By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Fishing Report
fishing1

I recently overheard a few anglers talking about how making their hobby their job would be like not working at all. I used to think the same until I watched a very close friend of mine decide to make fishing his career. A job is a job, eventually there’s going to be days when you’d rather be somewhere else. Unless a person is truly fortunate to work for themselves and can pick and choose when they want to work, all jobs have their challenges. For professional anglers driving around in an $80,000 dollar boat that’s being towed by a $70,000 truck, there’s a lot required from them. Depending on their level of sponsorship, they may be required to travel a lot, attend all sorts of promotional events, attend boat shows, or be out on the water a contracted number of days. It’s definitely not what I imagined it would be when I was a kid. Even most low-level sponsorships, require a person to work more than the value of the discounts that they’re getting from their sponsors. As much as I’d like to think that making my hobby my job would be a dream come true, I’ve seen enough to know that being able to fish when I want to fish, is something that I value too much, to want to make my hobby my job.

 

Delta Report:

The tough bite continues for largemouth bass fishermen. Striped bass are really starting to bite on the outgoing tide. Anglers fishing for stripers are jigging 1oz Hopkins jigs, trolling broken back rebels, or drifting live bait. Remember the limit is two striped bass per person, per day, and they must be over 18 inches long. Largemouth bass are still being caught on reaction baits, but the bigger fish continue to elude anglers. Fishing the outside edges of deep weed lines are good areas to try right now. Bluegills continue to bite while fishing baby night crawlers off the bottom. A lot of nice sized bluegill are being caught right now while fishing around the docks at Paradise Point.

 

New Melones Lake:

The trout bite has begun to pick up; anglers fishing off the bank are starting to report good catches while using power bait. Trolling for trout continues to be slow but should start picking up shortly as the water temperature continues to drop. Bass fishing is very good right now for smaller fish. The larger bass are likely to be following the trout up shallow, this time last year anglers were catching big fish while tossing swim baits around main lake points.

 

New Hogan Lake:

Bass fishing continues to be good for anglers fishing jigs and worms down to 40 feet. Fish are really starting to gorge themselves as they prepare for the winter ahead. Reaction baits are most effective while fishing windblown points.

 

Lake Don Pedro:

Trout and salmon fishing continues to be very slow on the lake right now. Bass fishing is also tough as the bass being caught are small. As the trout fishing improves, look for the bass fishing to also improve as they both are competing for the same food source.

 

Lake Camanche:

The lake is being stocked bi weekly with trout and anglers are doing well while trolling right outside the marina with a variety of trout lures. The bite isn’t wide open yet but improving as the water temperatures are dropping. Bass fishing continues to be good for anglers fishing all over the lake with jigs and small plastics.

 

Lake Amador:

Trout are being planted heavily and anglers aren’t leaving disappointed. Power bait is the bait of choice for anglers as limits are being caught throughout the lake. The dam area seems to be a favorite location of bank anglers as most plants occur there.

 

Tip of the Week:

When I first started fishing I would never change my line until it started to break. Since then I learned that line changes are necessary, especially when faced with different water conditions. When fishing stained dirty water, you can get away with a heavier thicker line. When fishing a lake where you can see more than 10 feet down, it’s recommended that you switch to a smaller diameter less visible line. Twenty-pound test may seem small to some but it’s very visible in clearer water. Thicker line also gives off more vibration, as water cannot pass through it. Lighter line cast further, is less visible, and more sensitive.