CA DELTA REPORT
Updated - 10/05/2006
Brought to you by...

Bob’s Bait Report www.themasterbaiter.com

The weather was really good throughout the week with the temperature dropped to 50 degree at night. This would help to bring the water temperature down since it was about 70. Salmon won’t start until the water temperature is about 65 degree or lower.
Striped bass fishing was still good during the week with number of striped bass reported from Sherman Island up to Isleton Bridge, and from San Joaquin River up to Mokelumne rivers. Trolling for striped bass was very good along Isleton bridge, Mokelumne River from highway 12 bridge up to the river splitting between North and South Mokelumne River.
Jan from Antioch got 7 lbs and 12 lbs striped bass at Three Miles Slough Bridge on 08/26/06. Grass shrimp was the good bait for striped bass in this area. Jimmy and Tom trolled along Isleton Bridge on 08/24/06. He and his friend got about 10 striped bass from 6 lbs. up to 12 lbs. on Broken Back Rebel with white rubber worm attached at the trailer hook.
Thanh Lee and Alex Lee from San Jose got 8 lbs. and 14 lbs striped bass at Isleton bridge on grass shrimp on 08/26/06.
Catfish fishing was still hot in most of the Delta channels from Three Miles Slough up to Cache Slough, Steamboat Slough, Sacramento River, Mokelumne rivers, and especially Georgiana Slough. The good bait for catfish are crawdads tail meat, chicken liver, anchovy, clam, or night crawler. The best time to fish for catfish is either early morning or before sunset about one hour. The mouth of Mokelumne river and Georgiana Slough is very good spot for catfish and striped bass. Some good size of sturgeon was also caught at this spot.
The last summer holiday is the Labor Day weekend when the Delta usually crowded. Most camping areas were full, and most motel, hotel were booked and hardly to find a vacant one in the last minutes.
Best luck to you all and enjoy Labor Day weekend safely.

The Wilson Files- Mark Wilson

Thursday, October 5, 2006...Fred Hicks went striper fishing with me today.  We trolled Bombers below Rio Vista for most of the morning with only limited success.  3 shaker stripers and 5 keeper stripers, one of which went 8 pounds.  The rest were 4 pounds or under.  The bite wasn't there as the day before, so we decided to run upriver a ways.  We found a "new" school of fish.  We worked them for another 3 shaker stripers and 17 more keepers to 13 pounds.  Most fish were in the 7# to 10# range.  Turned out to be a very nice catch day.  The weather was sprinkles in the a.m. and cloudy in the p.m. with NO WIND at all.  We quit early and headed in to Vieira's to take a picture a filet fish.  Home before rush hour as a dinner engagement was waiting.  That's it.  Good luck.  Catch you later - Mark.

Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 2,145,500 acre-feet of water, and is at 89% capacity. The lake level dropped two feet this week, and is currently 1066 ft. above sea level and 22 ft. from full capacity. Surface water temperature is approximately 72-76 degrees. Water is stained, with mud lines forming on main lake points. We are still at the high-water ramps.

Trout: excellent for both trollers, and for those fishing at night under lights. New Melones is kicking out plenty of big, fat, healthy trout. Needlefish, Apex or Excel lures have produced the most fish. Shad imitations such as silver/blue, purple, or green, and especially the new Apex U.V., have been hot. Rolling shad is another good bet for bigger fish. Most trout have been picked up at around 30-50 feet deep, in the main lake near Glory Hole Point, the spillway/dam/Rose Island area, or in the mouths of major creek arms, such as Angels or Carson Creek. Scott Rhoades of San Mateo wins our Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest (salmonid) and a free deli lunch, with his 5.4-pound rainbow, caught on a firetiger Needlefish trolled 40 feet deep without dodgers or flashers, near the dam. Other successful trollers this week include Fred Saulsbury, who had a limit of rainbows weighing up to 4.8-pounds. Richard Solomon had a limit weighing up to 2.5-pounds. Charlie James caught a 3.8-pounder. Len Ackerman caught 4 ‘bows weighing up to 4 pounds, and lost several others. Mark and Sylvia Pavlack caught an almost-five-pounder while fishing with Danny Layne. Night fishing under a submersible light is another great way to catch trout right now. The light attracts the plankton, which attracts the shad, which attracts the trout. Drop your light in as deep as it will go, and fish 10-15 feet below it. Power Bait/crawler combos or live minnows are both good choices for bait when night fishing. Anchor over 80-100 ft. of water, is possible- the spillway area is the best area. Ed Ayala and Warren Tinio caught a limit of healthy rainbows while night-fishing. Michael Sweeton got a couple of nice ‘bows while night fishing- he said he used a scallop as bait. Debra and Pete Jogopulos caught a couple of nice ones while night fishing. Bank anglers should try Angels or Murphys Creeks, or head up to the high country lakes.

