Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3711 May 11-25 2018 | Page 18
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FRESHWATER
May 11 - 22, 2018
VOL.37 • ISS. 11
FRESHWATER REPORTS:
CONTINUED FROM PG 11
DON PEDRO RESERVOIR
Bass Fishing Is Hot & Cold
LA GRANGE -- Don Pedro has been
the top bass lake in the Mother Lode with
largemouth, spotted, and smallmouth bass
possible along with huge largemouths in the
10-pound range caught and released within
the past month. This week was a story of
‘you should have been here yesterday,’ as
the winning limits in Saturday’s Best Bass
Tournament’s event dropped dramatically
from those earlier in the week.
Kevin Cheek, tournament director for
Best Bass Tournament’s Mother Lode
Division, said, “Earlier in the week, there
were limits over 30 pounds on Tuesday,
Wednesday, and Thursday, but on
Saturday, the bite had slowed. Swimbaits
and glide baits were the key for the larger
limits with the winning weight at 19.84 with
a big fish at 8.77 by the team of Shelby
Medieros and Brian Rabith. We were
anticipating a larger weight from our 53
boats, but the water level came up a few
feet this week.”
Mike Gomez of Berserk Baits confirmed
the slow down at Don Pedro, saying, “It
took only 14.65 pounds to get a check,”
The massive amount of rainbow trout
rescued from the blow out of the Moccasin
Hatchery have scattered out into the upper
end of the lake. Few trollers are currently
working the lake.
The lake rose from 88 to 91 percent.
- David Hurley
EAST DELTA
Largemouth Bass, Stripers
Hitting on San Joaquin
STOCKTON - For largemouth bass,
Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, said,
“We have been experiencing ‘mail man’
weather as it we have experienced hail,
rain, fog, cold, and wind over the past few
weeks, but get ready to have an excuse
for your supervisor and hope he likes to
fish since you will need to be calling in sick
soon. “
“Once we have consistent warm days
with no cool-off during the evenings, get
read,” he stated. “The bite will take off like
a light switch. It has been blowing hard as
of Thursday, and the wind kneeds up the
water, cooling it down and making it murky.
I was out on Wednesday with a client
out of Ladd’s Marina, and we found our
best action with the Berkeley D-Worm or
Jonny and Katie went big when they paid Collins Lake a visit this April and teamed up to
land this awesome rainbow.
Photo courtesy of THE COLLINS LAKE RECREATION AREA, Oregon House.
General with Max Scent on a Zappu head.”
“The bite has required a slow
presentation for the most numbers, but
we haven’t seen any 40 and 50 fish days
yet. The winning weight in the Best Bass
Tournament event on Saturday was over
25 pounds with most of the bass taken on
finesse techniques, and the winning limit
during Sunday’s Rat-L-Trap Open was
in the 15-pound range. This means the
reaction bite is slower right now that the
finesse bite, but this will change real soon.
We will also get a longer daytime window
on the high tide next week. There are fish
on beds, in pre-spawn, and also in post-
spawn,” he advised.
Gary Vella of Vella’s Fishing Adventures
is trolling on the San Joaquin River, and
he found two limits of lineside on Thursday
from 19 to 26 inches including two
spawned-out females.
For sturgeon, Captain Zach Medinas
of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures was
out on Thursday in the high winds with
grandfather Gary, father Brandon, and
13-year old Savannah Hannaman on a
sturgeon venture for Savannah’s birthday.
She and her father
fish all over the world,
and her wish was to
land a sturgeon on
her birthday.
Medinas said, “The
wind was bad, and
there was nothing
going in the places
that we were able to
fish. We released a shaker in the morning,
and we pulled a ‘rabbit out of a hat’ in the
late afternoon with Savannah landing an
upper-slot limit fish. If the wind wasn’t a
factor, I would prefer working shallow water
to 5 feet, and we have been averaging
between 10 and 12 slot-limit along with
oversized sturgeon per trip.”
- Dave Hurley
EASTERN SIERRA
Opening Weekend Trouters
Score As Snow Threatens
BISHOP - “Looks like a significant
cooling trend for the start of next week with
a chance of snow, and rain on Tuesday,”
reported Tom Loe of Sierra Drifters Guide
Service. “Air temps will dip into the teens in
the upper elevations.”
“Crowley Lake fished well for the opener,
with the best fly fishing bite near Sandy
Point. Still a lack of migratory fish in the
tributaries coming into the lake,” said Loe.
“The lake is at full pool to begin the
season, with good water clarity. The
chironomids (midges) are emerging during
warmer periods. Historically the water
temps will be higher around Sandy Pt.,
Alligator Pt., & the North Arm. Look for the
trout to be relatively deep through May.
The aquatic weeds will begin growing
by mid-May pushing the fish to the ever
deepening mud lines. We typically string
our still water rigs to hang in the 16-22 foot
range this time of year. Hilton Bay, and
McGee Bay will hold fish deeper due to
colder water temps. If you plan on still water
nymphing- I suggest using copper/dark
tigers, BB (broken back) tiger midg