Dunham of Koke Machine Guide Service . They trolled with Speedy Shiners at 15 to 25 feet deep . “ The Carson Arm is full of fish and they are running super deep , chasing the cold Mokelumne River water coming in back there ,” Lockhart added . “ Don ’ t be surprised to hook up on trout in 100 ’ of water at the mouth . Troll that deep channel in the middle of the cove ( bump the bottom ). Also don ’ t be surprised if you hook up into a 30 lb . catfish at the back in the current .” The lake is 21 ’ from full and the surface temperature has risen to 65.5 degrees The water clarity is 8 ’ feet and the oxygen content is 11 mg / L .

LOS VAQUEROS MARINA

Take Your Pick of Trout or Stripers

BURSON – Rainbow trout and striped bass offer anglers the best chance of catching fish at Los Vaqueros Reservoir . “ We have planted 3,000 pounds of trout in the last three weeks !, 2k of Lassen trout and 1k of CDFW ,” said Dalton Houston of the Los Vaqueros Marina . “ We have planted 60,000 pounds of trout since October . We have planted trout weekly through March and biweekly in April .” “ Fishing for trout has been really good lately ,” said Houston . “ Shore anglers have been catching a Lot of trout limits in South Cove and Cowboy Cove . They have been using a mixture of PowerBait , nightcrawlers and other baits scented with garlic .” For stripers , anglers should soak anchovies or chicken liver in South or Cowboy coves . Big fish honors go to Robert Erikson , who caught an 17.3 lb . striper from a boat in the South Cove while soaking anchovies . The fishing pier right by the marina is now open Trout planting continues bi-weekly throughout the month of April . The water level is currently at 127K-acre feet . The water temperature is 63 degrees . The water clarity has been good except for windy days . If you are looking to rent a boat , it is always a good idea to call ahead to check current wind conditions . Call the Marina with questions at 925-371-2628 . Remember ; rental boats are first come first serve . Weekends and some weekdays sell out quickly .

NEW MELONES LAKE

Black Bass Fishing Breaks Wide-Open

ANGELS CAMP – The bass bite is wide open right now for both bank and boat fishermen . The majority of the fish are no deeper than 20 ft and are extremely aggressive right now . Most of the fish are starting to move off of their beds and guard their fry , although there are still a few largemouth still on beds . A good way to catch some of the larger fish at the moment ( although they will be skinny from spawning ) would be to throw large Huddleston style swimbaits or S-wavers . There are plenty of different baits that will work to catch fish this time of year . A few of them would be , California Reservoir Lure jigs , Lucky Craft crankbaits , Bass Arts Creations spinnerbaits , Frenzy a-rigs , River2Sea jerkbaits or soft plastics . Josh Parris Guide Service has been putting clients on chunky 10 + lb . bass for his clients the last few weeks . The trout have been biting really well recently for people that are trolling but the majority of the bank anglers are having a tough time catching fish . This is due to the warmer weather pushing the fish away from the shallow banks and the amount of bank fishing traffic that has been coming through recently . Many of the people having success trolling for trout are using small shad imitations such as , Rapalas , Speedy Shiners , Kastmasters and Needlefish . Many of the fish are being caught in 20-30 feet of water but the larger fish are slightly deeper . The kokanee are beginning to bite although most of them are relatively small . There has been a few pretty good sized fish being reported but the average size being caught right now is 8-9 inches . The bigger ones should start to come up and bite more sometime in mid to late May . The people that are having success in catching kokanee have been trolling out in front of the damn in around 30 ft of water . Good lures to use would be hoochies or apex ’ s with kokanee corn on the back . Local guide Kyle Wise has been consistent on targeting limits of trout , crappie , and will be guiding for kokanee in just a few weeks . Book a trip today , schedule fills up fast on the kokanee bite .: Headhunter Sportsfishing 209-531-3966 Although we have not had any reports on catfish recently the bite should start to pick up soon especially with the water temperature beginning to rise . Using dead or cut bait such as shad , mackerel , sardines or chicken liver would be a good option and fishing in any flats

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Awesome

• Trout Fishing

• Hiking

• Biking

• Relaxing

Rentals — Real Estate — Lots & Land For Reservations and info :

( 530 ) 825-2131 www . eaglelakeheritage . com

Richie Hight of Paulina Peak Tackle and his fishing partner landed this limit of kokanee on Shasta Lake . Limits of Kokanee on Shasta are rare and this limit may be the first in 50 years !

Photo Courtesy Richie Hight at or around 20 feet deep . The crappie fishing has been really good recently although they do move a little deeper during the day as the temperature rises . Many of these crappie can be seen and caught on beds during the day but like to be in deeper water to get away from the heat . Most anglers have been having more success fishing at night with a Hydroglow crappie light that bring in bait close . Good options to catch these crappie would be to use natural or shad colored jigs during the day or dark and chartreuse colors at night to stand out more . Minnows are also a good option no matter what time it is . New Melones Reservoirs ’ current water level is 1005.41 and 82.79 ft . from full . Lack of rainfall for the west has lake levels in Northern California @ 50-70 % of capacity .

New Melones fares better than most lakes and reservoirs , being the 4th largest lake in California , there is literally a 100 miles of shoreline to explore , fish , camp , hunt , and have a good time on . For the weekend warrior planning to camp out , Tuttletown has Acorn , and Ironhorse campgrounds open , and Big Oaks Campground on the Glory Hole side . Dump station @ Glory Hole is also open . Reservations are required for camping . Contact www . recreation . gov . New Melones Lake Marina is planning on opening mid-May ; we visit

Camp one night at

Lake Camanche and receive your second night free . Offer must be redeemed by calling ( 866 ) 763-5121 and mentioning promo code FS14 at the time of booking . offer not redeemeable online .

Not valid on weekend , holidays , full hook-up RV sites or for cottage stays . Supplemental fees may apply .

CONTINUED ON PG 16

LAKE CAMANCHE ’ S AMENITIES

• Guaranteed Weekly Fish plants

( OCT . - MAY )

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• Lodging Available

• Stores , Cafe & Marina Grill

• Courtesy Launch Ramps on both North & South Shores

• RV Sites w / Full Hookups

( LONG & SHORT TERM )

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