I went into this tourney hoping to be able to do some sight fishing but once we got there and I saw how low and murky the water was I knew it wasn’t gonna be happening.

I started the day throwing a spook along the tules in the cove where we launched and got my first fish about 10 minutes into the day, a 13.5 inch keeper. I worked the spook all the way out to the end of the point leading into the cove for nothing else. I switched to a ¼ oz. white spinnerbait and immediately started getting hit. I had a quick limit by 7:00am. I continued fishing around the next couple of points and coves for an hour or so with no luck; it was all pretty shallow. I made my way back towards where we launched and picked up another fish on the blade from the same area I caught them at earlier, but it didn’t help. Then it was time to change up looking for some bigger fish, I crossed the lake and started fishing some deeper stuff with a Senko on the weed edges, and crankin a Super Shad Rap. Right away I missed 1 on a wacky rigged Senko. Another couple of hours went by with no bites so I made my way back to the point where I had caught all my fish earlier with the intention of dragging some plastic way out on the drop off at the end of the point. The wind picked up a little around 10:00 or so and I decided to toss the Shad Rap some more out there instead. I wasn’t having any luck straight crankin so I started ripping it. My first cast ripping and it’s fish on and a good one too! I figured it was around 5lb’s. I finally had a kicker and was able to cull the little spook fish I caught first thing. Next cast fish on but I dumped that one. I managed to get 4 fish ripping the Shad Rap but was only able to cull 1 more for a couple of ounces. I ended the day with about 12 ¾ lb. and was actually kind of surprised to win.

Contra Loma is a neat little lake, I would really like to fish it sometime when the water is up. I’ll definitely be back!

Mitch

Congrats Mitch, you are a fish-catching machine!

the godfather

Thanks for the report and good job once again. C Ya at the Delta :)

Good job Mitch on the victory.

My day started off slow. I threw a crankbait and a zara puppy first thing in the morning at the point near the dock where we launched, but it produced nothing. I rowed across to the other side and decided I would start throwing a spinnerbait to see if I couldn't get one to react. Well nick came over by me and we were talking and he was telling me he already had two in the well when i got my first bite a little keeper. I continued throwing the crank and spinnerbait, but I got nothing and lost a timber tiger in the rocks. I decided to throw a jig(1/4oz. black/oxblood sweet beaver trailer) when i got near to where the rocky dam and mud meet. I was just pitching it up to the rocks and then real slowly hoping it around and dragging it back when it got slammed, the fish ended up weighing 6-2 and to my surprise was big fish for the day. I then went back to the couple of points on the otherside of the dam and fished the jig and picked up another keeper in the same place as i got the spinnerbait fish, as well as missing a keeper that just threw the hook for some reason he just didn't stay on. I then bounced around the lake a bit fishing various points just dragging and hopping the jig, but couldn't hook up another fish. With about 1 1/2 hours left I made way back down the dam and at the same transition of rocks to mud i picked up two more keepers on back to back casts with the jig which was now a 3/8oz cause of the wind and me not being able to really tell what the 1/4 was doing down there. I ended up in second with 12-8. Ended up being a great day for me and i look forward to going there again to fish, but hope the water is up cause i still would have rather flipped than dragged the jig.
Looking forward to the Delta,
CZ

cz

You guys found some of the little spots too quickly. That spot where you stuck the 6-2, I caught a 20lb limit within 10 casts into that single spot throwin' a crank in January. They'll stack up right there, which is odd, because it's such a small defined spot. I tell ya what, the only reason you didn't beat Mitch is because you didn't know enough other spots. If you knew just a couple more spots you could've gotten that 25lb limit I'm talkin' about with that jig...;-)

Sturgeon Kid------<* ((( ><

and to think these guys never fished this lake before. It will be interesting next year if we return for sure

DOH! x( You aren't supposed to know about that drop out there. You fancy kickboaters and your electronics!! Good job, Mitch...not bad for the given conditions. Sounded like you guys caught the fish that I figured yo'll would...blade and crank fish. I'll tell ya right now though that's not what my 25lbs would've been on...HAR HAR! That's nice that you guys had a good time out there. I've been tellin' everyone for a while now that it's a cool lake with some good fish but no one ever seeemd to believe me. When the water comes up you can almost always catch them flippin'! Fun stuff!!! Thanks for the report, Mitch. I know what to expect out there now when I come back this weekend to hunt for a 13... :7

Sturgeon Kid------<* ((( ><

good job Mitch