Had a special celebrity guest client out this past week and let me tell you this guy could fish. The go to lure for me has still been the LV500 in any of the bait fish colors. I have primarily been using the Pearl shad and Ghost minnow colors. The key to being successful with this lure is to experiment with the retrieve until you find out how they want it that particular day. For example when I am fishing the shallow water in Lakeport, I have been doing well just burning it in over the tops of the submerged weed beds. Fishing the lure in deeper water I have been doing well with a yo-yo style retrieve sweeping the rod to the side and taking up the slack as the lure falls back down. Another productive lure right now is the Pointer100 suspending jerkbait in a baitfish color. I also recommend experimenting with your retrieve with this lure until you get the right cadence they want that day. A good rule of thumb is the colder the water gets, the longer the pause in between jerks. Headwalls and boat ramps are good places to target this time of year because the bass will school up and coral the baitfish against them and feed often. I have seen a mixed bag of baitfish in different areas of the lake. Some areas have big schools of threadfin shad while other areas have silverside minnows and some areas have lot's of juvenile crappie. The bass are really getting their teeth as they often do this time of year.
There is still an awesome jig bite mid lake and South right now. Brown/orange, brown/purple, or just plain old brown have been working really well in 5 to 25 feet. I have been doing well dragging a 1/2oz jig on a rocky bottom with a Beaver trailer and a touch of Smelly Jelly XXX crawfish. Another hot bait right now is the Zman Fatty Z Ned rig in the green pumpkin color as well as dropshoting a 6" worm with a short leader close to the bottom. Over all I would rate the fishing as good right now with water temps ranging from the high 50's in the morning hours and low 60's by the afternoon.
The water level is currently holding at 2.96 on the Rumsey Gauge which is actually pretty decent for this time of year and no measurable rain yet. Both ends of the lake are fishing well but I do believe the deep water bite is more consistent. The water clarity is similar all around the lake with about a foot and a half visibility.
It sure is nice having the power turned back on after 4 days of darkness. Thoughts and prayers going out for anyone affected by the Wildfires here in California. Everyone have a safe and fun Halloween this year and we will see you all out on the water.
Good fishing, Troy Bellah
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