Fishing report week of July 1-7: Hensley bass, Shaver kokanee 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

Rockfish limits all along the coast, various ports reported. Salmon bite best out of the Golden Gate toward Pacifica, Captain Jerad Davis of the Salty Lady said. Halibut remains on fire in south San Francisco Bay, Captain Chris Smith reported. Hensley best largemouth bite in the region, Merritt Gilbert reported. Shaver Lake kicking out mixed limits of kokanee to 17 inches along with rainbow trout, Dick Nichols said.

Key

1-Try dynamite

2-Have to work hard

3-Limits possible

4-Fish jumpin’ in boat

Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “More and more fishermen are targeting the California Aqueduct, and there have been a number of largemouth bass landed in the stretch around Highway 33 and 5 with plastics on the drop-shot or small swimbaits.”

Although the triple-digit temperatures are contributing to increased moss developing in the southern portion of the aqueduct, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield said, “There is still good action for striped bass, particularly with blood worms. Sales of blood worms have been high, but sardines and anchovies are also popular. There is a topwater bite in the early mornings.”

Bob’s June Striped Bass tournament ended on Tuesday, and as of press time, Paul Perkins of Bakersfield still led the competition with a 5-pound lineside out of the aqueduct. The July Catfish Derby started on Wednesday, and it is open to anyone for a $1 entry fee with the winner on July 31 taking the pot.

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

The inability to hold a tournament on the lake has driven most largemouth bass fishermen to Pine Flat or even nearby Hensley, but Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The best action remains on the bottom over submerged island tops or rockpiles with large plastic worms, Brush Hogs or Senkos on a Carolina-rig. There have been no reports of either crappie or bluegill.” The lake dropped from 44% to 40%.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Gilbert reported an improved quality of largemouth bass than at nearby Eastman with a few double-digit bass reported in the past month. Creature baits on a slip-sinker rig or Brush Hogs on a Carolina-rig are working over rockpiles at depths from 10 to 15 feet in the morning, before moving out to 20 to 25 feet by mid-morning. Working over isolated structure is the key. The lake dropped from 32% to 29%.

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

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing reported a solid topwater bite with the River2Sea Rover when the bass are busting bait in open water, even over open water at depths from 150 to 200 feet. The most consistent bite is on the bottom at depths from 20 to 60 feet with ¾-ounce G-Money Jigs, tubes, or plastics on a shaky head. The bass are holding on secondary points with rocky structure. A few trollers are targeting either king salmon or kokanee with better action at nearby reservoirs, but there are a few salmon to be taken in deep water to 100 feet with rolled shad while the rainbows are holding higher in the water column with a variety of fast-trolled spoons. The lake dropped slightly to 84%.

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 viable option for largemouth bass, crappie or catfish, and Cormier said, “There are still anglers up there catching crappie with minijigs in deep water around structure. The Cages in the South Fork are a good option to start searching for the slabs. Catfish are the staple, and they are taken with Triple S Dip bait, nightcrawlers or cut baits, particularly at night. Bass fishing is best with plastic worms or jigs.” The lake dropped from 37% to 35%.

The upper Kern River has been solid on a day-to-day basis with good action one day followed by a slower bite the following day. Cormier advised using live crickets or Chunky Cheese Power Bait with garlic for success. Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company said, “Fly fishing for Kern rainbows have been excellent, and the Golden Trout Pack Station is booking up on trips into the upper Kern.”

A few catfish and crappie are taken out of Buena Vista.

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

Gary Wasson of Visalia, a local bass fishing expert, said, “The bass bite is slow with the best action on either jigs or crankbaits.” Recreational boating remains high, particularly on the weekends. The public launch ramps, private marinas and day-use recreation areas are open, but the Visitor Center, campgrounds and group picnic shelters remain closed. The lake dropped from 62% to 56%.

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company said, “Bass fishing has been a bit slower this week due to high temperatures. Anglers are still fishing the coves and are pitching jigs, Senkos and Brush Hogs into the submerged trees as the bass are holding in the shade under the trees. The lake is still experiencing heavy recreational boat traffic, and the shoreline is stained and unfishable.” Wasson said, “The bass bite has slowed as the fish are moving out into deeper water.” The lake held at 54%.

