Fishing report for week of Feb. 12-18: Salt water kicking out many of the 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

Eastman largemouth possible on swimbaits, Ron Sanches Jr. reported. Suisun Bay sturgeon ready to bite, Steve Mitchell said. Sand dab/Dungeness crab trips make a delicious duo, Captain Tom Mattusch said. Beaches kicking out surf perch in anticipation of Sand Crab Classic Derby, Allen Bushnell reported.

Key

1-Try dynamite

2-Have to work hard

3-Limits possible

4-Fish jumpin’ in boat

In the northern section of the aqueduct, Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun said, “The occasional small striped bass has been taken with bait around Kettleman City, but overall the action is fairly slow. However, more and more shore anglers are either going to the aqueduct and the O’Neill Forebay as the striped bass have moved out into open water in the main San Luis Reservoir.”

In the southern section of the aqueduct in Kern County, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield said, “There was a picture of a 37-pound striped bass on a sardine out of the aqueduct, and we continue to sell plenty of jumbo minnows and blood worms. Lures such as jerkbaits, flukes and tube baits in shad patterns also continue to work for the linesides.” 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

Gilbert said, “The largemouth bass bite is “hit or miss” with some anglers finding three to four quality bass using swimbaits such as Huddlestons in trout patterns, but this is followed up by not getting bit the following day. There have been a few bass over 8 pounds taken with in the last week as anglers have been targeting the largemouths chasing the trout schools into the shallows. The deeper bite has been limited to the occasional bass to 3 pounds by slow-rolling umbrella rigs at depths to 15 feet over rockpiles or submerged island tops.”

Ron Sanches Jr. and his son, Nick, continue to find success for a quality grade of Eastman’s largemouths using Hawg Hunter or similar swimbaits, and they posted bass at 7.26, 6.33, and 5-plus pounds in a five-fish limit at nearly 30 pounds. Sanches will be directing the River Rats Open Tournament at Eastman on Feb. 22.

Eastman held at 48%.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Nearby Hensley continues to be very slow as most anglers have been opting for Pine Flat for more consistent action than any of these three reservoirs, but there is some action with jigs, Senkos or creature baits on a slow presentation. Gilbert added that despite trout plants, there have been few trout reports from either Eastman or Hensley.

The lake held at 29%.

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

The bass action at Don Pedro is improving after an 18.00-pound limit took first during last weekend’s 47-boat Merced Bass Club event and another limit at 14.49 pounds took the opener for the Central Division of the Best Bass Tournaments with 61 boats on Saturday.

Mike Gomez of Berserk Baits fished both events and said, “The bite is kind of weird as we had 11.32 pounds last week with 10.75 pounds this week. We found a better grade of bass in deeper water last week as we were scoring between 50 and 60 feet, and I caught all of my fish on underspins. This week, we only received a single hit on the underspin. We started out in the morning chasing bass on the surface that were feeding on shad. My brother, Ruben, picked up two right away on topwater, and we followed them around for a couple of hours without any more success. We had thought these were trout last week on the surface, but they were actually bass. The bass are loaded with small shad, and they are spitting up shad. At 11 a.m., I switched over to the 3/8-ounce Berserk brown/purple jig, and I landed all of my bass on the jig at depths from 20 to 40 feet. The bass had actually moved up from last week despite the water temperature dropping from 54 to 52 degrees.”

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “The overall bite has been tough with the best fishing at 30 to 50 feet with tubes, plastics on the drop-shot or Senkos.”

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, “A few trout and the occasional crappie is the story here as the catfish and bass bite continues to be slow. The bass action has been slow for the past few years, and it is most likely due to the lack of planting the Florida-strain largemouth bass starting several years ago. There are still a few crappie in the submerged structure in deep water while catfish are found on stink baits such as Sonny’s Triple S Blood Formula.” Isabella held at 30%.

