Central California fishing report Nov. 12: Delta stripers and sturgeon biting
Fishing report compiled by California Outdoors Hall of Fame member Dave Hurley and edited by Roger George, who guides in the greater Fresno area and holds the striper record at Millerton Lake.
Best bets
Delta stripers and sturgeon bites good, Jeff Soo Hoo said. Westside waterway striper and catfish action improves, Tas Moua reported. Don Pedro bass and trout hitting, Monte Smith said. Isabella bass and trout the best bets, Copes Tackle reported. Shaver trout plants spur on the bite, Dick Nichols said. McSwain trout bite good, Dave Hurley reported.
Rankings key below: 4: Fish are jumping in the boat. 3: Good fishing. 2: Decent fishing. 1: Poor fishing. 0: Don’t bother
Unless noted, area code is 559
Valley/Westside waterways
Striper 3 Catfish 3
Tas Moua of 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle reported good action from Pole Line near the power plant south to Manning Ave and from Highway 198 toward Kettleman City in the bends, bridges, and piles with jerkbaits or topwater lures when they are boiling on the surface. Moua said, “If you aren’t seeing them on the surface, an umbrella rig can help you find them.” In the southern section of the aqueduct, Cope’s Rod and Tackle in Bakersfield reported strong action for both catfish and striped bass in the aqueduct near Bakersfield. Cut bait, white Flukes on a jig head, topwater lures, or jerkbaits are working best for striped bass while catfish are biting readily on cut sardines, anchovies, chicken liver, or Triple S dip bait. Largemouth bass were active in the slower moving sections of the canal with topwater Poppers or plastics on brown or dark green on a drop-shot.
A map of the 16 designated fishing locations on the California Aqueduct can be accessed through this link: https://water.ca.gov/-/media/DsWR-Website/Web-Pages/What-We-Do/Recreation/Files/230424_SWP-Fishing-Guildines-Locations_Online_FINAL.pdf.
Call: Valley Rod & Gun, Clovis 292-3474; Cope’s Tackle and Rod, Bakersfield – (661) 679-6351
Eastman Lake/Hensley Lake
Bass 2 Trout 2 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
At Eastman, Tas Moua reported an overall tough bass bite with the best action in the shallow brush in the river arm, but the bite turns off when there is excessive boat traffic in the area. Suspended fish to 5 pounds are taken by shaking a Mooch Minnow or a Dep’s Sakamata Shad, but most of the bass are in the 1- to 1.5-pound range. At Hensley, Moau reported bass anglers have been cranking around deep rockpiles, but the action is ‘hit or miss.’ Eastman held at 474.45 feet in elevation and 10 percent with Hensley rising slightly to 456.54 feet in elevation and 9%. No bass tournaments are scheduled through the end of the year. The first trout plants of the year are scheduled for both Eastman and Hensley this coming week.
Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255; 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle 515-6273. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hensley Lake Hidden Dam 673-5151
Lake Don Pedro
Bass 3 Trout 3 Kokanee 1King salmon 2 Crappie 2
Trout plants have added numbers of catchable size rainbows into the lake, and Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing said, “We are already finding the recently planted trout as deep as 75 feet with shad patterned spoon.” Smith was out on Saturday with two clients, and they landed limits of planters along with three holdovers fast trolling his custom spoons, Optimizer’s Jrs., or ExCels at depths from 50 to 60 feet. Smith added, “The temperature from the surface to 60 feet is 65 degrees, but it cools off to 56/57 degrees below 60 feet. The water isn’t cold enough yet to push the rainbows into the shallows, and the birds and bait were mostly absent. We also slowed down with Wiggle Hoochies or Apex lures behind a dodger, and we released several of the small trout on these setups. The big fish don’t hang around with the smaller fish.”
