Fishing report for week of June 10-16: Shaver Lake kokanee and trout among best bets

Compiled by Dave Hurley and edited by Roger George, a former Olympic-class decathlete at Fresno State and striper record-holder at Millerton Lake and who now guides in the greater Fresno area. Telephone numbers are in 559 calling area unless noted.

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Best bets

Shaver Lake kokanee and trout bites going great, Dick Nichols said. Eastman and Hensley kicking out solid bass action, Jake Figgs reported. McClure bass biting, Ryan Cook said. Wishon and Courtright producing trout limits, Kelly Brewer reported. San Francisco Bay salmon and halibut feeding, Trent Slate said.

Key

1-Try dynamite

2-Have to work hard

3-Limits possible

4-Fish jumpin’ in boat

The heat will arrive again by mid-week, and this will limit California Aqueduct fishermen to early mornings or late afternoons into evenings. In the southern aqueduct, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield said, “Our monthly June Striped Bass tournament has started, and Paul Perkins of Bakersfield currently leads the competition with a 5-pound lineside out of the aqueduct. The monthly contest is open to anyone for a $1 entry fee with the winner on June 30 taking the total entries. There is moss accumulating in the aqueduct with the hot weather, but the striped bass action remain solid with blood worms, anchovies or sardines while catfish are taken on Triple S dip baits or mackerel.”

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

Jake Figgs of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported, “Solid largemouth bass action with Senkos, jigs or crankbaits, and larger bass to 5 pounds have been taken with Strike King’s 6XDs in Gizzard Shad or Ghost Sexy Shad without rattles. Senkos in watermelon/red, green pumpkin, or cinnamon red/blue flake are effective with most action in 25 feet of water over rockpiles.” The lake dropped to 50%.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Figgs said, “The largemouth bass bite is similar to Eastman, but the water is extremely clear. Ripping lipless crankbaits such as Lucky Craft LV 500s in Delta Crawl, Ghost Minnow or American Shad is effective over rockpiles. With the clear water conditions, plastics on a Neko rig or Senkos in a variety of color patterns are also working.” The lake dropped to 35%.

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

Quality rainbow trout are found with spoons on the fast-troll at 50 feet. Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing reported overall tough conditions for rainbows as the fish are scattered throughout the lake. It is a matter of finding the shad schools since the rainbows and king salmon are stuffing themselves with shad. Bass has been a bit tougher than nearby McClure as evidenced by the tournament weights over the weekend. Catching bass isn’t a problem but finding larger bass is a challenge. The Kerman Bass Club held at tournament over the weekend, and 53 bass averaging 1.73 pounds were weighed in by the 21 participants. The lake is at 87%.

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 remains a good option for largemouth bass with large 8-inch plastic worms, spinnerbaits, crankbaits or Senkos as the lake is at 40% and covering quite a bit of structure. Cormier reported crappie are still around with minijigs or small to medium-minnows, but you need a boat to get to the deep water where they are holding on structure such as the Cages in the South Fork. Trout fishing has slowed to one or two fish possible per rod as the warmer water is moving the holdover rainbows to the deep water near the river inlet. He added that catfish are on fire, particularly at night with Triple S Dip bait, nightcrawlers or cut baits.

The upper Kern River has been fair for planted rainbow trout with salmon eggs, nightcrawlers, crickets or spinners. Below the dam in the lower Kern River, the smallmouth bass bite is fair with Senkos, crankbaits or plastics on the drop-shot. In the upper Kern River, Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company said, “The Golden Trout Pack Station is now open and it is starting to take anglers into the upper Kern. Dry flies and nymphs are working for the Kern River rainbow species.”

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.

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

Recreational boat traffic is high, particularly on the weekends, but there is a decent largemouth bass bite with Senkos, Brush Hogs or jerkbaits. The public launch ramps are open in addition to the private marinas and day-use recreation areas, but the Visitor Center, campgrounds and group picnic shelters remain closed. The lake dropped slightly to 74%.

