Local San Jose angler, and future guest speaker, Nick Ingram, headed out with his friend Tom (also a site contributor) and pounded the bank for a collective 5 bass limit totaling approximately 10 pounds. Although they had to work hard for their fish, they ended up with a decent day of late January bass fishing. Fish were caught using small swimbaits (3.8" Keitech "Swing Impact FAT" fished on a weighted hook) and small plastics fished on a drop shot rig (try a 3" ZOOM Tiny Fluke or other small baitfish imitation with a 10-14" dropper). For your best shot at catching a few fish look for steep banks adjacent to chunk rock points and walls. Make a long cast straight off the bank and work your offering SLOWLY along the bottom. Fishing the bank around rocky structure can be a bit frustrating and you can count on losing a few set ups. Try not to get frustrated and be cautious about what you set the hook on. If you feel some weight, hold it for a second and see if it pulls back. If it does set the hook! If not, try a gentle pop or shake to free the rig before it wedges in too far. Water clarity I stained with about 2 feet of visibility being the norm. The lake level seems to be dropping slowly.
