Fishing report, week of Oct. 21-27: McClure and Don Pedro trout 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 sturgeon, bass and stripers chomping, Alan Fong reported. New Melones bass action good, John Liechty said. Millerton spotted bass hitting, Jake Figgs reported. McClure trout and bass action solid, Ryan Cook said. Lake Isabella bass and catfish biting, Pete Cormier reported. Don Pedro trout action good, Kyle Wise said.

Valley

West-side waterways

Striper 3 Catfish 3

There hasn’t been much change in the northern section of the California Aqueduct and the majority of striper fishermen are working San Luis Reservoir or the O’Neill Forebay. There is a decent largemouth bass bite with wakebaits along with plastics such as Zoom’s Z Craw.

In the southern section in Kern County, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reports good numbers of both striped bass and catfish with the whiskerfish hitting Triple S Dip baits, chicken livers or cut baits. Striped bass fishing has been best with blood worms, jumbo minnows, sardines or anchovies.

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

Eastman Lake

Bass 2 Trout 1 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2

Jake Figgs of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “With the lake at 7%, few bass fishermen continue to be willing to launch a bass boat. Most anglers are heading to nearby Hensley to target largemouth bass. Catfish are taken from the dam area with chicken livers or anchovies.”

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Hensley Lake

Bass 2 Trout 1 Catfish 3 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

Figgs said, “Big plastic worms or high-profile jigs are working best as bass fishermen are looking for one big bite. Largemouth to 6 pounds have been reported this week. Catfish remain the top bite with chicken livers anchovies near the dam.” 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 1 King salmon 2 Crappie 2

While the largemouth and spotted bass bite remains very slow at Don Pedro, trout trollers are finding limits of a mixed grade of rainbow ranging from recent planters to holdovers. Shad schools are thick and abundant in the open water, and this is most likely keeping the bass from moving into the shorelines.

Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service has been focusing upon the rainbows at Don Pedro recently, and he said, “There was a plant from the Department of Fish and Wildlife on Oct. 10, and there are a number of 10- to 14-inch rainbows in the lake. The challenge is keeping the smaller fish off while targeting the holdovers. The good thing is that the king salmon bite has improved, and we found kings to 7 pounds this past week. Although the majority of kings are located at 100 feet in depth in the mornings down to 150 feet when the sun comes over the hills, our biggest king came at 55 feet. The kings are easy to identify as they ‘light up like a neon sign’ on my Garmin unit. The holdover rainbows have been more difficult to find as between the smaller rainbows and the spotted bass in the shad schools, it has been hard to get to the holdovers. We put in 3 holdovers, 7 planters and a king on Saturday along with 4 holdovers, 6 planters and 2 bass on Sunday. There is so much bait out there that it is not even funny. The rainbows are at 35 feet in the mornings before dropping to 50 feet by mid-morning. I have been using either Speedy Shiners or the Optimizer Jr. spoons with copper/golds in the mornings before changing over to the more neutral patterns of silver/blue or silver/blue by mid-morning. I never put down the same color pattern first thing in the morning as I will run different colors until a pattern is established. If one lure is catching fish, I will switch another rod to that color. You have to let the fish tell you what they want as it is true for speed as well as color. The trout were biting at 2.6 to 2.8 mph on Saturday, but on Sunday, we had to bump it up to 3.2/3.3 mph.”

The bass bite remains very tough as the Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournament on Saturday was taken with a winning limit at 11.10 pounds with only four limits over 6 pounds while Sunday’s Gold Country Jr. Bass tournament was won with a 4-fish limit at 7.21.

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing and Guide Service said, “Only 12 of the 30 youth anglers weighed in fish on Sunday. The bite is all over the place, and it is very tough to catch fish. We only had four bites on Saturday as the bass are very finicky and chasing extremely small shad. The water temperature should normally be in the mid-60’s, but it is still 75 degrees in the afternoons. The shad have not moved into the creek channels in the normal fall pattern as of yet.”

The lake dropped slightly to 69%.

