Fishing report for week of July 22-28: Pine Flat 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

San Francisco salmon and halibut hitting, Steve Mitchell said. Shaver kokanee active, Dick Nichols reported. Pine Flat bass biting, Jake Figgs said. Delta bass and stripers on tap, Dave Hurley reported. Monterey salmon delight anglers, Keith Semper said. Don Pedro kokanee emerging, Kyle Wise reported.

Key

1-Try dynamite

2-Have to work hard

3-Limits possible

4-Fish jumpin’ in boat

Heavy water releases out of San Luis Reservoir are pushing the bait into the headgates, and Jake Figgs of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported Magnum Flukes in white ice or plain white are working along with Duo Realis jerkbaits. The hard baits have been difficult to obtain as the supply chains have been disrupted and the warehouses are running out of inventory with the tremendous demand over the past few months since the arrival of the pandemic.

In the southern portion in Kern County, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait and Bakersfield said, “The moss is accumulating, and we could sell out all of the blood worms and big minnows that we could get our hands onto. Anglers are targeting catfish with a variety of baits including Triple S dipbait, anchovies, sardines or mackerel while striped bass are taken on anchovies, sardines, blood worms or minnows.”

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

California’s first trophy largemouth lake remains devoid of trophy largemouths. Figgs reported numbers in the 1.5- to 2-pound range are taken on Senkos or jigs over the submerged island tops or rockpiles. The deep-diving crankbait bite has been slow. The River Rats held a night tournament on Saturday night for the first tournament on the lake in months, and the winning four-fish weight was only 10 pounds, far less than a normal Eastman standard. The lake dropped from 32% to 29%.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Figgs reported, “Fewer numbers, but quality largemouth bass are the story at Hensley, and the few large fish are taken on reaction lures such as the Strike King XD10 or Mega Bass 7.5 deep-diving crankbaits in craw patterns, Parrot, or Powder Blue back with chartreuse over the rockpiles, edge of the dam, or submerged islands.” The lake dropped from 27% to 22%.

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

The kokanee bite is a sleeper here as few trollers are working the lake, but Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service was on the lake this week for limits of kokanee in the 15- to 16-inch range at 50 to 60 feet working open water over the river channel from Jenkins Hill to Hatch Creek. He said, “The kokanee are super clean, and I expect the lake to kick out quality kokanee for the coming months as they haven’t even started to turn yet.”

For largemouth bass, Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing and Guide Service said, “It’s a pretty tough bite at Pedro right now as the water is also dropping. The best thing going is a 3.5-inch Finesse tube on a 1/4-ounce dart head as 60% to 70% of our fish are coming off this setup. The bass are suspended along steep bluff or vertical walls along with main lake points. They are also out on the humps or island tops with a drop-shot. The reaction bite is slow, but I think you can do well with a deep-diving crankbait such as a Strike King 10XD.”

The lake dropped from 81% to 80%.

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

At Lake Isabella, an algae bloom is starting to form with the water of the lake turning green, but this hasn’t stopped the crappie bite in the South Fork with minijigs in the deep brush or the catfish at night with minnows if you can locate them. Catfishing remains outstanding with Triple S Dip bait, nightcrawlers, or cut baits. Bass fishing is decent with plastics or deep-diving crankbaits. Interest in fishing has been on the decline since the lake turned green. The lake dropped from 31% to 29%.

Cormier said, “The upper Kern River at Kernville Park has been excellent for planted rainbows with live crickets, salmon eggs, nightcrawlers, jumbo red worms or Power Bait while the lower river below the dam is kicking out largemouth and smallmouth bass along with catfish, and the occasional rainbow trout.”

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. The lake is only at 19%. The best action is on the bottom with plastics on the drop-shot or lizards. All tournaments have been postponed.

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company said, “Bass fishing has been tougher on the weekends will all of the boating and swimming taking place at the lake, but during the week, the conditions are more favorable. The lake is dropping, and the bass are suspending and moving into other areas. Once the bass are located, lizards, Senkos, plastics on a Ned-rig or jigs are working best. The heat is also a factor as the best action is taking place in the early mornings or late evenings. The lake dropped from 53% to 45%.

