Fishing report for week of Jan. 29-Feb. 4: Trout action at Pine Flat and on the Tule River

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 boasting best trout and bass action, Steve Newman said. Southern aqueduct stripers providing action, Pete Cormier reported. Don Pedro and McClure bass hitting, Ryan Cook said. New Melones bass bite improved, John Liechty reported. Tule river trout hungry, Chuck Stokke said.

Sycamore Island

The San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust announced it will open Sycamore Island for public recreation access to the San Joaquin River beginning Saturday, Feb. 1, at 6 a.m. Sycamore Island will be open Fridays through Sundays and state holidays from Feb. 1 to Nov. 11. Seasonal hours of operation are 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. February, March, October, and November; 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. April and September; and 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. May through August. Entry fees are $9 per vehicle and $5 per trailer. Annual passes are available for $85. Acces is in Madera County southwest of Valley Children’s Hospital at 39664 Avenue 7 1/2.

Key

1-Try dynamite

2-Have to work hard

3-Limits possible

4-Fish jumpin’ in boat

In the northern section of the California Aqueduct, interest in striper fishing has been slow, and this is the time of year when anglers will be primarily soaking bait including anchovies or sardines along with live crawdads.

In the southern section of the aqueduct in Kern County, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported solid striped bass action for numbers, but not size, with blood worms, anchovies, sardines and jumbo or extra-large minnows. Lures such as jerkbaits, flukes and tube baits in shad patterns are also effective. Fishermen are moving from location to location along the aqueduct. 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

Eastman Reservoir on the Chowchilla River was designated as California’s first trophy bass fishery by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife with anglers being able to keep one largemouth bass over 22 inches. The action for trophy bass has been slow for the past few months with better action occurring at nearby Hensley, but Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The bite is improving, and there is massive potential.”

Newman added, “I was on the lake this week, and I could not get a bite on a swimbait. There have been some quality largemouth bass in the 5- to 8-pound range recently, and Ron Sanches Jr. and his son, Nick, found epic action recently with a limit at 43.93 pounds including a 10.33, a 9.53 and a total of 13 largemouth bass over 7 pounds. The bass are pushing the planted rainbows and pinning them against the banks so it is a matter of using your electronics to find the trout and the willingness to throw the big baits throughout the day. Boot-tailed swimbaits such as Huddlestons or Hawg Hunters along with glide baits are working for these largest bass, but despite throwing the swimbaits at the start of the day, I didn’t find the action anywhere near that experienced by the Sancheses. It was an overcast day, and the largemouth bass didn’t seem to want to attack as they weren’t committed. I was bumped a few times, but there was no commitment. Plastics on the drop-shot or shaky head produced bass to 2 pounds, but nothing of the size we were looking for. The water temperature has risen to the 55/56-degree range, but the bite is absolutely ‘feast or famine.’ The big fish are going in spurts, and I expect pre-spawn conditions with the stable water conditions.”

Eastman dropped slightly to 48%.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

At Hensley, Newman said, “Working the bottom with jigs, Senkos, or creature baits on a slow methodical presentation is best, but the bass aren’t chasing as much. A few weeks ago, a 10.8-pound largemouth was reported, but there are not nearly as many trophy bass in this lake as there are at Eastman. Largemouth bass in the 3- to 5-pound range seem to be the most prevalent quality bass in the lake, and there is far less pressure than at Eastman.”

The lake dropped slightly to 28%.

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

Bass 3 Trout 2 Kokanee 0 King salmon 0 Crappie 2

The Gold Country Junior Bass Club was on the lake on Saturday, and limits in the 10-pound range were taken by the youth anglers fishing with an adult mentor. Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing took out Dominic Zanetta and Anthony Vierra and they came in fourth and fifth at 8.58 and 8.11 pounds, respectively. Cook said, “Everything came on finesse techniques of 5-inch Dead Stick plastics on a Ned-rig, Senkos on a Neko-rig, 3.5-inch Dry Creek tubes or G-Money jigs at depths from 20 to 50 feet. Going low and slow is the only way along main lake points with a few bass in the creek channels. The shad is on the move, and when you find it, it is grouped up into large schools. The quality of bass is better than at McClure, but the numbers are much less.”

