Fishing report for week of Feb. 19-25: Pine Flat still best bet for trout and bass

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

Striped bass starting to move into the Sacramento Delta, Alan Fong reported. Sturgeon bite has to break out soon, Steve Mitchell said. Pine Flat remains best in the region for bass and trout, Jake Figgs reported. Trout plants continue in the lower Kings River, Steve Newman 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 around Los Banos, there have been some huge striped bass over 40 pounds reported, but these fish have not been confirmed with photographs. Increased pumping out of the main San Luis Reservoir is pushing the bait into the headgates, and fishermen are seeking schools of shad to throw ripbaits and jerkbaits along with Rat-L-Traps. Most striper fishermen from the Fresno area have been heading to either the aqueduct or the O’Neill Forebay.

In the southern section of the aqueduct in Kern County, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield said, “We have sold loads of jumbo and extra-large minnows for the aqueduct, and people are catching striped bass. We continue to sell plenty of blood worms along with jerkbaits, flukes or tube baits.” 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

At Eastman, Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The trophy largemouth bass remains feast or famine with the possibility of an excellent day with a heavy sack followed by a day without a bite. Using electronics to find the bass is essential, but it is a matter of slowly grinding a Huddleston swimbait on the bottom. The glide bait action has been slow. Working over the submerged island tops with big jigs or 8- to 10-inch plastics on a Texas-rig is another option with black/blue or dark pumpkin with black flake being the top colors.”

The RiverRats tournament is Feb, 22.

Trout fishing from the banks has been slow.

The lake held at 48%.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Newman said, “Hensley remains consistent for largemouth bass in the 2- to 3-pound range with jigs or plastics on a shaky head, and if the wind is blowing, squarebilled crankbaits or jerkbaits are working. There are already bass cruising the banks at depths from 5 to 10 feet.” The lake rose slightly to 30%.

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

The bass bite was tough during Saturday’s 71-boat Best Bass Tournaments with a winning weight just over 13 pounds. Tournament director Kevin Cheek said, “There really was no reaction bite, and our anglers tossed the kitchen sink at them. The best action came on the bottom with finesse plastics. We have a two-day tournament next month, and I expect some much bigger weights as these bass are already loaded with eggs in the spring conditions.”

Trout fishing remains limited with few trollers working the lake this early in the season. A heavy plant of fingerling king salmon and kokanee this spring should pay dividends in the future. The lake rose slightly to 81%.

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, Cormier said, “Catfishing has been good with Triple S Blood Formula along with mackerel, nightcrawlers or sardines. Crappie are still taken around the marina with minijigs or small minnows. Trout have improved the action for the few trollers working the lake.” Isabella held at 30%.

In the upper Kern River, the arrival of Whiskey Flat’s Days over the Presidents Day weekend brought out a heavy plant to the area around the Kernville Bridge along with in the lower river below the dam at Democrat, and trout fishing has been solid with Power Bait in Chunky Cheese, rainbow/garlic or sherbet in addition to Mice Tails and inflated nightcrawlers.

Buena Vista was planted this weekend, and trout action for a larger grade of planter has been solid for some and a struggle for others. The local lakes of Hart Park and Ming are kicking out a few catfish or bass, but not much more as trout plants have been on hold. 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, and trout plants will be heavy prior to these events.

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 14%. Last week’s trout plant might get the swimbait action started, but the best action remains on the bottom with Robo Worms on a Ned-rig or dart head at depths from 25 to 35 feet. Vertically jigging shad-patterned spoons are also effective over the shad schools at depths to 40 feet. The Central Valley Kayak Fishing club holds its first tournament of the year on March 1 with a team event.

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

It’s feast or famine at the lake with big largemouth bass available for those able to work trout-patterned swimbaits on a slow grind along the bottom while others are struggling for a few bass. Plastics on the drop-shot or jigs on a slow presentation are most effective for numbers while shad-patterned spoons are also effective at depths to 30 feet. The lake rose to 18%.

