• Napa Valley Fly Fishers

President Michael McKeown announced that there were four winning entries in the club’s First Annual Essay Contest.

The top writer will receive a new fly rod and reel. All four will receive a special St. Helena Star T-shirt, and we will announce the winning names next week.

I plan to include some parts of the winning piece in one of my future columns in the Star.

Each will also receive a membership in the Federated Fly Fishers.

We’re hopeful that this program will build in the coming years to encourage more young boys and girls to engage in the outdoors and have the joy of recording their experiences.

McKeown also announced that Bob Paoli has been named an FFF certified fly casting instructor. Congratulations, Bob.

The next NVFF meeting is July 10. Mark your calendar.

• Clear Lake

With the water temperature finally up in the 70s, the bass bite has improved.

However, it’s tough fishing — pull one out of a spot and move on.

In most previous years, you could depend on a honey hole that would deliver a bunch without moving the boat. For example, we stayed in one spot behind Rattlesnake while catching (and releasing) 47 fish a couple of years ago.

Last week, my partner and I scored 21 bass to four pounds, but it was run and gun.

Interesting variety of effective lures: Spook, red craw fat drop shot worm, wacky-rigged watermelon Senko, and Lucky Craft Sammy top water lure.

• Sacramento River

Try a trout/shad comb trip in the Redding area.

Fool some beautiful wild rainbow trout early — then fill the creel with hard-pulling shad later on. The last time I fished for shad with Tim Hanni, we caught 55 in about four hours and my arms were tired.

Call Dave Jacobs of the Professional Guide Service at (800) 355-3113 to book one of these trips.

• Lake Don Pedro

If you are planning to be in the Mother Lode country this summer, spend a day on Don Pedro with “Johnny C.”

We fished with John Chiarpotti there last week and boated a nice mix of small and large mouth bass.

This was my second trip with John — he is a real pro who knows his lakes as well as any guide I’ve ever fished with. E-mail him at

jchiarpotti@att.net.

• Napa River

While the bite is slowing down, there still are stripers being caught up and down the river. Probably bank fishing with cut or live baits will be the best bet.

• California Delta

Oh, those summer winds ... we went over the Rio Vista Bridge last week and saw white caps everywhere. But, this is the peak season for black bass there.

The usual pattern is three days of howling winds, then a calm day or two.

Use your favorite weather service or Delta tackle shop to post you on the cycle when you want to go.

In your own boat, exercise special care in the main rivers — they are simply dangerous in the highest winds.

The striper season is winding down but you can still catch a bunch. The problem is that the dinks strip the bait on its way down, where the larger stripers on the bottom see only a bare hook.

Get creative by using Miracle or Magic thread to tie your bait to the hook.

• Bodega Bay

Another week of blown-out rock cod trips.

The Wil’s Bait & Tackle fleet had to cancel again.

The first trips after some calm weather will be casting to some hungry and reckless cod. Better call to get weather details at 875-2323.

• Lake Berryessa

I’m not sure what will happen to our Lake Berryessa fishing updates after the closing of Spanish Flat Resort because of the changeover.

Here is the most recent report I received from our reliable field scout, Dino Righetti of the Marina there.

Pumpkin-colored plastics are working in shallow water against rocky banks for bass. Fill your trout/salmon tackle kit with pink hoochies, Apexes, Needlefish and Kastmasters.

Troll them at 40 to 60 feet in the Narrows for trout/salmon limits.

And thanks for everything, Dino.