Fishing Report: Week of Oct. 6

Compiled by Dave Hurley and edited by Roger George, a former Olympic-class decathlete at Fresno State and striper record-holder at Millerton Lake and who now guides in the greater Fresno area. Telephone numbers are in 559 calling area unless noted. Have a photo of a recent catch to share? Email it to sports@fresnobee.com with “fish photo” in the subject line.

Best bets

Best bets Delta striper and bass bites “off the hook,” Randy Pringle reported. Wishon and Courtright trout action good, Chuck Crane said. Shaver still hot for rainbows, Dick Nichols reported. Aqueduct stripers hitting, Meng Xyong said. Eastman bass bite solid, Dave Hurley reported. Kaweah bass hitting, Sierra Sporting Goods said.

Key

1-Try dynamite

2-Have to work hard

3-Limits possible

4-Fish jumpin’ in boat

Striped bass action in the California Aqueduct has been steadily improving as the linesides are becoming more active with the heavy flows in the conveyance system and cooling temperatures. Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “There was a bit of a lull during the almond harvest when water was being pumped out of the aqueduct, but the action is improving and the bass are starting to boil on the surface, even when the pumps aren’t running. We are selling lots of ‘Walk the Dog’ style of topwater lures such as Pencil Poppers or Spooks while Duo Realis jerkbaits and Storm Wild-eyed Swimbaits are also popular.” Meng Xyong of TheFishAholics.com said, “The recent cold front hasn’t slowed down the bite, as anglers continue to catch stripers and run into the occasional boils with Speedlures and Duo Realis jerkbaits. On a recent trip, I was able to catch and release several stripers while trolling with a planer board. The key was to catch the first fish and have other anglers target the same area. Many times stripers will hunt in schools and if you hook into one, sometimes you’ll inadvertently turn other fish on. While hooking into one fish, you could see several other stripers following the one you just hooked into. We found this search and destroy tactic to be quite affective when the stripers are out in open water.” The FishAholics are sponsoring an open striper derby from midnight to noon Oct. 24. This will be the first striped bass derby held out of the aqueduct, with information available at TheFishAholics website. In the south aqueduct in Kern County, Jacob Rutledge of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported Whopper Ploppers in sizes 90, 130, and 190 are all working for largemouth bass and the occasional striper. Catfish are still biting super meal worms, mackerel or Katnip Beef Bait.

Bass action for size and numbers is solid, with topwater lures in the early mornings before switching to working the bottom with jigs by mid-morning. Only a few boats are being launched amid the low-water conditions, and those doing so are only running their trolling motors. Bank fishermen are finding action for catfish with chicken livers, sardines or anchovies. The area above the buoy line is open, but there are unmarked and submerged hazards, little water to venture far, and the area is a no-wake zone. The lake dropped to 466.93 feet in elevation and 7 percent capacity.

Call: Six Star Tackle Box 673-5688; Eastman Lake 689-3255

The lake is very low and boats are unable to be launched into the reservoir. Bass fishing is good for the few kayakers or float tubers working the rockpiles with plastics on the drop-shot. Catfish are biting anchovies, sardines or mackerel, with the best action in the evenings. The lake dropped slightly to 447.31 feet in elevation and 5 percent capacity.

Call: Fresno Fisherman’s Warehouse 225-1838; Valley Rod Gun, Clovis 292-3474; Six Star Tackle Box 673-5688; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hensley Lake Hidden Dam 673-5151

Few bass or trout fishermen are heading to the lake at present. Most bass reports have been from the banks with medium to large minnows or nightcrawlers. Cooler temperatures are needed to improve action for bass, rainbow trout and king salmon. The boat launch has a slight curve, but once you get around the curve, launching two at the same time is possible. The lake dropped to 31 percent capacity, falling nearly 2 feet to 672.05 in elevation.