In the Tule River, Stokke said, “The river is fishing excellent for native as I fished two sections on the Middle Fork this past week. I worked the flat section toward Camp Nelson and landed rainbows and brown trout using black Woolly Buggers. The next day, I fished the big pools in the lower section and landed several rainbows in the 14- to 16-inch range in each pool. The bite was very aggressive, and between the two days, I caught and released between 75 and 100 trout for my best two days in a couple of years.”

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

Cook said, “The lake is dropping precipitously, and the bass bite has gotten tough. It’s still decent for numbers, but the size has been limited. The bass are suspended, and they are not chasing. We have been finding our best action with a 4-inch Zoom Finesse worm in green pumpkin on a 1/4-ounce drop-shot weight and dragged slowly on the bottom around main lake points. The bass are holding on the points or steep bluff walls. The reaction bite has been slow, but I imagine that deep-diving crankbaits may be effective.” Catfishing is solid with chicken livers or nightcrawlers along muddy, sloping banks. The lake dropped from 70% to 62%.

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

Intermittent holdover rainbow trout are possible 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, but the lack of trout plants has affected fishing action. The main focus for the afterbay of Lake McClure is recreational activities on the water park.

Call: McSwain Marina 209-378-2534

Figgs reported the best action is with finesse techniques of wacky-rigged Senkos or Strike King’s Fat Finesse worms at depths from 15 to 20 feet. The reaction bite remains slow as the fish are suspended with the dropping water levels. He said, “The bass are all over the lake and in the river arm, and the best locations in the main lake have been East Bay or Winchell’s Cove and along the Finegold wall.” The lake dropped from 67% to 61%. Park hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Boats on the water after dark are required to have navigation lights and observe a 5 mph speed limit.

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

Kokanee is either feast or famine as Sean McCardle and Mike Nichols found the Mother Lode on Saturday with limits of kokanee to 18 inches using F5 or F4 Flatfish on the bottom, but they found the fish gone in the exact same location on Sunday. The big kokanee are holding tight to the bottom. John Liechty of Xperience Bass Fishing Guide Service said, “We have been primarily using finesse techniques such as plastics on a Ned-rig, shaky head or drop-shot as the bass are loading up on crawdads. The Zoom Z-Craw on a 3/16-ounce shaky head in crawdad pattern is a good option as the bass are working over the crawdads. If you feel the line stop or start swimming away, it is time to set the hook as the bass will swim away from others before spitting out and softening up the crawdads. The bass are shallow from 15 to 25 feet, and with the water turning off-color, it is important to use some contrast. Plastics in green pumpkin with a gold flake are also effective as the water is turning a greenish tinge, particularly in the river arm. There might be a swimbait, crankbait, and topwater bite on occasion, but we have been focusing upon finesse techniques for the most action. The bass are holding on straight vertical walls or steep banks, but they are also on long tapers and over the island tops.”

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 said there are two different bites with most action in the main lake around the dam or Zebe Creek with topwater action early or late with Whopper Ploppers or buzzbaits without a clacker while the river arm is a finesse bite with the bass holding shallow in the submerged willow trees or stumps. Use plastics on a Neko-rig such as the Yamamoto/Diawa Neko Fat in Baby Bass along with Robo Worms or Senkos in greens. Shad activity has primarily been in the main lake. A few trout trollers are working up the river arm, but most trout fishermen are heading to Shaver, Wishon or Courtright.

The lake dropped from 54% to 47%.

The lower Kings is running high with the water releases.

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

Roger George of Roger George Guide Service reported a decent bite for school-sized stripers for shore anglers using bait as well as for boaters fishing minnows, anchovies or shad in the restricted zone right near the Trash Racks. He said, “There’s been a flood of boat anglers launching and heading straight for the racks recently, and they are fishing right by the towers for limits of barely-legal stripers that are massed there. Regular anglers are concerned that these boats are removing numbers of the very small striped bass in the restricted zone. Weve seen shore anglers cleaning fish that look like they’re way below legal, too. The regular trolling bite has been tough so they’re all focused on the Trash Racks even though the fish are small. I had guests on Friday, and the lake never opened up due to the wind. I tried again on Monday with two friends, getting on the lake at noon, and we released 15 school fish trolling Lucky Crafts at about 60 feet. I got one good bite in the windy conditions and the 35-inch, 15-pounder I weighed on my Boga was in beautiful shape. We had to continually move from area to area to find active fish. I would focus on the main lake at depths from 40 to 70 feet with Lucky Crafts or P-Line Predator-type lures right now. Trollers are averaging a few fish per rod in the 18- to 20-inch range. The Basalt dock is down to only one section while the rangers wait for the lake to fall more so they can attach the dock to the lower cable. This is making it very hard for anglers launching boats alone to keep off the ramp . It’s also problematic when the wind and rollers come from the north or northwest. Dinosaur might be the best choice now.”

