Fishing report for week of Dec. 18-24: Pine Flat and Hensley bass waking up

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

Pine Flat and Hensley bass waking up, Steve Newman reported. San Luis stripers hitting, Mickey Clements said. Delta stripers active, Alan Fong reported. McClure bass action improving, Ryan Cook 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, “Most anglers are soaking bait near the bridge pilings or the headgates while there are some chasing boils with the ima Big Stick or Heddon Spooks.”

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 stripers with jumbo minnows, flukes, tube baits, and jerkbaits. We are out of blood worms right now, but we have a shipment coming in this week. Catfish are found on anchovies, sardines, mackerel or Sonny’s Dip Baits.”

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

Newman said, “The quality largemouth bass remain absent, but the recent trout plants should get the larger fish more action and turn on the swimbait bite. Numbers of bass in the 1- to 1.5-pound range are possible at plastics on the drop-shot or shakey head at depths from 30 to 40 feet over the island tops or in the saddles. The larger fish are very thin, and you can mark them on the bottom, but they are reluctant to bite. There are also some suspended at 10 to 15 feet.”

The lake rose slightly to 47%.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Newman said, “The evening reaction bite has been very good with spinnerbaits in white, shad, or chartreuse tossed at a 45-degree angle towards the bank. The bass have been feeding heavily in the evenings during this past weeks full moon. Anglers will have to move around to locate the fish, and jigs or Senkos on a wacky-rig are also working for largemouth bass in the 2- to 3-pound range. The algae bloom is gone, and the visibility is around 8 to 10 feet. Trout plants start this month, and the swimbait bite should improve.”

The lake rose slightly to 26%.

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

The bass bite is improving as the fish are moving into the shallows with swimbaits, but the best action remains at depths from 20 to 50 feet with plastics on the drop-shot or slow-grinded swimbaits on the bottom. The action is expected to continue to improve as the water cools and the swimbait bite takes off. Few trout and king salmon reports, but the remaining rainbows in the lake should be moving closer and closer to the surface. A heavy plant of fingerling king salmon this spring should pay dividends in the future.

The lake rose slightly to 80%.

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

Cormier said, “Both the upper above and lower Kern River below the dam have been good for planted rainbows with salmon eggs, Power Bait, or nightcrawlers along with lures such as Kastmasters or Roostertails. Regular plants have been bringing on the action. The local lakes of Ming and Hart Park are scheduled to be planted, and the action will pick up within a few days of the plant. Buena Vista has been slower with the occasional planted rainbow taken. At Lake Isabella, the crappie bite continues with minijigs or live minnows around submerged structure at depths to 50 feet as the slabs have dropped in the water column. The shad has been holding in the trees, and both the crappie and largemouth bass are targeting the shad schools. Largemouth bass fishing has also improved for size with a 7- and a 9-pound largemouth reported this past week.”

Isabella held at 30%.

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 13%, but it is still challenging to launch a large vessel. Gary Wasson of Visalia said, “The bass bite is slow with jigs, ice jigs, or plastics on the drop-shot your best bet at 35 feet.”

A trout plant is scheduled for this week.

The Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments is holding a New Year’s Day tournament at the lake with the Central Valley Kayak Fishing holding their first tournament of the coming year on March 1, a team event.

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company said, “The bass bite remains slow, but fishermen are scoring with spoons, jigs, or swimbaits for the winter bite. Catfish with stinkbaits has been another option, and the lake is slowly rising.”

Wasson said, “It has been slow overall with the best action with a spoon or a jig at 25 feet, but I did catch-and-release an 11.56-pound largemouth on a big swimbait this week.”

A trout plant is scheduled for this week.

The lake rose slightly to 8%.

In the Tule River, Stokke said, “Hardcore local fishermen are finding success with nightcrawlers or spinners.”

