Fishing report week of Oct. 7-13: Good bass bite at several Fresno-area lakes

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

Kaweah bass active, Jake Figgs reported. Don Pedro trout hitting, Monte Smith said. McClure bass and trout gulping baits, Ryan Cook reported. New Melones bass on solid bite, Kyle Wise said. San Francisco salmon and halibut keeping anglers busy, Trent Slate reported. Delta kicking out bass, stripers, and sturgeon, Joey Gamez said.

Valley

West-side waterways

Striper 2 Catfish 3

In the northern section of the California Aqueduct, Jake Figgs of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported largemouth bass to 4.5 pounds have been taken on topwater lures such as Whopper Ploppers 130 in Powder White.

In the southern section in Kern County, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported catfishing remains solid with cut baits, Triple S Dip Bait, or jumbo minnows. He said, “Blood worms have been very popular this past week, and we did get a shipment of jumbo minnows. Stripers bass are taken on jerkbaits as well as bait such as sardines, anchovies, or blood worms. Drifting the live minnows is another good option.”

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

Eastman Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Bluegill 2 Catfish 3 Crappie 2

Figgs said, “With the lake at 7%, few bass fishermen are willing to launch their boats. The occasional quality largemouth bass to 6 pounds has been reported on Senkos over rockpiles, but most bass fishermen are struggling. Catfish provide the best action in the evenings with chicken livers or cut baits along both sides of the dam.”

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Hensley Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

Figgs said, “Dragging big worms or jigs over rockpiles has produced a few largemouth bass to 5 pounds, but many bass fishermen are struggling. Catfish are the top option along both sides of the dam with the best action in the evenings with cut baits or chicken livers.” The lake held at 15%.

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

Lake Don Pedro

Bass 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 2 King salmon 2 Crappie 1

Trout trollers are beginning to arrive at the lake, and spoons on a fast-troll at depths to 65 feet are bringing up quality rainbows along with the occasional king salmon. Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing was on the lake this week, and he reported outstanding action for quality rainbow trout with spoons. Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service reported a tremendous amount of shad in the lake, and the rainbows are found at depths around 50 feet with Speedy Shiner spoons. Bass fishing remains challenging as the largemouth bass have yet to perk up in the warm water, and the population of spotted bass is less than at nearby New Melones or McClure. The lake held at 70%.

Call: Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing (209) 581-4734; Kyle Wise – Head Hunter Guide Service – (209) 531- 3966; Ryan Cook – Ryan Cook’s Fishing - (559) 691-7008

Lake Isabella/Bakersfield area

Bass 2 Trout 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 3 Bluegill 2=

Lake Isabella opened Friday for boats and shore access, but there have been no reports from the lake. The upper Kern River is in the Sequoia National Forest, and it remains closed until further notice. The closure will be evaluated regularly, and information is available at fs.usda.gov/sequoia. Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported most area fishermen have been heading to the California Aqueduct, but Buena Vista is an option for both catfish and crappie at night while the local lakes are kicking out bluegill. The Kern River below the dam is accessible for both smallmouth bass or catfish.

Call: Bob’s Bait Bucket in Bakersfield (661) 833-8657; North Fork Marina (760) 376-1812; Golden Trout Pack Station (559) 542-2816

Lake Kaweah

Bass 3 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2

Figgs reported many Fresno-area bass fishermen are heading south to Kaweah for good action for quality largemouth bass with either Senkos or jerkbaits. Deep-diving crankbaits, over rocky structure or points in the lowered lake are producing bass while jigs or plastics on the drop-shot are another good option. Catfishing is best with cut baits or chicken livers in the evenings. The lake held at 6%.

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

Lake Success

Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2

The bass bite is fair with jigs or plastics over rocky point along with deep-diving crankbaits with the best fishing in the early morning and late afternoon hours. Hot temperatures during the daytime push the bass to the deepest portions of the shallow lake as the water level held at 8%. The Tule River continues to be closed due to the SQR Fire Complex and the temporary closure of the national forests.

