Fishing report for week of March 27-April 2: Pine Flat and Millerton bass bites best

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.

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Best bets

Valley Delta stripers and sturgeon bites good, Johnny Tran said. Pine Flat and Millerton bass bites best in Valley, Steve Newman reported. McClure and Don Pedro kicking out bass, Ryan Cook said. New Melones trout and bass hitting, Gene Hildebrand reported. San Luis stripers continue feast, Alex Tran said.

Key

1-Try dynamite

2-Have to work hard

3-Limits possible

4-Fish jumpin’ in boat

Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun said, “Most of our local striped bass fishermen are heading to the big lake instead of the aqueduct or the forebay right now.” In the southern section of the aqueduct in Kern County, striped bass action is fair at best with a variety of lures including swimbaits and Gitzits along with various types of cut baits.

Safety precautions at this time of year must be taken at all times as the calm waters of the aqueduct are deceptive as still waters can start flowing rapidly without warning, creating strong currents and turbulence. The concrete sides can be slippery with sand, algae, or gravel, making it nearly impossible to climb out without assistance. Float lines and safety ladders are spaced periodically along the sides, and the safety ladders are located at the end of float lines and along the canal 500 feet apart on alternate sides of the Aqueduct and marked by a yellow background painted on the concrete above the ladder.

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

Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The colder water coming out of the river arm along with the recent full moon have created a slower bite for largemouth bass. The water temperature may vary 8 degrees from the river inlet into the dam area. When the temperatures warm up 3 or 4 degrees, the bite will take off. The bass are grouping up, but they have been reluctant to bite as the action is ‘hit or miss’ with the occasional largemouth to 4 pounds taken on a swimbait. Bass fishermen are graphing fish, but they are not eating.” The lake rose from 77 to 79 percent.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Newman said, “The bass bite has been good with Senkos, creature baits, or spinnerbaits along with swimbaits from the banks to 20 feet as the water is warming up faster than at nearby Eastman. In the shallows, small swimbaits such as Kei Techs are working above the brush. No crappie reports from either Eastman or Hensley.” The lake is back on the rise, coming up from 42 to 47 percent.

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

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Guide Service said, “The bass are wanting to spawn, and even though the water is dropping around a foot per day, they are holding in the shallows. Plastics on the shakey head, tubes, jigs, and underspins are all working as the fish are from the banks to 20 feet. You can throw an underspin all day long and catch 25 to 30 fish.”Trout fishing has been fair at best, but the rainbows are scattered at various depths and locations throughout the lake. The lake dropped from 84 to 82 percent.

Call: Monte Smith 209-581-4734; Ryan Cook – Ryan Cook’s Fishing 691-7008, Gary Vella 209-652-7550

At Lake Isabella, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait Bucket in Bakersfield said, “Catfish have been the best option with sardines or mackerel. There haven’t been any bass reports, but I imagine that they are moving up.” Trout plants will be released within the next few weeks in anticipation of the Kern Valley Chamber of Commerce Lake Isabella Trout Derby scheduled for April 13-15 with registration open now. There is a total prize pool of $26,544 and counting, and all top five positions will pay double with the purchase of a T-shirt or hoodie. Online registration is open through the Kern Valley Chamber of Commerce website. The 72,000-acre-foot restriction on Lake Isabella has been lifted, and the construction work on the upstream side of the Borel Canal and the French Gulch interim boat ramp extension and lake levels will now be allowed to rise to 361,250 acre-feet or 2,589 feet in elevation, weather providing. There will be no further need to lower lake levels for the duration of the project, expected to be completed in 2022. It rose from 35 to 38 percent this week, and it is still rising.

The lower Kern River is flowing nicely, but the upper river remains high, limiting shore anglers to using heavier spinners or spoons or bait with more split-shot. The final plant of the year at Buena Vista will take place within the next two weeks. The local lakes of Ming and Truxton are starting to kick out some largemouth bass on reaction baits as the fish are moving into the shallows.

