Fishing report for week of Oct. 24-30 | Wishon and Courtright producing trout limits

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.

Photo gallery

Show off your success! Share your fish photos and videos with Bee readers. Please share only jpeg images and Mp4 video files. Include “Fishing Report” in the subject line and email to sports@fresnobee.com

Best bets

Delta stripers, bass and sturgeon bites going, Randy Pringle said. San Francisco salmon on big bite, Mike Aughney reported. San Luis stripers hitting, Coyote Bait said. Wishon and Courtright producing trout limits, Chuck Crane reported. Eastman, Hensley and Pine Flat bass biting, Steve Newman said. Shaver late-season kokanee and trout bite holding up, Dick Nichols reported.

Key

1-Try dynamite

2-Have to work hard

3-Limits possible

4-Fish jumpin’ in boat

In the northern section of the California Aqueduct, Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “There is a good amount of water moving through the aqueduct, and boils are starting to form. Lipless crankbaits vertically ripped through the moving water along with larger rip baits on 50-lb. braided line are working for striped bass. Catfish are taken on anchovies or chicken livers.

In the southern portion of the aqueduct in Kern County, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield said, “Striped bass action is best with bait, particularly jumbo minnows, and a 32-inch striper was landed on a minnow. Striped bass in the 3- to 5-pound range are the rule along with plenty of undersized linesides. Catfish to 4 pounds have been landed on sardines, chicken livers, or Triple S dip bait in Blood Formula.

Call: Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis 292-3474; Bob’s Bait Bucket 661-833-8657

Eastman continues to be solid for a grade of largemouth bass in the 4- to 6-pound range, and the double-digit largemouth opportunities should increase in the coming months with the arrival of rainbow trout plants. The swimbait bite normally starts out when the trout plants start, and anglers are waiting somewhat impatiently for this to occur.

Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “There have been some rumors of swimbait fish already showing up, but most fishermen will keep this quiet for the time being. The best action is along the ledges, island tops, deep walls, and also along the dam with spinnerbaits, deep-diving crankbaits, or jigs. Structure is the key to finding the bass as they are holding near the bait schools oriented to the islands, humps, and ledges. The bait is moving up in the water column, and the fish seem more aggressive now. Plastics on the drop-shot, Brush Hogs, or jigs are also working. The bass are moving up in the afternoons into the shallows around brushpiles or exposed rocks. A good fish right now weighs between 4 and 6 pounds with most legal fish coming in smaller.”

The lake held at 40 percent as water releases have slowed down.

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

Newman said, “Hensley has improved somewhat for largemouth bass with the fish holding on island tops and along transition points in the afternoons at depths from 15 to 30 feet with crankbaits, jigs, or plastics on the drop-shot. The water clarity is limited at 6 inches to a foot.” Catfishing remains slow. The lake rose slightly to 14 percent.

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 bite continues to be slow with most trollers waiting until the water cools a few more degrees. Bass fishing is also fair with the best action on the bottom with Berserk’s Purple Hornet or brown/purple jigs along with Pro Worms 124p on the drop-shot at depths from 20 to 40 feet. The fish are coming up higher in the water column as the water is cooling down.

The Gold County Junior BASS Club is looking for a volunteer boater to take two kids fishing on Nov. 4 from the Fleming Meadows Ramp. The Club will pay your way into the lake and $40 toward your fuel. If you can help please call 209-603-5258 please leave a message.

The lake dropped slightly to 72 percent.

Call: Monte Smith 209-581-4734; Gary Vella 209-652-7550

Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield said, “The action at Lake Isabella remains very good for crappie with minijigs while catfish and bass fishing is also good. The lake is low, and it is loaded with shad, and bass fishermen are scoring with deep-diving crankbaits or shad-imitation ripbaits along with plastics on the drop-shot or Texas-rig. Catfishing are a good bet with chicken livers, minnows, Triple S dip bait in Blood Formula, or nightcrawlers.” The lake held at 12 percent. In the upper Kern River, the sections of the Kern 4 through 6 have been planted on a regular basis, but the reports of success have been scarce with the low water conditions. In the lower river, Cormier said, “Catfish, carp, smallmouth and largemouth bass along with the occasional holdover rainbow trout are possible.”

