Fishing report for week of Dec. 11-17: Bass all around, San Francico Bay action among best bets

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

Aqueduct stripers active, Lake Isabella crappie biting, Pete Cormier said. Hensley bass hitting, Pine Flat bass action improved ,Steve Newman reported. McClure bass continue feeding, Ryan Cook said, Delta stripers, bass and sturgeon going, Alan Fong reported. Spectacular crab and rockfish action in San Francisco Bay, Chris Smith said.

Key

1-Try dynamite

2-Have to work hard

3-Limits possible

4-Fish jumpin’ in boat

In the northern section of the aqueduct, Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The action slowed down this week, but it is most likely to the lack of cover along the aqueduct, leaving fishermen directly in the elements during this period of wind and rain.” The few fishermen trying have been searching for boils as the water is clearing up, and the bait is moving through and holding near the head gates. Duo Realis jerkbaits or Lucky Craft Pointers remain the top lures.

In the southern section of the aqueduct in Kern County, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield said, “The aqueduct continues to be very good for striped bass, and many of our fishermen have been soaking anchovies, sardines, mackerel, and especially blood worms on a weightless presentation. Catfish are also taken on these baits.”

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

Newman said, “At Eastman, the big bass seem to be turned off right now, but this could change quickly as the water cools down. The bait is moving, and the bait fish in both Eastman and Hensley are primarily baby bass, bluegill, or crappie. This lake is really due to break out, and I think we have become spoiled in the Central Valley as the fishing has been excellent for quality bass over the past few years. A recent tournament produced only 7 pounds for four bass on ripbaits, and it has been difficult to get them to go. Grinding slowly on the bottom is the best technique, and you can see bass holding on the bottom, but they have been reluctant to bite. Plastics on the drop-shot or shaky head are producing bass in the 1-pound range, but these are not the fish that Eastman is known for. The river arm is starting to flow, and this will get the bait up and moving. The bass should be moving into the shorelines and in the rockpiles with the water movement.”

Eastman held at 46%.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Between the two small reservoirs northeast of Madera, surprisingly, Hensley has been the best bet over the past few weeks. Eastman is the larger of the two reservoirs whose watersheds are fed by primarily rainfall with minimal snow, if at all, and it is California’s first trophy largemouth bass reservoir. However, the large bass have been missing in action for some time while Hensley remains ‘sneaky good.” The swimbait bite has been slow, but trout plants are scheduled for the middle of the month, and the swimbait bite should improve considerably.

Newman said, “Hensley has been consistent for largemouth bass in the 2- to 3-pound range with jigs or Senkos on the wacky-rig. The darker color patterns of green pumpkin or brown/purple are good options, and creature baits such as Brush Hogs or Sweet Beavers dragged slowly on the bottom are also producing. The low water conditions are less attractive to boaters, but the bass are eating better than at nearby Eastman. Swimbaits have produced a few largemouths to 5 pounds, and the lake is really fishing like Eastman with the exception of the numbers of double-digit bass. You will have to move around some to locate the bass on the submerged island tops are rockpiles along with the saddles in between the islands.”

Newman said, “The lake continues to be very good for largemouth bass with Senkos or reaction baits such as spinnerbaits or underspins. The water has been warm with the low water levels, but as the water temperatures cool, the bluegill and crappie will start accumulating along the rockpiles and tree lines at depths to 30 feet.”

The lake rose slightly to 25%.

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

The American Bass Association Mother Lode division held an event on Don Pedro on Saturday with 14 teams – all considered to be the best in the region. The team of Alex Niapas and Jason Remmers came in second at 18.18 pounds with Niapas scoring three largemouth bass in the 5-pound range on Hawg Hunter swimbaits. The team of Bryan Cox and Kevin Davidson took first at 18.43 pounds with a big fish at 8.81 so it appears that the swimbait bite is improving. John Liechty of Xperience Fishing Guide Service teamed with Rob Betsch of Mokelumne Hill came in sixth at 12.40 pounds, and Liechty said, “We prefished on Friday in blue skies for 15 pounds, and during the tournament, I lost the largest bass I have ever dropped during a tournament as a largemouth in the 10-pound range jumped and came unbuttoned off of my swimbait. I did land a 6.60-pound bass on a swimbait during the tournament, and Rob put in a 6 pounder the day before on a drop-shot.”