Call: Bob’s Bait Bucket 661-833-8657; North Fork Marina 760-376-1812; Golden Trout Pack Station 542-2816

Kaweah hosted the Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournament this past Sunday, and the winning limit was 11.61 pounds with a big fish at 4.43. The overall bite for size has been tough, but the bass will be moving into the shallows. The lake remains in flux at 23 percent, and snowmelt is expected to push the lake levels up in a rapid manner.

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company in Springville said, “The water is still stained, and bass fishermen are either using black or purple Senkos, creature baits, or plastic worms. We are expecting rain this week, and this will not help on the stained water.” Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait Bucket reported a solid crappie bite for some huge slabs from the shorelines, and the shorelines have been crowded with crappie fishermen. The lake is at 48 percent. In the Tule River, Stokke said, “The river is flowing awesome, but it needs to settle down to be fishable.”

Stokke gives fly casting lessons at the Pierpoint Café the second Sunday of each month at 10 a.m. The lessons are free and all equipment is provided.

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

The spotted and largemouth bass bite remains very good with Mike Gomez of the Bait Barn in Waterford reporting a wide-open bite with jigs, Senkos, plastics on the drop-shot, and basically everything with the fish holding from 2 to 25 feet. Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Guide Service added, “This lake remains really good as we have landed largemouth bass to 8 pounds in the past week with another three or four over 5 pounds. The bass are moving into the shallows, and there is no need to fish below 20 feet. We are targeting secondary points and the back of cuts, and the largemouth bass are already on beds. I am primarily using plastics, but there is a good ripbait, spinnerbait, umbrella rig, and swimbait bite going one right now.”

The Mother Lode Kayak Anglers held an event this past Saturday, won by John Myers with a total of 52.25 inches and a big fish at 23.25 inches. Crappie are taken near Barrett’s Cove in the afternoon with small minnows or crappie jigs. The marina at Barrett Cove will open for the season on April 7. The lake dropped slightly to 68 percent.

Call: Ryan Cook – Ryan Cook’s Fishing 691-7008

The lake levels remain high, but trout plants from the Calaveras Trout Farm are occurring on a semi-regular basis. The annual Merced Irrigation District Trout Derby is scheduled for April 6-7, and over 450 anglers participated in the event last year.

Call: McSwain Marina 209-378-2534

Millerton Reservoir has turned on for both spotted and largemouth bass in a big way over the past few weeks, and the bass are found both in the main lake and in the river arm. There is a big variance in water temperature from the log jam near Temperance into the main lake, and the bite should continue to get better and better as the water temperature stabilizes.

Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “I was on the lake on Thursday, and this is the hot bite in the valley. We found a few quality bass in the river arm, but they are not around every rock as you have to run and gun for them. The best topography in the river arm has been rocky areas transitioning into shad at depths from 15 to 20 feet, and all different methods are working with jerkbaits and crankbaits along with plastics on the drop-shot or dart head. In the main lake, the small buck bass are getting aggressive in the shallows, and spinnerbaits and chatterbaits are working for the small grade of bass. Quality spotted bass to 2.25 pounds are taken on jigs. Everywhere we pulled up and tried from Finegold into the main lake, we found decent bass on jigs.”

Newman added that crappie are found around submerged structure, and the bite is improving. The Friant/Kern Canal is full, and the lake is releasing water as it has dropped a few feet. The level is now halfway up the 1st Ramp. There is a 10- to 12-degree variance in water temperatures from the log jam near Temperance from 48 degrees with 58 to 60 degrees in the main lake. He said, “The bite should really take off when the temperatures stabilize.”

Millerton dropped from 83 to 76 percent.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

The Wild West Bass Trail is coming to New Melones on Saturday, March 30, and over 150 boats and 300 participants are expected to descent upon the reservoir at Glory Hole Point.

Gene Hildebrand of Glory Hole Sports in Angels Camp said, “The lake has been producing some quality largemouth bass in the 10- to 12.5-pound range so we are counting on our beloved New Melones not to disappoint these anglers.”

