Fishing report for week of March 11-17: Pine Flat, Bass Lake, McClure among hot spots

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

Delta bass, sturgeon and striper bites good, Alan Fong reported. Pine Flat crappie, bass and trout keeping anglers busy, Tyler Gardner said. San Luis striper reaction bite improved, Jake Figgs reported. Isabella crappie and trout bite on, Pete Cormier said. Bass Lake trout active, Paul Kalpakoff reported. McClure bass and trout on a tear, Ryan Cook said.

Key

1-Try dynamite

2-Have to work hard

3-Limits possible

4-Fish jumpin’ in boat

The water releases out of San Luis Reservoir are pushing the bait fish down the aqueduct in the northern section of the aqueduct between Kettleman City and Los Banos, and a few fishermen are starting to throw ripbaits or topwater lures around the moving water near the headgates.

In the southern section of the aqueduct in Kern County, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield said, “Striped bass fishing continues to be excellent with flukes, tubes, blood worms, sand worms, jumbo or large minnows, anchovies, or sardines. The water in the aqueduct is very clear, and fishermen are reporting seeing the fish swimming around due to the water clarity.” 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

Tyler Gardner of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The smaller buck bass are cruising the banks, and they are taken on a variety of methods, but the larger females have yet to move up.” The best action for the occasional larger bass remains around the larger rockpiles with jigs. Good electronics are necessary to locate the bass. The lack of recent trout plants has slowed down the big swimbait bite along with trout action from the shorelines. Crappie can be found near the dam with minijigs. The lake held at 49%.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Gardner said, “The crappie bite has picked up with minijigs around submerged structure while the bass bite remains consistent with swimbaits, jigs or Senkos worked over the island tops and in the saddles between islands.” Many boaters do not want to launch their larger bass boats as the lake is low, but this is a top lake for aluminum boats or bank fishermen. The lake held at 31%.

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

The bass bite has been tough for most, but the team of Alex Niapas and Jason Remmers took first place in Saturday’s 11-boat American Bass Association tournament with a weight of 19.95 pounds in 20 to 30 feet on California Reservoir jigs or Brush Hogs. The bass are scattered, but once you find them, they are in schools. The bass are looking to spawn and moving into the shallows. Good things are expected within the next few weeks. The lake is loaded with trout from the overflow of the Moccasin Hatchery, and the trout trolling bite should also break out once the water temperature stabilizes. The lake dropped slightly to 80%.

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

In the Bakersfield area, the Kern County Fairgrounds will host the Central Valley Boat and RV Show this weekend from March 13-15th. Information at www:calshows.com. Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield said, “The crappie bite at Isabella had been outstanding for boaters working live minnows over the cages, but the wind and cold shut the crappie bite down over the weekend. The slabs had moved into the shallows last week, but they were hard to find over the weekend. Trollers and bank fishermen are still landing trout due to the trout plants, and we are selling plenty of Power Bait in Chunky Cheese or rainbow garlic along with Mice Tails for the shore fishermen. Catfish are still taken on large minnows, nightcrawlers, Triple S Blood Formula, mackerel, or sardines.” Isabella rose held at 31 percent. In the upper Kern River, trout fishing has slowed with far fewer reports while the lower river has also been slow. The local lakes of Hart Park and Ming are working for catfish, carp, or bass. The River Walk will be the location for the annual Firefighters Trout Derby on March 21st, 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 17%. Gary Wasson of Visalia said, “The bite is slow overall, but a few largemouths are taken on Senkos, jigs, or plastics on the drop-shot from 5 to 30 feet. Crappie are starting to get active around structure in the lowered body of water.”

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported the crappie bite had been very good, but the cold front over the weekend pushed the slabs back into deeper water. Wasson said, “There is a good morning bite for bass with Senkos or jigs.” The lake rose to 22%.

In the Tule River, the flows are excellent for fishing, and the dry fly action has picked up in the warmer afternoon due to the insect hatches.

