Fishing Report: Week of Oct. 4

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

Delta bass bite good, Alan Fong said. Eastman kicking out big bass and Pine Flat bass fishing improved , Steve Newman reported. New Melones bass hitting, John Liechty said. San Luis stripers still boiling, Mickey Clements said.

Key

1-Try dynamite

2-Have to work hard

3-Limits possible

4-Fish jumpin’ in boat

In the aqueduct, dink-sized stripers remain the top catches but anglers throwing lures such as SpeedLures are landing bigger fish. Some anglers are throwing A-rigs for a few stripers. Fishermen continue to catch catfish using stink baits. Some are biking the canal for areas with less fishing pressure for several fish. Water flow has decreased making it more tolerable for anglers targeting checkgates.

Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported, “The numbers are not there, but the largest bass in the area are coming out of this lake with Gary Wasson catching and releasing an 11.5-pound largemouth on a deep crank at around 15 feet over a rockpile. The deep crank bite has been the best along submerged islands or rockpiles, and some fishermen are yo-yoing lipless crank baits and letting the lure sink 4 or 5 counts.” Kayaker Seng Jone Lee of Fresno landed a 12.8-pound largemouth bass on a Roboworm during the week. Eastman Lake has been designated as California’s first Trophy Bass Fishery by the California Department of Fish and Game. Anglers may keep only one bass with a minimum length of 22 inches. The lake rose very slightly to 468.84 feet in elevation and 8 percent capacity.

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

Hensley is starting to show a pulse despite the off-color water. Steve Newman added, “Hensley is picking up a bit with Senkos on a wacky-rig, plastics on the drop-shot or dart head, Texas-rigged plastic worms or jigs. It is more of a power finesse bite with 5-inch Senkos for larger fish. With the off-color water, darker colors of plastics are working best.” The lake held at 19 percent capacity, even while dropping slightly to 475.24 feet in elevation.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun, Clovis 292-3474; Six Star Tackle Box 673-5688; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hensley Lake Hidden Dam 673-5151

The trout and king salmon bite should improve in the near future, but for now trollers are scoring far more spotted bass than rainbows. There are upcoming bass tournaments on the lake, and anglers are finding a brief window for topwater in the early morning before working the bottom with plastics on the drop-shot or dart head. Crappie fishermen are heading to the lake with minnows or minijigs to work the submerged brush. There have been a number of thefts occurring within the houseboats and the campsites, and visitors are advised to secure vehicles and valuables and keep a watch for suspicious activity. Reports can be made directly to the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Department at 209-533-5815 and the Don Pedro Recreation Agency at 209-852-2396. The lake dropped slightly to 65 percent capacity.

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

Catfish remain the top species at the lake with Sonny’s Dip Bait or chicken livers near the dam. Crappie and bass fishing remain very slow. The lake dropped a half-foot to 2545.59 feet in elevation and 17 percent capacity. In the upper river, most trout fishermen are heading to the high Sierra section of the Kern River. There are planted rainbows in the section near Kernville, but most fishermen are heading farther east. In the lower Kern, below the dam, smallmouth or largemouth bass remain possibilities with live minnows, crankbaits or plastics. Lake Buena Vista is fishing best at night for crappie or catfish.

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

The lake is very low at 5 percent capacity. With the low water levels, the fish are concentrated into a smaller pool of water, and they are holding around the abundant shad schools. As a result, shad-patterned plastics on the drop-shot or small swimbaits are working best above the few rockpiles available. Catfish remain a good option in the early mornings, evenings or during the night with stinkbaits, sardines, or live crawdads.

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Co. in Springville reported, “Bass fishing is fair to good, and it is best when you find the schools of shad. Crankbaits and spinnerbaits are effective for the largemouth while catfish are the top species in the lake with stink baits, anchovies, or chicken livers.” The lake dropped three-quarters of a foot to 585.35 in elevation and 7 percent capacity. In the Tule River, Stokke said, “The river is busting out some browns on dry flies and Woolly Buggers.”

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

Launch conditions at Barrett Cove South have limited the number of fishermen heading to the lake, as a long backup is necessary to put a boat in the water there. Fishing under lights near the houseboats with small to medium minnows are producing rainbow trout, bass or crappie. Catfish are still an option with frozen shad, sardines or anchovies from the shore with muddy, sloping banks. The lake has dropped to 38 percent capacity, with water releases lowering the lake 3 feet to 741.48 in elevation. The McClure Point launch ramp also remains open, Barrett Cove North still under construction, and the Horseshoe Bend ramp closed.

