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Unspoken rule of fishing: Mind distance from others
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If you have ever been bowling you know that there are some do’s and don’ts that new bowlers should be made aware of.

For example, always wait for the person next to you to bowl before making your attempt. The same applies to fishing. Anglers in general are very territorial and often will tell you if you’re getting too close to them through verbal or non-verbal actions. Some will just come right out and tell you to back off. Others will start fan casting around themselves hoping you get the hint.

A good rule of thumb is to always stay more than a casting distance away from another angler and to never start fishing right in front of their boat. Personally, I choose to fish elsewhere until they are gone — I figure I can always come back later.

On the Delta, for example, there is no reason to crowd a person with over a thousand of miles of available shoreline waiting to be fished.

If you’re not sure your company is welcomed, you could just ask the person fishing whether they mind you fishing next to them. More times than not, they will respond in very friendly manner and allow you to fish around them.

Delta Report

The current water temperature continues to drop, which usually is an indicator that the fish should be actively feeding. Lots of smaller fish are being caught on reaction baits especially when there is a little wind and cloud cover.

The bigger bass are still being caught on top-water baits or by flipping. Small schools of striped bass are being found throughout the Delta working bait on the surface.

Look for the recent cold front forecasted to move the bigger striped bass through the system. 

New Melones Lake

Trout fishing has slowed down quite a bit recently. Anglers having any luck are trolling from 30-90 feet deep. Anglers fishing at night under submersible lights are having the best luck while fishing the main lake and dam areas.

Bass fishing remains steady for anglers fishing drop shotted plastics or while dragging small plastics along the bottom.

Jig fishing is also starting to become popular as anglers are catching some of the better quality bass while working depths down to 30 feet with brown jigs.

Lake Camanche

Fishing is slow on the lake for everything except for bass. The bass have been biting just about anything. There are a little smaller bass being caught but the action is steady.

Trout fishing has all but died down until the water temperatures drop which should bring the trout closer to the surface.   

Lake Don Pedro

Just like at neighboring Lake New Melones, fishing for king salmon and trout is really slow at this point. There are some fish being caught early on in the day but after 11am the bite seems to shut down completely.

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

Lake Pardee

Trout and kokanee fishing is hit or miss right now as the kokanee are in the beginning stages of their annual spawn. Anglers targeting kokanee are trolling as deep as 110 feet for them. Those fishing for trout are trolling between 40 and 60 feet deep.

Bass fishing is good right now for anglers who are using weightless stick baits like Yum Dingers or Yamamoto Senko’s.

Product Review

It seems like just yesterday that the stick bait took the bass fishing world by storm.

Immediately, anglers started to credit the bait for excellent days out on the water. Since then the stick bait has become a staple in the tackle boxes of a vast majority of bass anglers.

YUM has developed a new product called the forked tailed dinger, what makes this product unique is its forked tail, heavy salt, hook slot and LPT live prey technology.

Forked tails are common to one of bass’s primary food sources, shad. To a bass a forked tail is synonymous to an easy meal making the forked tail dinger a must have item.

Not only can this new bait be fished weightless, but it’s been proven effective while used on a shaky head, drop shot, darter head, or Texas rigged.  

 

To contact Jarod Ballardo, email jgbbass@yahoo.com