I was faced by my nemesis while fishing a tournament on the Delta recently.
The weather and tide were working perfectly together. There are certain tides that the fish seem to prefer. Occasionally, there’s a tide that’s different than any other. That tide occurred this past weekend.
It was a plus tide with very little water fluctuation from high to low tide, and the weather was cloudy. It pretty much stayed high tide all day long. My partner and I threw everything we could at them, trying to find what they were biting on. We caught fish, but they were scattered.
It wasn’t until the last 10 minutes of the tournament that I caught a 6-pound bass while making a random pitch beyond a line of tulles we were fishing. That bite told us everything we needed to know towards finding the bigger fish. Unfortunately, we were out of time.
On our drive home, my partner and I started discussing some of the decisions that we made and the conditions that we faced. I learned a lot that day and now look forward to getting another shot at fishing a plus tide.
Delta Report
Anglers are having success fishing a variety of different baits for bass. Senko’s are always a good bait to use this time of year with green pumpkin being one of my favorites. Don Iovino’s spade tail worms in the S20 color also works well.
Most anglers are fishing the West Delta around Franks Tract. The West Delta seems to fish better earlier in the spring than the rest of the Delta.
There are few reports of striped bass being caught. Anglers fishing for striped bass are fishing around Franks Tract and Rio Vista with cut bait off the bank or trolling Yozuri Shallow diving lures.
New Melones Lake
Trout fishing continues to be slow. Anglers catching limits are trolling most of the day. They are trolling from the surface down to 30 feet deep with blade and crawler combos. Small plastic worms have been working well for spotted bass.
With all the report of big fish being caught there are a lot of anglers tossing swim baits throughout the lake. It’s just a matter of time before another giant bass is caught.
Lake Don Pedro
Fishing has picked up with trout being caught while fishing from the surface down to 25 feet deep. As we get closer to the month of April the salmon bite usually gets better.
Bass fishing remains steady for those fishing jigs and Robo Worms slowly crawled along the bottom. Those seeking out trophy-sized fish are tossing their favorite swim baits as the big ones are looking for a big meal.
New Hogan
Not much attention has been given to this lake, but it’s one my personal favorite springtime destinations. How can anyone argue paying a $4 launch fee to fish gin-clear water during spawning season?
Schools of bass are starting to make their way into the backs of coves and can be easily enticed with a shaky head worm, green pumpkin. If you’re looking to get away from the crowds, this is the place to be.
Lake Amador
Lake owners continue to plant large amounts of trout into the lake. Power bait fished on the bottom as well as under a bobber is the going technique.
Bass fishing has started to pick up as anglers are starting to get a few while fishing crank baits and jigs. While the trout are still shallow large trout-imitating swim baits are sure to entice a few followers at the least.
Customer Appreciation Day
This Saturday, Fisherman’s Warehouse in Manteca will be having hourly raffles starting at 10 a.m. Free seminars will also be provided from some of our top local professionals like Vince Hurtado (11 a.m.), Tom Amberson (12:30 p.m.), Bryant Smith (1:30 p.m.), and Ken Mah 3 p.m.).
There will also be factory reps there showing some of the newest in tackle as well as answering any questions that you may have. Customer Appreciation Day will be from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The grand prize of the day will be a Lowrance Hook-5.
To contact Jarod Ballardo, email jgbbass@yahoo.com.
