20 Sept . 1-15 , 2017 VOL . 36 • ISS . 19

FRESHWATER REPORTS :

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DEL VALLE LAKE cont .

For catfish he recommended , recommend fishing around fallen trees , rocky points and tule patches .

Doc Al Hurwitz reported on his latest bass trolling adventure on Del Valle .

“ I went fishing with my daughter , Missy , and my granddaughter , Parker ,” he explaned . “ We trolled the lake , mainly looking for smallmouth bass . We caught bass of various sizes at different areas in and around Swallow Bay . We were trolling with chrome Panther Martin spinners at 15 feet below the surface . Scent applied to the lures seemed to help .”

He noted that the water clarity was good and the surface water temperature was around 77-80 degrees .

DON PEDRO RESERVOIR

Solid Rainbow Fishing Awaits Visitors

LA GRANGE - Quality rainbow trout loaded with fresh shad have been the story at Don Pedro , and experienced guides are finding solid action for their clients using shadpatterned spoons .

Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing was on the lake twice during the past week , and he reported good action on both outings . He said , “ After finding quick action on Tuesday , the bite slowed down on Thursday morning as we struggled during the first hour of trolling within a fish . The bite turned on after an hour , and within short order , we had 9 fish in the box before the bite slowed down once again before heating up for a final count of three limits .”

“ We have been running my custom shadpatterned heavy spoons at depths at 35 and 50 feet , and one of our rods didn ’ t get hit all day long so we moved it up to 30 feet . Once it was raised in the water column , it started to pick up fish . I have been targeting areas that I know traditionally hold fish . There are some big bait balls in the lake , and you can see the trout and possibly king salmon below the bait balls . The trout are loading up on the shad , and they are healthy ,” said Smith .

Recreational boating remains heavy both during the week and particularly on weekends , and it will remain so until after Labor Day .

- David Hurley

EAGLE LAKE

Midday Anglers Score Along Eastern Side Of Southern Basin

SPALDING - Eagle Lake rainbows to 4 pounds are on the bite amid masses of chubs , pointing to an outstanding fall season .

Currently the best trout trolling is taking place in the eastern half of the south basin . The best depth range is from about 18 to 30 feet deep .

The trout are holding around and feeding on chubs , but there are several year classes of chubs now active . The trout aren ’ t feeding on the medium size baitfish . Instead they are selectively targeting the schools of freshly hatched chubs . One of the keys to hooking up is finding bait balls on your sonar unit and continuing to work them until you find the right bait ball .

Anglers are hooking fish early , but the best action overall has been taking place from late morning to early afternoon .

Anglers trolling slowly are running red and brass Thomas Buoyants and Red Dog Lures . Guys that like to troll faster are using red and brass Needlefish and Speedy Shiners . There have been some good fish caught on small orange or gold Rapalas too .

While bait anglers fishing from anchored boats are enjoying some success , it ’ s the

SUTTER MARINE IS YOUR DEALER FOR

trollers that are doing the best . As good as the fishing is right now , things are going to get a whole lot better when the days begin to shorten and the surface temperature of the lake drops .

If you ’ d like to fish Eagle Lake this fall with a top guide , give Cliff Spediacci of Hook & Ladder Guide Service a call at ( 530 ) 250-5996 . Traditionally , October is the top time for trophy trout fishing at Eagle Lake . With the fishery rebounding big time , Cliff ’ s books will likely fill up fast this fall , so don ’ t hesitate , reserve your spot now !

If you ’ re planning a trip to Eagle Lake and would like to take your RV , get in contact with the team at the Eagle Lake RV Park and ask them about the Fish Sniffer Special !

EAST DELTA

Largemouth Bass Hitting Reaction Baits

STOCKTON - Largemouth bass fishing remains the top species in the East Delta , but there are stripers starting to trickle in , bringing the promise of a great fall run .

Randy Pringle , the Fishing Instructor , reported , “ The largemouth bass bite is off the hook with moving baits , and the ima Flit 120 suspending over the weed beds on the high tide has been phenomenal . The ima Rock ’ N Vibe Suspend is another solid choice since you can rip it while throwing it parallel to the outside of the weedlines , and the fish are just crushing this year .”

“ The weed beds are always jagged at the edge , and if you through along the outside , you will be going over the tops of some weeds ,” he tipped . “ The moving baits are outstanding , and the ima Pinjack crankbait is another great lure for largemouths . With the cooler weather , there is a longer window for topwater lures and the Little Stick is doing well . The fish are feeding on bluegill and crawdads , and anything in these patterns is working .”

“ We must have released 40 bass on my last trip , and if we wanted to work the bottom with the Berkley Flat Dog on a Zappu head , we would have caught 70 ,” Pringle concluded .

Neil Simpson of Lodi found great action on the San Joaquin River on Saturday with his personal best largemouth bass at 9.01 pounds on a Lucky Craft Sammie .

He said , “ The Delta was good to us as we launched around noon and fished until dark with Rat-L-Traps , chatterbaits , and squarebill crankbaits , and the bass were keying on natural colors . I ended up with a 20-plus pound limit including my personal-best largemouth at dusk on the way back to the harbor .”

A mid-week trip was less productive with Simpson stating , “ We caught a bunch of small fish on chatterbaits or Rat-L-Traps , and we

Jocelyn Doss of Clovis caught this huge rainbow trout during a recent trolling adventure to Lake Don Pedro with Capt . Monte Smith

Photo courtesy of GOLD COUNTRY SPORTFISHING , Oakdale ..

couldn ’ t find the big bite tonight with the largest fish only 3 pounds .”

- Dave Hurley

EASTERN SIERRA

Great Rainbow Trout Fishing Persists At Bridgeport Reservoir

BRIDGEPORT - “ Bridgeport Reservoir is still fishing great ,” exclaimed Jim Reid . “ Over in the Buckeye Bay Area as well as in the East Walker channel are the places to be right now .”

“ Bait anglers are doing well with Mice Tails , pinched crawlers , PowerBait and inflated night crawlers . The trolling is still producing some nice fish , though you need to keep a close eye on your lures to make sure they stay clean , Rapalas , Thomas Buoyants , Speedy Shiners and Tasmanian Devils have all been doing well . Not too many fly anglers out there lately , but we have had some good reports both stripping streamers and still water nymphing . Patterns to try include , rojo midge , zebra midge , blood midge , callibaetis , seal bugger , mini leech and dead drift crawfish ,” tipped Reid .

“ Twin Lakes are fishing very well too , both from the shore and from boats , trolling has been pretty good with Rapalas , Thomas Buoyants and Kastmasters , bait fishing with Mice Tails , pinched crawlers

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