In the Tule River, Stokke said, “The river is fishing excellent, and the larger native trout have been extremely aggressive on dry flies or Woolly Buggers. The mountain area has seen an increase in visitors. The river continues to receive plants at Balch Park.”

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

McClure is one of the only lakes hosting tournaments presently, and the Merced Bass Club and New Jen held events over the weekend. Cook said, “There are a few decent topwater fish to be caught, but most of the action remains on the bottom with jigs or tubes.” Steve Marquette of the Lake McClure Recreation Company reported great action for catfish to 7 pounds with chicken livers or nightcrawlers while there are still trout to be taken in deep water with Speedy Shiners, orange Kastmasters or Roostertail spinners.

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

McSwain is still waiting for a trout plant, and it is becoming primarily a recreational boating and swimming lake instead of a fishing lake during the summer. The lack of planting is limiting shore fishermen to the very occasional holdover rainbow 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

Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The bass bite is best in the river arm with finesse techniques of working the bottom with small plastic worms on the drop-shot or dart head. There is a window for topwater action in the evening around 7:30 p.m. when the wind is blowing, but boats have to be off of the lake by 8 p.m.” Camping is now available along the Madera side. Recreational boat traffic is heavy after 10 a.m., particularly on the weekends. The lake dropped from 83% to 79%.

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

New Melones has been the location for quality kokanee to 18 inches, but it is not for the light of heart as you have to search far and wide to locate the quality landlocked salmon. Bass fishing remains outstanding with a topwater bite that is one of the best in the Mother Lode along with a solid subsurface or finesse bite. Recreational boating is heavy at times, and it is expected to be very heavy on the upcoming Independence Day weekend.

Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service said, “There is nothing easy at New Melones when it comes to kokanee fishing, but we limited out again on Sunday with kokanee to 18 inches. Brett Honnoll of Tracy landed kokanee at 18 and 17.75 inches, but you have to look around to find them. We finally found the kokanee at 85 feet, and Apex or J-Pex lures behind a new Mag Tackle Prototype 24 carat gold dodger was the trick. However, the fishing is challenging as there are days when most trollers struggle for a few kokanee. I am on the lake regularly, and this is a big advantage to stay on top of the elusive schools of larger fish.”

For largemouth bass, John Liechty of Xperience Fishing Guide Service has been spending quite a few hours on the lake on a weekly basis, and he said, “We have been enjoying an amazing topwater bite, but the change in temperature from Saturday to Sunday with the cooler temperatures really put a damper on the topwater action. We had around 25 blowups on Saturday within a couple of hours, but Sunday was a different story with only six or eight as the air temperature dropped around 15 degrees. We switched over to small Kei Tech swimbaits on a dart head or crawdad-type tubes, and the action was solid at 15 to 25 feet. We have had some larger fish recently including a 5.8-pound largemouth on a topwater popper by Dave Nardi of San Jose as part of his 30-fish morning. We are normally catching and releasing around 25 to 30 bass on a half-day morning or evening trip. The middle of the day is a dead zone with the heat and the recreational boat traffic.”

The lake has dropped from 73% to 72%.

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

The tournament season has been postponed after last weekend’s Bass 101 event due to the pandemic necessitating the New Jen tournament moved north to Lake McClure on Sunday. Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The bass bite has been best with finesse techniques as the reaction bite has been very slow. Art Berberian landed a largemouth at 7.87 pounds at night during the night portion of the Bass 101 tournament, but we struggled for a small limit working my worms on the bottom.” The bass are suspending with the dropping water levels. Gary Wasson of Visalia, winner of the last tournament on the lake, caught and released a largemouth bass at 6.01 pounds on Monday. Most trout trollers are heading up the hill, but a few small rainbows and the planted king salmon are taken on bright or shad patterns of Needlefish at depths to 50 feet in the cooler waters of the upper reservoir. The lake dropped from 72% to 66%.

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

Roger George of Roger George Guide Service, the only licensed guide on the lake, said, “Intermittent days of heavy wind and falling water have squelched the overall bite, and it seems that there’s been wind almost every morning, keeping the lake closed. The wind has been letting up around 11 a.m. before ramping up again around 4:30 p.m. I fished with two guests from noon to 4 p.m. on Friday before the west wind came up to 30 mph. The stripers were suspended and inactive and we struggled for two linesides to 6 pounds trolling Lucky Craft Pointers in shad/white at 60 feet. The water temps are about 77 degrees, and the water is green from the algae.