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

The lake remains very low at only 6 percent, and there were two events held at the lake over the weekend. The Cen Cal Elite Bass Club held at tournament on Sunday, and club member and participant, Larry Kerns of Exeter, said, “Most everything was taken off of the bottom with plastics or jigs, but overall it was a tough bite. We picked up a limit, but the winners had a 19-pound limit with a 5 and a 6 in the bag.” The results from the River Rat tournament from the previous day were not available at press time, but Kerns said, “13 pounds took this tournament, but the winner fished the following day in the Cen Cal, and he only landed two fish.”

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

Bass action at Success remains solid in the low water conditions with jigs, Senkos, and Brush Hogs. The lake held at 8 percent. The Tule River fair for trout as the water is low and the fish are spooked easily.” Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company in Springville is giving fly casting lessons at the Pierpoint Café the second Sunday of the month at 10 a.m. The lessons are free and all equipment is provided.

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

Mike Gomez of the Bait Barn in Waterford said, “There is a small window for topwater action with River2Sea Rovers or Spooks in the early morning, but once the sun hits the water, it is time to go to the bottom with Berserk’s Purple Hornet or brown/purple jigs, Pro Worms 124p, or deep-diving shad patterned crankbaits at depths to 20 feet. The shad schools are forming in the cooling water, and the fish are rising in the water column.” Catfishing is fair chicken livers, cut baits, and nightcrawlers. The lake dropped to 57 percent.

Rainbow trout remain in the lake from the 23rd annual Merced Irrigation District’s Fall Trout Derby held earlier in the month, but the number of fishermen from the banks is getting lighter and lighter. There are still holdover rainbows to be had with trout dough bait, nightcrawlers, Mice Tails, Roostertails, Panther Martins, and blue/silver Kastmasters from the normal locations of the Brush Pile, the Handicapped Docks, and the peninsula along the marina with the best action in the early mornings.

Call: McSwain Marina 209-378-2534

Steve Newman said, “The water level has remained stable at 53 percent, and the topwater bite has improved in the early mornings with 4- and 5-inch River2Sea Rovers. One the day goes on, working the bottom with weightless Senkos or on a Neko Rig at depths from 15 to 25 feet is best. The shad schools in the main lake and upriver are thick, and you have to place the bait right in the fish’s face, but they will eat it. The bass are oriented to large boulders, boulder fields, and bigger rubble, and the ‘Millerton pastels’ of Margarita Mutilator or blue neon are effective plastics along with green pumpking. Upriver, there are more crawdads, and the Chili Craw in bright red/orange is best for crankbaits. Bass to 2.5 pounds are possible. Millerton held steady at 53 percent.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

A variety of species are available at New Melones with largemouth and spotted bass, crappie, catfish, and rainbow trout all available for anglers.

John Liechty of Xperience Fishing Guide Service said, “The bass have definitely begun to transition from summer patterns into fall patterns. The bite has been a little hit and miss on most days. However, the opportunity to hook a larger bass is out there on every cast. Many fish are holding deep, but some will move shallow throughout the day to feed. The shad are everywhere, but the bait seems to be affected by the cooler nights and recent gusty winds. This has made for a little more of an unpredictable fishing condition. However, after a few days, things will start to stabilize and the bite should improve. Shad patterned lures are a good choice during the fall months. Try using a swimbait to cover water and a spoon or dropshot to pick an area apart. The bottom dragging baits are also a good choice and the jig bite has been solid. The weather is perfect and spending an entire day on the lake is a very comfortable thing to do.”

Gene Hildebrand of Glory Hole Sports in Angels Camp said, “Going into the second week of Glory Hole Sports Catfish Contest, there has been 4 cats weighed in and the top weight on two fish is currently is 18-plus pounds by Tyler Touchstone of Modesto who used frozen Mackerel fishing during the day. Also weighing in a nice cat was Jacob Willis of Angels Camp at 8 lbs;. 4-oz. using shad. For bass, Bill Lewis Rat-L-Traps are working in the early mornings along with Johnny C. Jigs and attached trailer. Plastic baits provide go to action on Melones. The winning weight at the recent Castaic Bass Club event came in at 19.36 lbs. There are still big rainbow trout for the few trollers targeting them, and Kevin McCarthy of Laguna Niguel hooked into a 6 pounder at 11:45 a.m. near the Highway 49 Bridge at a 40-feet with a gold/red Speedy Shiner with no dodger or flasher while Marvin Wells of Sonora picked up a rainbow at 6 lbs..15-oz. trolling a Needlefish up the river arm at 40 feet. Crappie are slow but not at a standstill with anglers reporting landing crappie in the marina cove and also by trolling on the main lake at 40 feet.”