Kokanee: the bite has slowed down considerably. Kokanee are nearing their spawn, losing their scales and becoming hook-jawed. Trollers are still picking them up at 80-100 feet deep, near Rose Island, the dam/spillway area, and the southern end of the lake. Bottom-bouncing (letting your downrigger ball bump along the bottom) is a good way to entice the kokanee to bite right now. Green, pink, or U.V. Apex, Glitterbugs FatFish, and Uncle Larry’s Spinners are all good choices. All lures should be trolled behind a dodger, Sep’s Sidekick, or Sling Blade: nickel/prism, nickel/green, nickel/chartreuse, watermelon, or pink/copper are all good colors. Tip your lure with corn, such as Pautske’s Fire Corn, and put plenty of ProCure sardine, threadfin shad, or anise scent on everything. Mix in a little crawdad scent, too- crawdads feed on kokanee eggs, so when kokanee are thinking about spawning, crawdad scent really gets them to bite when nothing else will. Tony Martin and Dave Rumsey, Mark and Silvia Pavlack, and Dick Niebaur and his grandson David Noble found limits of kokanee, while fishing with Danny Layne of Fish ‘n’ Dan’s Guide Service. Danny reports best luck with U.V. Apex, Uncle Larry’s Spinners, and kokanee bugs trolled 80-110 feet deep near Glory Hole Point.

Bass: Fair. Carolina-rigged Zoom Baby Brush Hogs in green pumpkin or watermelon/red flake are catching the biggest number of fish. Yamamoto Senkos fished weightless are another good choice. Rattletraps, and spinnerbaits in white or white/chartreuse have been bringing in fish, too. In the early morning or at dusk, use top-water baits such as Zara Spooks or Pop-R’s. Tom and 5-year-old Michael Dutil caught some nice bass while throwing a rubber frog in Angels Cove. Please remember to practice catch and release. The Department of Fish and Game does not plant bass, so it is up to us to maintain the bass fishery!

Catfish: Great! Night-fishing for catfish has been red hot, and we are seeing plenty of cats caught during the day, too. Any major cove or creek arm is a good place to try. Use anchovies, sardines, or a ball of nightcrawlers. Leave your bail open so the cats can pick the bait up and swim with it- you will be more likely to hook them that way. Montey Martinez of Jamestown wins Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest (catfish) this week, with an 11-pounder that he caught on chicken parts while fishing in Glory Hole Cove near the marina. Scott MkKenzie and Kris McDanial of Angels Camp caught a couple of nice catfish while fishing near the Angels Creek boat ramp with anchovies. Their fish weighed 6.2 and 4.1 pounds. 7-year-old Jana McCormick of Sonora caught a 6.2-pounder on chicken liver while fishing near Tuttletown.

Crappie and bluegill: Great! The bite is better than it has been in years, with limits of crappie being caught by some lucky anglers, and the bluegill and sunfish aggressively biting- a great time to take the kids fishing! For crappie, try fishing live minnows or trying to entice them with jigs in red/white or purple/white. Bluegill and sunfish will hit a piece of a crawler or mealworm under a bobber. Fish the backs of brushy coves or cuts. As always, fish tight to structure.

