Paul Clouse and Al Hurwitz trolled all sections of Lake Del Valle on 10/30/25, trying to catch a variety of Bass. It was a slow day, but we managed to catch 4 Smallmouth Bass on 1/4 oz. inline feathered spinners. All the lures had scent applied and were trolled about 20 feet below the water’s surface. Two of the Bass weighed about 1/4 pound, while two larger ones (pictured here) weighed 1.25-1.5 pounds. Three of the fish were caught along the eastern rock wall entering Heron Bay, while one was caught along the western shoreline. There were a couple of other potential strikes as well. The fish fought well, occasionally making spirited jumps.

It was a beautiful day, with excellent conditions (mild breeze, clear water, and surface water temperature of 65-66 degrees). Rainbow Trout have recently been stocked and were picked up by a number of shoreline anglers, presumably using Powerbait. However, as far as Smallmouths are concerned, it’s been tough for trollers to catch the larger 3-4 pounders we’re accustomed to catching this time of year (the Bass feeding aggressively prior to their winter slow-down). The Smallies seem more scattered in the lake now and are not feeding as voraciously as in former years. Of course that could all change in a week, so we’ll likely give it another shot soon.

We thank the Del Valle staff for making our entire fishing experience so enjoyable.
All the best,
Paul Clouse, Lafayette
Dr. Al Hurwitz. Saratoga