The Glory Hole Sports Annual Catfish Contest will continue throughout October with 40 contestants vying for over $1000.00 in raffle prizes.

The lake is holding steady, but when water releases start, the Glory Hole Point side of the lake has the high ramp working until the lake elevation hits approximately 1025 feet. New Melones is currently at 1031 feet in elevation and 74 percent.

Call: Glory Hole Sports 209-736-4333; Monte Smith 209-581-4734; John Liechty Xperience Fishing Guide Service 209-743-9932

Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun said, “Pine Flat is steadily picking up as the shad schools are concentrated in the main lake. Newman said, “Drop-shotting or Ned-rigging in the main lake with shad-patterned plastics are best and the fall pattern is in full swing. In the river arm, if you find them, finesse baits are working, but there is a reaction bite with jerkbaits and crankbaits in either shad, sculpin, or crawdad patterns. The lake has been stable, and even came up a bit with run off and upstream releases along with shutting off the water releases down the lower Kings. The bite has improved with the stable water conditions, and the bass are holding now in the 20- to 30-foot range and even moving into the shallows in the mornings when the bait is moving up. The crappie bite is starting to creep up with the slabs holding in the trees as the water is stable. They were out in open water when the lake was dropping.”

Pine Flat held steady at 23 percent.

In the lower Kings River, trout plants continue and the flows have slowed down considerably. Trout fishing is good in the cleaner water from Winton Park to the Alta Weir with nightcrawlers on a clear bobber, live crickets, or salmon eggs.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474; Sequoia Fishing Co. 539-5626

San Luis Reservoir continues to be the go-to location for striped bass fishermen from the Central Valley and the San Jose/Hollister area, and good weather conditions on the lake have only enhanced the excellent bite.

Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “It continues to be red hot as fishermen are coming into the shop on a steady basis for large topwater lures, large flukes, and ripbaits. The evening bite from the shoreline appears to be better in the morning, and there have been some large boils on the lake. Shore anglers are tossing large Spooks when they find the boils. Trollers are working at 40 to 50 feet with umbrella rigs or jerkbaits in Ghost Minnow or White Halo. More and more shore anglers are tossing lures, but there are those continuing to soak grass shrimp, pile worms, blood worms, and shad.”

Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said that he and Edd Allen of Edd Allen Marine Solutions had a great time doing this years 3rd annual Sportsmans Warehouse Striperfest . “ We had an estimated crowd of nearly a hundred anglers-so the event is growing each year. We actually had to move the seminars outside because the seats inside were sold out. A lot of guys didn’t come because they didn’t think there was room . It was a great event and we’ll plan to grow it next year!! George said.

Coyote Bait in Morgan Hill confirmed the boils are on the rise with topwater lures along with Super Flukes and jerkbaits. Trollers are working urigs or jerkbaits, and there are those still drifting live jumbo minnows or frozen shad. A larger grade of fish is showing up.

In the O’Neill Forebay, the grade of striped bass is much smaller, but jerkbaits are effective when the schools are located while pile worms are the top bait near the moving water.

The main lake rose to 58 percent with increased pumping out of the south Delta.

Call: Coyote Bait and Tackle 408-463-0711, Roger George of rogergeorgeguideservice.com, 905-2954

The water continues to drop, and once the lake stabilizes, the fish will settle down along fields of boulders in deep water. Weed growth requires a 14- to 16-inch leader on a drop-shot or Texas-rig, but there are a few areas where you can drag a jig in 10 feet of water without grass. In areas with water under the docks, spinnerbaits are working. The bass will stage on the ledges until the water stabilizes. The Sheriff’s boat is still making regular patrols, and with the Sheriff’s Tower out of commission, boaters have to purchase their Motor Fee at Miller’s, Ducey’s, or the Forks. The trout bite will improve as the water cools. The lake dropped to 71 percent.