Mickey Clements reported a window for topwater when the bass are busting near Dinosaur Point, but anchovies are the top producer.

The lake dropped from 56% to 53%. San Luis is now open to 10 p.m., but boats have to be off the water by sunset, and the time of sunset is posted daily at the entrance kiosk.

In the O’Neill Forebay, small striped bass are the rule for those soaking blood worms or pile worms in the normal locations of Check 12 or the Highway 33 Bridge. Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported pile worms are particularly effective, but you have to cull through numbers to put together a limit.

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

Similar to last week, a few quality kokanee pushing 18 inches have been taken with a few others in the 15- to 15.5-inch range, and the kokanee are reported to be fatter than those at Shaver Lake. Bass fishermen are able to access the lake in the early mornings from 5:30 to 8:30 a.m., but the boat traffic is unbearable after the whistle blows in the morning. Spotted bass in the 12- to 14-inch range are the rule, and the weed growth is starting to form. The lake is at 96%.

Lake webcams and conditions: basslakeca.com/index.php.

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

Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “I haven’t heard much about Edison, but Florence has been good for numbers of rainbows in the 12- to 13-inch range for the few trollers targeting the lake.”

Edison is at 50%, Florence at 93% and Mammoth Pool at 90%.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

A recent trout plant from the Department of Fish and Wildlife spurred on trout action at Shaver Lake, but kokanee remain the prized species. The numbers of the larger third-year kokanee are decreasing, but there are plenty of second-year salmon to 14 inches to last through the remainder of the season. Smallmouth bass of a small size remain thick close to any rocky structure. The lake is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters said, “It was another good week at Shaver as we picked up limits for all customers this week. Bob Anderson and his friend, Steve, from Roseville took home limits of primarily kokanee to 17 inches while Dave and Melissa Fritz of Hanford put limits in the boat by 7:32 a.m. Bob Hatmaker of Arroyo Grande wanted a ‘catch and release trip,’ and he went through multiple limits with 40 fish released by 10:20 a.m.. The trout plant brought out rainbows to 13 inches along with a few brown trout. We have been scoring with pink Dick’s Koke Busters tipped with scented corn behind a purple/black Mountain Dodger on the downriggers while the side poles are rigged with Dick’s Trout Busters tipped with a piece of nightcrawler and corn behind weighted Mountain Flasher at 17 feet.”

Todd Wittwer of Kokanee.net Guide Service said, “The kokanee bite had been at 50 feet, but it moved deeper to 70 feet over the weekend as the lake is rising, and our hot ticket this week was the Rocky Mountain Tackle’s pink Hornet spinner behind a pink Sunburst or orange Moonshine dodger. Trout are found around 30 feet, but they have been taken as deep as 50 feet. The fish are scattered from the Sierra Marina around the point through the river channel towards Dorabella and Rockhaven Coves. You have to move to find the fish. The numbers of the larger kokanee are dwindling, but there are good numbers of second-year kokanee to 14 inches, and these should last throughout the season. Kirk James landed a huge 20.5-inch kokanee this week so it is possible to hook up with the salmon ranging from 6 to 20 inches. This was a fairly bright fish.”

The lake rose from 79% to 82%. Sierra Marina launch ramp webcam: sierramarina.com/camera.html.

At upstream Huntington, Nichols reported small kokanee are the rule along with a smaller grade of rainbow trout with various tackle at depths to 40 feet. The lake is at 98%.

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

At Wishon, the lack of plants has led to slower action, and the fluctuation of lake levels has been a challenge for trollers and bank anglers alike. Upstream Courtright remains full, and trout fishing is decent for numbers of rainbows with the occasional brown trout taken by trollers working from the surface in the early mornings to 30 feet with blade/’crawler combinations, spoons or Rapalas. Bank fishing is fair overall, but the early mornings or late evenings are best near the dam or the launch ramp with inflated nightcrawlers or rainbow trout dough bait.

