Fishing report for week of July 15-21: Shaver, Eastman, Wishon and Courtright 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

San Francisco salmon and halibut feeding, Trent Slate said. Shaver Lake producing mixed limits, Dick Nichols reported. Eastman kicking out bass numbers, Jake Figgs said. Isabella multispecies action good, Dave Hurley reported. Wishon and Courtright trout hitting, Kelly Brewer said. New Melones bass active, John Liechty reported. Delta bass and striper bites improve, Alan Fong said.

Key

1-Try dynamite

2-Have to work hard

3-Limits possible

4-Fish jumpin’ in boat

Triple-digit temperatures are keeping most fishermen away from the shadeless California Aqueduct during the heat of the day, but the catfish bite remains decent with blood worms, anchovies, sardines or Triple S dip bait. Heavy water releases out of San Luis Reservoir are pushing the bait into the head gates while the flows are ripping. Blood worms have been the top baits in both sections of the aqueduct.

In the southern portion in Kern County, the moss is starting to accumulate, but striped bass and catfishing is good, particularly at night. Anglers are targeting catfish with a variety of baits including Triple S dipbait, anchovies, sardines or mackerel. Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield’s July Catfish Derby is open to anyone for a $1 entry fee with the winner on July 31 taking the total entries.

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

Interesting, California’s first trophy largemouth lake is kicking out numbers of bass, but the double-digit fish have been absent. Jake Figgs of Valley Rod and Gun reported giants have been on hiatus, and the best grade is at 4.5 pounds on jigs, Trick Worms or deep-diving crankbaits around the dam or over the rockpiles. The River Rats are holding a Saturday Night Shootout this week as they were able to receive a permit to hold the tournament. The event will take place from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Cordoniz Launch Ramp. The weigh-in will be conducted by a drive-by. The lake dropped from 36% to 32%.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Figgs said, “Hensley has been about size and not numbers as it is currently the opposite of Eastman. Jigs, large 10- to 12-inch worms such as Zoom Trick Worms in Plum or Junebug along with Megabass swimbait in trout patterns worked slowly over the rockpiles or along the edges of the rockpiles. Deep-diving crankbaits in Parrot or Powder White are also working, but anglers are having to settle for one large fish. There have been largemouth bass over 12 pounds landed here within the past month. The lake dropped from 27% to 25%.

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

Bass tournaments are back on schedule, but the action was less than stellar during Saturday’s New Jen Bass Tournaments with an 11.84-pound limit taking first place. Best Bass Tournaments is holding an event this Saturday. Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing and Guide Service said, “The topwater bite has slowed down along with the numbers of bass as the fish are suspending along vertical walls with the dropping water levels.” Most trollers are heading to Lake Pardee for kokanee, and only a few of the larger grade of landlocked salmon to be found as there were no plants in 2018. The lake dropped from 82% to 81%.

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

At Lake Isabella, the largemouth bass bite is improving as the fish are suspending along vertical walls or steep bluffs with the dropping water levels. Large plastic worms or jigs with a big profile are working best. There is still a good crappie bite in the South Fork back in the trees by Camp 9, with minijigs or small to medium minnows if you can locate them. Catfishing remains outstanding with Triple S Dip bait, nightcrawlers, or cut baits, particularly at night. The lake dropped from 34% to 31%.

The upper Kern River remains solid for planted and holdover rainbow trout with live crickets, salmon eggs, nightcrawlers, jumbo red worms or Power Bait in the deeper pools, and the dry fly action has improved in the South Fork from Templeton to Kennedy Meadows. The lower river is still holding over 1,000 cfs, and smallmouth bass and catfish are the top species.

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

Kaweah continues to drop steadily from its apex of only a few months ago, and the dropping water levels have the bass suspending. Bass fishermen are having to work hard around the windows during periods of heavy recreational boating, but there are some quality largemouths to be had. Gary Wasson of Visalia caught and released a 6-pound largemouth bass this week, and the best action remains with plastics on the drop-shot or lizards. The public launch ramps, private marinas and day-use recreation areas are open, but the Visitor Center, campgrounds and group picnic shelters remain closed. All tournaments have been postponed. The lake dropped from 36% to 24%.