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

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

Trollers are starting to target king salmon, and Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Sport Fishing was out with Greg Yost, formerly of MAG Tackle, and they searched all over the lake for eight rainbows and three king salmon with nothing over 12 inches using Speedy Shiners in red/gold or solid copper at depths from 25 to 70 feet. Wise said, “We kept seeing single marks deep, but after landing a salmon at this depth, we hooked a 12-inch trout so that was an indicator of no consistent pattern. The bass are found around main lake points, over island tops and in the creek channels with 3.5-inch Dry Creek tubes on a quarter-ounce dart head, G-Money jigs or Senkos on the shaky head or drop-shot from the banks to 50 feet.” The lake held at 62%.

The winning weight of the Christian Bass League event on Saturday with 28 boats was slightly larger than recent tournaments as the 13-pound barrier was broken.

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing is seeking adult boaters to assist with the April 25 Reel In For Kids event at 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 as there hasn’t been a plant since December. Trollers are picking up a rainbow or two running nightcrawlers behind long Ford Fenders while shore fishermen also find the occasional holdover with white Mice Tails around the Brush Pile. Lake levels remain high.”

Call: McSwain Marina 209-378-2534

Newman said, “The bass bite is decent if you can find them, and the main lake points have been one of the best locations as the bass in the river arm have been scattered. The bass are spread out over structure such as rocky walls, vertical walls and rocky points. When the wind is blowing, jerkbaits and spinnerbaits will be effective, but overall, the finesse bite remains best with plastics on a drop-shot, dart-head or shaky head from the banks to 30 feet.” The lake dropped from 60 to 58%.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

Bass fishermen are showing up to pre-fish for the upcoming Wild West Bass Trails event Feb. 28-March 1, and with the lake off-limits to entrants Feb. 17-26 there was high interest in the past week. With such high stakes and the possibility of a significant monetary reward, anglers are posting pictures of big spots but are blocking out the background to eliminate any possibility of finding their location on the lake. Trout fishing remains slow, but there is the occasional quality rainbow taken in Angels Cove.

Clara Ricabal of Western Outdoor News was on the lake earlier in the week, and she found her best action in the late afternoon with a Chigger Craw on a slow presentation.

The Future Pro Tournament was held Feb. 15, but as is the normal practice, the results were not released for public viewing as of Sunday.

Matt Frazier of Denair fished the Junior Division for the Future Pro with his young partner, Mason Ferulli of Ripon, and he was able to guide Mason to third place in the event. He said, “We got all of our bass on the Float N’Fly with a 15-foot leader, and the main lake had the winning bite over main lake points at depths from 2 to 10 feet. The bass are on the move, and they are showing up in the shallows.”

The Gold Country Junior Bass Club took all three top places in the Junior Division with Jordan and Joey Mitchell taking the top two spots.

Gene Hildebrand of Glory Hole Sports in Angels Camp said, “Anglers have been unintentionally landing bass while trolling for trout as far down as 80 feet as the bass are scattered at a variety of depths. Green pumpkin with a mix of another color are go-to colors on a shaky head or dart head that will allow your bait to skim along and through the rocks. When using a shad-patterned color, try using it on a drop shot rig. More bass in the 4-pound range have been reported the last couple weeks using these rigs. Trout trolling has been slow, but there have been some quality rainbows taken out of the lake. David Pickens of Twain Harte was fishing Angels Cove, bringing in a 3-pound rainbow using a FinSFish Lure while David Versic of Lodi was also trolling in the Angels Cove area rolling shad, bringing in rainbows at 5 pounds 10 ounces and 5-6. The Angels Cove launch ramp is closed, and the fish cleaning station remains closed at Angels Cove with water line breaks interfering with operations. A word of caution when traveling from the Ranger’s station toward Glory Hole Point: If you’re hauling any trailer over 10 feet in height, be aware the Bureau of Reclamation has many oak trees that need to be trimmed to meet federal minimum vertical clearance on local roadways which is 14 feet. The trees that overhang the road are creating hazardous driving conditions for you and your trailer/boat/RV having to often drive in the opposite lane of traffic to avoid these trees and prevent damage to your property.

