When I was growing up, a few houses down from us lived an older retired gentleman and his wife.
He was known in the neighborhood for his luxurious garden and often would deliver fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the neighborhood. He was a man of very few words. My first impression of him was that he was a grumpy old man. I was a teenager at the time.
Like most families this time of year, a major yard clean-up day gets put on the to-do list. My family was no different. As we spent a better part of the day pulling weeds and cleaning up the yard, Mr. Fisher just sat and watched us. Once there was a break in the action, he shouted over to us, “You’re wasting your time!”
Sure enough, the weather changed within a few days and we were right back where we started. As excited as I am with the weather that we’ve been having I’m trying not to get too excited as I don’t think this great weather is going to last too much longer.
I don’t consider going out fishing ever as a waste of time. I have learned to not take each day for granted because so much can change in such a short period of time.
Delta Report
The bass fishing is really starting to show signs of picking up. The spinner bait is a deadly bait this time of year for big females that are usually found around sparse tulle points. The outgoing tide is the best tide. Once the tide bottoms out the fishing slows way down and the bigger fish became harder to find.
The water clarity in a lot of places is still not the greatest but the temperatures have risen and our next full moon should create an awesome bite. The striper bite has slowed down for a lot of anglers and no shad was seen working the surface on my last trip.
New Melones Lake
Fishing for trout remains very slow as anglers are having a tough time finding a consistent bite anywhere on the lake. Most anglers that are having any luck are fishing around the highway 49 bridge with Power Bait.
Bass fishing remains good as anglers are catching a lot of spotted bass while fishing with a variety of different baits.
The water temperature is still in the low 50s and the lake level is on the rise but not nearly enough to consider it fully operational. Glory Hole Point has the only accessible boat ramp and it’s still off of gravel. A tow vehicle equipped with 4x4 is highly recommended especially if you’re planning on launching a heavy boat.
Lake Don Pedro
Bass fishing is starting to pick up as plenty of fish are being caught on small plastics down to 40 feet deep. At a recent tournament the average five fish limit weighed just over 11 pounds, so the fish are on the smaller size but plentiful.
Trout fishing remains tough, as very few anglers are targeting them. Usually this time of year the bite is really good which has left anglers scratching their heads.
Fleming Meadows Launch ramp remains the only paved launch ramp that’s currently open on the lake.
Lake Pardee
Still no word on when the lake is going to be open for the season.
Lake Amador
Plenty of trout are still being stocked weekly providing anglers with limits. Anglers are having luck while fishing with power bait off the bank or while trolling shad imitating lures just below the surface.
Bass fishing is still slow, once the water temperatures increase the bass will surely start making their way towards their spawning areas.
The lake is currently 90 percent full and the launch ramp currently has two lanes open and a courtesy dock.
Weekly Tip
This is one of the most confusing times of year to fish for bass. One day you can catch a huge limit of fish and the next day you can go back to the exact same spot, use the same bait, fish the same tide, and catch nothing.
The best advice that I can give this time of year when it comes to bass fishing is to pay attention to the moon cycle, the water temperature, and don’t be afraid to try something different. I’ve caught big fish this time of year on baits that I can’t seem to catch a fish on any other time of the year.
To contact Jarod Ballardo email jgbbass@yahoo.com.