Call: Monte Smith (209) 581-4734; Danny Layne-Fish’n Dan (209) 586-2383; Gary Vella (209) 652-7550; Bait Barn (209) 874-3011

Jacob Rutledge of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield said most anglers heading to Isabella are targeting catfish with super meal worms, mackerel, Katnip Beef Bait, Secret 7 Catfish Bait or Sonny’s Dip Bait. The best fishing is in the South Fork along the long flat by Red’s Marina. The lake’s low water level is discouraging fishermen from launching into the lake. With the low lake levels, a four-wheel-drive vehicle is needed to launch from the dirt ramp near Red’s Marina. There are no marinas or courtesy docks. The lake dropped slightly to 2,522.475feet in elevation and 5 percent capacity. The lower Kern River remained solid for largemouth bass with plastics on a Texas-rig or Carolina-rig from the mouth of the canyon down to Democrat Beach. Zoom Trick Worms or Deadly Duo custom-poured plastics in green pumpkin or watermelon colors are the top baits. There are still few reports from the upper river. Buena Vista has been best for catfish with cut baits.

Call: Bob’s Bait (661) 833-8657; North Fork Marina (760) 376-1812

Sierra Sporting Goods reported outstanding bass action with topwater lures in the early mornings before dropping to the bottom with plastics on the drop-shot by mid-morning. The bass are concentrated in the low water pool and chasing bait in the surface in the mornings and evenings. Live minnows or crawdads also are effective for bank fishermen. Bluegill, catfish or crappie can be taken on live crickets. The lake receded 3 feet to 594.91 in elevation and 9 percent capacity.

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

Chuck Stokke of Sequoia Fishing Co. in Springvill reported a fair to good bass bite at the lake with the fish holding along the main lake points. Fishermen are tossing Senkos, jigs, Zoom lizards or Brush Hogs along the points; in the deeper water, crankbaits are the top choice. The lake is extremely low at 575.32 feet in elevation and 4 percent capacity. Carp have moved into the shallows, and dough bait is the top offering. In the Tule River, the recent rains have resulted in higher water levels, and Stokke found good action for a dozen native trout in the Middle Fork using Woolley Buggers in size 14. The trout are concentrated in the deeper pools and spooking easily in the clear water.

Call: Sequoia Fishing Co. 539-5626, sequoiafishingcompany.com

Lake McClure, extremely low the past three years, has dropped to 8 percent capacity. Bank fishing is the primarily option, but with the lack of boating pressure this past summer and in the decrease in the number of fishermen, bass fishing has been very good from the banks with drop-shot plastics, jigs or Senkos. Anglers have been scoring up to 30 fish with a variety of techniques, but it takes effort to walk to the lake’s edge given the extremely low water conditions. Live minnows or nightcrawlers also are productive from the banks. Small boats can be launched from the Barrett Cove North Ramp, but there is limited parking near the end of the ramp. There are few boats, but kayaks, float tubes or canoes can be launched by hand for anglers willing to make the trek. Bass have overrun the outtakes from the lake into downstream Lake McSwain, and as many bass as holdover rainbows are caught in this normally coldwater afterbay. The Merced River is closed to fishing until Jan. 1 from the Crocker-Huffman Bridge to G Street in Snelling because of warm water conditions, but there are bass to be had closer to the Merced city limits on the river. The lake dropped 1 foot to 605.27 in elevation and 8 percent capacity.

Call: A-1 Bait (209) 563-6505; Bub Tosh (209) 404-0053

The annual Merced Irrigation Derby Fall Trout Derby has been postponed until April 9-10 because of warm water conditions. The McSwain Marina is closed Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Spotted bass are as plentiful as rainbow trout, with the fish arriving over the dam at Lake McClure.

Call: McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534

Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “Bass fishing is very good for numbers with jerkbaits in the early mornings before working the bottom with Senkos or jigs for fish in the 1.5- to 3-pound range. There were striper reports. Catfish from 2- 5 pounds are taken on anchovies or sardines. All vessels must possess a low-emission motor. The lake was rising steadily with releases from the smaller reservoirs upstream, but is now starting to once again release water. Millerton dropped 2 feet to 490.92 in elevation and 36 percent capacity. There are only a few anglers working the lower San Joaquin, and most interest is in the slack water zone in the main river on the west side of Highway 99 with spinnerbaits in the dingy water for largemouth bass. Newman added, “Everything on the San Joaquin is away from town.” Regulations on the lower San Joaquin, and from Friant Dam downstream to the Highway 140 Bridge, allow only two hatchery trout or hatchery steelhead with a total of four in possession.