There have been some larger bass taken on swimbaits or glidebaits as the largemouth bass are starting to target rainbow trout and kokanee, but the best action remains in deep water with plastic worms on the drop-shot or jigs on a slow presentation. Trout action remains very slow as few trollers are even trying, but this will change in the coming weeks. A heavy plant of fingerling king salmon and kokanee this spring should pay dividends in the future.

The lake held at 80%.

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

At Lake Isabella, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield said, “We haven’t heard anything about crappie, but there are trout and catfish coming out of the lake. Catfish are taken on stink baits such as Sonny’s Triple S Blood Formula with the rainbows landed by trollers pulling blade/’crawler combinations, Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler behind a dodger or small shad-patterned spoons.” A kokanee was reportedly landed by a troller, and there was a plant of king salmon fingerlings in the lake this year. Isabella held at 30%. Trout plants continue on a bi-weekly basis in both the upper Kern River above the lake or the lower Kern River below the dam, and in the lower river, Sandy Flats and Hobo Gulch are on the schedule. The flows on the lower river have been “perfect,” and nightcrawlers, Mice Tails and various colors of Power Bait with scent are working for the planter. In the upper river, the bridge near Kernville has been a hot location for planters. Buena Vista was planted recently, and it is a matter of quality over quantity with the occasional 4- to 6-pound rainbow landed. The local lakes of Hart Park and Ming are kicking out a few catfish or bass, and the River Walk will be the location for the Kern County Sheriff’s Trout Derby on Feb. 29 and the annual Firefighters Trout Derby on March 21.

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

The lake rose slightly to 11%. The bass bite remains fair for small bass with plastics on the drop-shot, jigs or spoons as depths around 30 feet. Cen Cal Elite Bass is holding an event on the lake Saturday for the first tournament in several months on the lake. After this, it will be another month before the Central Valley Kayak Fishing club holds its first tournament of 2020, a team event on March 1.

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company in Springville said, “Bass fishing has been fair this week with not many fishermen out on the lake. Those out there have been targeting rocky points or rocky structure with spoons on a vertical presentation, jigs, or plastics on the drop-shot. A number of shore fishermen are trying for the recently planted rainbows with Power Bait.” The lake rose to 15%. In the Tule River, Stokke said, “I fished the North Fork this week in the fly only section, and the action was excellent with Copper Johns and Hare’s ear nymphs.”

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

Winning tournament limits remain in the 11/12-pound range, and the spots are plentiful but locating sizable bass is a challenge. The Central Valley 17-90 Bass Club tournament on Saturday held to form with the winning limit just over 12 pounds. Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “The numbers are much better than at Don Pedro, but the size is limited. The same techniques are working at McClure as on Pedro with G-Money jigs, 5-inch Dead Stick worms on a Nail-rig, 3.5-inch Dry Creek tubes or Senkos on a Neko-rig at 20 to 50 feet in depth. It’s a matter of going as slow as possible.” As the lake has yet to turn over, the reaction bite remains slow, but an occasional quality largemouth is taken on trout-patterned swimbaits on a slow roll on the bottom. Trolling for trout remains fair at best with action at depths to 40 feet with shad-patterned spoons around the dam. The lake held at 62%.

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

Steve Marquette of the Lake McClure/McSwain Recreation Company said, “The lake is still waiting for another trout plant, but fishermen are flocking to the lake due to the springlike weather. The occasional holdover from previous plants have been taken from the point near the marina with nightcrawler/marshmallow combinations or trout dough bait.” Trollers are picking up a few rainbows near the Second Fence Line up the river arm. The trout plant in the Merced River this month may have superseded a plant at McSwain, but one is expected soon. Lake levels remain high.

Call: McSwain Marina 209-378-2534

Newman said, “The bass bite remains very tough with only one or two spotted bass taken off of each location before needing to move to another location. Slowly dragging creature baits such as Sweet Beavers or the Yamamoto Cowboy along with plastics on the drop-shot or shakey head are working for small bass with the larger cut in the main lake over the large rocks adjacent to sand. Bass fishermen can pick up three to five small fish in one location at the most before having to move on. The reaction bite remains basically non-existent.”

The lake rose from 58% to 60%.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

The bass bite has improved considerably within a week as the water temperatures are starting to climb to 55 degrees in some sections of the lake. Trout fishing remains a challenge with only a few large rainbows taken on big plugs as the rainbows remain out in open water.