Lake Pardee

Water conditions: The water level rose again slightly since the last report and is at spill. Clarity is presently good to 15 feet. The water temperature measured 77 degrees at surface and 74 at the 20 foot mark at the Marina, temperatures are slightly cooler in the body of the Lake and upstream locations.

Weather: Expect warmest temperature midweek then cooling into the weekend. Early morning starts, River Mouth and upriver destinations are presently the most popular.

Trolling: Conditions are basically the same as last report. Limits are the exception for trollers; most are finishing up the day with less than a limit. Boaters are working the Narrows, the face of the Dam and the larger coves upstream. The bite is still best between 6 AM and noon. Small lures, pink/white hoochies and beaded spinners tipped with lots of garlic or anise scented white shoepeg corn followed with a large silver/blue or watermelon dodger (some are also pulling a medium sized set of ball flashers lately). The warm weather continues to heat the surface and send the fish deeper in search of cooler habitat. Look for Trout at 30 feet and some small Kokes at 60 feet.

Shore Anglers: Some brave souls were dunking bait this morning across from the Marina at Stoney Point Landing-an umbrella is a must. Rainbow Point has been the hot spot lately, use white eggs and get 30 to 40 feet out into the channel that runs parallel to shore. Sliding sinker set up still the best method.

Some recent success stories: Skip and Linda Walde of Sunnyvale show off two very nice limits of Rainbow taken at Blue Heron Pt. using white eggs. Butch and Irene Walker of New Mexico bagged two 2.5 lb trout with yellow eggs, still fishing in Twin Coves, also in Twin coves Frankie Stevens landed this nice 2 pound Rainbow using a night crawler. Nice job!!

Still Fishing: Presently still fishing is hot, start at Twin Coves and work your way through the larger coves upstream.

As of 08/21/06 a total of 57,000 lbs of trout has been planted so far this season by Pardee Lake Recreation Inc. and the California Department of Fish and Game.

Camanche Bass and Catfish Action Decent
Reports from those who have been visiting Camanche are encouraging for the Bass anglers. The bass bite continues to be red hot this week. Lots of 1-4 pound bass are being caught around the rock piles and cliffs in the Lancha Plana area. Camanche Jack's worms and leeches in smoke, green, or purple are the colors most often mentioned. The submerged island tops in the main part of the lake have been giving up plenty of bass this week. Fish 10-15 feet deep, near deeper water. Tube baits and deep running crank baits are the ticket here. The big bass for the week was caught by young Dillon Parrish, of Elk Grove. He caught an awesome 6.2 pound bass on a minnow, fishing from shore in the campgrounds at North ShoreI have been fishing topwater lures, such as Ricos or Lucky Craft Pointer minnows in Rainbow or orange are taking some good ones as well. Works areas with wind pushed current around brush and thick grass cover near the Causeway and dike #1.

Catfish action has slowed down just a little but still biting. Use Mackerel, liver or nightcrawlers from 8 to 20 deep after dark. The Camanche arm and Causeway cove are among the hottest areas to try. Don't overlook the Trout or Beaver ponds at Southshore for after-dark Catfish.

Trollers who are on the water very early, or late, report finding fish from Hat Island to the Dam, above the old river channel. Now that water temperatures have topped 81 degrees the fish are very deep during the day .between 45-65 feet. Needlefish in chartreuse color, and R-Lures and Ex-Cel lures in green/gold, and blue/gold are reported as the most successful colors this week. The bait fishing at Dike 3 continues to be great for overnighters using Power Bait, Power Eggs, or night crawlers, especially when using underwater lights at night. Anchor in about 50 feet of water, and drop your bait to the bottom. The Camanche Hypolimnetic Oxygenation System, trade named the "Speece Cone", has been in operation since the 13th of August. The H.O.S. distributes oxygen to the lower lake waters at the dam. The southern end of the dam will soon become the best place to try for Trout as the oxygen-laden water provides ideal conditions within 30 feet of the surface. The "cone" usually operates until mid-to-late October to improve the waters released into the Mokelumne river fish hatchery.

Pennies on the dollar for fishing rods, reels, baits, lures, and more? You be the judge!