Josh Parris of Josh Parris Guide Service said, “The water temperatures are on the rise, and the clarity is improving every day. Although it’s still early and we have a bit of cool weather still on the way, the action for bass should really heat up. During the next week of weather, the fish will be moving shallow and starting to feed up before they hit beds. There are a few already on beds, and more will continue to show up so long as water temps don’t fall to much. With the spawn under way, the bite can be day to day, one day being absolutely amazing, fish eating everything and the next, the fish seeming to be sluggish and unwilling to bite. My go-to baits this time of year vary widely. I’ll typically start with reaction, crank baits, top water, blades, swimbaits, and rip baits. Later in the afternoon, I’ll switch to glidebaits, stick baits, and plastics on the drop shot. You really have to feel out the bite every day and switch it up throughout the day.

Main lake points and secondary points adjacent to cove are highways for fish moving in and out to spawn and a great bet to find a few bites on reaction baits. The back of coves will be where the fish spawn and pull up to sun, I typically slow way down with finesse techniques.”

For trout, Hildebrand said, “The trout bite has been good some days and off others, but producing some quality fish when they show. Scott McCarthy of Sonora was trolling the spillway on Melones using an excel lure at 35 feet deep for a quality rainbow. The kokanee season may have gotten off to an early start, Kevin Ogg of Paulina Peak’s tackle landed two kokanee at 20 to 40 feet deep.

New Melones dropped slightly to 84 percent.

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

Pine Flat has been another bright spot in the Central Valley for spotted bass as the fish are rapidly moving into pre-spawn mode. Similar to Millerton, the lake is also releasing water in order to prepare for the expected snowmelt in the coming weeks.

Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “Pine Flat is a step below Millerton right, now, but it is still good. The bass are holding in pre-spawn mode at 15 to 30-feet, and it has been more of a reaction bite now. Spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, and deep-diving crankbaits are working from 10- to 12-feet are all effective in the traditional locations, and jigs in green pumpkin to crawdad patterns at depths from 15 to 30 feet are also working. The river arm remains cools, and the bite there is tougher with the colder water as the fish are not moving around. The best action has been in the main lake, and the bass are grouping up.”

Trout trolling is on the upswing as Terry Walton of Sierra Gold tackle has been finding quality holdover rainbows from the Power Lines upriver at depths from 20- to 40-feet with his spinners in orange or pink. Newman said, “It is more of a blade bite right now as the trout are focusing upon the vibration of a spinner or Wedding Ring more than they would on an Apex-type lure.”

In the lower Kings River, Newman reported continued good action for bank anglers despite the higher water levels. He said, “You have to use more weight to stay down, and the planters have scattered into the deeper holes, but trout dough bait or salmon eggs dragged along the bottom are working. The water is a bit dirty closer to the dam, and it is cleaner the closer you get to Avocado Lake.”

Pine Flat dropped to 60 percent.

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

The striped bass bite remains very good for those tossing subsurface lures along with drifting live bait and trolling, but the shore bite with bait has been lacking. With the high-water levels leading to a short walk to the water’s edge along with good action, Fresno and San Jose-area fishermen are concentrating on the main lake instead of the O’Neill Forebay or the California Aqueduct.

Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “San Luis is really good, and it has been primarily a subsurface bite with large hard or soft jerkbaits such as the Lucky Craft Pointer 128’s, 5.5- to 6-inch jerkbaits, or 7-inch flukes. Hard baits in white or white foil along with flukes in white or white ice are the top color patterns. There haven’t been many boils, and it is primarily a subsurface bite. Trollers are scoring with umbrella rigs at depths from 40- to 60-feet,. Bait fishing has been much slower as some of our anglers are reporting no bites after sitting on the shoreline. The focus for our fishermen has been on the main lake with the larger grade of striped bass, and they are bypassing the aqueduct and the forebay.

