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FRESHWATER
14 Sept 14 - 28 , 2018 VOL . 37 • ISS . 20
FRESHWATER REPORTS :
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COLLINS LAKE cont . livers . However , Isaiah Lopez caught his five pounder on whole baitfish .
Brady Blum took his pole and a jitterbug on the Hidden Spruce trail to the far side of Elmer ’ s Cove where he caught a 3-1 / 2-pound largemouth bass . Zac Long caught three bass off the dam using rubber worms . Joe Friend from Yuba City caught his on the same bait but over by the boat dock .
It ’ s beautiful weather for fishing ! Expect to see the trout pickup even more after Labor Day as the surface temperature cools . Kids are back to school so the lake and campground are quieting down .
Summer fun is great but fall camping and fishing are more peaceful and more promising . Lake levels are good at 18 ′ down and in another month or two we ’ ll start our fall trout plants . There ’ s still lots of good fishing to look forward to in 2018 !
- Ed of Collins Lake
LAKE DAVIS
Trout Bite Expected to Bust Loose with Cooler Weather
PORTOLA – The rainbow trout bite at Lake Davis should bust wide-open as the water temperature cools down more . The California Department of Fish and Wildlife made two recent plants of rainbow trout totaling 14,200 pounds at Lake Davis , greatly adding to the number of trout found in the lake .
“ Shore anglers are bagging trout early and late in the day off the points near Honker Cove while using nightcrawlers and PowerBait ,” said Jeanne Graham of the J & J Grizzly Store and Campground . “ Then fish deep , around 15 feet , during the day . The water temperature has cooled down to 70 degrees and will get cooler with the cooler nights we ’ re now seeing .”
One kayak angler , Danny Hernandez , reported catching three rainbows measuring 18 to 19 inches long while trolling rustcolored flies in Coot Bay .
“ The catfish are hitting all over the lake ,” said Graham . “ Some of the better spots to target are the Lightning Tree , Eagle Point and Mallard Cove . Use dough baits and worms for fish in the 1 to 2 lb . range .”
For largemouth bass in the 2 to 4 lb . range , she recommended tossing plastic worms in the Lighting Tree or Camp Five areas . Bluegill are hitting red worms and pieces of nightcrawler in the same area .
Davis Lake is holding 71,131-acre feet of water , 86 percent of capacity and 118 percent of capacity .
Trout ~ Kokanee ~ Salmon ~ Shad
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DEL VALLE LAKE
Lure Tossers Score on Stripers
LIVERMORE – If you want to hook striped bass , it ’ s time to hit the warm waters of Lake Del Valle .
The water
240 different size / color combinations !
Big rainbows are on the chomp at Don Pedro Reservoir . This beauty was caught on August 28 .
Photo courtesy of GOLD COUNTRY SPORTFISHING , Oakdale .
temperature has been hovering around the low seventies , making it perfect weather to fish for the striped bass , according to the Lake Del Valle Marina . They ’ ve been boiling out by the dam and in Heron Bay , but you need to get out there early in the morning with the top water action , with the top water action usually dying out about 8 to 8:30 a . m .
The striped bass are keyed in on the shad , so you want to try to imitate them with shad-colored plastic baits or working a Kastmaster on the top of the water . They will pretty much ignore any other type of lure . If bait fishing is more your speed , casting anchovies from close to shore , towards the center of the channel , is going to be your best bet for a striper .
The catfish have been coming along , hitting mostly on anchovies and chicken liver . A good bet is fishing bait near the tule patches or weed mats where they like to hang out . Move along if you are not getting bites within an hour .
Bluegill and other panfish have been biting red worms on a size # 8 hook . If the bluegill don ’ t hit it quickly , then it ’ s time to recast . They are aggressive .
The trout are still invisible . It ’ s definitely a hard time for trout fishermen at Del Valle .
However , trollers are slamming the smallmouth and largemouth bass on
Panther Martins or Roostertails , trolling about 2 to 2.5 mph in about 30 feet of water , about 15 feet deep .
Also , if you are someone who likes to go find them , drop shotting a trusty Senko on the rockwalls has had phenomenal results . If you don ’ t have the tackle for drop shotting , the reliable Texas rig in the heavy weeds produces as well . The ¼ to 3 / 8 oz . Kastmasters are also a pretty safe bet if you work them on the bottom .
DON PEDRO LAKE
Trollers Still Hammering Kokanee
LA GRANGE – Lake Don Pedro has emerged as the top kokanee lake in the Mother Lode , and this week was no exception with limits being the story . This has been quite a rebound for the lake that only produced a single kokanee during the 2017 Kokanee Power tournament , resulting in a change of location for the tournament for this season .
Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing said , “ I was on the lake twice this week , and we ended up with 15 kokanee both days although the quality improved on Tuesday . The fish continue to drop in the water column , and our best action has been between 65 and 75 feet although there are kokanee as deep as 100 feet . Purple was the color on one trip as the purple UV Apex lure kept getting hit while the other lures were slow . I made an adjustment and switched everything over to purple .”
“ The kokanee are starting to turn , but the meat is still good . They are absorbing their scales and definitely moving into the spawn mode . We are also picking up rainbow trout with the kokanee gear , and I hope to get a few more weeks out of the lake before switching over to salmon fishing in the Sacramento River around Garcia Bend ,” said Smith .
The Marine Reconnaissance Bass Tournament was held over the past weekend , and 29 boats participated in the 2nd annual tournament . The tournament was taken by the team of Phil Davis and Tom Shores with a winning limit at 17.79 pounds including the first big fish at 5.96 .
The Marine Reconnaissance Foundation tournament was operated by the New Jen Bass Tournaments , and the proceeds were split 50 / 50 for
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