Call: Fresno Fisherman’s Warehouse 225-1838; Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

At New Melones, the dam has been buoyed off to keep boaters from the current created by water releases, as the water at the outtake has been flowing stronger with the lower lake levels. John Lietchy of Glory Hole Sporting Goods in Angels Camp said, “Normally we can’t see the water movement when releases are occurring.” The boat access at Glory Hole Point has been slightly relocated, and after a few weeks of soft conditions, the gravel launch has hardened. A four-wheel-drive tow vehicle is still highly recommended. Lietchy reported excellent bass action for suspended fish with drop-shot plastics, crankbaits or ripbaits for small, but numerous, fish. He said, “The bass are locked onto the shad schools, and we pulled up to one main lake point and caught and released 15 fish within 25 minutes. However, the same spot only produced another two bass later in the day, so it is a matter of how the combination of wind and schools of fish pushing the bait into the shoreline.” The big bite action is still a few weeks off as the water needs to cool past the current 71- to 73-degree range. Lietchy added, “ I have had the advantage of fishing on the lake throughout the summer, so I have figured out how to target these fish. The combination of cooler nights along with some rain will turn on the overall bite as the warm 80-degree water temperatures make the bass sluggish.” Catfishing is still the best option for the banks as the whiskerfish are cruising the shallows in search of easy meals of the remaining shad pushed up by the bass. Frozen shad, sardines, mackerel or nightcrawlers are all working. Crappie fishing is still fair, and Lietchy advised using light tackle and line in order to entice more strikes from the slabsides. Trout trolling has been extremely slow, but the fish are available for those willing to work deep water in the main river channel. The lake held at 11 percent capacity and 798.40 feet in elevation this week. Tulloch rose 1.5 feet to 500.32 and 83 percent capacity, with more water releases anticipated.

Call: Glory Hole Sports (209) 736-4333; Monte Smith (209) 581-4734; Danny Layne-Fish’n Dan (209) 586-2383; Sierra Sport Fishing (209) 599-2023

Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “Bass fishing is hit or miss with some finding good action with jigs or drop-shot plastics while others are struggling. A few anglers are buying bag anchovies or sardines for catfish.” Bluegill are found around the docks at Deer Creek with wax worms or red worms. No trout reports with trollers heading into the high country. Carp fishing is another option with dough bait in the shallows. The lake dropped 1.5 feet to 721.95 in elevation and 11 percent capacity. In the lower Kings River, interest for planted trout continues to be very slow with few fishermen out with the low flows on the lower river. Power Bait has been the top option. Regulations in the Kings River above and below Pine Flat Dam set the season as running from the last Saturday in April to Nov. 15 from Pine Flat Dam downstream to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Bridge on Pine Flat Road with a five-fish limit. The bridge is the first one west of the dam.

Call: Fresno Fisherman’s Warehouse 225-1838; Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474; Sequoia Fishing Co. 539-5626; The I Forgot Store 787-3689

Alex Tran at Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “Live bait has been providing the best action with extra-large and jumbo minnows picking up linesides at depths from 40-90 feet near the trash racks, the islands and at the mouth of Portuguese Cove. Trolling with trolling jointed plugs such as P-Line Predators, Rebels or Yozuri Crystal Minnows has been slower than the live bait.” Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said that the trolling bite is still slow. “Brett Phillips and I fished hard right after the front came through and the bite was tough with us landing just 7-8 average sized fish, but others had none. We threw the sink at them! Water temps were down to 68 degrees, which should trigger a good reaction bite soon,” George said. The launch ramp at Dinosaur Point is on the second ramp, and there is a submerged berm on the east side of the cove. In the Forebay, numbers of small striped bass are common with pile worms, blood worms or anchovies near Check 12 and along the Highway 152 Bridge. White flukes, Rat-L-Traps, or ripbaits also are starting to produce. The spraying operations have limited the weed growth along the shore, allowing fishermen to cast with less intrusion. The main lake continues to release water at a rapid clip for agricultural and domestic uses, and 3,128 acre-feet was released Monday to bring the lake to 19 percent capacity. Guide Roger George is doing a “Downrigging Striper Setups” seminar at Sportsman’s Warehouse in Fresno from 2-3 p.m. Saturday.

