Lake Amador

For information about fishing or any other lake-related recreation, call 274-4739.



Lake Camanche

Park entry gates are open daily from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Lake conditions - Lake Camanche's current elevation is 217.6 feet above sea level, a rise of .88 of a foot since last Sunday and nearly five feet higher than last year at the same time. The lake elevation will rise slowly this coming week. The water temperatures are the same from the top to the bottom at 52 degrees F. at the North Marina. Water clarity on the main body of the lake is clear despite last week's‚ storms.

Trout - Your best bet: Early-risers can catch trout on the surface by trolling either floating Rapalas or two or three-inch pink or orange grubs. Start from either of the North or South harbor entrances to the center of the lake, then eastward or upriver to Lancha Plana.

Bank anglers are having good luck early and again late in the day. Crave or Powerbait in chartreuse or rainbow is your best bet followed by either marshmallows or nightcrawlers or both on the same hook. Chevron Point and the launch ramp at Southshore or the North day-use peninsula are the better locations to try.

The trout pond is on fire with dozens of limits reported daily. Crave and Powerbait are the best bet with early-in-the-day Kastmaster tossing productive as well.

This week's plant of 1,200 pounds will be at the North launch ramp.

Bass - Bass action is good with many reports of catching and releasing 10 to 15 fish per rod per day. Your best bet is to work the shallows early in the day with Camanche Jack's leaches in greens and purples. Mid-day hours require working down to 15 to 25 feet deep. The Camanche arm, dike No. 1 riprap and the Causeway cove are the better areas to try. The cooling water temperatures have made fast-moving presentations useless.

Catfish - Catfish are taking Mackerel, sardines and shad fished early in the day or after dark in East cove, South Camanche arm or the Causeway cove. Overnight trips average five fish up to 15 pounds each. Another method of taking only the biggest 'cats is to troll in the narrows with sinking Rapalas or a variety of trout lures.

Crappie - Crappie are few are far between. Best bet is to dunk a live minnow in Causeway cove after dark from 15 to 32 feet deep. Make sure to anchor over the creek channel, located about a third of the way across the Causeway face from the East (right) bank.

On behalf of the Camanche Recreation company: Great fishing and safe boating!



Don Pedro

For details about the fishing and availability of other recreational activities, call 852-2369.



New Hogan

For information about current fishing and boating conditions, call the New Hogan Marina at 772-1462.





New Melones Lake

Reminder - Just to let everyone know, the store will be closed on Jan. 12 for inventory. Also, we have changed the store hours to: Monday through Saturday 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Remember to get your new fishing licenses and stamps. Striped bass stamps were eliminated, but there is a new stamp needed for fishing in the Delta/Bay area.

Water Conditions - New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,331,000 acre-feet of water. It is at 55 percent capacity. Lake elevation is currently at 984 feet above sea level and 102 feet from full capacity. Water temperature is 54 degrees F.

Trout - Trout fishing is good with most anglers reporting three to five fish. Remember, the bite on Melones tends to shut down right before a storm and fishing is usually great during and right after a storm. Trollers and bank anglers alike are having the best luck in the major coves. If you are bank fishing, a crawler/marshmallow combo is the No. 1 producer, with rainbow, sherbet or chartreuse Select Powerbait is working great, too. When using Powerbait, use an 18 to 24-inch leader and a small treble hook; make sure your bait can float the hook and leader before you toss it into deep water (toss it in the water a foot or two off shore and look). It is a common mistake to use a large hook or heavy line. While the Powerbait floats, it can't float a big heavy hook or heavy line. You won't catch many fish if your bait is in the mud! Sometimes using a bobber with a long (three to five foot) leader works, too (place a small split-shot weight above your hook to keep the Powerbait from floating up).

Ray Willis caught a nice 2.7 pound Rainbow off the bank on Sunday using Rainbow Powerbait at Glory Hole Point. Trollers should use crawlers, or silver or pearl-colored lures such as Needlefish, Apex or Excel spoons. Remember to have plenty of line out behind your boat when trolling or use a side planer. This time of year the fish are so shallow that your boat will spook them away and you need to have your lure far away from your boat.

Thirteen year old Stacey Fischer from West Point wins the Big Fish of the Week Contest with her beautiful 4.2 pound Brown trout. She caught her fish by the spillway in seven feet of water using frozen shad.

Most trollers are catching fish in the 1 to 1 1/2 pound range, but there have been a few bigger fish caught.

Kokanee - Kokanee are done for the season, although some anglers are reporting catching one or two eight to 13-inch Kokanee while trout trolling. These are good-sized fish for this time of year, so we should be seeing some nice Kokanee this spring. If the Kokanee that you catch are brought to the boat in good condition, we encourage you to release them for great fishing this spring.

Bass - Bass fishing is fair, with plenty of smaller (one to one and a half pound) spotted bass being caught, as well as a few bigger black bass. Tom from Tom Taylor Guide Service caught some great bass this week. Saturday he brought in some nice spots, the largest being 3.1 pounds. He was using brown jigs with a 411 Keeper craw trailer. He suggests using an extra sensitive rod right now, such as a top quality G Loomis, because it is easier to feel a bite. Bass anglers should target rocky main lake points and island tops, 25 to as deep as 60 feet. Eastern and southern facing structures seem to hold the most fish, since they are the warmest. As always, look for shad and you will find the bass. There is a good jig bite. Try brown/green combos such as a Glory Hole Hand-Tied in Tom Schachten Brown or Magic, with a green pumpkin grub trailer, or a black/blue jig/trailer combo. Drop-shotted shad or crawdad-colored four-inch worms or grubs, or a Carolina-rigged green pumpkin Baby Brush Hog will catch fish. Remember: With winter weather, a slow presentation is the key.

Catfish - The catfish bite is slow. Glory Hole Point or Angels Cove, near Tuttletown or under the 49 Bridge are all good places for bank anglers to fish for 'cats. Use mackerel, anchovies, sardines, crawlers, chicken liver or live large minnows.

Crappie and Perch - We haven't heard much in the last couple of weeks about crappie or perch. Fish 25 to 30 feet deep near structure such as trees, with small minnows or crappie jigs. Bear Creek and Carson Creek are two good places to try. Anyone with current crappie stories, we'd love to hear them!



Lake Pardee

Information about fishing and all recreational activities at Lake Pardee can be obtained by calling 772-1462.