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TIME TO GET UP TO THE
FOOTHILL LAKES FOR A LITTLE ACTION
By: Ron Wilson
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Modesto's Everett Beckner
catching fish and having fun |
April 24, 2008.... So far this has been a
terrible year for ocean fishing. The salmon opener, which never happened
because man has messed it. This will probably put a lot of commercial
and party boat skippers in or near bankruptcy. The closures for rock
fishing will not help them either.
In the central valley the bass fishing
has been wide open for the last month. For me Lake Don Pedro has
produced easy limits. I just go down the bank tossing a Keeper 082 red
flake 6 inch worm on a 1/16th ounce dart head in 5 to 15 feet of water.
I toss it out and let it sink, tighten up and see if anyone is home and
if not shake it once or twice to entice a bite then if nothing I reel in
and toss it back out again further down the bank. You make a lot of
casts, cover a lot of water and when you get them patterned you catch a
lot of fish.
The salmon fishing at Lake Don Pedro has
been fair for some and great if you’re a guide who knows what he is
doing. Guide Bruce Hamby of Sierra Sportfishing has been putting his
clients on fish from 2 to 8 pounds. He is fishing from 80 to 120 feet
deep right now and his best method is slow rolling shad soaked in pro
cure. He has been catching some kokanee also but they are on the small
side, in the 12 inch class.
My last trip to Lake Don Pedro was in
middle bay where I found the fishing a little tougher than Rogers Creek
Arm of
the lake.
Rogers Creek Arm has a lot of spotted bass in it and they are
getting more populated each year. The best bait at
the lake remained to be Keeper 082 red flake 6 inch worms,
however I had friends that were catching them on Keeper 1001B 6 inch
worms.
Last Thursday it seemed that all the fish
were stacked on the major points with sloping rock. There was hardly
anything in between. No monster bass just fish up to 5 pounds. I guess
if I was to throw swimbaits I would catch bigger fish but that’s to much
work and I am there for numbers and fun. That’s why I use light line, a
light weight and plastics on wimpy rods. I like to make big fish out of
little ones.
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A nice bass for Everett |
A few days ago I was at
New Melones Lake and the bite there was about the same. Just
cover water and catch fish. There were some nice spotted bass and
largemouth to be caught.
Something to look out for in the coming
couple months is the kokanee at Melones. There are some huge 17 inchers
that are growing daily. Look for 20 incher’s in July and August. Yes I
am talking 2 to 3 pounders! Almost all my salmon, trout and kokanee this
year have came on Ex-Cel blue/gold lures. That’s for Lake Don Pedro and
New Melones.
Right now is the time to head to the
foothill lakes. The flowers have bloomed and the heat is turning the
rolling foothills brown already. It won’t take long for them to turn
that ugly brown and then the fishing for black bass will get harder as
they go deeper. As summer sun and heat penetrates the water the trout,
salmon and kokanee fishing will just get better as it seems to make the
fish school up more. |
