New Melones tips?

[rjs28]

I just got a boat for the family and would like to fish with it some too at New Melones with my kids - especially right now while the water is too cold for swimming/tubing.

It's been at least a decade since I've fished for anything and I was never too serious about it. Now trying to educate myself a bit on lures and tackle is a little overwhelming. I'm hoping someone can suggest some gear to fill a tackle box or two that would give us a decent chance of catching some bass while we're out there?

Any input on locations or depths to target or anything else at all would be great too!

[Whoopbass]

Neko rigged senko or a darter head rigged with a 4-6" straight tail worm. Pumpkin is a great color. Fish anywhere from 0-30'. Fish em on any points or go back into the creeks.

[rjs28]

Thanks for the input Whoopbass, how does this look? Would you change anything?


https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/working ... ?CTHV183=0

[Whoopbass]

You're order doesn't come up.
Don't buy anything but a few bags of senkos and a few bags of worms. Maybe four each. Some darter heads, 0-rings, and some Dobyn's neko weights in 1/4 oz. It's a little snaggy out there so buy enough. $60 worth of tackle unless you already have it.
3.8 keitechs in shad color will also work. Toss em out and let em fall straight down and then slowly reel. When they bite let the fish load up before setting the hook.
I haven't fished Melones for a couple years but that's all I would need to catch a bunch of fish. Two guys should be able to catch 50+ this time of year off those 3 baits.

[rjs28]

Dang, ok. Here's what I had, right at $70, I probably don't need the full range of weights


1 bag of Senkos - Green Pumpkin Magic 5"
1 bag of Senkos - Green Pumpkin Magic 3"
1 bag of Senkos - Pumpkin w/Black & Green Flk 5"
1 bag of Senkos - Pumpkin w/Black & Green Flk 3"
1 pack of Core Tackle Weedless Hover Rig 3/32 oz 3/0 darter heads
1 pack of Core Tackle Weedless Hover Rig 1/8 oz 3/0 darter heads
1 pack of VMC Neko Weight 1/32oz 10pk
1 pack of VMC Neko Weight 1/16oz 10pk
1 pack of VMC Neko Weight 3/32oz 10pk
1 pack of VMC Neko Weight 1/8oz 10pk
1 pack of VMC Weedless Neko Hook 2 5pk
1 pack of VMC Weedless Neko Hook 2/0 5pk
1 pack of Xzone VRX Wacky O-Rings Small
1 pack of Xzone VRX Wacky O-Rings Large
1 wacky rigging tool


Sounds like I should add some Keitechs and worms and see about finding a 1/4oz neko weight instead of the smaller ones I had in there.

Thanks for the help!

[Whoopbass]

Keep it simple.
Pumpkin black flake senkos. 1/4 oz weght. #1 short neko type Mustad hook.
1/4oz darter heads with any straight tailed pumpkin colored worm.
The darter heads are also good for the Keitechs.
These 3 baits are good for numbers and even size if you happen to toss them in the right area.
Another good bait is a Z-man Fatty Z in pumpkin texas rigged with a bobber stopper l/4" above the weight. I put a glass bead between a tungsten sinker and the hook.
Those hover rigs you have listed look pretty good.
If you find a bass on a bed then toss a neko rigged senko in green pumpkin a chartruese tail.
You don't have to buy the Keitche's. They tear up easy. But if you get tired of throwing the other baits and you find bass that are schooled up or an area where the bass are feeding Keitech's can be fun.
No use on breaking the bait ordering a bunch of crap that you will never use again.

[rjs28]

Awesome, thanks!

[jiggin4bass]

rjs28 Pm your address ill send you 20 custom hand tied jigs and a couple of my custom blade baits and ill add some Yamamoto grub trailers for the jigs. Your cost just take your kids fishing.

[rjs28]

Jiggin4bass that's so generous, thank you! I'll send a message to you now.

[jiggin4bass]

Got it they'll be on there way tomorrow.

