CA DELTA REPORT
Updated - 11/15/2005
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Bob’s Bait Report www.themasterbaiter.com

The winter is approaching but the weather was still very good last week with the temperature average mid-60. The coming storm on Monday night will last a day and following by sunny and beautiful days. The good weather would be good for outdoor activities including fishing and boating.

Of course, the good weather with right water temperature would make salmon and striped bass moving through the Delta at its peak. Since salmon moved to the Delta system this year late at least a month, this time is still very good to catch salmon in Isleton area that was normally slow in previous years.

Last week was also good for salmon anglers with average 1 fish per boat on either Saturday or Sunday. Salmons were caught from the Light 2 of the mouth of Sacramento River up to Walnut Grove. Spinner lures are used with single blade like Blue Fox or double blades like Sivertron or other double blades spinner worked well. Some is using Kwikfish with wrapped sardine while trolling along the deepest channel caught some good size of salmon.

In Mokelumne River, some anglers caught limit salmon while jigging gift minnow from Sycamore Slough up to Beaver Slough. Some anglers caught their good size salmon while trolling along Georgiana Slough with Blue Fox spinner. Since there are plenty of salmon were caught lately, some photos were taken but I haven’t sent it to the California Delta Chamber to report.

Striped bass fishing was best ever in most of the Delta channels from Sherman Island up to Walnut Grove along Sacramento River or up to cable ferry in Steam Boat Slough, or Liberty Island in Cache Slough. Some good size striped bass were caught at Frank Tract, Santa Clara Shoal, Potato Slough, San Andreas Shoal, North Mokelume River, South Mokelumne River, and Georgiana Slough. Striped bass caught on pile worm, blood worm, sardine, anchovy, fresh shad, live jumbo minnow, or live mud sucker. Chuck from Isleton who fish at Isleton fishing pier caught very good size striped bass on Saturday night 11/05/05. Louis and his friends from San Jose got 4 striped bass and 10 lb. catfish on fresh shad and ghost shrimp while fishing at Mokelumne River on 11/05/05. David Do from San Jose got limit striped bass on blood worm at the call box along highway 160, 1 mile north of Brannan Island State park.
Sturgeon fishing was also fair last week with some sturgeons were caught in Montezuma Slough, Suisun Bay area, and some were caught at Decker Island from Light 10 up to light 17, and Rio Vista Bridge. The best bait for sturgeon can be grass shrimp, ghost shrimp, or salmon roe.

After the raining days this week, the coming days would be good for sturgeon fishing in the Delta. This fall is best for fishing in the Delta comparing to previous years and it last longer than.
Best luck to you all and keep on fishing.

.

The Wilson Files- Mark Wilson

Dan,Sunday, October 30, 2005...My last fishing trip until I get back from my elk hunting trip to Colorado. Howard Hatanaka and John Suoka went striper trolling with me today. The weather was nice with just a 10 mph northerly breeze. The water temperature was at 62 degrees and the visability was just ok at slightly off color. We trolled Rebels and Bombers between the Old Dairy and Sherman Island. We caught fish on both lures. Although the bite was not as good as earlier in the week, we did manage 7 shaker stripers and 14 keeper stripers to 14 pounds. We kept fish at 14#, 7#,. 7#, 7#, 6#, and 5#. The bite window was around the morning's low tide and the afternoon's high tide. Just a fish here and there. We really had to work for them today. That's it. Good luck. Catch you later - Mark.

October 24, 2005

Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,936,800 acre-feet of water, and is at 80% capacity. The lake is full and beautiful. The lake elevation rose slightly last week, and is at 1,076 ft. above sea level and only 41 ft. from full capacity. Surface water temperatures are approximately 66-68 degrees. Water is stained. There are huge numbers of shad in the main lake, as well as upriver.

Ramp update: All ramps are open.

Gate closure: New shorter winter hours! Gates at New Melones Lake will open at 4 a.m. and close at 10 p.m. every night through the month of October. Beginning in November, gates will open at 4 a.m. and close at 9 p.m.. Some day use and campsite areas will be periodically closed throughout the winter for maintenance.

