Fishing report for week of Aug. 19-25: Delta, Shaver, Aqueduct 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

Delta bass and striper bites good, Alan Fong reported. Shaver kokanee size improved, Dick Nichols said. New Melones kokanee and catfish hungry, Kyle Wise reported. California Aqueduct stripers hitting, Merritt Gilbert said. Lake Isabella pumping out catfish and bass, Pete Cormier reported. San Francisco halibut on the prowl, Keith Fraser said.

Key

1-Try dynamite

2-Have to work hard

3-Limits possible

4-Fish jumpin’ in boat

The northern section of the California Aqueduct has been solid for numbers of small striped bass, but landing keepers has been a challenge. Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “Fishermen are heading to the Aqueduct to throw buzzbaits and ripbaits, and one angler reported catching and releasing 85 stripers with most in the 16- to 17-inch range. Every other cast was producing a hookup.” Also in the northern Aqueduct, Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported increased interest in largemouth bass on Senkos or Rat-L-Traps.

In the southern portion in Kern County, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield said, “It’s been pretty much the same down here with good action for those who can put up with the mossy conditions. Blood worms and live minnows along with cut baits are working for the striped bass while catfish are biting chicken livers, mackerel, or nightcrawlers.”

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

The lake is rapidly releasing water, dropping from 19% to 16% this week. Gilbert said, “Bass fishing has been tough with everything on the bottom with Senkos, jigs or plastics on the drop-shop for largemouth bass to 1.5 pounds. The topwater bite is non-existent, and the large fish have been absent. Catfishing is another option with chicken livers or nightcrawlers with the best action at night.”

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Few anglers are taking their bass boats to Hensley as unmarked submerged hazards are a problem with the lake holding at 15%. Gilbert said, “The bass action is better for quality than at nearby Eastman, but similar to Eastman, everything is on the bottom with jigs, plastics on the drop-shot or Senkos over the rockpiles. Catfishing has been solid at night with whiskerfish to 13 pounds reported.”

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

Bass fishing remains a challenge with the best action on the bottom with plastics or jigs in the hot weather conditions. The triple-digit temperatures and lack of tournaments over the weekend limited the number of bass fishermen on the lake. The night bite is best with dark-colored large plastics as the daytime bite is limited. The River Rats night tournament only produced one limit over 10 pounds out of 12 participants, and the angler who landed the big fish at 5.05 pounds was able to only weigh in one bass. There is some action with tubes at depths to 40 feet. The lake dropped from 76% to 74%.

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, Cormier said, “Despite the very hot weather, fishermen continue to flock to the lake. The catfish bite is the best thing going with nightcrawlers, clams, Triple S dip bait, or anchovies, and the bass bite is decent with plastics on the bottom. One angler reported landing 6 largemouth bass to 6 pounds on large plastics.”

There is an algae bloom on the lake, and the water is green in many locations. Algae blooms are toxic to animals, and caution should be taken in areas of the lake with excessive bloom. The lake dropped from 23% to 21%.

Wednesday update: The State Water Resources Control Board issued a warning:: “Recreational water users and dog owners should avoid swimming or engaging in other activities where water contact is likely while visiting numerous sites around Lake Isabella due to a harmful algal bloom.” The state shared a map.

Cormier added, “The upper Kern River has been the place to be, but it has been very crowded with campers and swimmers in each deep hole, limiting fishing access.”

Buena Vista is also popular with the heat wave, and there is a catfish bite at night with chicken livers or cut baits.

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

Not much change here as the lake continues to recede, down to 9%. Few fishermen have been braving the combination of high heat and low water, but the bass continue to hold in the deepest portions of the remaining lake over rockpiles with jigs or plastics on the drop shot.

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company said, “The bass bite has slowed considerably, and the heat is definitely a factor. My son Zach and his friends fished the lake over the weekend on their kayaks, and they got skunked. They tried Ned-rigs, Whopper Ploppers, Senkos and jigs with only a few non-aggressive bites. This week should be slow as well with the triple-digit temperatures remaining.” The lake dropped from 17% to 14%.

