Father’s Day is coming up, so all week long I’m being asked by my wife what I want for Father’s Day.

Like a lot of dads, Father’s Day kind of sneaks up on us and really anything is appreciated. I’m easy; I’m just as happy barbecuing at home for the family as if we went out to an expensive restaurant for dinner. 

Actually, I’d rather be home with my family. As far as fishing, I wouldn’t mind an early-summer morning trip on Father’s Day. Especially this year, it’s supposed to be blistering hot on Sunday. 

If you’ve never been out fishing this time of year before the sun begins to rise, you’ve got to experience it. It’s one of my favorite outdoor experiences and what a better day to enjoy it than on Father’s Day.

Delta Report 

There are a lot of smaller bass willing to bite, but the bigger fish are harder to come by unless you’re willing to stick with big fish baits like top0water frogs and buzz baits. 

There are a lot of large colonies of bluegill making their way shallow for the spawn. A lot of the bigger bluegill are striking out of defense Anglers doing the best for them are bouncing small crappie jigs around spawning areas. 

As the summer patterns start to develop look for a lot of baitfish up shallow in and around shade.

New Melones Lake

Kokanee fishing remains fair. Anglers are catching them while trolling right off Glory Hole Point and around the spillway and the dam. Kokanee are being caught from the surface down to 50 feet. Most anglers are doing the best have best while fishing between 30-45 feet deep. 

Bass fishing is hit or miss as anglers are having a tough time putting together any real pattern. Most anglers are either fishing jigs down to 30 feet or searching for schools of fish off main lake points.

Lake Don Pedro

Kokanee are still being caught between 50 and 70 feet deep. Anglers fishing for them are reporting good action but not as good as what’s happening at New Melones. Bass fishing is tough, as anglers are struggling to catch them. One of the most consistent patterns right now seems to be fishing with top water lures. Zara Spooks along with other walking type baits are doing well for anglers that are willing to stay with the baits throughout the day.

New Hogan

Earlier in the week it was brutal out there. The fishing was very tough, as the bass were very hard to find. The best pattern that I found was to cover water with a bluegill-colored shallow running crank bait. I did see a lot of smaller bluegill up shallow but they were very small. I also saw several balls of bass fry. They were almost an inch long, making me believe that they were at least a month old.

Tip of the Week

For some anglers, the mere mention of color selection can bring up fish story after fish story. Personally, I prefer to stick to the basic colors, my favorite being water

melon red flake. 

There are times when a change is necessary though, in muddy water darker colors are going to be more visible and in clearer water something more natural is always an excellent choice. 

Also, if you ever find yourself getting short struck, a subtle change in color can make a world of difference. 

To contact Jarod Ballardo email jgbbass@yahoo.com.