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

Chuck Stokke reported good action for bass for size, but not for numbers. He said, “Senkos, plastic worms on a Ned rig or chatterbaits are working best.” The lake held at 54%.

In the Tule River, Stokke said, “The river is fishing well on dry flies such as stimulators, caddis or carpenter ants for natives while the river continues to be stocked with planters. Bait fishermen are scoring with nightcrawlers, Power Bait or spinners. I fished this weekend and caught and released brown, brook and rainbow trout in three different sections of the Tule.”

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

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing reported an excellent bass bite with jigs at depths from 20 to 40 feet as he has been scoring with half-ounce G-Money Jigs with a Hula Daddy twin-tail trailer. There was a bass circuit with tournaments on both Saturday and Sunday with the winning weights of 14.60 and 17.14, respectively. Cook’s cousin, Tim Cook, took first place with his partner on Sunday including a big fish at 8.06 on a Ned rig and a 5-pound bass on a G-Money jig. For numbers, Cook said, “The shad pushed up with the winds this week into the pockets, and there has been a topwater bite as there are plenty of numbers from 5 to 25 feet.”

Steve Marquette of the Lake McClure Recreation Company reported a 10-pound rainbow was landed off of a houseboat in their slip with Power Balls. The lake is at 77%.

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

It’s full summer recreation mode at the cool afterbay of Lake McClure. Trout plants have been absent, and shore anglers are limited to the possibility of a holdover rainbow or two in the early mornings or late evenings off of the Brush Pile, Handicapped Docks or the peninsula near the marina with trout dough bait or inflated nightcrawlers.

Call: McSwain Marina 209-378-2534

The spotted bass bite is excellent in the main lake around East Bay Sky Harbor, and the Narrows with 6-inch plastics on green pumpkin/red flake on a drop-shot or tungsten football jigs with a Kei Tech jig in green pumpkin/chartreuse at depths around 15 feet. Jake Figgs was on the lake this week in the afternoon from 3 to 7:15 p.m. and he posted a limit at 8.5 pound of all spotted bass to 2.5 pounds. He said, “You have to be out of the park by 8 p.m. so we had to go, but I think we would have posted around 12 pounds as the large fish were active later in the afternoon.” The water temperature is 80 degrees in the main lake and cooler at 77 degrees in the river arm. The main lake is very congested with recreational boaters. The lake rose slightly to 87%.

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

Big kokanee from 14 to 17.5 inches are available if you can find them. Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service found limits of kokanee along with four quality rainbows at depths from 32 to 80 feet with Apex lures or hoochies behind either a MAG Tackle, Paulina Peak or Trinidad Tackle’s Sling Blades at 1.7 mph.

For largemouth and spotted bass, John Liechty of Xperience Fishing Guide Service said, “The bass bite is really good, but the action occurs early in the morning. We have been on a great topwater bite with Poppers, Spooks or Whopper Ploppers, and we have been scoring up to 40 bass by 7:30 a.m. If they are not biting on the bank you are working on, move. We hit a huge school one morning and took around 40 fish in succession, but they were gone the next day. We found the big school in another location, and it was lights-out once again. However, the bite dies by 9:30-10 a.m., but you can finesse a few more bass with crankbaits, spinnerbaits or small Kei Techs in the clear water. If you are on the water in the heat past noon, you have to drop to the bottom with plastics on a shaky head, drop-shot or with jigs.”

Recreational boating remains high on the weekends, and the boats are leaving a wide mudline from the wakes. The lake has dropped to 75%.

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

Jake Figgs reported, “The bass bite remains outstanding with anglers reporting up to 100 largemouth and spotted bass in a day to 3.5 pounds. Smaller plastic worms in the 4- to 4.5-inch range are effective, but you can get bit on just about everything. The best action has been around Sycamore and Rattlesnake with the water temperature at 78 degrees with excellent clarity.”