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 remains the top lake in the region for both bass and rainbow trout with the addition of king salmon and the occasional kokanee. Recent trout plants have spurred on action for both species as there are swimbait bass to be had while trollers and bank anglers are scoring the planted rainbows. Trout plants continue in the lower Kings for the next two weeks, and the banks have been crowded throughout the day with those casting lures, drifting bait or fly fishing.

Jake Figgs of Valley Rod and Gun said, “Pine Flat is the best there is going around here, and there are already bass cruising the shorelines at depths from 10 to 15 feet in the Trimmer or Windy Gap areas. There is a good swimbait bite, and one of our regulars released largemouth bass at 8 and 10 pounds on a Huddleston this week as the bass are pushing up the trout to the surface. The Huddleston 68 Special or 8-inch in rainbow trout have been popular lures. However, it is feast or famine as I threw a swimbait all day without getting a strike. There is a glide bait bite with River2Sea Swaver on a slow-roll, and one customer reported picking up a limit to 15 pounds around Sycamore with the 168 SWaver. Three-eighths- to half-ounce jigs in green pumpkin, true bluegill or brown/purple are also working along with plastics on the drop-shot.”

Newman was also at the lake this week, but he was just observing the conditions instead of fishing. He said, “The water clarity is from 15 to 20 feet, and I could see bass cruising the shorelines with steep walls at 10 feet in depth. They were up and down along the long vertical walls, roaming and moving into the shallows. Tyler Gardner from our shop was there this week, and he started in the river arm for a tough bite before coming back into the main lake from Deer Creek to the dam to find a consistent bass bite in the 1.5- to 2-pound range at depths from 30 to 40 feet with plastics on a shaky head or drop-shot on a very slow presentation. Swimbaits are working from both the shorelines and from boats, and a spinnerbait or an underspin with a small swimbait are also good options. There is still a tremendous amount of shad in the lake, and plastics on a Neko-rig, drop-shot or shaky head are all good options in the main lake. For trout, trollers are working from the surface to 30 feet from Deer Creek to Power Lines, and they are also picking up king salmon in the 13/14-inch range. Most trollers targeting the kings are rolling shad while trout fishermen are pulling hoochies, Needlefish or Krocodile spoons. There are also trout taken from the banks at Deer Creek and Island Park.”

Pine Flat held at 50%.

Newman added, “The flows are ideal in the lower Kings, and they continue to plant on a weekly basis. The banks are accessible with the lower flows, but you have to get there early as it has been very crowded. 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.

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.

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

San Luis Reservoir has been releasing water, but the striper action continues to be decent from the shorelines with anglers tossing jerkbaits and ripbaits as the stripers are chasing shad. Trolling has been slow overall, but the quality of lineside has been best on the troll. The O’Neill Forebay has been consistent for numbers of smaller stripers on either bait or ripbaits, but the larger grade will be moving into the shallows as the weed growth forms.

Newman said, “Stripers in the 18- to 26-inch range are taken from the shorelines with Duo Realis jerkbaits or Lucky Craft Pointers, and our sales of these lures have been high which is an indication that the stripers are chasing bait up and down the water column. Trollers are finding the larger grade of striper. In the forebay, there isn’t much weed growth yet, and the stripers are roaming. The numbers are good with ripbaits, but we aren’t selling many soft plastics which normally happens when the bite is hot. The bigger grade of striper will be moving into the weeds once they form closer to the shorelines.”

The report from Coyote Bait in Morgan Hill is that most anglers from that area are heading to the forebay around the bridge with jumbo minnows or anchovies in the moving water. The lake levels are on the rise, and the bass are getting active.