John Liechty of Xperience Fishing Guide Service said, “The bass action is more like the wintertime bite right now, and there are signs of pre-spawn. There are some bass still in deep water, but many of the bass are up and doing what they are supposed to do right now. We have been averaging between 20 and 40 bass per day, and we put in a 19-pound bag of spotted bass only this week with two over 4 pounds and the remainder in the 3-pound range. We also had a 17.5-pound bag on Friday, and my clients have been landing all of the bass. Plastics on a Ned-rig, shaky head or drop-shot at depths from 15 to 35 feet have been our best techniques, and we also are working bait balls in the 50/60-foot range in 90 to 120 feet of water. There have been some tremendous schools of shad in open water, and half-ounce P-Line Laser Minnows spoons on a spinning rod along with 2.5-inch flukes on a drop-shot are working. It takes some coaxing to get these fish to bite, and it is not just a matter of dropping your spoon down there. I have been watching the bass come up with the spoon when I bring it up and then follow it when I free-spool it back down to the shad school. You have to create a frenzy to get them to bite. I bring it up around 15 feet before releasing it back down. The drop-shot technique is just to leave it around the school and let it work itself. The shad have finally gotten off of the bottom in 300 feet of water and are balling up in shallower water. The water temperature has been in the 52/53 degree range in the mornings and up to 54/55 degrees in certain parts of the lake in the afternoons.”

January through March is generally the best time for large spotted and largemouth bass at New Melones, and there is some limited action for the larger fish. Forrest Brazelton of Jamestown caught and released a 9.45-pound largemouth bass this week, and this is the first close-to-double-digit largemouth reported in quite a while.

Trout fishing remains slow with only a few larger rainbows landed per week with spoons or large plugs.

The Angels Cove launch ramp is closed, and the fish cleaning station remains closed at Angels Cove with water line breaks interfering with operations.

New Melones 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 be the best bet for both bass and trout in the southern Central Valley, and the reaction bite with swimbaits is starting to show signs of life as the bass are corralling the planted rainbows. Trout trollers are scoring rainbows to 16 inches, and kokanee to 14 inches have been showing up. Trout plants continue in the lower Kings, and the stretch of river from the dam to Avocado Lake are a good option for planted rainbows with a variety of techniques.

Newman said, “Pine Flat is our best lake as far as fishing, but it isn’t wide open for bass. There has been some larger bass following up the boot tail swimbaits or glidebaits. Tyler Gardner from our shop was out, and one of the largest spotted bass he has ever seen followed up his swimbait. Timmy Wells caught and released a 7.5-pound largemouth bass on a swimbait, and his father dumped a double-digit bass, also on a swimbait. Kokanee or trout patterns from 15 feet to the banks are working, but you have to master the subtle differences in speed and cadence to entice strikes. The most consistent bite has been with plastics on the drop-shot or shaky head along with jigs from 30 feet to the surface or with spoons or ice jigs from 30 to 50 feet within the smaller bait balls. 2- to 3-pound bass can be taken on Merritt Gilbert’s Casper worms along with Pro Gold with a purple flake at 4 inches on the shaky head or 4 to 6 inches on the drop-shot. There is a jig bite up the river arm.”

Newman added, “Trout in the 14- to 16-inch range along with the emergence of kokanee to 14 inches are found in the main lake in open water from 4 to 6 colors of lead core in 60 to 70 feet, and the kokanee plants over the past few years are starting to pay dividends as these fish are growing.”

In the lower Kings River, the water levels are ideal, and the river is very accessible with the lower water levels. There are long riffles leading into long slow-moving water in the deeper holes, and nightcrawlers, salmon eggs, or trout dough bait are working. Fly fishermen are finding great action with wet flies such as stone flies or midges.

Parking at Trimmer is limited, and in order to make room for as many boat trailers as possible, staying in the designated parking areas is important.

Pine Flat rose slightly to 49%.

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

San Luis Reservoir continues to rise in elevation, moving the bait off of the shorelines and slowing down the reaction bite from the banks. Bait fishing is best now, and trolling in deep water is starting to improve.

Newman said, “San Luis is still good, but we have had a drop off in topwater and jerkbait sales. Replacement swimbaits for urig have been popular so that tells me that there is more interest in trolling. Most bank anglers are soaking bait.”

