There used to be a time when I could plan a fishing trip around just about anything.
Not anymore!
While trying to plan a trip with a friend of mine, I suddenly remembered that this Saturday was Halloween. With us both having 4-year-old girls, our plan of going fishing Saturday were changed to Sunday without much discussion. Funny thing is that my friend used to give me a hard time in the past when I had to cancel or leave early from a day of fishing.
Now that he has a child of his own, he’s finding out that it’s not as easy as he used to believe. So, I’ll be out there on Sunday telling stories of the night before. The month of November historically has been good for fishing on the Delta so I’m pretty excited.
Delta Report
Numbers of smaller largemouth bass seem to be holding on the outside edges of weed lines and are biting on Senkos and crankbaits. With the forecasted cold front, the bite should start to pick up.
Striped bass are starting to show up for those trolling the main channel with broken back rebels. There are also striped bass being caught by anglers slow rolling swim baits or fishing with top-water lures around visible schools of fish.
The key this time of year is to find the birds working the surface of the water. Usually the cause of the birds diving in and out of the water are schools of baitfish that are being pushed to the surface by schools of striped bass.
New Melones Lake
The lake continues to be low with only one launch ramp open at the end of Glory Hole Point which is unpaved. Trolling for trout continues to be slow for a lot of anglers. Trollers are finding few rainbows in the main lake, especially around the dam/spillway/Glory Hole Point area anywhere from 25 to 60 feet deep.
Shad imitation lures such as Cop Cars, threadfin shad Needlefish, blue/silver Excels, Apex lures, and silver/blue Cripp lures have been the top producers. Bass fishing remains good for those who are able to locate deep schools of bass as far down as 45 feet.
Anglers are drop shotting and dragging jigs once finding a school of fish that is feeding on the numerous schools of bait found off the main lake points.
Lake Don Pedro
The launch ramp in Fleming Meadows is the only functional one on the lake.
Trout fishing has slowed a bit since the last report. Trout fishing typically remains slow this time of year until the lake has turned over.
The bass should be up shallow feeding on schools of Kokanee as they are in the middle of their annual spawn. Target these fish with large trout patterned swimbaits.
Lake Amador
The lake is scheduled to start planting Trout sometime next week. To be safe they’re waiting for temperatures to drop below 70 degree before releasing Trout into the lake. Currently there is only one lane for launching a boat that is without a courtesy dock. Most anglers fishing the lake are targeting Bluegill and catfish while fishing from the bank. Bass anglers are doing well while fishing with shallow running baits and top-water lures.
Tip of the Week
Most fishing reels nowadays have multiple ball bearings in them. The reels come from the factory packed with grease on those bearing to ensure that the reel stays lubricated.
The problem with the grease that is applied to those bearings in the factory is that it’s grease and not oil. The less resistance a bearing has the faster it’s likely to spin. Over the years, I’ve gone to lubricating all of my reels with oil instead of grease.
My casts go further and my reels run a lot smoother. The only drawback is that they need to be lubricated more often, but the results are worth it to me.
To contact Jarod Ballardo email jgbbass@yahoo.com.