Call: Coyote Bait andTackle (408) 463-0711, Roger George of rogergeorgeguideservice.com (559) 905-2954

Few reports, as it is becoming increasingly difficult to put a boat in the water with the launch ramp close to the point of no return. A few small keeper bass are landed from the shore on plastic worms. The lake has dropped to 47 percent capacity

Call: Todd Wittwer 288-8100; Mike Beighey 642-3748

The high country along Kaiser Pass has been limited mostly to deer or bear hunters, with few fishermen making the trek over the winding and narrow road.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

There is little change at Shaver Lake, with quick limits the rule for trollers. Bank action picked up for some. The boat traffic on the weekends remains solid, but during the week, anglers have it all to themselves with local schools fully in session. Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters said, “We have been scoring limits on every trip since the end of July, and this has pretty much been the way for everyone that is trolling below the surface. If trollers aren’t limiting, it is because they are fishing too close to the surface since the fish are down from 20-40 feet.” He put his clients onto three limits Sunday in cold and windy conditions on the lake. Bank action is heating up, with mother and son, Nikki and Alex Hamilton, scoring limits from 14-17 inches from the shore at the Sierra Marina. Nichols had been fishing near Stevenson and Tunnel Creeks in the upper lake as the fish schools had moved, but after two weeks of good action, he once again returned to his “go-to” spots near Black Rock and the island for multiple limits on his last four trips. Nichols took out Rob Nobles and his sons C.J. and Jon of Oakhurst for three limits on a recent trip. C.J. picked up a trophy trout to 4 pounds. He is working his side poles at depths to 20 feet with a Trout Buster loaded with a piece of nightcrawler behind a weighted Mountain Flasher while sending his downriggers to depths from 30-40 feet with orange Apex lures or Koke Busters tipped with a crawler behind a C.J. Dodger. The trout have been steadily rising in the water column as the water temperatures cool with the surface temperature currently at 67 degrees. Steve Santoro of Fish Box Charters confirmed the solid bite at similar depths and locations to Nichols with limits of rainbows on every trip. At Huntington, the launch ramp is inaccessible for trailered boats, but if a few storms show up within the next month, the experienced brown trout fishermen will drag their aluminum boats to the lake’s edge. Bank fishing remains solid at the mouth of Rancheria Creek or Dams 1 and 2.

Call: Dick’s Fishing Charters 841-2740; Dinkey Creek Inn 841-3435; Rancheria Marina 893-3234; Shaver Lake Sports Inc. 841-2740; Fish Box Charters 871-3937

At Wishon and Courtright, Chuck Crane of the Wishon Village RV Park and Store reported great bank action at the headwaters at Wishon with trout dough bait in pink, orange or Captain America while trolling has slowed down in the past week. He said, “Trollers will have to work hard, and the best action is on the far side of the lake with Speedy Shiners in copper/red or brass/red at 2 to 4 colors of lead core.” The launch ramp is still in the water. The bank areas around the launch ramp and the dam have slowed down after several weeks of heavy fishing pressure. Courtright is producing easy limits of rainbows from 12-18 inches on trout dough bait in similar colors with the best fishing near the dam and below the day-use area. A few anglers are walking the banks and tossing Thomas Buoyants or Kastmaster in brass or copper. The launch ramp is still out of the water.

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

A big swell along the California coast slowed the ling cod counts over the first weekend in October, but rockfish limits remained the rule despite the swell. Sherri Ingles of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing said, “Our two boats of the Queen of Hearts and Riptide returned with limits of rockfish for 55 anglers, but we only had a few lings with the big blow and swell occurring over the weekend.” They canceled Saturday after the arrival of high winds. Salmon fishing is best for private boaters picking up one or two fish per trip trolling in deep water near structure between the buoys, but Ingles added, “This has been one of the worst seasons for salmon fishing for charter boats from Pillar Point south, but rockfishing has been a staple with ling cod scores ranging from good to fair throughout the summer.” Second Captain Michael Cabanas of the Huli Cat worked the coast south of the harbor over the weekend, and they put in a number of school fish Sunday near San Gregorio with ling cod to 10 pounds taken on a live bait rig. Mike Luna from El Granada landed the big fish, and a vermilion rockfish to 5 pounds was landed by Ken Yuen of San Jose. Farther up the coast near San Francisco, Captain Jim Smith of the Happy Hooker out of Berkeley ran south below the Gate on Sunday for three-quarter limits of quality rockfish along with a handful of lings. He said, “We went south after experiencing a smaller grade of rockfish on Saturday, and we were rewarded with five-fish limits of big black rockfish along with a number of Bolinas cod.” Smith has open load trips for the following Sunday, and there is still limited room for the crab opening weekend starting Nov. 7. The salmon are still holding in the harbor, and shore fishermen are congregating near the kayak rental shop to toss bead and yarn on a long leader or casting barbless spinners for the occasional salmon hooked in the mouth. The Dungeness crab season opens Nov. 7, and the Huli Cat out of Pillar Point Harbor will be running crab/rockfish combination trips.