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

Lake McClure has been the top Mother Lode lake for numbers of spotted and largemouth bass, and every week the action becomes better and better as the bass are moving into the shallows. Trout fishing slowed a bit with the best action deeper in the water column. There are eight bass tournaments at the lake during the month of January, and the Merced Bass Club brought out 34 boats this past Saturday.

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “McClure is getting better and better all the time, and the bite is ready to bust out. The best cut of bass is found in the shallows, and we didn’t figure this out until the last two hours of Saturday’s tournament where all of our fish came at depths to 15 feet with the G-Money jig in Margaritaville with a Dead Stick Hula Daddy trailer on a ¾-ounce jig head. It is a big profile jig, but the bass are really eating it right now. We spent most of our time fishing deep water, and there are plenty of spots as deep as 70 feet with plastics on the drop-shot or Neko-rig, but the best cut is coming on jigs. You can catch bass at any depth right now, and there is a little reaction bite up close with spinnerbaits. The cooler the water gets, the better the bass bite will be.”

The Merced Bass Club was out on Saturday, and Cook and his cousin, Tim Cook, took sixth place with 9.84 pounds with the winning weight brought in by the team of Bill Kunz and Corey Kurber at 11.52 pounds.

For trout, Steve Marquette of the Lake McClure/McSwain Recreational Company said, “Trout trolling was hit or miss with most reports coming between 50 and 55 feet with Speedy Shiners or blade/crawler combinations.”

McClure held at 61%.

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

Marquette said, “Trout action has been fair at best after the trout plant took place a few weeks back. Shore fishermen are picking up a few rainbows with Power Eggs or trout dough bait from the Brush Pile and the Handicapped Docks. Trollers are finding a few holdovers up the river arm with blade/’crawler combinations, Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler behind a dodger, or blue/silver Kastmasters. Lake levels remain high.”

Call: McSwain Marina 209-378-2534

A few consecutive years of high water at Lake Millerton may be the reason that double-digit largemouth bass are now showing up with more regularity after years of being known primarily as a lake loaded with small spotted bass.

Newman said, “We have progressively witnessed the decline of striped bass in Millerton since the planting program stopped years ago, and it is now rare that a striper is taken incidentally. There have been a number of largemouths in the 3-to 5- pound range taken out of Millerton recently, and even bass in the double-digits have been caught and released this year. We haven’t seen this happening in years. Bill Kunz of the Fresno Bass Club was out prefishing this week, and he landed a 7.8-pound largemouth and a 3.5-pound spotted bass. Merritt Gilbert from our shop was up the river arm, and he caught and released a 3.5-pound spot in preparation for the New Year’s tournament in which he always fishes with one of his sons.”

Newman continued, “The most consistent action is in the main lake around the bigger rockpiles and vertical rocks at 30 to 40 feet, but the bass aren’t grouped up right now as the lake continues to release water . However largemouth bass are found primarily in the main lake. 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. Once the lake level and surface temperature stabilize, the bite will become more consistent as the shad schools will form. You have to run and gun right now and work hard, but the reaction bite will improve as the water temperature drops into the low 50s as it is currently in the 53/54-degree range.”

The Fresno Bass Club is recruiting new members for the 2020 season. You don’t have to own a boat to fish in the Fresno Bass Club. You can join as a “non-boater” aka a co-angler and fish club events out of the back of another member’s boat.

The club has 11 annual events and members can choose to fish competitively for points accumulated throughout the year or just pick and choose the events they would like to fish.

You don’t have to live in Fresno, either. The club has members from all over the Central Valley.

The club meets the first Tuesday of every month at the Denny’s at Herndon and Blackstone avenues. Membership is open to anyone 16 and older.

The Fresno Bass Club is family oriented and if you have a family member you would like to join and fish with such as husband/wife, father/son etc. the FBC allows you to fish with your family member all year long as long as one of you have a boat.

Membership is $50 per member per year which includes the cost for club insurance. Monthly tournaments are $25 with $45 of “options” if you chose to participate

For more information, go to fresnobass.org.