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Scheduled by California Department of Fish and Wildlife:

Week of June 28

Madera County: Rock Creek

Mariposa County: Big Creek, Madera

Tulare County: Big Meadows Creek, Stony Creek

Tuolumne County: Beaver Creek, Pinecrest Lake, Powerhouse Stream, Stanislaus River (Clarks, Middle, North and South forks)

Week of July 5

Kern County: Kern River (Sections 4 and 5)

Tulare County: Kern River (Section 5)

Week of July 12

Kern County: Kern River (Sections 4 and 5)

Tulare County: Deer Creek, Kern River (Section 5), Tule River (Middle Fork and South Fork Middle Fork Nos. 2 and 3), White River

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

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

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

Captains Tom Mattusch and Michael Cabanas of the Huli Cat have been running shallow water rockfish trips along with crab pulls as the Dungeness season ends on Tuesday. They have been working south of the harbor towards Pescadero at depths from 60 to 80 feet for 15 limits of rockfish and 117 crab on Sunday despite the rough ocean conditions and with rockfish limits once again on Saturday along with half-limits of Dungeness crab. Mike Luna of El Granada landed a 15-pound lingcod on a hitchhiker.

Captain Dennis Baxter of the New Captain Pete is running salmon or rockfish trips, and the best number to book the boat is his personal cell at 650-576-3844 instead of the Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing shop’s main number.

The San Mateo Harbor District has established the following guidelines while at the launch ramp and anywhere within their jurisdiction.

Social Distance (6 ft. apart from non-household members at all times)

Wear Face Covering

Observe All Posted Signage and Markers

Oberve New Regulations and Access Rules Pertaining to all Facilities, including launch ramps and Johnson Pier

Launch Ramp Rules:

Only one vessel allowed to launch at a time.

One Vehicle on Ramp at a Time

One Vessel Launching at a Time

Remain in Your Vehicle While Waiting to Launch

All people in vessels waiting at dock must be onboard vessel

Maintain Social Distancing at All Times (including while waiting to pay and/or launch)

The Pacifica Municipal Pier reopened on June 17th after being closed for three months due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The city completed multiple repairs to the municipal pier, also known as the Rev. Herschell Harkins Memorial Pier, while it was closed. Repairs included power-washing its rails, benches, drinking fountains and deck; filling holes in the pier deck; rehabilitating the men’s and women’s restrooms; repainting rule and regulation signs and replacing the tabletops and plumbing at the pier’s fish cleaning station. City officials warned that the two facilities could be closed again if residents don’t follow health and safety requirements like wearing face coverings and maintaining at least six feet of distance. The pier will be open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

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

Monterey/Santa Cruz

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

Chris Arcoleo of Chris’s Landing in Monterey said, “The salmon bite has been slow, but we are slaughtering the rockfish off of Point Sur. The weather had been good, and we have been running south to Point Reyes nearly every day. Limit of big vermilions are the rule, and we have been able to pick up as many as 30 ling cod per trip. You can’t get down to the bottom before getting bit. Salmon remains a challenge, and we had 18 anglers out on Sunday for 2 landed out of 4 hook ups. We have room during the middle of the week, but the weekends are filling up quickly.” Their trips are some of the best bargains on the coast with $100 on weekdays and $110 on weekends.

Allen Bushnell of the Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “The big commercial squid boats are still netting tons of market squid from the Monterey Bay. Most of that fleet were working off the Rio Del Mar. Squid is just about the most perfect bait in the world. Everything in the ocean wants to eat it. So, these big spawns attract big fish, which we then get to catch. Running out of Moss Landing Harbor, the Kahuna is posting similar results. Owner Carol Jones likes to send the boat down towards Carmel and also runs regular “long-range” trips to the Big Sur coast, where the fish are more numerous and much bigger. Launching from Santa Cruz Harbor, the beautiful Miss Beth is running double trips every day to keep up with demand. In her latest report Beth Norton said, “Go Fish is running morning and evening trips now. Go Fish Santa Cruz Charters fished locally this afternoon. The bite was slow, the weather was beautiful so Captain JT headed north to Davenport. The clients caught limits of rock fish including vermilion, blues, blacks, coppers, browns, olives and canaries. The ling cod were also on the bite. They used shrimp flies with squid for bait.” Ed Burrell from Capitola Boat and Bait is happy to report the rental skiffs are once again available for fishing trips. And the fishing is pretty darn good in his area from Pleasure Point down to the Cement Ship. “Lots of halibut around right now,” Burrell said on Monday. Halibut catches were reported of some flatties weighing in the teens and low twenties at the Capitola Wharf.”