Anglers have been fishing off the docks at Fleming Meadows despite the docks being restricted for fishing, and there have been several of the catchable trout floating on the surface near the launch ramp after being released by shore anglers. For bass, Aaron Jones of Central Valley Bait in Modesto reported the bass are either holding from 5 feet to the banks or at depths from 50 to 70 feet, and they are chasing shad. He said, “They want reaction baits right now, and spoons, walking baits, or umbrella rigs are all working. They aren’t chasing shad throughout the lake, but you can find them boiling on the surface all day long. A lot of anglers are using Forward Facing Sonar and shaking a minnow or a fluke, but if you don’t have sonar, it’s best to cover lots of water with crankbaits or spoons to find them. We caught and released between 20 and 30 largemouth bass this week with only one spotted bass in the mix.” 785.70 feet in elevation and 75%. Four club bass tournaments are scheduled in November. A self-inspection is required for launching. Trout plants are scheduled for the next two weeks.
Call: Monte Smith, Gold Country Sport Fishing (209) 581-4734; Central Valley Bait and Tackle (209) 312-9417.
Lake Isabella/Bakersfield area
Bass 3Trout 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Bluegill 3
The lake dropped over a foot to 2562.02 feet in elevation and 32% of capacity. Cope’s Rod and Tackle in Bakersfield reported a continued strong bass bite with Rapala DT 10 or DT 14 crankbaits in shad or brown crawdad patterns. 3/8th-ounce brown or black football jigs off Rocky Point and Piney Point in 15 to 25 feet of water are also effective. Anglers are having to work a bit harder for crappie, but slabs can be found around Red’s Marina or French Gulch Marina on mini jigs or small shiners. The catfish bite has also tapered off with the cooler weather, but whiskerfish are still being taken on SSS dip bait, shad, and cut mackerel. Trout fishing has been a bit tougher, though a few are being found in the North Fork on artificials. A trout plant from the Department of Fish and Wildlife is scheduled this week.
In the upper Kern River, Cope’s reported trout plants continued throughout the 20-Mile stretch, and limits are possible with salmon eggs, jigs, pinched crawlers, or live crickets. Fly anglers are also finding success using nymphs and dry-dropper setups. In the lower Kern River, trout have been active around Keysville with trout jigs or spinners. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are biting well on small crankbaits, jigs, or spinners, and catfish are being caught on Triple S Dip Bait, nightcrawlers, or cut baits. Additional trout plants are scheduled in Section 4 (Riverside Park in Kernville to Powerhouse #3) for the next two weeks. The flows in the upper Kern River held at 250 cfs at Kernville while water releases out of the lake dropped from 893 to 551 cfs at First Point.
Call: Cope’s Tackle and Rod (661) 679-6351;
Lake Kaweah
Bass 3 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 3
The lake rose nearly 2 feet to 602.01 feet in elevation and 11%. Cope’s reported good bass action with spots taken on small jigs or plastics in Oxblood, Baitfish, or purple on a drop-shot rig on a slow presentation. Crappie fishing has been slow with few reports. The Kaweah River held at 83 cfs at Three Rivers. No bass tournaments are scheduled through the end of the year. A trout plant is scheduled for this week.
Call: Cope’s Tackle and Rod (661) 679-6351;
Success
Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2
The lake rose a half foot to 599.20 feet in elevation and 14%. Cope’s reported decent bass fishing for fish in 2- to 5-pound range on finesse baits or Senkos at depths from 10 to 30 feet with larger bass landed on jigs, crankbaits, or Huddleston swimbaits near submerged trees. Crappie action is best around the marina or in submerged trees while catfish provided steady action with Triple S Dip Bait or chicken liver.
Call: Cope’s Tackle and Rod (661) 679-6351;
McClure Reservoir
Bass 2 Trout 2 King salmon 2 Kokanee 0 Crappie 2 Catfish 2
Aaron Jones of Central Valley Bait in Modesto reported it is harder to locate schooling fish here, but jigs, flukes, or minnows are working best for spotted bass. With the recent trout plant, rainbow trout patterned swimbaits are starting to be effective for the larger bass. A trout plant occurred this week with 1000 pounds of Calaveras Trout Farm rainbows at McClure Point. The lake held at 795.87 feet in elevation and 59%. The lake is hosting 6 club tournaments in November.
Call: Central Valley Bait and Tackle (209) 312-9417.