Roger George of Roger’s Guide Service said, “The overall bite remains very tough although there have been flurries of better fishing for those trolling. Anglers working the 50- to 70-foot range with Lucky Craft Pointers, P-Line Predator Minnows or Smithwick-type lures in the Portuguese Cove area as well as the West Bank are picking up a few fish over the flats. There seems to be a new class of fish running about 18 to 20 inches that has shown up recently for a lot of anglers. We think this new crop of stripers might be coming up from the forebay after all the pumping into the big lake this year. The lake has also fallen about 2 feet in the last several days to 74%. We were hoping that the lake would be more stable at this time but without much rainfall I guess they’re already taking water out. In addition, the water temperatures are running high at 55 to 57 degrees. Two other things we don’t usually see this time of year: signs that the blue green algae is already showing up in little green globules, and some anglers already seeing some milting males. I had a rescheduled trip on Wednesday, but I decided to go scout, anyway. I found that the stripers had moved onto the flats, and I only got a few fish in the morning, all at 60 to 70 feet on the troll. I finally found some active fish at 70 feet near the dam and hooked up with a 42 1/2-inch, 28.8-pound beauty I quickly released with the Seaqualizer. The overall bite stopped soon after that for me. It’s been a grind for quite a while this winter. The average angler is doing best trolling with minnows second, and smaller fish are the norm. Topwater and reaction bites are very tough.”

Registration is still open for George’s Downrigging 101 for Stripers class on March 5 at the Fresno Sportsman’s Warehouse from 6-8 p.m. and on March 12 at the Visalia store. Preregistration is required as class size is limited. Cost is $50. Details or to register: 905-2954.

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

Bass Lake has been quiet for months, but the action should start improving for trout with more consistent plants as we move toward the early May date for the traditional Bass Lake Trout Derby. Bass fishing is a grind, but there is the opportunity for quality.

Newman was out with his bass tournament partner, Aaron Peratt of Clovis, and he said, “It was a struggle for only five bass throughout the day, but the bass that were landed were all healthy. Right off the bat at 9:30 a.m., Peratt landed a healthy 6.08-pound spotted bass in the shallows at 15 feet on a Neko-rig; however, it was another hour before we landed another fish. Bites were hard to come by, and everything came on finesse plastics. I was throwing various reaction baits throughout the day, and despite working underspins, squarebills, chatterbaits and jerkbaits around the few grass clumps in the reservoir, I didn’t get a hit. Everything came on the finesse plastics on a very slow presentation in the 46/47-degree water. The water temperature would be ideal if it were at one of the lower-elevation lakes, but the reaction bite didn’t emerge in the cold water. There are not a lot of weeds in the lake right now, and all of the private docks are out of the water so there is minimal structure in the lake right now. We were unable to locate any appreciable groupings of fish, and when we did mark fish, we were unable to get them to react with either plastics on the drop-shot or spoons. These groups may have been trout instead of bass. The bass we did land were all healthy and eating, but they weren’t spitting up any bait. Normally, you would see small crappie or bluegill as the main bait fish. Launching for us wasn’t a problem as we pulled the boat over to the right side of the Wishon launch on a sand bar and had no problem pushing off. You have to be mobile however to put a boat in now without the courtesy dock in the low lake levels.”

The last trout plant was the week of Feb. 2.

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

Shaver Lake is slow at the present time with few boats launching at the lake despite the tremendous spring like weather, but there is optimism for the coming months with the introduction of the California state fish, the golden trout,, into this Sierra reservoir. Normally, the golden trout are found at elevations over 10,000 feet, but they have been released into Shaver at 5,500 feet.

Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters is presenting his annual spring seminar on March 26 at 5:30 p.m. at Turner’s Outdoorsman in Fresno, and he will be joined by Ken Thompson, California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist for wild trout in the Sierra. Nichols said, “Thompson will be joining me during this seminar with a fantastic visual presentation on high Sierra trout including the goldens and browns released into Shaver. He said the new goldens could reach 9 pounds, but the majority will be up to 17 inches. These Goldens in Shaver have so much to offer as they are from the California golden trout strain. This year’s overall plant will perhaps be three times the past couple of year’s plants as the Moccasin Hatchery on the Tuolumne River is back in operation, and the local Friant Hatchery will not have to meet Moccasin’s commitments. We also received 50,000 fingerling kokanee which will mature in three years.”