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

McClure Reservoir

Bass 3 Trout 3 King salmon 1 Kokanee 1 Crappie 2 Catfish 3

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing and Guide Service said, “ We are averaging from 20 to 40 bass per trip, but size is hard to come by although 11-year old Anthony Viera of Atwater did catch and release a 5-pound spotted bass on a recent trip casting a River2Sea Swaver 168 off of a main lake point in 10 feet of water. The bass are starting to move towards the bottom, and the jig bite has improved. However, the bass do not want a large presentation, and I have been downsizing with a G-Money ½-ounce football head jigs with a Yamamoto twin-tail grub trailer. The bass want nothing with a skirt, and we are also downsizing our plastics from 4 to 6 inches to drop-shotting with 2.8-inch swimbaits. The smaller baits have made all of the difference. There is a good spoon bite with flutter spoons over submerged wood, lake points, or steep bluff walls as the bass have dropped about 20 feet in the water column to the 40- foot range, and we have been casting out the spoons and counting them down to 40 feet. Deep-diving crankbaits or umbrella rigs have also picked up a few bass. The bite is improving, but we are still not quite there.”

Steve Marquette of the Lake McClure Recreation Company reported shad are busting the surface throughout the lake, and the rainbow trout are keying on the shad schools. He caught and released over 30 rainbows with spoons while trolling through the shad schools, and king salmon in the 1- to 2-pound range are also showing up in the mix.

The lake dropped slightly to 43%. The Bagby Launch Ramp is out of the water and inaccessible.

Call: Ryan Cook – Ryan Cook’s Guide Service 691-7008

McSwain Reservoir

Trout 2

The recent trout plants from the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Calaveras Trout Farm have made this lake a viable option once again, but the marina and store have closed operations due to the end of the traditional summer recreation season and the closure of the water feature. Bank anglers are scoring from the normal locations of the Handicapped Docks, the Brush Pile and the peninsula by the Marina with trout dough bait or nightcrawlers. The lake levels remain high.

Call: McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534

Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River

Bass 3 Striped bass 2 Shad 2 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

Figgs was on Millerton this week, and he said, “We caught and released numerous spotted bass to 2.5 pounds working main lake points with the bass found both on the surface or on the bottom. We found a topwater bite with the River2Sea Rover 128 in Powder White, but the best action was on the bottom with either a 6-inch Roboworm Aaron’s Pro Shad Fat or a 5-inch cinnamon red/blue flake Senko on a Texas rig with a light bullet weight at 1/32-ounce. Sometimes the plastic would hit the bottom, but the majority of the time, the bass were picking it up and running off with it before it made it to the bottom. We were working steep bluff walls or rocky points from East Bay up the lake to Finegold, and we found our best action in Finegold.” Millerton dropped slightly to 30%.

Oark hours are 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 1 through Feb. 28 it’ll be 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., then back to 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sycamore Island is open Friday through Sunday and state holidays from 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in October and November.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

Bass 3 Crappie 2 Catfish 3 Trout 2 Kokanee 2

There is a solid bite for largemouth and spotted bass to 4 pounds with the fish holding at depths around 20 feet in water from 40 to 100 feet in depth. A variety of techniques are working including plastics on the drop-shot, topwater lures, spy baits, or jigs are all effective for numbers. Holdover rainbow trout will improve in the coming month as the water starts to cool. Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service reported the rainbows are holding in the numerous shad schools, but the holdovers are not is as good of shape as those in Don Pedro. He went up the river arm to observe the spawning kokanee this weekend as the kokanee have migrated far up the river arm. The lake dropped slightly to 63%.

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

Pine Flat Reservoir/Kings River

Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 0 King salmon 1 Catfish 2 Crappie 2

Figgs said, “Most bass fishermen are struggling as the river arm is extremely low. A few fishermen are finding spots dragging worms in Sycamore, but the best fishing has been around the shad schools near the dam with topwater lures such as Whopper Ploppers or Zara Spooks in Okie Shad. The bass are working the shad schools on the surface, and the reaction bite has been much better than the finesse bite once you find active fish.”

Water releases have halted, and the lake held at 21%.