[Whoopbass]

rjs28 Pm your address ill send you 20 custom hand tied jigs and a couple of my custom blade baits and ill add some Yamamoto grub trailers for the jigs. Your cost just take your kids fishing.

I was going to mention the "puff ball jig" but I didn't want the lake to get cleaned out.
A jig will definetly get bit especially on the deeper fish.

[jiggin4bass]

Whoopbass everything you've mention + jigs are working on all the lakes from the Mother lode lakes to are central valley lakes.

[Senkosam]

I just got a boat for the family and would like to fish with it some too at New Melones with my kids - especially right now while the water is too cold for swimming/tubing.

It's been at least a decade since I've fished for anything and I was never too serious about it. Now trying to educate myself a bit on lures and tackle is a little overwhelming. I'm hoping someone can suggest some gear to fill a tackle box or two that would give us a decent chance of catching some bass while we're out there?

Any input on locations or depths to target or anything else at all would be great too!"

Long reply. The following opinions and beliefs are based on 55 yrs. on the water catching most freshwater species. Important words in bold:

I think lure choice can be simplified to this: a lure's action/profile.
The first thing to remember: lures are unnaturally moving objects that look unnatural. The way a lure looks and moves provides strike-triggers that are part of a fish's DNA.

It seems fish do what evolution has programmed them to do when it comes to strikes whether those involving live bait or those that are a response to specific lure actions/ presentations.
For example, quiver is one of the best and most trustworthy actions a lure can have - especially at low retrieve speeds with pauses. The many different hard and soft baits that provide quiver, is an example of a lure action that makes quiver lures a bass angler favorite.

Here are some action/profile examples many of us have caught fish on:
spinnerbaits: skirt pulsation, flutter and flair combined with a flashing strobe-like blade; good lure to cover water and near weeds

skirted bass jigs: skirt pulsation, flutter and flair combined with trailer action; great bottom hopping lure

Zara Spook: violent back & forth waddle creating surface splashes

curl tail grub and plastic worm: tail flapping like a flag whipping in the wind
NOTE: not all curl tail shapes produce the same action - some are wide, some have a thin attachment (Ribbon Tail); very versatile at many depths and use with many presentations

Kut Tail worm on a light jig: darting action when jerked and slow drops when paused near the surface or mid-depth

Senko wacky rigged: tail rotation and body roll as it sinks
(I make small plastics that can be wacky rigged on a light jighead)

deep-dive crankbait: and the Flat Fish: violent back & forth waddle along with clanking hooks (and rattles if present)

surface cranbaits or plugs (Rapala): quiver on the surface creating ripples fish key in on before smashing them on the surface

Mepps spinner: strobe-lke flashes and blade thump; one of the least versatile of lures but still a great fish catcher

Mann Shadow minnow: the closest in hadpe and action to any minnow I've ever seen, gliding along with slight tail-fin action. Best used on a 1/24 oz or 1/32 oz ball head jig

Sassy Shad and other swimbait boot-tails: thumping tail that imparts a body quiver
(tip: cut a bit off the belly of the S.Shad for a different body shimmy)

Jitterbug: a large waddle and wake produced by a cupped blade splashing & swishing; a great surface lure

Buzzbait: triangular, in-line blade that swishes on the surface and imparts a pulsation to the skirt

Beetle Spin: small flashing blade that imparts grub body vibration along with the flapping curl tail; can be used with many soft plastics rigged on light jigheads (look up examples)

Johnson Weedless Spoon: crazy wobble; a near-surface spoon vs 1/2 oz DareDevil ( I always use it with a trailer)

Plastic grub with curl tail removed: darting wobble when rigged on a 1/32 oz jig head

My all-time favorite is one I make myself without a mold: a flat thin-tail minnow shape that has a subtle tail flutter that drives fish nuts! see photo

I've noticed that many anglers who choose lures pick based it on prey animals and assume fish do also. That may be the narrative as to why specific lures catch fish but is not predictive. What is predictive of what to use and when in the future takes a bit of experience fishing different waters.
Fish tales and generalizations aside, many assumptions regarding lures are not fact-based but rely on misinformation or disinformation supported by the angler media (TV and in print).