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 3 Striper 4 Rockfish 4 Leopard shark 3 Sturgeon 1 Crab 2

After Sunday’s blow out, the salmon bite was back on along the southside on Monday with the Berkeley party boats scoring 27 limits of salmon to 26 pounds. The El Dorado III out of Berkeley is now owned by Captain James Smith of the California Dawn, and Captain Shawn Taylor is running the catamaran. He posted an impressive score of 14 limits of salmon to 26 pounds on Monday. Three Sausalito party boats also ran south below Seal Rocks for a combined 32 limits of salmon. The northside has been more of a challenge, and this is the reason boats out of the Bay Area like the Lovely Martha out of San Francisco went south for 14 limits of salmon. The six packs have been less eager to make the long run south, and the closer salmon grounds along Marin County remain a scratch. However, this bite will take off soon as the bait is loaded along the coastline.

For rockfish, the Sea Wolf out of Emeryville is one of the only boats running for bottom fish out of the Bay Area, and they posted 17 limits of rockfish and 21 ling cod on Monday, most likely at the Farallons.

Inside the bay, the halibut bite remains outstanding, and the striped bass are back on the bite at the rockpiles. Captain Chris Smith of the Pacific Dream out of Berkeley posted 14 halibut to 18 pounds and 21 striped bass to 6 pounds along with releasing another 80 undersized halibut. The California Dawn, also out of Berkeley, was in the bay for 31 halibut to 15 pounds and 14 striped bass. The bass have been found on the rockpiles while the most consistent halibut bite is in the south bay.

Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing put in 5 limits of halibut by 10:22 a.m. this weekend, working the south bay with live anchovies.

Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing started targeting the huge bay sharks on Monday, and he put Ocsanna Seropyan, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Manteca, onto a huge soupfin shark on Monday.

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 -1 Surf Perch – 3

Out of Morro Bay Landing, the Endeavor and Avenger were out on Monday with 44 anglers for 207 vermilion rockfish, 19 copper, 33 Boccaccio, and 181 assorted rockfish. Also out of Morro Bay at Virg’s Landing, the Fiesta took out 16 anglers for 40 vermilion, 10 copper, 105 assorted rockfish, 5 Boccaccio, and 2 ling cod for limits. Savina Alanis of Bakersfield took the jackpot with a 5-pound ling. Out of Port San Luis, the Patriot and Flying Fish were out on Monday with 32 anglers for 93 vermilion, 20 copper, 21 Boccaccio, 186 assorted and three ling cod.

Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported excellent surf perch action with blood worms.

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 2 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2 Salmon 0

The Sacramento-Delta has moved into full summer mode prior to the annual 4th of July Holiday, but there is optimism for the upcoming river salmon opener starting July 16th. The opening weeks of the salmon season are generally slow overall, but this doesn’t stop anglers from lining the banks at the Dillon Point State Park or 1st Street near Benicia in Suisun Bay or along the north Delta outside of Freeport to toss heavy spinners such as Vee Zees or Mepp’s Flying C’s. Few anglers are targeting sturgeon, but there are still diamondbacks to be had in lower Suisun Bay. Most of the striped bass have vacated the warm waters of the Delta, but there are still resident linesides although many of the stripers are undersized. Warm water species of catfish, smallmouth bass, and bluegill are taking center stage, and they will be the top species until the arrival of the fall months.

Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento, has been working the waters of the sloughs the north Delta, and he reported an excellent bite for the northern largemouth bass strain on or either spinnerbaits or frogs.

Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle in Freeport said, “We are gearing up for the upcoming salmon season with Slammer Spinners and Slammer Minnows, and most of our fishermen are targeting smallmouth bass or bluegill. The bluegill are thick in the back sloughs and along the Delta Loop with red worms or jumbo red worms on either a drop-shot or under a float while smallmouth bass are everywhere around the rocks on the Old Sacramento River to Walnut Grove. RoboWorms or Senkos on a drop-shot are working for the smallies. There are still striped bass in the Sacramento River, but you have to go through a number of undersized fish to put together a limit. Sardines, anchovies, or shad coated with garlic spray are working best for the linesides. Sturgeon are basically worn out in our area, and shad fishing is pretty much over with the exception of higher up in the American River near the Sunrise Bridge.”