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

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “I had an epic day on Monday with Rob and Katie Strickland of Merced, and we put together a 22-pound limit including largemouth bass at 7.13 and 4.76 pounds on finesse techniques in the creek channels towards staging areas. This was the largest limit I have put together on this lake in over nine months.” Bass tournament limits continue to increase with the team of Cook and Eric Sousa coming in second in Saturday’s Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments event with 13.53 pounds. Dead Stick plastics on a Neko Rig along with G-Money jigs with a bulky trailer on a 3/4-ounce jig head are working. The bass are scattered, but they are grouped up into tight schools once you find them. Bigger plastics, jigs, or tubes are best in any coves or cuts, even in the main lake. There is still a bite as deep as 50 feet, but there are bass wanting to spawn now. Trout trollers are working depths from 25 to 35 feet with silver/blue, gold or white Kastmasters along with nightcrawlers behind a Ford Fender flasher. Crappie are making an appearance in the river arm around submerged trees and vertical rock.

Steve Marquette of the Lake McClure Recreation Company said, “I had a few fishing reports from the shore near the marina with watermelon worms or nightcrawlers, and a few anglers were at the Barrett’s Cove South Ramp with catfish stink bait for the whiskerfish.”

Justin Yori of the Angler’s Edge in Snelling said, “We have been selling loads of crawdads and large to medium minnows for bass fishermen heading to McClure.” The Angler’s Edge is the former A-1 Bait, and they are carrying live minnows and crawdads along with full fishing supplies. They are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days per week. The lake dropped slightly to 61%.

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

Justin Yori of the Angler’s Edge in Snelling said, “We haven’t heard much from McSwain with the lack of trout plants since December.” An occasional holdover is taken on silver/blue Kastmasters, trout dough bait or nightcrawlers from the bank locations of the Handicapped Docks, the Brush Pile or the peninsula near the Marina.

Call: McSwain Marina 209-378-2534

Gardner said, “Newman and his fishing partner, Aaron Peratt of Clovis were on the lake this week, and Newman landed a 5.4-pound spotted bass on a Neko-rig while Peratt picked up a 5.6-pound largemouth bass on a Senko. Gardner said, “Newman said, ‘The bass were scattered, but once you found them in 15 to 20 feet of water, they were bunched up and eating.”

At Sycamore Island, lead park host Bill Tuell said, “Bass fishing was on fire until Sunday with the largest bass at 6 pounds with either soft plastics or crankbaits working best. Crappie is good, but the trout bite has slowed down. Catfish to 4 pounds have been taken, and the bluegill bite is picking up as well.” The Department of Fish and Wildlife is stocking the pond on a weekly basis. The sevnth annual Fishing Derby is March 28 from 7 to 11 a.m.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

New Melones was brutal during the Wild West Bass Trails Pro/Am during the final weekend of February, and the struggle was reflected in the far lower than normal weights. Bass fishing requires quite a bit of work for success, and the best fishing is occurring on the bottom from 5 to 45 feet.

John Liechty of Xperience Bass Fishing Guide Service said, “It’s been a struggle, and you have to work hard as the conditions haven’t changed for a while. Our best action has been surprisingly enough with small plastics on a drop-shot over bluff walls, 45-degree banks, and in creek channels. The drop-shot is out fishing everything right now, and I think it is because the bass have seen so many jigs and shaky head over the past year. The drop-shot with a 3-inch plastic on 6-pound test seems to be able to trick the bass and entice a strike. We have been consistently finding bass in the 2.5- to 3-pound range, and I put in a 14-pound limit this past week which would have been a solid weight during last week’s tournament. Instead of 30 to 50 fish days, we are working hard for 20 to 30 fish days. The water temperature is 59 degrees, and the bass should be up, but they are still holding in deeper water. The creek channels are starting to get stained from the dropping water levels, and a mud line is forming.”

Gene Hildebrand of Glory Hole Sports in Angels Camp said, “ With the water temps hitting 60 degrees, the bass are in spawn mode, on beds, and many being caught have that soft belly indicating they have already spawned out and occasionally seeing a bloody tail on female and males both due to fanning and females just dragging their tails on rocks with the heavy bellies. With a steady increase in the bass bite, anglers are getting bit on different presentations and you should be ready to change it up. In the mud line along the shore from the boat traffic, chatterbaist or spinner baits are best while in windy conditions with some chop on the water, topwater lures, swimbaits or glidebaits are best. The most successful presentation during the Wild West Bass Trail was soft plastics such as Robo Worms, Yamamoto Senko’s, Baby Brush Hogs and grubs on shaky heads, jigs and drop-shot along with success using underspins and a 2.5-inch Keitech trailer.”