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

There are still few reports are coming out of the Kaiser Pass area lakes. The lakes are dropping with Edison at 45, Mammoth Pool at 21 percent, and Florence at 2 percent. The Vermilion Valley Resort at Lake Edison is open and fully operational for hikers, and the ferry is operating across Edison Lake twice a day, leaving the VVR at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.. Pickup is on the Mono Pass side of the lake at 9:45 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. Check the Caltrans website at www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi or call 800-427-7623 for road conditions.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake continues to produce 2nd-year kokanee for the few trollers remaining on the lake. Local guides Dick Nichols and Todd Wittwer have closed up shop for the season, but there are still trollers working their boats for kokanee and rainbow trout on the lake. The fall weather has been outstanding, and the trolling action is the best in the Central Sierras.

Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters said, “Beautiful weather and a good kokanee bite was the picture at Shaver Lake this past week, and Shaver regulars Wally and Sharon McEhanny of Tollhouse had another good week of kokanee fishing with limits each day. The McEhanny’s fishing techniques prove that at this time you do not have to

have downriggers to catch kokanee. They are fishing lead line at 5 colors with an Apex tipped with corn behind an unweighted Mountain Flasher in front of the Shaver Lake Marina. Others have found good schools of 13- to 14- inch kokanee in the same area and in Boy Scout Cove at

36 feet deep. Pink or orange Mountain Hoochies, behind a Mountain Dodger

tipped with scented corn has been a successful combination. Some of the 3rd-year red kokanee are still around, but they are scarce. The trout bite in the Stevenson Bay, Tunnel

Creek and Scout Cove areas has been decent to good, and some days produce

more fish than others. Trout Busters tipped with crawler behind a

Mountain Flasher or lead line at 3 to 4 colors has worked best for the holdover rainbows. The weather forecast is for more good weather with the highs most days in the 60’s. Remember to release the small kokanee as they will grow up for the 2019 season.”

At upstream Huntington Lake, holdover rainbow trout can be found in the inlets with trout dough bait while a quality brown trout was landed on a nightcrawler.

With the winter season on the horizon, boaters can check the accessibility of the Sierra Marina launch ramp at www.sierramarina.com/camera.html.

The lake dropped to 79 percent with Huntington at 68 percent.

Call: Dick Nichols, Dick’s Fishing Charters 281-6948; Todd Wittwer, Kokanee.net Guide Service 288-8100; Dinkey Creek Inn 841-3435; Rancheria Marina 893-3234; Shaver Lake Sports Inc. 841-2740; Tom Oliveira Fishing 802-8072; Steve Santoro Fish Box Charters 871-3937

At Wishon, cold weather is limiting trout fishermen in the high county although limits of rainbows are still possible for trollers working at depths from the surface to 20 feet with blade/’crawler combinations. The trout continue to move close to the surface as the water temperatures cools. The section of the lake around Short Hair Creek or near the headwaters remain the top locations for shore fishermen, and a few limits have been taken on trout dough bait in yellow or red. The Wishon Village RV Camp and Store will close at the end of deer season on Oct. 31.

At Courtright, colder temperatures have taken over, and fewer and fewer trollers are heading to the lake. The best action is for trollers at depths to 30 feet with blade/’crawler combinations from across from the boat launch or near headwaters Shore fishing remains slow with the exception of a few rainbows on trout dough bait near the headwaters.

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

There were even a few salmon taken out of Half Moon Bay with the Huli Cat picking up a pair of salmon to 13 pounds on a private salmon charter from Air Square. Mike Stalle of Ripon and Gerardo Vasques of Modesto were the fortunate fishermen. Despite their success, the most consistent local bite is for rockfish on the reefs south of the harbor. Ocean salmon season ends on October 31st.

Further north in Pacifica, the pier will be packed with crab fishermen on the opening day, and sales of crab snares will rise within the next three weeks. Around Half Moon Bay, the campgrounds and hotels will be filled on the opening weekend of the recreational Dungeness crab season with this event a huge draw along the San Mateo coast.

Call: Captain Dennis Baxter, New Captain Pete 650-576-3844; Captain Tom Mattusch, Huli Cat 650-619-0459

Chris Arcoleo of Chris’s Fishing Trips reported good rockfish action with regular limits of school fish off of the local reefs south to Cypress Point, but earlier in the week, they were able to make it down to Point Sur for limits of big lings and 3/4th limits of rockfish. He said, “They couldn’t even carry the sacks off of the boat they were so heavy. A northwest wind has come in the past few days, and it doesn’t take much wind to make it uncomfortable down south. The white sea bass action between Capitola and Moss Landing picked up earlier this week as there was squid in the area and the commercial white sea bass anglers moved in. One boat picked up a dozen fish in the early morning. We are very busy this week with the remainder of the week already sold out.”