The lake held at 45%.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

New Melones remains a mystery for most fishermen as the arrival of the late fall/early winter bite is still on hold. Gene Hildebrand of Glory Hole Sports in Angels Camp reported, “Anglers are trying to figure out the bass bite on Melones the last few weeks with the bass not willing to give a consistent pattern. Glide baits are having mixed results with followers but still slow on the bite. Shad have been plentiful on the electronics and spoons such as a P-Line Laser Minnows are working inside of the schools to draw a strike. Finesse presentations of plastics on the drop-shot or shaky head are also working.”

Shaun Leytem from the Yak-A-Bass kayak fishing circuit and Wicked Weights was out on the lake over the weekend, and he landed spotted bass to 4.5 pounds on a drop shot with the bass suspended at 65 feet in 100 feet of water. All of his bass came at depths from 10 to 65 feet, and he said, “The bass are acting funny right now.”

For rainbow trout, Hildebrand said, “The trout bite has been slow, but the ones that have come into our shop for pictures are really nice holdovers, ranging from 4.5 to 5.5 pounds. Marvin Wells from Twain Harte brought in two nice rainbows trolling the dam at 45 feet deep with a yellow ExCel spoons coated with anise scent.”

No crappie or catfish reports.

The lake held at 82%.

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

Pine Flat Reservoir remains solid for spotted bass along with increased numbers of largemouth bass, and the swimbait bite is starting to emerge with the planting of rainbow trout into the lake over the past few weeks. The lower Kings River below the reservoir is also kicking out planter rainbows for bait fishermen, spincasters, and fly fishermen.

Newman said, “The bass bite has remained good in both the main lake and in the river arm. The Sierra Club held a tournament this past Saturday, and anglers prefishing for the event reported the spotted bass are holding from 30 to 40 feet in the main lake with plastics on the shaky head or spoons, but the better quality of bass has been taken on swimbaits in trout patterns in shallower water. This is a ‘feast or famine’ type of fishing, but you can get rewarded with a larger grade of bass. There is also a jig bite along with plastics on a shakey head or wacky Neko-rig from the bank to 30 feet. The bass are moving up, and the swimbait bite is just on the cusp of getting good. The lakes have stayed much warmer than normal in the mid 50-degree range now, but once the water gets down to the 48- to 52-degree range the swimbait bite will really take off. Once the water cools, the planted trout will move up in the water column as well, and the larger bass will be keying on the planted rainbows.”

Mitch Mitcheltree of the Sierra Bass Club reported it was a tough bass bite on Saturday during their club tournament with only 10 of the 21 boats weighing in a limit. He said, “Dan Folia took first place at 12.24 pounds with a big fish at 6.98 taken on a jerkbait first thing in the morning. Plastics were the top techniques along with a few fish on spoons. Ryan Reynolds is the Angler of the Year for our club.”

For rainbow trout, Newman said, “Bank fishermen are picking up a few with trout dough bait, salmon eggs, or nightcrawlers around the plant locations at Island Park or Deer Island while those tossing lures such as Kastmasters near moving water are also finding some success. Trollers are working from the surface to 20 feet in the main lake with anything shiny or orange.”

In the lower Kings, limits have been common from the dam down to Winton Park by drifting salmon eggs or trout dough bait into the deeper pools while fly fishermen are scoring with nymph patterns, particularly in the afternoons when the water warms up a bit. Newman added, “The insect life moves more in the warmer afternoons, and small stone flies or nymphs are affective.”

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

The striped bass at San Luis Reservoir are pushing bait into the coves, and the topwater and subsurface reaction bite continues to attract fishermen from throughout the Central Valley and the South Bay to the lake. The overcast continues throughout the past week play into the hands of lure tossers, and more fishermen are opting for artificial baits as opposed to soaking bait from the shorelines.