Call: A-1 Bait (209) 563-6505

Crowds arrived over the t weekend for the annual Merced Irrigation District Trout Derby. Trout dough bait, inflated nightcrawlers or Kastmasters are picking up planters near the brush pile, handicapped docks and along the marina. As the planters acclimate to the lake, trolling will pick up in the river arm with blade/’crawler combinations near the Exchequer Dam.

Call: McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534

Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “Bass fishermen are heading up the river arm as far as possible and working their way back down with the shad moving up the river. Lipless or squarebill crankbaits are working around cover, and there have been the small spotted bass in the 1.5-pound range. There is a good crankbait and reaction bite in the early mornings along with spinnerabits off of points when the wind is blowing. A larger grade of bass in the 2.5- to 3-pound range is found up the river arm.” Millerton dropped less than a foot to 505.01 in elevation and 44 percent capacity. In the San Joaquin River, there is no change with minimal fishing interest throughout the lower part with the lack of trout plants because of the reintroduction of native Chinook salmon into the river. A few jet boats are launching and running up the lower river west of Highway 99 for largemouth bass. 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. The hatchery fish have a healed adipose fin clip.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

Trout action is picking up as the water is starting to cool. Gary Burns of Take It To the Limit Guide Service reported, “New Melones is starting to show off its fall colors, especially in rainbow colors. This week we have put ’bows in the boat in the 4- to 4.5-pound range. You have to put your time on the lake, it’s not a fast bite so don’t go out on Melones for a few hours and think you can get a limit of these big boys. All of our fish that we have put in the boat this week have been caught over deep water from the dam to the spillway 82 to 88 feet. Ex-cels and broken backs in shad colors trolled from 2.5 to more than 3 mph are producing, and with the surface temperature at 72 degrees, there are rainbows around once you find the shad schools. As the surface temp drops and the ’bows start working to the surface the bite should be getting even better.” John Liechty of Glory Hole Sporting Goods in Angels Camp added, “Night fishermen have been few, but dropping a submersible light at night will work at this time of the year. Look for areas with deep water nearby, or drift the main lake over the deep schools of shad and pull the fish up to the light. Minnows and jigging spoons work best when drifting.” The catfish bite remains strong, and Glory Hole Sporting Goods in Angels Camp will be holding a Catfish Derby during November. Registration opened Oct. 1 at $10 per angler. A total of three fish may be weighed in per angler during business hours at Glory Hole Sporting Goods, and there is 100 percent payback for the top three places. Liechty added, “The bass bite has been good and most anglers are catching some chunky spotted bass. The shad are schooling in deep water and the bass will be hunting them in wolf packs. The best bite has been in the early mornings and late in the evenings, but there are plenty of fish to be caught during the day as well. Try using reaction type baits to locate feeding fish and then switching to a slower moving presentation to continue catching them. Topwater has been hit and miss, but it is a good idea to have one tied on. When it is calm the fish will push bait to the surface and small topwater baits will coax them into biting. Small swimbaits and rip baits are also a good choice for finding active fish in the fall.” The Glory Hole ramp is on the dirt, and it will remain so until the lake rises during the winter months. A courtesy dock is available, through summer. The water temperature is still warm, ranging from 72-76 degrees and clarity good throughout most of the lake. The drawdown has slowed, but the lake dropped slightly to 863.58 feet in elevation and 22 percent capacity.

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, “There is a continued improved bass bite with finesse techniques for numbers at depths from 20-30 feet with plastics on the drop-shot or dart head, but the larger fish are taken on deep cranks or jigs. There is a big crawdad hatch at Pine Flat, and larger jigs with brown and purple or watermelon candy off of the steeper drop offs along with deep cranks are finding the better fish. All of the fish are puking up shad in the 2- to 2.5-inch range.” Trout fishing remains very slow with most trollers giving up. Deer Creek launch ramp is still in the water, but the Cove Island ramp may be out as the lake has dropped 7 feet to 16 percent capacity and 742.82 feet in elevation. The flows in the lower Kings are slowing down, and trout fishing should be easier with less water movement. However, with the lack of consistent planting, fewer fishermen have been heading to the Kings River below the dam. 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: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474; Sequoia Fishing Co. 539-5626