Allen Bushnell of the Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “Mark your calendars! On Saturday November 10, The Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project is having their annual fund-raising Albacore Dinner. MBSTP is a non-profit (501C-3) volunteer organization acting to restore the native salmon and steelhead trout population in our area. Partnering with the Castroville Rotary Club, MBSTP’s 41st Annual dinner includes a silent auction and raffle prizes galore. If you like to fish for salmon, please support the organization that has been diligent in maintaining and enhancing salmon and steelhead populations in our area. The event starts at 6 p.m. at the Castroville Recreation Center and tickets are available at the door.

Despite a few windy afternoons, most days were very comfortable for fishing in our area last week. Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine reported, “The inshore fishing conditions have been perfect for running up the coast. There were decent scores of rockfish and lingcod caught near Four-Mile and Davenport. Franklin Point also produced some quality fish. There were some halibut caught up the coast from Three-Mile to Davenport.” Fraser included that anglers fishing from the Cement Ship down to Pajaro have been catching halibut and a number of white sea bass.”

Call: Chris’ Landing 831-375-5951; Allen Bushnell, Santa Cruz Kayak and Surf Casting 831-251-9732

Mike Aughney of USA Fishing.com said, “The salmon season ends in about ten days so this is “YOUR LAST CHANCE” for red meat. The action remains incredible for this time of year. Party boats are seeing a solid fish to a fish and a half with a few getting up to 20 limits each day. Captain Jared Davis on the Salty Lady out of Sausalito reported, “The action and location changes day to day. We started the week at the Channel Buoys, moved up the hill to Double Point, and today we started at Duxbury and ended off of Pacifica”. On Friday, the Salty Lady had 25 salmon for 24 anglers. The Pacific Pearl from Emeryville had 7 limits to 14 pounds. The season ends on October 31st.

The Salty Lady is booking crab only trips on the Salty Lady for the first few weeks of the season. The Emeryville Sport Center is booking crab / rockfish combos.

The Berkeley Charter boats are still taking a few salmon trips, and the New Easy Rider had 18 salmon to 20 pounds for 10 fishermen on Saturday while the remainder of their fleet has transitioned to rockfish and ling cod.

The Happy Hooker out of Berkeley Marina took a light load to the Farallons on Sunday for limits of rockfish and ling cod to 15 pounds. They will be running rockfish/crab combination trips starting on November 3rd, and they have 8 spots available on Monday, November 5th; 27 spots available on Tuesday, November 6th, and 14 spaces available on Thursday, November 8th.

The California Dawn also went to the islands on Sunday for 25 limits of rockfish and ling cod. The flat ocean is allowing the boats to make the trek to the island and bypass the coast for rockfish.

The party boats are concentrating on rockfish outside of the Gate, but Captain Joe Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing took a shark trip on Saturday for limits of seven gills working the deep water around Alcatraz with salmon bellies or shad. Let’s hope the fishermen understand the importance of utilizing all of that meat.

Call: Captain Trent Slate, Bite Me Charters 415-307-8582; Happy Hooker 510-223-5388; Captain Jerad Davis, Salty Lady 415-760-9362; Captain Steve Mitchell 707-655-6736

Rockfish and ling cod were flying over the rails on the weekend, and the high score of the weekend went down on Sunday on the Endeavor out of Morro Bay Landing with 35 limits of rockfish consisting of 290 vermilion, 10 copper, 10 Boccaccio, and 10 assorted rockfish along with a whopping 62 ling cod to 24 pounds. Luciano Viera of Hanford won the jackpot with the 24-pound ling. Out of Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay, the Rita G and Black Pearl took out 65 anglers on Sunday for 182 vermilion, 433 assorted rockfish, 35 copper, and 25 canary rockfish for limits. Johnny Najen of Fresno took the jackpot with a 6.5-pound vermilion. Out of Port San Luis, the Patriot out of Patriot Sport Fishing scored limits for 12 anglers on Monday with 5 ling cod to 8 pounds, 7 vermilion, 12 copper, 2 Boccaccio, 3 Bolina, a rock sole, and 96 assorted rockfish. Jake Contreras of Bakersfield won a jackpot with a 8-pound ling. All landings are running a variety of bottom fishing trips from ½ day to two-day ventures up the coast.