Do this one thing after catching fish on a lure:
1. Watch how it moves in the water and take note. That lure is worth a place in your tackle box after more fish are caught on it.

2. Besides a lure's action/profile, presentation matters when it comes to any lure used and after fish are caught on it. By presentation I mean how a lure is worked. Many soft plastics, for example, have many ways they can be rigged and worked using rop tip & reel handle turns.

The lure action categories listed above give me the freedom to try anything that strikes my fancy based on experience but only once fish are found.
Fish location is key to catching fish - period! I would not catch 1/4 of the fish from my boat without using sonar to show me the bottom and baitfish schools. Fact: predators stay close to the food.
Docks and weeds are my first locations to try. Fish locations vary with weather and seasonal changes. Keep notes!

Important when getting kids hooked on fishing, is to start with small plastics rigged on light ballhead jigs (1/24 or 1/32 oz). 8# test braid on spinning or spincast reels cast light lures a nice distance and braid transmits light strike because of its non-stretch.

Again, the above is not authoritative, meaning, you can take all of it as suggestions to consider. You and your kids will form the narratives and memories every time you catch fish. Trying different things and discovering which catch fish is your best source of information. (note: take photos of lures stuck to a fish's lip and shots of your kids and the fish they catch. Memories are nice, but not reliable (especially at 75 yrs.)

[Senkosam]

Many examples of soft plastic lures I use:

[Senkosam]

more:

[Senkosam]

more:

[Senkosam]

more:

[Senkosam]

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[Senkosam]

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[Senkosam]

Lure variety is the spice of fishing vs watching a float. There are thousands of strike triggers that designers keep discovering when it comes to lure design. It has made companies millions and small-time lure makers thousands. I don't sell lures but do give many away to friends. It's always great hearing how well they did catching fish on them.

[jiggin4bass]

Senkosam you still making pork chunks in 3"

[swordfish]

Best of luck to you, keeping it simple is good advice. For example you dont need 4 sizes of neko weights 3/32 and 1/8 wiill do mybest senko color is 301 yum dingers are very good too and less pricy, Zoom 6" trick worms are very affordable and versitile neko, wacky rigged shakey heads texas and carolina rigged in watermelon candy zoom brush hogs and baby brush hogs too again watermelon candy texas rigged 1/4 oz bullet head weight 4/0 ewg worm hook, for the full sised hogs carolina rigged too Zoom also makes a four inch finesse worm. Robo worms are great the 4" fat straight tail and 6" fat my best color is prism craw (not shown at Tackle warehouse or prism shad and Aarons majic.as for Keitec get the fat impact 3.8 fish it on a 3/16th ballhead jig head or 1/4 one more thing split shot rigs with 4" worms are deadly use a size one shot round not reuseable they snag more, Safe water gremlin is a good one. Safe travels and good fishing !

[jiggin4bass]

rjs28 PM sent

[jiggin4bass]

New Melones Spot Remover.

[pd]

You sure that’s not called bleeding Bumble bee?

[jiggin4bass]

Pd the dope your smoking must be pretty good up north.

[pd]

Huh? That’s what it looks like. Last time I checked ‘spot remover’ is a shad-based color with a little chartreuse in it - blades, chatters, etc? Am I wrong?

[jiggin4bass]

Again pd leave color section to the experts.
With the right tab color numbers you can make them yourself.
This exact color is one of the best when it come to catching Smallmouth and Spotted Bass of all sizes. Which ever lake there in from Northern ca.To the Mother lode lakes and here in are Central valley lake.
Use a watermelon red/black flake trailer. And just add water and go to work.
My kayak series

[jiggin4bass]

pd years ago the the name Spot remover was a jig head made buy Buckeye lures jigs head only. They a couple years later they starting adding finesse type skirts in different colors wire tied skirts. The phrase spot remover can be use for any finesse jig or down size bait any color being produced. That color is a true spot remover.

[jiggin4bass]

rjs28 PM sent