The wind has once again been a factor for boaters in the main San Luis Reservoir and Forebay, and the past weekend was full of wind with a small front moving through northern California. The main reservoir has climbed to 25 percent capacity after dropping to 10 percent in July. The Forebay is also full of water. Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported, “The minnow bite is on, and many of our regulars who haven’t been in all summer long are now showing up with their large minnow buckets for the main lake. In addition to the minnow bite, there is good topwater action from the shoreline around Basalt Recreation Area right before sunset.” Roger George of Roger George Guide Service scouted the lake Friday and said that there were fishing boiling off Basalt in the big rollers in the morning. “There is still some early topwater action in the coves but it usually stops when the sun hits the water. I trolled up/released 19 fish from 20-24 inches on a decent slow bite at 50-65 feet on various minnow colored lures after the wind slowed down at noon. The fish are moving a lot in the 67-degree water, and I expect things to get better, since there was a front moving through,” George said. “A friend, Dave Combs of Fresno, picked up/released a nice 17.5-pound striper on a trolled minnow lure after a tough fight – and he told me that the fish bit just as I was going by them! I’m also seeing anglers launching in unsafe small boats with almost no freeboard, who are overloaded and aren’t watching the wind conditions. There’s no margin for safety when the wind comes up. The fish aren’t worth drowning for!” Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported hit-and-miss action in the main lake, but trollers are finding quality stripers at depths from 30-50 feet. In the O’Neill Forebay, Meng Xyong of the Fishaholics out of Fresno reported, “There's a small window in the morning for a topwater bite in the shallows. The bite usually turns off mid morning as boaters will have to troll the deep water flats for schoolie stripers. I volunteered as a captain at the C.A.S.T. event for children with disabilities with Sam Rubio as my co-captain. Our little guy’s reaction to the catches were priceless as we were able to put him on eight fish for our short morning on the water trolling umbrella rigs and SpeedLures.” Also in the Forebay, Clements reported an early morning or late evening topwater bite with Heddon’s Swimmin’ Image or the Rebel Jumpin’ Minnow. George and Xyong will be doing a striper seminar at the Sportsman’s Warehouse in Fresno from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, focusing on lures, areas and techniques. George will cover downrigging San Luis Reservoir, while Xyong will do O’Neill Forebay and the California Aqueduct. Preregister at 261-2900 or email 238-fishing@sportsmanswarehouse.com.

Call: Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711, Roger George of rogergeorgeguideservice.com (559) 905-2954; San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay Wind Conditions: 1 (800) 805-4805.

Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The water is very clear, and a few experienced fishermen are finding good action with crankbaits in the clear water. The best fishing for numbers is with plastics on the drop-shot or dart head along the weed lines. Jigs or creature baits are also starting to become effective.” There is a Kerman Bass Club tournament Saturday and more fishermen will be getting ready. The Sheriff’s Motor Fee is on hold until Memorial Day 2018. Trout fishing remains exceedingly slow. The River Rats Bass tournament is Sunday, Oct. 16. The lake dropped to 89 percent capacity.

Call: Mike Beighey 642-3748; Bass Lake Watersports 642-3200

There have been few reports from the Kaiser Pass lakes. Edison dropped slightly to 53 percent capacity while Florence held at 7 percent and Mammoth Pool fell to 26 percent.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

The water temperature at Shaver has dropped 4-5 degrees and Steve Newman said, “The smallmouth bass have dropped into deeper water as we couldn’t find many fish on Saturday.” Trout fishing remains very slow, but Adam Sanchez landed a 3-pound rainbow while trolling a Thomas Buoyant near Tunnel Creek. Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters went out on a hunt for trout this week, but didn’t find what they were looking for with only three turning kokanee landed. At Huntington, there haven’t been many reports, but shore fishing is best with trout dough bait or inflated nightcrawlers at the Auxiliary Dam or the mouth of Rancheria Creek. The lake has dropped rapidly to 60 percent capacity this week.

