This past week the FLW Nation Guard Western Division Series Tournament was held on the Delta. The tournament was eventually won by Discovery Bay’s Don Davis. Davis was fishing a little known area south of Mossdale that has been closed up for years by beaver dams and low water levels. I’ve fished there myself several years ago and can only imagine how good it must have been for him; nobody has been able get in there for years. His means for getting in were very ingenuitive and at the same time viewed by others as unfair. In his defense, he checked beforehand with the tournament director to make sure he wasn’t breaking the rules. Now of course, everybody is searching for the secret spot! Some have even mentioned paying for a helicopter to take them over where they think Davis was fishing. There are really no secrets in bass fishing anymore, eventually someone’s going to find out where you’re fishing or what you’re using. Toss in a $55,000 grand prize and you can forget about ever having a secret area to yourself again. As the prize money has increased, anglers have become bolder when it came to encroachment and finding the grey areas of the rules. Some have been able to make a decent living at it and others have put themselves into bankruptcy. The one thing that has remained unchanged is that whenever someone outperforms another, there’s always going to be those who are going to try to discredit the performance. My congratulation goes out to Davis for all of his hard work and the rest of the competitors as well. The weather was less than ideal for this time of the year and they still managed to bring in impressive limits.
Delta Report:
Bass fishing is tougher than years past right now on the delta. Anglers are struggling with the high winds and the unseasonably cooler temperatures. There are a lot of smaller fish to be caught right now on Senkos. For bigger fish anglers are finding them holding tight to cover and catching them with either creature baits or jigs. Bluegill can be found shallow as they are beginning their annual spawn. Most boat docks and marinas are loaded with bluegill right now. For bluegill, red worms and wax worms are both working well right now.
New Melones Lake:
Melanie from Glory Hole Sports reports: Anglers reports were mixed this week. Many had a hard time finding limits, probably due to the winds and the stained water. Others reported easy limits of 14-16 inches kokanee. Kokanee are most active in the main lake, especially near the dam/spillway, and around Rose Island. Many anglers report luck fishing 20 feet deep in the morning, to as deep as 40 feet in the afternoon, over 100 feet of water- target the side of the river channel or island humps where the wind is pushing the plankton. With the water being more stained, it is time to tie on a bigger profile lure. Pink or orange Apex, Uncle Larry's Spinners, Humdingers, R & K Hootchies, and GlitterBugs Hootchies all caught fish this week.
The bass bite remains good for anglers throwing reaction baits Pop-R’s and Zara Spooks are providing nice bites during the low light hours of the day. Anglers fishing during the day are focusing on deep drops or Island tops while fishing a Carolina rig with either a baby brush hog or Senko fished weightless.
Lake Camanche:
Trout fishing is starting to slow down as the water temperatures have risen. Those who are catching trout right now are fishing as deep as 45 feet to catch them. Bass fishing has also started to get tougher for anglers as bass have moved deeper. Those having success are focusing on suspending fish over off shore rock piles.
Lake Tulloch:
Smallmouth bass have been providing excellent action for anglers fishing late and early with topwater lures. Once the sun is high try switching to small plastic baits fished deep, shaky head worms, darter heads, and drop shotted Robo Worms in either a craw or shad pattern should produce good results.
Tip of the Week:
An extra pair of sunglasses is easy to store and is just as important as any bait in your tackle box. I keep an old pair in the glove box of my boat just in case mine break or are lost. I’ve also occasionally taken a person out on the water with me who didn’t remember to bring a pair with them.