In the upper Kern River, Whiskey Flat’s Days is this weekend, and there is normally a large trout plant at the park in Kernville during the four-day event. The lower river has been planted regularly at Sandy Flat and Hobo Gulch, and nightcrawlers, Mice Tails and various colors of Power Bait with scent are working for a few planters. Buena Vista continues to be slow for most trout fishermen, and the local lakes of Hart Park and Ming are kicking out a few catfish or bass, but not much more. 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 held at 13%. A trout plant is scheduled for this week, and this might get the swimbait bite started. Local bass expert Gary Wasson of Visalia reported the best action on plastics such as Robo Worms on a Ned-rig or dart head at depths from 25 to 35 feet with spoons effective to 40 feet. A trout plant is scheduled for next week.

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

Wasson caught and released a 27-pound limit over the weekend buoyed by an 11-pound kicker largemouth using an IROD Bama special and Legit finesse swimmer rod. He said, “There is also a spoon bite at 20 to 30 feet.” A trout plant is scheduled for this week. The lake rose to 17%.

In the Tule River, nymphs are working for fly fishermen and with nightcrawlers for bait fishermen.

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

Bass tournaments continue to arrive at the lake on a regular basis, and there are three tournaments in the upcoming weeks. The king salmon action is ready to break out, and Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service said, “This is the lake to watch as rolling shad has been producing kings, and the trout bite has improved as well.” The lake held at 62%.

Cook said, “It’s been a tough bass bite here as well with the best action with plastics on the drop-shot, 3.5-inch Dry Creek tubes on a 1/4-ounce dart head along with G-Money jigs or Senkos. The bass are holding on main lake points along with island tops at depths to 50 feet. As the lake has yet to turn over, the reaction bite remains slow.”

Cook is seeking adult boaters to assist with the April 25 Reel In For Kids event at Lake McClure.

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 there is hope for a trout plant prior to Presidents Day Weekend. The best action has been off of the banks near the Brush Pile or the cabins with trout dough bait in bright green or bright green Roostertails. Trollers are working hard for a trout or two with blade/’crawler combinations in front of the Handicapped Docks, the dam, the marina and off of the cabins.” Lake levels remain high.

Call: McSwain Marina 209-378-2534

Millerton on the San Joaquin River is known for tremendous numbers of small spotted bass while Eastman and Hensley on the smaller Chowchilla and Fresno rivers are famous for trophy largemouth bass; however, all three reservoirs have been a grind for bass anglers for the past few weeks.

Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun said, “At Millerton, anglers who know the lake are able to put together a limit in the 8-pound range, and there haven’t been any above average bass taken in the past three weeks there. It won’t be long before the action improves, and a 10-pound limit will be required to cash a check in the upcoming bass tournaments. The reaction bite is non-existent working the bottom with plastics on a head, dart head or drop-shot at depths to 30 feet is the only way to go.”

The lake dropped slightly to 60%.

At Sycamore Island, development director Sarah Parkes reported the trout plant was restocked last week, and rainbows to 3.5 pounds have been taken on nightcrawlers, Power Bait or Roostertails while largemouth bass to 9 pounds have been landed on soft plastics or reaction baits. A trout plant is scheduled each of the next two weeks at Sycamore Island and each of the next three weeks at Woodward Park Pond.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

Bass fishermen are starting to prefish the lake in anticipation of the big Wild West Tournaments Pro/Am event Feb. 28-March. The lake is off-limits to entrants beginning Feb. 17 until two days of practice Feb. 26-27. Alex Tran, who recently placed within the top 10 at the WWBT Pro/Am at Lake Shasta, reported finding his best action at New Melones deep from 30 to 60 feet with plastics on a Neko-rig or shaky head. The bass are loaded with tiny shad and they are spitting them up. There is hope for the reaction bite to emerge prior to the big tournament. Trout trolling remains incredibly slow for rainbows as there have been no fish reported in the past few weeks. The lake dropped slightly to 82%.