Trout: a little tougher than it has been, probably due to the changing water conditions as the lake is ready to turn over. We are still seeing nice fat rainbows, but limits are harder to come by. Fishing should pick up again in the next couple of weeks, as water temperature cools. Bank fishing has not turned on yet, but should be awesome once the lake turns over. In the meantime, the streams are still open. Trollers are having good luck during the day trolling for rainbows anywhere from 25 to 60 ft. deep in the main lake, as well as upriver. Shad-patterned lures seem to be the ticket. Try a Cop Car or Threadfin Shad Needlefish. Excel Lures have been really bringing in the limits- try a blue/silver or blue/pink, or a shad-pattern. Green or shad-patterned Apex also produced some limits. Most trollers are not using dodgers or flashers. Many successful trollers are adding scent to their lures. ProCure shad would be a good choice. George Lindsey of Murphys wins Glory Hole Sports’ Big Fish of the Week Contest and a free deli lunch, with a 4.4-pound rainbow that he caught (along with another nice fish) while trolling a nightcrawler 23 feet deep near the dam. John Darroch caught fish weighing 3.6 lbs, 3.4 lbs, and 2.8 lbs while trolling a Cop Car Apex 45-50 feet deep in the main lake. Frank Ambrosoli trolled a silver Needlefish 60 feet deep in the main lake to catch a 3.4 lb ‘bow. Joe Hallett used a red Apex trolled 55 feet deep in the main lake to land a 3.3-pounder. Richard Kowski trolled 45 feet deep with a crawler/spinner combo to land a 3-pounder. Ron Lundsted used a shad-patterned Needlefish near Rose Island with 5 colors of lead core out to land a 2.8-pounder. 6-year old Michael Dunn and 9-year old Tyler Pinckney fished at night under a submersible light. They used Power Bait and fished 60 feet deep over 100 feet of water near the spillway to catch 4 big rainbows weighing up to 3.5-pounds.

Kokanee: Pretty much all done. Fish have moved into creek arms and a few coves, where they attempt to spawn, and eventually complete their life cycle by dying.

Bass: good, mostly for smaller fish. Bass are looking to fatten up for the winter, and are feeding aggressively. Target steep banks upriver and the mouths of creek arms, 30-40 feet deep. Wind the wind comes up, fish the banks and points that the wind blows into- the fish will move shallow to chase the bait that the wind is blowing into the shore. Try drop-shotting shad or bluegill colored worms or grubs, or dragging a Carolina-rigged 4” or 6” worm on a long (3 foot) leader. Reaction-type baits are a good choice when the wind is blowing. Shad imitation crankbaits and Rattletraps, and shad-patterned spinnerbaits are working great. Dragging a jig along rocky points in the creek arms, as well as submerged island-tops near mouths of creeks, may catch you a larger bass. You may want to try a top-water bait in the early morning. Good luck to all anglers fishing the 2-day B.A.S.S. Pro-Am on Melones this weekend!

Catfish: We are still seeing a surprising number of nice cats. Tuttletown, Angels Cove, Glory Hole Point, or under the 49 Stevenot Bridge are all good spots to try for big cats. Use mackerel, anchovies, or sardines, a sliding sinker, leave your bail open, and be sure your hooks are sharp. Night fishing is always best for catfish.

Crappie and bluegill: Slow. Try fishing live minnows or trying to entice them with jigs in red/white or purple/white. Best spots on the lake are the south side of the lake near Bear Cove, the back of Coyote Creek, Black Bart Cove, and in cuts upriver near the Parrotts Ferry Bridge that have a lot of stand-up trees in them. Fish are moving deeper, so target 30-40 ft. depths. As always, fish tight to structure.

Lake Pardee

Dropping Like a rock and Closes Sunday October 30th

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!
Team Daiwa, Lucky Craft, G-Loomis, Fenwick, Heddon, Yo-Zuri, St. Croix, Shimano, Strike Pro
Rat-L-Traps, Lures, Bucktail Jigs, Spinnerbait, Crankbait, Buzzbait, Marine Electronics, and lots more!