Newman said, “The stripers are pushing schools of shad into the back bays and the coves, and the ima Big Stick in bone, chrome/red head or about shad have been the top sellers along with Heddon Spooks. The topwater lures are working when the bass are boiling on the surface while jerkbaits are effective at 3- to 5- feet in depth. Trolling has been so-so as the stripers are holding on island tops around 40 to 60 feet.”

Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait in Morgan Hill said, “Our sales of jumbo minnows have slowed down, and the best action at the big lake remains on topwater in the coves. Trolling has been fair at best.”

Roger George of Roger’s Guide Service said, “Water levels at the big lake continue to rise about a foot a day, and the lake level has risen over 20 feet since Nov. 21 to 1,043,000 acre feet currently. The pumps are putting in anywhere from 11,000 to 14,000 each day for the last week, and this is what I’ve been waiting for to kick the overall bite into gear. I scouted the big lake on Thursday, and the early troll bite wasn’t bad, with good groups of fish in Portuguese Cove, the West Bank and around the Trash Racks. I caught and released 15 stripers with some in the 7/8-pound range using Lucky Craft minnow colored lures at around 60 feet. The deeper stripers have been inactive a lot recently so covering a lot of ground to find some biters was key. I see guys working non-active schools, but if you’re not getting bit, it’s probably best to not waste a lot of time and move on. There have been a few bigger fish but no real trends yet for the larger grade. The water is fairly clear ,and the surface temps are still around 60 degrees.

“Concerned striper anglers should check out the results of the DFW meeting in Sacramento last week (see Delta report) about changing the 1996 striper regulations. There was a lot of hard science presented by top expert striper biologists about the state of the declining striper fishery and the unresearched outcomes of the new DFW proposed regulations. They felt these regs might possibly create a collapse of the fishery. We are also concerned these new rules if adopted could drastically affect San Luis Reservoir . Many assume these changes are just for the Delta and dismiss these possible changes – but San Luis may be in the cross hairs, too!”

The lake rose from 47% to 51%.

In the O’Neill Forebay, striped bass remain plentiful, and many fishermen are soaking blood worms, pile worms, and anchovies from the shorelines. The reaction bite with topwater walking-style baits or soft plastic swimbaits is another option. Pumps have been running continuously, and there is water moving in and out of the reservoir. In order to put together a legal limit over 18 inches, anglers will have to cull through a number of undersized stripers.

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

The first trout plant of the season occurred this week, and bass fishermen have been waiting for the plants to start up with glide baits and swimbaits. There have been some followers in the shallows, and the lake is setting up nicely for the swimbait bite. The most consistent bass bite remains in pockets between the weeds with plastics on the drop-shot, jigs or Creature Baits in natural patterns, but there is a big spinnerbait, crankbait and lipless crankbait bite coming. Planted trout can be taken from the shorelines near the Sheriff’s Tower with trolling action also improving.

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. The lake is on the rise at 54%, but the courtesy dock is out of the water. Small boats can still get in by beaching the boat.

Call: Todd Wittwer 288-8100

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

Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters said, “Again cold and wet weather kept boaters off of the lake this past week, and only a few brave trollers ventured out. I did talk to a couple of guys at the lake last week, and they reported several light bites from the island to Stevenson Bay with blade/’crawler combinations from the surface to 20 feet, and they picked up six rainbows and a dark kokanee that was turned back. If I were out there, I would use a Trout Buster in orange/chartreuse behind a Mountain Flasher at a setback of 50 to 100 feet and concentrate from the island to Stevenson Bay, placing more emphasis on Stevenson Bay and Tunnel Creek. I talked to a Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist recently, and he said the 2020 allotment for the lake is around 17,000 pounds of catchables – or around 34,000 trout. In addition, the DFW will plant 2,000 2-pound rainbows while our Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project will add approximately 1,800 3-pound-plus rainbows. It appears to be a good year ahead for us.”

Access to the lake has been limited due to the snow. A webcam of the launch ramp is available at sierramarina.com/camera.html.