Dave Sharp of Marina Bait and Tackle in Suisun City said, “Things are slowing down a bit, but we still have a number of first-time fishermen out working the banks with ghost shrimp, grass shrimp, or frozen baits.”

Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait reported good sturgeon fishing off of the shoreline near Glen Cove or off of the Eckley Pier in Crockett with grass shrimp. He said, “The grass shrimp is getting a bit larger, but it is difficult to obtain ghost shrimp. There are plenty of undersized striped bass along the shorelines. We are receiving many calls for the opening of river salmon season, and we won’t be putting out our Vee-Zee Spinners until a couple of days before the 16th to keep people from using them prior to opening day.”

Largemouth bass remain the top species in the San Joaquin-Delta, and a variety of methods are working for the bass in the roller-coaster weather conditions of heat and wind. Once the consistent weather holds for a few consecutive weeks, the larger grade of bass will become active. A few striped bass can be found between Antioch Bridge and False River, but the majority of striped bass trollers are holding off until the arrival of fall. The river salmon opener on July 16th will bring out lure casters to the Antioch and Pittsburg shorelines in search of the few salmon that seem to migrate along the southern edge of the San Joaquin River.

For striped bass, Dave Houston of Livermore was out at the end of the week trolling in the San Joaquin River, and he said, “I haven’t been out for stripers in over a month, but I thought I’d give it a shot. Since I only saw three boats all day, fishing certainly isn’t very good. I worked the waters between the Antioch Bridge and False River, catching 16 fish to 23 inches. I wasn’t able to catch anything shallow, and everything came on deep running Yo-zuri’s.”

Largemouth bass remain the top species in the Delta, and Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, said, “Bass fishing has been excellent for numbers of largemouths to 4 pounds, but the larger fish have been hiatus with the revolving weather conditions. It has been hot in the Delta, and despite an onshore breeze, it is still hot. The hot weather has made the larger fish lethargic, and they are less willing to chase right now. With consistency in the weather with days in the 100-degree range along with nighttime temperatures in the 65 to 69-degree range, the bigger fish will become more active. The water temperature is rising, and we need a smaller window between the high and low temperatures within 24 hours. The last full moon produced a healthy spawn, and there are clouds of fry rolling around in the Delta. The fact that there are now lots of baby ducklings is an indicator of the roller coaster weather over the past month as the ducks are just now hatching. The topwater bite has been excellent with the ima Finesse Popper, and the small El Chopp 90 in shad patterns. For subsurface, the ima Rock N’Vibe Suspend has been effective, and the bass from 4-inches to 4 pounds are munching the lure.”

Pringle hosted the Best Bass Tournament event at Ladd’s Marina on Saturday with 101 boats participating, and the team of Jared Dominici and Jason Coslovich took first place with a 22.34-pound limit. Dominici said, “You have to cover a lot of water, and the best action was punching creature baits in greenpumpkin/red flake in the heaviest cover that we could find. You had to use a heavier weight to get through the thicker cover, and our largest grade came off of a long mat that was pushed up on a point by the current. We threw topwater in the morning before switching to punching.”

Dan Mathisen of Dan Mathisen Outdoors said, “There are lots of little ducklings swimming around, and brown frogs are working best right now in open water. I was out on Thursday for 4 hours, and I threw either the Boog Boom or Snag Proof Frog for a limit with a 3.5- to 4-pound average. There are few mats in the Delta and almost no cheese. You can see the weeds coming up under the surface, but I have been working open water. Pro-Z’s Scooby Do Frog is back in production, and it is available at Dave’s Delta Outdoors in Oakley.”

H and R Bait in Stockton continues to be extremely busy catering to bank anglers working the shorelines along Whiskey Slough, Bacon Island Road, and Eight Mile Road with red worms, jumbo red worms, or mini-crawlers for bluegill or red ear perch.