Call: Dick’s Fishing Charters 841-2740; Dinkey Creek Inn 841-3435; Rancheria Marina 893-3234; Shaver Lake Sports Inc. 841-2740; ; Todd Wittwer 288-8100

Trout fishing in the central Sierra reservoirs continues to be a grind with Courtright, Wishon and Shaver all experiencing slow action at best. High-elevation Courtright appears to be the best option, and Chuck Crane of the Wishon Village RV Park and Store said, “It is a little bit better here with blade/crawler combinations at 2-4 colors of leadcore along with Needlefish in silver/blue or silver/red for a few fish. Woolly Buggers on a long set back and a slow troll along the rocks at the upper end of the lake are producing a few fish. Shore fishing is slow with the occasional rainbows taken on trout dough bait in pink, orange, or rainbow at the upper end of the lake.” Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis added, “A kayaker came back with four brown trout in the 18- to 20-inch range using Wedding Rings behind a flasher on a slow troll, but you have to know what you are doing to get into the action.” At Wishon, trollers are working long and hard for the chance for a fish or two pulling Wedding Rings behind a flasher or blade/crawler combination. Crane said, “Fishermen are seeing fish on the meter, but they aren’t biting.” Shore fishing is best at the upper end of the lake with trout dough bait or nightcrawlers under a bubble, but patience is necessary for a fish or two.

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Salmon have moved into the harbor, and local fishermen are casting interesting concoctions for the opportunity at a quality fish, but the most consistent action for party boats remains coastal rockfish. Dennis Baxter of the New Captain Pete said, “The fish bit good outside of the harbor on Thursday morning, and it was a morning bite. There are fish in the harbor, and not just in the one location near the restrooms. It is still possible to fish from the shoreline, and as long as fishermen keep the area clean, the harbormaster may keep it open. It is legal to fish near Barbara’s Fish Trap, but fishing is not allowed near the launch ramp although there are salmon there. It has been slow outside of the harbor the past few days, but the salmon will pop up once again.” Sherri Ingles of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing said, “There are salmon in the harbor, but catching them is another thing as fishermen are hooking them and losing them to a sea lion after the hook up. Corkies with a Mad River worm or floating Power Bait on a egg sinker or split-shot are working best.” Rockfishing remains the top bet, and the Queen of Hearts returned with 16 limits of rockfish including three cabezon to go with 17 lings to 12 pounds. Ingles added, “Day in, day out, rockfish are our go-to species with experienced fishermen picking up ling cod. For salmon, private boaters continue to work toward the South Buoy for scores from 1-4 salmon. There isn’t enough there to keep our boats working the area.” Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat has been conducting rockfish research trips both in and outside of the closed zones near Fanny Shoals over the past week, and he said, “Our biologist has been amazed at the number and size of blue rockfish in the area, and they are also different year classes. There are plenty of lings both inside and outside of the area, and in some locations, you are catching more lings than rockfish.” Earlier in the week, second captain Michael Cabanas of the Huli Cat took a charter of military veterans out for rockfishing for solid action for rockfish and lings to 10 pounds. The Huli Cat is taking reservations for the opening of Dungeness crab season, which is only five weeks away. The recreational rock crab season is closed north of Pigeon Point in San Mateo County because of high levels of domoic acid.

Call: Happy Hooker (510) 223-5388; Roger Thomas, Salty Lady (415) 760-9362; Emeryville Sport Fishing (510) 654-6040

Keith Semler of Chris’s Sport Fishing said, “Rockfishing remains very good for up to limits of rockfish along with around two ling cod per angler. The squid schools have been moving in and out of the bay, but on Sunday, we had to use sand dabs for the lings.” Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting said, “A muscular south swell rolled through last week, putting fish off the bite in the shallower spots. The waves popped up then faded within a couple days with minimal effect. Winds stayed down for the most part and a couple days were especially pleasant with low winds, abundant sunshine and all-day fishing. The bigger surf had an additional benefit of stirring up the beaches and getting some big currents and riptides going. This greatly improved conditions for surfcasters with a number of big scores of barred surf perch and an uptick in striped bass reports. The perch can be almost anywhere along the Monterey Bay, if one spot does not produce, move on to the next. Some stripers are still being caught from beaches in the cities of Monterey and Santa Cruz, but the main concentration and the bigger fish seem to be congregating more toward the middle shorelines of the bay, especially closer to the Pajaro and Salinas river mouths. Halibut are getting harder to find, but diligent anglers are still picking them up in 60-100 feet of water, near the Mile Buoy in Santa Cruz as well as up the coast near Three-Mile Beach and Davenport, according to Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine. Monterey halibut reports are scarce, but the 70- to 90-foot depths were producing best lately, both near the ‘hotel’ area as well as the Red Bell Buoy area. White Sea Bass are even more rare, though a few were caught near Pajaro this week.”