In the Tule River, Stokke said, “The river is still fishing excellent with dry flies and Woolly Buggers, and the river flow is lower in the flats and the trout are spooked easily in the shallows. The bigger holes are holding some quality rainbows and browns, and spin-casters are also finding good action with various spinners.”

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

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook Fishing said, “Not much has changed, but there is a topwater bite in the morning before the sun rises, but the best bite has been with jigs or plastics on the drop-shot on the bottom. I have been throwing a 2.8- or 3.3-inch swimbait on a 1/8- or 1/4-ounce ball head in 40 feet of water. The majority of bass are suspended over main lake points at depths from 10 to 50 feet, but there are some largemouth setting up on deep points.” Catfishing continues to improve, particularly at night, with chicken livers or nightcrawlers along muddy, sloping banks. The lake dropped from 54% to 52%.

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

Minimal change here as the focus has transitioned at this lake to primarily a recreational water park as trout plants have been limited. 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.

Call: McSwain Marina 209-378-2534

Triple-digit temperatures brought out the recreational boat traffic in droves over the weekend, and the launch ramp line was backed up past the park road on Saturday. Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun said, “Small spotted bass remain the rule with everything on the bottom with plastics on the drop-shot, Ned-rig or Neko-rig. A good limit weighs 7.5 to 8 pounds. There is a spinnerbait bite in the evenings from 6:30 to 10 p.m., but the wind has to be blowing for this to occur.”

Park hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and navigation lights and the 5 mph speed limit are required after dark.

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. Sarah Parkes, development director of the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust said, “Due to the heat, fishing pressure was light, but lots of fish were caught with largemouth bass in the 5 to 8 pounds with soft plastics, chatterbaits, or spinnerbaits. Catfish are taken on nightcrawlers, and bluegill and crappie on red worms or nightcrawlers.”

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

New Melones has been the most consistent lake for trophy kokanee in the Mother Lode, and this week provided the best action for the trophies as the big fish are hugging the bottom in deep water. There is an abundant number of second-year kokanee, but the majority of trollers are specifically targeting the big fish. Bass fishing is also solid with a variety of baits as both the largemouth and spotted bass are moving into the shallows in the early mornings or late evenings.

Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service has been focusing on New Melones all week in his hunt for the trophy kokanee, and he said, “New Melones has been on fire as we are finding kokanee in the 18- to 19.5-inch range on every trip. We landed some pigs on Saturday at 85 feet in depth with the Doom Apex in front of either a Mag Tackle 24-Karat Gold Dodger or the Paulina Peak hammered gold dodger. These fish are hugging the bottom, and everything has been with the purple/pink Apex or J-Pex lures. The Doom is the new name for the lure formerly known as the Kevorkian. You have to use stick weights on your downriggers to keep from getting hung up on the bottom. There are plenty of second-year kokanee at depths from 45 to 55 feet near the dam, and you can catch these all day long, but I have been targeting the big fish. I had twin youngsters, August and Elias Mockabee from Sonora, out on Saturday, and they reeled in kokanee over 18 inches.”

John Liechty of Xperience Fishing Guide Service was out on a night trip this past week, and they ended the morning with his client landing a double of two spotted bass on one cast while working a Spook back to the boat.

Glory Hole Sports in Angels Camp reported varied success for bass fishermen with soft plastics on a drop-shot, Carolina-rig or Ned-rig along with topwater lures. In the early mornings, the bass are holding off of points and vertical cliff faces in the shallows before moving out into deeper water in the afternoons. Deep-diving crankbaits are picking up a few bass in the afternoons. Catfishing has improved throughout the lake with the warm conditions with whiskerfish to 9.75-pounds taken on live minnows east of the Highway 49 Bridge at 7.25 pounds on chicken livers in Angels Cove. Crappie are moving out into deep water following the shad schools.

Glory Hole Point Middle launch ramp and Tuttletown Launch ramps are open as well as Angels Cove ramp. Tuttletown is now open for camping and day-use. All campgrounds on the Glory Hole side of the lake will remain closed due to ongoing water issues. The Bureau of Reclamation has opened its New Melones office on Studhorse Flat Road on Saturday and Sunday only from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. New Melones held at 67%.