The lake dropped from 50% to 48%.

In the O’Neill Forebay, Anthony Flores of Coyote Bait and Tackle said, “There is tremendous interest in shore fishing near the Highway 152 Bridge or around Check 12 when the water is moving. Bank fishermen are culling through undersized linesides with anchovies, pile worms or blood worms. There is a topwater bite in the afternoons along with ripbaits, but undersized striped bass remain the rule.” The lake dropped from 61% to 54%.

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

Guides are not working on the weekend due to heavy recreational boat traffic, and the boat traffic begins after 8 a.m. during the weekdays, as well. Small rainbow trout are the rule with a variety of gear including Wedding Rings tipped with a piece of nightcrawler behind a dodger or blade/’crawler combinations, but the large kokanee over 18 inches are a rarity now. With the boat traffic and the Sheriff’s Motor Fee enforced, few bass fishermen are launching boats. With the warmer water, the weed growth is forming.

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%.

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

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver remains the most consistent lake in the Central Sierra for kokanee, but the action has been fluctuating between tremendous to a scratch and back to outstanding for trollers. The numbers of the larger third-year kokanee continue to diminish as they are removed from the lake, and this is a result of the lack of planting kokanee fingerlings in 2018. There has been a small population of self-sustaining spawning fish, and these survivors are the current third-year kokanee. A heavy plant a few weeks ago from the Department of Fish and Wildlife has contributed to improved action for rainbow trout for trollers, but the numbers are on a decline with the fishing pressure. The bank bite is limited to the early morning or after dusk hours. The lake is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters said, “I have been out on the lake 18 of the last 20 days, and I have observed the kokanee bite range from intense to scarce and back to intense once again. The first days of our long schedule saw five kokanee to every trout landed, and the next week it was a 50/50 mix between the species. This week, the kokanee bite increased and the trout slowed down to once again a 5:1 ratio, most likely due to the last plant occurring three weeks ago. The kokanee have been averaging between 13 and 17 inches With the surface water temperature rising from 70 to 73 degrees, the kokanee have dropped in the water column from 37 feet to the 40- to 45-foot range with the best action at Rock Heaven Cove and the Point with white/pink or pink/purple Mountain Spinner Hoochies tipped with corn behind a silver Mountain Dodger. We have also found good action on our side poles at a setback of 100 feet which is around 22 feet in depth, running Dick’s Trout Busters tipped with corn on the inside hook and a piece of ’crawler on the outside behind a weighted Mountain Flasher. The trout action has been best in front of the Shaver Marina to Rock Heaven Cove. The water levels continue to rise, and the lake is only a few feet from maximum capacity. As a result, debris including logs has occupied the upper part of the lake, causing murky water clarity. The weekends have been difficult due to the amount of recreational boat traffic causing heavy chop on the surface of the lake.”

Todd Wittwer of Kokanee.net Guide Service confirmed the good action, stating, “We had a pretty good week except for Wednesday when the low pressure came through. Most of our fish have been taken at 35 to 60 feet with the pink Radical Glow Tube in front of a pink Moonshine Dodger, but the Kevorkian or pink with the Glow Belly Apex lure is also working well behind the Rocky Mountain Tsunami dodger.”

Sierra Marina launch ramp webcam: sierramarina.com/camera.html.

At Huntington, Jay Irvine of Visalia and crew has been scoring limits of a smaller grade of trout and kokanee working from the north shore with orange/green or pink/green spinners along with hoochies in pink/white with a purple stripe or pink/green at depths to 40 feet.

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 trollers are struggling, but bank fishermen are scoring some quality rainbows and browns from the banks near the inlet at the top of the lake. He said, “Shore fishermen are knocking out some 18- to 20-inchers, some big fish, near the section where the water is being pumped out and also in the upper part of the lake. The lake is dropping, but you can still launch a boat from the dirt road. I just went up to Courtright, but similar to Wishon, trolling is slow, but bank anglers are scoring best with Power Bait or inflated nightcrawlers.”

