Many of us spend a lot of time preparing our boats for our next fishing trip. What always frustrated me was that it seemed like once I was finally on the water, I ended up reorganizing everything that I had spent the day before finding the perfect spot for. This was especially true when fishing out of a smaller boat.
Rarely do we prepare our boats while sitting inside. Most of us stand around it while in the garage or backyard and place items inside it. From the outside looking in it seems like everything is easy to get to and looks well organized. But once we're actually sitting inside the boat with a rod in the water and at the same time controlling the direction of the boat, while keeping an eye on the depth, everything seems out of place.
My suggestion which may seem a little strange, but try actually sitting in the boat while organizing it. You're still going to end up moving things around once on the water but not as much as if you loaded it up without actually sitting in it.
Delta Report:
Right now on the delta the bite remains good for a variety of species. Bass have been hitting top water lures as well as a variety of different reaction baits. You can't go wrong with buzz baits early and late in the day. Once the sun gets nice and high snag proof frogs are catching some of the bigger Bass while those cranking are catching nice limits. Franks Tract continues to produce nice numbers as well as Whites and Disappointment Slough. Striper fishing has been good for those trolling rebels near Cache Slough and Miner Slough. Anglers are also doing well while fishing for Stripers off the bank along the San Joaquin River near Mossdale and around Whiskey Slough.
New Melones Lake:
Trout fishing off the bank has pretty much came to a close. Anglers catching trout are either fishing early or late in the day while trolling or fishing at night around a submersible light. The kokanee bite is really picking up for anglers trolling from 5 to 45 feet deep. Most of them are reporting easy limits once finding the right depth and schools of fish. Bass fishing continues to be the hot bite right now as there are plenty of post spawn Bass willing to bite. The top water bite has really opened up as anglers are doing well while using Zara Spooks and Poppers.
Lake Don Pedro:
Lake Don Pedro has been good for trout, kokanee, and king salmon. Some of the local guides have been fast trolling heavy spoons between 15 and 50 feet deep. Kokanee are being found holding between 30 and 70 feet deep. Bass fishing is great right now on the lake as there is a good top water bite right now. Most bass have moved off their spawning beds but if you look around enough you will still find a few up shallow.
Lake Amador:
Summer time for me is night fishing time at Lake Amador. As the nights become warmer night fishing on the lake is the only way to go. Weekly Trout plants continue to take place but most trout are being found between 20 and 30 feet deep. The bass have finished their spawn and are making their way into the cooler deeper water. Crappies are starting to show up for those anglers fishing at night around the docks.
New Hogan:
I've finally decided that I'm going to head out this week and try for striped bass on New Hogan. Reports are that there is a good morning bite for those trolling for striped bass with rolled shad or anchovies within site of the boat ramp. Most anglers are trolling around 25 feet deep. Bass fishing remains good as there is plenty of active fish still shallow. There is also a lot of bluegill to be caught in the backs of coves on live worms.
Product Review:
Having a good pair of clippers has never been more important than now. With the increase in use of lines such as braid and fluorocarbon traditional clippers rarely get the job done. For the past several years I have been using a Leatherman Micra which comes equipped with scissors. They don't rust and can be attached to a lanyard. I have had my Micra for close to five years and have yet had to replace it. It still cuts with ease and I don't leave home without it. The only drawback to the tool is that it doesn't float; I learned this the hard way and have since kept mine attached to a lanyard.