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

Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun said, “The bass action is fair with the fish suspending in the rapidly receding waters of the lake. The best action is occurring from Windy Gap into the main lake with everything on the bottom as jigs and plastics on the drop-shot are working best. The reaction bite is null and void. A few king salmon in the 16- to 18-inch range have moved out of the river arm at depths from 60 to 80 feet around Windy Gap for those rolling shad. Catfish to 3 pounds have been taken at night with chicken livers near Sycamore Creek.” The lake dropped to 26%.

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

Triple-digit heat stifled fishing at San Luis Reservoir during the daytime at the end of last week, but the possibility for a huge striped bass exists for dedicated and knowledgable trollers.

Roger George of Roger George Guide Service, the only authorized licensed guide on the lake, said, “My scouting over the past few years has really paid off as we caught and released the third striped bass over 32 pounds this year, this past week. Even though it has been very up and down I have been focusing on finding one big bite, and we have been fortunate to find it at times within the past three weeks. I took out Mike Piazza and his father, Coach, 82, of Fresno this past week on a 100-degree day – they wanted to go that day! We only landed 15 stripers trolling, but Mike hooked up with a trophy 44-inch, 32-pound beauty that crushed his personal-best. When the fish first came up, I thought it might be around 40 pounds, then it took off again for the bottom for awhile – great battle for Mike! We quickly released it on the Seaquilizer Release Tool – speed is key to saving the big ones after a hard battle in warm water. The Seaqualizer saved the day and the fish, putting it back down to cool water at 50 feet and depressuring it.

“I followed up this great trip two days later, with my worst of the year, only getting one 8-pound fish. The fish had gone inactive.

“Overall, the striper bite has been going through a transition with the majority of the linesides moving out into deeper water as the lake continues to recede about a 1/4-foot per day. Bait fishermen are doing best with the normal offerings of anchovies, blood worms or pile worms, either off of the bank or from boats anchoring in the flats and channel in Portuguese Cove at depths from 40 to 50 feet. Trolling has been fair, but the bite seems to go from tough to decent every day. The extreme heat is discouraging some anglers, but I expect the topwater bite to begin very soon.”

George said the lake is getting hit hard by boat and bank fishermen seeking easy limits of schoolies, and regulars are requesting that anglers catch and release as much as possible, as well as handling the fish carefully so they are released unharmed. There have been reports of bank anglers immediately stepping on the heads of stripers upon landing them without checking for the minimum 18-inch size limit.

Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “The troll bite has been decent, and Lucky Craft Pointer 128s seem to be the lure of choice. The boils have been less active, and the majority of our San Jose-area fishermen are soaking anchovies, pile worms or blood worms from the banks.”

The lake dropped slightly to 45%. Boating is available from 6 a.m. until sunset, and the park closes at 10 p.m.

In the O’Neill Forebay, Clements reported the hot weather is creating heavy grass growth throughout the small impoundment, and the best locations to fish without being harassed by grass is off of Highway 33 in the deepwater channel or around the Twin Islands. Blood worms, pile worms, or cut baits are working along with Duo Realis ripbaits in saltwater patterns such as Sardine for small striped bass, and most anglers will have to cull through numerous undersized linesides before landing one or two legal stripers to 19 inches.

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

There are a few huge kokanee to be had, and Mike Beighey of Bass Lake Fishing has been averaging around a dozen mixed kokanee/trout on his 4-hour trips during the week from 6 to 10 a.m. The occasional kokanee over 19 inches has been landed along with a number in the 13- to 14-inch range. Small kokanee in the 8- to 9-inch range are abundant, and these are being released. Trout to 14 inches make up the remainder of his limits, and he continues to score with run pink or blue Radical Glow Tubes or Mag Tackle hoochie spinners behind a Rocky Mountain purple Moonshine dodger at depths to 40 feet. Few bass fishermen are bothering the species right now between the boat traffic and the enforcement of the Sheriff’s Motor Fee. The lake held at 94%. Lake webcams and conditions: basslakeca.com/index.php.

