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 low 70s by midday. Water temperature at the dock reads 66-69 degrees.

Jeff Cooper of San Ramon, one of our regular anglers and contributor to the fishing report and Angler’s Edge came out fishing last Saturday and provided this report:

“Saturday was another pleasant day at the lake. The calm breeze and partially overcast sky made it easy to see what the fish were after. Giant schools of shad fry danced around the docks and shorelines trying to evade hungry predators. Fish breaking at the surface could be heard from all around. Excited to start my day with so much activity going on, I decided to try my luck at some top water action! After a few casts with a Whopper Plopper, a bass exploded on it, but missed the bait. I quickly threw a Senko back into the swirl and hooked up quickly with a nice pound and a half smallmouth bass. As I worked my way along, only minutes later another bass busted at it 10 feet from the boat. Missing the bait once again, I switched rods and let the Senko slowly fall into the swirl left behind. After a few seconds, my line started to runaway as a 3 lb. 6 oz. largemouth took the easy meal. I absolutely love top water fishing! The exhilaration and excitement when a bass erupts out of the water after your lure is addicting! The Whopper Plopper allowed me to cover water quickly and identify hungry feeding fish. I didn't catch all the fish Saturday with it; but I give credit to the Plopper for locating them. The rest of day, I had direct hook-ups with this speed demon of the top water lures. As the day went on and wind began to blow, I focused on current breaks. Whether if it was from points or structure, these breaks created ambush spots for hungry fish. As the Plopper speeds along, I like to slightly pause it for a split second where I think the attack will happen. This quick stop and go triggered three other bass bites in the exact location I was expecting them. Love them or hate them, when the fish are feeding, the Whopper Plopper just flat out gets bit! Like I said before, this is an exciting time of the year at the lake! As the young fry continue to grow, there will be more baitfish swimming around. So why not give top water a try!”

CATFISH

We are getting a few reports of angler’s having success with catfish. If you are targeting them, we recommend using anchovies, mackerel, night crawlers, or chicken livers. Catfish tend to be in deeper water this time of year, 20+ feet deep.

TROUT

The lake level is higher, and the staining is subsiding. Most anglers are reporting success with Powerbait or Powereggs, mice tails, and flicker shads. Make sure you are fishing shallow sand flats and if you are fishing from a boat, make sure you keep moving.

BASS

Many anglers are catching bass, using any lures or jigs. Keep moving along the shore, near cover. Plastic worms and drop lures seem to do the trick! With the lake level up, and the warming waters and air temperatures, bass should be moving into the shallows to breed the next few weeks, and should make bass fishing at Del Valle great!

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, but some people are having success in the Narrows and near the dock. We recommend diving spoons and lures out by the dam, in deeper water.