Call: Virg’s Landing 800-762-5263; Patriot Sport Fishing 805-595-4100

The salmon action has been ‘hit and miss’over the past week as it seems the bulk of the schools have moved through. It is now a matter of time and place as there are good days and not-so-good salmon fishing days, depending upon whether a school is moving through the area. There are still salmon limits taken in the ocean along the Marin coast so there are still fish on their way to the upper rivers.

Sturgeon fishing has been outstanding for the few six-packs on the water, and it seems like it couldn’t be much better in the early season. As what occurs in a normal year, there is a large group of sturgeon holding in deep water in front of the Pittsburg Marina, but it takes someone with experience and a big anchor to hold in the deep water.

Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing is operating out of the Pittsburg Marina, and he said, “There are fish all over the place, but most fish are in the deep water out front. The key is to work the smaller tides in the deep water, and once the current starts ripping, you have to move to the shallows. After the current slows down again, you can come back to the deep water. On Saturday, the sturgeon were concentrated around Chain Island, but this fish scattered on Sunday. I started out on Sunday in the deep water off of Pittsburg before running up to Chain Island where the sturgeon were the day before, but since they weren’t there, I went into the Little Cut to find nothing before running around and back towards Pittsburg by Roe/Ryer Islands. We finally found them lined up at ‘Sturgeon Alley’ near the Middle Grounds, and Ricardo Mariscal of Sacramento landed his first keeper at 44 inches on salmon roe. We had a couple of other opportunities that were missed, and we waited late this afternoon to see what will happen at the start of the outgo since the fish are here, and Don Breden of Oakley landed a fat 53-inch sturgeon on salmon roe.

Captain Zach Medinas of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures will be running his ‘catch and release’ sturgeon trips out of Pittsburg Marina within the week, and he will also be targeting large striped bass with live bait on ‘catch and release’ basis. He said, “I am looking forward to a really good season as the opening signs are outstanding.” Medinas went out for a few hours on Saturday with his deckhand, Virginia Salvador of Dixon, and she caught and released a 25-pound striper on a mudsucker near the Firing Line.

Captain Joe Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing trailers his boat to various locations depending upon the tides and weather conditions, and he said, “Sturgeon fishing has been wide open for us with four limits on Thursday with lots of action including shakers, slot fish, and oversized. Ghost shrimp and roe are the top baits.” He had been working the deep water out of Pittsburg to 65 feet for a dozen fish earlier in the week, but with the larger tides this weekend, more shallow water spots will be featured. On Sunday, we worked hard for 3 oversized and 6 undersized sturgeon working from the PGE Plant to the Middle Grounds with ghost shrimp and salmon roe.”

Andre Fontenot, regular Western Outdoor News contributor, went back into Broad Slough for a limit of striped bass using chicken livers.

In the north Delta, Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle in Freeport said, “Salmon have been ‘hit or miss’ here, but the trollers are still pulling them out in the 10- to 15-pound range using Brad’s Cut Plugs behind an 11-inch Pro-Troll E-chip flasher with Good Day Flasher releases along with Slammer spinners. A few diehards are still jigging with Slammer Minnows. A lot of striped bass have moved in to the Deep Water Channel, Liberty Island, and north of the Rio Vista Bridge, and live mudsuckers or jumbo minnows are working best. A few sturgeon have been taken at Courtland or in the Deep Water Channel with grass shrimp or eel/pile worm combinations, but the majority of sturgeon have been found at the Sherman Island power lines. Catfishing has slowed down with the colder water temperatures, but bluegill and redear perch are still thick off of the Delta Loop with jumbo red worms.”

Sylvia Vieira of Vieira’s Riverside Bait near Isleton added, “There was a school of salmon that moved in on Friday, and the trollers picked up quite a few fish on the Old Sacramento River, but it slowed down on Saturday and Sunday. It seems to be going like this now, and the grass and weeds in the river has made it really tough to troll. There was one troller in front of the shop that must have had 18 pounds of weeds on his line, and he had difficulty getting it off of the line. I don’t know why there are so many weeds, but it may have something to do with the lower tides keeping the lines closer to the grass line.”