Gary Wasson and Joe Baeza took first in the Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments event at 11.71 pounds. Trout trolling is solid with bright or shad patterns of Needlefish including firetiger, Cop Car or chrome. The lake dropped slightly to 81%.

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

Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said, “Between the full moon, the falling water and a lot of milting and spawning activity, the bite has been sporadic. Finding active fish has been an issue, and I fished twice this week with decent results on one trip with a 9- and 16-pound striped bass released. The troll bite has been tough, while minnow anglers are doing OK on schoolies if they can find the active stripers. The spawning behavior is causing the fish to hold in areas they aren’t normally located. Anglers need to be prepared to release the fish quickly in the hot water along with using a descending device like a Seaquilizer. Bank fishing is decent near the Romero Visitor Center or Dinosaur Point with anchovies, sardines, frozen shad, blood worms or pile worms. Game wardens told me they are citing a lot of anglers for undersized fish as well as overlimits at both lakes.” George reported The lake dropped to 64%.

San Luis Reservoir is experiencing a rebirth with first-time fishermen heading to the lake to soak anchovies, frozen shad or sardines from the banks at Dinosaur Point or the Romero Visitor Center. Jeff Padilla of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “Striped bass in the 18- to 22- inch range are the rule for bank anglers while a few experienced fishermen continue to toss out ripbaits such as Lucky Craft Pointer 128s in Aurora Black or Ghost Minnow.”

Jake Figgs said, “We are selling lots of frozen bait such as anchovies, but there are still fishermen tossing big ripbaits such as the Lucky Craft 158s in Ghost Minnow, and these have been hard to keep in stock along with Duo Realis jerkbaits. Interest in fishing has grown tremendously, and we have been busier than I ever remember.”

In the O’Neill Forebay, Alex Tran of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “There are loads of undersized striped bass caught and released in the Forebay near Check 12 or the Highway 33 Bridge with anchovies, frozen shad, blood worms, pile worms and swimbaits, but a legal limit is possible to 24 inches after culling a number of undersized linesides.”

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 a few quality kokanee to 17.75 inches have been landed. Mike Beighey of Bass Lake Fishing has landed as many as five of the third-year kokanee using blue or pink Radical Glow Tubes or micro-hoochies behind a MAG Tackle Stealth dodger. Small rainbows to 13.5 inches are the rule, but the boat traffic has been intense and steadily increasing. The lake is at 95%. Lake webcams and conditions: basslakeca.com/index.php.

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

Yosemite National Park is scheduled to open on Thursday, June 11 with Tioga Pass opening on June 15. To the south of the park, no reports but Edison is a 47%, Florence at 91% and Mammoth Pool at 100%.

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

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

It took some time for Southern California Edison to reopen Shaver Lake for boaters, but trollers launching on the reopener on June 6 found that the best was saved for last as the action was nothing if not spectacular. The day-use parking lots are at 50% capacity with the restrooms for single-use only, but parking at the public launch ramp is not restricted. The lake is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters took out charters on both Saturday and Sunday for multiple hookups for rainbow and brown trout along with kokanee to 17 inches. Bob Hatmaker of Santa Maria was with Nichols on Saturday, and he brought 46 fish to the boat consisting of rainbows to 2 pounds and a 15.5-inch kokanee using Koke Busters or Trout Busters tipped with a piece of nightcrawler behind a Mountain Dodger at 15 feet. Dr. Barbara Stewart of Prather was out with Dick’s Trout Busters tipped with corn behind a Mountain Dodger, and she landed a limit of kokanee to 17 inches at 32 feet off of Road 2. The Larson family of Kingsburg was out on Sunday, and they kept four limits of trout/kokanee out of 41 hookups using Dick’s Mountain Hoochie in orange or pink behind a mini Mountain Dodger in orange and green from 10 to 27 feet.

