School in many communities is now back in session, which signifies to me that summer is coming to an end. It’s been a pretty good summer. I kicked it off with a fishing trip and just recently officially ended my summer with a fishing trip. In the middle, I mixed in a couple camping trips to Clarks Fork, Lake Pardee, and even scouted out some future camping spots. Just like when I was a kid, the summer seemed to fly right by and now it’s time to get back to work. Going into each summer I usually have a want to do list that I mentally put together. I’ve been able to do all the things that I set out to do, except for a saltwater fishing trip. It’s something that I’ve wanted to do ever since I went to a bigger boat, but haven’t been able to yet. We’ll see, I may be going back to work, but there are plenty of warm days left in the year. There’s so much preparation involved in switching over to saltwater, along with the time it’s going to take to recover all my equipment. The salt gets everywhere making it extremely important to wash and flush everything. Sometimes I wonder if it’s really worth it, I guess I’ll never know until I get out there!

The Delta:

Anglers are doing really well for bass while fishing in the wind with reaction baits. Spinner baits have been working especially well. There are a lot of baits fish in the shallows making lure fishing good. Anglers fishing top water lures are still doing as well as those that are flipping vegetation. You may not catch a lot of big fish right now but the numbers are there for those looking to fill a limit. Bluegills are being caught in large numbers right now for those fishing with small worms in the backs of sloughs. Catfish are being caught on chicken livers and clams.

New Melones Lake:

Trout are being caught right now for those fishing under submersible lights during the night and the Kokanee bite remains good for those who choose to troll. The hot bait right now seems to be Apex Lures tipped with shoepeg corn trolled anywhere from 60 to 100 feet deep. Bass fishing remains good for smaller fish during the day and bigger fish are being caught earlier in the day on top water lures. Bluegills continue to bite well for those fishing brush piles with worms.

Don Pedro:

Kokanee fishing has gotten tougher for anglers as the Kokanee have been holding tight to structure making them hard to target for anglers trolling. Trout fishing is fair for anglers that are finding them. They are scattered throughout the lake right now making it tough to target a specific depth. Bass fishing is fair early and late in the day for anglers fishing with top water lures.

Lake Amador:

Lake Amador has been good for those fishing at night. During the day the only fish reported caught are Bluegill which are being caught up shallow on worms. At night Bass are being caught on large power worms and spinnerbaits. Large Catfish are also being caught with some weighing over ten pounds on chicken livers and clams. A few trout are also being lured to the surface at night by submersible lights which can be caught on minnows and power bait.

Lake Pardee:

Bass fishing is good right now for anglers who are finding shade along the bank or fishing deep with plastics. Trout fishing has also been good for those trolling earlier in the day until about noon. Bluegill fishing is really good right now for those fishing the shallows with worms and crickets.

Lake Camanche:

The bite is really good right now for bluegill and bass. Bass are being caught right now just about anywhere on the lake, with rocky points being the best spots. Small plastic worms worked along the bottom are producing a lot of bites during the day. Bluegills are being caught shallow by those fishing with red worms in the backs of coves.

Tip of the Week:

Recently while out on the water I was asked by another boater if I had a screwdriver on board. He was having problems with his electronic trolling motor and had no tools with him. Another time I was called over by a boater who asked if I had a pair of wire cutters, he had a hook embedded in his thumb. In both cases my basic supplies of tools have saved the days of those anglers. I highly encourage that anyone out there who has a boat, pack a small tool box to leave on the boat; it could very well save the day.