There was at least one boat that found a limit of kokanee to 13.75 inches along with three rainbows trolling near the Camp Edison/Sierra Marina area and out in front of Eagle Point with orange Paulina Peak Tackle’s shrimp behind a PPT light Chelan Sunrise dodger, the Purple Haze hoochie behind a matching lite dodger or the pink lemonade hoochie behind an orange Moon Jelly dodger from the surface to 10 feet on a 90 to 95 foot set back at speeds from 1.2 to 1.4 mph. Anise and tuna scents worked best for this boat.

Nichols added, “Trolling has been very slow overall with only one boat on the lake on Sunday. Jay and Delinda Irvine from Visalia were out for three hours, and they didn’t even entice a strike despite trying various lures at multiple depths. I believe the Irvines to be one of the best small craft fishermen at Shaver over the years, and if they are not getting strikes, it’s got to be tough out there. It will possibly stay slow until DFW begins 2020 plants.”

Sierra Marina launch ramp webcam: sierramarina.com/camera.html.

Call: Dick Nichols, Dick’s Fishing Charters 281-6948; Todd Wittwer, Kokanee.net Guide Service 288-8100; Dinkey Creek Inn 841-3435; Tom Oliveira Fishing 802-8072

Snow may keep these lakes inaccesible until late April.

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Go to fresnobee.com/fishing for Ocean, Delta, Kern County and Central Coast lakes, event results and tournament schedules and trout plants.

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

Salmon 0 Rockfish 0 Striper 1 White sea bass 0 Crab 4 Sand Dabs 3 Surf Perch 2

The weather has been tremendous along the California coast in this unseasonable winter, and the good weather has allowed at least one party boat to continue to head out for crab and dabs. The port is one of the best locations to score sand dabs along the coast, and Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat is scheduling these trips depending upon interest and weather conditions.

Tom Mattusch had a full boat on a sand dab/crab combination trip on Saturday. February 15, and he said, “Last year we did really well on finding petrale sole with around 2 to 5 fish per trip, but we have yet to land a petrale this year despite fishing in the same areas and depths from 280 to 300 feet. We are still batting 100%% on crab limits this year since the opener, and most of the commercial crab fishermen have stacked their gear and vacated the area. We took limits of crab for 16 anglers on Saturday, but it was a slow day for sand dabs with only 99 dabs with many of the passengers affected by the small rolling swell.”

Out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing, the party boats will focus on nature trips along with whale watching in the interim months before the rockfish and salmon seasons are anticipated to open in April. Captain Jerad Davis of the Salty Lady will also 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, 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 4:00 a.m. through 10:00 p.m., weather depending.

Surf perch are the other option, and there is increased interest in working the beaches below Half Moon Bay such as Pescadero, Bean Hollow, and Pigeon Point with Berkley Camo Sand Worms along with Lucky Craft Flash Minnows. The Sand Crab Surf Perch Derby out of Santa Cruz on March 14th, and surf anglers will head as far north as Half Moon,

Call: Captain Dennis Baxter – New Captain Pete (650) 576-3844; Captain Tom Mattusch – Huli Cat (650) 619-0459.

Monterey/Santa Cruz

Salmon 0 Rockfish 0 Striper 1 White sea bass 0 Crab 3 Sand Dabs 3 Surf Perch 2

Chris’s Landing in Monterey went all three days over the President’s Day weekend, and sand dabs are in abundance, but the crab counts have dropped to 2/3 per angler. They are taking reservations for the April 1st rockfish opener along with the anticipated salmon opener in early April.

Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak and Surf Casting Guide Service said, “Mild weather and calm seas resulted in an uptick of positive results for anglers fishing the Monterey Bay this week. Santa Cruz’ Bayside Marine owner Todd Fraser encapsulated conditions well, reporting, “Fishing has been good for the anglers fishing for sand dabs and crabs in 200-280 feet of water. There have been a few small halibut caught trolling near Pajaro and Moss Landing. Perch fishing was good at 26 Avenue beach and Manresa. The weather has been calm with small swells and afternoon winds. It is a great time to get your rods and reels ready for the rockfish and salmon openers coming in April.”