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company said, “Bass fishing is fair at best as the high temperatures have slowed down the action. Finesse worms, Senkos, jigs, and lizards are working best in the early mornings or evenings.” The Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments held an event over the weekend, and the winning team put in a very healthy limit including a big fish over 9 pounds. The lake dropped slightly to 53%.

In the Tule River, Stokke said, “The flows are perfect, and the bite is good to excellent on dry flies, nymphs, and Woolly Buggers. Stimulators, ants, caddis and hopper patterns are doing excellent. Copper John and stone fly nymphs with an indicator are also working well as are black/orange Woolly Buggers. Regular plants of rainbows are occurring at the campgrounds and at Balch Park.”

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

Two tournaments were held at the lake over the weekend, but the limits were limited to say the least with the Merced Bass Club’s night tournament only requiring 7 pounds to cash a check. Seventy-one boats participated in the Wild West Bass Trails Kayak tournament on Saturday, but only two-thirds of the field measured bass. Cook said, “The bite has gotten tougher as the bass are suspending at depths from 15 to 40 feet in waters from 30 to 250 feet deep. With the dropping water over the next few weeks, you have to get on the lake either early or late as this will be the only time there are bass in the shallows. Jigs, tubes or Senkos on a Neko-rig are working best in the main lake over rocky structure or steep vertical walls. Eleven-year old Austin Avila of Atwater landed a 9-pound largemouth bass with me on a 3.5-inch Dry Creek tube in green pumpkin on a 1/4-ounce dart head.”

Catfishing is solid with chicken livers or nightcrawlers along muddy, sloping banks.

The lake dropped from 70% to 67%.

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

Minimal change here as the lake has become primarily a recreational boating and swimming lake instead of a fishing lake during the summer months. The intermittent holdover rainbow bite 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

Figgs said, “It’s been ‘Dink City’ at this lake with recreational boat traffic dominating the waters during the daytime hours. It’s all about finesse, and plastics on the drop-shot are producing numbers of spots to 1.75 pounds while the best cut of spotted bass is found in deeper water about Finegold with Senkos.” American shad are also continuing to migrate up the river arm. Recreational boat traffic is heavy after 10 a.m., particularly on the weekends. The lake dropped from 74% to 67%, and boats have to be off of the water by 8 p.m.

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 kokanee are scarce due to the lack of planting in 2018, but the few fish in the lake are huge. James Franco, dedicated kokanee fisherman, found kokanee to 19.5 inches over the weekend in the southern portion of the lake with the fish hugging the bottom. Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service has been concentrating on numbers at Pardee, but he prefers the size of the few Melones kokanee using J-Pex lures behind a gold-plated Mag Tackle dodger at depths to 75 feet. John Liechty of Xperience Bass Fishing Guide Service has been taking morning and afternoon half-day trips, and he said, “We found solid action for 20 spotted and largemouth bass on Monday using finesse techniques of plastics on a Ned-rig, shaky head or drop-shot along with Senkos or jigs. With the dropping water, the bass are suspending off of vertical rockwalls with at least a 45-degree angler or steep bluff walls around 15 feet in 40 feet of water. The bass are holding in the shallows in the early mornings from 5:30 to 7:30 a.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. There are three separate windows for working in shallower water as a mudline forms in the afternoons between 1 and 3 p.m., and if you can stand the heat, there is a reaction bite along the mudline. The topwater bite has been on an off, but it has been less consistent than last week.” Liechty has also found a great bite with small swimbaits for bass, bluegill and crappie. The lake dropped from 71% to 70%.

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

Figgs reported the bass are scattered with the dropping water levels, and the best action has been on the main lake near the dam in the early mornings or late afternoons with topwater lures such as buzzbaits, Zara Spooks in Okie Shad, KVD Sexy Dawgs or Whopper Ploppers in Black Loon or Powder White as the shad are busting on the surface. The Junior Spook in Lavender Shad or white flukes are also effective. When the bass are suspended, plastics on the dart head or wacky-rigged Senkos in shad patterns are best as the bass are following the shad schools. Trout anglers have been drifting bait in the upper lake above Rattlesnake and Secata Creeks. The lake dropped from 61% to 54%.