Call: Happy Hooker (510) 223-5388; Roger Thomas, Salty Lady (415) 760-9362; Bait and Switch Sport Fishing Center (650) 726-7133726-7133; Emeryville Sport Fishing (510) 654-6040; Don Franklin, Soleman (510) 703-4148

Chris Arcoleo of Chris’ Landing in Monterey reported loads of rockfish and ling cod for their Sunday charters. A big wind blew through the region Saturday, but the whales still stayed in the middle of the bay. The Check Mate stayed local for 16 limits of rockfish and 25 lings while the Star of Monterey put in 36 limits and 10 lings. The Caroline did fish during Saturday’s winds, and they ended up with 30 ling cod and 16 limits of rockfish. They have room throughout the week, and there is still room for the opening days of Dungeness crab season starting Nov. 7.

Call: Chris’ Landing(831) 375-5951; Bayside Marine (831) 475-2173; usafishing.com

Salmon fishing remains very good up the Marin coast. Captain Roger Thomas on the Salty Lady returned with eight limits of salmon Monday trolling from Duxbury Buoy to the Towers. The Salty Lady out of Sausalito has a open load salmon trip Friday. Rockfish action was limited by the big swell along the coast, but Captain Jim Smith of the Happy Hooker was able to put in limits Saturday, along with a few ling cod. He said, “The grade of fish along the Marin coast was small, so we headed south on Sunday. The lings up the Marin coastline must have bit better on Sunday as the California Dawn put in 30 lings.” The Sea Wolf out of Emeryville slogged out to the Islands in the swell Saturday, and they put in 26 limits of rockfish and 38 lings to 9 pounds. Rockfishing should improve with the swell backing off. Inside the bay, Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle in San Rafael reported the Morningstar out of his harbor put in eight halibut from 10-22 pounds Sunday drifting live bait in Raccoon Straits and along Angel Island for 14 anglers. They also loaded up with nearshore rockfish and a few ling cod. Fraser said, “Sunday’s weather wasn’t great to start the day.” He added that the striped bass are thick in San Pablo Bay, and shore fishermen are scoring with mudsuckers, grass shrimp or shiners. He is gearing up as the only North Bay outlet for the Rio Vista Striped Bass Derby this weekend. Jim Smith reported that a private angler was plugging off Crissy Field and landed a limit of striped bass Sunday.

Rockfishing was amazing over the weekend, with limits on all party boats heading out of the San Luis Obispo ports. The Endeavor out of Morro Bay Landing had the score of the weekend on a 12-hour long-range trip Saturday with 31 limits of rockfish including 250 vermilion rockfish along with 74 ling cod to 18 pounds. The big fish was taken by Billy Hopkins of Bakersfield. Out of Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay, the Fiesta returned with 16 limits Monday, with 32 vermilion and 128 assorted rockfish along with 15 ling cod to 14.8 pounds. Out of Port San Luis, the Avenger scored 24 limits of rockfish composed of 18 copper, 72 vermilion, and 150 assorted along with 28 ling cod to 10 pounds. There is live bait at Port San Luis and at Morro Bay Landing. The Avila Beach Pier is closed, but the Harford Pier at Port San Luis remains open. The John Rowley Ling Cod Tournament is Dec. 12; the largest ling cod each week serves as a qualifier. Jacob Rutledge of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported excellent surf perch action along the beaches with blood worms as several anglers from the Valley continue to hit the coast.