Todd Wittwer of Kokanee.net Guide Service also experienced 50-plus hookups on the opening day, and they landed six big kokanee from 16 to 18.5 inches on Saturday and eight more large kokanee to 17.5 inches on Sunday using a variety of Rocky Mountain Tackle including the purple Cotton Candy hoochie behind a purple Moonshine dodger or the pink Radical Glow Tube behind a pink Splatter dodger. He said, “There are good numbers of second-year kokanee to 13 inches, but the numbers of the larger third-year fish are limited. The larger 5.5-inch dodgers were working best.”

Jim Travis of Affordable Tackle had a similar story with limits of kokanee to 17.5 inches including a trophy rainbow at 4 pounds that was released. They were using Affordable Tackle’s orange or pink Spin-N-Glo Sierra Lures or the Gold Foil Raven X Sierra Lure with the Silver Raven or Spotted Red Hot Raven Dodger at 25 to 40 feet at 1.3 to 1.5 mph in front of the Sierra Marina or in the cove between Shaver Lake Water Sports and the Shaver Lake Marina.

Tom Oliveira of MAG Tackle was out with Bruce Potter and they scored limits of kokanee to over 16 inches using MAG Tackle’s pink and orange hoochies behind either a Wing Tip or Stealth Dodger at 32 to 40 feet at 1.4 to 1.6 mph.

Sierra Marina launch ramp webcam: sierramarina.com/camera.html. The lake is at 73%.

At Huntington, there remains a decent trout bite for small brown or rainbow trout with inflated nightcrawlers or trout dough bait near Deer Creek. The lake is at 99%.

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

At Wishon, Kelly Brewer of the Wishon RV Park and Store reported a trout plant occurred on Thursday, and trout action for both trollers and bank fishermen has been excellent. Trollers are scoring in the top 20 feet with blade/’crawler combinations or red Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler behind a dodger. Bank fishermen are scoring with rainbows trout dough bait or inflated nightcrawlers near the dam, the launch ramp and the mouth of Short Hair Creek. Launching a boat remains easily accessible.

At Courtright, the troll bite continues to be solid with red Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler behind a dodger or blade/’crawler combinations while bank fishing is best with inflated nightcrawlers or rainbow trout dough bait. The lake remains nearly full.

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.

Half Moon Bay

Salmon 2 Rockfish 3 Striper 2 Crab 3 Surf Perch 2

Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat said, “Second captain Michael Cabanas ran the boat on Monday on a salmon trip, and they came back with 10 salmon to 19 pounds for 9 anglers with another 7 missed opportunities towards the end of the day. They were up near Pedro Point in 90 feet of water. There are scattered salmon all over, and it depends upon how badly you want to get beat up to get them. The commercial boats have been working southwest of the Deep Reef from the 20 to 44 line in 50 fathoms of water close to the bottom, but they are also finding salmon on the top at times. There are salmon outside of the harbor, and we were out there for 5 or 6 shakers before heading down to Martin’s Beach for more shakers. We finally hit the Deep Reef and found great conditions with brown water and no jellyfish, but the salmon were absent. We did put in quick limits of rockfish. On Saturday, we took a rockfish/crab combination trip off of San Gregorio in 120 feet of water, and Jeanne Tognoni from Belmont landed her personal best ling cod at 13 pounds on a hitchhiker. We ended up with 11 limits of rockfish and crab, and there were as many as 18 Dungeness crab in the pots.”

Captain Dennis Baxter will be out on Sunday chasing salmon. He is booking out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing shop. He said, “We will be out June 7th, but the boats have been given the go-ahead for June 6th. Salmon fishing has been from boat to boat with some finding limits while others are struggling. There was a flurry between the buoys on Wednesday, and I went out with my son, Braden, in the late afternoon. We hooked three and landed one/ There are a ton of anchovies out there, and the salmon are quality at 12 to 15 pounds. Another good option has been from Martin’s Beach north to the harbor, but the salmon are scattered with multiple hookups are rare. The salmon are all ruby-red. There are also commercial halibut fishermen working tight to the beaches south of the harbor.”