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

Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said, “Falling water, heat and wind have continued to keep the troll and minnow bite on the slow side The water is still dropping a half-foot per day, and the wind has been the biggest issue for the last month with heavy winds keeping anglers off the lake one day, followed by the next day with early light winds then sudden breezes after lunch with big rollers. I fished with a friend on Saturday in the 100-degree-plus heat with my regular Lucky Crafts in shad colors at about 40 to 70 feet around points off the Romero Visitor Center for most of the day for 15 fish to 24 inches. I had to work hard to not only find fish but to get them to bite. The water temps are about 75 degrees with moderate algae making water clarity about 3 feet. Areas like Lone Oak and Portuguese Cove don’t seem to be producing much right now, and I would suggest staying in the main lake area. The West Wall and Dinosaur are decent bets, too, staying in water less than 80 feet. We are hoping the lake will stop dropping soon.” There are some large striped bass available on occasion as Felipe Espino of Gilroy caught and released a 38-inch striped bass trolling a JKings lure at 60 feet. The lake dropped from 51% to 50%.

In the O’Neill Forebay, Josh Meza of Coyote Bait and Tackle said, “Similar to last week, pile worms, blood worms, anchovies and frozen shad are the top producers for striped bass ranging from 10 to 20 inches near the bridges at Highway 33 or 152. Trollers are running Lucky Crafts or Rebels in the deeper locations on the lake. There is a topwater or swimbait bite early or late. The weed growth is ramping up with the hot weather. Undersized striped bass remain the rule.”

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

Heavy recreational boat traffic continues to limit the ability for trollers on the weekends or after 9 a.m. on weekdays, and Mike Beighey of Bass Lake Fishing is only operating on the weekdays due to safety concerns. Small rainbow trout along with the occasional huge kokanee to 18.75 inches are the rule trolling Mag Tackle’s hoochie spinners behind a Rocky Mountain Tackle’s orange Sunburst dodger. Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawlers behind a dodger, or blade/’crawler combinations. Few bass fishermen are launching boats, and those targeting the spotted or largemouth bass are working the docks with Senkos or jigs on a 1/4-ounce head.

The lake dropped slightly to 95%. Lake webcams and conditions: basslakeca.com/index.php.

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

Edison held at 50%, Florence dropped to 79% and Mammoth Pool dropped to 86%.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake continues to consistently kick out mixed limits of rainbow trout and kokanee, and the recently-planted golden trout are starting to generate some size. Boat traffic remains very heavy on the weekends, and it is important to get in and off the water early on the weekend. Experienced trollers are scoring with a variety of gear, and there are still a number of the larger third-year kokanee remaining in the lake; however, the numbers are dwindling as the season progresses. A small grade of smallmouth bass are abundant around the rocks adjacent to the shorelines. The lake is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Camping at Edison Campground is anticipated to open by the coming weekend.

Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters said, “It was another great week of fishing at Shaver. Even though the water level closing in on a near maximum height, the trout bite turned on allowing us to fill limits for everyone on board over the past seven days. We continue to fish the triangle between Shaver Marina, the Point and the south side of the island; and although depths have varied some, most kokanee and trout are 20 to 50 feet down. Among those fishing this week were Wayne Green and his sons, Mike and John of Fresno, and the trio caught and released 23 mixed fish in a few hours. By the seventh consecutive day, Chris Mathis of Fresno and his buddy Dustin of Sacramento had their limits of mixed fish by 7:30 a.m. With a surface water temperature of 70 degrees, the fish have not gone deep in the water column. Our side poles are working better than the down riggers with Trout Busters tipped with crawler and corn behind a weighted Mountain Flasher which puts us in the 20- to 25-foot levels right where the fish have been. We continue to use Mountain Koke Busters in pink or pink/purple Mountain Hoochies tipped with scented corn behind Mountain Dodgers. Most of the rainbows are plump in the 14- to 16-inch range while the kokanee are ranging from 13 to 17 inches. Shaver regular Jay Irvine and his guests were using Koke Busters behind a Mountain Dodger and picked up 16 mixed fish in a short time on Saturday. The ratio of trout and kokanee has reversed with two trout to one kokanee being the norm.”

