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Get familiar with the rules before keeping catch
Bulletin fishing report
Matt Bartton with 28-pound king salmon fishing off the beautiful Marin County coastline aboard the Postmaster with Jack Arizcuren. Photo submitted by JACK ARIZCUREN - photo by Photo Contributed

Sometimes I like to keep my catch.
Depending on where I’m fishing and the species of fish that I’m catching, I might keep a few. Some anglers are conditioned to let the fish they catch go and have a hard time understanding why anyone would keep it. Most of those same anglers don’t like the taste of fish.
Like hunters wanting to harvest a deer, the Department of Fish and Game puts a limit on the amount of game that can be harvested. Fishing is no different. Almost every species of fish swimming in our lakes and rivers have a set limit that an angler can harvest. In some lakes it’s even encouraged to harvest certain species of fish so that the fish in the lake could grow bigger.
There’s only a handful of places and certain times of the year when I keep fish. Most of the time I prefer to release the fish I catch over having to spend time after a long day of fishing cleaning and cooking fish.
If you do decide to keep your fish, I suggest you know the rules and regulations in regards to harvesting fish. One of the lesser known rules is that you’re not allowed to transport live gamefish.

Delta
Shade is the most important factor when fishing for bass on the Delta. Really pay attention to the banks and look for any shade pockets. This past weekend, the bigger bass  caught were caught on Sweet Beavers on the shady side of isolated islands.
The top-water frog bite has remained excellent for those willing to toss it all day. Anglers are catching frogfish in both open water and above matted vegetation.

New Melones Lake
The kokanee bite is excellent for those fishing the right depths. Anglers are reporting that the kokanee are being caught between 30 and 50 feet deep. The most popular area for anglers trolling is between the spillway and the dam.
Bass fishing has been good for smaller fish on small plastics during the day and top-water lures early morning and right before sunset. There are a few islands becoming visible due to dropping water levels, try fishing on the deep side of the islands for schools of bass.
 Catfishing has been really good for night fishermen fishing just about anywhere on the lake.

Don Pedro
Fishing for kokanee has been slow this summer but is improving. Anglers trolling are starting to catch kokanee while trolling between 40 and 60 feet deep with hootchies and wedding rings.
Bass fishing continues to be great for anglers fishing for numbers. Pretty much everything is working for smaller fish, those fishing deeper with jigs or tossing large swim baits are catching the bigger fish.
The bluegill bite has been very good around brushy areas with an occasional crappie being caught. Fishing at night for catfish has been fair to good for anglers who are patient.

Lake Amador
Lake Amador is a night fishing lake this time of year. Not many anglers are braving the heat, as the fish have become very sluggish during the day.
Bluegills are about all that is being caught. At night, there are some big catfish being caught and even an occasional trout for those fishing the dam area. There are also reports of crappie being caught on minnows at night by those fishing around the dock area. If you do plan on fishing Amador at night, make sure to get there before 9 p.m., as the gates are locked after 9.

Lake Camanche
Two bass over 10 pounds were recently caught and released by anglers fishing the lake. During the day, pleasure boaters are plentiful making, it difficult for anglers.
Trout and bass anglers are arriving to the lake early and getting off the water before noon. For trout, anglers are still doing well while trolling speedy shiners. For bass, anglers are doing well while fishing with topwater baits and small swim baits around main lake points and islands.

Pro-Teen Tournament
On Sunday, the annual Conroy Oakley and Andy Cuccia Pro-Teen Classic will be held out of Russo’s Marina on Bethel Island. The purpose of the event is to introduce teens 13 to 19 years old to fishing through a professional style tournament where they will be paired up with a boater for six hours.
Registration for anglers and boaters for the event is now open. Boaters fish for free. For more information, visit www.westernbass.com or contact Linzy Cuccia at 925.752.4453 or Linzy.TNTBella.@gmail.com.

To contact Jarod Ballardo email jgbbass@yahoo.com.