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

Monterey/Santa Cruz

Salmon 2 Rockfish 3 Striper 3 Halibut 3 Surf Perch 3

The last holdout for party boats has been the Monterey County ports, but there is good news on the horizon with Saturday, June 12th looking good for opening – Chris’s Landing will be running the Star of Monterey with a maximum of 25 passengers, the Check Mate with 18, and the Caroline with 15 passengers. The local commercial salmon season ended on June 6th, but it will reopen on June 14th through the 30th. The commercial boats continue to do well in the deep water. Halibut fishing from the beaches remains outstanding.

Chris Arcoleo of Chris’s Fishing Trips said, “The New Wharf is lined up shoulder-to-shoulder with anglers hooking Spanish mackerel. There are loads of anchovies in the bay, and a commercial boat brought in 50 tons last evening. Even with 50 ton, at $100/ton, there isn’t much profit there. Halibut fishing has been excellent, and private boats are routinely scoring three-fish limits. Striped bass are thick along the beaches, and there have been some larger linesides to 30 pounds land recently. Salmon are deep, but they are a nice grade at 15 to 20 pounds. We are hoping to be running soon.”

Allen Bushnell of the Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “Commercial fishermen and some sport boats worked the Monterey area for halibut this week as well, with lots of limits reported. Some commercial hook and line guys reported up to 14 fish per day. A persistent rumor this week says someone landed a California halibut near Monterey that weighed in at 48 pounds! That’s about as big as they get. Charter boats are slowly getting back into business. Monterey County has yet to give the go-ahead, but Santa Cruz boats are running, with appropriate restrictions. Ken Stagnaro from Stagnaro’s Sport Fishing reported, “We limited passenger loads to allow for social distancing on the boats. Stagnaro’s is following cleaning and disinfecting protocols before, during and after each trip. You must bring your own mask.” From Beth Norton at Go Fish Santa Cruz we received the following, “It’s been a few months since we have run a charter. After getting the green light last week we were more than happy to get clients out on the water to catch fish, get some fresh air, some exercise and some sanity in this crazy times. We took the clients to fish neat Davenport where they caught limits of a variety of rock fish including vermilion, olives, blues and coppers.” Tom Dolan on the Mega Bite is getting out there as well. He said, “Jurassic Park trip – Our first charter of 2020 and it was perfect. What a blast and what a bite. Started with catching our lingcod bait then headed to the lingcod reef for limits of lingcod plus crew. Then went on for snapper and again the bite was incredible. Big Copper’s! Headed home with limits for all and big smiles (under our masks). Salmon fishing has remained relatively slow, but fish are still being caught daily. Even some limits for a few lucky anglers. Todd Fraser from Bayside Marine reported, “The salmon fishing was decent for a few boats near Mulligan Hill and the Soquel Hole. The salmon were caught trolling near the bottom in 220-280 feet of water.” Fraser also suggested anglers look north for king salmon. He cited fish caught near Davenport, and some good action near Pescadaro. Surfcasting is getting better all around the bay. Stripers are showing up in greater numbers on the Santa Cruz County beaches, and remain consistent in Monterey County. Average size is growing for the striped bass, with most fish caught being keepers. The perch bite is improving as well, with bigger fish coming back from wherever they might have been.”

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

San Francisco Bay

Salmon 3 Halibut 3 Striper 2 Rockfish 3 Leopard shark 2 Sturgeon 2

Both the Marin County and Emeryville party boats were given clearance to operate over the past weekend, and the Marin coast salmon bite is outstanding with Captain Jerad Davis of the Salty Lady out of Sausalito putting in 10 limits on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and the other Sausalito boats also scored limits to 23 pounds. In fact, every party boat with one exception scored limits while the one out of Emeryville had 1.5 fish per rod to 23 pounds. It can’t get much better than this. The Marin boats are limited to 10 anglers while the San Francisco boats are able to take as many as 15 anglers. These are spacious conditions on the big boats.

Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters out of Loch Lomond put in 4 limits to 30 pounds this week, and he said, “We started above the Duxbury Buoy, but the bite wasn’t really happening after picking up a few salmon so we tacked down to Rocky Point and I noticed a swarm of birds working the surface. The meter lit up, and just as I said, “We should hook up,’ we were on the hook. We threw in five fish in a hurry, and I called in a couple of six-packs including the Nautilus out of San Francisco. At 1:45, I said we are out of here at 2:00 p.m., and we put in a double to finish off limits.” Sabrina Pelligrini of Monterey had big fish honors with her personal best salmon at 30 pounds. Slate added that a 44-pound salmon was landed at Duxbury Buoy this week, and he predicts that salmon in the 50-pound range will be landed off of the Marin coastline this summer.

Rockfishing is also excellent with the Sea Wolf out of Emeryville scoring 180 rockfish and 15 ling cod to 15 pounds on Monday.

Inside the bay, the minus tides made for difficult conditions over the weekend along with the winds, but Monday was much better despite a steady north wind. The Pacific Dream and Happy Hooker out of Berkeley returned with a combined 36 halibut and 4 striped bass in addition to releasing 50 undersized halibut. The California Dawn had a stellar day with 37 halibut to 15 pounds along with 3 striped bass. The big tides also affected the striped bass action, but since it is June, the bass are on the rocks feeding when the bait is pushed up by the current. Monday’s scores were outstanding as the bay turned brown over the weekend with high winds and big tides.

Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing out of Berkeley is very happy to be out and about, and he is looking forward to boosting up his scores as he is starting to get booked up.

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 Surf Perch – 3

Out of Morro Bay Landing, the Endeavor was out on Monday with 20 passengers for an incredible 183 vermilion rockfish to 8 pounds along with 17 assorted rockfish for limits off of Point Estero. Also out of Morro Bay, the Black Pearl took an extended long range trip up the coast on Saturday with 24 passengers for limits of ling cod to 23.5 pounds to go with 210 vermilion and 30 assorted rockfish for limits along with a bonus pair of petrale sole. Toby Henry of Santa Maria landed the big ling while Fernando Villegas boated a 21 pounder with Vince Willoughby at 19.5 pounds. Virg’s is hoping to resume reverse overnights up the coast for the bonus of two limits as we move into Phase 3. Out of Port San Luis, the Patriot and Flying Fish were out on ½-day trips on Monday with 26 anglers for near-limits of rockfish composed of 42 vermilion, 6 copper, 187 assorted rockfish, 5 Boccaccio, and one ocean whitefish.

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. Parking fees will be collected for the yellow stalls at $6.00/day or annual pass at the harbor office.

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

Others

Delta/Stockton

Bass 3 Striper 2 Sturgeon 3 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2

The Sacramento-Delta is in full summer mode with the majority of striped bass moving downstream rapidly to San Francisco Bay, and the majority of striped bass hanging around are undersized. Few anglers are targeting sturgeon in Suisun Bay, but the diamondbacks are there for the taking for those willing to put in the time. Smallmouth bass are found along the rocky banks in the north Delta while a few American shad are still taken near Freeport. Catfish and bluegill are getting active with the warm water and weather. The weather conditions were variable this week with days over 100 degrees followed by a weekend greeted with 30 mph winds blowing throughout the Delta.

Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle in Freeport said, “There are a lot of undersized stripers in the north Delta, but you can put together a legal limit over 18 inches with sardines or anchovies coated with garlic spray along with pile worms or blood worms. A few American shad are taken with shad darts or grubs on the drop-shot near Freeport, but the majority of American shad are found at the mouth of the American River or upstream on the American. Catfish are biting nightcrawlers or chicken livers in Lisbon Slough or at the Port of Sacramento while bluegill are all over the back sloughs with wax worms or red worms. Smallmouth bass are up and down along the rocky banks, and drifting live minnows or plastics on a drop-shot rig are working for the smallies.”