Todd Wittwer of Kokanee.net Guide Service is working during the week only to avoid the heavy recreational boat traffic on the weekends, and he said, “We are experiencing pretty solid fishing with the pink Radical Glow Tube behind a pink Rocky Mountain Splatter Moonshine dodger along with the Double-Glow pink hoochie at depths from 38 to 65 feet. We have been picking up a few of the larger third-year kokanee on most every trip, and they have been coming at varying depths. The trout have been taken as deep as 60 feet, and we caught and released a golden trout at 62 feet. The majority of the goldens are in the 9- to 11-inch range, but there is a group of them that have reached 13 inches already. They are a thin fish will minimal meat upon them unlike a rainbow trout.”

Tom Oliviera of MAG Tackle was out on Sunday, and he put young Coen Stivers of Hanford onto some huge trophy kokanee at 17.25, 18 and 10 inches using MAG Tackle gear.

Shaver rose from 85% to 88%. Sierra Marina launch ramp webcam: sierramarina.com/camera.html.

At upstream Huntington, the lake is receiving more attention for trollers working for limits of rainbow trout and kokanee, but the grade of both species is much smaller than at downstream Shaver Lake. Pink or pink/purple hoochies along with Dick’s Trout or Koke Busters are effective at depths to 40 feet. The lake held at 98%.

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 Village RV Park and Store reported the need for power generation in the central valley has led to the lake being lowered, and PG&E took out the docks this week. The lake rose a bit by the end of the week, and boaters are still launching on the dirt road, but it takes some effort. With last week’s trout plant, the action has improved considerably with blade/’crawler combinations or Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler behind a dodger from the surface to 30 feet. Shore fishing has improved with rainbow trout dough bait being the best option at the mouth of Short Hair Creek or along the launch ramp or dam.

At Courtright, Brewer reported the lake remains full, and trout fishermen continue to score limits of planted and holdover rainbows to 19 inches running blade/’crawler combinations, Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler behind a dodger, or small spoons at depths from the surface to 20 feet. With the docks removed from Wishon, more boaters are making the longer trip to Courtright. Bank fishing remains fair overall with the best action with rainbow trout dough bait in early mornings or late evenings are best near the dam or the launch ramp.

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.

Scheduled by California Department of Fish and Wildlife:

Week of July 12

Fresno County: Dinkey Creek, Hume Lake, Kings River below Pine Flat Dam, Mono Creek, Portal Forebay, San Joaquin River South Fork, Tamarack Creek, Ward Lake

Inyo County: Bishop Creek (Lower), Lone Pine Creek, Owens River (below Tinnemaha and Section 2)

Kern County: Kern River (Sections 4 and 5)

Mono County: Crowley Lake, Owens River (Section 3)

Tulare County: Balch Park Lake (Lower and Upper), Deer Creek, Hedrick Pond (Redwood Lake), Kern River (Section 5), Tule River (Middle Fork and South Fork Middle Fork Nos. 2 and 3), White River

Week of July 19

Fresno County: Courtright Reservoir, Huntington Lake

Inyo County: Bishop Creek (Lower), Lone Pine Creek, Owens River (below Tinnemaha and Section 2)

Kern County: Kern River (Sections 4 and 5)

Mono County: Crowley Lake, Owens River (Section 3)

Tulare County: Big Meadows Creek, Kern River (Sections 5 and 6), Nobe Young Creek, Peppermint Creek (Lower), Stony Creek

Tuolumne County: Cherry Valley Reservoir

Week of July 26

Fresno County: Courtright Reservoir, Dinkey Creek, Kings River below Pine Flat Dam, Mono Creek, Portal Forebay, San Joaquin River (South Fork), Ward Lake, Wishon Reservoir

Inyo County: Bishop Creek (Lower), Lone Pine Creek, Owens River (below Tinnemaha and Section 2)

Kern County: Kern River (Sections 4 and 5)

Madera County: Chiquito Creek (Lower),, Granite Creek (West Fork)

Mono County: Crowley Lake, Owens River (Section 3)

Tulare County: Kern River (Section 5)

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

Salmon 2 Rockfish 3 Stripers 2 Surf Perch 2=

Captain Dennis Baxter of the New Captain Pete loaded up with limits of salmon to 27 pounds on Saturday, but Sunday was a different story with the bite going belly up north of the harbor as they struggled for one salmon for 10 anglers. The Huli Cat had a similar day as they ended up with 3 salmon to 10 pounds working shallow water off of Pedro Point. Captain Michael Cabanas said the obvious, “It was a tough bite today with the majority of the day being at the bottom of the tide.”