Call: Monte Smith 209-581-4734; Kyle Wise – Head Hunter Guide Service 209-531-3966; Ryan Cook – Ryan Cook’s Fishing 691-7008

Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield said, “The lower Kern River below the dam has been kicking out some huge rainbow up to 10 pounds, and these must be holdovers as they were not taken in the normal trout plant locations. The Kern River in sections 2 and 3 which are below the dam are scheduled to be planted this week. At Lake Isabella, the crappie bite continues with minijigs or live minnows around submerged structure at depths to 30 feet. The local lakes of Ming, River Walk, and Brite Valley are scheduled to be planted next week, and Lake Isabella is also scheduled to receive a trout plant. The local lakes continue to be fair for planters with salmon eggs, nightcrawlers, or Power Bait in various scents and colors.” Isabella held at 30%. Buena Vista has been planted, but the action is fair at best although there are some large rainbows to 10 pounds in the lake.

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

The lake has risen slightly to 11%, but it is still challenging to launch a large vessel. Local fishing expert Gary Wasson of Visalia reported ice jigs or jigs at depths from 15 to 40 feet are your best bets, but the bite is slow at best. Central Valley Kayak Fishing will hold its first tournament of 2020 on March 1, a team event.

A trout plant is scheduled for the week of Dec. 22.

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company said, “The bass bite suffered this week due to the rainy weather. Swimbaits are still the best bet with the trout plants, and the bite should improve this week with the weather stabilization in front of us.” Wasson said, “It has been hit-or-miss with jigs working best at depths from 15 to 30 feet. I landed a 6.12-pound largemouth on a jig this week, however.”

The lake held at 7% before the latest inflow. A trout plant is scheduled for the week of Dec. 22.

In the Tule River, Stokke said, “The river is still blown out with the high water and stained conditions.”

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

Lake McClure continues to be the best option for bass fishermen in the Mother Lode, but there were some impressive scores posted during Saturday’s American Bass Association event at Don Pedro. McClure is primarily a spotted bass reservoir, but Don Pedro features largemouth and spotted bass along with a population of smallmouths.

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “There really hasn’t been much change this past week as the wind and rain have been most of the story. I was only on the lake once due to the weather, and most of the bass remain suspended. However, the numbers of bass moving into the shallows has increased. Find the bait remains the key to success. The majority of fish are still holding at depths from 10 to 60 feet, but the cooler water temperatures will result in the shad balling up and dropping in the water column. The jig bite remains solid with the G-Money jig in a brown/purple color known as Margaritaville with a Dead Stick Hula Daddy trailer on a half-ounce jig head from the bank to 30 feet with a heavier jig head in deeper water. Drop-shotting a 2- to 4-inch plastic in shad pattern is another option on a half-ounce drop-shot weight on light 8-pound monofilament.”

McClure rose slightly to 61%.

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

Steve Marquette of the Lake McClure/Lake McSwain Recreation Company said, “A trout plant of 1,500 pounds from the Department of Fish and Wildlife took place on Dec. 6, and trollers are scoring with Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler behind a dodger, blue/silver Kastmasters, or with blade/’crawler combinations. From the Brush Pile and Handicapped Docks, various colors of trout dough bait, salmon eggs or nightcrawlers are picking up the planters.”

Lake levels remain high.

Call: McSwain Marina 209-378-2534

Newman said, “Numbers of spotted bass are the norm in both the main lake and the river arm while largemouth bass are found primarily in the main lake. The bass are holding on vertical structure at depths from 30 to 40 feet with plastics on the drop-shot or shaky head along with creature baits such as Sweet Beavers, the Yamamoto Cowboy or lizards on the bottom. The best reaction bite is up in the river with ripbaits or spinnerbaits. 10 to 11 pounds is a winning weight for most tournaments.”