Dan Wulff of Manteca has been taking his private boat out of Oakley this week for sturgeon, and he was rewarded with a 44-inch slot limit fish within 45 minutes of setting anchor while using ghost shrimp.

Captain Zach Medinas of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures will be finishing up with two sturgeon trips over the weekend before heading to Pier 45 in San Francisco for live bait and salmon during the summer months. He said, “Sturgeon fishing has been very good, and we caught and released 4 slot-limit fish along with a huge oversized this week. I had Dan, Gus, Lisa and Shelly Stanley along with Jeff and Kimberly Stevens of Vacaville out, and every one had the opportunity to catch and release a slot-limit sturgeon. The sturgeon are here, but few fishermen are out there trying for them. I am looking forward to moving to San Francisco for the first-time as all services are available at the harbor.”

Largemouth bass remain the top species in the San Joaquin-Delta, and the rollercoaster weather conditions are creating opportunities to find the bass holding in the coolest water near current or under shade. The past week had three days over 100 degrees followed by 30 mph winds that cooled down the water conditions. The striped bass guides have vacated the Delta in favor of San Francisco Bay or high Sierra lakes.

For largemouth bass, the regular Wednesday night shootout at Ladd’s Marina in Stockton continues to bring out top anglers, and Kris Huff of Stockton has been representing his hometown by placing near the top of the 50-boat field with a fourth-place this Wednesday with 17.12 pounds tossing Scum Frogs on a Phenix rod.

Huff wasn’t the only one who found good action with frogs as Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors and Phenix Rods said, “I’ve been out three days in a row in this heat, and we finally got onto a really good frog bite on Wednesday night with around 20 frog fish. The frog bite continued on Thursday with good action for my 15-year old partner who had never bass-fished before. We got them on frogs, Reaction Innovation’s Skinny Dippers, and on flukes.”

Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, was on the Delta this week, and he said, “It was a tough bite between the full moon and the heat so you had to be extremely patient and accurate to get bit. The ima Finesse Popper along with the Berkley General or the new Straight Money on the drop-shot are working, but you have to be very, very patient. The transition from spring to summer is always challenging as most of the bass just got done spawning, and the Florida-strain largemouth bass are very susceptible to the rollercoaster weather. They take much longer to adjust where a spotted bass in the lake are far more adaptable to the weather changes. Everything is in current right now, and if the weeds aren’t waving, you will not be catching bass. The bass are holding tight to the weeds, and you can punch or flip into the weeds, but you have to be accurate to get into the pockets. These fish just got down spawning, and they are cruising along the banks. With this full moon, there are still bass spawning, but they are feeding at night and fewer bass are feeding during the daytime. Once this full moon diminishes, the bite will be on fire again next week.”

Dan Mathisen of Dan’s Delta Outdoors reported an excellent frog bite during the hot days, and he said, “This bite will last for the remainder of the summer. It is pure junk fishing right now, and most fishermen are finding success by either punching the weeds or flipping 5-inch Senkos when the wind is down. We have a tournament this coming Saturday out of Ladd’s Marina. The bass are definitely related to current right now with the warm water.”

The south and central Delta will be very busy this week with the Wild West Bass Trails General Tire Duel on the Delta Pro/Am with up to 250 boats running to and fro out of Big Break Marina. Practice days are Wednesday and Thursday with the tournament running for all participants on Friday and Saturday with the top 10 on Sunday.

In the south Delta sloughs, bluegill are taken on red worms or jumbo red worms, either on a drop-shot rig or under a bobber. Frozen shad remains in high demand.