The early showing of halibut during February is unusual, but not unheard of. This may be a year where we can start looking in earnest for the big flatfish in March, rather than April or May. Diver’s reports from Monterey, near the Coast Guard Pier note the presence of a few legal-sized halibut in the shallows, along with “a bunch of juveniles.”

After a long spell of inclement weather conditions, surfcasting is starting to take off. The broad beaches from Manresa down to Seaside are showing decent structure, with sand points , rip currents and deep troughs parallel to the beach. Rob Cadwallader fished Sunset beach on Friday, pulling in 11 barred surf perch and one legal striped bass while using GULP! sandworms on a Carolina rig. All his fish were released.

Surfcaster Ed Quiambao hit the beaches closer to Monterey on Saturday. Along with partner Alvin Pamintuan, Quiambao had no problem bringing home a limit of five barred surf perch for that night’s dinner. He says, “Crappie sliders did some damage today here in the Monterey area! Water was good... found a nice hole and just kept pulling them in back to back to back! Limit out by 10-ish. Was on the beach walking at 7.” Crappie sliders are a type of plastic grub, usually rigged on a small lead-head jig, though they can also be used with a Carolina or dropper-loop setup. Apparently, they work for our surf perch as well!”

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

San Francisco Bay

Salmon 0 Albacore 0 Halibut 1 Striper 2 Rockfish 0 Leopard shark 3 Sturgeon 2 Crab 4

There was actually a private boat trolling for halibut in the south bay this week, and they landed on 22.5-inch halibut for their efforts.

Sturgeon fishing remains slow in San Pablo Bay, but Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle reported one boat went into the Napa River for three legal sturgeon and a shaker with plenty of other opportunities. He added, “Shore fishing for striped bass has really improved, and one of our customers took out ghost shrimp to the China Camp shoreline for striped bass to 28 inches. The sturgeon have come back into our ballpark, and I expect things to improve soon. We have grass shrimp, ghost shrimp, mudsuckers, and pile worms in the shop.”

Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters in Loch Lomond is looking forward to the improvement in the sturgeon bite as he said, “All of the six packs have been struggling lately.”

George Liu of Bay Tackle in El Cerrito reported slow action in the bay with a few sturgeon here and there in San Pablo Bay. He said, “Pete and Ed from our shop are fishing from the shoreline on a regular basis, but they are only picking up a striper or two on the right tide with their swimbaits. We have been starting to sell tray bait for those trolling for halibut.”

In the Napa River, Chad at Sweeney’s Sports in Napa reported things are shaping up well for both sturgeon and stripers. He said, “Sturgeon fishing has been good from the Highway 29 Bridge south to the mouth in various locations with eel, grass shrimp, or ghost shrimp. The striper bite is also picking up, it’s not red hot yet, but fly fishermen are scoring with Clowser Minnows along with lure casters with Rat-L-Traps, swimbaits, or spoons. Live bait is working for the largest grade of striped bass, but overall it is not crazy, but improving.”

Sturgeon may not be taken in the following described area between January 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; Captain Jerad Davis, Salty Lady (415) 760-9362; Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing (707) 655-6736; Happy Hooker (510) 223-5388;

San Luis Obispo

Rockfish -0 Surf Perch – 3

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; Morro Bay Landing

Others

Delta/Stockton

Bass 2 Striper 2 Sturgeon 2 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2 Salmon 0

The sturgeon are plentiful in the Sacramento-Delta, and there are even more diamondbacks showing up around Hood and Freeport in the north Delta, but overall, the sturgeon have lockjaw. The huge windstorm earlier in the week muddied up the north Delta, slowing down the striped bass bite, but the big linesides are still holding in the shallows. An early spring is on the horizon, and the striped bass and sturgeon are moving up into the tributaries.

Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing is back on the water out of Pittsburg, and he was out three times this week with improving results. He said, “We found a group of biting sturgeon on Sunday in the Big Cut, and we ended up with around 10 times to hook two slot-limit sturgeon, landing one at 49 inches. The sturgeon wanted eel on this day since the fish were hooked were on the lamprey. There were several other missed bites as well so it was a matter of finding sturgeon willing to chomp.” Mitchell will be presenting at the upcoming Sacramento Boat Show at Cal Expo with sturgeon seminars at 12:00 noon on March 14th and 11:00 a.m. on March 15th.

Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing said, “This has been the weirdest week ever as no one is getting the sturgeon to bite. We are seeing hundreds of sturgeon in all different areas, and I have been all over from Rio Vista down into the sloughs of Suisun Bay, and we have only landed two slot-limit sturgeon in the past week out of maybe 10 bites. I found 54-degree water, and it’s not a shortage of fish problem but a shortage of bites problem. All of the six-pack captains have been coming up empty, and we are all scratching our heads as to what is going on right now. It’s been puzzling us all as these sturgeon will not commit. We were out on Sunday, and we only had two bites, and not even a striped bass was hooked. Since the wind storm last week, it’s been very tough for all of us. I will be out nearly every day in the coming weeks, and it has to improve.”

Captain Zach Medinas of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures was able to find a few sturgeon for release on his cured salmon roe with Kevin Pohley of Auburn along with Ian and Thom McMahon of Ferndale scoring a legal sturgeon at 55 inches before release.

J.D. Richey of Richey’s Guide Service will start working the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers for striped bass once the spring run starts in earnest, most likely in March. Richey is a swimbait, topwater, and spoon specialist. Richey will also be presenting at the Sacramento Boat show on the spring striped bass run at 11:00 on March 14th and 2:00 p.m. on March 15th.

Joseph Johnson of Stockton was out drifting live bluegill in the main river, and they landed linesides to 6 pounds in an early attempt at live bait drifting.

Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait reported small striped bass have been the story from the shorelines. Their shop was busy over the weekend, and they sold out of everything live but grass shrimp.

Alan Fong of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento went north into Liberty Island again this week, but he found muddy water awaiting for him. He said, “The big wind muddied up the water, and we caught two and lost three stripers using the River2Sea Swaver on the high tide. However, when the high tide arrived early in the morning, the visibility dropped to an inch and the bite was off in the chocolate water. We went into the sloughs outside of the flooded island, but it was also muddy so we packed it in. The fish are there as one of my friends was out on Saturday, and he released stripers at 30, 15, 12 and another ten from 5 to 8 pounds on the Swaver. Michael Kidwell, my assistant manager, was also out there on a boat with a friend, but they only landed one striper. Michael likes to still exclusively with the big topwater lures, and the stripers didn’t want the topwater. In the Sacramento River, a few sturgeon and stripers are showing up by Hood. There were also some largemouth bass that seem to have already spawned this early in the season.”

Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle in Freeport said, “Sturgeon are moving up the river, and eel/nightcrawler combinations, pile worms, ghost shrimp, and salmon roe are all working. Spring-run stripers in the 20 to 32-inch range are hear, and there are both females and males in the mix. Blood worms, pile worms, and sardines are working as the stripers are on the move in the clear water with the lack of rain for over a month. Bluegill are doing their thing as the sloughs are clear. We are selling plenty of waxworms or jumbo red worms to go on either a bobber or on a drop-shot rig. Smallmouth bass have yet to emerge in the colder water, and a few largemouth bass are taken on jumbo minnows.”

In the San Joaquin-Delta, the early spring like weather has arrived, and the bass tournaments are once again arriving in force on the California Delta.