The Roosevelt High School Bass Fishing Club hosted its third California Angler Tournament Trail in the rain on Sunday, and students from high schools as far away as Lake and Santa Cruz counties participated. The team of Josh Weinburger and Jacob Lawrence from Placer-Auburn took first with a bag at 12.12 pounds anchored by the day’s big fish at 3.94 pounds taken on a Roboworms Hologram Shad Ned Rig. Roosevelt High took advantage of local knowledge by taking the next two places with the team of Jacob Lee and Teng Cha at 9.72 and Logan Hamilton and Jaiden Vang at 8.30 for third. Volunteer boaters were Chase Dixon, Jeff Farmer, Pierre Catcherman Matthews, Mitch Mitcheltree, Craig Gong, Ryan Reynolds and Chris Jones. Dave and Beth Orange were the volunteer weigh-masters with Brian Orange in charge of the launch. East County Student Angler adviser Monica Ann Hurney took pictures of all participants at the weigh-in.

The lake held at 45%.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

John Liechty of Xperience Bass Fishing said, “The bass bite remains tough, and the best action remains at depths from 30 to 50 feet with plastics on a drop-shot, Ned-Rig, or shakey head along with jigs for numbers. I took out a client on Sunday, and we threw swimbaits all day long since that is what he wanted to do. He was happy landing a 3-pound spotted bass. We finally switched over to plastics on the drop-shot, Ned-rig, or shaky head along with jigs on a few spots for 7 bass. I feel confident that we could easily have put in 20 to 30 bass with no problem as there were some spots that I have been wanting to hit. The swimbait bite remains a challenge, but there are signs of improvement. The River2Sea Swaver is starting to get some play. However, it isn’t as good as it is at Don Pedro right now.”

Trout trolling is starting to show signs of life with Speedy Shiners, Needlefish or Countdown Rapalas in German brown at depths from 50 to 60 feet in the main lake.

The Kokanee Power Net Pens are loaded with rainbow trout, and they are being fattened up for a release in the spring.

The lake held at 83%.

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

Pine Flat continues to improve as the water releases have slowed down significantly, and along with the inclement weather, the bass and bait are moving around. There are more bass moving into the shallows. Trout plants have finally brought around improved opportunities for trollers working the main lake.

Newman said, “The bass bite is getting better, and there are bass moving up into shallower water from 30 feet to the banks. Even with the bass moving up, the best bite is close to the bottom at depths to 40 feet with spoons, ice jigs, jigs, or plastics on the shakey head. In the shallower water, the shad is moving around, and spinnerbaits or small swimbaits such as Kei Techs in the 4- to 5-inch range along with underspins are working. There is an improving bite with large 8-inch glide baits in trout patterns since the trout plants started a few weeks ago, but this is a ‘feast or famine’ type of fishing as you will work all day long for the opportunity for a few bites. The trout plants have been taking place at Deer Creek or Island Park, and the rainbows will hang around for a few days before moving out into the main lake. Most glide bait fishermen are seeing a few followers, and there are 6- to 8-inch trout everywhere. Once the bass start keying on the trout, the glide bait and swimbait bite will take off. Trout trolling is starting to show signs of life and pulling shad-patterned spoons in Cop Car, chrome or orange at depths from the surface to 20 feet are your best options. You don’t have to go deep right now, and leadcore line at 4 to 5 colors should be effective.”

In the lower Kings, Newman said, “The water has slowed down, and the banks have been crowded in the easily-accessed areas. Tyler Gardner from our shop was out this week, and he had to hike a bit to get away from the crowds before picking up a few trout. Salmon eggs or trout dough bait drifted through the ripples into the deep holes are the best techniques. You have to find deeper water near Winton Park or just before Avocado Lake before you are able to cast lures such as Roostertails or Kastmasters.”

Pine Flat rose from 41% to 43%.

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

San Luis Reservoir continues to produce striped bass with a variety of techniques, but the topwater and subsurface reaction bite has been the story with the linesides boiling on the surface throughout the day in the overcast conditions.

Newman said, “San Luis remains very good, and the shad schools are abundant with the stripers pushing the bait into the backs of the coves. Portuguese Cove, Romero Visitor Center, and Dinosaur Point have been the top locations for the plug casters with trollers focusing around the dam. Duo Realis jerkbaits, Lucky Craft Pointer 128s, Zoom Flukes, Zara Spooks and the ima Big Stick have been the top lures. Fishermen aren’t soaking much in the way of bait right now as it seems that everyone wants to get in on the reaction bite.”

Josh Mesa of Coyote Bait in Morgan Hill said, “Drifting live minnows near the Trash Racks or inside of Portuguese Cove are good option, and there is an early morning topwater bite with Pencil Poppers and Zara Spooks while flukes are also working in the coves.”