At Huntington, the winter storms have limited access to the lake, and the dock has been out of the water for several weeks. The lake dropped to 55%.

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

Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat said, “Saturday’s trip with the Peninsula Anglers Fishing Club produced 3/4th limits of rockfish in 120 feet of water off of San Gregorio along with limits of Dungeness crab. We are still averaging around 25 to 30 crab per pot.” While other boats will be focusing on whale watching or nature trips after the rockfish closure, Mattusch will add crab/sand dab combinations to his repertoire in addition to whale watching.

Out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing, Captain Dennis Baxter of the New Captain Pete continues to run crab-only or crab/rockfish combination trips through December 31st. He said, “We have been pretty spoiled with easy pulls of over 25 crab per pot even in areas that traditionally don’t hold many crab, and I think we will have to pull twice as many pots to fill out limits once the commercial fleet unleashes their pots. We should continue to score limits throughout the rockfish season, but we will have to pull more pots.”

The Queen of Hearts out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing has been running the combination trips for the first time this year using Danielson pots and an electric puller, and they have consistently been filled with anglers walking off of the boat with limits of both species.

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 this past week, and the rockfish scores have dipped to around ½ to 3/4th limits per rod with a few Dungeness crab per angler.

Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “We are pretty stoked with this successive series of storms blowing through northern California. The weather is bringing much-needed rain to restore aquifers and reservoirs. Raising water levels in all NorCal rivers is also beneficial to migrating winter salmon and steelhead. The big flows of freshwater can recharge the deltas and bays providing additional food levels, and improved spawning conditions for many of our saltwater sport fish. The storms can make things tough for fishing on the ocean, however. Some days are just too rough to go out on the ocean. Skippers need to pay attention to safety factors first, of course. And, the bite usually dies down under turbulent conditions. Despite recent adverse conditions of wind, rain and big swells, fish are being caught in the Monterey Bay. Remember, winter is the best season for surfcasting!

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

The weather has been a bit bumpy, and the party boats have been opting to fish the Marin coast instead of the long run to the Farallons, or they have been taking crab-only trips. The crab limits are expected to hold up although more and more pots will need to be pulled for limits with all of the commercial pots on the bottom of the ocean floor. Rockfish season ends in two weeks on December 31st.

Inside the bays, Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters out of Loch Lomond Marina found fantastic action for a group of Afghanistan Marine Veterans over the weekend with three legal sturgeon on frozen ghost shrimp near the Pumphouse. He said, “It’s on for sturgeon in San Pablo Bay right now, and we had all of our action within 20 minutes on the small incoming tide. The tides were less than ideal, and the south wind made for difficult conditions, but they bit just the same. The bay is muddy, but it will clear up at the top of the incoming tide.” Slate will be running San Pablo Bay sturgeon trips in the coming months.

Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle in San Rafael reported continued fantastic sturgeon action as in addition to Slate’s recent feats, three other skiffs limited out on sturgeon over the weekend. Bass are also around with many in the 18- to 25-inch range, but there are also a number in the 14- to 17-inch inch range. He said, “Most fishermen are heading out to the Pumphouse area. Monday was our first day of having live crab in the shop, and they were lined up for the live Dungeness with more on the way. We have live grass shrimp, live ghost shrimp, live pile worms, and live smelt in the shop. The smelt has been working better than bullheads or mudsuckers as one group bought 6 bullheads, 6 mudsuckers, and 6 smelt and went into the Napa River, and they limited out on stripers with every fish taking a smelt.”

