One of my favorite professional anglers is BassCat Pro Steve Kennedy. While listening to him speak through several podcasts, online seminars, and watching him compete in tournaments, I can’t help to not admire him. I’ve never had the chance to meet him personally but would like to someday. Steve is known for doing things his own way. He doesn’t necessarily have to have a new boat every year, more than a few sponsors, and spends a lot of his off season preparing his boat and equipment for the upcoming season. He prefers to do all his own repairs, and probably knows more about his boat and equipment than the anglers he’s competing against. As I’ve been learning more and more about boats through my latest boat project, I believe that every angler should take on a boat project at least once in their lives. I’m not sure if it will make a person a better angler or not but I’m sure that it doesn’t hurt.
Delta Report:
Plenty of post spawn fish are being caught on reaction baits right now. Franks Tract continues to be a hot spot for Bass. Vegetation throughout the Delta is starting to take over a lot of dead-end sloughs and grass lines are forming. Most of the Bass I caught were holding on the deeper grass lines visible at low tide and attacked the swim bait right before or after passing over one. There are still plenty of Bass to be found on beds but I’d much rather blind cast for them.
New Melones Lake:
The Trout bite has all but died for many, but the Kokanee bite has really started to pick up for a lot of anglers. Kokanee are being caught for those trolling anywhere from 25 to 45 feet deep. Red, chartreuse, pink or silver Apex have been the top producing lure, with Uncle Larry’s Spinners, Hootchies, Killer B’s, and Glitter Bugs in the same colors all catching fish, too. Bass fishing has also been good lately, the last full moon brought up a lot of nicer sized fish. For those not bed fishing a variety of different baits are fairing well right now. Crankbaits, Rip Baits, Rattle Traps, and plastic worms are just a few of the baits that are catching Bass right now. Night-fishing for catfish is also starting to pick up, any major cove or creek arm is a good place to try. Anchovies, Sardines, or a ball of Night Crawlers are always a deadly combination when fishing for Catfish. The Crappie and Bluegill bite is also starting to turn on, some anglers are even reporting catching limits of Crappie when fishing tight to structure while using live minnows.
Lake Don Pedro:
Fishing for Trout, Kokanee, or King Salmon has yet to turn on. There are catches being reported but very few. Some blame the weather system that has just passed while others are remaining optimistic that the bite is going to turn wide open anytime now. Bass fishing is great for numbers of fish. There are plenty of fish being caught up shallow right now for anglers fishing from the surface down to 30 feet deep with their favorite bass lures.
Lake Pardee:
Recent reports from the lake have been pretty good for anglers that are interesting in trolling for Kokanee. Anglers trolling are catching near limits or limits of Kokanee while trolling between 40 and 60 feet deep. Apex lures and Hootchies are the go-to lures right now for those trolling for Kokanee. Bass fishing continues to be good as there are still a lot of fish up shallow willing to bite. Just make sure to keep your distance as they can be spooked easily.
Tip of the Week:
A lot of boaters have a throw cushion on their boat that is required by the Coast Guard. Very few boaters have it readily available. I’m as guilty as anyone of having my throw cushion stored somewhere in my boat that I can easy get to, but isn’t exactly readily available. This year I’ve made it a habit of mine to make sure that it’s readily available, not in a compartment but right out in the open.
