Here is your fishing report update from Don Pedro. The Best Bass Tournaments (BBT) Lake Blast, just in time for the blast-off of their Central Region on the Sierra Nevada foothill fishery this weekend.
CURRENT LAKE CONDITIONS AT DON PEDRO
This weekend kicks off sunny with a high in the low 70’s and mild southwesterly winds at 4 mph on Saturday. Sunday is a whole other story as cloud cover rolls in and drops the daytime high 10 degrees in a short 24-hour period. The nighttime low from Saturday to Sunday will also see nearly a 10-degree dip, as the temp hovers right above freezing at 32. Sunday’s winds more than double and change direction as they come from the northwest.
Don Pedro is currently at 83 percent of total capacity.
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LOWRANCE FOR BAITFISH
This Lowrance Electronics screenshot features streaks, arcs and masses. To better decipher the images think of the streaks as bass going through a heavy concentration of baitfish (which are the masses) and the arcs are fishing waiting in limbo. (See new features offered on Lowrance units in the video below)
When the bass run through the baitfish to feed, they will strike carnage through the school, leaving injured baitfish to fall toward the bottom. Anglers can capitalize on replicating this action with a stickbait.
The classic slow fall and wiggly action of The General – a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent plastic (shown right) – can offer just the presentation you are looking for in these baitball situations. This Berkley stickbait can be dropped to a freefall through the target areas with baitfish (found on the Lowrance), mimicking the appearance of the injured baitfish.
Big bass are lazy and a slow meandering stickbait is a meal that moves at just their speed.
Two rigging options for the presentation would include a weedless setup for the slowest fall to entice those big ones that want an easy meal; however, if a little weight is needed another super-easy way to throw The General would be wacky-rigged on a Zappu head. The weight can be as little as 1/16-ounce.
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DON’T IGNORE THE BANKS
It would be expected that some bass will have made their move shallow. Due to this, you cannot overlook throwing The General to the shallows on a wacky-rig. More bites will come if it is a weightless presentation; however, if there is wind or you need to move out a little deeper, a weighted version will most likely be necessary.
CATCHING THE KICKER
Typically, this time of year, the largest bass are the ones that have moved up from their winter haunts and are looking for an easy meal to prey on. The slow moving, weightless, wacky-rigged plastic is the answer.
Swimbaits have been known to be a big bite for the big bass. But, you cannot ignore that the biggest bass will eat the meal that is easiest to get and a weightless stickbait such as The General is just a passive morsel, ready to be eaten. Its slow fall will just stay in the strike zone longer, offering an easy and tempting answer to the hunger pangs of a big kicker fish.
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