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

The lake dropped to 79%.

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

Pine Flat Reservoir continues to be the top lake for multiple species in the Fresno-area as the bass and trout bites remain consistent while the crappie bite is coming on. However, after weeks of very slow action, Millerton is showing signs of life with the possibility of a quality largemouth or spotted bass.

Gardner said, “I was out this week at Pine Flat, and we found good action around Sycamore for spotted bass at depths from 20 to 30 feet with Merritt Gilbert’s 6-inch Casper plastic. The bass are holding at this depth, but there are bass moving up into the shallows.” The cold front pushed the bass off of the banks over the weekend, but they will be coming back into the shallows once again with the warm weather. There is a crankbait bite with crawdad-patterned cranks at medium depths along with the occasional larger grade of bass in the shallows with swimbaits such as Huddleston 68s in light trout or rainbow trout. Regular trout plants are keeping the bass actively chasing the 12-inch rainbows into the shallows. Jigs are another option as the bass are also foraging for crawdads.

Gardner reported a vastly improved crappie bite with live minnows under a slip bobber, but small crappie jigs such as Strike King’s Mr. Crappie Series in the new Hot Chicken color. Gardner added, “There were a number of trout trollers out on the lake around the Power Lines, and Needlefish in shad-patterns are working for the trout in the 12 to 15-inch range at 6 to 7 colors of leadcore.”

Regular trout plants continue in the lower Kings, and the banks remain crowded with those drifting salmon eggs, trout dough bait, or tossing spinners. With the warmer temperatures, fly fishermen are finding good action with dry flies in the afternoons when the insects are hatching. Gardner fishes the lower Kings on a weekly basis, and he said, “I have been consistently picking up limits of planters in the 12- to 15-inch range drifting salmon eggs. The plants at Avocado Lake and at Woodward Park have been a larger grade of rainbow.”

At Pine Flat, 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 held at 51%.

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

San Luis Reservoir is turning on for striped bass with subsurface lures, and the ripbait bite has been taking off in the coves. The troll bite remains slow overall, but with the lake’s elevation holding, jumbo minnows are another solid option. The O’Neill Forebay continues to kick out numbers of smaller striped bass on bait.

Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “The bass are under the surface in the coves as the ripbait bite has been strong with Lucky Craft Pointer 128s or Duo Realis 120s in American Shad or Ghost Minnow. The topwater bite has been slow, but boaters are moving into the various coves while bank anglers are focusing on the back of Dinosaur Cove. We have been selling a number of jumbo minnows, and we recommend that they fly-line the live bait with a split-shot or two to get down to the bass. Trollers are working mid-level with plugs such as the Pointer 128s.”

Jake Figgs of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis confirmed the ripbait bite at the main lake, saying, “We have been selling a lot of Duo Realis 120s, and anything with chartreuse such as the Sexy Shad are working.”

Roger George of Roger’s Guide Service said, “The overall bite is still moderate to slow at best for trollers in the big lake. In the last month, the water has fallen 13 feet, down to a 1,391,000-acre feet volume, but recently its rate of fall has slowed. Anglers are telling me that they are getting a few school fish on minnow-type lures in shad colors for a few fish working the Portuguese Cove and Quien Sabe point areas at 50 to 70 feet. Minnow and bait anglers have done the best targeting the 60-foot range on points. The recent storm front and wind changed things, too.”

The lake held at 68%.

George said that due to a conflict, he will reschedule his Downrigging 101 class that was set for March 12 at the Visalia Sportsman’s Warehouse.

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

Trout trolling is on the upswing with Paul Kalpakoff of Central Sierra Outfitters scoring two limits with his wife, Pat, this week with nine of the 10 trout being planters with one holdover trolling close to the dam in 8 to 20 feet of water with PPK’s green sparkle Tomahawk spinner tipped with a nightcrawler behind Mack’s UV plain 4-inch Sling Blade. Gardner reported most area trout trollers are heading to this lake. The annual Bass Lake Chamber of Commerce Trout Derby will be held on the weekend of May 2-3, and heavy plants will be put into the lake prior to the derby. The lake held at 60%, and the dock at the public ramp is in the water.

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

The kokanee anglers are showing up to work Shaver Lake despite the early March date as the lack of weather has made the lake far more accessible than normal. A little weather arrived on the weekend, and the gusty winds and rain keep most boats off of the water.

Prior to the weekend weather, Lucas Padrnos of Visalia was out on the with a partner for 10 kokanee to 15 inches trolling Paulina Peak Tackle’s orange Shrimp scented with garlic/tuna behind a gold-plated Orange Crush PLite Dodger within the top 20 feet on a set back of 75 to 90 feet from Black Rock to Boy Scout Cove. Padrnos said, “We had our first rod in the water by 8:00 a.m., and it took about 30 minutes before we had our first takedown, but once we had one in the box, it was a consistent bite after this. The PPT Cotton Candy Spinner behind a Wonderbread teardrop dodger was also a good combination. We also tossed back 5 kokanee in the 13-inch and below size, and also landed five rainbows from 12 to 19 inches along with a 13-inch brown before getting off of the water at noon.”

Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters said, “The weather turned ugly over the weekend, and the creel counts were low at best. I had reports from someone that I consider an excellent fisherman, and he and his party were only able to land two fish on their mid-week trip. There were six boats out on Saturday in the gusty winds, and some of the boats working the back of the lake came in with 2 to 4 trout.”

Department of Fish and Wildlife wild trout biologist Ken Johnson will be joining Nichols for his annual Shaver Lake fishing seminar on March 26 at 5:30 p.m. at Turner’s Outdoorsman in Fresno. Johnson will give a visual presentation on high Sierra trout, provide information on Shaver’s newest resident, the California golden trout, and the 2020 allotment of trout from the department. Nichols will speak on his ideas for catching the abundant trout in Shaver, Southern California Edison’s water level plans, use of trout tackle, and visual photos of an empty Shaver Lake 10 years ago. Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project director, Bob Bernier, will be on hand to disclose the plants for the upcoming trophy trout plant in the spring. Giveaways and a raffle are also planned for the evening. Details: Bob Scharton, assistant manager at Turner’s, 214-1200.

Shaver held at 56%. 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

These lakes may be inaccessible until 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.

Week of March 15 by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (as of March 6):

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

Inyo County: Diaz Lake, Lone Pine Creek, Owens River below Tinnemaha

Kern County: Kern River section 4, Lake Isabella, River Walk Lake

Madera County: Eastman Lake, Hensley Lake

Tulare County: Murry Park Pond

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

Striper 2 Crab 3 Sand Dabs 3 Surf Perch 2

The ocean salmon season will open below Pigeon Point on April 4th and in the local waters the following Saturday on April 11th. In the meantime, it’s all about sand dabs and crab along with plenty of boat maintenance.

John McManus of the Golden State Salmon Association said, “ The 2020 salmon season will start for sport anglers from Pigeon Pt. in southern San Mateo County south to the Mexican border on April 4. Sport anglers north of there, including those out of HMB, SF, Bodega Bay, Fort Bragg and Shelter Cove will get a chance to catch a salmon starting a week later on April 11. Commercial salmon fishermen will start fishing in water from Pigeon Point south on May 1 and north of Pigeon Point in the second week of May. They’ll land salmon until mid-October when their season ends.

The Pacific Fisheries Management Council will finalize other details relating to the opening of the commercial season and sport salmon fishing in California at a meeting scheduled for early April.”

Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat took a crab/sand dab combination trip on Saturday west of San Gregorio in 300 feet of water, and he said, “We didn’t have a lot of sand dabs today due to a fast drift, but the ones that did come over the rail were of decent size in the 10/11-inch range with the largest dab landed by Alex Reid of Menlo Park on an Ahi Sand Dab Rig. We only landed 29 dabs, but all ten passengers came home with limits of Dungeness crab.

The boats out of Half Moon Bay including the New Captain Pete are taking reservations for the ocean salmon and rockfish seasons, and traditionally, the early salmon season starts south of the harbor off of the Deep Reef. Boats from San Francisco Bay come as far south as the Deep Reef to get in on the action, and this location is only a 14 to 17 mile run from the Half Moon Bay Harbor. Dungeness crab are still available from the commercial boats in the harbor.

There is a web cam for the Pacifica Pier at the following link -

http://www.nautiboy.com/pacifica/livecam/?fbclid=IwAR2Wkm6E9nVRQQW_FKJNchudV8mEfzWnl-1mbXdjGGxPbDaVdU7SiQS-baE

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

Monterey/Santa Cruz

Striper 2 Crab 3 Sand Dabs 3 Surf Perch 2

Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching in Monterey had the Check Mate out on Sunday with 9 anglers for loads of sand dabs and 22 Dungeness crab. There is some limited room during the week of the rockfish opener along with the anticipated salmon opener.

The Sand Crab Surf Perch Classic is this coming Saturday, and the following information is from tournament director, Allen Bushnell:

IMPORTANT SAND CRAB CLASSIC UPDATE

Thanks to all for your unswerving Perch Derby support for all these years. We acknowledge many concerns about the coronavirus, and we’re adjusting the event accordingly. We will not disappoint the families and friends who look forward to this event every year.

The Derby will take place as scheduled March 14th, 2020. We will stay true to our roots as a fishing contest. We’ll have a weigh in and Trophy Ceremony for winners and a small number of static auction items that are time-sensitive. The giant Raffle and Silent Auction portion of the event will be postponed this year to avoid extended crowd conditions (that means more prizes for next year!) We’ll provide food via Taco Trucks, which will help to keep the event outdoors as much as possible.

So grab the kids and the gear and go fishing for the big one next Saturday! We have persevered through hurricane conditions and tsunamis in the past, and we’ll get through this scare together as well.”

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

San Francisco Bay

Halibut 2 Striper 2 Leopard shark 2 Sturgeon 2 Crab 3

The Pacific Pearl out of Emeryville came back on Sunday with 21 limits of Dungeness crab along with 170 sand dabs and 21 rock sole.

Inside the bay, the halibut season has started, and the California Dawn put in 4 halibut for 9 anglers on a shakedown cruise on Saturday on a trolling trip.

Ed Liu of Bay Tackle in El Cerrito reported improved action for both striped bass and halibut off of the shorelines from Emeryville to Rodeo, and they have been out there throwing Reaction Innovation’s Skinny Dippers in white along with the Kevin Van Dam Chartreuse Shad or the Z-Man’s pearl white on a ½-ounce jig head. He said, the stripers are ranging from undersized to 23 inches, and we are seeing a few more halibut in the mix. They have picked up some sturgeon off of Coyote Point in the south bay along with some sturgeon in San Pablo Bay in the Napa or Petaluma Rivers. Perch fishing in the bay is good with Berkley Camo Sandworms, but the season inside the bay ends on April 1st.”

Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle in San Rafael advised drifting for halibut and striped bass in the mornings before throwing out the anchor for striped bass or sturgeon in the afternoons. He said, “We have a wonderful tide for sturgeon, and we have plenty of live smelt in the shop along with live ghost shrimp and live grass shrimp. Pile worms are the only deviation from our standard fare as the weather on the East Coast has been horrible. The sturgeon bite was terrific in December, but once the first herring spawn happened, the sturgeon took off, and they have been relatively scarce since. The water inside the bay is warm at 58 degrees.”

Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters out of Loch Lomond hasn’t been out for a few weeks, but he is getting ready for the rockfish and salmon seasons. Slate already has been receiving reservations for his specialty mooching trips for salmon in the summer months, and July is one of the top months for mooching.

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

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. All landings are taking reservations for the upcoming rockfish opener on April 1st.

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

Others

Delta/Stockton

Bass 3Striper 3 Sturgeon 3 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2

The striped bass that flooded into the Sacramento-Delta last week have scattered this week as the linesides are rapidly on the move up going into the upper Sacramento River above the Delta. The stretch of the Sacramento River between Rio Vista and Collinsville remains the best location in the Delta for striped bass, but they are “here one day and gone the next.” Sturgeon fishing has been mostly down, but the diamondbacks decided to bite over the weekend, and the action improved considerably in lower Suisun Bay.

Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service took a break from the Mother Lode lakes and headed to the Big Cut on Sunday, and he found great action for sturgeon with five to the boat including three keepers along with two undersized fish. He said, “I was debating on making the long trip down from Angels Camp to the Delta as the sturgeon bite had been slow, but they were biting for us on cured salmon roe. My wife, Juliette Torres landed one of the keepers, and we marked plenty of sturgeon. There were a number of the six-packs in the Big Cut on Sunday.”

Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Fishing out of Pittsburg started off in Montezuma Slough on Saturday morning due to intel from Captain Joey Gamez, but the sturgeon that were there on Friday had vacated the area along with heavy grass and debris on the outgoing tide so Mitchell headed to the Big Cut to catch the tail end of the bite. He said, “When we went into the cut, we set up on some fish, and it paid off with a number of bites and a 40-inch slot limit sturgeon for Greg Willams of Visalia. If we had stayed there all day, I know we would have put in more sturgeon.”

Captain Zach Medinas of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures took the weekend off by attending the Fred Hall Show with his busy co-captain, Virginia Salvador, and he said, “We have been doing fairly well on the sturgeon, but it has been more challenging this year than in the past few years. We are landing oversized and undersized sturgeon that have fresh hook marks in them, but it seems like the overall numbers of sturgeon are down this year.”

Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing was one of the six-pack boats that was in the Big Cut on Sunday, and he said, “The sturgeon are on the chomp again as we released 4 shakers along with one keeper while we had two slot-limit sturgeon and released 6 undersized sturgeon on Saturday, all in the Big Cut on salmon roe. There were a number of sturgeon landed by various boats over the weekend, and on our legal sturgeon, a 9-year old girl set the hook as she was right on the rod throughout the day. After hooking the fish, she turned it over to her father to fight the fish.” Earlier in the week, Gamez reported slow action resulting in his switching over to striper trips for a few days, and the trolled up 9 stripers on one trip followed by two the next day working the West Bank and also on the San Joaquin near Eddo’s Marina.

Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Sport Fishing said, “We got into the fish earlier in the week near Seal Island with one undersized and one 64-inch oversized sturgeon along with 2 keeper stripers in the 8-pound range on an eel/grass shrimp combination on the outgoing tide. My boat was out with our second captain on Saturday, and they went all over, but the action was slow.”

Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait reported sales of blood and pile worms were high over the weekend due to good action for schoolie striped bass off of the Benicia shoreline. He said, “Live splittail has been working for a large grade of striped bass out of McAvoy’s Boat Harbor in Bay Point. Steelhead continue to be caught off of the banks with grass shrimp, and one of the veteran fishermen from the area said that they used to catch them on grass shrimp years ago before everyone started using nightcrawlers.” A Steelhead Report Card is necessary to keep a steelhead.

For striped bass, Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento was in the north Delta this week, and he said, “The water is gin clear with around 3 feet of visibility in the submerged island, and I put together at 20-pound bag of largemouth bass along with striped bass to 10 pounds with the bass on Senkos or chatterbaits and the stripers on the topwater MegaDog. Warren Trombley was out there with my friend Dave the previous day, and they tore up the stripers on the River2Sea Swaver along with the Sneaky Pete Glide bait, catching and releasing multiple stripers to 15 pounds.”

Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle in Freeport reported striped bass are in Steamboat and Miner Slough in the clear water, and he said, “With the lack of rain, the water is clear, and the stripers are here in numbers, ranging from shakers to linesides to 10 pounds. Trolling is happening because the water is clear along with sardines, pile worms, and blood worms. A few sturgeon have been taken around Freeport, but the diamondbacks are heading up the river to Knight’s Landing. Bluegill are everywhere in the sloughs, and there have been crappie on live minnows or minijigs in Shad Slough.”

In the San Joaquin-Delta, the largemouth bass are ready to move up into the shallows in numbers, and the weights during the weekend tournament were impressive with a variety of presentation. A few more striped bass are on the move into the San Joaquin system, and bluegill are abundant in the sloughs of the south Delta.

Dan Mathisen of Dan Mathisen Outdoors said, “The largemouth bass are biting, and it has been a light punch bite for consistency. The chatterbait bite has been good with the Thunder Cricket by Strike King in blue craw, and I am surprised that the blue craw is working better than the red craw. The 6-inch Senko bite has been very good as well in the regular Delta colors. I put in 16 pounds on Tuesday and 23 pounds on Wednesday, and the basss are staging on the corners and ready to move up. It’s a flipping time of year, and the green pumpkin/blue or green pumpkin/purple have bee working best for me. The Strike King chatterbait comes in 3/4th-ounce, and it allows you to keep it grinding on a super slow presentation. There is a spinnerbait bite further west in the Delta when the wind is blowing.”

Jeff Huth was manning the microphone during the Future Pro Tour’s three-day event out of Tower Park on the confluence of Potato Slough and the Mokelumne River, and he said, “Bass fishing was really good as the first two days of the tournament produced healthy bass that are just ready to move up to the spawn. Most anglers were punching up some big limits, and a 22-plus pound limit pushed the third-place team after Day 2 into the top spot on Day Three. The Future Pro Tour offers a Kid’s Division in which they fish for free, and Michaeala Smidgdall of the Gold Country Junior Bass Club took first place in the kid’s division with her adult partner, Matthew Sweet.”

The New Jen Bass Tournaments event out of Russo’s Marina on Bethel Island produced some impressive limits on Saturday with the first place team of Josh and Maxwell Kaneko taking first with a five-fish limit at 31.32 pounds including a big fish at 7.54.

James Netzel of Tight Lines Guide Service is working out of Korth’s Pirates Lair on the confluence of the Mokelumne and San Joaquin Rivers for the striped bass run, and he said, “I have been out exploring, but there aren’t enough fish in the system for me to take out clients. I won’t go out until the stripers are here in numbers, and I think another week will make a difference.” Netzel will be presenting a seminar on the species that he is currently targeting every Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. at the Bass Pro Shops in Rocklin. He has his next seminar at Bass Pro Shop in Rocklin at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 14th before heading to his 1:00 p.m. seminar at the Sacramento Boat and Off-Road Show.

Dave Houston of Livermore has been trolling in the San Joaquin and Sacramento River systems on a regular basis, and he was out this week and said, “Well as fast as those stripers came in, they are gone. Friday the guys had a great day, Saturday was slow, and Tuesday was almost at a crawl. We felt very lucky to get the four keepers to 25 inches. We found nothing on the Sacramento so we fished the San Joaquin and found 7 fish between Santa Clara Shoals and Frank’s Tract. We rotated lures, but no color got more than one fish.”

H and R Bait in Stockton reported bluegill action has been solid in the southern sloughs around Stockton and Tracy with wax worms or jumbo red worms in the clear water. Fresh shad is still a few months away, but most bait shops have plenty of frozen shad.

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 3 White bass 2 Striper 0 Catfish 2 Crappie 2

At Nacimiento, the spotted bass bite is on the upswing as the fish are moving into the shallows, and the warmer afternoons have been the most productive with soft plastics at depths from 5 to 20 feet. The white bass are getting active as the water temperatures are reaching the 60-degree mark, and there is more of a reaction bite for the whites. This week’s full moon should bring the spots to the banks for the first move at spawning. Crappie are found around submerged structure with minijigs or grubs. The lake held at 52 percent this week. A webcam of the lake is available at http://www.lakenacimientolive.com/. At Lopez, the action is similar to the past few weeks with the opportunity for a quality largemouth bass to 7 pounds present, but the numbers remain limited. A pattern has yet to develop, but with the full moon arriving this week, there should be bass on the banks. Various techniques are working for the bass including jigs, soft plastics, or small swimbaits such as a Kei Tech on a slow grind on the bottom. Some decent crappie have been taken on minijigs near structure. A webcam of the lake is available at http://805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam/. Santa Margarita features the best big bass action in the coastal lakes at the present time with increased numbers of largemouth bass to 6 pounds taken on crankbaits, slow-rolled swimbaits, or underspins as the bass are moving into the shallows. Jigs or Senkos on a wacky-rig are another option. Crappie are taken on minijigs in natural colors as the slabs have moved into shallower water. Catfish are taken on frozen shad, mackerel, or sardines while the occasional crappie is found around structure. A webcam of the lake is available at http://805webcams.com/santa-margarita-lake-webcam-california/.

