With daylight saving time in effect, our days will be longer, and I’ll no longer have to drive home from work as the sun is setting. This is both good and bad. The good, is that there are likely to be more fishing hours available after a day’s work. The bad, is that a lot of those repairs or projects that the weather has postponed are still waiting to be completed. It’s also that time of year when I get stuck doing something around the house. It also never seems to fail that when I do finally get time off, there are a series of storms that make it difficult to fish. Hopefully this spring will be different though. The weather has been nice this week and there are some good reports coming in from a variety of places. I’ll be fishing on the Delta this weekend. It’s been several years since I caught a trophy sized fish, hopefully this will be the year. I purchased my season launch pass last weekend, so I’m looking forward getting a lot of fishing in before the end of spring.

Delta Report:

The largemouth bass bite is wide open right now with numbers and size being caught. Senko’s and jigs are the top baits right now. Large groups of fish are making their way into the shallows in anticipation of the next full moon. Once the tide bottoms out try fishing the outside weed line as bass will often move to the edge once the tide drops and return shallow once the tide rises.

New Melones Lake:

Fishing for trout is fair right now as anglers are reporting catching them while both trolling and while fishing off the bank. Those fishing around the Highway 49 Bridge are having the most consistent bites while fishing with Power Bait. Bass fishing is great right now as there are a lot of fish up shallow looking for an easy meal. Anglers fishing for bass are doing well while fishing with shaky head worms and Neko rigs down to 20 feet deep.

Lake Don Pedro:

Trout fishing has remained very tough for anglers. There are currently very few reports of trout being caught currently on the lake. Typically, this time of year is one of the best times of the year to catch trout. 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 Camanche:

Trout fishing has been fair to good for many anglers. Most anglers are migrating towards the south shore launch area as several nice trout have been caught in the recent weeks. Hat Island is another hot spot for anglers fishing with shad imitating Rapala lures. Bass fishing is beginning to pick up as anglers are catching an occasional fish up shallow. The more successful anglers are staying deep with drop-shotted worms or jigs worked along the bottom.

New Hogan:

Not much attention has been given to this lake, it’s one my personal favorite springtime destinations. How can anyone argue paying a four-dollar launch fee to fish gin clear water during spawning season? If you’re looking to get away from the crowds, this is the place to be right now during the week.

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 lures around 15 feet deep. Bass fishing continues to be slow for a lot of anglers but should be picking up soon.

Lake Pardee:

Trout continue to be planted into the lake creating large crowds fishing within the launch ramp areas. Many are leaving with limits. Those fishing the main lake are also having success while trolling shallow as there are many of the trout that can be caught just below the surface. For bass the bite is getting better as there seem to be more fish moving shallow since the last time I was there. Anglers fishing with Ned Rigs, crankbaits, and drop shots are doing well while fishing around main lake points.

Tip of the Week:

I’m currently planning on mounting an external transducer on my boat. In the past, I’ve always mounted transducers level with the ground. What I’ve learned was that when boats are in the water, especially when in gear, they don’t sit level, resulting in the transducer shooting forward, instead of directly under the boat.