Alan Fong of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento reported Big Al Ezell of Big Al’s Guide Service picked up 5 salmon out of 8 hookups on Saturday near Clarksburg with Brad’s Cut Plugs and a few anglers are jigging in the Mokelumne River or tossing Flying C’s from boats in the sloughs. He said, “I went up to Liberty Island, and it was still a bit tough for striped bass as the best fishing is still in the western part of the Delta. They are coming though. We found good action the previous week with large 7-inch chatterbaits, and largemouth bass action has been good in the north Delta. The grass has been a problem, and it was even thick at Liberty Island. The grass may be breaking off with the larger tides after the heavy herbicide spraying earlier in the summer.”

Off of the Benicia shorelines, Kelly Jackson of Benicia Bait and Tackle reported a dozen salmon were taken off of the 1st Street shoreline on Saturday with Vee-Zee or similar heavy spinners. He said, “After several slow days, the fish showed up in a decent amount. Striped bass fishing at the Green Can has been good with bullheads, and there have been a few sturgeon coming out from the Benicia Bridge east to Pittsburg.”

Striped bass action is improving on a regular basis, but the water temperatures need to cool several more degrees before the stripers arrive in full force in the east Delta.

For largemouth bass, Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, has been clearing up business after hosting the 160-boat Best Bass Tournaments. He said, “It was a very smooth-running tournament, and the first-place team caught their fish cranking all day long. They kept working a single bank and picking up a fish here and there, and this is the key. If you find bait in the area, stay there because the bass will be around. If you catch one, there will be others around, but you have to be patient and work the same water. The wind on Sunday was a boon for some as the high wind and waves provide cover for the lures. The bass had seen the lure flying in the air when the conditions were clear, but they couldn’t see about the surface with the waves and chatterbaits were working. The striped bass fishing is best in the western part of the Delta as the water temperatures are colder there, and it will take some time for the stripers to move further east towards the mouth of Potato Slough and the Mokelumne Rivers as they will only move up when the water temperatures cool. Stripers come out of the bay and Pacific Ocean where the water temperatures are in the 50- to 55- degree range, and they are looking for these types of temperatures.”

There is a topwater bite in the early morning as Rick Fried of Jackson found excellent action for over 20 stripers to 4 pounds before 10 a.m., and he stayed with it until the bite improved once again after 4:00 p.m. with Rat-L-Traps and jerkbaits.

Dan Mathisen of Dan’s Delta Outdoors in Oakley said, “The team of Mike and Lori Birch was in first on Saturday at the end of Day One of our Tournament of Champions, and Lori landed the big fish of the day at 9.42 pounds as part of a 24-pound limits. Mike had caught and released a 10.56-pound largemouth the previous day while pre-fishing punching a Rage Tail plastic. Everyone was junk fishing, and the team of Harvey Pulliam and Jamond Andrews pulled ahead on Day Two with a combined limit of 43.18 pounds while Pat Leiser and Mark Mello came in 2nd at 35.57. The Birches ended up in third at 33.99, but Lori had the big fish. Our payout for the 20 boats participating was $8900.00.

Fresh shad is still available on a daily basis in Stockton-area bait shops.

Call: Randy Pringle 209-543-6260; Captain Mike Gravert, Intimidator Sport Fishing 916-806-3030; Vince Borges, Vince Borges Outdoors 209-918-0828; J.D. Richey, Richey’s Sport Fishing 916-952-1554

The Monterey County Board of Supervisors have called for the county Resource Management Agency to develop a new business plan for the resorts at Lakes Nacimiento and San Antonio due to the allocation of $2.76 million to cover the lakes’ operating deficit over the past fiscal year. The goal is to have a new lakes plan by January, and this could include shifting Lake San Antonio to an exclusively day use park. The county’s purchase of the lakes resorts assets occurred in a legal settlement that emerged from a lawsuit involving fluctuating lake water levels as a result of the county water agency’s Salinas Valley Water Project. An assessment of the condition of the San Antonio dam resulted in the grade of ‘poor to fair’ condition, requiring close to $5 million in repairs. Lake Nacimiento’s dam was found to be in good shape with only minimal repairs required.

