I was able to get out and enjoy some of the beautiful weather we’ve been having recently.

Unfortunately, it came with a cost. While showering over the weekend I discovered that I had been bitten by a tick. I’ve experienced ticks before so I got my tweezers and removed it.

What was different about this one was that the area where I had been bitten was more swollen than I can remember previous tick bites being. Once removing the tick, I didn’t think much about it as the swelling went down after a day, and the area seemed to be healing up just fine.

A few days had passed and I started to notice unexplained fatigue and numbness in my hands. Last night was the worst — I had cold chills throughout the night and this morning I woke up with a horrible headache. Not sure whether or not I had been infected by the tick, I contacted my doctor and scheduled an appointment for this evening.

I’m hoping that my visit to the doctor goes well and at the same time it’s really scary to think of something as small as a tick bite causing so much harm.

Delta Report

The fish are biting well on a variety of different baits. The Senko fished weightless has been a hard bait to beat this time of year. It’s important this time of year to make more than one pass over a spot if a fish is caught.

Many times if a fish is spawning he or she is most likely not alone. Often after catching a fish in a particular area another fish can move right in a matter of minutes. Anglers reported using a lot of different baits to catch their fish with the Senko being their go to bait for numbers.

New Melones Lake

The trout bite is starting to pick up as the water is finally starting to clear. Most trollers are picking up mixed limits of kokanee and trout while trolling shad patterned.

The bass bite continues to get better as the water temperature has been around 58 degrees during the day. Bass are being caught by reaction baits as well as jigs. The bigger bass have been caught while using jigs and dragging Carolina Rigs along the bottom.

Big catfish are also being caught by those fishing coves with running water in them. Supposedly, the catfish are stacking up in the backs of these coves waiting for an easy meal brought to them through the spring run off the lake has been getting.

Lake Don Pedro

Fishing for trout, king salmon and kokanee has really started to pick up. For king salmon, try fishing 30-60 feet deep from Buzzard Point to Big Oak Island to Jenkins Hill. Small-rolled anchovies, shad, Sockeye Slammers or small Ex-Cel’s are working well.

Trout are being found on the top twenty feet while trolling traditional shad patterned lures. Kokanee are being caught from 25 to 30 feet deep while fishing the South Bay area.

Lake Camanche

Trout fishing has slowed a bit for anglers fishing Camanche. They have reported that the bite has been picking up as the day goes on and not necessarily in the early part of the day. Anglers fishing off the bank are doing well while fishing with Power Bait.

Anglers trolling for trout are trolling the top 25 feet of water for their limits. Bass fishing continues to get better as the bigger females are starting to show up on the beds found throughout the lake. Make sure to practice catch and release when landing a fish found guarding its young.

Lake New Hogan

Fishing for bass remains good. A lot of fish can be found either cruising the shallows or on spawning beds. Not too many big fish are being seen, but lots of 1- to 3-pound fish can be found throughout the lake.

My bait of choice is a zoom trick worm fished on a shakey head jig. I also like to use a 3/8-ounce white jig for bedding fish.

Veterans Bass Fishing Tournament

The Manteca Bassin’ Buddies Bass Club is having a “Take a Veteran” bass fishing tournament on May 5 at Russo’s Marina in Bethel Island. There is no entry fee or cash involved, it’s a donation-only fishing event to show appreciation for the men and women who have put their lives on the line for our freedom.

The club’s members, families and businesses are all donating their time as well as providing a BBQ lunch. If you’re interested in participating as a veteran or would just like to donate your time for this great cause, please contact Ray Yamada at rayyamada@gmail.com or (209) 482-1943.

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