Del Valle 6-15

Got up at the usual time, but crack o' dawn, and decided I should try some live bait, so went to Coyote Bait and waited for them to open    Didn't realize they open at 6, same time as the lake.  When the sleepy guys got there and opened up I picked up some minnows, worm blower, and a new crank bait. 

Arrived at the lake around 7:30, got the gear down to the water and launched before I remembered that I left the supplies I just bought in the car (except the minnows), and then remembered that I needed worms too and forgot to buy them (but remembered the worm blower!)  Shake it off, decide I'm not gonna fool around in the shallows, gonna head right for the dam this time and troll the whole way there.  Twards the end of the narrows, noticed something splashing in the water at the point, wondered what was going on, so kept paddling and saw these guys: Which makes me wonder for a while if there is a way I could get one of them swimmers to attach a pole to their back and troll while they swim out there.   Before rounding the point, checked my lines to find they had been all tangled up the entire length I trolled of the narrows    Reset, and troll round the point twards the big rock.  When I got close to the rock I notice a TON of fish schooled over there in the deep water! So I try drifting over the spot with minnow's, over, and over, and over again (forgot the anchor this time).  Not a nibble....  Gear back up for trolling and aim for the dam again and trolled until I ran into Michael (dilbeck) on his cushy pontoon boat with his family and his kayak tied to the side of the boat (CHEATER!  ) Say hi as I troll by, then then hear a big TWACK from one of my rods.  Stop, pull in the line and there is nothing on it... Lost my new dodger and a needlefish I was trolling somehow, but not sure since it was 100+ft water?!?  Maybe someone ran over it I guess.

Head for the dam, where I marked a bunch of fish for a while, but no takers.  Decided to do a drift for a while, since the wind was pushing me from the damn perfectly at around .5mph.  Swapped to little powerbait worm and drifted it in around 20ft, and a small splitshot and BAM got my first fish! Continued to do the drift, letting the wind carry me for a while until I was most the way across the water, and while reeling in to check a line, had a trout do a follow, but I kept reeling in, instead of letting it slack so it could take it!    Oh well, headed back up twards the dam, decided to drift the same spot again but didnt have a take down this time.  Time to head back, getting a bit too much sun, and see the oddest looking boat I have seen: Then notice that Michael and his crew are gaining on me So I kick up the speed and head to the right hand side to troll back.  As I got to the shallower water had a hit on my Rapala deep runner and netted a nice looking trout: Which was released since he wasn't gut hooked or anything.  Sun started to get to me, so I headed into a cove to cool off, take a swim and relax for a few.  Almost didn't notice the warms of wasps drinking from the shore there, but decided to just kick it in the water after seeing them.  Back out on the troll back to the shore, I hear a guy shout out from a boat "Hey, where did they go?!", to my reply "Who go?" he said "THE FISH!" I shrugged, and then almost immediately had a hit!  This guy was a lil' one who fought nice and hard, lost him as I tried to slip the net in under him.  Oh well   Finished trolling up to the boat launch, decide to drift a ways, past the swim area and have one more take down on the power worm, but came undone before I got it to the boat for a look.  Gotta remember to set that hook!

Didn't realize it was so late, but got off the water at 4:30, gave it a go since 8AM for 2 trout landed, two lost, and NO stripers to be seen.  In fact, not a single hit on the minnows at all this time...

Oh well, it was fun to be out there and no skunk for me this time like my last trip there.

Alain-

Cool report of some hard-earned hookups, Alain.  Thanks for sharing it.   

Lake DV, one of the most beautiful local lake in the East Bay. There are time it can get really slow. Thanks for th nice report, Alain.

LL

  Reset, and troll round the point twards the big rock.  When I got close to the rock I notice a TON of fish schooled over there in the deep water! So I try drifting over the spot with minnow's, over, and over, and over again (forgot the anchor this time).  Not a nibble.... 

Alain-

I have noticed the exact same thing in the exact same spot before.  I must have spent an hour trying everything without one bite.  I was marking LARGE fish concentrated there.  I wonder what they were.

I have noticed the exact same thing in the exact same spot before.  I must have spent an hour trying everything without one bite.  I was marking LARGE fish concentrated there.  I wonder what they were.

Yeah, ME TOO!     Guess I will try brining carp and catfish bait next time, see if I can get something to hit

high water or low...the place looks FISHY!  just nice to hook into anything that will give a lil tug on the line! thanks for the details and pics Al! 

I figured a couple of you guys passed by...I was out there in a little skiff.
My buddy wanted to concentrate on cats and stripers, for his son, so we did!!
Bass were not cooperating and we never got around to trout, but we did play with the cats and stripers!
A dozen cat bites on livers and lone cruiser stripers on anchovey and liver.
We didn't have electronics so I couldn't find the school of big stripers cruising near the dam.

Sounds like you guys had some fun too!!

DV is starting to settle into a late spring/ early summer pattern finally!!