Mickey Clements at Coyote Bait in Morgan Hill confirmed the slower action in the main lake with the lake filling up quickly. “The bait has been pushed all over with the rising water, but jumbo minnows or ripbaits are still good possibilities. The most consistent action has been in the O’Neill Forebay with blood worms, pile worms or anchovies near the Highway 33 Bridge.”

Roger George of Roger’s Guide Service said, “San Luis Reservoir is fishing hard right now with the overall bite as tough as I’ve seen for a while. Even experienced locals are struggling to find a few fish some days. The water has come up a huge amount over the last two months, and it is still coming up about 4,500 acre-feet a day. The water is also extremely clear with underwater visibility of over 10 feet and a water temp of about 54 degrees which is very warm for this time of year. I fished last Friday, and the fish were not on much of a reaction bite. I found schools of fish after a lot of scouting, but they are holding a little deeper than I expected right now out in 70 to 80 feet. The bait and jumbo minnow anglers were getting a few fish, but most boats were only scoring one to three fish for two anglers. I think the combination of clear and warmer water is driving the fish deeper, and they seem to be very wary. I ended up with over 15 fish with a couple in the 6- to 8-pound class, but once again it was a real grind finding biting fish. Silver still seems to be the best lure color, and I would say that working water about 70 to 80 feet deep is the best bet. The dam face, Portuguese Cove and the 152 Rockwall seem to be key areas holding fish. Minnow and bait anglers seem to have the best chance to pick up a limit right now. There have been no reports from my friends on any topwater or ripbait action for a while. We hope once the lake stabilizes, things may change for the better. For now, bait fished deep seems like the best bet.”

The lake rose from 71% to 73%.

In the O’Neill Forebay, Clements said, “The striper bite is consistent along the Highway 33 side of the impoundment for numerous small striped bass with anchovies, blood worms or pile worms. There is a reaction bite with jerkbaits on a slow presentation around the moving water near Check 13 or the old Medeiros launch ramp.” The action is consistent, but putting together a limit of legal linesides is a challenge.”

George has set two dates for his Downrigging 101 for Stripers class: March 5 at the Fresno Sportsman’s Warehouse and March 12 at the Visalia Sportsman’s Warehouse. Each class starts at 6 p.m. Preregistration is required as there is limited seating. The cost is $50 per student. Info and registration at 905-2954.

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

Newman said, “Bass in the 2- to 3-pound range have been taken over deep drop offs adjacent to weeds in the 20 to 30-foot range with jigs, wacky-rigged Senkos or plastics on the drop-shot, shaky head or Ned-rig. The bass will be moving up as the water warms, and swimbaits and chatterbaits are good search baits to find the bass in the shallows.”

The lake has risen, and the launch ramp may be in the water. A webcam of the lake is available at basslakeca.com/index.php.

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

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

Kaiser Pass is blanketed with snow, limiting access to the region.

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

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Snow fell on the lake this week, and few boats have ventured out to troll for rainbow trout as most trollers are staying in the low-elevation reservoir of Pine Flat for planted rainbows. Access to the lake may be limited due to the snow, but a webcam of the launch ramp is available at sierramarina.com/camera.html.

Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters will be holding his annual spring seminar about Shaver on March 26 at 5:30 p.m. at Turner’s Outdoorsman in Fresno. It will focus on how to fish Shaver in 2020 without the help of third-year kokanee. Representatives of Southern California Edison will provide the water levels for Shaver and Huntington in 2020, and a Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist will be on hand to discuss the 2020 DFW plant, brown and the new residents of Shaver, golden trout which are normally a very high-elevation species.

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

Snow has cut off 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 took a sand dab/crab combination trip on Saturday 14 miles west of the Pillar Point harbor for limits of Dungeness crab for 13 anglers with the pots as heavy as 24 crab. They also returned with 233 sand dabs to 11.75 inches. They will be running these combination trips weather and interest depending until the rockfish opener.

Dungeness crab are still available from the commercial boats in the harbor.

Further north in Pacifica, the pier has closed during periods of rough weather, but the size of the crowd on the pier has diminished, particularly during the week. Rock crab along with the occasional Dungeness crab are taken on snares loaded with squid, anchovies, or sardines. The pier is open daily from 4 a.m. through 10 p.m., weather depending.

