Paul Clouse, Ted Cribari, and Al Hurwitz trolled Lake Del Valle on June 12, 2026, looking mainly for Smallmouth Bass and Striped Bass. Regrettably, it was very hot with intense, bright, and direct sunlight on the water’s surface. As a result, we only picked up a few fish on the sonar and had no bites. We spoke with Kenny Ku, expert fisherman and dock manager, before we embarked. He told us that professional fishing experts who had fished the day before caught only one small Bass—-clearly tough conditions.

We did chat with two other folks who apparently caught one 4-5 pound Rainbow Trout still fishing with bait.

We think the extreme heat has driven the fish very deep and scattered, making trolling extremely difficult. We’d suggest using PowerBait or a similar concoction to catch elusive fish.

We’ll be back soon as the weather stabilizes and the Smallmouth and Striper bite turns on.

All the best,
Paul Clouse, Lafayette 
Ted Cribari, Los Gatos
Dr. Al Hurwitz, Saratoga