For the private boater and kayaker, the north end of the harbor entrance buoys on the Maverick’s Reef side have been producing limits of salmon in the mornings and evening when the weather is cooperative.

The Pacifica Municipal Pier is open from 4:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily, but 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.

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 2 Surf Perch 3 Halibut 3

Chris Arcoleo of Chris’s Landing in Monterey said, “The salmon bite has slowed, and we only landed a few on Sunday. Saturday was a different story with a number of salmon lost as most of the anglers were using rent rods so this was their first time out for this experience. We had four salmon on a rockcod boat so there are salmon all over the place in Monterey Bay. Rockfishing remains excellent with a few lings although we haven’t been able to make it south to Point Sur due to the weather. We have openings during the week, but the weekends are basically full. The commercial salmon season restarts on Monday, and we shall see what they find.” 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, “Despite the gusty winds lately, anglers on the Monterey Bay are finding good fishable conditions, especially in the early mornings. And, there’s plenty to catch right now as the summertime fishing pattern settles in. Rockfish and lingcod remain as the most abundant and accessible species to target in and around Monterey Bay. Any reef or rocky area can hold bottom dwelling rockfish and lings, and we’re actually seeing a fair presence of mid-water “schoolie” rockfish such as olives, blues and yellows. These fish can be found as shallow as 40 feet of water. The charter operations usually fish a bit deeper, for increased size and abundance. Patchy red tide conditions are still limiting catches somewhat. The algae bloom is not pervasive. Skippers can usually find clear water by taking a short hop or two. Searching for clear water can make all the difference. Go Fish Santa Cruz Charters has been frequenting the deeper reefs off of Natural Bridges and Davenport and are doing quite well. Last weekend’s trip to the 120-foot reefs resulted in limits for all aboard, and a return to the dock by 10 a.m. In Monterey and Santa Cruz, there are plenty of small halibut in the shallows right now. And, some bigger ones are lurking in the deeper water. Kayak angler John DelRosario fished the DelMonte Beach area of Monterey this week for multiple halibut hookups, including a fat 36-incher, his personal best from the kayak so far. Other reports indicate halibut catches from the West Side of Santa Cruz, Mile Buoy, Capitola and Pajaro areas. The majority of the halibut are being caught in 35-60 feet of water. The halibut are biting on herring, squid, anchovies, pearl Big Hammers, and purple haze hoochies. Anglers on the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf are pulling halibut over the rail using live anchovies or anchovy swimbaits. Most are undersized, but diligent anglers are hooking legal halibut over 22 inches on a daily basis. A round crab net with a long rope is a necessity for landing the legal flatties. Evening fishing from the wharf could result in striped bass as well. “

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 Leopard shark 2 Sturgeon 2

Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters is one of the only boats mooching for salmon along the Marin coastline, and he has been putting his passengers onto near-limits to limits of big salmon to 25 pounds with the grade of salmon all from 16 pounds onward. He found the ocean alive on Friday off of Stinson Beach with 6 limits of salmon to 25 pounds along with a bonus 18-pound striped bass, but he went back Saturday to the same location off of the cabins that we found so much life on Friday, and the cupboard was bare as the bait that was so thick was not present. He ended up loading up with 8 big salmon for his charter, and the best location was in open water without bait present.

One of the captains that did find the salmon off of Mussel Rock on Saturday was Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing. Mitchell said, “I stopped short of the fleet when I found an area above Pacifica that looked fishy, and we put in 5 limits of salmon within a few hours. Since I had live bait on the boat, and I knew about the lights out action for halibut on the bar, we made some drifts on the South Bar for 8 more halibut to 25 pounds.

Mitchell did it again on Sunday with 7 limits of salmon to 27 pounds, but this time he ran north towards Duxbury, once again stopping on a location away from the fleet that looked ‘fishy.’ He said, “My deckhand and son, James, was able to reel in his first salmon-ever, and it was one to remember at 27 pounds.” Mitchell put in limit of salmon again on Monday. Mitchell is now full for July, but he is booking salmon trips in August.

