Fishing Report: Week of Sept. 30

Published online on Wednesday, Sep. 30, 2009

Compiled by Dave Hurley and edited by Roger George, a central San Joaquin Valley native and local fishing expert.

BEST BETS

New Melones rainbows on the prowl, Danny Layne said. Isabella crappie continue rampage, Ed Cordell said. Kaweah bass action hot, Larry Kerns said. Delta striper bite heats up, Randy Pringle said. Monterey white sea bass and albacore in area, Sonny Arcaleo said. San Luis topwater and bait bites good, Ly Tu said.

ROGER'S REMARKS

Hopefully, the end of the hot weather will be replaced with the predicted cooldown and that should have some very good impact on all the fall bites. These lower temperatures should simultaneously bring the shad schools to the top, as well as kick-start the overall feeding cycle as conditions reach more optimal levels.

Have you ever gone through a real fishing slump, where it seems you are doing all the things you usually do but if it weren't for bad luck, you wouldn't have any luck at all? Wearing the wrong hat or shirt, using a different toothpaste, or maybe it's your fishing buddy -- all come to mind during these times. Several years ago, I had a friend who was camping at Millerton for a few weeks. I would go fishing in the evening, then come back to the campground to eat dinner with them -- a perfect setup. During one trip, they told me about this nice military guy camped next to them who they had met who loved to fish, had a young family with him, and who desperately wanted to catch something. They suggested it might be really neat for me to take this guy striper fishing and show him the lake. Having heard that I had the striper lake record, he went ballistic when I asked him to go, but I warned him about catching anything.

Heading up the lake, I stopped before we got to the good areas and gave him a quick lesson on casting the 9-foot rods I use to throw the big striper plugs. When he got it down, I quietly moved up to a good area and told him on his first cast to throw the plug over near a boulder about 30 yards away. The plug ended up near the rock and when he began reeling the plug back to the boat he told me, "I think I'm stuck on a rock!" Knowing there were no rocks there, I shouted "set the hook," but the striper was already hooked and moving with real power back underneath the boat. The fish came up on top thrashing around behind us as the Marine stood screaming, locked in a death grip with the pole as the hand-to-hand battle exploded next to the boat. After more than several times of swapping ends of the boat, we finally landed the 23-pound fish. It was by far the biggest fish of his life, and he haltingly asked if he could keep this striper, worried I might say no. I said personal records were an exception, and I thought he would jump out of the boat he was so excited to show it off.

It was the "hit" of the campgrounds for the week. Thinking I had to be the best guide in the world, getting him a big one on the first cast, I certainly didn't want to tarnish this "legendary feat" by telling him I was in a slump and hadn't gotten a striper in the last 7 trips. I guess it falls in the "accidental legendary" category -- but that's fishing.

- Roger George

FISHING PODCASTS & VIDEOS

Millerton supervising ranger Kent Gresham talks about the management of the lake and the regulations anglers need to know in a fishing tips video.

If you have a suggestion for a topic, contact us at sports@fresnobee.com.

In case you missed any, visit the Podcast and Video Archive