Sometimes no matter how a place may change over the years, the memories you have of it always seem to remain the same. This week I was able to fish Lake Amador with my son. I pretty much learned to fish on Lake Amador and have so many memories of family camping trips, fishing through the night, swimming in the lake with cousins, or just walking the bank in search of lost treasures.
I’ll never forget my 13th birthday, my dad entered us in a tournament on the lake and we came in 13th place! I’ll also never forget the time my sister went in search of some kindling to start our campfire, she came back with poison oak. Like a grown up driving through his or her old neighborhood, it was hard not pointing out to my son all of my old fishing spots and campsites that I’ve camped in.
Lake Amador was the place that my family always seemed to go to when I was growing up. I’ve gone on to fish bigger and better lakes but Lake Amador remains one of those special places to me. If you’ve never been there before I would definitely put it on my list of places to visit, the fishing can be tough at times but most of the time, it’s pretty good.
Delta Report:
Bass fishing is really good right now due to the full moon this week along with water temperatures in the high fifties. Spinner baits and Senkos are working well for limits of fish. Those catching the big ones are targeting weed pockets that have obvious signs of bedding fish. I was able to fish Franks Tract this past Sunday and there were plenty of fish to be caught while fishing around the tulles in front of the sea wall.
New Melones Lake:
The kokanee and trout bite is starting to pick up for a lot of anglers trolling from 15 to 65 feet deep. Lately more kokanee are being caught than trout. Crappie fishing is good right now for anglers fishing with live minnows in the back of coves that have submerged trees. Recently there was a 17 pound bass weighed in by an angler fishing a jig. There are a lot of bass found shallow right now on beds throughout the lake.
Lake Don Pedro:
The Trout bite continues to pick up, Mexican Gulch, Big Oak, and Graveyard Bay seems to be the hot spots right now for anglers. Trout are being caught by those trolling within the top 25 feet with Uncle Larry’s Spinners. Large swimbait fish are being caught for those working points. There are a lot of fish up shallow on beds right now throughout the lake making them easy to catch once enticed.
Lake Amador:
Fishing for trout is still really good right now as there are a lot of nice fish being caught by anglers fishing the spillway area with power bait and anglers trolling silver and blue Apex lures between 5 and 8 feet deep. Bass fishing is wide open right now as there are a lot of fish that have moved up shallow and are very active. I was told that most anglers are catching a majority of their fish early in the day.
New Hogan:
I was able to fish New Hogan on Wednesday and there are a lot of fish on beds right now. I did pretty well while using a white Smallie Beaver around obvious spawning areas. There is very little fishing pressure on the lake right now and it’s still a little too cold for those who like to get in the water. On Wednesday there was only one other boat on the lake.
Lake Pardee:
Trout are being caught for those fishing the top ten feet while trolling flashers with lures tipped with a partial scented grub or night crawler behind dodgers or sidekicks. Water levels are very high and visibility is down to about seven feet. Bass fishing remains great for anglers working jigs through off shore structure.
Tip of the Week:
When looking for a new pair of fishing sunglasses, make sure that they fit properly against you face. Wherever there’s space, the sun’s rays will get through. Especially around the cheek bone areas, there shouldn’t be a noticeable gap between the frame of your sunglasses and your cheek bones. Properly fitted sunglasses are a must, especially during this time of year when sight fishing.