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

Chris’s Landing in Monterey continues to run the popular crab/sand dab combination trips, and the crab counts have been climbing to half to three-quarter limits.

The Sand Crab Surf Perch Classic is only around six weeks away, and Mickey Clements reported good action for size although numbers of perch have been limited with quality barred perch taken off of the Santa Cruz County beaches with Lucky Craft Flash Minnows or Berkley Camo Worms.

Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors and Phenix Rods was out at Sunset Beach, and he reported landing six cookie-cutter perch using his Phenix Rods. Apparently, Mickey and the boys at Coyote Bait are doing a great job as several others on the beach were using their own Phenix rods.

Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “Launching out of Santa Cruz Harbor, Go Fish Santa Cruz’s 31-foot Island Hopper Miss Beth continues to make successful forays out to the 200 and 300-foot depths to pull crab pots and fish for sand dabs. Most anglers use sabiki rigs with #8 or #10 hooks for the ‘dabs. The tasty flatfish are small, but you can pull four or five up at a time, and there is no limit to the number we can keep. Owner Beth Norton quipped this week, “Go Fish Santa Cruz Charters took the clients crabbin’ and dabbin’ today. First, they pulled eight crab pots to get limits of big Dungeness crab – 60 of them. Then Captain JT took them to fish near Pajaro in 200 feet of water to some delicious sand dabs. Some of the sand dabs were big. The crew called them slab dabs.” Stagnaro’s Sportfishing is also running trips for sand dabs from Santa Cruz. Their big boat Legacy can take 30 clients each trip to fish for the tasty sand dabs. Earlier this month, owner and skipper Ken Stagnaro reported, “Anglers on board Legacy brought in about 40 dabs per person. Delicious with a light panko-crust and lemon! We’ll be running the morning sand dabs trips now through April.”

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

The boats are tied up for the winter months with the exception of running sturgeon trips into San Pablo Bay or the south bay. There are still a few striped bass to be had in the central bay for those willing to work for them.

After a few good days of sturgeon action in San Pablo Bay, Captain Trent Slate was out with an all-star crew on Friday only to experience frustration. He said, “We started at China Camp for nothing before moving over to the Duck Blinds where there were three sturgeon landed in short order two days prior. It was flat calm with no jumpers anywhere in San Pablo Bay, and the Duck Blinds were as productive as China Camp.” Slate will be back out this weekend in another search to see if the sturgeon have returned from the herring spawns.

Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle reported rumors of a herring spawn in the south bay brought sturgeon fishermen out, and the action has been decent around Alviso with herring.

Sturgeon may not be taken in the following described area between Jan. 1 and March 15: That portion of San Francisco Bay included within the following boundaries: A direct line between Pt. Chauncy (National Marine Fisheries Laboratory) and Pt. Richmond, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and a direct line between Pt. Lobos and Pt. Bonita.

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

Since the closure of the rockfish season, boats out of Morro Bay and Port San Luis will be running nature or whale watching trips until the rockfish season opens once again in April with the possibility of an occasional sand dab/crab combination trip.

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

The first of two large sturgeon derbies occurred over the past weekend with the 14th Annual Diamond Classic Catch and Release Sturgeon Derby out of Martinez Marina. Derby organizer Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Fishing said, “My goal is to reach 150 children, and we are getting closer with 102 youth anglers this year, up from 72 last year. There were 25 youth fishing off of the pier assisted by our volunteers who provided all of the gear, bait, and instruction, and 24 of them were able to land a fish to get into the derby. Three children on boats landed sturgeon, and although two were short, there was a slot-limit sturgeon at 46 inches that was released, and the youth will receive a custom rod by Mac’s Rods for releasing this sturgeon. We had 359 adult participants, slightly down from 384 adults last year, but there were 44 legal sturgeon caught and released out of the 63 calls for weighmasters, and this is a big improvement from the 21-slot fish out of 37 dispatches in 2019. We received quite a bit of monetary support from many individuals who donated from $100 to $500 dollars, and the Coastside Fishing Club also provided $500.00 for the youth prizes. All of our children took home something, and this is really the reason why we are doing this event in addition to promoting catch and release. The attendance at the seminar on Friday night at La Tapatia Restaurant in Martinez was excellent, and we distributed a number of raffle prizes at this time. The raffle is what carries this event. We also had two biologists from the Department of Fish and Wildlife who specialize in sturgeon, and they provided some valuable information to our anglers.”

