Fishing at Lake Del Valle has been pretty good this past week for Catfish, Striper, Lightning Trout and Rainbow Trout.
Weather: The weather is starting to cool off. The water is getting colder everyday been in the 40’s and getting warmer as the days go on.
Clarity of water: The water seems to be very clear near the Boat Docks. Once you get past the Lower Narrows it is still clear, about a 15-foot visibility.
Temperature of lake: 52 Degrees F.
Hot spots: Swallow Bay, Lower Narrows and the Dam.
Favorite lures for Bass: 1/4 oz Panther Martin Spinners
Striped Bass- Anchovies
Catfish- Mackral
Trout- Swim Bait, Power Bait, and Worms.
Fish Plants:
12-15-20 1000 lbs. DFG Rainbow Trout
12-18-20 1200 lbs. Trophy Trout from Mt. Lassen Battle Creek
Here is what our local Fisherman Al Hurwitz has to say:
Al Hurwitz of Saratoga and Abbey Lev of Sunnyvale trolled Lake Del Valle on 12/17/2020, on what was a cloudy and occasionally windy day. A recent low-pressure system and cold front had just moved in, and these conditions slowed down the trolling action considerably. We still managed to snag three nice Smallmouth Bass, the largest around 2 pounds. Interestingly, all the fish and bites were caught along the western shore opposite Heron and Swallow Bays. No other areas of the Lake yielded fish in spite of exhaustive efforts to find them and get them to take the baits. The fish were caught on a Matsuo Tournament Crankbait and 1/4 oz. Panther Martin Spinners. We were fishing in a range of 8-15 feet below the surface in 20-25-foot water columns. The lake water was very clear with a surface temperature of 53.7 degrees. Unfortunately, we didn't catch any Trout. Our "up-and-down" experience emphasized three fishing points:
1. At any time if you are catching fish and getting bites, stay in that area until the action completely dries up (we impatiently moved to too many spots).
2. During a cold front fish may be more active in specific areas (as we found out). They may relate even more to underwater structure (we snagged a number of lures on underwater vegetation while trolling--you will lose lures if you expect to troll through productive structure).
3. Apply scents to your artificials if trolling, especially under adverse conditions.
The staff at Del Valle are always most helpful during our outings, and this is much appreciated.
Happy holidays! Looking forward to a healthier 2021! Al