For largemouth bass, Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, said, “It’s been fun on the Delta right now as we are fishing light line at 8-pound mono working the outside weed lines with access into deeper water as the bass are slowly working up into the spawning grounds. I have been using plastics like the General with Max Scent with a Texas-style light wire hook in the middle of the worm. I want both sides to hang over the weeds, and using this style of rigging the plastic will keep them on top of the weeds and allow it to parallel instead of a drop-shot or Neko-rig that will have the plastic into the weeds. The weight of the hook is light, and it will allow a slow-moving bait. I run it weedless by hooking one side of the plastic and reversing it to hook the other side. There is a good window in the early morning before the bite slows down, but it will pick up again by mid-morning into the afternoons from 11:00 to 3:00 p.m. The south-facing banks along the north sides of the levees on east/west waterways are still the best locations to target as the bass are holding in the warmest water.”

Striped bass action remains very slow for trollers. Dave Houston of Livermore was out this week, and he said, “The water is very murky from the high winds this past week, and the water temperature is just under 52 degrees in the San Joaquin and 50 on the Sacramento. We only found three keepers to 24 inches working from the Antioch Bridge to Connection Slough in the San Joaquin. The fish were dark, indicating that they were resident fish. Any day now, we should start getting the spring run fish.”

In the southern sloughs around Stockton and Tracy, bluegill action is improving with wax worms or jumbo red worms as the water is clearing up after last week’s wind storms.

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

Lake Nacimiento/San Antonio/Santa Margarita/Lopez

Bass 2 White bass 1 Striper 0 Catfish 2 Crappie 2

At Nacimiento, the cold night temperatures are requiring a slower presentation with finesse baits such as plastics on the drop-shot, Ned rig, or dart head at depths to 25 feet as the spotted bass have moved out into deeper water. Slow grinding a small swimbait is an option for a larger grade of spotted bass. White bass have been scarce. The lake held at 52% this week. A webcam of the lake is available at http://www.lakenacimientolive.com/. At Lopez, limits of largemouth bass continue to be hard to locate, but there is an improved bite with plastics on the drop-shot, shakey head, Ned rig, or dart head along with jigs in deep water while Brush Hogs or Sweet Beavers on a Carolina-rig are also a possibility. Crappie action is fair at best. A webcam of the lake is available at http://805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam/. At Santa Margarita, there are largemouth bass to 7 pounds reported, and a 23-pound limit was posted during a recent American Bass Association tournament. However, only 12 limits were weighed in out of the 35-boat field. The reaction bite is slow while the best action remains on the bottom with plastics on the drop-shot or Senkos around structure or main lake points along with Brush Hogs or jigs. Crappie action has improved with minijigs while catfish are found on frozen shad. A webcam of the lake is available at http://805webcams.com/santa-margarita-lake-webcam-california/.

At San Antonio, catfish with mackerel or similar cut baits coated with garlic is the best bet, but there are few fishermen heading to 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 5 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%.

Millerton –Bass 101 Boater’s Tournament– February 8th: 1st –Reece Wells– 12.76 pounds; 2nd – Cory Kerber – 12.15; 3rd- Bill Kunz – 9.57. Wayne Arnold - Big Fish – 4.28.

Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournaments – February 15th:: 1st –Shane and Trey Hawkins– 13.76 pounds; 2nd –Bryan Holmes/Evan Price – 13.25; 3rd – Anthony Fuller/Jonathan Whitesitt – 12.80. (Big Fish – 4.78). Juan Cruz/Robert Sanders – Big Fish – 5.79.

McClure – Christian Bass League – February 15th:: 1st – Miguel Perez/Bobby Moules – 12.18 pounds(Big Fish – 3.74); 2nd – Bob and Jake Etcheverry– 11.00; 3rd – Christian Ostrander/Joe O’Brien – 9.80.

Millerton – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments – February 15th:: 1st –Timmy and Reece Wells– 11.78 pounds; 2nd – Tony Hunt – 10.79; 3rd –Ralph Encizo/Denny Boland – 9.92(Big Fish – 4.78).

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

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

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

Week of March 1 by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (as of Feb. 16):

San Joaquin County: Oak Grove Park Lake

This story was originally published February 18, 2020 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Fishing report for week of Feb. 19-25: Pine Flat still best bet for trout and bass."