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

With the recent hot weather, the topwater bite for spotted bass has broken out at Lake Nacimiento, and there is good action along lake points with plastics on the drop-shot or jigs along with subsurface reaction baits when the wind is blowing. Catfish are taken on cut baits while minijigs or grubs are finding a few crappie. The lake is at 48 percent. A webcam of the lake is available at http://www.lakenacimientolive.com/. At Lopez, largemouth bass to 3 pounds are taken on plastics on the drop-shot, Senkos, or medium-diving crankbaits in crawdad patterns. Catfish are found on cut baits while bluegill are found near structure with meal worms, red worms, or nightcrawlers. Planted trout action is slow overall, but a few rainbows are landed early or late by trollers or those soaking Power Bait from the shorelines. A webcam of the lake is available at http://805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam/. Santa Margarita is available for 86 vehicles including 26 trailers for San Luis Obispo County residents only. Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported an outstanding bluegill bite with red worms, meal worms, wax worms, or small nightcrawlers. He said, “Normally, those seeking panfish head to Lopez, but most of our valley customers are finding better action at Santa Margarita. The bass bite is steady with topwater lures in low-light conditions along with jigs or plastics on the drop-shot or split-shot. Catfish are taken on cutbaits while panfish are found with red worms or meal worms. San Antonio is limited for boating to weekends only from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Shore fishing access is available seven days per week. The bass remains a challenge with the best action for the occasional bass on soft plastics. Catfish are hitting cut baits while small panfish are found on meal worms, red worms, or a piece of nightcrawler. The lake is at 32 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:

McClure – New Jen Bass Tournaments – June 6th: 1st – Jason Remmers/Alex Niapas – 14.60 pounds; 2nd: Josh Housey/Jr. Demacabalin – 13.15; 3rd – Steve Riggs/Russ Kidder – 11.85.

Delta/Ladd’s Marina in Stockton– Angler’s Press - June 6th: 1st – Shawn and Lloyd Dassonville – 25.00 pounds (Big Fish – 7.67); 2nd: Zay and Chua Yang – 24.96; 3rd –Pierson/Pierson – 24.58.

Don Pedro – Kerman Bass Club – June 6th: 1st – John Albidrez/Tony Lopez – 10.66 pounds; 2nd: Ross Aoki – 9.86 (Big Fish – 3.09); 3rd – Alex Carrillo/Michael Beltran – 9.72.

McClure – New Jen Bass Tournaments – June 7th: 1st – Levi Crain/Tim Cook – 17.14 pounds (Big Fish – 8.06); 2nd: Chris Griffin/Ryan Vorhees – 13.72; 3rd – AJ and Albert Azevedo– 12.06.

Pine Flat – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments - June 7th: 1st – Gary Wasson/Joe Baeza – 11.71 pounds; 2nd:– 13.72; 3rd –– 12.06.

Upcoming Tournaments:

June 12th-14th:

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Wild West Bass Trails Pro/Am

June 13th:

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Dan Mathisen Outdoors

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies

Don Pedro – Christian Bass League

Pine Flat – Kings River Bass Club

Isabella – American Bass Association

Santa Margarita – Kern County Bass Masters

Nacimiento – Best Bass Tournaments

Lopez – San Luis Obispo Bass Ambushers

June 14th –

Delta/B and W Resort – Fresno Bass Club/California Bass Federation

Delta/Tracy Oasis – Tracy Oasis

New Melones – Modesto Ambassadors/California Bass Federation

Don Pedro – Wild West Bass Trails Kayak

Eastman – Kings VIII Bass Club

June 18th/19th:

Pine Flat – California Bass Nation

June 20th/21st:

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Best Bass Tournaments

June 20th –

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Angler’s Press

Millerton – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

June 21st –

Pine Flat – Bass 101

Success – Central Valley Kayak Fishing

June 27th:

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Best Bass Tournament

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Merced Bass Club

New Melones – Yak-A-Bass

Millerton – New Jen Bass Tournaments

June 28th –

Delta/B and W Resort – California Bass Federation

Delta/Russo’s Marina – New Jen Bass Tournaments

McClure – Nor Cal High School Bass Series

Success – Porterville Bass Club

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 June 9, 2020 at 1:16 PM with the headline "Fishing report for week of June 10-16: Shaver Lake kokanee and trout among best bets."