At Nacimiento, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported crappie, spotted bass, and white bass are coming easily for those casting minijigs out of a boat. Launching a boat remains viable, but there are a number of hazards just under the surface, requiring boaters to use extreme caution after launching. Spotted bass are found outside of the weed lines and structure with crankbaits as the topwater bite has slowed. Catfish can be taken on dip baits, cut baits, or stinkbaits. The lake has dropped slightly to 12 percent. The marina remains open for all services with the exception of gasoline. A webcam of the lake is available at http://www.lakenacimientolive.com/. At San Antonio, catfish remain the best bet with cut baits, stink baits, or dip baits while the whiskerfish are also striking crankbaits or other reaction baits intended for bass. The bass bite remains slow with the best action remaining on the bottom with plastics on the drop-shot or Texas-rig along with jigs. The lake is holding at 13 percent. At Lopez, the topwater bite has slowed down, but the reaction bite is holding with crankbaits on the outside weed line or structure along with working the bottom with plastics or jigs. Bluegill continue to gobble meal worms on a variety of presentations in deep water. A webcam of the lake is available at http://805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam/. At Santa Margarita, there is a reaction bite with crankbaits or jerkbaits for largemouth bass, but the best bet is finesse techniques on the bottom with plastics on the drop-shot or Texas-rig. Crappie are loading up on minijigs with small slabs to ½-pound being the rule. A webcam of the lake is available at http://805webcams.com/santa-margarita-lake-webcam-california/. The launch ramp at Harris Creek is adequate in the low water conditions, but the Lynch Ramp remains closed. Boaters are advised to be cautious when launching with the hidden sand bar in front of the ramp.

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

Dan’s Delta Outdoors Tournament of Champions (10-fish imits): Oct. 20-21 at Delta/Russo’s Marina – 1, Harvey Pulliam/Jamond Andrews, 43.18 pounds; 2, Pat Leiser/Mark Mello, 35.57; 3, Mike and Lori Birch, 33.90 (Big Fish 9.42).

Sierra Bass Club: Oct. 21 at McClure – 1, Mitch Mitcheltree, 9.69; 2, Quincy Marrs, 9.06; 3, Jim Lozano, 8.44. Big Fish: Bruce Milan, 2.94.

Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments: Oct. 21 at Kaweah – 1, Kyle Manes/Bobby Blaswich, 19.27 (Big Fish 5.31); 2, Vince and Krandal Bryan, 13.84; 3, Craig Gong/Ryan Reynolds, 11.68.

Oct. 27: McClure – American Bass Association, Success – Porterville Bass Club

Oct. 28: Delta/Russo’s Marina – Hook, Line, and Sinker

Nov. 2: Delta/Russo’s Marina – Angler’s Press, Pine Flat – Orange County Bass Club

Nov. 3: Camanche – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies, New Melones – California Hmong Bass Tournaments, Pine Flat – Orange County Bass Club

Nov. 4: Delta/Tracy Oasis – Tracy Oasis Marina, Don Pedro – Gold Country Jr. Bass Club/Poe Man’s, Pine Flat – Kings River Bass Club

Nov. 10-11: New Melones – California Bass Federation, Pine Flat – Bakersfield Bass Club

Nov. 10: Delta/Tracy Oasis – Tracy Oasis Marina, New Hogan – Sonora Bass Club, Camanche – Yak-A-Bass, Don Pedro – Kerman Bass Club/Christian Bass League, Eastman – RiverRat Bass Club, Bass Lake – Central Valley Kayak Fishing, Nacimiento – Golden Empire Bass Club

Nov. 11: Kaweah – Kings VIII Bass Club

Nov. 17: Don Pedro – Merced Bass Club/American Bass Association, McClure – 17-90 Bass Club, Eastman – Sierra Bass Club, Pine Flat – Bass 101

Nov. 18: Delta/Russo’s Marina – Hook, Line, and Sinker, Delta/Contra Costa County – Tri Valley Bass Masters, McClure – Riverbank Bass Anglers

Dec. 1: Delta/Russo’s Marina – American Bass Association, Pine Flat – Kerman Bass Club, Nacimiento – American Bass Association

Dec. 2: New Melones – Roosevelt High School Bass Fishing Club, Millerton – American Bass Association

Week of Oct. 28 by California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Fresno County: Kings River below Pine Flat Dam

This story was originally published October 23, 2018 at 8:09 AM.