Call: Virg’s Landing, (805) 772-1222; (800) 762-5263; Patriot Sports Fishing (805) 595-4100; Port Side Marine Sports Launch (805) 595-7214

The Rio Vista Bass Derby and Festival is this weekend, and local bait shops are gearing up by providing bait reservations. This is the oldest and largest striped bass contest on the West Coast, and the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers will be full of fishermen from Friday through Sunday afternoon. Information is available at bassfestival.com. Bait shops from Freeport to Benicia are preparing for the event with live mudsuckers, fresh shad, and a few shops will be carrying live ghost and even grass shrimp. Salmon fishing in the Freeport area has been outstanding for some and a struggle for others, depending on when the schools of fish are moving through. Tim Boggs of Tim’s Guide Service had an great day for salmon in the Freeport area earlier in the week, putting his three clients onto three salmon jigging Salmon Slammer spoons in green/black, purple and dark Green. Bryan Perry, Jessica Perry and Jeff Williams landed salmon from 17-23 pounds with another two hookups coming unbuttoned. Boggs said, “I counted another 14 salmon being landed in the area, and it is important to add some gel to the spoons such as sardine, herring, or anise in order to entice more strikes. When using anise, use only a small drop as anise is really strong, but also really good!” In the Old Sacramento River, Clyde Wands, shallow trolling expert, was trolling for salmon near Walnut Grove in preparation for Saturday's Central Valley Angler’s Salmon Derby, and he said, “The salmon were very active today, but so were the sea lions. We lost a salmon right off the bat to a sea lion and lost two more that came unbuttoned. There was one spot that the sea lions were sticking close to, and of course, that’s where the fish were.” For striped bass, J.D.Richey of Richey’s Sport Fishing has been working the north Delta for solid action in all levels of the water column. The overcast conditions early in the week created an excellent topwater bite, and they hooked a huge fish in the 20-pound range that blew up on a topwater bait before taking off on a massive run and coming unbuttoned. He said, “There are tons of small fish, but you can locate some in the 10- to 12-pound range.” He also has been working with white swimbaits or custom spoons in other sections of the water column. Alan Fong of the Fisherman’s Warehouse in Sacramento reported Liberty Island is still holding some stripers, but high winds early in the week made for difficult conditions. Brackish water conditions as far east as Sherman Lake have kept many stripers in this section of the river, and he has heard reports of small jellyfish around Sherman Island. Mark Wilson, striper trolling expert, has been working downriver in the Montezuma Slough, Collinsville and Broad Slough areas, and he said, “It seems that the larger fish have moved out, and the bigger fish have moved in, but it seems like this occurs for a week or so each year.” He have been averaging about eight keeper stripers to 21 inches along with a similar number of shakers running Rat-L-Traps in shallow water along both sides of Broad Slough and in the shoals. For sturgeon, Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait said, “The best action appears to be in deep water around the Pittsburg PGE Plant, but most fishermen are working in shallow water.” The sturgeon generally stack up in the deep hole in front of the power plant, but it is difficult to hold on the anchor in the area. In Suisun Bay, Lopez said, “There were at least 30 salmon landed at the Dillon Point State Park on Saturday, and a few fishermen were able to pick up limits.” Vee-Zee and Flying C spinners are the top lures. First Street remains slow for salmon with the majority of fishermen and fish taking place at the State Park. In the San Joaquin River, hyacinth and hydrilla are accumulating in the south Delta, making for difficult angling conditions from the banks in certain sloughs. Overall, the striped bass bite is best along the western edge of the San Joaquin River, while the Delta was inundated with bass fishermen on the weekend participating in the River2Sea Open out of Russo’s Marina. Fong said, “There were some impressive weights during day one of the tournament with the leader at over 30 pounds.” Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, said, “The striper and largemouth bass bite is off the hook in the California Delta.” Largemouth bass can be taken on a variety of techniques including the Flat Dog, Bottom Hopper or Chigger Craw flipped up along the shore with rocks and sparse weeds. He said, “Work it slowly, and you will catch a number of smaller bass along with the occasional 5- to 7-pounder.” The opportunity for topwater lasts throughout the day as the window has expanded, and the ima Helly P prop bait is a good option as it makes a disturbance on the surface. The ima Little Stick is another solid lure for topwater action. There is a crankbait bite with crawdad, bluegill and shad, and Pringle advised adding shad-patterned to your arsenal as the shad schools are thick throughout the east Delta. They have been picking up striped bass from 18-20 pounds in shallow water from the bank to 8 feet with moving current. Striper schools are thick, and Pringle is catching and releasing a number of fish using the topwater lures or with the Optima Double AA Bubba Shad, which has a wider profile but still swims effectively. He advised only keeping a few stripers in the 3- to 5-pound range for the table and releasing everything over 10 pounds in order to spawn. He said, “Only keep what you can eat right away, as the fish tacos from stripers are best when they are fresh. Don’t freeze the meat and let the big ones go.” Doug Chapman of Gotcha Bait in Antioch reported live bait has been the key for quality stripers, with the largest fish of more than 30 inches taken on live bluegill or mudsuckers. The Antioch Fishing Pier has been busy with several stripers in the 20-inch-plus range landed on fresh shad, mudsuckers, or pile worms. Bluegill are abundant in all of the sloughs with wax worms or jumbo red worms. In the Stockton area, Brandon Gallegos of H and R Bait reported hyacinth and hydrilla have clogged up Whiskey Slough, making access off Bacon Island Road and Whiskey Slough Road difficult for bank fishermen. The saltwater barrier in False River is starting to be dismantled, but boaters are advised to follow all warning signs in this section of the river.

