One my favorite bumper stickers of all time reads, “I fish, therefore I lie.” 

For years, anglers have been telling fish stories or bragging about the one that got away. As technology has improved and more anglers have become equipped with cameras and recording devices, one would think that there are fewer lies being told now than ever.

Wrong! 

Enter Photoshop. For those who don’t know what Photoshop is, it’s one of several programs that can be used to alter, enhance or edit a photo. With a few swipes or clicks of a button, a person can make a 1-pound fish look the size of a 5-pound fish. 

The first time I remember seeing this done was by an angler who was trying to disguise his fishing spot. He used the program to black out the background. Now, I’m seeing anglers alter the fish by making it look bigger than it actually is. Some of the photos are obviously edited while others are a little harder to distinguish. 

As a result, no longer can a photo be used to prove a catch, which reminds me of another one of my favorite fishing quotes: 

“If you want to be called a lair, all you have to do is catch a big fish.”

Delta Report

The bite has been on and off for bass. Decent numbers of fish are still being caught on all types of reaction baits, but they’re typically of the smaller version. As the weather becomes more fall like, the bigger bass should become more predictable as they will settle into their fall locations. 

Stripers beginning to bite for anglers fishing the flooded islands like Franks Tract and Mildred Island.  

New Melones Lake

Trout fishing is tough on the lake. Those anglers catching trout and kokanee are travelling up river near the log jam or in the backs of creeks, like Angels Creek. 

Bass fishing has started to pick up lately as the bass are actively feeding on schools of fish. The jig bite is surprisingly good for those fishing brown and black jigs. As the water cools even more look for the rip bait bite to turn on and the fluke bite as well. 

Catfishing is still good at night for anglers fishing cut bait off the bank. Several large catfish have been weighed in this past week. The launch ramp out of Glory Hole Point is now out of water. It is recommended that if you’re planning on launching off of Glory Hole point that your vehicle be equipped with 4x4.

Lake Don Pedro

Trout and kokanee fishing continues to be very tough right now for anglers. There are very few reports of anyone catching either species. Many anglers are either fishing for bass or waiting for the temperatures to drop. 

Bass fishing remains good for smaller fish. Many anglers are catching them early on surface lures and around main lake points during the day.

Lake Camanche

Trout fishing has been really slow lately. Once the water cools the trout bite should pick back up. Catfishing is good right now for anglers fishing off the bank with cut bait. Anchovies and chicken livers have been the most productive baits so far. 

Bass fishing continues to be steady with a lot of smaller fish being caught while dragging small plastic worms.   

Product Review

If you ask a seasoned bass angler what he or she misses about the lures of the past they are eventually going to mention the use of wood in the construction. 

One of the drawbacks to the older wood baits has been getting them to run strait once out of the box. Lately I was able to get my hands on a product by Bomber called the Bomber Balsa Model B. It’s a shallow running crankbait which is made out of balsa wood. 

What makes this bait unique is that it’s constructed with Bomber’s exclusive Tru-Trak system, ensuring that every Balsa Model B runs true right out of the package. It’s been a while since I’ve fished a balsa made crankbait so I was excited to give it a try. I

 was immediately impressed with the overall look and feel of the bait. Once tied on and casted the bait ran perfectly strait with a one of a kind wobble. Its square bill effectively made its way through shoreline cover without hanging up and its buoyancy immediately came into use when the bait was paused during the retrieve. 

If you’re like me and like to fish through and around heavy cover the Bomber Balsa Model B is great bait to add to your collection.  

To contact Jarod Ballardo email jgbbass@yahoo.com.