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

The salmon bite had been ranging around a fish per rod for party boats working from Duxbury to Double Point despite the 10- to 20-knot winds during the week, but the bite dropped off precipitously over the weekend with the counts plummeting to far less than a fish per rod. Salmon fishing in the area ends Oct. 30. Rockfishing remains outstanding with boats scoring limits of rockfish and healthy ling cod counts at the Farallon Island. Captain Jim Smith of the Happy Hooker has plenty of room for the first two weeks of the sport Dungeness crab season, and the combination trips are going for $130 per angler with crab-only trips Tuesdays and Wednesdays for $90. The 10-crab limit has been a big incentive for fishermen to head out on a party boat. In the bay, Captain James Smith of the California Dawn took one of his limited load big shark trips during the week, and the action was spectacular with early limits of seven-gill, cow and leopard shark. The Blue Angels are coming this weekend, and Captain Trent Slate out of Loch Lomond Marina will be taking out combination fishing and Blue Angel watching trips Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Surf perch fishing continues to draw Valley anglers to Oceano, Goleta, Pismo Beach or San Simeon with Lucky Craft Pointers, Berkley Camo or Sand Worms, or blood worms. Out of Port San Luis, the Patriot took out a half-day trip Sunday with 24 anglers for near-limits of rockfish with 189 assorted along with three copper rockfish. Out of Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay, the Fiesta and the Princess took out a combined 74 fishermen Saturday for 52 ling cod to 12 pounds, 69 vermilion rockfish, 566 assorted rockfish and 95 copper rockfish. Alfredo Estrada of Bakersfield took the jackpot with the big ling.

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 salmon bite has been coming in fits and spurts as the schools are moving through the Sacramento River-Delta. The big story over the past weekend was the constant wind that ran through the entire stretch of the California Delta. The Rio Vista Bass Derby is this weekend, and the main river will experience heavy fishing pressure for striped bass, sturgeon and salmon. The Freeport area has been a solid location for salmon, but the action slowed over the weekend. The series of schools that moved through the area last week are now providing action for trollers in the upper Sacramento and Feather rivers. Alan Fong, manager of the Fisherman’s Warehouse in Sacramento, was up in Liberty Island this week, and they caught and released about 100 striped bass without hooking a keeper. He said, “I got tired of unhooking all of these fish. There are shaker everywhere, but the larger bass will arrive as the water temperatures cools. After struggling for legal bass, we went for largemouth bass with Brush Hogs and chatterbaits for a 20-pound limit.” Nelson Vineyard of Lodi was plugging along Liberty Island this week with just a few small bass using firetiger SpeedLures before noon, and they left once the temperatures hit the high 80s. He said, “Fishing has been stellar for me the last two weeks in the Cache Slough area with the best action in the evening. My largest fish lately was an 8-pounder.” Clyde Wands, shallow trolling expert, said, “We found a better grade of fish around Collinsville during the week. We landed stripers to 13.5 pounds, and there were 10 keepers from six to the big fish. The stripers bit both shallow and deep with Rat-L-Traps shallow and either Yozuri Crystal Minnows or P-Line Predator Minnows on a deep troll. The big fish came on a Predator, and the firetiger was the top color pattern. In addition to the keepers, there were a dozen shakers released as there are still a lot of small fish around. The better grade was a good sign, and maybe the larger stripers are starting to move in to the Delta.” The wind limited sturgeon fishermen during the week and especially into the weekend. Grass shrimp is available in area shops, and Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait said, “Ron Reisinger of Chico was out on Sunday in deep water around Pittsburg, and he released three shaker sturgeon. Salmon fishing at the Dillon Point State Park slowed down over the weekend with only four fish reported while there were eight at First Street in Benicia on Saturday.” Boaters need to be aware of dredging at the Antioch Bridge, at the lower end of Decker Island, and above Decker Island on the Sacramento River. The road to the Sherman Island launch ramp is pitted because of construction, making for a rough ride for boats on a trailer. Even with wind being much of the story over the past weekend, the 119 teams participating in the River2Sea Open out of Russo’s Marina were able to pick up limits to 20.76 pounds on Day 1 of the event where River2Sea products must be used exclusively. Dan Mathisen of Dan’s Delta Outdoors in Oakley said, “Striped bass are showing up around Prisoner’s Point, Bullfrog Marina, Latham – which is the back end of Mildred Island – and in Whiskey Slough. The legal stripers are in the 4- to 5-pound range, but there is the occasional large fish to 35 inches. The Strike King Red Eye shad is working for largemouth bass, and in addition to the striper bite, there is good action for salmon off of Humphrey’s Pier in Antioch with Mepp’s Flying C spinners, although it slowed down for the past four to five days. I expect the bite to improve with this new moon. Chartruese is the top color pattern for the heavy spinners.” Mark Wilson, striper trolling expert, reported the same results while trolling in the San Joaquin River off of Eddo’s Marina and into Broad Slough. He said, “The best action remains at the last of the outgoing tide through the slack tide and into the beginning of the incoming tide. Once the water starts to come back in, the stripers scatter out. We landed stripers to 7 pounds this week, and the bite has been alternating from a deep troll to a shallow troll.” Steve Santucci of Steve Santucci’s Fly Fishing Guide Service reported, “Each week new fish are moving into the Delta following schools of threadfin shad as they migrate to each end of the Delta. This is the best time to catch stripers on topwater.” The first major sturgeon derby of the year, the Addathon IronMan, is coming Nov. 5-6 to Antioch.

