blckshirt98

Netbait Paca Chunk if you're looking for flapping claw action without too much bulk. Berkley Pit Boss if you're looking for bulk.

Quick dry pants I feel keep me cooler in the heat because the material doesn't get too hot and it keeps the direct sun off of my legs. For shirts I like any kind of polyester quick-dry gym/running shirt in a lighter color. If you're just looking for sun protection and not too picky about name brands or looking stylish, Sierra.com almost always has something on sale/clearance.

If you're looking for a beefier spinnerbait I'm going to throw Reebs' Bolt Thrower to the list. They're designed for saltwater so it's a heavy-duty wire with a closed line-tie and zip-tie to keep the skirt in place - https://www.reebslures.com/shop-all-lures/bolt-thrower

Andy Cuccia said if you think a bass has taken your jig to set the hook. If you're not sure and try to wait and see if it bites again, that's the bass spitting your jig out.

Drop shot bait! My current favorite are the Missile Bomb Shots - great colors and action, and you get 15 in a pack for only $4.

Apologize if this is against forum rules but sdfish.com is a great resource for local fishing reports/advice in the San Diego area.

Hold onto and use the tried and true. The first good quality rod I ever purchased (Phenix M1) is still my go-to highest-confidence rod that I catch more fish with year-in and year-out than all my other rods combined. Unless you're buying something for a new technique that your current gear is sub-optimal for, or unless you want to try a new/trendy innovation (like a spiral/acid wrap rod), your old gear should give you the best confidence.

The bonnets pop on and off easily and there are small raised plastic dots that keep them in place (unless it's a thin-wire treble). As a shore guy I'll grab 2-3 different squarebills and keep them in my pocket and using a V-Snap can easily change crankbaits without having to dive back into my bag. The small size green ones cover most 1.5 squarebills unless you change out your hooks to something larger (like a KVD Mustad triple grips). Next to my Boomerang snip tool the hook bonnets are probably my 2nd favorite accessory. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owner_Treble_Hook_Safety_Caps/descpage-OHC.html

Plano crank bait boxes are the best for storing efficiency but you MUST use hook bonnets to avoid getting hooks tangled up. You don't even need to have bonnets on every crankbait. eBay bonnets in bulk have worked well for me.

Surf/pier fishing is the way to go on that peninsula, freshwater options are pretty much non-existent. You don't need a surf pole either, use your longest spinning rod and rinse your rod/reel down well after each outing.

If you can make it up to New Melones it sounds like right now is the time to go for bank fishing - BASS The bass bite is wide opened right now for both bank and boat fisherman. The majority of the fish are no deeper than 20 ft and are extremely aggressive right now. Most of the fish are starting to move off of their beds and guard their fry although there are still a few largemouth still on beds. A good way to catch some of the larger fish at the moment (although they will be skinny from spawn) would be to throw large Huddleston style swimbaits or S-wavers. Their are plenty of different baits that will work to catch fish this time of year, a few of them would be,California Reservoir Lure jigs, Lucky Craft crankbaits, Bass Arts Creations spinnerbaits, Frenzy a-rigs, River2Sea jerkbaits or soft plastics. Josh Parris Guide Service has been putting clients on chunky 10+ lb. bass for his clients the last few weeks. Below is Stan on a 10.87 lb. beauty. To set up a great guide trip on New Melones, you can contact Josh @ 209-217-7368 Also if you haven't already, go to the Glory Hole Sports website (http://gloryholesports.com/) and subscribe to their newsletter, every week or two they send out a newsletter with water/fishing conditions, the info I just posted came into my inbox this morning. My advice if you go is to dropshot anything 3 inches and green.

I fished Lake Dixon once from shore and it was the first time I really realized when they say the water is "gin clear" the water is actually gin clear and you can see as far as the naked eye can see. I saw shad being chased nearby and breaking the surface and tried squarebills and dropshot, both which work for me in NorCal when I see the shad breaking - not a nibble.

All the tips people have mentioned but you also need to accept that sometimes you don't get barb penetration or you hook them in the lip where you create a hole where the barb doesn't do much good. Just part of the game. A 100% bite/hookup/land ratio is the dream nobody that fishes regularly hits 100%.

Sweet looking minivan conversion, a place to fully stretch out and crash without needing a tent or trailer! I'm a shore person and have fished New Melones (5) times in the spring before it got crazy hot. Red circles are where I parked my first three times in March 2015 when the CA drought was peaking and water level was crazy low. There wasn't a whole lot of shoreline available to shore people but there were a lot of half submerged dead trees to fish, was pretty productive. Purple circles are where I parked April 2019 when water level was much higher and there were a lot more shore spots available. People with boats going up Angel's Creek have it the best but there are some decent shore where you can catch a half dozen spotted bass if you go at the right time before it gets too hot and the fish go to deeper water.

As long as it's a bright and rich green and not brown and dead, keep casting. The water in the area will be oxygen rich and have cover for forage, so there's almost always bass nearby.

The Spro 35lb Power Swivels are what I use to connect braid to fluoro. I actually take it a step further and go braid to quick snap (like a Decoy V-Snap), and then hook the swivel to the V-Snap. This way if I want to change it up and throw a senko, shakeyhead, squarebill, etc it's a quick swap.

I've caught more trout on a 4'6" Shimano Sojourn ultralight rod than any other rod. The most understated factor for me when fishing for trout is using 2# test line. Not 4#, not 6#, but 2# mono mainline for the stretch, with a 2# fluoro leader to keep visibility to a minimum. Run two identical setups, one with 4# and one with 2# and keep track of which gets more bites.

I live only a couple of miles from Almaden Lake Park and that place is the black hole for me, I've never had much luck there. Chesbro is the other black hole of fishing in the area. Uvas can be solid but it's been a bit too cold for Uvas, give it another couple of weeks. It sucks that Anderson is drained and won't have water for years, and it'll take years for it to recover after that.

Sunline FC Sniper would be my line of choice, however I'm currently going through a huge stockpile of Seaguar InvisX that I acquired when Sports Authority was liquidating.

Check local county regulations. In Santa Clara County live bait like worms are allowed, but live bait that are fish (i.e. minnows) are not allowed because fish cannot be transported from one body of water to another.

Has anyone who fishes the bank ever use a fat tirei bike or razor scooter (with off-road wheels) to get to spots quickly? We have a few reservoirs with limited parking and I've been thinking of getting one of these to help me get to spots faster using trails because I really don't want to spend a half hour walking before being able to get a line in the water.

I'm right handed and always cast with my right hand, and like throwing a baseball it's easier to cast to the front, left, and slightly to the right as my shoulder rotation allows. I also always like to cast with two hands, with my left hand on the butt of the rod to help control accuracy. With a spinning rod I can dial in a cast where I can get within a foot or so of my target.

It's still going strong though I've been using it less because I've been favoring my Phenix M1 (I'm a shore guy who hates carrying multiple rods and I can throw crankbaits and topwater on the M1). Dang, now I might have to break it out this week.

I use Norman Speedclips and Decoy V-Snaps - of the two I like the V-Snaps better because I think they're easier to work with. I also have tried the Decoy Round Snaps and not a fan - I had one completely open up on me when pulling a hung up lure.