing for Bluegill are using red worms and wax worms.
Tip of the Week:
When storing your tackle it’s important to separate certain items in order to prevent rust or damage to your tackle box. Some plastic baits, for example, will actually melt through a plastic box if having direct contact with another plastic. They’re also most likely to have a high salt content which will also take its toll on exposed metal. Lead weights and hooks should never be stored in the same box as the moisture from the lead will surely create rusty hooks. Hard baits should be left out to air dry before placing back inside a tackle box. Silicone packs that come with a lot of items we purchase today can be re used to help keep moisture out of your tackle box.
