Weather: The weather this past week has been cold in the morning warming up during the day.

Clarity of water: The water is very clear visibility is around 5 feet.

Temperature of lake: 55 Degrees F.

Hot spots: Lower Narrows, East Shore line and at the Dam .

Striped Bass, Catfish- Anchovies

Trout- Power Bait and Lures

Fish Plants:

No plants this week.

Don’t forget to fish Lake Del Valle anyone 16 or older must have a Del Valle Fishing Permit, and a California Fishing License. The Fishing Permit is $5.00 per person 16 or older. You can purchase them at the Main Kiosk or at the Bait Store located at the Marina. For the Fishing License you can purchase them at the Bait Store. It is $17.02 for the day. And if you are a California residence for the year it would be $52.66.

Al Hurwitz of Saratoga and Abbey Lev of Sunnyvale trolled Lake Del Valle on 2/25/2021. Very tough day without fish being caught. We trolled the entire Lake with Panther Martin Spinners, small Jointed Rapalas, and finally Rooster Tail Spinners , all in a variety of colors. We trolled using leaded line attached to fluorocarbon leader with the lures located at depths of 15-20 feet below the surface in 30-35-foot water columns. We applied multiple attractant scents to the lures. All of this was to no avail. The lake has dropped considerably and is heavily loaded with algae throughout. Both factors have a negative effect on Trout and Bass feeding patterns. In addition, the fish remain very scattered. We talked to two other fisherman who were casting on shore for Smallmouth Bass with subtle finesse presentations. They also were having zero luck. We did spot moderate numbers of fish in deeper water columns of 80 feet. The fish were located near the bottom on our sonar unit, but we couldn’t get deep enough with our trolling techniques to get to them. Perhaps bottom bait fishing, jigging lures, or the use of down-riggers to get to deeper water would be successful. However, the low lake level and algae situation make any fishing challenging right now. We need more rain to bring up the water level and to reduce those conditions which lead to algae formation.

All that said, it was a beautiful day to get out on the water. That fact along with the helpful staff make the experience very pleasant even when we’re not “pulling them in”.

All the best, Dr. Al Hurwitz