Don’t let this current storm fool you. If anything, it’s going to improve the fishing.

One of my fondest memories is while fishing Lake Amador back in the late 80s after a series of major storms. It was early spring just like it is now and I remember parts of I-5 being closed due to flooding. Once we got to the lake, the water was the dirtiest color I’ve ever seen it, so our expectations were pretty low.

After a short while, we caught our first fish, our second, third, and many more after that.

That day I remember the most because we ended up running out of the hot bait at the time, which was a Culprit Red Shad ribbon-tailed worm. None of the local tackle shops stocked that particular color or brand so we ended up having to order the only way you could back then — by calling Bass Pro Shops and placing the order by check.

Just to be safe my dad ordered a whole box of those worms, and to this day I bet there are a couple laying around in one of the sheds in my yard. From that day on, I get excited when there’s an early spring storm in the forecast. Maybe it’s time to hunt down those Culprit Red Shad ribbon-tailed worms.

Delta Report

Until the weather stabilizes a bit, fishing will continue to be spotty on the delta right now. Bass have been hit and miss for a lot of anglers. Some days they’re hitting crank baits and jigs really well and other days just getting a bite can be challenging. Anglers having the most success are fishing slow-moving baits down to 10 feet. Striper fishing is a lot like the largemouth bass fishing; it’s been hit or miss for a lot of anglers. 

New Melones Lake

Fishing for trout has remained good for anglers trolling the top thirty feet of water. With the passing of several storms this week, the fishing pressure should be reduced. Anglers have reported that their best results have come when they have trolled their baits further behind the boat than normal. Bank fishermen are also doing well right now while fishing with power bait off the bottom in the backs of coves. Bass fishing is picking up on the lake. Anglers are catching trophy-sized bass while tossing a variety of trout imitating swim baits. Just last week, three bass over 10 pounds were caught and released during a tournament. As the weather stabilizes a bit, look for the bass to make their move shallow in preparation for the upcoming spawn.

Lake Don Pedro

Fishing for trout is good on the lake. Anglers are catching them from while fishing from the bank with Power Bait or while trolling the top 30 feet with wedding rings tipped with night crawlers. Bass fishing has been a little tough as the recent storms have moved a lot of fish deep. Anglers are catching bass while fishing secondary points with jigs, rip baits, and drop shotted Robo Worms.  

Lake Pardee

The trout bite has been excellent lately for anglers taking advantage of the early bite. Trout are being caught while trolling flasher rigs trailed by a nightcrawler. Anglers are also having success while fishing off the bank using chartreuse Power Bait. Bass fishing has started to pick up as smallmouth bass are accustomed to spawning at a cooler temperature than the largemouth. Crankbaits and jigs have been working well for those working the sparse wood along the shores of the lake.

Lake Amador

Weekly trout plants continue to provide bank anglers with action. Power bait fished off the bottom seems to be the choice of many anglers. Bass fishing continues to be slow. Anglers catching bass are fishing brown jigs off main lake points down to thirty feet deep.

Product Review

Having a good pair of clippers has never been more important than now. With the increase in use of lines, such as braid and fluorocarbon, traditional clippers rarely get the job done. For the past several years I have been using a Leatherman Micra, which comes equipped with scissors. They don’t rust and can be attached to a lanyard. I have had my Micra for close to five years and it still cuts with ease. The only drawback to the tool is that it doesn’t float; I learned this the hard way and have since kept mine attached to a lanyard.