Roger George of Roger’s Guide Service said, “I took out Matt Thompson of Anaheim during the forecast heavy rain and storm conditions during the middle of the week, I was really concerned about the weather, but surprisingly, it turned out to be a pretty good day as we trolled up over 25 stripers up to over 6 pounds . We had to work spots all over the lake for a few here and there, mainly using Lucky Crafts in depths from 50 to 75 feet. We had to work hard all day to find a few active biting fish. The pumping has also ramped up which should also help the bite. There is an early topwater bite going some days too. Water temperatures are still around 61 degrees, and the lake is heading back up to 1 million acre-feet.”

The lake rose from 43% to 47%.

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

The first trout plant of the season is scheduled for the week of Dec. 15, and the trout action from the shorelines near the Sheriff’s Tower and also for trollers should begin. The trout plants will also start up the swimbait bite with trout patterned lures. Plastics on the shaky head or jigs along with creature baits such as the Yamamoto Cowboy or Sweet Beaver in the pockets around weeds are the best options. The cooler temperatures will ramp up the swimbait bite, and boot-tailed plastics or glide baits are good options.

The lake is on the rise at 51%, but the courtesy dock is out of the water. Small boats can still get in by beaching the boat. Lake webcams and conditions: basslakeca.com/index.php.

The Sheriff’s Motor Fee is enforced on a year-round basis now.

Kaiser Pass is blanketed with snow, limiting access to the region. The Kaiser Pass lakes are now dropping with Edison at 39% and Florence at 9%, with Mammoth Pool rising to 71%.

For the latest Sierra National Forest road conditions: bit.ly/2rfH8BB

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Snow and rain have been the story over the past week, and few boats have been on the lake. Access to the lake has been limited due to the snow, but a webcam of the launch ramp is available at sierramarina.com/camera.html. A double-plant of rainbows is anticipated next year in addition to the 12,000 5-inch brown trout that were planted in spring 2019. The lake held at 62%.

At Huntington, the winter storms have limited access to the lake, but the dock has been out of the water for several weeks. The lake held at 57%.

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

The recent snow storm closed access to these high elevation lakes, and they may be inaccessible until April.

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

With the delay of the commercial crab season due to whale entanglement, the only factor stopping the private and party boats out of Half Moon Bay from limits of both Dungeness crab and rockfish has been the recent trend of inclement weather and rough sea conditions. However, it looks like the second week of December will bring much calmer conditions, allowing the boats from Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing along with the Huli Cat to post limits of both rockfish and crab.

Sport fishermen will have enjoyed up to 6 weeks of the Dungeness crab season all to themselves due to the delay until at least December 15th for commercial vessels. Whale entanglement in fishing gear has increased over the past four years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there were 31 confirmed cases in 2017, 48 confirmed cases in 2016, and 50 confirmed cases in 2015. These were the highest annual totals for this region since records of entanglements began in 1982, far more than the average of 10 per season for the prior 13 years.

Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat said, “We were out on Sunday on a rockfish/crab combination trip at the Deep Reef in 230 feet of water for 3/4th limits of rockfish with overall slow action along with 18 limits of Dungeness crab. Kim Chan from San Francisco landed a 16-lb lingcod caught on a shrimp fly with Tommy Li from San Francisco with a 14-lb. lingcod, also landed on a shrimp fly.

Out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing, the Queen of Hearts and New Captain Pete are running crab-only and crab/rockfish when the weather conditions allow. The New Captain Pete has a commercial puller similar to the Huli Cat, and the commercial grade makes for easy hoists on the deep strings. The Queen of Hearts is making their inaugural fray into combination trips with Danielsen pots and an electric puller. Both the New Captain Pete and Huli Cat have been tied up at the docks by 10:00 a.m. with up to 32 limits of crab on crab-only trips during the small windows of calm weather before and after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

The bulk of the biomass of Dungeness crab is from Half Moon Bay to Bodega Bay, and party and private boats out of ports in this region have brought in limits on every trip since the opener. Even on a short soak of a few hours, the private boaters and six-packs are pulling stuffed pots while with an overnight soak, and an overnight soak loads up the pots to a degree that another crab can’t fit inside.