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

Edison dropped to 41%, Florence dropped to 50% and Mammoth Pool dropped to 61%. Few reports from these high country lakes.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

The natural spawn that occurred at Shaver Lake in 2018 has produced some huge kokanee, and although the numbers of the larger third-year kokanee are diminishing, the largest fish of the year were landed this past week. The big fish are preparing for another attempt to spawn, and they are starting to turn into spawning colors and orient toward the bottom.

Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters said, “We have been fishing all week in the vicinity of the Point at depths from 86 to 110 feet targeting the pre-spawn kokanee, and our largest this week was an 19.2-inch male landed by Marco Rinaldi of Cutler on a pink/purple Mountain Hoochie tipped with corn behind a pink/silver Mountain Dodger at 83 feet in 114 feet of water in front of point. This eclipsed the 18.2-inch kokanee landed earlier in the week by Bob Jorgenson of Glendale. In addition to the trophy kokanee, we have also found a number in the 17-inch size range. Our game plan has been to target the big kokanee in the morning until around 9 a.m. before heading into the Black Rock area for limits of planted rainbows. We have been averaging multiple limits composed of mostly planted rainbows using white/pink or pink/purple Mountain Spinner Hoochies tipped with scented corn behind a Mountain Dodger on the downrigger at depths to 110 feet while the side poles are loaded with ruby red/chartreuse Dick’s Trout Busters tipped with a piece of nightcrawler and corn behind a heavy Mountain Flasher at a setback of 110 feet for the rainbows. Three limits have been the norm for us.”

Todd Wittwer of Kokanee.net Guide Service has also been loading up on the big kokanee, averaging around six to seven per trip. Sunday’s trip produced seven of the third-year kokanee out of 10 landed, and he said, “Young Hunter and his dad, Rick Watson of Clovis, scored kokanee to 18.5 inches with me, and we have had them to 18.75 inches this week. The majority of the kokanee still have their scales, and the orange Radical Glow Tube in front of a 5.5-inch Sunburst Moonshine dodger has been the ticket for the big fish. The pink RGT is also producing.”

Tom Oliveira of Tom Oliveira Fishing took Dwayne Farra and his son Alex, son-in-law Chris, and his friend Travis on Sunday, and he said, “It was a 180-degree difference from Saturday as we had only caught eight fish, but today, we got four limits with 14 fish being over 15 inches. I used the same setups as yesterday of the MAG Tackle new Harmony gold dodger with a orange hoochie with the gold micro-blade at depths from 70 to 91 feet in front of the houses, but today they wanted to bite. The key was trying to be around 10 to 12 feet above the fish.”

Recreational boat traffic remains heavy on the weekends, and water releases are in action with the lake dropping from 83% to 81%. Sierra Marina launch ramp webcam: sierramarina.com/camera.html.

At Huntington, Jay and Delina Irvine of Visalia scored four rainbow trout and eight kokanee trolling Dick’s pink/purple Mountain Hoochies behind a purple/silver Mountain dodger at 44 feet on the downrigger while rainbow trout to 2.25 pounds were landed on green/yellow/black spinners on leadcore line. The lake is nearly full at 97%, but most of the trolling activity in this region remains at downstream Shaver Lake.

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 heavy fluctuation due to power generation in the Central Valley with the heat wave, and the lake has been moving upwards of 20 feet on a daily basis. Boats can still be launched off of the dirt road, but there is no dock in the water. Trolling has been very slow with the hot conditions, and the best periods for bank fishing are in the early mornings or late evenings with trout dough bait or inflated nightcrawlers from the areas around the mouth at Short Hair Creek, along the dam and on the far side of the lake near the inlet.

At Courtright, Brewer reported overall slow trolling action as the lake has been fluctuating due to power generation in the Central Valley. Jay and Delinda Irvine of Visalia were able to land two limits at depths to 40 feet with orange/green spinners. Launching a boat is not a problem.

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

This story was originally published August 18, 2020 at 1:05 PM with the headline "Fishing report for week of Aug. 19-25: Delta, Shaver, Aqueduct among best bets."