Call: Randy Pringle (209) 543-6260; Intimidator Sport Fishing (916) 806-3030; Captain Steve Mitchell – Hook’d Up Sport Fishing (707) 655-6736

With the launch ramp out of the water at Lopez, fishermen are limited to rental boats, kayaks or walking the banks. At Nacimiento, the spotted bass are getting active with jigs, plastics on the drop-shot or creature baits while Kastmasters and Roostertails in white are working for the white bass. Santa Margarita’s launch ramp remains out of the water, but the marina has rental boats. The best action for bass is with Senkos, jigs or plastics on the bottom. Catfish are found on cut baits, chicken livers or nightcrawlers. San Antonio Reservoir is closed, but there were striped bass landed on swimbaits during the six-week access period, and the stripers have survived the exceedingly low water conditions over the past two years.

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

Go to fresnobee.com/fishing for reports on Half Moon Bay, Monterey/Santa Cruz, San Francisco Bay and San Luis Obispo

• Friday: California Bass Federation at New Melones
• Friday-Sunday: Rio Vista Bass Derby and Festival at Rio Vista www.bassfestival.com
• Saturday: Sonora Bass Anglers at Delta/Ladd’s Marina; California Delta Team Trail at Delta/B and W Resort; Kerman Bass Club at Bass Lake; Visalia Bass Club at Success; Bakersfield Bass Club at Isabella
• Saturday-Sunday: Best Bass Tournaments Tournament of Champions at Delta; Riverbank Bass Anglers at Camanche; San Luis Obispo County Bass Ambushers at Nacimiento
• Sunday: Modesto Ambassadors at Delta/Ladd’s Marina; Kings VIII Bass Club at Eastman
• Oct. 15: Christian Bass League at Delta/Ladd’s Marina; Tracy Bass Club at Delta/Tracy Oasis; Manteca Bassin’ Buddies at New Hogan; Great Basin Bassers at New Melones; Angler’s Press at Don Pedro; Golden Empire Bass Club at Kaweah
• Oct. 15-16: California Tournament Trail at Delta/Russo’s Marina; West Valley Bassmasters at Lopez
• Oct. 22: Dan’s Delta Outdoors at Delta/Big Break Marina; Redwood Empire Bass Club at New Melones; Sierra Bass Club at Hensley
• Oct. 22-23: Fresno Bass Club at Delta/B and W Resort; Success Bass Club at Kaweah
• Oct. 23: Hook, Line, and Sinker atDelta/B and W Resort; Tracy Bass Club at Delta/Tracy Oasis
• Oct. 28-29: California Bass Federation at Delta/Ladd’s Marina
• Oct. 29: Delta Bass Club at Delta/Russo’s Marina; California Tournament Trail at Pine Flat
• Nov. 5-6: Addathon Iron Man Sturgeon Derby at Delta/Antioch

This story was originally published October 4, 2016 at 3:22 PM with the headline "Fishing Report: Week of Oct. 4."