Lake McSwain
Trout 3
2125 pounds of rainbow trout from the Calaveras Trout Farm were released this week, and the banks became busy with anglers scoring up to easy limits on Power Bait, inflated nightcrawlers, or Kastmasters from the normal locations of Handicapped Docks, the Brush Pile, or the peninsula between the Marina are the best options. Holdover rainbows have moved into the river arm, and trolling is the best option for these larger fish. The lake dropped to 78%.
Call: McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534.
Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River
Bass 2 Striped bass 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 3 Crappie 2
The Big Valley High School Anglers, a group made up of students from Fresno area high schools, hosted the California High School Angler Tournament Trail on Sunday. Club adviser, Michael Spencer, reported, “The California High School Angler Tournament Trail invaded Millerton Lake on Sunday putting 55 teams on the water for its third stop of the 25/26 season, marking the largest youth tournament ever hosted in the South Valley and showing the growing strength of youth tournament bass fishing in the state.
Unfortunately for the young angers, Millerton was in no mood to meet the moment with any sense of generous hospitality. There were 18 teams unable to bring a fish to the scales, and another 10 that only managed a single keeper on the day. In short, the bite was tough, but 18 teams did manage to grind out a limit including local Big Valley HSA teammates Brennan James and Caden Lum from Clovis North High School who used a 4-inch shad colored Robo Worm to bring in 9.15 pounds and a third-place finish. Lum said “The bite was for sure tough, but we stayed patient. The fish didn’t want the bait moving much at all, so there was a lot of just standing there waiting.” James agreed, adding, “We found plenty of fish between 20 and 50 feet but getting them to bite wasn’t easy. It was all about staying positive throughout the day and being ready when something finally did happen.” James and Lum fished out of the boat of volunteer boater, and local tournament angler Mike Pawlowski of the Sierra Bass Club. Noah Nguyen and Tyler Peterson from the East County Student Anglers team brought 11.25 pounds to the scales anchored by the day’s second biggest fish at 3.23 caught by Nguyen. Nguyen said, “We dragged hula grubs through rocks in 20 to 60 feet of water.” Peterson added, “Dragging the bait super slow was key. If you moved it through the rocks even a little fast there were no bites.”
The winning team said the winning color was cinnamon/brown with purple flake and they had the hula grubs on a 3/8th ounce football head jig. Long-time tournament angler Bob Jones of the Fresno Bass Club was their boater, and his local knowledge was a huge help for the winning team.” The flows in the San Joaquin River at Friant held at 466 cfs. Sycamore Island is open every day from 6:00 am to 5:30 pm. The lake dropped slightly to 512.82 feet in elevation and 49%. There is one more club bass tournament in November and one in December. Another trout plant is scheduled at Woodward Park this week and again the week of November 24.
Call: Fresno 559 Bait and Tackle 515-6273.
New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch
Bass 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 2
Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Sport Fishing reported a continued slowdown for the lake’s rainbow trout as you must work to find them. On Monday, Wise put his clients onto limits of trout working stickbaits at 2.5 MPH at depths to 55 feet. He said, “It took a bit to find fish, but once we did, it was on with doubles through the afternoon.” The bass are either suspended deep in the shad schools or working shallow toward the banks. Finding shad is the key as the spotted bass are chasing bait, sometimes on the surface. The most consistent action has been with spoons or plastics on the drop-shot once the shad schools are located. Downstream Lake Tulloch established the 30-day quarantine process to allow boating for inspected boats after the quarantine period is completed, and November/December are prime months for Tulloch trout in the clear water conditions. New Melones rose slightly to 1015.45 feet in elevation and 67% with downstream Tulloch holding at 84%. A trout plant is scheduled at New Melones the week of November 17.
Call: Kyle Wise, Headhunter Guide Service (209) 531-3966; Monte Smith (209) 581-4734; John Liechty, Xperience Fishing Guide Service (209) 743-9932
Pine Flat Reservoir/Kings River
Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 0 King salmon 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Tas Moua reported an overall tough bass bite, and the key is to be around the shad schools. He said, “The bass are either holding at depths from 50 to 70 feet or holding along steep banks with chunk rock. Jigs or plastics on a Neko-rig or drop-shot are working for the fish along the banks, and if the shad are absent, plastics in Oxblood, watermelon, or crawdad pattern are best. The Motor City Throwdown Bass Tournament is this coming Saturday at Pine Flat. In the lower Kings River, more trout plants are scheduled for the next two weeks, and limits remain been commonplace with the heavy planting over the past month.