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

The boat pressure at Lake Nacimiento is intense, and the best window for targeting spotted and white bass is during the weekdays, particularly in the early mornings or late afternoons. There is a window for topwater action with walking baits before dropping to the bottom with small plastics on the drop-shot or split-shot. Crappie are taken by trollers working at depths to 25 feet with small swimbaits or spoons while panfish are found at depths to 20 feet with red worms, meal worms, or mini-crawlers. The lake dropped from 46 to 44 percent. A webcam of the lake is available at http://www.lakenacimientolive.com/. At Lopez, there is a window for topwater for largemouth bass in the early morning or late afternoons with frogs, walking baits such as Whopper Ploppers, or small poppers. When the wind is blowing, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, or jerkbaits are effective while plastics on the drop-shot, shakey head, or Ned-rig along with small creature baits are effective. Bluegill or red ear perch are found as deep as 20 feet around brush with mini crawlers, meal worms, or red worms while catfish are taken on cut baits. A webcam of the lake is available at http://805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam/. Santa Margarita is experiencing an improved largemouth bass bite with fish to 8 pounds taken on occasion with topwater early in the mornings or late afternoons. Frogs, walking baits, or small poppers are kicking out the very occasional trophy bass, but a number of casts are required for success. Numbers and consistency are found on the bottom with jigs along with crankbaits as the bass are holding along steep vertical walls. The crappie, bluegill, and perch have dropped deeper in the water column to the 25-foot level, and small tubes or minijigs are working for the slabs while panfish are taken on red worms or meal worms. Catfish are taken on scented mackerel. The operating hours at San Antonio have been extended from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on weekends only. Shore fishing access is available seven days per week. Camping is now available seven days per week. Bass fishing remains very slow with the best action on plastics on the bottom, and the best continues for catfish with cut baits coated with garlic spray or bluegill with meal worms or red worms. The lake dropped from 30 to 29 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/Ladd’s Marina in Stockton– Best Bass Tournaments - June 27th: 1st –Jerad Dominici/Jason Covolich– 22.34 pounds; 2nd: Bob McNabb/Glenn Vargas – 18.59; 3rd –Sean and Dennis O’Riordan – 18.50 (Big Fish – 8.24).

Delta– New Jen Bass Tournaments - June 27th: 1st – Marc Jang/Curtis Matsura– 21.91 pounds (Big Fish – 7.64); 2nd: Mike Andrews/Phil Dutra – 20.26; 3rd –Tim Woltkamp – 19.25.

McClure – New Jen Bass Tournaments - June 28th: 1st – Jeff D’Alessandro/Tim Wells – 15.16 pounds; 2nd: Wayne Arnold/Sergio Mendoza – 15.03; 3rd –Vacha and Minh Vang – 13.40 (Big Fish – 6.91).

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

July 4th –

Nacimiento – San Luis Obispo Bass Ambushers

July 11th –

Delta/Sugar Barge – Dan Mathisen Outdoors

Salt Springs – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies

Don Pedro – New Jen Bass Tournaments/Riverbank Bass Anglers

McClure – Merced Bass Club

Eastman – Kings River Bass Club

Success – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

Nacimiento – Best Bass Tournaments

San Antonio – Good Ole Boys

July 11/12th –

Delta/B and W Resort – California Bass Federation

Don Pedro – Fresno Bass Club

July 12th –

Delta/Big Break Marina – New Jen Bass Tournaments

July 14th –

Pine Flat – Bakersfield Bass Club

July 18/19th –

Delta/Big Break Marina – American Bass Association

July 18th –

Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournament

McClure – Merced Bass Club

Eastman – Slay Nation Tournament

Pine Flat – Sierra Bass Club

Kaweah – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

Nacimiento – Kern County Bass Masters

July 19th –

Success – Porterville Bass Club

San Antonio – Kern County Bass Masters

July 24th –

Kaweah – Visalia Bass Club

July 25/26th –

Clear Lake – Kerman Bass Club/Best Bass Tournaments

Delta/Big Break Marina – Angler’s Press

Lake Amador – Modesto Ambassadors

Don Pedro – Golden Empire Bass Club

July 25th –

McClure – Yak-A-Bass/Merced Bass Club

Isabella – American Bass Association

July 26th –

Don Pedro – Nor Cal High School Bass Tournaments

This story was originally published June 30, 2020 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Fishing report week of July 1-7: Hensley bass, Shaver kokanee among best bets."