The Diamond Classic provides a ticket for every legal sturgeon caught and released, and the tickets are placed into a bucket for the drawing at the end of the event. It is a blind draw so everyone who has placed a ticket in the bucket has an equal chance. Talmadge said, “This format is transparent, and since we don’t have a target-length or longest fish, it is impossible to cheat. I bring out the empty bucket and have a child draw the tickets. We took in $8975.00 in entry fees at $25.00/participant, and it is 100% payback for places 1 through 7.”

The tournament boundaries are from the Carquinez Bridge, the east end of the Little Cut to the Port Chicago cranes, and to the Montezuma Slough Bridge/Belden’s Landing launch ramp.

Olivia Ortega of Martinez Bait and Tackle was instrumental in the event organization, and she said, “We were really happy with the number of youth participation this year, and we really appreciate the party boat captains who donated their boats to make for a great experience for the youth and their parents. Captains John Badger of Barbarian Sport Fishing and Don Franklin of Soleman Sport Fishing donated their six-packs in addition to Talmadge. The children really want to fish off of the boats instead of the pier as it is quite an experience for them.”

Talmadge said, “I want to thank all the fishermen that participated, releasing all the fish and demonstrating top-notch sportsmanship during the derby. And of course, we could not have accomplished everything, especially the kid’s program, without all of the donations and sponsors. During Friday’s raffle, there were a total of 8 fishing trips on professional charter boats, custom rods from Mac’s Rods, two Phenix Rods, Avet reels, Okuma reels, Rowdy heavy-duty two-speed spinning reel donated by Castro Valley Bait and Tackle, dock carts, authentic SF 49er jersey, a Honda 4-stroke engine donated by Eagle Marine, and a 50-inch flat screen TV donated by Martinez Bait and Tackle. Check out our website diamondclassic.org for a list of all of the sponsors.”

Diamond Classic Adult Winners

Sturgeon have remained the top species in the Sacramento-Delta, and the first of the two large sturgeon derbies brought out several boats out of Martinez Marina for the 14th Annual Diamond Classic Catch and Release Derby. This weekend’s Super Bowl Sturgeon Derby out of McAvoy’s Boat Harbor in Bay Point will bring out between 850 and 1000 participants based upon prior years. The weather is clearly moving into spring-like conditions, and the Sacramento-Delta should be loaded with boats running to and fro on Saturday and Sunday.

Sturgeon report cards are due to the Department of Fish and Wildlife by January 31st, and it is very important that the department receive this information from anglers. Online reporting available at wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Fishing#44521416-harvest-reporting.

Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing is putting the finishing touches on his complete repower of the ‘Top Gun,’ but he took some of his clients out with Captain Mike Funtanilla of Bend Ur Rod Sport Fishing earlier this week. He said, “The first day was tough with only a shaker, but we put in two slot sturgeon right off of the bat in the morning and lost another slot-limit sturgeon at the boat during the day. We were fishing in the Big Cut and the Little Cut, and there are quite a few sturgeon in both areas, but the bite is very light in the cold water. He said, “You have to be real attentive to the rods right now with the light bites. We were back out again on Saturday, and we went through a number of locations including the Horseshoe above the Mothball Fleet, the Little Cut, and Honker Bay, and we found our best action in Honker at the top of the tide.” Mitchell is back and running out of Pittsburg Marina during the remainder of the sturgeon season.

Captain Jim Smith of Happy Hooker fame was also in the Little Cut this week on his private boat, and he reported a number of light bites, but no fish were harmed during his trip.

Captain Zach Medinas of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures was out during the Diamond Classic, and his boat put in one out of seven of the slot-limit tickets into the raffle as they landed six slot sturgeon along with 2 oversized and a pair of shakers. He said, “This was a fun derby, and as a boat who strictly does catch and release, this is our type of derby. One slot fish can bring you the top money, but unfortunately, despite having six tickets in the raffle, our none of our anglers was picked for the top seven places. We were not fishing at Port Chicago, but from the sounds of things, it looks like around 30 of the slot-fish came from this area.”

There have been increasing reports by anglers of sea lions thrashing sturgeon on the surface as in addition to striped bass and salmon, the marauding sea lions are now fully targeting the larger sturgeon.