The bars were the location for halibut over the weekend, and on Sunday, Slate switched things up by picking up live bait and heading for the Marin coast. The original plan was to start drifting for salmon near Bolinas before coming back to the North Bar for halibut. However, upon arrival outside of the Gate, Slate determined that is was time to make some drifts, and on their first drift, they landed 4 halibut to 25 pounds. The next drift produced the same results, and soon they had 5 limits of halibut of a mixed grade with several large one. As the salmon bite had slowed up north, they made a run into the bay for striped bass, first stopping at Raccoon Straits for nothing before running to Red Rock. Slate started tossing out some live bait, and within seconds, the bass were boiling on the surface around the boat. Using a live bait rig with only 1-ounce of weight, they had 5 limits of striped bass to 6 pounds within a few minutes.

The party boats working the bars loaded up with huge scores of halibut over the weekend with the Happy Hooker out of Berkeley putting in 20 limits by 12:00 on Sunday after scoring 18 limits by 12:30 and a bonus 65-pound white sea bass on Saturday. Captain Chris Smith on the beautiful Pacific Dream out of Berkeley also loaded up with limits of halibut on Sunday with another 21 limits of halibut on Monday on a Phenix Rods special trip. The Pacific Dream has plenty of availability during the week, and Smith is dropping his price on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays to $175/angler. They weren’t the only big boat posting limits since Quang Vo on the Goldeneye also spanked them pretty hard. It’s an epic bite right now, and if you want halibut, don’t wait until the tides get larger again. The lack of a market for halibut with the restaurants closed has contributed to limited commercial dragging outside of the Gate.

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, Avenger, and Starfire were out on Sunday with 54 anglers for 85 vermilion, 35 copper, 2 Boccaccio, 408 assorted rockfish a 12-pound ling cod along one ling cod to 5 pounds. Greg Torres of Hanford landed the big sheephead on the Endeavor with Ryan Avila of Tulare taking the jackpot on the Starfire with a 5-pound vermilion. Also out of Morro Bay at Virg’s Landing, the Fiesta and Black Pearl were out on Monday with 43 anglers for near limits of rockfish composed of 196 vermilion, 42 copper, 19 Boccaccio, 141 assorted rockfish, 2 ocean whitefish, 2 rock sole, and a ling cod Tim Anderson of Delano took the jackpot on the Black Pearl with a 5.3-pound vermilion while Dominic Gordon of Clovis took the jackpot on the Fiesta with a 5-pound vermilion. Out of Port San Luis, the Patriot took two half-day trips on Sunday with the Flying Fish on a ¾-day trip with 55 anglers for limits of rockfish comprised of 111 vermilion, 15 copper, 11 Boccaccio, 413 assorted rockfish, and a single ling cod. All ports are running a variety of trips from ½- day to long range ventures far from the harbor.

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 3 Sturgeon 2 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2

Just like a light switch was turned on, the striped bass are making their migration into the Sacramento-Delta within the past two weeks. It is still very early, but small groups of big linesides are starting their trek into the Delta. Traditionally, the striped bass will follow the salmon migration, and since the river salmon opener is this Thursday, July 16th, they are arriving right on time. Anglers are starting to get prepared for the river salmon opener by purchasing heavy spinners such as Vee-Zee’s or Mepp’s Flying C’s, but the action is generally fairly limited at the start of the season. Judging from the bulk of fish currently in the ocean, 2020 will prove to be a tremendous year for river salmon anglers.

The striped bass trollers have returned to the Delta so that means the striped bass are back. Clyde Wands, shallow trolling expert, was out with Dave Houston on Thursday, and he said, “It was overall a slow day for us, but we did land two fat 8-pound stripers that look like they just arrived from the bay. We release a skinny 20-inch striper that looked like it had been here for a while.”

Another dedicated troller, Ron Retzlaff of Orangevale, was out this past week, and they caught and released 10 striped bass to 10 pounds.

The West Bank seems to be the place to be trollers as the stripers are already on their way back into the Delta.

