There’s not a day that passes this time of year when I wish I was out fishing.
I’ve been fooled too many times in the past waiting for the weather to warm up, only to find out that some of the best fishing had already passed.
It’s difficult for a lot of anglers to understand, but the fish are ready to move shallow and spawn even though it still seems too cold outside. Next week, the forecast calls for highs in the 70s, which will surely move some shallow.
In preparation for this change in weather, I’ve been spending my evenings working on my boat and tackle. This week I installed a new trolling motor, so I’ve been extra anxious to get it out on the water and try it out.
While listening to a fishing podcast, the professional being interviewed said that there were only a few things that you need on a bass boat: “a good engine, and a good trolling motor.”
I’ve been working on both of those. Let’s hope next week my hard work pays off.

Delta Report   
The water is still very stained in a lot of areas, which has made many anglers leery.
With water temperatures now in the low 50s, the bite for bass should turn on any day now. Anglers that are catching them are fishing with chatterbaits with white or chartreuse in them for visibility. There are also some anglers doing well while fishing with jigs. There are some clear areas to be found in the backs of sloughs.
Apparently, there is an abundance of sea lions being found chasing fish into the shallows, so be careful.

New Melones Lake
Trout fishing is good. Anglers are catching them on Power Bait and inflated worms combined with marshmallows. Anglers trolling for trout have been doing well while trolling the top 25 feet. The hot lures have been Apex lures and Cop Cars in shad-imitating patterns.
Bass fishing is great. Anglers are catching them both shallow and deep on a variety of baits. The biggest fish are being caught by anglers who are willing to slow down and fish with an oversized swimbait.

Lake Don Pedro
Fishing has picked up lately with trout being caught while fishing the top 25 feet of water. Mexican Gulch, Jenkins Hill, Laughlin Island, and Middle Bay are areas that are producing plenty of nice fish.
Bass fishing is fair, as anglers are catching a lot of fish while fishing Senko’s, Shaky Heads, Underspin’s and Fatty Worms.

Lake Camanche
There are a lot of big trout being caught out of the lake. The lake is being planted with 1,200 pounds a week.
It’s not uncommon to catch a trout exceeding 6 pounds. Anglers are fishing the north and south shore areas with Power Bait for limits of trout while other anglers are preferring to fish in the lakes pond.
Bass fishing is great as there are a lot of fish up shallow that are willing to bite on just about everything.

Lake Amador
Lake owners continue to plant large amounts of trout into the lake. Power bait fished on the bottom as well as under a bobber is the going technique.
Bass fishing has started to pick up as anglers are starting to get a few while fishing crankbaits and jigs. While the trout are still shallow large trout imitating swimbaits are sure to entice a few followers at the least. 

Tip of the Week
It has taken me many years, but I’ve finally learned that it’s better to take that extra step when working on boats.
Boats vibrate like no other vehicle I’ve ever owned. Having either lock washers or lock tight on all your bolts is very important. My recent trolling motor installation took longer than it should have because I wanted to make sure that it was going to remain intact for as long as it’s on the boat.
The manual didn’t call for lock tight, but I’ve lost bolts in the past, and I wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice.    

To contact Jarod Ballardo email jgbbass@yahoo.com