May is a top month for bass & panfish everywhere

May is one of the top months for going after warm water species. This is the time that they are up shallows and very hungry too.

On our reservoirs like Berryessa, Camanche, Pardee, Amador, New Melones, Folsom, Oroville, Camp Far West, Rollins, Sly Park and Shasta (to name only a few) you will find the bass in the shallows now. Buy the time it warms up in June they will go deeper for the summer.

You can wade many of these reservoirs but a float tube, pontoon boat or any small boat will be better. This way you can swim your wooly buggers out away from shore in a more natural way. I think that weekdays are better with less water skiers.

AM and PM is probably better times to find the fish active. I would go very early and fish till noon or go out in the afternoon and fish till sundown. Not always but maybe 11am till 3pm can be slow.

#6/8 Brown Wooly Buggers and streamers like the #2 Clouser minnow are standard flies for bass. You can throw them on floating and sinking lines depending on the depth you want to fish.