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Trout plants

Scheduled by California Department of Fish and Wildlife:

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)

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

Salmon 2 Rockfish 3 Striper 2 Surf Perch 3

The salmon showed up again north of Half Moon Bay, but they are moving on a daily basis/ Captain Dennis Baxter of the New Captain Pete was out on Monday with 11 anglers for nearly a fish per rod with 8 salmon along with a few rockfish. Baxter is staying close to home as the action picked up again out in the Shipping Lanes over the past few days.

Rockfishing is a sure bet as Captain Michael Cabanas of the HulI Cat went rockcod fishing on the Deep Reef in 200ft of water for 9 limits of rockfish on swimbaits or shrimp flies.

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 3 Rockfish 3 Striper 2 Surf Perch 2

Good news out of Monterey with Keith Semler of Chris’s Fishing reporting good salmon action on Sunday with 19 fish in the box and still counting. They had 6 landed on Sunday to go with 10 others lost, and with the pressure rising due to the northwest winds, the salmon started to bite. They are deep, however, but it shows that you never know what is going to happen on any particular day. Semler said, “Rockcod action remains fabulous, and the weather has been great.” They have some room during the week, and 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 fishing is good in Monterey Bay right now, and seems to be getting better and better each week. Anglers around the bay were pleasantly surprised by a fresh salmon bite last week. Bayside Marine’s Todd Fraser keeps a close eye on the salmon action in the bay said, ‘Salmon fishing was decent the last few days with some fish being caught near the Soquel Hole and Three Trees in 170-250 feet of water. The bite was good today for some anglers who fished near Soldiers Club in 220 feet of water. The majority of the salmon are being caught near the bottom but there have been a few in the 100-150 foot range.’ Go Fish Santa Cruz skippered by John (JT) Thomas is taking maximum advantage of the wide variety of sportfish available near Santa Cruz right now. Tuesday and Wednesday’s trips are an example. This is the report from Go Fish CEO Beth Norton, “July 14th- Our clients wanted to fish for Halibut. Captain JT and Deck Hand JP took them south of Santa Cruz where they caught limits of Halibut – twelve of them. July 15th- JT and Deckhand JP checked the weather and wind conditions today and decided to take the clients to fish at Franklin Point. The clients caught limits of a variety of quality rock fish including vermillion, chinas, gophers, browns big black rockfish, blues and nice ling cod. The dolphins where out to put on a show for everyone. “

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

Over the weekend, several large party boats out of the Bay Area made the 54-mile trek up the coast above Point Reyes to the epicenter of the salmon schools off of Bodega Bay. The Bodega boats are routinely limiting out in quick fashion so the Bay Area boats made the long run on Saturday and Sunday. The salmon are all over the place, popping up here and there in a variety of locations, and the big party boats were able to stay below the Gate for a couple days in a row to post some decent scores from limits to a fish per rod.

The Salty Lady out of Sausalito has been bouncing around, and they posted 22 salmon to 25 pounds for 14 anglers with Captain Jerad Davis stating, “Most of our fish were in the 15 to 25-pound range.”

The three other Sausalito boats ranged from south at Pedro Point to W Buoy to north at Double Point to put up a score of near-limits at 70 salmon to 20 pounds for 40 anglers.

After a humbling trip outside of Duxbury on Saturday, Captain Steve Mitchell found redemption on Sunday heading out to W Buoy for 8 big salmon for 6 anglers with many, many missed opportunities.

Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters was drifting along the Marin coast on Saturday, and while other six-packs returned with empty fish boxes, he managed to put his clients onto two salmon out of three hook ups. He said, “All of the sign is there with whales 20 yards off of the boat, birds all over the place, and thick clouds of bait, but the salmon weren’t biting.” He put in four more salmon on Sunday along with a few limits of rockfish, a halibut, and a ling cod.

Inside the bay and outside the Gate, halibut fishing remains incredible with the Captain Jonathan Smith of the Happy Hooker scoring 11 limits of halibut on Monday while his uncle on the California Dawn, when not playing with blow-up dolls, posted a great score of 15 limits of halibut to 30 pounds along with 13 striped bass.

The halibut are in a number of locations including Paradise Cove inside of the bay, but the best action remains outside the Gate on the bars and along the coastal beaches. Captain Trent Slate was out there on Friday, and they put in 17 halibut to 32 pounds with Paul Garloff of Petaluma landing the big flattie.

