Bitethis

Taking my son out...Taylor bridge or Orleans? Or Aldrich boat launch area?

Fished from 6:15am to 11:15am, boated 22 bass, nothing under 14", largest was 21" and SKINNY! (3.6lbs). Found some on bank with 45 degree slope with chunk rock and/or pea gravel, boat in 16' of water, using a red craw crank bait - majority of fish caught on this. Found a few on plastic craw dad (green pumpkin - 4.5"), and caught the big dady on a 5" joined shad out in the middle of the lake - fish were busting shad so tossed it out and slow rolled it and SLAM! Inhaled it....was awesome. Not 1 top-water bite and I tried multiple times throughout morning with a POP-r, spook, and wake bait. Weather was slight breeze, overcast all morning until the rain hit hard at 930am until we left. Water was 84 degrees and stained. fished turned off at 11am.

anyone seeing shad pods around greenfield or aldrich yet?

Springfield lake, yes...that is what I meant.

I didn't take a picture of it, I am sorry. Wasn't my fish...I will say this, I believe it was a musky due to the reddish/orangish color on it's fins and tail. I believe tiger musky can have that too, and I honestly didn't think about it being tiger musky until it was posted here. However, my first though was this...hang on for the ride!!! We had some pretty big rains earlier this, lake levels were insane. Springfield lake is fed from Stockton...Springfield lake is stocked with Musky....see where I am going with this?? Could be way off, I definitely don't claim to be an expert. I do feel strongly it was a regular Musky though, but as I previously stated I would have doubted the person sharing this story's ability to identify fish had they told me this same thing. So no love lost in the debate over a fish that didn't get its picture taken in a body of water it doesn't belong in...sounds like a fishing story if I ever heard one.

Just wanted to see if anyone has fished with the new Berkley hard baits (Wild thang, warpig, digger, etc.), and can give report on them? Do they run true, do they catch fish, do they seem well built, etc. Price point is nice at $7, and they look pretty...

We put in at aldrich, and happen to know right where the channel is. Still shallow at about 4', but we run it on plane...all I can say is go slow, trim up, get a topo map to show the channel if possible, or take someone knowledgable. I wouldn't put in at steel bridge, even with a 4x4, after all that rain this weekend. It would be a gamble.

Bass are moving up a bit, catching em on a jig or a craw colored crank bait. Chartrues crank baits are also producing for me. Hit the rivers for white bass, toss an A-Rig, roostertail, or small crank bait. As far as location - you can't go wrong right now, as everything is turning on. Pick a place and commit.

Fished the Sac river from Aldrich. Water was 53 degrees, decent stain to the water. Put in at 715am, took out at 145pm. Caught a total of 34 whites (kept 30), and 2 LM (both short). White or shad color seem to be the one they liked. It was very slow, but very steady. Never caught more than 2 out of one spot. Fished all the way up river to where you could see taylor bridge, but getting to it would have been unwise unless you are in a jetboat. Story of the day was the boat next to us landing a 33" Musky...had i not seen it myself and someone told me that happened, I would have called them a liar and unable to identify a fish. It was quite the show watching this folks from Oklahoma trying to land this Musky on White Bass gear, but they did.

Thanks guys! I think I am going to hire a guide for half of a day to get a feel for the lake and ask 1 million questions :-) Any recommendations on guide services and/or places to stay on the lake. I think I will make a few days of it and maximize my trip!

I live in Springfield, and fish Stockton religiously. I fish Tablerock from time to time, also. However, my 2016 New Years resolution is to catch more fish, catch bigger fish, and Fish somewhere different :-) I would love to lock into some Stripers! White Bass fishing is my favorite, and the appeal of Striper fishing is getting the best of me this year. I was hoping some of you experts could give a guy a few pointers, though? I have read through some of the posts here, and have seen some of the recommendations for lure selections, however I am looking for the closes area of the lake to get to from Springfield, while still yielding great results. Any recommendations on lake areas, lure selections, best time of year/day, etc., would be greatly appreciated. I am not looking for honey holes, top secret magic baits, or anything like that. I am just hoping for some general direction and help. Thanks in advance!

I do not claim to be well versed in Striper fishing, but am extremely invested in doing it this year. Any information that could assist me in this effort would be greatly appreciated! I am looking for direction on the following: Bait/Lure selection Best times/conditions to fish Rod/reel selection General areas to fish for Striper

So I am exploring something I haven't used in the past; squarebill crankbait. I hear a lot of talk (and read a lot of articles) on how effective this bait is. Everything from it being good 12 months of the year, good on chunk rock, good on laydowns and obstacles, and for scraping the bottom. I have heard to rip it fast non-stop, and to do a stop and go retrieve. Use silent, get em with rattles. The list goes on, and I can only make the assumption that a lot of it boils down to the body of water you are on. So, what is your favorite squarebill, favorite color, and how are you all fishing them and when?

Ned rig should work. I would also try a small crawdad in watermelon candy.

Wally, Glad you said something. I am unaware of the regulations on this, and to be honest hadn't given a second thought until you did. Can you point me to the regulation on this, I would hate to be getting a ticket while scarffing down a crappie fillet at $50 a pop (unless it would cost more than that...ouch).