In the lower Kings, the flows have stabilized, and Panther Martins with a black/yellow dots with a gold blade have been effective for the regularly planted rainbows, Figgs said.

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

San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay

Striper 2 Catfish 2 Bass 2 Crappie 1

Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said, “High temperatures, increasing algae, smoke and heavy weekend fishing pressure are all having an impact on the bite in the big lake. The overall bite for school fish has been decent for experienced anglers trolling Lucky Crafts, Smithwicks or P-Line Predator Minnows around 40 to 69 feet in depth on the downrigger around the shorelines and in the coves. Shore anglers are covering just about every point some days, some scoring limits of small school fish on bait. The closure of many regular fishing lakes due to the fire as well as the closure of deer hunting at the same time has made San Luis the top choice out of few alternatives. I scouted Monday and then guided on Tuesday this week with decent results. I caught about 15 school fish on Monday trolling Lucky Crafts at about 50 feet. then I got what I was looking for — a 42-inch, 26.4-pound striper that I released quickly. This fish fought like a 40-pounder. I guided Rick Freund and Craig Conte of Fresno on Tuesday in a tough bite. I had to pull out all the stops for 21 nice school fish. The full moon will have an impact this week, and water temperatures are around 75 degrees.”

The main lake dropped slightly to 47%.

The forebay has been outstanding for numbers of striped bass with Alex Tran of Coyote Bait in Morgan Hill reported great action with jerkbaits such as Lucky Craft 100 or Mega Bass 110 in chartreuse shad or Ghost Minnow along with weightless flukes, topwater lures, swimbaits on a scrounger head or umbrella rigs. The grass is thick, but fishermen are casting along the edges of the grass.

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

High Sierra

Access to the region is limited by the order of the U.S. Forest Service which has limited vehicle traffic on all roads within the Sierra National Forest. The closure is temporary, and it will be evaluated regularly through Nov. 1. Updated information at fs.usda.gov/sierra.

Bass Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 2

A webcam of the lake is available at basslakeca.com. The lake dropped to 89%.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool

Edison is at 29%, Florence is at 27% and Mammoth Pool is at 48%.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake

Kokanee 2 Trout 2

Shaver dropped to 77% with Huntington holding at 98%.

Call: Shaver Lake Sports 842-2740; Dick Nichols – Dick’s Fishing Charters at Shaver Lake Sports 841-2740; Todd Wittwer – Kokanee.net Guide Service 288-8100; Dinkey Creek Inn 841-3435

Wishon/Courtright

Trout 2

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

Salmon 2 Rockfish 3 Striper 2 Sand dabs 2 Surf perch 3

Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat reported limits of rockfish have been the rule during this weekend’s trips with nine limits of rockfish in deep water at Deep Reef in 220 feet of water. They have been finding the best action in the deep water, but limits are also taken in the shallows near San Gregorio. He said, “There still are salmon out in front of the harbor between the buoys as the Coastside Net Pen fish are making their way back to the harbor. One concern for the opener of the Dungeness crab season is a parking area traditionally used for RV’s will be off-limits this year, and in the past, several RV’s have been in this lot over the opening weekend. People will have to make prior plans since parking here will not be an option this year.”

The New Captain Pete, Huli Cat, and Queen of Hearts will all be running the crab combination trips starting Saturday, November 7, and the New Captain Pete will also run a crab-only the day prior to Thanksgiving as well as Thanksgiving morning. Crab-only charters are available as well.

The sport crab opener is a major event along the San Mateo coastline, and reservations are highly advised well in advance since the campgrounds and local hotels will be jammed during the first two weeks of the season before the commercial crab season begins. The anticipated lack of overall biomass of crab compared to prior years will make fishing during the first two weeks important.

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

Monterey/Santa Cruz

Salmon 1 Rockfish 3 Striper 2 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3

Chris Arcoleo of Chris’s Fishing said, “We were able to make is south to Point Sur early last week, and it was a slam dunk as we loaded up with big rockfish and a solid ling count, but the weather has kept us close to the harbor the past few days for limits of school fish. We stayed local on Sunday for 20 limits of rockfish, and we are taking reservations for the opening of the Dungeness crab season on November 7th, and we are already filled on the opening weekend along with a few additional Saturdays. There is plenty of room during the weekdays. It is time to make your reservations.

The Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project suffered major damage to their hatchery near Davenport due to the CZU Lightning Fire Complex, and they will need assistance to rebuild this essential program for Coho salmon and steelhead in the watersheds of the Central Coast. Donations are accepted at the website - https://mbstp.org/ or through https://www.gofundme.com/f/coho-salmon-in-crisis-after-santa-cruz-fire.

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 3 Sturgeon 2

The salmon along the Marin coastline decided to bite this week as the party boats have been alternating between great action for big fish off of the Marin coastline to a scratch bite the following day. Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters out of Loch Lomond Marina posted one big salmon shy of 4 limits this week, and he said, “We had plenty of opportunities to pick up the final fish. We threw in four salmon our first tack, and but we finished up further north as the water became darker.”

Monday was another good day with Captain Christian Cavanaugh, one of the top trollers in the Bay Area fleet, scoring 8 limits of salmon to 22 pounds while two party boats out of Sausalito combined for 37 salmon to 23 pounds for 22 anglers for near-limits. The ocean salmon season is open through November 8th.

Rockfishing remains a limiting proposition with some decent ling counts. The California Dawn posted 16 limits of rockfish and 20 ling cod to 16 pounds this week while two boats out of Emeryville Sport Fishing went to the Farallon Islands on Monday for 38 limits of rockfish and 38 limits of ling cod to a whopping 31 pounds.

Captain Zach Medinas of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures will remain in San Francisco harbor for another week or so before heading to Pittsburg for his catch-and-release sturgeon season. His last salmon trip produced two big fish at 23 and 18 pounds off of the Marin coastline.

Inside the bay, despite the arrival of October, halibut continue to be an option in San Francisco Bay. Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle in San Rafael said, “There are striped bass all over the place both inside of the harbor and outside of the harbor along the levee. The Marin Islands have been a great place to drift live bait on the moving tides and troll at the top of the tide, and there is plenty of action. The majority of the stripers are undersized, but there are some keepers in the mix. Speaking of live bait, we have live smelt, live anchovies, live ghost shrimp, live pile worms, and live bullheads for the weekend. Halibut action remains best at Southhampton Shoals and in the Berkeley Flats. As far as California City is concerned, I haven’t heard much the past few days, but it is hold and cold as it always is.”

Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions in San Francisco will be seeking out white sea bass in the coming weeks as he is known as the top guide for the ghosts in northern California.

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

Rockfishing remains the top option, and limits to near-limits of rockfish remain the rule out of the two San Luis Obispo ports. The ling cod remain elusive, but they should be moving into the coastline reefs for their spawn. Out of Morro Bay Landing, the Avenger and Endeavor were out on Monday with 29 anglers for limits of rockfish consisting of 105 vermilion, 45 copper, 5 Boccaccio, 30 Bolina, 105 assorted, 4 petrale sole, and 6 ling cod to 13 pounds. Also in Morro Bay, Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay had the Fiesta and Black Pearl out on Monday with 35 anglers for 83 vermilion, 199 assorted rockfish, 1 sheephead, 2 Boccaccio to 11.6 pounds, and 5 ling cod to 5.5 pounds. Out of Port San Luis and Patriot Sport Fishing, the Patriot, Flying Fish, and Phenix were out on Monday with 51 passengers for near limits of rockfish consisting of 33 vermilion, 5 copper, 3 Boccaccio, 19 Bolina, 399 assorted rockfish, 1 cabezon, and 2 ling cod to 8 pounds. Both 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 3 Catfish 3 Bluegill 3 Salmon 2

The Sacramento-Delta sturgeon action has slowing improving over the past several weeks, but the return of the six-pack operators has coincided with the action taking off in a big way this week. River salmon action has been slowly improving, and the best is yet to come as the water continues to cool. Largemouth bass action remains best in the north Delta, but striped bass trolling has been up and down. Huge striped bass have been caught and released on topwater lures in the north and west Delta.

Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing was the first of the six-pack operators to arrive in the Delta from San Francisco Bay, and he has put on a sturgeon clinic every time on the water. On Sunday, Gamez put his group of five passengers with limits of sturgeon to 54 inches by 11:00 a.m. with four slot-limit sturgeon in the box by 8:30 a.m. He said, “They were chewing this morning, and despite 4-foot rollers in the morning out in open water, the sturgeon were grabbing the bait and running off. Normally during rough weather, it is very hard to see the bites, but these bites left no doubt. The sturgeon were feeding big time on the outgoing tide, and everything came on eel. We also released 5 more sturgeon before finishing out by 11:00 a.m.”

Gamez’s first day back on the water was Tuesday with a total of 10 sturgeon, followed by Wednesday’s 3 slot limit sturgeon, 6 shakers, and 5 oversized.

Captain Zach Medinas of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures said, “My deckhands were out this week, and they caught and released five sturgeon on roe. It’s that time of year for sturgeon, and we will be in Pittsburg within a week.”

Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing is another six-pack operator that will be back on the water out of Pittsburg Marina by mid-October.

There have been some huge striped bass caught and released within the past week on topwater lures as Kris Huff of Stockton and Phenix Rods landed a 49.5-inch striper in the north Delta this week. Huff said, “I couldn’t get the massive striped bass on my Boca Grip so I had to double-fish the striper to get her to my scale, and she bounced the scale between 42 and 45 pounds. This fish was absolutely powerful. I was a little bummed I couldn’t get a good picture of her, but her health was more important to me. I caught her on top water to boot on a Phenix Rods MI Inshore 7’11” paired with a Diawa Tatula with Phenix 55-pound braid. This is a true fish of a lifetime, and as an angler, she swam away and a memory was made.”

Kenji Nakagawa of Lodi, also of Phenix Rods, went out in the west Delta on Sunday morning for a topwater session on his kayak, and he said, “I beat my friend, Abel Patino to the launch and stuck a good one in the dark This put up a great fight on the kayak using a Gancraft 178F in chartreuse shad on his Phenix X14 and 55-pound P Line braided line. Abel arrived shortly and landed a solid fish on a topwater. Fall is shaping up nicely, and I’m excited for the next couple of months.”

Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors and Phenix Rods was on the water three times this week, and he reported a ‘phenomenal largemouth bass bite’ by punching or tossing swimjigs. Borges has been heading into the north Delta towards Liberty Island. He said, “We probably had 50 fish each day, and we could have put together multiple 17- to 20-pound limits. We have been punching the Reaction Innovation’s Sweet Beavers in red along with bluegill patterned swimjigs. The bass are loading up on crawdads, and the crayfish are bright red right now as we can see them in the shallows. We have been finding keeper stripers each day, but nothing of the nature of the one Kris Huff landed. We have been trying to get them going on topwater, and we are seeing the larger ones swirl on the Wood Bombers or the Yo-Zuri Pencils, but they aren’t eating them. They are also following the glide baits, but also not committing. We have been picking up the school-sized stripers on swimjigs. The big tides earlier in the week have brought out a ton of floating stuff, and it’s been hard to keep your lines clean on a cast as there is a lot of grass on the surface in open water.”

Dave Sharp of Marina Bait and Tackle in Suisun City was on the water a couple of times this week, and he also caught and released a huge striped bass at 48 inches with 29-inch girth on fresh shad near the Rio Vista Bridge. He said, “The big fish came up easy, and perhaps it didn’t fight hard because of the warm water so the release was not a problem. We were out on Saturday night in Broad Slough with four pounds of fresh shad, and we used every shad to catch and release 31 keeper stripers to 9 pounds along with releasing numerous undersized lineside. All but two were landed on the incoming tide in 28 feet of water as the bite took off about 1.5 hours into the incoming tide, and these stripers were running with the shad, leaving the reels screaming with the clickers on. Out of our shop, the sturgeon six packs have returned, and these guys are good since they are out there landing up to 10 sturgeon like they never left the river.”

