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Fishing Report
0430 Forkner
Ten-year old Julianna Forkner and her father Robert Forkner of Oakdale took a father/daughter fishing trip to Crescent Citys Smith River where Julianna caught a nine pound steelhead on her own on Wednesday, April 23. - photo by Photo Contributed

Growing up, I never used to wear sunglasses. Looking back, I can’t believe that I fished as long as I did without sunglasses. It wasn’t until I was in my 20’s that I realized the benefits of a good pair of sunglasses. I was fishing with a friend one day when he started talking about how great his sunglasses were. When I asked him how much he paid for them, I laughed at him and told him that I would never pay more than $10 for a pair of sunglasses. A couple of months later, he purchased a new pair, and gave me his old pair. It didn’t take me long before I realized that I was completely wrong. The difference was like night and day. My eyes were more relaxed throughout the day and I was able to see so much more in the water. Simply put, polarized glasses reduce glare while making it easier on your eyes. I now have several pairs of polarized sunglasses and never leave home without them. I personally prefer Costa Del Mar sunglasses. Just about every major brand sells polarized lenses now though, you can even find some for less than $10, but you get what you pay for.

 

Delta Report:

Bass fishing has really turned on; the bass are biting on a variety of different baits right now. The always productive Senko is working just as good as ever right now as anglers are finding fish both inside and outside of the weeds and tulles. There are still plenty of fish to be caught on reaction baits but for the big ones anglers are having the best luck flipping or pitching baits around vegetation. Don’t dismiss the top water bite; there are plenty of fish in post spawn making them very protective towards anything passing over their fry. Snagproof frogs and Zara Spooks are great baits this time of year.

 

New Melones Lake:

The kokanee bite is good right now as anglers are catching limits of fish while trolling between 30 and 60 feet deep throughout the lake. Right now the kokanee are schooling up making them easier to find for anglers that have boats equipped with fish finders. Anglers catching kokanee are using hootchies with shoe peg corn for their limits. The hardest part about catching kokanee is keeping them on the hook. Their mouths are very soft making them hard to land and they usually go crazy the closer they get to the boat making them even harder to keep on the hook. Bass are being caught by reaction baits as well as jigs. The bigger Bass have been caught while using jigs and dragging Carolina Rigs along the bottom.

 

Lake Don Pedro:

Fishing for trout, king salmon, and kokanee has really started to pick up for a lot of anglers. For king salmon try fishing thirty to sixty feet deep around Fleming Bay. Small rolled anchovies, shad, Sockeye Slammers or small Ex-Cel’s are working well right now. Trout are being found on the top 20 feet while trolling traditional shad patterned lures. Kokanee are being caught from 25 to 30 feet deep. Lately the hot bait for kokanee has been an Uncle Larry’s red tiger tipped with Pautzke pink fire corn.

 

Lake Camanche:

Anglers trolling for trout are trolling the top 25 feet of water for their limits. Fishing for bass continues to get better as the bigger females are starting to show up on the beds found throughout the lake. Make sure to practice catch and release when landing a fish that was taken off a bed.

 

Lake Pardee:

Fishing for trout and kokanee is good right now for anglers trolling up river from 20 to 30 feet deep. Bass fishing is also improving as bass are being caught all over the lake right now. A lot of bass have made their way shallow to spawn. Anglers finding spawning bass are catching them while dragging worms and jigs through bedding areas.

 

Tip of the Week:

When looking for a good pair of sunglasses you want to find a pair that fit the contours of your face, making sure that there’s limited space between the frame of the glasses and the bones of your face. Any space of gaps can let the sun in as the sun’s rays will reflect off the surface of the water. Sunglasses that aren’t fitted right may look good on you but their overall effectiveness will be minimal.