20 Sept. 1-15, 2017 VOL. 36 • ISS. 19

FRESHWATER REPORTS:

CONTINUED FROM PG 15

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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