Roger George of Roger George Guide Service confirmed the improved action after taking out Martin Dieck and his son Logan 13, last Friday. “It started out slow for us in the morning but the bite improved and we ended up releasing over 20 nice quality stripers, many over 5 pounds and 24 inches. Logan landed his new personal-best, a 6.5-pound fish, then broke his record with a fat 8.5-pound striper. The fish are moving around a lot and are fairly shallow. I see a lot of groups in the 30-foot range but finding active eating schools is the deal. I’m seeing some guys keeping as many as they can right now. That’s how the lake went bad in the past and I hope more anglers will consider moderating their takes, or it can happen again since there are no plants anymore.”

George is doing his Downrigging 101 class on April 4 at Sportsman’s Warehouse in Fresno at 6 p.m. Preregistration is required for the limited-seating class and the cost is $50. Call George at 905-2954 for preregistration.

Alex Tran of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill confirmed the subsurface bite with ripbaits, jerkbaits, or flukes on a scrounger head near Basalt Recreation Areas, Quiensabe Point, Portuguese Cove, the corners of the dam, and over the islands in front of the Romero Visitor Center. He said, “Trollers are pulling urigs along with P-Line’s Predator Minnows. Everything is ready to happen right now as they are pumping a lot of water in to fill the south bay reservoirs.”

In the O’Neill Forebay, most striper fishermen are heading to the main lake as undersized stripers remain the rule with the vast majority being less than 18 inches. Jerkbaits, swimbaits, or flukes are working for numbers while shore fishermen soak blood worms, pile worms, or anchovies from the banks near Check 12 or the Highway 152 Bridge. There is water pumping in and out of the small reservoir both into the main lake and out into the California Aqueduct.

San Luis remained at 99 percent.

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

Few reports from this lake, but bass fishermen are ‘itching’ to get out there. The water temperatures are still cold, but the bass bite should be picking up with consistent warmer weather. The lake held at 74 percent.

The annual Bass Lake Chamber of Commerce Trout Derby is May 4-5, and the Sheriff’s Motor Fee is enforced on a year-round basis now. A webcam of the lake is available at basslakeca.com/index.php.

Snow in the high country slowed down any interest in fishing in the Kaiser Pass region or the difficult-to-reach high country as the road is closed for the winter. Check the Caltrans website at dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi or call 800-427-7623 for road conditions.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

10,000 brown trout 5 inches in length were released into the lake along with 50,000 golden trout within the past week. The golden trout are not triploid, and they will be able to spawn as both of the Stevenson inlets have been determined as possible spawning grounds. The water level has dropped to 40 percent, and the Shaver Lake Marina is not anticipated to move into place until May 1. Boaters should check the launch ramp conditions via the webcam of the Sierra Marina launch ramp at sierramarina.com/camera.html. The lake dropped to 40 percent.

Call: Dick Nichols, Dick’s Fishing Charters 281-6948; Todd Wittwer, Kokanee.net Guide Service 288-8100; Dinkey Creek Inn 841-3435

Road conditions to both lakes have been affected by the recent winter storms, and the gate at Dinkey Creek is closed, eliminating access to both Wishon and Courtright until mid- to late April.

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat said, “The boat is having some minor maintenance, and it will be back in the water this coming Saturday and Sunday for our final sand dab/crab combination trips before starting rockfishing on Monday, April 1. The pots will stay in the water, and we will pull them on occasion to make combination trips.”

In the San Francisco Rockfish Management Area from Point Arena to Pigeon Point including the Half Moon Bay area, rockfish season starts on April 1st with a 10-fish rockfish limit including a total of 3 black rockfish, 2 canary rockfish, and 3 cabezon with a minimum of 15 inches. One ling cod with a 22-inch minimum length is allowed, and the depth restriction is 40 fathoms (240 feet).

The opening of rockfish season will bring back the private and party boats to the Pillar Point Harbor, and the area will come alive again for fishermen.

