Keeping it simple often is the key ingredient to an angler’s success out on the water. Of all my boxes and boxes of tackle I still find myself going back to my old faithful lures when the latest and greatest stuff just isn’t working. Any top pro will tell you that he or she may use a variety of different techniques but owes a lot of their success to one or two techniques or baits. They’ve mastered that bait and its presentation therefore keeping it simple. Too much time is wasted trying out different lures. A co angler for B.A.S.S. Pro Aaron Martins once stated that “Aaron had a tackle box the size of a lunch box on the day he was out to fish for one hundred thousand dollars.” Next time the bite is tough try keeping it simple. Not only will your confidence level surely increase, you may be surprised at the results. Of course there are going to be those days when nothing seems to work. When that happens, I put on my favorite lure and focus on fishing my favorite area.

Delta Report:

Anglers continue to struggle while fishing for bass on the delta. Typically this time of year you’re not going to get many bites but the ones you do get can be giants. One of my favorite early spring baits is a red spinnerbait with gold blades. If there’s not a reaction bite, I usually switch to a black and blue jig with a black and blue trailer. You can cover a lot of water with the bait; it often attracts ferocious bites. For a more subtle approach, Senkos and jigs are also favorites among many delta anglers.

New Melones Lake:

The trout fishing continues to be good; anglers are catching limits throughout the lake. Anglers are also catching a lot of planter sized trout that have been released into the lake while using Power Bait. Anglers trolling are fishing between 15 and 20 feet deep. There were also a few kokanee caught recently by anglers who were trolling needlefish at 30 feet. Bass fishing is great right now. There are a lot of nice sized bass being caught by anglers fishing finesse baits. Anglers are reporting catching between 20 and 30 fish a day once finding the right bait and area. Anything from a drop shot rig, shaky head, or a 5-inch senko wacky rigged should get lots of bites.

Lake Don Pedro:

Trout fishing has picked up lately for anglers trolling anywhere between 10 and 30 feet deep. For bass there is a good jig bite right now for anglers fishing between 25 and 30 feet deep. A favorite jig this time of year for many lake fish is a football head jig with a Yamamoto Twin Tail Grub. You really can’t go wrong with either watermelon red or cinnamon/purple attached to a half-ounce jig head.

Lake Pardee:

The lake is scheduled to be open this year on February 14th.

Lake Amador:

Weekly trout plant continues making Lake Amador a favorite destination for those that are trying to catch size and numbers of fish. One of the perks to fishing the lake this season has been the introduction of lightning trout; their colors are unlike any trout that I’ve ever caught making me even want to get out there and catch one. Everyone has their favorite bait or lure for trout. Most anglers are choosing to fish with some type of scented dough/power bait while others are trying their luck with a variety of jigs, spinners, spoons, or Rapalas.

Lake Camanche:

Trout fishing continues to be great on the lake as many anglers are doing well while trolling or fishing from the bank. Power Bait continues to be a favorite of many anglers and Rapalas are hard to beat for those trolling. Bass fishing is picking up as limits are not hard to find for those fishing bottom baits.

Tip of The Week:

When I was learning to fish, I would let the fish swim off with the bait before I set the hook. Especially when fishing with jigs and plastic worms. As time passed, and I started listening to the experts, I started setting the hook as soon as I felt a bite. Recently I came across an instructional video of a well-known pro suggesting that your hookset should never be on a slack line. He brought up a lot of good points. I’m going to be giving this a try on my next outing. It’s going to be tough at first, but he claims that a hookset on slack line creates an unnatural feeling to the fish causing it to spit the bait out.