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

There are only a couple more weeks left in the rockfish season which ends on December 31st. Out of Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay, the Rita G returned with 14 limits of rockfish on Monday with two ling cod to 10 pounds. They had 48 vermilion, 42 copper, 20 canary, and 30 Boccaccio for all bottom-dwelling rockfish. Out of Morro Bay Landing, the Endeavor, Avenger, and Starfire were out with a combined 100 fishermen on Sunday for 3/4th limits of rockfish along with 15 ling cod to 9 pounds. They returned with 285 vermillion, 57 copper, 35 Boccaccio, 380 assorted rockfish, and a single cabezon. Out of Patriot Sport Fishing in Port San Luis, the Flying Fish, Phenix, and Patriot were out on Sunday with 31 fishermen for just over half-limits of rockfish composed of 9 vermilion, 5 copper, 158 assorted rockfish, one ling, 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 December 31st.

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

The December 5, 2019 meeting of the California Fish and Game Commission was the third in a series of meetings starting this past June in which fishermen from throughout northern California packed the house to express concern about revisions to the 1996 policy for striped bass. This meeting was supposed to finalize the revisions to the policy from three drafts, and the commission was expected to select one of the three drafts as the new policy.

After some preliminary remarks from Ari Corman, Wildlife Advisor for the Commission, Commission President Eric Sklar, and Charles Bonham, Director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the public comment session began with some strict guidelines. Dr. David Ostrach, Dr. Cynthia Le-Doux-Bloom, and Dr. Peter Moyle, scientists who have have intimate knowledge of the striped bass were allowed 5 minutes while James Stone of the Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsman’s Association was allowed 3 minutes as were representatives from the agricultural industry.

After the round of initial public comment, a brief recess was held, and any remaining members of the public who had completed a speaker card were allowed one minute. Several speakers, including myself, rushed through our comments to fit them in within one minute.

After the final comment from the public, the commissioners made their comments, and President Sklar stated that a motion was unnecessary to postpone the adoption of the revised policy, and the commission did not formally vote on a postponement although it was reported that “After hearing from numerous Delta anglers, the Commission voted to postpone adoption of a Delta Fisheries Management Policy and potential amendments to the Commission’s Striped Bass Policy to a future meeting.” The future meeting is now scheduled for February 21, 2020 in Sacramento.

The Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsman’s Association was instrumental in procuring the three scientists, and all presented research refuting the effect of predation on salmon species as the cause for the decline of salmon in the Sacramento-Delta.

Dr. LeDoux-Bloom, a retired professor from Humboldt State University, made the following conclusions based upon research:

“Female striped bass reproductive physiology coupled with fishing regulations continue to contribute to population decline.

Changes should not be made to the Striped Bass Policy until credible studies show that the population and fishery are not in danger of collapse.

Consideration should be given to increasing the minimum size limit to 24 inches

It is not defensible to blame striped bass on the collapse of the Sacramento River salmon population.

Too many studies have shown that entrainment into the Central Valley and State Water Projects is the major source of fish mortality

The impact of predation by fish-eating birds, and aquatic and marine mammals remain unstudied although their populations have increased since the 1960’s and 70’s, while the striped bass population has declined.

While I appreciate the recent efforts and changes to the draft Delta Fish Management Plan toward science credibility, I do not support any changes to the Striped Bass Policy.”

Anglers are once again asked to regroup for the next meeting on February 21st, and in the interim period of time, the stakeholders committee is anticipated to meet once again to work out alternatives to the draft Striped Bass Policy.

The striped bass in the northern portion of the Delta slowed down with the muddy water coming from the upper Sacramento River watershed, and the linesides have moved out to other locations either up into the upper river or into the clearer San Joaquin system. The river salmon season ended on December 16th, but for all intents and purposes, the season ended weeks ago. Sturgeon fishing continues to improve as the diamondbacks are on the move into the northern part of the Delta from Suisun Bay while crappie continue to be taken out of the north Delta sloughs.

Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle said, “The striper fishing is decent with bait in the Sacramento Deep Water Channel, but the colder water will slow down their metabolism. Crappie are thick in the sloughs of Liberty and Prospect with small minnows or small swimbaits along with tube baits. The Sacramento River is turning muddy, and sturgeon have been seen jumping in the river. We are fully stocked with mudsuckers and all shrimp baits.”

Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento, was in the north Delta near Liberty Island mid-week to film a striper episode, but the weeds were so thick that it was difficult to keep the duckweed off of the lures. After two hours, we switched gears and filmed a crappie show in the sloughs. The crappie bite remains outstanding with Strike King’s Mr. Crappie jigs or small Kei Tech swimbaits. The crappie chase out the stripers, and although this is hard to believe, I have seen them chase out the stripers on the San Joaquin by Little Mandeville because they are really aggressive fish. We were catching stripers there, but then we are only able to catch big crappie to 2 pounds. However, even though they are aggressive, you can catch every crappie off of one tree even if there are 50 of them on the tree.”

Prior to the inflow of muddy water, the striper action was good in the northern part of the Delta, and Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors was out on Thursday after launching out of Rio Vista. He said, “The Yo-Zuri glide bait again was the top lure, and we went through a number of stripers in the 6- to 8-pound class. The overcast conditions have been good for the bite as the stripers are active closer to the surface. We didn’t find any giants, but the action remains good.” Borges will continue to focus on topwater and subsurface action for stripers in the coming weeks.

Nick Smith, the Informative Fishermen, was also up north in Snodgrass Slough for red ear perch, and he said, “If you’ve never targeted winter shellcrackers you’re missing out! They are little bulldogs and hammer artificial baits just like bass. Anything under 3 inches is preferable from topwater to bottom baits. I caught them on 6-foot deep weed lines on Micro Ned rigs, 3/16th-oz, Rat-l-traps, or the floatNfly.

Clyde Wands, shallow trolling expert, was out trolling this week, and he said, “It wasn’t a very good day for trolling as the water temperature has dropped to 52 degrees and the water is getting dirty. It was good to be back on the water, and it was a beautiful day, but it is time to do something different right now. It looks like it is bait fishing for a while. There were a few boats bait fishing below us near Chain Island, and the bass have gone deeper. They landed 10 keepers to 17 pounds.”

Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing continues to score sturgeon for his clients in upper Suisun Bay, and Montezuma Slough seems to be the most-desired location with salmon roe.

George Wight, charter member of the California Striped Bass Association, was at the Fish and Game Commission Meeting on Wednesday, and he said, “We were out in the Big Cut on Tuesday, and although we marked a number of fish, we settled for releasing a 55-inch sturgeon.”

Captain Zach Medinas of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures was also at the Fish and Game Commission meeting on Wednesday, and he continues to do magic on his catch-and-release trips out of Pittsburg Marina with multiple sturgeon handled on each trip. He said, “It was a bit slow for us on Sunday, but we ended up releasing one slot-limit sturgeon along with a 66-inch oversized and 4 or 5 sturgeon that were just short of the mark.”

Both Medinas and Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing will be presenting seminars on sturgeon fishing techniques at the upcoming International Sportsmen’s Exposition at Cal Expo in Sacramento from January 16-19.

Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait reported the grass shrimp is getting larger and cleaner, and the Big Cut and Montezuma Slough have been the top locations for sturgeon while Ron Reisinger of Chico continues on his big striper hunt with splittail near the Mothball Fleet. He said, “Reisinger hooked a 9-foot sturgeon on a splittail, and the big fish came completely out of the water. He got the sturgeon to the boat before it the snap-swivel pulled out. We went through a lot of bullheads this weekend along the grass shrimp.”

The San Joaquin-Delta has remained fairly clear in the back sloughs and main river channel, but the striped bass haven’t been migrating to the warmer waters in the south Delta for the past few years. Traditionally, at this time of year by mid-December, the striped bass bite in Discovery Bay has been excellent, but it has been severely lacking. However, more and more linesides are starting to make their move into the San Joaquin system.