For trolling, Clyde Wands, shallow trolling expert, was out this week, and he reported big tides and full moon didn’t stop them from picking up quality stripers to 8 pounds on Thursday. He said, “These are all fish that have been here for a while, and although the numbers weren’t great, the quality was very good. Earlier in the week, we also found some keepers, but the grass was so bad in my shallow-trolling spot in Broad Slough, that we couldn’t fish there.”

Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento, was in the north Delta for largemouth bass, and he said, “We slaughtered the bass with the Yamamoto Cowboy or the Strike King’s Rage Craw, but the striped bass were slim. The guys that are sticking it out are finding the linesides up north.”

For salmon, Fong was out just above the Freeport Bridge this week, and he said, “I was graphing so many salmon, but they are close to the surface and moving in the 68-degee. It will be a good run when it cools off.”

Out of Benicia Bait, Tony Lopez reported a clear slowdown with only one or so salmon per day off of either 1st Street or the Dillon Point State Park. He said, “There was one hooked on lost on Sunday morning off of 1st Street, but the action has really slowed down. Sturgeon fishing is clearly picking up as Ron Reisinger of Chico has been catching and releasing sturgeon every trip. He was at the Mothball Fleet with a splittail intended for a big striper when he hooked into a 12-foot sturgeon that required him to follow from the Fleet to the mouth of Suisun Cut as it came out of the water three times in the extended fight. He has been catching stripers to 25 pounds on the splittail, and these fish are coming up spent, making it impossible to release them. Grass shrimp disappeared over the past few days, and Curtis Hayes, our owner, hasn’t been coming up with much while dragging.”

The first of two large bass tournaments out of Russo’s Marina took place this past weekend with the Yamamoto Big Bass Challenge hosted by Angler’s Press, and although the majority of the hourly winners were in the 5/6-pound range, there were some true trophies caught and released during the two-day event. Striped bass action has been best by tossing plugs, but drifting live bait is another solid option.

Jody Only of Western Bass reported the excellent falling tide along with glassy water conditions produced trophy largemouth bass during the first day of the Yamamoto Big Bass Challenge with Delta veteran Dan Fonte leading the competition for the Andy ‘Cooch’ Cuccia Memorial Big Bass Award with a 12.96-pound largemouth taken by punching with a Flapping Hog during the third hour of competition. Mark Casey had set the bar high during the first hour with a 10.83-pound bass on a Senko.

Jeff Huth served as the Emcee and weighmaster for the Big Bass Challenge, and he said, “The twelve hourly winners are thrown into a drawing, and Andy Kobayashi was the lucky winner of $1500. The big fish that Dan Fonte landed on Saturday was actually pre-spawn, and she was all egged up and ready to go. I haven’t seen a bass in this good of shape at this time of year in some time, and it just shows that not all of these fish spawn at the same time. The Youth Division brought out a number of young anglers, and each one left with a prize pack in addition to cash prizes and trophies for the top three spots. The action on Saturday was like a typical spring day with the bite being off of the hook, but Sunday was like a typical fall day with a much tougher bite. I think it is due to the clear water and the fact that the fishermen don’t travel far from the marina in order to keep close to weigh in their bass during the hourly weigh ins. The close fish were all picked off in the clear water during the first day, but the bite was on.”

Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, is gearing up for next weekend’s Best Bass Tournament’s Tournament of Champions, and he expects somewhere in the neighborhood of 140 boats in the event. His advice was, “The bite will start picking up with these 100-degree temperatures, but if the temperatures start to roller-coaster, your will have to slow down and fish very methodical.”

Dan Mathisen of Dan Mathisen Outdoors was considering participating in the Yamamoto Big Bass Challenge out of Russo’s Marina this weekend, and he was out throwing the Yamamoto D-Shad which is their variation of a fluke. He said, “We landed 35 bass to 4 pounds with the D-Shad.”

For striped bass, Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing out of Lauritzen’s Yacht Harbor in Oakley reported fantastic striped bass action on both the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers, and he said, “We have been either drifting bait or plugging, and the plug bite has been best. The stripers are moving fast, and you might land 20 linesides in one area one day, but they are gone the following day. You have to run and gun.”

