Paul Clouse and Al Hurwitz trolled Lake Del Valle on 8/20/26, trying to catch a variety of Bass. We caught three Smallmouth Bass, the largest about 1 pound. Paul hooked into a beautiful 23 inch, 4.5 pound Striped Bass (see attached photo). All of the fish were caught in the flats of Heron Bay, and all were released in excellent condition. The fish were caught 15-20 feet below the surface in 30-50 foot water columns. We had a number of other strikes in Heron Bay that didn’t stay pinned. 
    We were trolling streamer flies and a  RoxStar feathered spinner, using leadcore line to get the lures to the desired depth. “Wiggle” concave discs placed in front of the lures gave them a more enticing action. Water soluble krill and shad sprays were applied to the lures.
    The water clarity was very good to excellent, making the trolling much more productive than on recent previous outings. The water surface temperature ranged from 75-77 degrees. Regrettably, the bite completely died after 10:20 AM, possibly due to more direct sunlight and warmer temperatures.
    We hope to get back soon, since the fishing conditions are definitely improving, and we thank the Del Valle staff for their excellent assistance.
    All the best
         Paul Clouse, Lafayette 
         Dr. Al Hurwitz, Saratoga