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 spot for Fresno-area anglers targeting either trout or bass as the other local reservoirs remain a grind at best. Trout trolling is solid in the Windy Gap area and up the river arm to above Big Creek while bass fishing is consistent. An added bonus is the appearance of king salmon and the occasional kokanee for trout trollers. 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.

Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun said, “The trout bite is holding up with the main activity around Windy Gap and up the river arm from Billy to Big Creek from the surface to three colors of leadcore with Needlefish or Wedding Rings tipped with a piece of crawler behind a dodger. One boat picked up nine decent rainbows, and one king salmon to 16 inches. The occasional kokanee along with a few kings are starting to emerge. The bass bite is as consistent as we have anywhere around here, and there are more numbers in the 1- to 1.75-pound range found mostly in deep water. Umbrella rigs along with plastics on the shakey head or Ned rig are working with around 20% of the bass being largemouths. Most of the largemouth bass are found from Sycamore Creek on up. There haven’t been any crappie reports yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they started to show up anytime soon.”

The flows have slowed down in the lower Kings River, and trout plants continue on a weekly basis. The slower water flows have allowed for deeper pools to form, and salmon eggs, orange trout dough bait and mini crawlers are all working for planted rainbows. Fly fishermen continue to work the “Catch and Release” section with wet flies such as stone flies or midges. Trout plants are scheduled for Avocado Lake and the Lower Kings River for each of the next three weeks.

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 50%.

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

San Luis continues to be a challenge for striped bass fishermen as the linesides have moved out into deeper water as the lake is filling up from increased pumping out of the south Delta. The shoreline bite remains slow.

Gilbert said, “Most of our striped bass fishermen have been heading to either the O’Neill Forebay or the California Aqueduct around Kettleman City. We haven’t heard too much about the big lake, but there is a good night bite in the forebay with ripbaits or umbrella rigs for numbers of undersized stripers, but you can cull through the numbers for a legal limit.” Storm swimbaits are working for stripers in the 16- to 22-inch range, and there is some good action in the northern section of the California Aqueduct.

Alex Tran at Coyote Bait in Morgan Hill said, “San Luis has been slow overall with the best action in deep water from 70 to 100 feet with jumbo minnows or trolling plugs such as P-Line Predator Minnows or Lucky Crafts. The forebay does feature a jerkbait or umbrella rig bite for stripers in the 18- to 24-inch range, and Kei Tech swimbaits on an underspins have also been effective.” However in the forebay, the majority of striped bass are undersized.

Roger George of Roger’s Guide Service said, “The overall bite has been tough with the full moon and clear water visibility creating a difficult cycle. The one bright spot has seemed to be the trolling bite before the full moon Saturday, but even that has been affected by the bright moon period. Minnow anglers are struggling to find schools of biting fish, and a friend of mine, Steve Sorenson of Fresno, a good minnow angler, said he and two buddies only picked up 11 fish on Friday on a hard bite, down from prior trips. Finding the moving schools in the slowly rising 73% capacity reservoir with water temperatures ranging from 54 to 56 degrees has been the problem. I scouted the lake on Thursday trying to find a pattern, and I was able to catch 17 stripers by moving from area to area all day, picking up one here and there on trolled Lucky Crafts like the Lucky Craft 100 DD in shad and other similar minnow type lures at around 50 to 75 feet once I found some active fish. It was a grind, just as it’s been the last 1 1/2 months . The ripbait and topwater bites are still very slow.”

The lake held at 75%.

George said registration is still open for his Downrigging 101 for Stripers classes March 5 at the Fresno Sportsman’s Warehouse from 6-8 p.m. and March 12 at the Visalia store. Preregistration required as class size is limited. The cost is $50. For information or to register, call George at 905-2954.

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

Bass fishing continues to be slow in the cold water. Few trout reports despite last week’s plant. The lake rose slightly to 59%. The ramp is back in the water, but the courtesy dock remains far up the shoreline. It is still a matter of launching and finding a beach area down the shoreline from the launch ramp. The Sheriff’s Motor Fee is enforced on a year-round basis now. Lake webcams and conditions: basslakeca.com/index.php.