The easily accessed locations remain crowded. Roostertails, Panther Martin’s, Joe’s Flies, salmon eggs, live crickets, or Power Bait are all working. The conditions are excellent with the slightly higher flows at 536 at Trimmer. The catch-and-release section is located below the Alta Weir (also known as Cobbles Weir) extending downstream to the Highway 180 bridge. This area is considered a zero limit, catch-and-release zone where only artificial lures with barbless hooks are allowed. The lake rose over 2 feet in the past week to 785.32 feet in elevation and 27%. Two club bass tournaments are scheduled in November. The first trout plant of the year is scheduled at Avocado Lake the week of November 17 with another the week of December 1.
Call: 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle 515-6273; ‘Fishing with Jimmy T’ on YouTube.
San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay
Striper 2 Catfish 2 Bass 2 Crappie 2
The water level in the main lake held at 52% for the second consecutive week. Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “Most anglers are trying to force the bite in the early mornings, searching for boils, but most of the boils are showing up in the main lake in the afternoons. Once the bass are found on the surface, Zara Spooks, Rat-L-Traps, or jerkbaits are working for schoolie stripers. The water temperature remains warm at 67/68 degrees. The coming storms should cool down the water a few degrees, and the shad will be coming closer to the surface.”
Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said that the early bite in Lone Oak has been producing schoolies and a few fish to 15 lbs for guys throwing jigs. “ “ The early bite is producing some decent action in Portuguese Cove, but once the sun comes up it slows and stops. The troll bite has been up and down lately – with the 50-70’ range being the overall best bet with 5” stick baits trolled on riggers over the flats . I fished with Martin Dieck and his son Logan (19) on Monday and the bite was slow, but we ended up with 14 fish- mainly trolling Lucky Crafts in the main lake- topped by a new PB , 31”, 11 lber for Martin that we released . It wasn’t easy, but we kept covering ground.” George said.
The O’Neill Forebay remains the best location for numbers of small undersized striped bass with boils found in the afternoon around the Twin Islands. Keitech swimbaits in sizes 2.8- to 4-inch or 4-inch flukes in shad patterns are working for numbers of 15- to 17-inch stripers with the occasional legal fish. Tas Moua reported nightcrawlers are effective for striped bass around Check 12 when the pumps are working in the mornings or just before sunset. The forebay rose to 86%. New measures to stop the spread of golden mussels have been adopted by the Department of Water Resources, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and California State Parks. These include mandatory watercraft inspections of all vessels leaving San Luis Reservoir are now in place and will help prevent the spread of mussel to other lakes and reservoirs. To help reduce the risk of mussel colonization, DWR has implemented routine inspections of SWP facilities and expanded its efforts by applying new strategies to protect pumping plants, hydroelectric plants, and water supply deliveries. To check the real time wind conditions on the lake - use windfinder.com/forecast/san_luis_reservoir. Los Banos Creek Reservoir is closed to public access through April 2026.
Call: Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711, Roger George, rogergeorgeguideservice.com (559) 905-2954
High Sierra
Bass Lake
Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 1
Captain Mike Beighey of Bass Lake Fishing reported the lake is dropping fast, and it will be only a short period of time until only small boats are able to launch. He said, “I’m sure there’s plenty of fish out there at 8 to 20 feet waiting to be caught as the water temperature is dropping so fishing shallow is probably the best bet. Dick’s or Rocky Mountain’s Tackle tipped with a pink Maggot or piece of nightcrawler is your best option for trout.” Chris Counts of Fresno was on the lake Saturday, and he reported a slow overall bite with only six trout to the boat. Tas Moau of 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle reported the bass are starting to move deep from 20 to 30 feet. Shore anglers have been finding a few trophy trout with Roostertails near the Sheriff’s Tower. A webcam is available at https://www.basslakeca.com/bass-lake-webcam-1. No bass tournaments are scheduled in November. Tout plants are scheduled for the week of November 17 and 24.
Call: Tas Moua, Fresno 559 Bait and Tackle 515-6273.
Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool
There is potential for inclement weather this week, and access to the high-country lakes may be limited. Water releases during at the High Sierra lakes have slowed down but they are steadily dropping with Edison to 32, Florence to 26%, and Mammoth Pool to 36%. Road conditions are available at the High Sierra Ranger Station – 855-5355 or https://www.fs.usda.gov/sierra.
Road conditions 297-0706.
Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000
Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Bass 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 2
Shaver Lake guide emeritus, Dick Nichols of Mountain Tackle, reported, “The recent plant of catchable rainbow trout from the Department of Fish and Wildlife has contributed to great action over the past week. In addition, 2500 fingerling brown trout were also released, and these will grow to catchable size over the next few seasons. David Giel of Sanger was out with his father this week, and they caught and released three limits of rainbows from 12 to 16 inches along with a single kokanee that they shook at the side of the boat. There hot spots were from the dam to the point and between Fisherman’s Cabins to Eagle Point with pink Mountain Hoochies or Shaver Lake Trout Buster’s tipped with garlic corn behind a Dick’s Mountain Dodger in either watermelon or Sunset.
On Friday, Dave Loftin of Visalia was out solo, and he reported excellent fishing working in a circular pattern from Sierra Marina to the dam and back in the center of the lake to catch and release both trout and spawning kokanee including a 23-inch/4-pound brown trout trolling Shaver Trout Busters with a white Berkeley Honey Worm behind a Dick’s unweighted Mountain Flasher with a 100 feet set back on one rod for the trout along with a Dick’s pink Koke Buster tipped with the Honey Worm behind a Dick’s Doc Barb Mountain Dodger at 30 feet deep and a 70 foot set back the downrigger for a limit of spawning kokanee. Jarrett Watson, fishing department manager at Shaver Lake Sports added, ‘I had 3 fishermen who came in and said they had caught their limits of spawning 2nd and 3rd year kokanee trolling at depth from 10 to 15 feet with Koke Busters in orange along with pink or Doom Mountain Hoochies behind Dick’s Mountain Dodgers in Doc Barb, watermelon, or Lady Jane.’”
Check the Sierra Marina webcam at http://www.sierramarina.com/webcam-weather-page.html for conditions. Shaver held at 67 with upstream Huntington rising to 70%.
Call: Todd Wittwer, Kokanee.net Guide Service 288-8100; Paul Brown 300-4001.
Wishon/Courtright
Trout 0
Access to both Wishon and Courtright has reopened, but the docks are not in the water at either lake. The McKinley Grove Road opened last Friday, but with the coming winter storm, it may be closed. Anglers are advised to check road conditions before heading into the high country, and with the winter closure of the Wishon Village RV Park and Store, bring all needed supplies.
Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361
Ocean
Half Moon Bay
Rockfish 3 Striper 2 Halibut 2 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3 crabs 3
Rockfish/crab combo trips are the story, and the New Captain Pete posted limits of both crab and rockfish on Saturday with limits of rockfish and 8/crab per anglers on Sunday. Snares are producing up to 10/crab limits for anglers off the Pacifica Pier, but the pier remains crowded. It was closed for a few days during the past week, and it will be closed again on Friday, November 14 and will remain CLOSED until Saturday, November 15, 2025, at 4:00 a.m. due to Due to the upcoming projected wind and storm activity.
Call: Captain Melynda Dodds, New Captain Pete (512) 825- 8225; Captain Chris Chang, Ankeny Street (650) 279-8819;
Monterey/Santa Cruz
Rockfish 3 Halibut 2 Striper 2 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3
Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait in Morgan Hill reported a continued excellent surf perch bite in the Pajaro Dunes area with the same baits of motor oil/red flake grubs as the fish haven’t transitioned to a rip bait bite. Striped bass remain ‘hit or miss.’
Rockfishing remains outstanding with all depth restrictions lifted, and Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching out of Monterey posted a very healthy lingcod count with 25 lings along with 27 limits of rockfish on Sunday. Crabbing in this area requires working deep water to 300 feet, and Chris’s boats are focusing upon rockfish only.