Alan Fong of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento was back on the water after manning the cash register for four days at the ISE, and he took Warren Trombley of San Jose, out with him to Liberty Island. He said, “We fished flooded Liberty island in 2 to 3 feet of water with glide baits. It was a perfect day over cast with light rain and 5 mph wind. The water is 47 degrees and stained on outgoing, but it clears up on incoming tide. We had two triples and lots doubles, landing over 30 stripers to 14 pounds on glide baits. We had three stripers in the 12- to 14-pound range, but you had to ‘dead-stick’ the glidebaits in the cold water. There were no giants on this trip, but it is going to happen soon. My nephew, Michael ‘Bubs’ Fong, was out there on Saturday on his kayak, and the water warmed up to the 51/52-degree range. He threw huge Megabass Megadog topwater lures all day long, and he released a 23-pound striper and lost another over 30 pounds at the side of the kayak. The grass is gone, and we could see down 6-inches on the low tide, but it cleared up to 3 feet of visibility on the high tide. I threw that big Megadog in the colder water earlier in the week without results, but I am going back out this week.”

The 36th Annual Foundation Sportsman’s Club Original, aka ‘Super Bowl’ Sturgeon Derby will be held this weekend from Saturday, February 1 starting at 7:00 a.m. to Sunday, February 2 at 1:00 p.m. The entry fee is $30.00 with a deadline of 7:00 a.m. on January 31. The target-length will be the same for both days, and it will be announced on Saturday morning at 7:00 a.m. All persons in the boat must be entered in the derby as bank fishing is not allow, and no one entered in the derby is to fish on Friday, January 1 until Saturday at 7:00 a.m. All fish must be alive and must be measured at the Sportsman’s Club at McAvoy’s Boat Harbor in Bay Point. Funds from this derby are awarded for scholarships and other charitable causes by the club.

Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait said, “We already have a page of reservations for the Super Bowl Derby, and it looks like we will be able to get in some ghost shrimp for this weekend since the weather in the Pacific Northwest was too rough to get the shrimp this week. There were a number of sturgeon taken during the Catch and Release Derby near the Port Chicago cranes.”

In preparation for the upcoming sturgeon derbies, anglers are advised to make bait reservations at their local bait shops to ensure that bait is available for the event. The shops will need to order a sufficient amount of bait and reserving bait is the best method for helping both shop and fisherman.

In the San Joaquin-Delta, the promise of an early spring is eminent, but the current conditions require a finesse approach. Striped bass seem to be scarce, but it is only a matter of time before the largemouth bass bite takes off.

Clyde Wands, shallow trolling expert, said, “I had been bait fishing, but I put my troll gear back in the boat. We went all over the Delta this week, and we couldn’t find any legal fish. This was the first trip without a legal striper in a long time, and there was no accumulation of striped bass anywhere on the San Joaquin side. We found a few shakers in the Old River Flats, and I know that Mark Wilson was out earlier this week, and he only found two 18-inch stripers along with some undersized linesides. It was very tough out there, but at this time last year, I was doing well. The water temperature was 49 degrees, and it only warmed up slightly to 50 degrees in the afternoon. However, I will still be back out trying, and the striper bite will bust out any day now if there are stripers around.”

For largemouth bass, Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, said, “The weather have been overcast and gloomy, but it is time to sharpen up your hooks and change the line on your reels as we are watching for the first buds to arrive on the cherry trees and for the farmers to put out the bees. The farmers spend millions on bees so they are going to put them out at the right time, and once spring has arrived, the reaction bite will take off as the Florida-strain largemouth will get active. The bass will come on to warm up their bellies, and the ripbait bait with the ima Flit will take off. You can get them on the Flit right now, but it has to be on a ‘dead stick’ presentation. The spinnerbait bite will emerge in the wind along with swim jigs. It is only a matter of time.”

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 tournament limits continue to meet or exceed those of Central Valley low-elevation reservoirs with limits in the 12-pound range. The Golden Empire Bass Club was taken with a 12.05-pound limit with the next two places exceeding 11 pounds. The best action remains in the 20 to 30 foot range with plastics on the drop-shot or small shad-patterned spoons on a vertical presentation over the small bait balls. The rare white bass is taken on similar techniques as they are also feeding on shad. Crappie can be located around submerged structure at depths to 30 feet with minijigs. The lake rose slightly to 53% this week. A webcam of the lake is available at lakenacimientolive.com.