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

Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters reported continued slow action on the lake with the cold temperatures. Few boats are launching, but the promise of an early spring should bring more and more boats up the hill. Trout fishing should be the top attraction this spring as the kokanee fishing is expected to be limited with the lack of plants three years past. The lake rose from 52% to 54%. 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.

Nichols will be holding his annual spring seminar about Shaver on March 26 at 5:30 p.m. at Turner’s Outdoorsman in Fresno.

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

These high-elevation lakes may be inaccessible until April.

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Half Moon Bay along with Monterey Bay is one of the best locations to score sand dabs and petrale sole along the coast, and Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat is scheduling these trips depending upon interest and weather conditions.

Captain Jerad Davis of the Salty Lady will be running whale watching trips on Saturdays and Sundays through April.

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

Further north in Pacifica, rock crab along with the occasional Dungeness crab are taken on snares loaded with squid, anchovies, or sardines at the Pacifica Pier. The pier remains one of the most popular locations for crabbing from the shoreline in Northern California, and it 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 didn’t go fishing on Sunday during the period of small craft advisory, but they did go whale watching. On Saturday, the Check Mate took out 10 anglers for plenty of sand dabs along with 59 Dungeness crab.

Perch fishing is starting to improve with some quality barred perch taken off of the Santa Cruz beaches on Lucky Craft Flash Minnows, Berkley Sand Worms, or sand crabs in anticipation of the sold-out March 14 Sand Crab Surf Perch Derby.

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

It’s been a challenge for sturgeon fishing in both the north and south bay as the sturgeon appear to be absent for experienced captains.

Captain Chris Smith of the Pacific Dream out of Berkeley will be keeping his boat in the bay throughout the winter months. He took his first sturgeon trip into San Pablo Bay this week, and they landed a 50-inch keeper sturgeon. He said, “The bay is still pretty salty as we landed a couple of leopard sharks along with a cow shark.” He also found success for two slot-limit sturgeon on his latest trip this past Saturday in San Pablo Bay.

Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters out of Loch Lomond reported very slow sturgeon fishing in San Pablo Bay with the majority of sixpack boats coming up empty. He will continue to try for sturgeon, and the diamondbacks who have been out in the central bay dining on herring should be back soon.

Speaking of herring, there haven’t been any huge spawns reported recently, but there is a big tide coming this week that may spark a spawn.

Ed Liu of Bay Tackle in El Cerrito said, “Local anglers continue to cry the blues as the striped bass and halibut are on hiatus. Many of our fishermen are heading into the Delta and in the upper tributaries in search of big striped bass. Grizzly Bay, Montezuma Slough, and Suisun Bay have been the top locations in the Delta while in San Pablo Bay, a few sturgeon have been located in the Napa River, the Petaluma River, and Sonoma Creek. The normally productive China Camp area has been slow. He added, “Perch fishing inside of the bay has also been slow, and we even found very slow perch fishing in Tomales Bay, Dillon Beach, and Bodega Bay. Finding live sand crabs was a struggle as well. The few perch we landed were on Berkley Sand Worms.” 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.

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 high and gusty winds shut down any thought of safely fishing from a boat on Sunday, and the winds will chill up and murky up the waters of the Sacramento-Delta. The good news has been the numbers of sturgeon observed in several locations in Suisun Bay, but the good news has been dampened by a lack of willingness to bite.

Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing out of Pittsburg is back in operation with a repowered ‘Top Gun’ with new twin outboard motors on an offshore bracket, and he said, “I’m back and ready to go sturgeon fishing, and we were out on Saturday, but the sturgeon were not willing to bite. The good part were the numbers of sturgeon on the meter, and it is really good to see that the fish are here. There were all sizes on the electronics from shakers to oversized, and in fact, every location that we went to was loaded with sturgeon, and they were what we wanted to see as they were on the bottom and moving. However, we only received one decent bite, but despite being on the rod of an experienced captain, the bite went without a hookup. We ended up with three striped bass to 7 pounds. I believe that it has been a night bite this week with the larger moon as one private boat found good sturgeon success while out all night.”

Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait said, “The boaters were absent during Sunday’s high winds, but there were still anglers off of the shorelines targeting striped bass or flounder. Pile worms are working best for the flounder while anchovies, grass shrimp, or pile worms are effective for the stripers. They have plenty of grass shrimp in the shop along with ghost shrimp coming on Friday. He said, “There were only 7 sturgeon brought in during Sunday during the Super Bowl Derby with 10 on Saturday as many fishermen thought they were out of money with the target-length at 58 inches. Normally, the winners have to been a couple of inches, but this year, the gap was much larger.”

Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service was out during the Super Bowl Sturgeon Derby, and they caught and released 12 sturgeon, saying, “We had the 5th place fish on Sunday if we would have brought it in, but the wind was so bad that it would have been a very difficult run back to McAvoy’s Boat Harbor for the weigh in.”

Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing has been finding sturgeon success in one small spot in the sloughs as they have landed multiple diamondbacks while others have been struggling, but his streak came to a close on Friday and Saturday as the sturgeon were reluctant to bite for him or any of the other six-pack operators out on those days.”

Alan Fong of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento went north into Liberty Island again this week, and he took Captain Jay Lopes of Right Hook Sport Fishing with him into the shallows. He said, “We were in 2 feet of water, and the big fish were gone as we only landed eight stripers to 6 pounds on Sneaky Pete glide baits or River2Sea Swavers. Lopes had a 7-foot sturgeon smack his lure, and this provided some excitement. You have to work the lures so slowly that it is not unreasonable for a sturgeon to attempt to pick them up. The big stripers were gone, but they will be back. The water has turned murky with the wind, and the water temperature dropped from 53 to 48 degrees.”

Clyde Wands, shallow trolling expert, when in the Old Sacramento River above Isleton this week in search of striped bass, but he said, “There wasn’t much happening with the exception of a number of shakers and some small keepers. One boat landed two limits to 26 inches, and we came up here since there hasn’t been much happening down below.”

In the San Joaquin-Delta, the signs of an early spring were put on hold on Sunday with the arrival of huge gusty winds for the majority of the day, resulting in the cancellation of a major bass tournament.

The New Jen Bass Tournaments was scheduled to go on Sunday, and they said, “As hard as it is to cancel any event, the safety of our anglers is always our top priority, and although making decisions like this is hard, making sure our anglers get home safe to their families following our events is paramount to the New Jen mission.”

The winds arrived up to 40 mph throughout the Delta on Sunday, and this shut down any thought of boating for at least the day.

Captain Mike Gravert of Intimidator Sport Fishing out of Korth’s Pirates Lair has loaded his bait tank with jumbo and extra-large minnows, and he has started his research trips to the San Joaquin and Mokelumne Rivers in preparation for taking clients out to drift live bait.

Alan Fong of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento reported striped bass are showing up for trollers or those spoons on the Santa Clara Shoals.

