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Fishing Report
fishing1

All week long I was being asked by my wife what I wanted for Father’s Day. Like a lot of fathers, Father’s Day kind of snuck up on us and really anything is appreciated. I’m easy; I was just as happy BBQing at home for the family as if we went out to an expensive restaurant for dinner. Actually, I’d rather be home with my family! As far as fishing, I enjoy an early summer morning trip on Father’s Day. If you’ve never been out fishing this time of year before the sun begins to rise, you’ve got to experience it. It’s one of my favorite outdoor experiences.

 

Delta Report:

Lately there are a lot of smaller bass willing to bite but the bigger fish are harder to come by, unless you’re willing to stick with big fish baits like top water frogs and buzz baits. Currently, there are a lot of large colonies of bluegill making their way shallow for the spawn. A lot of the bigger bluegill are striking out of defense. Anglers doing the best for them are bouncing small crappie jigs around spawning areas. As the summer patterns start to develop look for a lot of baitfish up shallow in and around shade.

 

New Melones Lake:

Kokanee fishing remains fair right now. Anglers are catching them while trolling right off Glory Hole Point and around the spillway and the dam. Kokanee are being caught from the surface down to 50 feet. Most anglers are doing the best while fishing between 30-45 feet deep. Bass fishing is hit or miss as anglers are having a tough time putting together any real pattern. Most anglers are either fishing jigs down to 30 feet or searching for schools of fish off main lake points.

 

Lake Don Pedro:

Kokanee are still being caught between 50 and 70 feet deep. Anglers fishing for them are reporting good action but not as good as what’s happening at New Melones. Bass fishing is tough right now as anglers are struggling to catch them. One of the most consistent patterns right now seems to be fishing with top water lures. Zara Spooks along with other walking type baits are doing well for anglers that are willing to stay with the baits throughout the day.

 

New Hogan:

Earlier in the week it was brutal out there. The fishing was very tough as the bass were very hard to find. The best pattern that I found was to cover water with a bluegill colored shallow running crank bait. I did see a lot of smaller bluegill up shallow but they were very small. I also saw several balls of bass fry. They were almost an inch long making me believe that they were at least a month old.

 

Lake Camanche:

The trout fishing has really slowed down but the bass fishing has been excellent recently. Most bass have been caught shallow with plastics such as lizards and tube baits. The crappie bite has been improving for anglers fishing between 15 and 20 feet of water while fishing stick ups and brush piles. Night fishermen are also doing well using live minnows and crappie jigs under lights.

 

Lake Pardee:

Fishing on the lake is hit or miss right now as anglers fishing for kokanee are having to adjust daily to find them. Those catching kokanee are trolling between 50 and 65 feet deep. Anglers fishing off the bank are targeting catfish during the evening hours. Bass fisherman are doing well while fishing around shade with small plastics and weightless Senko’s.

 

Tip of the Week:

For some anglers, the mere mention of color selection can bring up fish story after fish story. Personally, I prefer to stick to the basic colors, my favorite being watermelon red flake. There are times when a change is necessary though, in muddy water darker colors are going to be more visible and in clearer water something more natural is always an excellent choice. Also, if you ever find yourself getting short struck, a subtle change in color can make a world of difference.