In the San Joaquin River, Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, launched out of Ladd’s Marina in Stockton this week and he said, “We didn’t see any birds working on the main San Joaquin as the terns, egrets, and seagulls were absent. Normally, you would see the birds sitting on the banks waiting for the tide to change for the stripers to push up bait. My client landed a striper on his first cast on topwater on the ima Big Stick, but this was the only one we hit on the surface. The tides were not optimal with a slow outgoing tide and a big incoming tide, and there was no bait in the main river. We tried a number of locations, but we did find success in one spot with the Bad Bubba Shad swimbait for around 25 stripers with three triples and several doubles. The key is the speed of the retrieve and twisting your wrist and not your elbow will give the lure the action of a wounded baitfish. Many times the stripers will follow up the lure, but they won’t strike, but if you give the illusion that the bait is injured, the stripers can’t help but strike. This school of stripers was in the 5/6-pound range with linesides around 22 to 27 inches. I plan on launching out of B and W Resort on the Mokelumne later in the week and plan on heading west since I believe the majority of stripers are holding on the western edge of the San Joaquin system around Eddo’s, Sherman Island, and the Antioch Bridge.”

Dan Mathisen of Dan’s Delta Outdoors said, “Those targeting largemouth bass have been flipping or lightly punching through the dark weed mats, and there have been a few striped bass showing up on the San Joaquin side. The stripers have moved out of Liberty in the north Delta, and they are either up river or moving into the clearer waters of the San Joaquin, Sturgeon have been taken around Three Mile Island on the San Joaquin. Our first team tournament of the year will be held out of Russo’s Marina on January 4th.”

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 bite has been up or down, but there have been some big limits to 13 pounds taken during the windows of good weather, and fishermen are reporting up to 40 fish days working grubs, spoons, or jigs along with plastics on the drop-shot in deep water to 30 feet as the spotted are holding around the grouping shad schools. The catfish bite has slowed along with the white bass, but an occasional white bass can be found on a spoon. With the rivers flowing into the reservoir, the lake rose to 49% this week. A webcam of the lake is available at lakenacimientolive.com.

At Lopez, the bass bite is also up and down with a few quality largemouth bass taken on mid-range crankbaits around structure. Finesse techniques or plastics on the drop-shot or jigs are the other option, and a slow presentation is necessary. Catfish are taking scented cut baits, but the bluegill and red ear perch bite is fair at best as the panfish have dropped deep around structure. A webcam of the lake is available at 805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam.

At Santa Margarita, the winter bass bite has emerged, and the action has been slow overall. Similar to Lopez, the occasional quality largemouth bass can be taken on a slow-rolled swimbait or mid-range crankbait with the best bite in the warmer conditions in the afternoons. Jigs or plastics on the drop-shot on a slow presentation are other options. There are a few crappie holding around deep structure with minijigs, and catfish are taken on cut baits coated with scent. A webcam of the lake is available at 805webcams.com/santa-margarita-lake-webcam-california.

At San Antonio, fishing is very slow, and few anglers are targeting the lake. Catfish continue to provide the best, and basically, the only action with cut baits such as mackerel or anchovies coated with scent. The lake is now on the winter schedule, and the launch ramp is closed on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The lake held at 35%.

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

McClure –Merced Bass Club – December 14th : 1st –Bill Kunz/Corey Kurber – 11.52 pounds ; 2nd –– Ronnie Heil/Christian Ostrander – 11.35; 3rd – Gerry Johnson/Brian Hamby – 10.54.

Pine Flat – Sierra Bass Club – December 14th: 1st – Dan Folia – 12.24 pounds (Big Fish 6.98); 2nd –– Quincy Marrs – 10.65; 3rd – Martin DeHaven – 8.32.

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. 22 by California Department of Fish and Wildlife:

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

Tulare County: Lake Kaweah, Mooney Grove Park Pond, Lake Kaweaeh

This story was originally published December 17, 2019 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Fishing report for week of Dec. 18-24: Pine Flat and Hensley bass waking up."