16 April 27 - May 11 , 2018 VOL . 37 • ISS . 10

FRESHWATER REPORTS :

CONTINUED FROM PG 8

EAST DELTA cont .

for largemouth bass , and he continues to observe the eradication boats tossing pellets in the back sloughs .

He said , “ Destroying the weed growth will impact the food source , as all of our gamefish eat snails and shrimp in the Delta . The lack of weeds will result in silt piling up , and animals like snails can ’ t travel in silt . The Delta has been pretty clear for some time due to the weed growth , as the weeds filter the water . Without the weeds , the water will stay dinghy .”

“ In the dinghy water right now , it is difficult to get a reaction bite , so my best technique has been using worms with heavy scent such as the Berkley General or D-Worm in

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Bold Bluegill which is a bright chartreuse pattern . I have been drop-shotting with the Rein Slim Tungsten weight in 1 / 8th ounce , and this particular weight is elongated with a circular head , keeping it from getting hung up in the rocks or tules . Tungsten is a brittle metal , but it is also the densest metal available , and the density relays information to the angler faster . I have been using 15-pound Berkley fluorocarbon with a 12- inch leader and a Daiichi hook . Everything has been on a finesse presentation , and I even through a 10-inch Power Worm for a few fish ,” noted Pringle .

“ I stopped using the black / blue jig that had been so effective a few weeks ago when the water temperatures rose to the current 62 / 63 degrees . It is going to be at least a month before the action stabilizes and the water gets squared away ,” Pringle concluded .

EASTERN SIERRA

Trouters Look Forward to General Opener

BISHOP - “ The flood gates have opened in many fisheries in preparation for snow melt and heavy rain . Another very wet storm is forecast to arrive this weekend . Flood watches have been issued for many Sierra

Jeff Cooper hit Lake Del Valle on March 22 and landed trout , bass and this impressive catfish .

Photo courtesy of the ROCKY MOUNTAIN RECREATION COMPANY , Lake Del Valle . streams and rivers ,” reported Tom Loe of Sierra Drifters Guide Service .

“ Flows have increased significantly in most of the year-around fisheries making for poor water conditions , and slow catching . The high water trend will continue through opening weekend on 4 / 28 / 18 in most areas . Spring storms are forecast to move through the region every 5-7 days for an extended period . The Middle Owens , East Walker and Upper Owens have all experienced water flow increases . Hot Creek remains fishable at this time ; but may become turbid after this weekend due to run-off ,” said Loe .

“ The general trout opener is on April 28 . Crowley Lake , Bridgeport Reservoir , Twin Lakes , Bridgeport , Convict Lake and the June Lake Loop will all have ice free conditions and good access . Road closures for locations above 8000 feet are likely due to heavy March snows , and a wet April ,” Loe predicted .

“ We are looking forward to some good early season fishing on Crowley and Bridgeport reservoirs . I have seen some large chironomids ( midges ) emerging

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Call Now For Great Deals On The All New MX 780 Weaponry ! already . The lakes have remained ice free for most of winter and water levels are nearing capacity . With high flows on most moving waters , the larger lakes will be the best option for early season success . The cutthroat trout migrations on the Upper Owens and McGee Creek have not begun yet in substantial numbers . This dynamic can change suddenly , especially under current conditions . There are a few “ scouts ” on the UO ; however , water flows have moved up recently making conditions more difficult . Some smaller rainbows are sipping BWO ’ s and midges on the warmer days ,” Loe concluded .

FEATHER RIVER

The Stripers Are In !

OROVILLE – Before the latest storm resulted in the Department of Water Resources raising releases on the Feather River below Oroville Dam to 11,500 cfs , anglers were catching big numbers of striped bass .

‘ We ’ ve been hooking 30 to 40 fish per trip while going out of the Yuba City boat ramp and Verona on the Feather River ,” said Manuel Saldana , Jr ., of MSJ Guide Service . “ I ’ ve also been doing well on the stripers on the Sacramento at Knights Landing and Verona . I ’ ve been doing double trips on both rivers .”

The fishing slowed down temporarily with the big flows from the recent storms , but he expects the action to pick up on both the Feather and Sacramento .

“ On my last trip on the Feather , the water came up while we were fishing and turned the color of chocolate milk ,” he noted . “ We still landed 3 keeper stripers .”

“ The fish range from schoolies to 9 pounds ,” he noted . “ For some reason , all of the fish we ’ ve caught to date have been males . We haven ’ t seen a female yet .”

Saldana has been using an array of methods to hook his fish , including trolling with deep-diving Yozuri Crystal Minnows , drifting live jumbo minnows and tossing out swimbaits .

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FOLSOM LAKE

Young Troller Lands 7 Lb . King

SACRAMENTO – Before the latest storms put big inflows into Folsom Lake , 11-year-old Keedin Hawk caught a whopping seven pound king salmon from Folsom Lake while fishing with his granddad , Rich Reyes .

“ We were trolling with Speedy Shiners and Pro Cure ( nite crawler )” said Reyes . “ He was on spring break when he landed his 26 inch king . It was the largest king yet landed on my Smokercraft boat .”

“ He fought it for a long time , smiling scared all at the same time ,” emphasized Reyes . “ I was real proud of him . We also ended up with 4 rainbows and 2 Eagle Lake trout on the trip .” The spring bass bite at Folsom is on . “ The