For largemouth bass on the San Joaquin side, Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor said, “We have this spring like weather in the afternoons as spring is arriving earlier than usual. The bees are already out, and with the cold mornings, you don’t have to get on the water early. You should still go fishing, but the best action is when the water warms up by mid-morning. The bass will be up tight to the banks earlier in the morning, and by mid-morning, they will perk up and become more active. The key in the morning is to keep the bait in the strike zone as long as possible. I look for big structure at this time of year since it will hold warmth longer. Big bundles of tules, big logs, large boulders are all good locations. The bass will move into structure as the tides rise, and I prefer the mid to the high on the incoming to the switch to the middle of the outgoing tide as the best time as the water will stay warmest longer during these tides. The low tide is the coldest, and the Florida-strain bass don’t want to be sitting in cold water. In the morning, you have to have scent, and I am using the General with Max Scent as this will attract the bass to come to the bait. Dark colors in earth tones work best right now as the bait fish and the crawdads are in a dark phase. Dark greens, brown, burnt orange, or burgundy are best as the crawdads aren’t in their flaming red phase. The ima Flit or a spinnerbait in lighter weights from 3/8 to 1/4 ounce will also work, but you have to work the bait slowly and bump into the tules. I prefer either Colorado or Magnum Willow blades as they will keep the presentation as slow as possible. The ima Rock’N Vibe is another option. The bass will be holding on the south facing banks on the north sides of east/west waterways as this is where the warmest water is found. The recent winning weight of 15.05 pounds is a good indicator that the bass are not chasing right now. For striped bass, there are isolated schools of small stripers on the San Joaquin, but the larger grade of linesides has been absent.”

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, bass fishermen are picking up decent numbers of spotted bass with 3- to 4-inch worms on the drop-shot along with jigs on a slow presentation. The reaction bite is slow, but there has been some action with deep-diving crankbaits or spoons working over the shad schools. The water temperature remains in the mid 50-degree range. The lake held at 52% this week. A webcam of the lake is available a lakenacimientolive.com.

At Lopez, limits of largemouth bass have been scarce, but there has been the occasional smallmouth along with a large grade of largemouth bass taken on plastics or jigs in natural colors. Creature baits on a Carolina- or Texas-rig are another option. Crappie continue to be slow with the rare slab taken out of deep structure on minijigs. A webcam of the lake is available at 805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam.

At Santa Margarita, the bass bite continues to be tough with the best action on Rat-L-Traps, small swimbaits on an underspin, or swimbaits grinded along the bottom for the occasional quality largemouth bass. Crappie continue to hold in deep water around structure, and the action is slow. Catfishing has also been on the slow side. A webcam of the lake is available at 805webcams.com/santa-margarita-lake-webcam-california.

At San Antonio, minimal, if any, change, with few boats launching at the lake. The lack of a viable striped bass fishery along with overall slow fishing after the lake was drawn down to 4% of capacity during the five years of drought contribute to the minimal interest. The lake is now on the winter schedule, and the launch ramp is closed on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The lake held at 37%.

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

New Hogan – Gold Country Jr. Bass Tournaments, Feb. 8: 1st –Hailee Friss – 9.41 pounds (Big Fish – 6.07); 2nd – Joey Winchell – 5.62; 3rd – Evan Yasko – 2.66.

Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournaments, Feb. 8: 1st –Cory Kerber/Jeremy Pitts – 14.49 pounds; 2nd – George Patton/Gary Crosby – 13.91; 3rd – Randy Whited/Michael Gaston – 13.59 (Big Fish – 4.88).

Millerton – Bass 101, Feb. 9: 1st , Reece Wells 12.76; 2nd, Cory Kerber 12.15; 3rd, Bill Kunz. 9.57. Big fish, Wayne Arnold 4.28.

Lake Camanche – Central Valley Anglers Trout Derby (Three Fish Limits), Feb. 9: 1st – Mark Schon– 9.70 pounds; 2nd – Ted Handel – 4.96; 3rd – Jim Fox – 3.71.

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

Week of Feb. 16 by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (as of Feb. 9):

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

Madera County: Sycamore Island Pond

San Luis Obispo County: Barney Schwartz Park Lake

Tulare County: Mooney Grove Park Pond, Del Lago Park Lake

Week of Feb. 23 by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (as of Feb. 9):

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

Inyo County: Diaz Lake, Owens River section 2, Pleasant Valley Reservoir

This story was originally published February 11, 2020 at 10:23 AM with the headline "Fishing report for week of Feb. 12-18: Salt water kicking out many of the best bets."