Rick Tietz of Blade Runner Spoons was in the Sacramento Deep Water Channel this week, and he said, “We found a nice school of stripers, spooning about 30 linesides with the 2.5-ounce UV Black working best.”

Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento, said, “I was up on the north Delta in Liberty Island, but I could only land small stripers so I switched over to targeting the northern largemouth bass with chatterbaits for a limit around 13 pounds out of the 20 fish caught and released. There have been some larger stripers taken in Liberty up to 20 pounds, but you have to know what you are doing to go in there along with hitting it on the right tide.”

In the Freeport area, Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle said, “We are ready for the river salmon opener as anglers are buying up Slammer Minnows and Slammer Spinners in addition to Flying C’s. Striped bass are still in the system, and although the majority of linesides are undersized, bank fishermen are scoring with sardines, pile worms, or cut bait coated with garlic spray. Catfish are taken near the airport with chicken liver or mackerel while smallmouth bass are all around the rocky shorelines on the Sacramento River for those drifting live minnows or plastics on a drop-shot rig. Bluegill are everywhere in the sloughs with jumbo red worms, red worms, or mini-crawlers.”

Dave Sharp of Marina Bait and Tackle in Suisun City said, “Guys continue to come in to purchase ghost shrimp and grass shrimp to target striped bass in the Delta, but most of our customers are buying up trays and trays of anchovies for the hot halibut bite inside and outside of the bay.” Marina Bait allows 5 customers in the shop at a time, and all customers must wear a mask.

Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait said, “We just put out the Vee-Zee Spinners on Saturday, and the interest has been high for this coming Thursday. Pile worms are a hot ticket as we went through seven boxes over the weekend along with grass shrimp. The shrimp remains small, and it normally doesn’t get any bigger until the end of August into September.”

Triple-digit temperatures arrived during the middle of last week, and the consistency of the heat has contributed to an improved bite for largemouth bass. With the excessive heat, the larger bass are less active, and they are holding either under shade or in the deepest water. In the sloughs, bluegill and perch are the top species, and catfish are there for the taking. 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 Sacramento River as salmon fishing is restricted in the San Joaquin River.

The Wild West Bass Trails held a one-day Team Event out of Russo’s Marina on Bethel Island this past Saturday with 140 boats participating, and the team of Ernest and Ernie Lujan took first with a 25.13-pound five-fish limit. The top three places were within 4 tenths of a pound.

Dan Mathisen of Dan’s Delta Outdoors was out throwing frogs onthis week, and he said, “The bite was tough, but we dumped two giants that didn’t get hooked deep enough. The combination of no water movement and the recent full moon are a tough combination. I have been using the Boom Boom Fred’s Frog along with the Baby Duck.”

Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors said, “We are finding a decent Whopper Plopper bite, and my regular Wednesday night partner ended up with a 16-pound limit after picking up a quick limit punching before working to upgrade for larger fish tossing the black/yellow Whopper Plopper. He did find a larger fish at 6 pounds to upgrade his limit. There are a lot of baby blackbirds hopping around right now, and this lure mimics the birds.”

Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, advised working deep water for the larger fish as the big ones are holding in major current. Anglers focusing on the banks will land good numbers of a smaller grade of bass. I will use a Berkley Hit Worm in Bold Bluegill on a Zappu Head on a spinning rod. The bass are feeding on bluegill, and this plastic has more movement on the current along with a chartreuse and brown side. Green pumpkin/red flake is another good option as it has the red for crawdads.”

Pringle is hosting the two-day Delta Blow Out on August 1/2nd out of Russo’s Marina, and any topwater lure can be used at this specialty tournament – frogs, walking baits, poppers, etc.

Kris Huff of Stockton took the Wednesday evening Ladd’s Shootout with a 21.51-pound limit and Big Fish at 6.63 using Scum Frogs on Phenix Rod in heavy cover in open water..

In the south Delta, frozen bait or nightcrawlers are dominating sales for catfish or panfish for the shoreline locations of Whiskey Slough, Bacon Island Road, and Eight Mile Road. Fresh shad is still unavailable.

