These past few weeks my older sister, her husband, and two boys were visiting all the way from England. I was able to take my brother-in-law out fishing with me twice. Both times we limited out and really had a great time. We’ve been fishing together in the past, but this time around was different. There’s something to be said about putting two people on a boat for the day. The conversation was great, we laughed, told stories, and caught fish. He’s big into photography, so every time we passed this barn, he had to take pictures. He pointed out to me the different colors the barn took on as the sun changed positions. I don’t think I’ll ever look at that barn again as just another barn. He’s home now and in a recent email between him and I, he asked where I caught the fish in the picture that I sent him. “We caught it while fishing around your barn,” I responded.
Delta Report:
Bass fishing is really good right now on the delta. With the winds finally starting to die down and the temperatures hearing up, there should be a lot of fish up shallow. In the morning I’d go with a top water lure like a popper or snag proof frog. Once the sun gets up it’s hard beating a Senko pitched into visible clear spots along weed flats. Pretty much anything should catch them but for the big ones finding those spawning flats is the key. Striped bass fishing is on fire right now out of Rio Vista. Anglers trolling Rebels, Yo Zuri’s, and Umbrella Rigs are catching limits while trolling the west bank.
New Melones Lake:
Fishing for trout continues to be good for anglers trolling between 20 and 40 feet deep. Lake levels have gone down resulting in the cement launch ramp to no longer be accessible. Boaters wishing to put their boats in the lake must launch from Glory Hole Point off a two lane dirt ramp. Four wheel drive is recommended but in most cases not needed as the dirt is packed tight. Bass fishing is at its best right now for both numbers of fish and size. For numbers it’s hard to beat a shaky head. For size, Senko’s and jigs are catching quality fish along with swim baits. There are a lot of fish on beds right now, so if you’re a bed fisherman you shouldn’t have a problem catching a good limit of fish.
Lake Don Pedro:
Kokanee fishing is really starting to pick up. Anglers are catching limits of kokanee and trout while trolling between 30 and 50 feet deep. There are even a few king salmon being caught at those same depths. Bass fishing has also started to pick up with many anglers catching a lot of fish while drop shotting small plastics. Sight fishermen are also doing well finding the bigger female bass defending their young. Fleming Meadows continues to have the only paved launch ramp that is open for launching. Like New Melones the lake is releasing water brining it down to 43 percent of its full capacity.
Lake Camanche:
Trout fishing is fair for anglers trolling off the bank and trolling for them. Anglers fishing with bait are doing well while using Power Bait and anglers trolling are catching their fish on blade/night crawler combos. Kokanee are being caught by anglers fishing between 40 and 50 feet deep with Hootchies. Bass fishing is improving as there are plenty of fish found up shallow willing to bite a variety of artificial baits. You can’t go wrong right now by throwing a green pumpkin colored shaky head worm.
Lake Amador:
Trout fishing is steady on the lake right now as weekly trout plants have continued. Typically once the weather warms the trout seek deeper waters making this month a good month to get out fishing before it becomes too hot. Anglers catching trout are trolling their favorite trout lures or fishing off the bank with Power Bait. Bass fishermen are finding a lot of fish up shallow defending their spawning grounds. The lake is nearly full right now making it one of the few local lakes that’s fully operational.
Tip of the Week:
There’s no better time to take a kid fishing than in the next few months. There are plenty of fish shallow right now which should provide a lot of action for the impatient angler. It’s really hard to beat a worm fished under a small bobber right now. Kids don’t really care about catching a trophy fish as much as they care about catching something. My son remembers very little about his first few years of life but can tell you every detail about his first time fishing.