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, Starfire, and Avenger were out on Sunday with the Avenger taking both a morning and afternoon trip, and the 89 anglers returned with 420 vermilion, 33 copper, 18 Boccaccio, 419 assorted rockfish, 4 ling cod to 15 pounds along with an ocean whitefish. Don Jackson of Visalia landed the big ling on the Endeavor’s 3/4th day trip to Ragged Point. Also out of Morro Bay at Virg’s Landing, the Fiesta, Rita G, and Black Pearl were out on Monday with 55 anglers for 212 vermilion, 20 copper, 4 rocksole, 2 sheephead, 8 ocean whitefish, 315 assorted rockfish, and 3 ling cod to 8 pounds. Ivan Camerena of Selma took the jackpot with a 5-pound ling while Andrew Vasquez took another jackpot with 5.5-pound vermilion. Out of Port San Luis, the Patriot took two half-day trips on the Patriot on Sunday along with trips on the Phenix and the Flying Fish with 70 anglers for 86 vermilion, 19 copper, 3 Boccaccio, 478 assorted rockfish, 3 cabezon to 12 pounds, 98 Bolina, and a single ling cod. All ports are running a variety of trips from ½- day to long range ventures far from the harbor.

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 Salmon 2

The river salmon season started this past week on July 16th, but as expected, the action was limited in both major locations in the Delta at Benicia and Freeport. The lack of early season action isn’t unusual as the top months for river salmon action occur in late September into early November. Striped bass trollers are working the West Bank, and most of the trollers release linesides over 10 pounds although there have been some larger fish caught. Soaking live splittail outside of McAvoy’s Boat Harbor in Bay Point is the most effective technique for landing the huge stripers that are coming up the river following the salmon run, but the opportunity to release a huge bass that has swallowed a large bait in the warm water is extremely difficult. In the north Delta, smallmouth bass are holding on the rocks while catfish and bluegill are in the sloughs.

Alan Fong of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento said, “The river salmon season in the Sacramento area has been slow as expected, but it is way to early to expect anything different. There are way too many big fish in the ocean right now that will be coming in within the next few months. There have been a number of small stripers in the Delta, but Mark Wilson, striper trolling expert, was just in the shop, and he has been catching and quality linesides on the West Bank below Rio Vista.

Ron Retzlaff of Orangevale is one of the regular trollers along the West Bank, and he released striped bass at 13 and 30 pounds this past week out of 20 keepers with most in the 4- to 7-pound range.

Dave Sharp of Marina Bait and Tackle in Suisun City reported that one of their customers Rusty S. landed a 34-pound striped bass on a splittail on Sunday in Suisun Bay.

Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait reported interest in shore fishing remains very high, and they sold out of live bait over the weekend. He said, “The salmon action from the Benicia shoreline has been non-existent with the murky water from the wind and the low tides. The low tide has been in the morning, and you just can fish out there at 1st Street when there is no water so there is no one out until the tide comes in. The city disinfected the entire area prior to the salmon opener. Although no salmon have been reported, striped bass have been hitting the Vee-Zee spinners intended for salmon.”

The first of the two topwater tournaments out of Russo’s Marina on Bethel Island is this coming weekend with the annual Ultimate Frog Challenge by Angler’s Press. The following weekend, August 1st and 2nd, the Best Bass Tournaments will be hosting the first-annual Delta Blow Up in which any topwater bait from any manufacturer is allowed for a three-fish limit with a 13-inch minimum size. Toad-style baits will be allowed, but no weighted keel hooks or weights are allowed in front of the bait, and no plastic worms are allowed. These tournaments provide an exciting alternative to the normal Delta faire. The river salmon season opened this past week, but the shorelines in Pittsburg and along the piers in Antioch will remain quiet for several weeks until the salmon make a push up the Sacramento River. Salmon fishing is restricted in the San Joaquin River.

The Ultimate Frog Challenge leads off the specialty tournaments, and participants are limited to topwater frogs that float on top of the water without added flotation or assistance. The winner of the ULTIMATE FROG CHALLENGE in both divisions will be decided by the team with the heaviest weight for a six-fish total – over the two days of competition. The youth division is open to those 15 and under, and there is no fee to participate in this division. Special prizes for will be awarded to the top 3 youth in this division.