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

Lake Nacimiento/San Antonio/Santa Margarita/Lopez

Bass 3 White bass 2 Striper 0 Catfish 2 Crappie 2 Bluegill 2

The boat pressure at Lake Nacimiento remains heavy on the weekends, and the best time for fishing is in the early mornings or evenings during the weekdays. There is a good spotted bass bite with topwater lures, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, or underspins in the mornings and evenings, and an occasional white bass will hit the lures. The most consistent action is with small plastics on the bottom at depths to 20 feet. Crappie are found with minijigs around submerged structure at 20 feet while catfish are biting cut baits soaked in garlic scent. The lake dropped from 43 to 41 percent. A webcam of the lake is available at http://www.lakenacimientolive.com/. At Lopez, the bass bite remains inconsistent, but there are some quality bass to 6 pounds taken on occasion with deep-diving crankbaits, spinnerbaits, or chatterbaits while the most consistent action remains on the bottom with plastics on the drop-shot or Texas-rig along with Senkos on a wacky-rig. Bluegill and red ear perch are taken on red worms or jumbo red worms while a few holdover rainbow trout are found in the deepest portions of the lake by trollers running small spoons. A webcam of the lake is available at http://805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam/. The bass bite at Santa Margarita remains fair at best for largemouth bass, but there have been some quality largemouths to 6 pounds taken on topwater lures or deep-diving crankbaits. Similar to the other coastal reservoirs, the most consistent action is on the bottom or along steep bluff walls with plastics on a drop-shot, Texas-rig, or Ned-rig. Catfish are found on mackerel or anchovies soaked in garlic. The operating hours at San Antonio have been extended from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekends only. The panfish bite has improved considerably with crappie landed on minijigs around structure while bluegill are taken on meal worms or red worms at depths to 15 feet. Catfish remain a good possibility with cut baits, but the bass bite remains limited. The lake dropped from 28 to 27 percent.

Events

Tournament Results

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Wild West Bass Trails Teams – July 11th: 1st –Ernest and Ernie Lujan – 25.13 pounds; 2nd: John and Tyler Madden – 24.89; 3rd –Peter Bizzini/Jake Banuelos – 24.73.

Salt Springs Reservoir – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies – July 11th: 1st –Jose Hernandez/Robert Martinez – 22.14 pounds; (Big Fish – 6.06 pounds) 2nd: Jeff Cassell/Clayton Lauchland – 13.45; 3rd – Rich Stephens/Eric Cates– 12.60.

Don Pedro– New Jen Bass Tournaments– July 11th: 1st –Keith Rakoncza/Kyle Rasmussen – 11.84 pounds; 2nd: Steve Riggs/Russ Kidder – 11.65 (Big Fish – 3.49); 3rd – Chase Lloyd/Brandon Miller – 11.51.

Success – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments – July 11th: 1st – David Coy/Jerry Williams – 22.78-pounds (Big Fish – 9.40 pounds); 2nd: James Beasley/Brandon Turner–20.44; 3rd – Gary Wasson/Joe Baeza – 16.66.

Nacimiento –Best Bass Tournaments – July 11th: 1st – Jason and Geno Lazzerini – 11.07 pounds; 2nd: Scott Mullins/Troy Tidwell – 10.94 (Big Fish – 3.60); 3rd – Harlin and Kyle Hansen – 10.66.

Delta/Big Break Marina - New Jen Bass Tournaments– July 12th: 1st –Isaac and Tom Budelsilich – 21.63 pounds; 2nd: Juan Acosta/Mark Gomez – 21.40; 3rd – Andy Doudna/Andrew Kobayashi – 21.13 (Big Fish – 6.99).

Lake McClure – Wild West Bass Trails Kayak Tournament– July 12th: 1st – Scott Savko – 77 inches; 2nd: Aiden Walden – 76 inches; 3rd – John Meyers – 76 inches, 4th – Damian Thao – 75.25 inches.

Upcoming Tournaments (Subject to Change)

July 18/19th –

Delta/Big Break Marina – American Bass Association

July 18th –

Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournament

McClure – Merced Bass Club

Pine Flat – Sierra Bass Club

Nacimiento – Kern County Bass Masters

July 19th –

San Antonio – Kern County Bass Masters

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 July 14, 2020 at 12:31 PM with the headline "Fishing report for week of July 15-21: Shaver, Eastman, Wishon and Courtright among best bets."