Call: Randy Pringle (209) 543-6260; Captain Stan Koenigsberger – Quetzal Adventures (925) 570-5303; Intimidator Sport Fishing (916) 806-3030

Lopez and Nacimiento are the only coastal lakes where boats can be launched, given the low water conditions. The launch ramp at Lopez is anticipated to remain open for the rest of the season as the lake is holding at 34 percent capacity. There are a number of upcoming tournaments scheduled for Lopez and Nacimiento. Santa Margarita is very low. Santa Margarita is at less than 15 percent capacity, but the marina store is open for supplies and rental vessels. San Antonio remains closed.

Call: Lake Nacimiento (805) 238-1056, ext. 3; Lake San Antonio Marina (805) 472-2818; Central Coast Bass Fishing.com (805) 466-6557

• Sierra Bass Club 2-Day Derby on Sept. 26-27 at the Delta: 1, Jat Bradshaw/Bruce Milam 25.47 pounds; 2, Gary Johnson/Bob Hamasaki 23.06 (big fish, Johnson 6.32); 3, Bill Rowles Jr. 20.46
• Central Valley Anglers Salmon Derby on Oct. 3 at Delta/Wimpy’s Marina on the Mokelumne: 1, Steve Quintal 18 pounds, 4 ounces; 2, Dan Loomis 16 pounds, 4 ounces.; 3, Kenny McDonald 15 pounds, 14 ounces
• River2Sea Open on Oct. 3-4 at Delta/Russo’s Marina: 1, Rosetti/Rossetti 49.47 pounds; 2, Pulliam/Andrews 47.66; 3, Groenewold/Williams 43.99

• Friday-Sunday: 65th annual Rio Vista Bass Derby at Rio Vista, bassfestival.com
• Saturday: Sonora Bass Club at Delta/B and W Resort; Kerman Bass Club at Bass Lake; Visalia Bass Club at Kaweah; Taft Bass Club at Lopez
• Saturday: “Downrigging Tactics and Lures for Stripers.” Roger George will bring his 21-foot Starcraft guide boat and conduct the striper seminar from 2-3 p.m. in the parking lot at the new Fresno Sportsman’s Warehouse
• Saturday-Sunday: Angler’s Choice at Delta/Russo’s Marina
• Sunday: Bass 101 at New Melones; Kings VIII Bass Club at Eastman
• Oct. 17: Delta Dan’s Outdoors Catch, Photo, and Release Striper Derby at Delta/Big Break Marina; Manteca Bassin’ Buddies at Don Pedro; Kern County Bassmasters at Pine Flat; Golden Empire Bass Club at Kaweah; Lake Isabella Bass Club at Isabella; Bakersfield Bass Club at Nacimiento; 101 Bass at Lopez
• Oct. 17-18: Fresno Bass Club at Delta/B and W Resort
• Oct. 18: Tracy Bass Club at Delta/Tracy Oasis; Hook, Line, and Sinker at Delta/Russo’s Marina; Kings River Bass Club at Pine Flat; 101 Bass at Nacimiento
• Oct. 24: Fishaholics Striper Derby at California Aqueduct-Kettleman City Fishing Access, thefishaholics.com, midnight to noon; Sierra Bass Club at McClure
• Oct. 25: Stockton Bass Club at Delta/Ladd’s Marina; Success Bass Club at Kaweah
• Oct. 30-31: California Bass Federation at New Melones

• Tuolumne County: Moccasin Creek

This story was originally published October 6, 2015 at 5:19 PM with the headline "Fishing Report: Week of Oct. 6."