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

Out of Chris’s Fishing Trips, the sand dabs were back on the bite, and the Caroline loaded up with the tasty flat fish on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and they combined for 73 Dungeness crab for 30 anglers on Saturday and Sunday. They are gearing up for the rockfish opener on April 1 and the salmon opener on April 6.

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

Halibut is the story in the bay, and more and more party boats are starting to get in on the action. The California Dawn out of Berkeley has completed a major renovation, and Captain James Smith dialed in on the halibut over the weekend in the south bay by both trolling and drifting live bait. The momentum has clearly switched from sturgeon to halibut although sturgeon are still a solid possibility in San Pablo Bay and the south bay. The Happy Hooker will also start their striped bass/halibut trips on April 11th, and the remainder of the Bay Area fleet is gearing up.

Out of San Francisco, Captain Craig Hanson of Argo Sport Fishing got in on the halibut bite with their first flat fish of the year on Sunday.

In San Pablo Bay, Captain Joel Sinkay of Loch Lomond Bait in San Rafael reported high winds kept boats off of San Pablo Bay on Monday, and there is growing interest in finding live bait for halibut drifting. The bait receivers have not been opened as of yet, but there is optimism for the coming months.

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, Hook’d Up Sport Fishing 707-655-6736

The Patriot out of Port San Luis took a crab-only trip on Sunday with 12 anglers for 71 Dungeness crab along with 3 rock crab. Morro Bay Landing and Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay along with Patriot Sport Fishing in Port San Luis are taking reservations for a variety of trips ranging from half-day to two-day. Virg’s has posted its prices for the coming rockfish season, including $340 for a two-day with meals. Two limits are a possibility on these trips to the lightly harvested grounds north of Morro Bay. A reverse overnight with meals included is $245, an overnight is $175, full day $95, 3/4 day $75 and half-day $65.

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

The Sacramento River in the upper Sacramento-Delta has dropped to some degree, and the water clarity continues to improve. The striped bass are on their way to the upstream tributaries in order to spawn, and they are moving through the system and feeding aggressively. Sturgeon fishing remains best in the Suisun Bay sloughs, and there have been some impressive scores within the past week for diamondbacks. Grass shrimp remains in short supply, and bait shops are only able to sell a minimal amount per angler in order to serve as many customers as possible.

Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle in Freeport said, “The Sacramento River is ‘wide open’ for striped bass in the 20- to 30-inch range with blood worms, pile worms, anchovies, and sardines coated with garlic spray. The water is getting clearer, but lures aren’t working yet as the bite is primarily on bait. Sturgeon are still in the area, but the season is winding down as local anglers are starting to focus on other species.”

Alan Fong of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento was targeting largemouth bass in the back sloughs of the north Delta, and he said, “The water was clean and warm at 59 degrees, and I thought we would load the boat, but it was a tough bite with a few quality largemouths out of the seven landed on spinnerbaits and chatterbaits. The Senko bite was non-existent on this day.”

J.D. Richey of Richey’s Sport Fishing said, “In the northern section of the Delta, the conditions aren’t right just yet for casting, but they will be soon, and the bite will be on for stripers.” Richey specializes in topwater, swimbait casting, and spooning for stripers.

The sturgeon bite has been outstanding with Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing putting his clients onto three legal sturgeon at 43, 44, and 54 inches on Thursday night on salmon roe in 28 feet of water. He said, “All of our action happened within a half hour at the beginning of the outgoing tide as once the tide got rolling, the grass was heavy.

Captain Zach Medinas of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures took UFC fighters, Clay Guida and Chad Mendes, for sturgeon on Thursday, and they scored technical knockouts on five diamondbacks, including a huge oversized. Guida released a 7.5-foot oversized after a lengthy fight.

Captain Steve Nicholas of Delta Fishing Charters put his clients onto four slot limit sturgeon on Thursday along with an oversized and several missed opportunities. He said, “We had three slot fish and the largest oversized of the year, and I figured that I might as well fish while were waiting since I haven’t tagged a fish in a while.”

