Several of my friends have asked me about fishing in a club.
I’ve fished in a club for several years and highly recommend doing so. Fishing in a club allows you not only to meet new people, but it also gives you a chance to test your fishing abilities while learning from others.
I miss fishing as a club member; it was fun travelling from lake to lake.
We made a yearly trip to Clear Lake, which provided for some exciting times. The downside to fishing in a club is sometimes the scheduling can be a little tricky, and like everything else there are surely to be one or two disgruntled members.
I still have my plaques and trophies from my club days and plan on some day finding a place to display them.
Most local cities have fishing clubs, and if you’re interested in joining a club you can pretty much just do a web search or visit www.westernbass.com for more information.
The Senko fished weightless has been a hard bait to beat this time of year. It’s important this time of year to make more than one pass over a spot if a fish is caught.
Many times if a fish is spawning he or she is most likely not alone.
Often, after catching a fish in a particular area, another fish can move right in a matter of minutes.
Anglers reported using a lot of different baits to catch their fish with the Senko being their go to bait for numbers.
The bass bite continues to get better as the water temperature has been around 58 degrees during the day.
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.
Big catfish are also being caught by those fishing coves with running water in them. Supposedly, the catfish are stacking up in the backs of these coves waiting for an easy meal brought to them through the spring run off the lake has been getting.
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 while fishing the South Bay area.
Lake Camanche
The trout fishing has slowed a bit for anglers fishing Camanche.
They have reported that the bite has been picking up as the day goes on and not necessarily in the early part of the day.
Anglers fishing off the bank are doing well while fishing with Power Bait and Anglers trolling for trout are trolling the top 20 feet of water for their limits.
Bass fishing 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 found guarding its young.
Not too many big fish are being seen right now but lots of 1- to 3-pound fish can be found throughout the lake.
My bait of choice is a zoom trick worm fished on a shakey head jig. I also like to use a 3/8 oz. white jig for bedding fish.
This will be a fundraising event sponsored by the Calaveras club to help fund a $500 scholarship for a Bret Harte High School Student.
An entry fee of $25 will be charged which includes coffee and donuts in the morning and a tri-tip BBQ with all the fixings after the contest ends.
Non-fishing guests may enjoy the food and refreshments for a $5 fee. Registration starts at 7:30 am and ends at 8:30 a.m.
The fishing contest will begin at 9 a.m. and end at 1 p.m.
For more information contact Grady Lee at 951-3623.
I’ve fished in a club for several years and highly recommend doing so. Fishing in a club allows you not only to meet new people, but it also gives you a chance to test your fishing abilities while learning from others.
I miss fishing as a club member; it was fun travelling from lake to lake.
We made a yearly trip to Clear Lake, which provided for some exciting times. The downside to fishing in a club is sometimes the scheduling can be a little tricky, and like everything else there are surely to be one or two disgruntled members.
I still have my plaques and trophies from my club days and plan on some day finding a place to display them.
Most local cities have fishing clubs, and if you’re interested in joining a club you can pretty much just do a web search or visit www.westernbass.com for more information.
Delta Report
The fish are biting well on a variety of different baits right now. The Senko fished weightless has been a hard bait to beat this time of year. It’s important this time of year to make more than one pass over a spot if a fish is caught.
Many times if a fish is spawning he or she is most likely not alone.
Often, after catching a fish in a particular area, another fish can move right in a matter of minutes.
Anglers reported using a lot of different baits to catch their fish with the Senko being their go to bait for numbers.
New Melones Lake
The trout bite is starting to pick up as the water is finally starting to clear. Most trollers are picking up mixed limits of Kokanee and trout while trolling shad patterned lures or rolling fresh Shad. The bass bite continues to get better as the water temperature has been around 58 degrees during the day.
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.
Big catfish are also being caught by those fishing coves with running water in them. Supposedly, the catfish are stacking up in the backs of these coves waiting for an easy meal brought to them through the spring run off the lake has been getting.
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 60 feet deep from Buzzard Point to Big Oak Island to Jenkins Hill. 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 while fishing the South Bay area.
Lake Camanche
The trout fishing has slowed a bit for anglers fishing Camanche.
They have reported that the bite has been picking up as the day goes on and not necessarily in the early part of the day.
Anglers fishing off the bank are doing well while fishing with Power Bait and Anglers trolling for trout are trolling the top 20 feet of water for their limits.
Bass fishing 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 found guarding its young.
Lake New Hogan
Fishing for bass remains good. A lot of fish can be found either cruising the shallows or on spawning beds. Not too many big fish are being seen right now but lots of 1- to 3-pound fish can be found throughout the lake.
My bait of choice is a zoom trick worm fished on a shakey head jig. I also like to use a 3/8 oz. white jig for bedding fish.
Delta Fly Fishers
The Delta Fly Fishers on Saturday, May 8 outing will be to White Pines Lake near Arnold. This will be a fundraising event sponsored by the Calaveras club to help fund a $500 scholarship for a Bret Harte High School Student.
An entry fee of $25 will be charged which includes coffee and donuts in the morning and a tri-tip BBQ with all the fixings after the contest ends.
Non-fishing guests may enjoy the food and refreshments for a $5 fee. Registration starts at 7:30 am and ends at 8:30 a.m.
The fishing contest will begin at 9 a.m. and end at 1 p.m.
For more information contact Grady Lee at 951-3623.
To contact Jarod Ballardi, e-mail jgbbass@yahoo.com.