The Half Moon Bay Fish Market on the corner of Highway 92 and Main Street is boiling crab for $2.00 apiece.

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

Chris’s Fishing Trips in Monterey stayed local on Sunday, and they returned with limits of rockfish and around 40 Dungeness crab for a light load of 12 anglers. The weather has been the limiting factor over the past week, but they are heading out every day this week on the combination trips. They are full on this coming Wednesday and Friday, but there is room on the other weekdays.

Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “Prime time at the beach for them is winter time. Cold grey waves pounding the beach, maybe with a little rain and wind mixed in are the conditions these guys look for while walking long sandy stretches on the hunt for surfperch of the XL variety. Most surfcasters use the Carolina rig as a default. Leaders can range up to 15-pound mono just in case there are any stripers around. 10 or 12-pound mono seems to be most angler’s preference for a perching rig. Velasco opts for a small #8 hook. We have seen success with a variety of hook sizes ranging from #6 (small) up to a #1 (much bigger). With a larger hook, anglers can miss hookups. Perch mouths are on the small side. Smaller hooks may have the tendency to be swallowed by the fish, which is no problem if you’re bringing them home to eat. For those who prefer catch and release surfcasting, we’d recommend a #2 hook. If, on a particular outing the bites are short, go to a #4. If the fish are swallowing your #2 hook, go up one size to a #1. Real, organic bait probably works the best for surf perch. It’s even better if it is live bait, like sand crabs, ghost shrimp or bloodworms. Raw or cooked shrimp from the supermarket will entice surfperch to bite as well. Cut it into chunks appropriate for your hook size. The line between artificial baits and lures gets kind of blurry for surfcasters. On the one hand, the biodegradable GULP! sandworms are soft, moist and stinky like organic bait. Using one-inch grubs is an historically successful ploy. The grubs are soft plastic and come packaged dry, though you can add scent to them. Both the curly-tail grubs and the paddle-tail grubs work equally well. When using grubs, a slightly faster retrieve will enhance the swimming motion of the grub tail, acting more as a lure than as bait floating around in the current. More and more surfcasters are casting small lures for big perch. The lures resemble baitfish in the water, and it is usually the larger perch that go after them. Because it is a predatory reaction strike, a perch lure hit is often a solid “grab.” Very satisfying. Surfcasters have used small KastMasters for decades for successful perch catches. Another hot lure gaining traction in the surfcasting community the past few years is the Lucky Craft 110 Flash Minnow. The LC is a killer lure, especially if the fish are close to the shorebreak, as they do not cast as far as the metal KastMaster.”

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

The commercial crab fleet is in full go mode, and they will be setting their pots on Friday in order to start pulling around the clock starting on Monday, December 15th. The amount of crab gear in the water will affect the sport action, but limits should still be possible through New Year’s.

After being tied up on Friday and Saturday, the party boats out of the Bay Area made it out on Sunday and Monday for spectacular rockfish and Dungeness crab action. Captain Jerad Davis of the Salty Lady, currently out of Emeryville Marina, posted limits of 23 rockfish and crab on Sunday on a private charter. He is running the combination trips throughout the week.

Captain Chris Smith of the Pacific Dream out of Berkeley also went to the Islands for 23 limits of rockfish and Dungeness crab along with 2 ling cod with over 30 commercial-grade crab in the pots. Second Captain Bryan Chan of the California Dawn went out to the Farallons for 26 limits of rockfish and crab with a solitary ling cod.

Inside the bay, Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters out of Loch Lomond will be pulling his crab pots out of the ocean once the commercial boats set gear, and he is looking forward to targeting sturgeon in San Pablo Bay. He said, “Tommy Glaser caught and released five sturgeon right outside of China Camp this past week while only fishing 3.5 hours at the top of the incoming tide using frozen ghost shrimp. One of the sturgeon was an oversized estimated at 150 pounds. It’s time for sturgeon with all of this inflow.”