Gamez said, “The bite was very good earlier in the week, and we had several opportunities in the morning on the outgoing tide on Sunday, but the bite died within a half-hour with only a single shaker. We also anchored at the mouth of the Little Cut and Honker Bay, and there were loads of sturgeon under the boat, but they didn’t want to bite.”

Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing will be out on the water this coming week, and he is expecting great sturgeon action with the warming water conditions,

The 8th Annual Purple Heart Anglers Disabled Veterans Fishing Event will take place on Saturday, April 13 at Brannan Island State Recreation Area. This is the largest event each year attracting Disabled Veterans and volunteers from around northern and central California. The organization is always seeking volunteer boat captains, deckhands, setup and clean-up crew, as well as food prep help. To volunteer for this invaluable event, contact Darren Butler at darren@purpleheartanglers.org.

Striped bass have flooded into the San Joaquin system, and despite off-color water conditions on the main San Joaquin River, trollers are finding big numbers along with those drifting live minnows. Largemouth bass are also ready to pop, and when the water warms a few more degrees, the action will continue to improve. Crappie and red ear perch are also becoming a solid possibility in the south Delta sloughs.

The stripers are in the San Joaquin River despite the still dirty water, and Clyde Wands, shallow trolling expert, was in the San Joaquin this week, and he said, “After launching out of Brannan Island, we started at the Santa Clara Shoals, and there were a lot of fish there. We got into them even though the water was still dirty. One boat caught and released 17 stripers, and many of these fish were in the 18- to 21-inch range. After the bite at the shoals died, we went into False River for a better cut of fish to 8 pounds. The females were already loaded with eggs. We did keep an 8-pound female, but anything over 10 pounds goes back into the river. There are a lot of stripers out there.”

Captain Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing out of Laurtizen’s Yacht Harbor in Oakley found great action on Sunday drifting live bait, trolling, and spoons for quick limits of schoolie striped bass. He said, “We only landed one female out of all of the fish, and the males weren’t milting like they were earlier in the week. The stripers are all over, in both shallow and deep water. We have been staying on the San Joaquin side, and the water is a perfect off-color green which I actually prefer.”

Captain James Netzel of Tight Lines Guide Service has been limiting out all week long out of Korth’s Pirates Lair for his clients, and he said, “You know it’s a good day when you are throwing back 22”-inch Stripers. We had a couple lulls, but we moved around a lot and found fish everywhere. We started the day off with the horde of boats at the Santa Clara Shoals and quickly put 4 keepers to 6 pounds in the boat. Since there were 22 other boats in the area, I said the heck with it and moved and kept moving as the boats continued to follow us. We ended up with more than 50 percent of the fish landed being keepers with a dozen legal stripers to 8 pounds.”

Carlos Ramos and Tom Amberson of Elk Grove and Delta Wood Bombers were actually throwing Magnum Flukes on the San Joaquin side, and they found multiple striped bass to 10 pounds which were released.

Nelson Vineyard of Topline Sport Fishing put his two clients onto limits along with a crew fish using deep-diving Yozuris at the Santa Clara Shoals. He said, “I made a run upriver to between the mouth of Old River and Prisoner’s Point, but the action was slower with more wind exposure. The water temperature was 58 degrees with around two feet of clarity.”

Dave Houston of Livermore also found good action for striped bass on Sunday, and he said, “The water clarity has cleaned up, but it’s a bit difficult to find areas to troll without floating debris. There are a lot of fish between the Antioch Bridge and the Spindrift Marina, and I ended up with 7 keepers to 8 pounds along with a shaker. There were quite a few boats out there, and the fish are schooling up.”

Dan Mathisen of Dan Mathisen Outdoors reported numbers of striped bass in the 5- to 8-pound range are present in the San Joaquin, and swimbaits and flukes are working along with trolling from Orwood Marina to Discovery Bay. The water isn’t clean yet, but there was a 22-pound limit during the first day of the Hook, Line, and Sinker Tournament of Champions. It was foggy on Sunday morning, and the weigh in was delayed to 4:00 p.m. I went out from Monday through Wednesday, and the bite was very good for largemouth bass, but it took 4 hours to put in 12 pounds on Thursday.”

