GENERAL CONDITIONS

The weather at Del Valle has been cloudy, with the sun warming through the afternoon. Early mornings in the 40s with temperatures rising up into the high-60s by midday. Water temperature at the dock reads 54 degrees.

The lake elevation has gone up ten feet in the last two weeks. This influx of water is causing a slight murkiness to the water.

Jeff Cooper (San Ramon, CA) gave a report to the marina about his fishing experiences this weekend at Del Valle! Here is his report:

“It was a beautiful day at Del Valle on Saturday with a mild breeze and full sunshine! The morning surface water temperature started at 61 degrees and climbed all the way to 70 by late afternoon. This put the bass pre-spawn activity in full swing. The male bass are moving into the back of shallow pockets and coves, searching for prime areas to build their beds. The bass catch around the lake reflected this, as most of the bass caught were smaller males. Out of the six bass I landed Saturday, four were males and two females. Starting my morning in a cove in Swallow Bay, I caught a one and a half pound male at 7:00 am using a five-inch Senko. Knowing this bass was there, I return to the same spot at 3:00 pm to see if a female moved up yet to join him. He was still there and flying solo. He continued to guard a small area by swimming back and forth over a ten-foot stretch. Keeping all other fish away and cleaning the area. A small bare area is starting to form where he will eventually have his nest. I witnessed this behavior twice that day. In another area of Swallow Bay, a solid two-pound male was setting up his area. He was alerted to my presence as my boat drifted way too close. I flipped a weightless green pumpkin Senko at him and he grabbed it under the hook and came off. I quickly switched rods and threw a hideous orange color Senko at him which he attacked instantly. There is something about the orange and pink colors that these bass hate having in their area. Even though the bass knew I was there, his instincts kicked in and he wanted that bright orange thing out of there. He did not bite because he was hungry; he bit it out of anger to keep his area clean. The females I caught on Saturday were relating to old submersed wood that had some shade from the sun. Pitching a 3/8 oz. Rage Craw into the dark corners of the trees, I was able to pull out a 3 lb. 4 oz. and 2 lb. 15 oz. female. Nothing giant, but a lot of fun. Other than the one spinner bait bass I caught, they all came on slow moving baits. This seemed to be the case with other fellow anglers as well. I met up with Bernie from Fremont, CA in the late morning hours. At this point, his boat had four bass that sounded like all males. They were throwing a drop shot with a wacky rig Senko. We shared our findings/successes and discussed strategies. It is always nice to discuss the day with other anglers to help put the puzzle together! Thanks Bernie! Another angler had some success with four bass, fishing the top end of Heron Bay. He was rigged with a drop shop and a 4" Z-Man finesse shad. The trout bite continues to do well. A couple stocking happened again last week. From the bass boats, several trout were caught on crankbaits, and lipless cranks. I could also see several stringers of trout from shore anglers. With the water clarity being good, the trout were out on the prowl. We have another beautiful week in Livermore coming our way! Full of fishing and fun in the sun. So grab your gear and I will see you on the lake!”

A couple of our other regulars, Al Hurwitz of Saratoga and Abbey Lev of Sunnyvale trolled the lake on April 12th. Here is their report:

“Al Hurwitz of Saratoga and Abbey Lev of Sunnyvale trolled the lake on 4/12/18 looking for Rainbow Trout and Smallmouth Bass. We caught a nice 15-inch Rainbow almost immediately at the rock wall by the dam (within one minute of flat lining a Panther Martin Spinner in the water). Regrettably, that was it for the next five hours of trolling. No more strikes! A recent low-pressure weather system and staining of the water were factors. The lake level is up nicely with the surface temperature around 62 degrees. However, the water clarity needs to improve before trollers are on a par with live and artificial bait anglers chasing Trout. If you do troll now, I suggest using lures with bright colors, applying scent to your offerings, and using plugs/spinners/minnow plugs with plenty of movement, vibration and/or rattle. We’ll be back soon to give it another shot! As usual, the staff, facility, and boats are great!

All the best, Dr. Al Hurwitz”

Other catches reported on lake were from Donny from San Jose with a trout and a stripper. I also saw several nice stringers of trout from the shore anglers around the camping area and in the narrows.

Another trout stocking happened last week, and this week’s weather forecast look perfect! So grab your gear and I will see you on the lake!

Gary Howard of Hayward reported that fishing was very slow. He had a few trout bites, and caught one that was about 18 inches in Heron Bay. The water is muddle all the way to Swallow Bay. He said that Heron Bay is more clear, but still stained with a ten-foot visibility.

Kenny Kuh of Livermore caught five trout with the largest weighing five pounds. His stringer weight a total of 20 pounds. He was using rooster tails, Kastmasters, and Powerbait at Heron Bay.

Adrian Manalang of Hayward caught four trout with the largest being five and a half pounds. He was using mice tails in the narrows.

Be sure to stop by the Marina for tips and tackle. We would love to hear about your catch, and your stories!

CATFISH

We are not getting many reports about catfish, but if you are planning to target them, they will be in deeper water, 15-20 feet. The best baits to use would be anchovies, mackerel, or night crawlers.

TROUT

With the staining on the Lake, trout might be a bit harder to come by, but most anglers are reporting success with Powerbait or Powereggs. Make sure you are fishing shallow sand flats and if you are fishing from a boat, make sure you keep moving.

BASS

Lots of anglers are catching bass, using pretty much any and all lures or jigs. Keep moving along the shore, near cover. Plastic worms and drop lures seem to do the trick!

STRIPED BASS

We are starting to hear a few more reports of people hooking into stripers. Most of the striper action has been centered near the dam. We recommend diving spoons and lures out by the dam, in deeper water.