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

Out of San Luis Obispo County, the rockfish bite slowed a bit on the day trips, but a reverse overnight trip on the Black Pearl out of Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay returned with 41 ling cod to 18 pounds, 200 vermilion, and 34 assorted rockfish for a light load of 13 anglers. David Kiel of Bakerfield took the big ling on the second day. Out of Morro Bay Landing, the Endeavor and Starfire were out with a combined 61 fishermen on Sunday for 6 ling cod to 10 pounds along with 320 vermillion, 30 copper, 40 Boccaccio, and 160 assorted rockfish. Out of Patriot Sport Fishing in Port San Luis, the Flying Fish and Patriot last took out 23 anglers on Sunday for 5 vermilion, 4 copper, 2 Boccaccio, 136 assorted rockfish, and one ocean whitefish. All ports are running a variety of trips in the coming weeks for rockfish/ling cod including overnight trips until the bottom fish closure on Dec. 31.

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

The striped bass action was up north early in the week, but with the incoming storm, the conditions will change as the water will turn muddy. Sturgeon action has rapidly improved with the appearance of fresh water inflow into the Sacramento River system.

Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors was out for a few hours in the rain on Wednesday morning with Kyle Goldberg of Donkey Sticks, and they had a few hours of phenomenal striped bass action in the cold and wet conditions. Borges said, “It was a cold and wet morning, but when the big girls want to dance, they don’t care about the weather. We missed a few absolute giants in the 30- to 35-pound range on the Donkey Sticks, and one that straightened out the hooks on the glide bait, but we still managed to catch-and-release some big girls in the 25-pound range. They wouldn’t commit to the top water, but we loaded up with the YoZuri Ninja Glide Bait in trout pattern, and the Phenix M1-80MH rod did the heavy lifting. With the water off-color, we just about had to hit them right on the head, and the inflow will make it tougher. The water temperature was just perfect, and I think we will have another week of good activity as there is stable weather next week with no wind predicted. There is some debris starting to move down the river with tree limbs, stumps, and logs, and you have to be careful out there.”

Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento, took Laurencie Khamphanh of Sacramento into the north Delta, and they loaded up with striped bass and some huge crappie. The slabs are taken on the Strike King’s Mr. Crappie or small Kei Tech swimbaits with stripers on Sneaky Pete glide baits. Fong said, “We caught and released 8 stripers to 10 pounds on the glide baits and also on Alabama rigs, and the crappie are just thick, but you have to punch a hole in the weeds to get down to them. We were throwing swimbaits for stripers, and the largemouth bass were hitting the swimbaits. There is always a lot of bait in the shallows of the north Delta at this time of year.” Warren Trombley of San Jose also got in on the action with a huge striped bass on a Sneaky Pete, and in true Warren fashion, the lure snapped in half during the fight.

Sturgeon fishing continues to be very good for those in the know, and Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing was out with a crew including Mark Ortega of Daly City. Gamez said, “We were in Montezuma Slough, and it is clear although Suisun Slough is like chocolate milk as they are pumping water off of all of the fields adjacent to the sloughs. We missed a number of opportunities, and finally, Ortega hooked up when I showed him how to reel down on the bite instead of trying to set the hook. We also lost a 15-pound striped bass at the boat. We were using some skein roe, and the stripers like the skein while sturgeon seem to prefer the cured roe. We had at least 10 good sturgeon bites that came and went without results.”

Captain Zach Medinas of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures out of Pittsburg continues to find spectacular sturgeon action with his specially-cured roe, and he put his clients onto a triple-hook up and land on a recent trip. He said, “The weeds aren’t too bad right now in Suisun Bay, but the big tides haven’t arrived, bringing debris off of the sides of the levees and tule berms. I am going to add safety to my seminars at the International Sportsmen’s Exposition in Sacramento this year as when the debris is moving down, you don’t want to be in the main river on the outgoing tide.”

John Badger of Barbarian Sport Fishing found great action for both sturgeon and striped bass out of Martinez this week soaking salmon roe outside of the Martinez Marina, and the stripers are clearly coming up the river from the bay.

Captain Jim Smith, longtime legendary captain of the Happy Hooker, has purchased a six-pack vessel, and he is debating on getting back into the game out of Martinez Marina. He was out with Captain Dave Lemon on Thursday, and they posted early limits of sturgeon along with a few striped bass.

The river salmon season ends in two weeks on December 16th, and fewer and fewer anglers are targeting salmon in the north Delta with the closure only a few days away.

Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait reported anglers are still heading out despite the inclement weather, and he said, “There have been some decent stripers taken from the shoreline, and Ron Reisinger of Chico landed a limit of stripers at 12 and 14 pounds at the Mothball Fleet on live splittail. The grass shrimp is getting larger and larger, and it has been coming in clean to the shop. However, bullheads have been scarcer.”

The San Joaquin-Delta remains clear in many areas despite the storms that have been moving through since Thanksgiving, and striped bass are starting to move into the system in numbers.

Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, was out on the San Joaquin this week, and he said, “The Optimum Bad Bubba Shad swimbait has been really good for stripers to 9 pounds. There haven’t been any huge ones, but we are finding numbers targeting points with moving water. If the wind doesn’t disturb the water too much in the coming weeks, and the weather becomes stable, the striper action should take off. For largemouth bass, it is similar with numbers of bass to 3.5 pounds. We haven’t been finding any giants, but the largemouths are solid. The ripbait bite has been outstanding, and I have been using the ima Flit 120 in shad patterns on 12-lb. fluorocarbon line. The key has been to work the outside weed lines with some current moving the weeds, but not in heavy current. When I cast out the ripbait, I am working the lure back very slowly with the rod tip in the water to get the bait down. On the retrieve, a short twitch of the wrist on the retrieve is important to make the bait jump 4 to 6 inches as moving the rod with your elbow will make it move too far and too fast right now. The bass are eating and keying on shad, and they are filling up in anticipation of the water cooling down. It always happens around this time when the bass are feeding heavily before their metabolism slows down when the water temperatures drop. The Berkley Power Worm Series of the General or the Flat Dog in earth tones are also effective on a Zappu head such as green pumpkin or green pumpkin/red flake. When the water cools, the prey turn darker, and these colors are more effective.”

Dave Houston of Livermore was out with striper-trolling legend, Mark Wilson, on Thursday, and he said, “We put in almost 80 miles trolling on both sides of the Delta, and we worked from the mouth of Three Mile Slough to Eddo’s Marina on the San Joaquin. Every spot we tried only produced up to one fish, and if the water temperature drops another 3 to 4 degrees, it will be even tougher for trolling. The conditions did look good with the current water temperature around 53 degrees with minimal grass and good water clarity, but we ended up with only 7 scrawny stripers to 22 inches with chartreuse lures working best.”

Dan Mathisen of Dan’s Delta Outdoors has been working the San Joaquin side for striped bass, and he said, “I picked up a few linesides to 6 pounds in Orwood early this week on the Bad Bubba Shad swimbait, and the graph lit up with stripers under the bridge near Orwood. I did have a topwater blow up near Bullfrog Landing on a Delta Mizer which is a large wooden plug. The water is getting dirty, and the shallows around Frank’s Tract should be muddy, but Mildred should be clear. With this warm rain, the stripers should settle in, bringing the linesides straight up into the system. For largemouth bass, jigs in black/blue and ripping have been effective. I plan on running south early next week after the storm passes.”

Steve Santucci of Steve Santucci’s Fly Fishing Guide Service said, “Striper fishing has been good, and I will be targeting stripers in the Delta throughout the entire winter into spring as it my favorite time to fish. You have the stillness and the solitude, and there are few anglers out. It’s kind of like your own private refuge, and you can experience excellent action.”

Fresh shad continues to be available in area bait shops, but the shad will drop out of the reach of the shadders if the water cools a few more degrees.

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

At Nacimiento, the spotted bass are scattered at various depths with finesse presentations of plastics on the drop-shot or spoons working deep while lighter spoons to ½-ounce are finding mid-range fish along with shad-patterned crankbaits or spinnerbaits. The recent inclement weather has moved the bait round, and the bass are located near the shad. White bass are taken on occasion on spoons along with a few crappie as all species are focusing on shad. Catfish are taken on cut baits scented with garlic. With the rivers flowing into the reservoir, the lake rose to 48%. A webcam of the lake is available at lakenacimientolive.com.

At Lopez, a webcam of the lake is available at 805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam.

At Santa Margarita, the bass action remains tough, but there have been a few quality largemouth bass taken on deep-diving crankbaits or slow-rolled swimbaits on the bottom. Crappie are holding on the bottom near structure with grubs, tube baits, or minijigs. Catfish are taken on cut baits with scent. A webcam of the lake is available at 805webcams.com/santa-margarita-lake-webcam-california.