Mike Pipkins of Gotcha Bait in Antioch said, “Things are getting heated up, and once the water temperature rises a few degrees, the bite is really going to take off. Crappie and red ear perch are found around Bethel Island and Discovery Bay with the slabs on minnows and the perch on waxworms. Stripers are all over right now.”

Call: Randy Pringle 209-543-6260; Captain Steve Mitchell 707-655-6736; Vince Borges, Vince Borges Outdoors 209-918-0828; J.D. Richey, Richey’s Sport Fishing 916-952-1554

Lopez Lake is improving for largemouth bass as the fish are moving into the shallows and the water is clearing. Plastics on the drop-shot, jigs, or creature baits are working best.

At Nacimiento, white bass are schooling in the river arms. Shad-patterned crankbaits along with white Kastmasters and Roostertails are whacking the schooled fish. The spotted bass are moving into the shallows, and in addition to a reaction bite, the standard finesse techniques are working for numbers. The lake continues to rise, and it at 85 percent this week.

At Santa Margarita, the lake is still in excess of 100 percent of capacity, and boaters are advised to contact the lake’s ranger station for information on the availability of the single ramp. Bass fishing has improved as the largemouths have moved into the shallows. Jigs, creature baits, large plastic worms on the drop-shot or Texas rig, and Senkos are all working. Crappie to nearly 3 pounds have been taken around structure in the Narrows with minijigs, and there are some catfish biting cut baits near the marina.

At San Antonio, the lake rose to 39 percent, and the lake is open only on weekends until at least May 1. More fishermen are showing up, and there is a decent bite for small bass to 2 pounds with jigs, or plastic worms on the drop-shot.

Webcams: 805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam, lakenacimientolive.com, 805webcams.com/santa-margarita-lake-webcam-california.

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

Hook, Line, and Sinker Tournament of Champions: March 23-24 at Delta/Russo’s Marina (two-day limits) – 1, Logan and Colby Huntze, 47.09 pounds; 2, Joey Skym/Nick Cloutier; 45.76; 3, Andy Doudna/Andrew Kobayashi, 39.84.

Mother Lode Kayak Anglers: March 23 at McClure – 1, John Myers, 52.25 inches (Big Fish 23.25); 2, Tim Arthur, 51; 3, Damian Thao, 50.75.

Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments: March 24 at Kaweah – 1, Chris and Ethan Coffman, 11.61 pounds (Big Fish 4.43); 2, Darl and Zackery Head, 7.47; 3, James Beasley/James Stailey, 7.34.

March 29-31: New Melones - Wild West Bass Trails

March 30: Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Merced Bass Club/Mid Valley Bass Club, Don Pedro – Kerman Bass Club, Santa Margarita – American Bass Association, Isabella – American Bass Association, Kaweah – Lahu Bass Club

March 30: Roosevelt High School Bass Fishing Club annual Fishing Tackle Faire club fundraiser, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Boat Shoppe, 2125 Ventura Ave., Fresno. Local tackle manufacturers and the club will be on site selling their baits to the public. Roosevelt coach Mike Spencer will be available to answer questions about the SAF California High School Tournament Trail or how to start a high school fishing club.

April 3: “Inland Trout Angling Regulation Simplification” meeting, 6-8 p.m. at Betty Rodriguez Regional Library, 3040 N. Cedar Ave., Fresno. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is proposing a number of changes to trout fishing regulations, saying it’s to make them easier to understand and to better align regulations with management objectives on each body of water in the state. There are pro and con groups.

Week of by California Department of Fish and Wildlife:

Kern County: Kern River sections 1-5

Tulare County: Kern River sections 5-6

This story was originally published March 26, 2019 at 11:08 AM.