Last week, I was able to get out fishing. It’s been a while since I’ve been out.

My partner became ill the night before leaving me to fish by myself. I had my dog with me, but she wasn’t much help lying on the bottom of the boat dead asleep most of the day. At one point I even heard her snoring!

She did provide me with a little excitement when she decided to put her two front paws on the edge of the boat, and when she tried to run to the edge of the boat while it was moving at 30 mph.

What surprised me the most was that when I did catch a fish she seemed very disinterested and went back to her nap like nothing had happened. So much for my fishing dog that pointed out where the fish were, or celebrated with me when I caught an impressive catch.

Instead, I’ve got myself a new piece of carpet on the bottom of my boat that I have to take to the bathroom every few hours.

All joking aside, I’ve gotten just what I’ve wanted, a laid back dog that isn’t trying to eat everyone at the boat ramp and a dog that keeps me company on those solo trips.

I don’t want to get too excited, but I think I’ve finally found my fishing dog. I just didn’t expect that at 5 months old she would behave so well on the boat.

Now, only if I can teach her to not dig up every buried pipe or wire in my backyard!

Delta Report

Largemouth bass continue to provide action for those fishing jigs. Finding clearer water and banks protected from the wind and current seem to be what anglers are focusing on.

The weather has been unstable, forcing a lot of fish to abandon the shallows and relocate to deep structure adjacent to spawning flats. Fish slower and deeper during inclement weather as there are many fish that are just sitting in deeper areas waiting to come up shallow.

New Melones Lake

The trout bite has been reported as being off and on lately.

Bass fishing has started to pick up with the average fish exceeding the two-pound mark. There are plenty of bass up shallow; the bigger females can be found cruising but few have began to spawn. As the water warms more look for a lot more fish to move shallow.

The crappie bite is starting to improve as anglers fishing submerged trees or bushed in 10-15 feet of water are catching them on beetle spins or small minnows.

The catfish bite is also starting to turn on as anglers soaking cut bait from 25-75 feet deep are beginning to catch them.

Lake Don Pedro

Bass fishing is really good. Anglers are catching large numbers of fish all over the lake on small plastics as well as crank baits. A lot of fish can be found up shallow in the backs of coves.

Swimbait fish are still being caught, but with all the fish getting ready to make their way onto the beds many anglers are choosing to work the banks with smaller baits.

Lake Pardee

Bass fishing has been hit or miss for some, as many anglers are abandoning traditional patterns and focusing on catching a big swim bait fish. Lipless rattle baits as well as other shad imitating baits casted far ahead are producing well. Anglers fishing reaction baits such as flukes are also having some luck.

For kokanee and trout, anglers are doing well while trolling from the surface down to 15 feet deep. Most anglers are opting for spinners right now as the trout have been more prevalent than the kokanee.

Lake Amador

Trout plants continue weekly until Memorial Day. There are plenty of trout to be caught up shallow for anglers using power bait.

Bass fishing is starting to pick up as anglers are beginning to catch them shallow as well.

Tip of the Week

Fluorocarbon line sinks a lot faster than regular monofilament line.

When tying on certain baits the advantage of using fluorocarbon is made obvious. Crank baits dive a little further down, weightless baits such as Senko’s sink faster, and sensitivity is almost doubled.

There are several good fluorocarbon lines out there, my personal favorite being Seaguar. The invisibility factor of fluorocarbon lines is still being tested but the stretch under water is far less than monofilament, making fluorocarbon a good choice for several different applications.

To contact Jarod Ballardo, email jgbbass@yahoo.com.