At Lopez, the bass bite remains a grind with limits taking time and patience. The largemouth bass have slowed down in the colder water temperatures, and finesse techniques of plastics on the drop-shot, shakey head, or Texas-rig are working best on a slow presentation at depths from 20 to 30 feet. Jigs in natural color patterns are also effective, and the majority of largemouths have been in the 2- to 3-pound range up to 5 pounds. A webcam of the lake is available at 805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam.

At Santa Margarita, there have been some quality largemouth bass to 6 pounds landed on jigs, deep-diving crankbaits, or Senkos, and there is evidence that the bass are starting to move into the shallows. Crappie are found holding in deep water on submerged structure, and minijigs in white or chartreuse are working best while catfish are taken near the dam on cut baits loaded with scent. A webcam of the lake is available at 805webcams.com/santa-margarita-lake-webcam-california.

At San Antonio, the pressure on the lake remains minimal with most anglers continuing to avoid the lake. Catfish remain the top species with anchovies or mackerel coated with garlic spray. A few bass fishermen are targeting their species in deep water with plastics on a dead stick presentation in deep water. The lake is now on the winter schedule, and the launch ramp is closed on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The lake held at 37%.

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

Don Pedro – Gold Country Jr. Bass Tournaments – January 25th: 1st – Dominic Duarte– 10.70 pounds; 2nd – Jordan Winchell – 9.90; 3rd – Trent Sweet – 9.79 (Big Fish –3.96).

Nacimiento – Golden Empire Bass Club – January 25th: 1st – Richard Carrier/David Heine – 12.05 pounds; 2nd –Nathan and Russ Towes – 11.90; 3rd – Seth Mostero/Elyse Janbeau – 11.20. Bob Branch/Dave Reed – Big Fish – 3.25.

Feb. 1-2

Delta/McAvoy’s Boat Harbor – Foundation Sportsmen’s Club Original Sturgeon aka ‘Super Bowl’ Sturgeon Derby

Delta/Russo’s Marina – American Bass Association

McClure – American Bass Association

Kaweah – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

Feb. 1

Delta/Tracy Oasis – Tracy Oasis Marina

Tulloch – American Bass Association

Don Pedro – Merced Bass Club

Feb. 2

New Melones – Riverbank Bass Anglers

Millerton – California Bass Federation

Success – Porterville Bass Club

Lopez – Lopez Lake Marina and Store – various species

Feb. 8

New Hogan – Gold Country Junior Bass Club

Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournaments/Sonora Bass Anglers/Gilroy Bassmasters

Santa Margarita- American Bass Association

Feb. 9

Delta/Russo’s Marina – New Jen Bass Tournaments

Lake Camanche – Central Valley Anglers Trout Derby

New Melones – American Bass Association/Folsom Bass League

McClure – Kings VIII Bass Club

Millerton – Bass 101

Feb. 15

New Melones – Angler’s Press

Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournaments

McClure – Christian Bass League

Millerton – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

Feb. 16

Delta/B and W Resort – California Bass Federation

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

New Hogan – Modesto Ambassadors

Feb. 22

Don Pedro – New Jen Bass Tournaments

McClure – RiverRat Bass Tournaments

Pine Flat – Sierra Bass Club/Bakersfield Bass Club

Kaweah – Visalia Bass Club

Santa Margarita – Best Bass Tournaments

Feb. 23

New Melones – California Bass Federation/Kerman Bass Club

McClure – Fresno Bass Club

Millerton – New Jen Bass Tournaments

Feb. 28-March 1

New Melones – Wild West Bass Trails Pro/Am

Feb. 29

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Dan Mathisen Outdoors

Eastman – Kerman Bass Club

RiverWalk in Bakersfield – Kern County Sheriff’s Trout Derby

Lopez – Golden Empire Bass Club

Santa Margarita – San Luis Obispo Bass Ambushers

March 1

Los Banos Reservoir – Slay Nation Tournament

Kaweah – Central Valley Kayak Fishing

Scheduled week of Feb. 2 by California Department of Fish and Wildlife:

None in region

This story was originally published January 28, 2020 at 10:18 AM with the headline "Fishing report for week of Jan. 29-Feb. 4: Trout action at Pine Flat and on the Tule River."