FishCaddy

El Capitan is fishing true to summer form right now. Bass are hitting topwater early, with poppers and walking baits drawing strikes along shallow brush and exposed structure. Once the sun’s up, the bass pull off into deeper water, settling into 15 to 30 feet around rock piles, creek channels, and submerged points. Deep-diving cranks, small jigs, and drop-shot rigs are doing the work here.

Catfish action is hot right now, with reports of 20-plus pounders coming up regularly. Big blues are holding deep in river-cut channels and along drop-offs. Heavier setups and typical cut baits like shad and mackerel are the go-to.

Lake levels are low, exposing more structure and tightening up the target zones. Morning topwater and afternoon deep structure are the keys to staying on fish. Ramp is still open, but it’s tight.

Matt Heron reports the Truckee River is in prime shape with steady dropping flows and perfect water temps holding in the 50s, briefly touching the low 60s in the afternoons. Clarity is excellent, and the canyon below Boca, though still pushing 1,000 CFS, is fishing well if you can handle fast water. The hatch is wide open... golden stones, yellow sallies, PMDs (size 16 emergers), and caddis. The green drakes are drawing quality fish to the surface, and blind casting size 10–12 dries is getting fish even without visible rises. Bobber rigs, dry droppers, and euro nymphing are all effective in fast pockets, but euro nymphing is the best play right now and will likely stay that way through summer.

The kokanee bite at Melones is still firing, with quick limits coming primarily from the main lake. Similar to our last report, 40 to 70 feet is where they're at, but when boat traffic picks up, they are sliding deeper and stacking along the channel edges. Bladed setups pulled behind gold dodgers are the go-to right now.

Bass action is picking up across the lake with a good topwater window early. Crankbaits, jigs, and drop-shot plastics are all in play, but white and chartreuse chatterbaits have been extremely hot lately for quality fish in the 3-4 pound range. The Angels Creek zone has been very productive.

The bass bite at Thermalito Afterbay is a grind. Fish are scattered and roaming, and the lower-than-normal water levels have left much of the shoreline cover, including tules, too shallow or completely dry. Productive zones are limited to rocky banks, offshore structure, and the dam area, but even there, fish aren’t holding—they’re constantly moving.

Water temps are in the low 70s. Water clarity is good, but drops in spots with heavy boat pressure in the afternoons.

Weightless worms are getting most of the consistent action, around 10-15 feet with a slow fall working best. Downsizing bait and hook size has helped trigger more bites too. Dropshots are working for fish holding offshore. Craw imitations are a solid choice right now... many fish are puking up bright red craws. Big trout-pattern swimbaits have produced some 5–6 pounders recently, but the swimbait bite is hit-or-miss. A light early chatterbait bite is also in play up shallow.

The topwater bite in the Delta is the main game right now. Bass are crushing poppers and smaller topwater baits early, especially in slack water near fast-moving current. Protected coves, behind islands, and along weed edges with current breaks are the key zones. The topwater bite usually fades after 9-10 a.m., where chatterbaits, crankbaits, and worms start picking up fish. Senkos are working too, but smaller fish are the norm. Big females are guarding thick groups of fry, often swiping at baits, but hooking them has been tough with a lot of short strikes.

Striper fishing is very slow in the central Delta… mostly small schoolies. Bigger stripers are holding from Liberty Island to Pittsburgh in the Sacramento side.

Water temps range from 68 to 75 degrees depending on location.

At McClure, folks are finding quality bass action deep. Fish are keyed in on rock structure from 20 to 50 feet, but the best quality is coming from deeper ledges in the 40 to 50-foot range. Jigs and Neko rigs are doing most of the damage, with fish tight to slate rock and hitting on slow presentations. Sonar and LiveScope have been extremely helpful. Shallower areas in 20 to 25 feet, especially saddles and narrow coves, are holding numbers... but they are typically smaller than the deeper fish. Shaky heads and drop-shots are working well in these mid-depth areas. The topwater bite was very good a couple of weeks ago, although it’s cooled off some. Still, overcast mornings are seeing a window of very good surface action.

There’s still some trout in 45 to 60 feet of water, although it’s inconsistent. Blade crawler combos, spoons, and spinners are getting a few here and there. The crappie bite has been very good lately on small cranks and jigs.