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Q I was wondering what times of the year you use rip baits, what colors, and what nor-cal lakes, i.e. delta, clear lake, oroville, and shasta?
A Rippin' or throwing jerkbaits is a year round technique. It's definitely better in the spring, winter and fall. My favorite times of the year is winter and spring. The exception is Clear Lake. The fall bite there is awesome. Shasta is loaded with shad. I tend to throw a flashy bait, like an Aurora black or American shad. Ghost minnow and chartreuse shad are also great baits on Shasta. On Oroville, I use pretty much ghost minnow and chartreuse shad. At the Delta and Clear Lake, I fish a lot of chartreuse shad and one that isn't very popular called shell white. The one other color is table rock shad. It's a true chartreuse colored bait. Chartreuse shad is basically a white bait.
The Staycee 90 is by far my favorite bait. For shallow fish, I will throw the DD78 and at Clear Lake and the Delta, I throw the Pointer 128. I'm working with Lucky Craft on a real subtle clear water bait called Phantom Chartreuse Shad. It will be released later this year. In clear water situations, I think it will be the best bait. Good luck fishing! Q I remember last year you mentioned a partner you used to fish with was starting to guide on the Delta again. Can I have his number? My son and I fish in a small club and we have a 2 day tournament there in April of 08. I have found it easier due to the size of the Delta to fish with a guide beforehand to discover new areas that are productive. In the past we have fished with Bobby Barrack and Andy Cuccia both taught us a lot. We launch from B& W for our tournament, with the guides we launch from Russo’s and have fished Frank’s tract all the way to the marinas at Big Break.
A Sorry that I didn't open this message in time. For future trips, contact Armando at 408-513-4476. He is an expert on the Delta. Heck, I expect Cooch to be calling him any day looking for tips :) . Really, you can't go wrong with the guys that you mentioned or Armando. It is actually a good idea to fish with different guys because everyone has their own style, techniques and what they look for on the water. Good luck! Q Where can I get the rainbow trout custom painted zara spooks?
A This is the easiest question that I've ever had. Contact Jeremy at Black Dog Baits. I believe he's still painting spooks. I haven't asked him in a while because I usually order a pretty good quantity. His work is awesome.
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