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 – 691-7008

Lake Isabella/Bakersfield area

Bass 3 Trout 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 3 Bluegill 2

Cormier reported a recent local bass tournament produced a winning weight in the 30-pound neighborhood with a big fish at over 8 pounds. He said, “With the lake so low, there are plenty of structure for the bass to hold to with the main river channel, rockpiles, and submerged timber. We haven’t heard of any crappie, but the bite was decent prior to the shutdown from the fire in the Sequoia National Forest. Catfishing remains solid with chicken livers, nightcrawlers, jumbo minnows, or Triple S Dip Bait while bluegill are taken on red worms or minicrawlers.” The lake dropped to 17%.

The Kern River from Tulare County to Lake Isabella has reopened, and the section from Kernville and Riverdale is also open. Trout fishing has been decent in this section with salmon eggs, live crickets, nightcrawlers or Panther Martins. The lower river is kicking out largemouth and smallmouth bass in addition to catfish.

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

Lake Kaweah

Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 1 Catfish 3

The lake remains very low at 5%, and the bass are concentrating on the few submerged rockpiles remaining in the lake. Senkos, jigs or deep-diving crankbaits are all working best. With the low water, catfish are moving into the shorelines in the evenings, and chicken livers or cut baits are effective.

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

Lake Success

Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 3 Catfish 2

Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fish Company said, “The lake is very low at 7%, and bass fishing has been either hot or cold. Anglers are fishing along the rocky points with crankbaits or jigs with a trailer. There is a topwater bite when the bass are chasing shad on the surface. In the Tule River, the fishing is excellent, but the river is closed to non-residents. I took Jake Crippon on Saturday, and we both had over 50-plus trout consisting of rainbows and browns during the caddis hatch. Black caddis was the pattern for the day, and Jake also found success with a black Panther Martin with red dots.”

The Sequoia National Forest has partially reopened, and information on the current closure and open areas is available at fs.usda.gov/sequoia.

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

McClure Reservoir

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

Cook said, “The bass bite has been very good with counts from 25 to 40 fish per day with several spotted bass over 2 pounds. The bass are starting to move into the creek channels into a normal fall pattern, but the key to go find the bait on the meter. It is video game fishing right now as you find the bait, you will find the bass. Three-quarter-ounce Hopkins spoons and 2.8-inch Keitech swimbaits on a drop-shot rig are working best. A trout plant took place last week, and the rainbows are holding from 35 to 50 feet for trollers.” The lake dropped slightly to 41%. The Bagby, Horseshoe Bend, and McClure Point North launch ramps are closed due to water levels.

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

McSwain Reservoir

Trout 2

The Department of Fish and Wildlife has not scheduled a trout plant this month, and trout action is limited to a few holdover rainbows in the early mornings or evenings 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 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

Figgs said, “There is a solid topwater bite after dusk with largemouth bass to 5 pounds reported on a Whopper Plopper 130 in Black Loon. The River2Sea Rover n Okie Shad or Powder White is another topwater option, but cooler temperatures are necessary for more consistent action. During the day, 6-inch Fat Roboworm’s Aaron’s Pro Shad or Neon Greenpumpkin are working along with Brush Hogs on a Texas-rig in the main lake. Finegold Bay and Sky Harbor have been two productive locations for drop-shotting in shallow water.” The lake rose from 30 to 32%.

The park is open 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. this month; beginning Nov. 1 it closes at 6.

Sycamore Island is open Friday through Sunday and state holidays 6 am 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 1

John Liechty of Xperience Fishing Guide Service reported the necessity to ‘spot check’ a ton of water as the bass will be on one location one day and gone the next. He said, “You will know within the first few minutes whether the bass are there or not as you will see fish on the meter, birds, and bait. You can go back to the same spot where you caught multiple fish one day, and there will be nothing there. The shad schools are moving, and they are holding in deep water at depths from 15 to 20 feet. We landed 25 to 30 bass on Sunday with 9 different presentations including: drop-shot, Ned rig, spy baits, flutter spoons, float n’fly, