Central California fishing report for week of May 27-June 3: Most spots are open

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

San Francisco Bay halibut on fire, Chris Smith of the Pacific Dream reported. Golden Gate salmon limits possible, Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters said. Striped bass from the Monterey Bay shorelines solid, Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle reported. Lake McClure pumping out numbers of spotted and largemouth bass, Ryan Cook said. Courtright kicking out limits of trout, Kelly Brewer of the Wishon Village RV Park and Store reported.

Key

1-Try dynamite

2-Have to work hard

3-Limits possible

4-Fish jumpin’ in boat

The heat this week will limit aqueduct fishermen to early mornings or late afternoons into evenings, but the southern section of the California Aqueduct remains a hot spot. Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield said, “We sold out of minnows, blood worms and lug worms this weekend with a big run on frozen anchovies or sardines for aqueduct fishermen. Lures such as Gitzits, tubes, flukes and Rat-L-Traps are also popular.”

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

The boat launch facilities and day-use recreation areas opened on Saturday, but the campgrounds, group picnic shelters, and playgrounds remain closed. The project office remains closed to visitors. The River Rat circuit announced it received a permit to operate a tournament Saturday, May 30. The lake was at 53%.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Similar to Eastman, the boat launch facilities and day-use recreation areas opened on Saturday, but the campgrounds, group picnic shelters, and playgrounds remain closed. The project office remains closed to visitors. The lake was at 39%.

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

The king salmon and trout bite has been solid for the few boats working the lake, and Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing was out twice during the past week. He said, “It was kind of slow on the first day, but I made a move and switched over to slow-rolling shad instead of my homemade spoons, and we started to put some kings and rainbows in the box. Both species are feeding heavily on shad, and if you get into shallow water, you will also have bass hitting your lures.” Kokanee should be scarce with the lack of plants in 2018, but king salmon and rainbow trout action should carry over through the summer months.

For bass, Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “The bass are all over the place from topwater on the surface down to 40 feet. Numbers are taken on finesse presentations with small plastics, but the better grade is found with glide baits, flukes or topwater lures.”

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

Lake Isabella was very crowded over the holiday weekend even though regional lakes of Success and Kaweah were open at the start of the past week. Crappie remain the top species with small to medium minnows along with minijigs. Cormier said, “Some are catching the slabs while others are struggling. I haven’t heard much about bass, but the catfish bite is good with Triple S dip bait, nightcrawlers and large minnows. Anglers targeting crappie are picking up a few planted rainbow trout. Most of the slabs remain around the Cages in the South Fork in Kissack, Joachim and Brown’s Cove.”

In the upper Kern River, a few planted rainbow trout are found in the deep pools about Kernville with salmon eggs, nightcrawlers, crickets or spinners. Smallmouth bass are found in the lower Kern River.

The local lakes are open, and fishing has been fair for bass, bluegill, and carp. Bass are taken on plastics or nightcrawlers while bluegill are biting waxworms. Isabella was at 40%.

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

The public launch ramps are open in addition to the private marinas in addition to day-use recreation areas, but the Visitor Center, campgrounds and group picnic shelters remain closed. The Project Office is also closed to visitors. Gary Wasson, local bass fishing expert, reported a good bass bite on Senkos, crankbaits, jigs and topwater lures. The lake rose to 72%.

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

The public launch ramps are open in addition to the private marinas in addition to day-use recreation areas, but the Visitor Center, campgrounds and group picnic shelters remain closed. The Project Office is also closed to visitors. Wasson reported a great bass bite with Senkos or topwater lures. Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company said, “Some really large bass were caught this past week as there hadn’t been any pressure on the lake in months. Bass fishing was excellent during the first week of opening. However, the hot temperatures and the Memorial Day holiday weekend brought out many recreational boaters to the lake.” The lake rose to 53%.

In the Tule River, Stokke said, “The river has risen due to the snowmelt, and anglers fishing the river need to be careful with the higher flows. Recent trout plants have helped action for those casting spinners or soaking salmon eggs, nightcrawlers or Power Bait while the natives are hitting nymphs or dry flies.”

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

The lake is open to shore fishing and boating for residents of Mariposa County along with the eastern Merced County communities of Merced, Atwater, Winton, Cressey, Le Grand, Planada, Livingston, and Snelling. Also included are residents within 10 miles of the lake, Coulterville and La Grange. Open recreation areas include McClure Point and Barrett Cove. A state-issued identification is necessary to verify residence. The lake is now open for camping for local residents, as well.

Bass fishing remains excellent. Cook said, “We have been catching and releasing anywhere from 35 to over 100 bass per day, but you will have to move around to find the fish. The bass are scattered, but once you find them, they are in tight groups. The bass are moving out of the creek channels into the main lake, and they are found at depths from 5 to 25 feet. 3.5-inch Dry Creek tubes on a quarter-ounce dart head or with G-Money jigs in brown/purple with a red trailer along with 3.5-inch swimbaits in shad patterns are all effective. For numbers, I would travel into the river arm to work steep, rocky banks, but for quality, the main lake is best.” The lake was at 77%.

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

Same restrictions as McClure. A few planted rainbows have been taken for those soaking Power Eggs, Power Bait or nightcrawlers along with tossing Kastmasters from the shorelines at the Brush Pile, Handicapped Docks or the peninsula near the marina.

Call: McSwain Marina 209-378-2534

Access to the launch ramp on the Fresno County side of the park and the day-use parking lots opened on the lake on May 23, but the state park continues to be closed for special events and public gatherings and campgrounds. Marina access is limited. The park is open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The lake was at 84%. With the hot weather and the high water levels, the lake experienced heavy recreational boat traffic over the holiday weekend.

Sycamore Island is open Friday through Sunday and state holidays from 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Visitors should follow all social distancing guidelines while at the park, including wearing a mask if entering the bait shop. Annual and day-use passes are available for purchase through the River Parkway Trust’s website at riverparkway.org. Visitors are encouraged to purchase passes in advance for contactless payment and to help limit traffic in the bait shop.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

The Memorial Day weekend brought out loads of recreational boaters, and the traffic has affected the ability to target bass despite the overall size of the massive body of water. The bass are healthy, and they are found throughout the lake with a variety of techniques. John Liechty of Xperience Fishing Guide Service said, “I stayed off of the lake during the weekend, but the bass bite has been awesome despite being unpredictable. We are seeing things that we normally don’t see as the bass weren’t pressured for months, but the roller-coaster weather has created unpredictable conditions. It was 90 degrees, then dropping to 65 degrees, and now back to over 100 degrees. The water temperature dropped from 77 degrees down to the 67- to 69-degree range before starting to come back up. Every trip has been a success, and the swimbait bite has been excellent in spite of May not being an ideal swimbait month. We found largemouth bass just shy of 6 pounds with plenty of 3s and 4s along with a 5.2-pound spotted bass on a swimbait. Bluegill patterns are working best as there are clouds of quarter- to half-inch fry on the surface along with balls of shad. The bass have been busting on shad, and when you find this, the topwater bite is awesome. We are also working plastics on a shaky head in certain areas of the lake.”

The few kokanee found are large, but the lack of planting in 2018 will limit this year’s crop of land-locked salmon. Huge brown trout continue to be found on occasion, but trout trolling remains a grind with trollers working hours for the opportunity at a quality brown or rainbow trout. Glory Hole Sports in Angels Camp increased its hours of operation, now 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. The lake was at 78%.

Lake Tulloch remains open for those with gate access.

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

After the lake opened May 19 at the private marina launch ramps, trout fishing was excellent for trollers working for limits to 21 inches. Boat traffic has been extremely high since the lake reopened to the public. All boat launch facilities and day-use recreation areas are open, but the campgrounds, group picnic shelters and playgrounds remain closed. The project office remains closed to visitors. The lake rose slightly to 52%.

No river report.

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

Access to the launch ramps and the parking lots opened on May 23, and the state park continues to be closed for special events and public gatherings and campgrounds. Roger George of Roger’s Guide Service was out on the reopener, and he reported a tough striped bass bite with most trollers only scoring a ‘fish or two.” He said, “Most of us thought the fishing was going to be really good with the water slowly falling and decent weather, but everyone struggled to find the fish. There was some action on ripbaits near the shore for school-sized stripers, and I struggled for most of the day. However, around 2 p.m., I finally found some active fish and brought in several quality stripers to 30 inches working the 70-foot range with silver shad-patterned lures. The bite windows are small, and they are turning on and off quickly. I believe that it is possible that the stripers are acting strange due to a spawning pattern. There were several striped bass that were still milting. The park is open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., but you will need to be out of the park by 8 p.m. sharp or you will receive a citation.” The water temperature was 64 degrees, and the lake was at 67% and dropping around a half-foot per day.

Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported bank fishermen have been scoring with subsurface lures such as big ripbaits, 7-inch flukes or Magnum Rat-L-Traps from the shorelines, but he said, “The heat wave should push the striped bass down into deep water.”

The O’Neill Forebay is open for access the launch ramps and the day-use parking lots.

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

The public launch ramp is open with the dock in the water, and there are kokanee to be had for those willing to work hard to locate the land-locked salmon. Mike Beighey of Bass Lake Fishing was out with MAG Tackle gear and he found kokanee to 17 inches working between 22 and 26 feet. Richard and Marilyn Emerson of Triangle Fishing were on the lake this week, and they had 12 grabs on kokanee gear, landing five with an 18-inch/2-pound average running Paulina Peak’s micro-hoochies in pink or orange UV with Orange Cosmic Teardrop dodgers tipped with homemade orange shoepeg corn with tuna oil, garlic or krill oil scents. Emerson said, “The kokanee were scattered from Wishon Point to the Sheriff’s Tower at 30 feet running 1.4 mph. There was a lot of tree debris on the surface ranging from chunks of wood to large logs along with a piece of a dock, aluminum cans, plastic bags. The fishing boats had to contend with speed boats going past them at a high rate of speed along with a few boats going the opposite way around the lake. Todd Wittwer of Kokanee.net Guide Service reported decent action for rainbow trout for those running various gear from 15 to 35 feet in the northern portion of the lake.

The lake rose to 92%, and the restrooms have been reopened for public use.

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 was blanketed with snow over the weekend, but the process of clearing the road before this weekend has begun.

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

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

The lake remained closed for boat launching over the Memorial Day weekend, but the launch ramps may open up as early as this week. The lake was at 61%. Sierra Marina launch ramp webcam: sierramarina.com/camera.html.

The annual Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project dinner scheduled for the second Saturday in August has been canceled for this year only due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Proceeds from this event pay for many activities from the project, including the annual plants of trophy trout into the lake. The 2020 trophy plant was completed recently from the project, and with the lack of kokanee plants in 2018, the recent trophy plants along with the abundant plants of various types of trout from the Department of Fish and Wildlife will be the highlight of summer fishing.

The public boat launch at Huntington was also closed over the Memorial Day weekend, but the lake may open up as soon as this week. The lake rose to 90%.

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

With Shaver Lake closed to boats, Wishon was swarmed with boat anglers over the holiday weekend. Kelly Brewer of the Wishon Village RV Park and Store said, “Trout fishing from the bank has been solid with rainbow or chartreuse trout dough bait while trollers are scoring with blade/’crawler combinations, Rapalas or spoons within the top 20 feet of the surface. The lake is just below the second turnaround, and it seems that everyone out of the Valley came up the hill.”

Higher elevation Courtright opened up before the holiday weekend, and the trout action has been tremendous. Brewer said, “The lake is nearly full, and trollers are only letting out around 20 feet of line before they are getting hit. Limits are the rule, and bank fishermen are congregating around the dam with various colors of trout dough bait.” Richard Emerson of Triangle Fishing confirmed the good action from the shorelines, and he said, “Many of the trout seem to be the larger holdovers.”

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.

Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat reported the party boats may be able to operate within a few weeks, perhaps as early as June 1st, but the state beaches remain closed through the Memorial Day Weekend. However, they may open up next week after the holiday is over. Parking is restricted west of Highway 1 to a few 20-minute zones in front of Princeton Sea Food. Both Highways 1 and 92 have been very crowded with bumper to bumper traffic with people trying to get through town to the closed beaches.

There has been a decent salmon bite south of the harbor off of Martin’s Beach, and additionally reports of solid commercial action in tight to the shoreline off of Pedro Point. The grade of salmon off of Martin’s has been inconsistent with quality one day followed by 20-inch salmon the following day.

Captain Dennis Baxter of the New Captain Pete is ready to roll with recreational sport fishing, and he is just waiting for the opportunity to head out with customers. He was commercial fishing over the past weekend, and he started west of the Pillar Point Buoy and headed north through a vast area of anchovies and a few whales. They followed it up to below S Buoy where they found at least 100 whales along with anchovies, but throughout the entire run, the brown jelly fish were very thick. They ran west to 300 feet where blue water was located with no hard edge, and after hearing reports of some salmon being landed off of Martin’s Beach, they made the decision to run back down instead of continuing north to Duxbury. Needless to say, it was a tough day with only one salmon. There was a commercial vessel that picked some salmon off of the bottom in 300 feet of water at the edge of the blue water.

There is a web cam for the Pacifica Pier here.

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

Monterey/Santa Cruz

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

Chris Arcoleo of Chris’s Fishing Trips said, “The public launch ramps haven’t been too crowded since opening up last weekend. We are ready to run, and it is possible that we will be given the go-ahead to run in the upcoming weeks. There a total of 300,000 salmon smolts dumped into the bay at both Santa Cruz and Monterey this week, and this should help the overall salmon action with a few years. Local anglers are scratching up a few salmon, but the anchovies have moved over to the north side of the bay. Squid boats are still working so there are still some squid around.”

Allen Bushnell of the Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “All three harbors on Monterey Bay re-opened trailer boat launch ramps for general recreational use this week. Santa Cruz Harbormaster Marian Olin announced effective Tuesday, May 19 the loosening of Covid-19 restrictions that sharply restricted ramp usage since mid-March. Olin’s announcement cautioned, “All launch activity must comply with shelter-in-place orders issued by the Santa Cruz County Health Officer and all measures put in place to ensure social distancing, including: No congregating. Launchers must maintain (six feet) distance from others. Wear a mask at all times during launch and retrieval and while in the parking lot, and no ‘non-essential travel.’ Launchers must be Santa Cruz County residents.”A notice from Monterey County on Tuesday advised, “The City of Monterey Harbor and Moss Landing Harbor District announced today the reopening of their launch ramps to recreation boaters. Both facilities had been closed since late March to comply with the Monterey County Shelter in Place Order due to the COVID-19 pandemic.” Rockfish and salmon seasons have been open since the beginning of May. Many local anglers are grateful to finally be able to launch their trailered boats and get out for some fishing. Windy conditions have made salmon fishing difficult this past week. Early mornings were the best bet. Winds of 20 knots with gusts up to 30 rose by noon every day this week. Private boaters are finding the fish, however. Beth Norton reported, “The salmon are on the bite. Captain JT’s girlfriend, Jess Birch, caught a 14-pound king salmon. She said it felt more like a ton. It was caught using a chrome Krippled Anchovy in 320 feet of water, 40 feet down. They were fishing near the Soquel Hole.” Norton also addressed the possibility of charter operations resuming soon. She said,” We are looking forward to getting the green light for running charters. We hope to hear something soon. Our boat is sanitized, the crew healthy and hoping to get out clients our for fresh air and some sanity during this crazy time.”Carol Jones from Kahuna Sportfishing in Moss landing is also hopeful about a resumption of charter fishing soon. Jones advised, “Some charter boats are running already and others soon to follow up in the Bay Area. We still do not have the green light here in Monterey County. We have submitted our protocols to the county and we’re waiting. We will be taking only 12 anglers on each trip to practice physical/social distancing. All customers who were booked in advance of this crisis will be given the chance to get out first. As soon as we know a date we will post. We’re getting ready!”

From the shorelines, Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “Most surf anglers are targeting striped bass, and the bite has been excellent along the beaches with Lucky Craft SP Minnows, Joe Bagg’s Swarters, or Diawa SP Minnows. Surf perch is solid, but everyone seems to want striped bass.”

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

San Francisco Bay

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

The salmon bite remains solid in the ocean, and the action took place off of Mussel Rock south of the Golden Gate early weekend as the commercial vessels found the salmon close to Pedro Point at the start of the weekend. However, the salmon moved out to deep water near the S Buoy on Saturday, and the few party boats working the area returned with limits. Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters out of Loch Lomond ran south to Mussel Rock on Saturday for two commercial-grade salmon before making a move north since the bait was absent. After trolling over the North Bar to Rocky Point without a bite, they found a small bait ball near Rocky Point for two quality salmon, ending with a fish per rod for four anglers. He said, “The fish have been moving around as the bait disappeared, and the wind has been blowing, particularly in the afternoons.”

The Berkeley and San Francisco party boats are operating, but Emeryville remains closed until further notice. It should be long before their vessels are able to get out. Same with the Sausalito salmon boats, and Captain Jerad Davis of the Salty Lady is ready to ‘rock and roll’ as soon as the order is lifted in their private harbor.

Inside San Francisco Bay, the Oyster Point launch ramp opened up with a single lane this morning, but social distancing is extremely important as the ramp may be shut down if there is no cooperation. Thank the San Mateo County Harbor Commission, and in particular, Captain Tom Mattusch for making this option happen.

This is the end of May, and the halibut fishing has been incredible to say the least. There have been some very large flat fish taken this early in the season, and it is also encouraging that there are a number of shakers.

Captain James Smith, the pioneering party boat who opened up the business, reported fantastic action once again on the California Dawn out of Berkeley on Monday with full limits of halibut for 15 anglers (45 halibut to 18 pounds) along with a striped bass. He said, “It’s going to be a long season with limited space, and I would recommend getting spots reserved ahead of time as the entire fleet is running from 1/3 to ½ of capacity until restrictions lighten up.”

Captain Bill Clapp of Bill’s Sport Fishing was out this week, and he took out a father and son from Nevada for a total of 7 halibut to 15 pounds, a striped bass along with releasing a couple of rays, a lizardfish, a smooth hound, and 15 shaker halibut.

The Lovely Martha out of San Francisco is back in business, and they boated 17 halibut to 20 pounds along with 9 striped bass for 12 anglers.

Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing out of Berkeley is planning on starting trips on his six-pack on June 1st.

In the north bay, Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle in San Rafael reported business is beyond comprehension, particularly after the launch ramp was opened up on Monday. He said, “The minus tides slowed halibut action down slightly But halibut fishing remains ‘damn good,’ along with striped bass. We have it all over the weekend with grass shrimp, ghost shrimp, pile worms, blood worms, smelt, and anchovies with the possibility of getting in some shiners for the weekend.”

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 3 Salmon 2 Surf Perch 3

The public launch ramp at Morro Bay is open regardless of residency now, but in order for the launch ramp to remain open, the State and County Shelter at Home Orders which specific recreating in your own neighborhood and limiting discretionary travel must be observed. California ID and boat registrations will be checked to ensure San Luis Obispo County residents only. The ramp will be open from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The fish cleaning and rinse down station are closed. Social distancing is required and enforced, and face masks must be worn at all times when outside of your vehicle. Parking fees will be collected for the yellow stalls at $6.00/day or annual pass at the harbor office.

Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay is still waiting for clearance to take passengers out for fishing trips, but the tackle store remains open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Clearance for party boat operations may come as early as this week.

Rockfishing remains excellent for private boaters, and there have been some limits of salmon taken by trollers.

The commercial fleet has started selling fish off of the docks as the City of Morro Bay has already approved the direct sale of fish from commercial boats to consumers as long as the social distancing standards are maintained. Anyone will be able to buy whole salmon, rock fish and crab from the commercial fishing boats docked in Morro Bay Harbor. The fish will be sold whole, not filleted. Signs will be present in the harbor and along the Embarcadero directing consumers to the boats selling fish, but those intending to purchase are to being an ice chest and a supply of ice.

Similar to all ports, party boat operations are on hold until further notice due to the shelter in place order is lifted. All of the party boat landings are currently taking reservations for the summer months in the event the Shelter In Place is lifted.

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

Others

Delta/Stockton

Bass 3 Striper 2 Sturgeon 2 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2 Salmon 0

The Sacramento-Delta has been the location for striped bass and sturgeon over the past several months, but the transition into summer mode has begun with the arrival of triple-digit temperatures. The wind continues to be a factor on occasion with strong gusts limiting areas boaters are able to operate comfortably.

In the north Delta, Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle in Freeport said, “Striped bass are moving down from the upper river, but there are still some large fresh fish moving through in the past week. There are also resident stripers, and pile worms, sardines, or anchovies are working best. Bluegill are all over the place, and you can pick them up on red worms either on a bobber or on a drop-shot rig. Catfish are found at the Port or in Lisbon Slough with nightcrawlers or chicken livers working best. A few shad are being taken around Freeport on shad grubs or darts, but the best action for shad is at the mouth of the American River or in the metropolitan Sacramento area. Smallmouth bass are getting active in the north Delta sloughs around the rockpiles, and you can get them with plastics on the drop-shot, live minnows, or deep-diving crankbaits.”

Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento, reported solid action for largemouth bass in the north Delta with a largemouth bass at 9 pounds catching his partner, Warren Trombley of San Jose, while flipping a 6-inch Senko. He said, “There are still a lot of small male striped bass in the system, and swimbait continue to work in the northern portion of the Delta.”

The Martinez launch ramp has been open, and it is very busy, but the good news is the bait shop may be back in business by June 1 with reduced hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Benicia Bait is also open with the same hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Captain Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing took out Stacy Barawed of Stacy Goes Outside YouTube fame, and they had a great day of spooning and drifting live bait. Soo Hoo said, “We found quality stripers to 12 pounds, and the key is to stay away from the schools of shakers. There are a lot of shakers in both the Sacramento and San Joaquin system, and I will move right away when we are in the shakers. I am using a variety of spoons depending on the current and the water clarity, and it really makes a difference to use spoons with a different flutter in certain conditions. I focus on the following color patterns: black back, blue back, or Ayu in the 40 to 60-gram range, but if the water is stained, we switch over to live bait. When the tides are large, I will be moving into the shallows over the shoals. Stacy really enjoyed working the spoons, and her video will be coming out on her YouTube channel soon.” Soo Hoo will be moving to Emeryville to operate a party boat as soon as clearance is given for this port to work.

Captain Zach Medinas of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures will be moving to San Francisco Bay to target ocean salmon or halibut/striped bass in the bays, but he took a crew trip to target sturgeon near the Middle Grounds this week for a total of 7 sturgeon released including 4 of the slot-size. He said, “We really didn’t find the numbers of sturgeon in Suisun Bay that we have found in the past few years. Perhaps it was the unusual weather with no rain during the month of January, but the numbers were diminished overall.”

For the first time in months, there was a bass tournament in the Delta with the circuit that was denied last weekend switching harbors to find a compliant venue out of Big Break. This will be the first sanctioned tournament on the Delta in months. 50 participants entered the first day on Saturday with a winning limit in the 21-pound range.

There is a shootout that occurs on Wednesday evenings out of Ladd’s Marina in Stockton, and up to 50 boats have been arriving to fish this event the past two weeks. Kris Huff of Stockton took third place on Wednesday tossing Scum Frogs for a total of 19.28 pounds.

Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors reported continued solid bass action with both frogs and the Reaction Innovation’s Skinny Dippers thrown weightless over the grass. He said, “This is a good bait to work weightless as it glides over the grass, and when it hits the open pockets, the bass are blowing up on them. The fish are chewing, they are hunger and trying to feed.”

Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, reported a phenomenal bass bite on Thursday throwing the Berkley General in high tide and the Little Stick or ima Finesse Popper in bluegill patterns on the outgoing tide. He said, “When the tide drops out, you can see the weeds and know where the ambush points are. If you were casting there on the high tide, you will be casting blind, and I call this ‘depth charge fishing’ as you are dropping bombs and spooking the bass, but on the low tide, you can see the weeds waving in the current, and the bass are ready to blow up on the baits. The most important aspect of bass fishing in the Delta right now is casting accuracy. You need accurate casting to put your lure right in the location next to structure. If you can’t put your lure in the desired place, you won’t get bit. The bass are loading up with baby bass or bluegill, and the small reaction baits like the ima Popper or the Heli P prop bait are very effective. When I throw out the General, I wacky-rig off of the center of the worm in a 70/30 type of presentation. This gives the worm two different types of action from each end. This week was the direct opposite of last week as we were able to work the reaction baits in the morning during the low tide. There are plenty of quality bass out there, and we found them to 5.5 pounds.”

For striped bass, Captain James Netzel of Tight Lines Guide Service out of Korth’s Pirates Lair will be moving up to Stampede Reservoir at the end of the coming week, but he said, “It’s been a short season with the shutdown, but in the past three weeks, we have put some clients into an amazing amount of striped bass. We have been power drifting live bait until we find a good school, and then we pull out the spoons for some unbelievable action.”

The final smolt plants out of Eddo’s Boat Harbor will occur on May 26 at 7:15 a.m. and on May 27 at 8:10 a.m.

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 1 Striper 0 Catfish 2 Crappie 2 Bluegill 2

Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported outstanding spotted and white bass action at Nacimiento as the white bass are getting active with the spots in post-spawn mode and feeding. However, the lake was very busy with recreational boaters over the holiday weekend, and it should take a few days for the lake to settle down. A webcam of the lake is available at http://www.lakenacimientolive.com/. Cormier added a solid panfish bite at Lopez Lake with good crappie action at Santa Margarita. A webcam of the lake is available at http://805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam/.

Events

Tournament results

Delta/Big Break Marina – New Jen Bass Tournaments – May 23rd: 1st – Hunter Kidder/Drew Zanotto – 25.30 pounds (Big Fish – 7.41); 2nd: Mark Gomez/Juan Acosta – 25.24; 3rd – Paul Howard/Edison Hicks – 22.36.

Delta/Big Break Marina – New Jen Bass Tournaments – May 24th: 1st –Ed Christo/Mark Casey– 28.07 pounds (Big Fish – 8.66); 2nd: Josh and Miles Kaneko – 18.58; 3rd – Harvey Pulliam/Jamond Andrews – 17.59.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced that it has removed the fish plant schedule from its website in order to slow the spread of COVID-19 by preventing public crowding at water bodies. CDFW said it will continue stocking trout at locations where social distancing by anglers and physical distancing of hatchery staff can be maintained.

This story was originally published May 26, 2020 at 12:14 PM with the headline "Central California fishing report for week of May 27-June 3: Most spots are open."