Call: Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching (831) 375-5951; Allen Bushnell, Santa Cruz Kayak and Surf Casting (831) 251-9732
Golden Gate/San Francisco Bay
Halibut 2 Striper 2 Rockfish 3 Leopard shark 3 Sturgeon 2Crab 3
Limits of big Dungeness crab remain the rule, and when the weather is cooperating, limits of rockfish are a bonus. The California Dawn 2 was out on Monday for 32 limits of both rockfish and crab while the Cal Dawn 1 returned with 23 limits of crab along with near limits for 19 customers at 175 rockfish and 1 lingcod. The Happy Hooker out of Berkeley has also been loading up with limits of crab along with ½ limits of rockfish in rougher conditions at the Farallons on Sunday. Out of Sausalito, the Salty Lady has been finding limits of quality crab along with rockfish limits at the islands. The story is similar further north with the New Sea Angler out of Bodega Bay loading up with a combined 52 limits of crab to 3 pounds and rockfish along with a handful of lingcod working the local reefs.
After a weekend of \crab and rockfish at the islands, Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions out of San Francisco stayed in San Pablo Bay for quick limits of striped bass in the 25- to 28-inch range. Few boats are targeting striped bass in the bay now, but the linesides are still there for the taking. Live bait is no longer available, but some of the party boats will have a small supply of live bait remaining in their individual receivers.
Call: Captain Ron Koyasako, Nautilus Excursions (916) 704-4169; Captain Jerad Davis, Salty Lady (415) 760-9362; Captain Steve Mitchell, Hook’d Up Sport Fishing (707) 655-6736; Happy Hooker (510) 223-5388
San Luis Obispo
Rockfish 3 Surf perch 3
Rockfish limits were once again the story out of Morro Bay and Port San Luis on Sunday with two boats from Morro Bay Landing returning with 36 limits of rockfish consisting of 305 assorted, 25 vermilion, 22 Boccaccio, 7 copper, and one cabezon to go with an ocean whitefish and 7 lingcod to 15 pounds. Out of Patriot Sport Fishing in Port San Luis, one boat was out on Sunday with 20 passengers for limits composed of 198 assorted, a vermilion, and copper to go with two lingcod to 10 pounds. Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay had two trips out on Sunday with 27 limits of assorted rockfish and 16 lingcod on a ½-day trip on the Fiesta with the Rita G scoring 20 limits of rockfish including 34 vermilion to go with 9 lingcod on a 12-hour Papa Jig’s sponsored trip. The Black Pearl out of Morro Bay is running a Lingcod Lotto every Monday and Friday on their 6- to 8- hour trips with every legal ling cod entered into a weekly drawing for a free trip.
Call: Virg’s Landing (800) 762-5263; Patriot Sport Fishing (805) 595-4100; Morro Bay Landing
Others
Delta/Stockton
Bass 2 Striper 3 Sturgeon 3 Catfish 2 Bluegill 3
Striped bass are finally making a strong push further into the Delta, and there are schools of linesides outside of Antioch and migrating into both the San Joaquin and Sacramento sides. This week’s anticipated rain should continue this trend with more striped bass leaving San Francisco Bay towards the Delta as the water temperatures are cooling and fresh water is starting to flow. After a week of king tides, the tides are settling down, and sturgeon fishing remains strong in Suisun Bay. For largemouth bass, the bite will turn around soon, but it’s the same story of plenty of small fish with finding the bigger models creating a challenge. After a lengthy reconstruction project, the public pier in Martinez has reopened for fishing.
For striped bass Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing out of Lauritzen’s Yacht Harbor in Oakley put in six limits of quality linesides drifting live mudsuckers in Broad Slough and outside the Antioch Harbor in less than an hour. He said, “They are stacked up, but the fog has been very thick in the morning, requiring boaters to be very cautious. Both sides of the Delta still have a lot of floating hyacinth along with floating wood, but it is still fishable with caution. There were fish on the West Bank for trollers early in the week, and it is a matter of time before they reform from Rio Vista to Collinsville.”
Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoorsman in Stockton, was out on the Sacramento side, and he reported limits of stripers to 8 pounds drifting mudsuckers near Collinsville. Wang also reported striped bass holding in the Grant Line Canal near Tracy along with crappie on minijigs or live minnows off 8 Mile Road east of Stockton.