At San Antonio, the lake is open to boating on the weekends from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, but additional hours of operation may be added once summer officially starts in late May after Memorial Day. Fishing pressure remains light with only a few anglers heading to the banks to soak mackerel or similar cut baits coated with garlic for catfish. The lake held at 38 percent.

Reminder: consuming white bass, black bass, crappie, catfish, or carp are subject to safe eating guidelines due to excessive mercury. There is a calendar of coastal lake tournaments available at http://www.my.calendars.net/cctsched/d01/01/2012?display=M&style=B&positioning=Ahttp://www.my.calendars.net/cctsched/d01/01/2012?display=M&style=B&positioning=A

Events:

Tournament Results:

Delta/Russo’s Marina – New Jen Bass Tournaments – March 7th: 1st: Josh and Maxwell Kaneko – 31.32; 2nd – Armando and Edgar Luzuriaga – 28.15 (Big Fish – 8.79); 3rd – Hunter Schlander/Vincent Bernal – 27.52.

Delta/Tower Park Marina – Angler’s Press Tournament of Champions (3 Combined Limits)– March 6-8th: 1st: Brad Trimble/Rick Rush– 59.56; 2nd – Armando and Edgar Luzuriaga – 28.15 (Big Fish – 8.79); 3rd – Hunter Schlander/Vincent Bernal – 27.52.

Pardee – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies - March 7th: : 1st –Joe and Kade Overly– 11.69 pounds; 2nd – Jeff Cissell/Clayton Lauchland – 11.67; 3rd –Angelo Quierolo/Pete Anderson – 10.19.

Tulloch – Sonora Bass Club- March 7th: : 1st –J. Picciuto– 20.95 pounds; 2nd – D. Murphy/T. Freeman – 20.22 (Big Fish – 5.53); 3rd – N.Vantrece/A.Pearson – 16.61.

McClure – Kerman Bass Club - March 8th: : 1st – Darren Graef – 10.17 pounds; 2nd – Alex Carillo – 10.30; 3rd – John Horton – 9.61. Big Fish – Stan Young - 2.74 pounds.

Events:

Upcoming Tournaments:

March 14/15th –

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

Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournaments/Fresno Bass Club

Success – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

Lopez – Castaic Bass Club

March 14th –

New Melones – New Jen Bass Tournaments

Millerton – Kern County Bass Masters

Santa Margarita – Bakersfield Bass Club

March 15th –

Delta/Tracy Oasis Marina – Tracy Oasis Marina

Camanche – California Bass Federation

McClure – New Jen Bass Tournaments

March 21st –

Delta/Russo’s – Dan Mathisen Outdoors

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Merced Bass Club

New Melones – Sierra Bass Club

Don Pedro – Christian Bass League

Pine Flat – Golden Empire Bass Club

Success – Visalia Bass Club

Murry Park Pond – City of Porterville Trout Derby

The Park at River Walk – Bakersfield Bass Club

Lopez – San Luis Obispo County Bass Ambushers

March 22nd –

Delta/B and W Resort – California Bass Federation

Delta/Russo’s – New Jen Bass Tournament

Camanche – Wild West Bass Trails Kayak Tournament

Don Pedro – Nor Cal High School Bass

McClure – Riverbank Bass Anglers

Eastman – Kings River Bass Club

Pine Flat – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

Success – Porterville Bass Club

March 24th –

Don Pedro – Mid Valley Agriculture

March 28/29th –

New Melones – Bass Anglers of Northern California

Don Pedro – Kerman Bass Club

March 28th –

Don Pedro – 17/90 Bass Club

Sycamore Island Park – Department of Fish and Wildlife Trout Derby

Kaweah – Lahu Bass Club

Isabella – American Bass Association

Santa Margarita – American Bass Association

March 29th –

Pine Flat – Bass 101

This story was originally published March 10, 2020 at 11:51 AM with the headline "Fishing report for week of March 11-17: Pine Flat, Bass Lake, McClure among hot spots."