At San Antonio, there hasn’t been much change as few fishermen are attracted to the lake with the overall slow bass fishing. Catfish remain the top species with cut baits such as mackerel or anchovies coated with scent while bass fishing remains limited to small fish on a finesse technique. The lake is now on the winter schedule, and the launch ramp is closed on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The lake rose to 35%.

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

Delta/Russo’s Marina – American Bass Association – December 7th : 1st –Rob and Nick Cloutier – 27.34 pounds (Big Fish 8.65); 2nd –– David Raper Jr./Brett Leber – 19.72; 3rd – Craig Carabello/Steve ‘Bub’ Tosh – 18.76.

New Melones –Manteca Bassin’ Buddies – December 7th : 1st – Bill and William Vernon – 13.31 pounds (Big Fish 2.82); 2nd –– Jason Hopper/Marshall Horsley – 11.15; 3rd – Joey Winchell/Cole Taylor – 10.96.

Don Pedro – American Bass Association Mother Lode Event – December 7th : 1st – Bryan Cox/Kevin Davidson – 18.43 pounds (Big Fish 8.81); 2nd ––Jason Remmers/Alex Niapas – 18.18; 3rd –Christian Ostrander/Scott Taylor – 15.74.

Pine Flat – Kerman Bass Club– December 7th: 1st – Darren Graef– 9.38 pounds (Big Fish – 2.60); 2nd ––Chris Griffin – 9.29; 3rd –Ron Orbacker – 8.67.

McClure –Fresno Bass Club– December 8th: 1st – Bill Kunz – 10.65 pounds; 2nd –– Harold Hass– 9.54; 3rd – Mark Corrente – 9.36. Big Fish – 3.35 pounds – Larry Lutz.

Pine Flat – California Student Angler Tournament Trail Big Valley Open hosted by the Roosevelt High School Bass Fishing Club– December 8th: 1st – Josh Weinburger/Jacob Lawrence of Auburn High School – 12.12 pounds (Big Fish – 3.94); 2nd –– Jacob Lee/Teng Cha of the Roosevelt HS BFC – 9.72; 3rd – Logan Hamilton/Jaiden Vang of the Roosevelt HS BFC – 8.30.

December 14th –

Delta – California Striped Bass Association Isleton Chapter Sturgeon Derby

McClure – Merced Bass Club

Pine Flat – Sierra Bass Club

December 15th –

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Hook, Line, and Sinker

Nacimiento – Good Ole Boys

December 18th –

Pine Flat – Kings VIII Bass Club

January 1st –

Delta/Russo’s Marina – American Bass Association

Kaweah – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

Nacimiento – Bakersfield Bass Club

January 4th –

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Dan Mathisen Outdoors

New Melones – New Jen Bass Tournaments

McClure – Kerman Bass Club

Nacimiento – American Bass Association’

January 5th – ‘

Delta/Tracy Oasis – Tracy Oasis Marina

McClure – Riverbank Bass Anglers/Merced Bass Club

Millerton – New Jen Bass Tournaments

January 8th –

Nacimiento – Bakersfield Bass Club

January 11th –

New Melones – Sonora Bass Anglers

Don Pedro – Christian Bass League

McClure – Best Bass Tournaments/Manteca Bassin’ Buddies

Nacimiento – Best Bass Tournaments

January 12th –

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Hook, Line, and Sinker

Week of Dec. 15 by California Department of Fish and Wildlife, conditions permitting:

Fresno County: Avocado Lake, Kings River below Pine Flat Dam, Woodward Park Lake, Woodward Park Lake, Pine Flat Reservoir

Inyo County: Diaz Lake, Owens River below Tinnemaha and section , Pleasant Valley Reservoir

Kern County: Brite Valley Reservoir, Kern River sections 4-5, Ming Lake, River Walk Lake

Madera County: Bass Lake, Eastman Lake, Hensley Lake, Sycamore Island Pond

Merced County: Los Banos Reservoir, Merced River section 1

Tulare County: Kern River sections 5-6, Lake Isabella

Tuolumne County: Tulloch Lake

This story was originally published December 10, 2019 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Fishing report for week of Dec. 11-17: Bass all around, San Francico Bay action among best bets."