The stripers in the south Delta are a sign that the fish are trickling in through the central Delta from Prisoner’s Point toward Stockton and into Frank’s Tract. Largemouth bass action remains fair with plenty of small fish taken on jerkbaits, chatterbaits, or crankbaits with the best action on the low, incoming tide. The water temperature is averaging between 64 and 66 degrees in the central Delta.
The Central Valley Anglers held their fall striper derby out of B and W Resort on the Mokelumne River on Saturday with a great turnout of 51 anglers vying for the target-length of 27.575 inches. Club spokesman, Ted Handel of Lodi, said, “Fishing was good with many fish brought to the measuring table. Bait was the most consistent producer.”
For white sturgeon, Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing out of Pittsburg Marina was out on Monday with a family, and each of the youngsters was able to reel in two sturgeon in the former slot-range as they went six sturgeon for seven hook ups. Mitchell said, “The tides were really small, but we were able to get them to go.”
Call: Steve Mitchell, Hook’d Up Sport Fishing (707) 655-6736; Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, (209) 543-6260; Soo Hoo Sport Fishing (925) 899- 4045.
Events:
Cal Expo Sacramento – International Sportsmen’s Exposition – January 15-18. Information: https://www.sportsexpos.com/attend/sacramento/.
Tournament Results:
Pine Flat – Tulare Police Activities League/Bass 101 – November 1st: 1st – Allen/Dov. – 11.65 pounds; 2nd – Tim/Tony – 10.87 (Big Fish – 5.76); 3rd – Bill/Corey – 9.32.
Delta/B and W Resort – Central Valley Anglers Fall Striped Bass Derby – Target Length – 27 5/8th inches- November 8th: 1st – Darryl Dennis – 27.25 inches; 2nd – Mark Abalos – 27.125 inches; 3rd – Andy Li – 27.125 inches.
Millerton - California High School Angler Tournament Trail – November 9th: 1st – Noah Nguyen/Tyler Peterson of the East County Student Anglers with boater Bob Jones – 11.25 pounds; 2nd – Murdoc McGinnis/Andrew Norberto of the Folsom Lake Student Anglers with boater Todd McGinnis – 10.93 (Big Fish – 3.70- Norberto; 3rd – Brennan Jones/Caden Lum of the Big Valley High School Anglers with boater Mike Pawlowski – 9.15.
Upcoming tournaments (dates and locations subject to change)
Note – tournaments scheduled for New Melones, Camanche, Tulloch, or Pardee are subject to change and will not be listed
November 8th –
New Hogan – Sonora Bass Anglers
Don Pedro – Contra Costa Bass Club
Millerton – Kerman Bass Club
November 9th –
McClure – Riverbank Bass Club
Millerton – Big Valley High School Association/Kings VIII Bass Club
November 15/16th –
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Nor Cal Bass Tournament of Champions
November 15th –
Don Pedro – Tri Valley Bass Masters
McClure – Christian Bass League/Gilroy Bass Masters
Millerton – Sierra Bass Club
Pine Flat – Cope’s Tackle and Rod
Lake Evans/Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation – Taft Chamber of Commerce 2025 Trout Derby- information and registration – (661) 679-6351
Lopez – Bakersfield Bass Club
November 16th –
McClure – Fresno Bass Club
November 22nd –
The Park at River Walk/Bakersfield – 13th Annual Bakersfield Fire Fighters Derby
November 23rd –
Don Pedro – Stanislaus County Sheriff’s
November 28th –
Pine Flat – CA B.A.S.S. Nation
December 6th-
Don Pedro – Sonora Bass Anglers/Onemorebass Fishing
McClure – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies
Pine Flat – Kerman Bass Club
December 7th –
McClure – Hughson High School
December 13/14th-
Pine Flat – Sierra Bass Club
December 13th –
Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournaments/Contra Costa Bass Club
McClure – Gilroy Bass Masters
December 14th –
McClure – Modesto Ambassadors/Riverbank Bass Club/Kings VIII Bass Club
Millerton – Fresno Bass Club
December 27th –
Pine Flat – C.A. B.A.S.S. Nation
For more go to fresnobee.com/fishing.