In the south Delta, H and R Bait in Stockton reported Whiskey Slough has been the best location for catfish, particularly at night and in the early mornings as the tide has been low during the middle of the day., They have been receiving around 30 pounds of fresh shad every other day. Bluegill action has slowed slightly, but it may be that fishermen are increasingly targeting striped bass and catfish with the arrival of fresh shad.

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 3 Striper 0 Catfish 3 Crappie 2 Bluegill 3

Lake Nacimiento remains the top coastal lake for action as the white and spotted bass to 3 pounds have become active and are chasing shad throughout the lake. The schools are moving regularly, and shad-imitation topwater lures along with underspins or small shad-patterned swimbaits are working in the active schools. During the day, spider jigs or plastics on the drop-shot are effective at depths to 20 feet. Catfishing is best with mackerel coated with garlic scent while panfish are taken on red worms or mini-crawlers at depths to 25 feet. The lake held at 26%. A webcam of the lake is available at http://www.lakenacimientolive.com/. At Lopez, the bass bite improved this week with largemouths to 3 pounds taken on shad-patterned topwater lures in the early morning or late evening hours while plastics on the drop-shot are effective during the day as the fish move out from the shorelines. Bluegill and red ear perch are taken on mini-crawlers, red worms, or meal worms. A webcam of the lake is available at http://805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam/. At Santa Margarita, catfish are the top species with chunk mackerel soaked in garlic along with nightcrawlers. Bass fishing has been decent on topwater lures in the early mornings or late evenings while plastics on the drop-shot in crawdad or bluegill imitations are working in deep water. Bluegill are taken on red worms under a float. At San Antonio, there hasn’t been much change the best action remains for panfish with meal worms, red worms, or minicrawlers. Catfish are another option as bass fishing is limited to a few smallmouth bass of a miniscule grade. The operating hours at San Antonio are from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekends only. The lake held at 17%.

Events

The International Sportsmen’s Exposition scheduled for January 2021 at Cal Expo in Sacramento has been canceled due to the global pandemic, but it will return in 2022.

Tournament results

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Yamamoto Big Bass Challenge – October 3rd/4th: Super 12 Winner – Andy Kobayashi – 5.26 pounds for $4000; Andy ‘Cooch’ Cuccia Memorial Big Fish – Dan Fonte – 12.96 pounds for $1500; Youth Division – Ty Nelson – 3.28 pounds for $100.

Upcoming (subject to change)

October 10th/11th:

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Best Bass Tournaments Tournament of Champions

October 10th:

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Sonora Bass Anglers

Lake Pardee – Nor Cal Trout Challenge

McClure -Kerman Bass Club

Kaweah – Golden Empire Bass Club

Nacimiento – Bakersfield Bass Club

October 11th:

Eastman – Kings VIII Bass Club

Nacimiento – Good Ole Boys

October 17th/18th:

Delta/B and W Resort – Fresno Bass Club

Delta/Contra Costa County – Sierra Bass Club

Lake Camanche – Riverbank Bass Anglers

Don Pedro – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

Nacimiento – San Luis Obispo Bass Ambushers

October 17th:

Tulloch – Christian Bass League

McClure – 17/90 Bass Club

Kaweah – Visalia Bass Club

Success – Kern County Bassmasters

October 18th:

Delta/Russo’s Marina – East County Student Anglers

Delta/Contra Costa County – Delta Teen Team

Don Pedro – Nor Cal High School Bass/Gold Country Junior Bass

Success – Porterville Bass Club

October 24th/25th:

Delta/Pittsburg Marina – City of Pittsburg Fishing Derby

October 24th:

Camanche – Yak-A-Bass Team Open

Don Pedro – Angler’s Press

October 25th:

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Hook, Line, and Sinker

Success- Porterville Bass Club

November 1st:

Don Pedro – Modesto Ambassadors

Trout plants

Week of Oct. 4 by California Department of Fish and Wildlife conditions permitting:

Merced County: Yosemite Lake