Dan Mathisen of Dan’s Delta Outdoors will be participating in the Ultimate Frog Challenge, and he plans on using a variety of frogs depending upon the conditions. His top choices are the Stanford Baits Boom Boom Hollow Body Frog, Molix’s Sneaky Pete, or the hard-to-find Zoom’s Hollow Body Frog. He said, “With this wind, it is going to be a challenging frog bite as the water has cooled down. It took 22 pounds for 7 bass to win a recent tournament so the bite has been tough. I will be using frogs in shad patterns or frogs with kicker legs as they act like a buzzbait. It will be important to stir up the surface as the frog bite has been slow.”

Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors has been out several times for largemouth bass in the east and central Delta, and he said, “The water temperature cooled down overnight from 81 to 83 degrees on Wednesday to 77 to 81 degrees on Thursday. We found a good punch and frog bite on Tuesday, and I thought we would find the same bite on Wednesday night during the shootout, but it was all about numbers and not quality. I did drop one about 4 pounds on a crankbait on Wednesday night so we worked crankbaits on Thursday for an excellent grade of largemouth bass in the 4- and 5-pound range. All of the bass are coming up with either antennas or claws in their mouths, and we are working the Yo-Zuri 3DB crankbait in craw patterns.”

In the south Delta, H and R Bait in Stockton remains extremely busy catering to bank fishermen soaking nightcrawlers, red worms, jumbo red worms, or anchovies from the shorelines in Whiskey Slough, Bacon Island Road, and Eight Mile Road. A few barely-legal striped bass have been taken, and catfish or bluegill are the top species. Fresh shad is still unavailable as the shadders have not been operating.

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

There hasn’t been much change at the coastal lakes with heavy boat pressure remaining at Lake Nacimiento, leaving the early mornings or evenings as the best time for fishing. 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 41 to 39 percent. A webcam of the lake is available at http://www.lakenacimientolive.com/. At Lopez, the bass bite is hit or miss with the possibility of a reaction bite in the early mornings or evenings with spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, or crankbaits, but the most consistent action remains on the bottom at depths to 20 feet with plastics on a drop-shot, Ned-rig, 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 is also hit or miss at best for largemouth bass, but there have been some quality largemouths landed on reaction bites in the early mornings or evenings. 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 27 to 26 percent.

Events

Tournament results

Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournaments – July 18th: 1st – Shad Sullivan/Troy Thomas – 13.78 pounds (7.54 pounds); 2nd: James Miller/Cody Sible – 11.47; 3rd – Bill Vernon/Jason Hopper – 10.85.

Clear Lake – New Jen Bass Tournaments– July 19th: 1st – Carl Keller/Jeff Billings – 22.98; 2nd: Jaime Marquez/Gary Wasson – 21.97 (Big Fish – 7.23) 3rd – Charlie Fales/Don Johnson – 21.92.

Eastman – River Rats – July 18th: 1st – Fang/Xang – 10.00 -pounds; 2nd: Vacha/Tou– 9.73; 3rd – Larry/Arron – 7.22.

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

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

August 1st/2nd:

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Delta Blow Up – Best Bass Tournaments

Pine Flat – Bass 101 – Open Team Night Tournament

August 2nd –

Pine Flat – Central Valley Kayak Fishing

August 3rd –

Nacimiento – San Luis Obispo Bass Ambushers

August 7th –

New Melones – Wild West Bass Trails

August 8th/9th:

Pine Flat – Fresno Bass Club/Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

August 8th:

Delta/Russo’s Marina – New Jen Bass Tournaments

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – River Rats

New Melones – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies

San Antonio – Good Old Boys

August 8th/9th:

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Best Bass Tournament

August 9th:

New Melones – Wild West Bass Trails

Don Pedro – Slay Nation Tournaments/Wild West Bass Trails

August 12th:

Pine Flat – Bass 101

August 14th:

Kaweah – Visalia Bass Club

August 15th:

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Dan Mathisen Outdoors

August 19th – 21st:

Delta/Russo’s – FLW, LLC

August 22nd –

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Best Bass Tournament

August 23rd:

Delta/Russo’s Marina – New Jen Bass Tournaments

August 29th:

Nacimiento – Best Bass Tournament

August 29th/30th:

Don Pedro – Modesto Ambassadors

Millerton – Bass 101

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

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

Tulare County: Kern River (Section 5)

This story was originally published July 21, 2020 at 1:03 PM with the headline "Fishing report for week of July 22-28: Pine Flat bass, Shaver kokanee among best bets."