GENERAL CONDITIONS

The weather this week has been beautiful with temperatures ranging from the low-60s to the mid-80s. The surface temperature this week is still sitting at a cool 62°F. The hot bite this week has been stripers with many anglers having success.

Our good friend Dr. Al Hurwitz came out to troll for some smallies and here is his report:

"Two friends and I, all from the South Bay, trolled Lake Del Valle on 10/19/17, looking for Smallmouth Bass. We caught 7-8 smallies trolling Panther Martin Spinners. The fish were located 15-feet below the surface and were caught in a 20-30-foot water column. They were caught mostly in the area of Swallow Bay. Scent applied to the lures seemed to help. In addition, we had a number of additional strikes, including some very “hard hits” from heavy fish that didn’t stay hooked. High winds eventually forced us off the lake around 2PM. All in all, a good day” - Dr. Al Hurwitz

CATFISH

Catfish have been biting well this week, early in the mornings especially. For bait, most anglers have been using either anchovies, chicken liver, or night crawlers. Most anglers have been fishing rock walls and deep water channels.

TROUT

Trout have been hard to come by as the water is still a little warm for them. If you do fish for trout I recommend either red worms, power bait or mice tails, you might be able to get them off a smaller Kastmaster as well.

BLACK BASS

Black Bass are a good target this time of year, most anglers like to use soft plastics (swim baits, robo worms, Senkos, etc.) I would also recommend using either a crank bait or a top water lure (Heddon Spook, pencil poppers, etc.) Look for fallen trees, rocky points and tule patches.

STRIPED BASS

For stripers, most anglers are using bait, either anchovies, chicken liver, or sardines. Most of the stripers have been caught out in the upper narrows and at the dam. Make sure you fish points and deep drop offs.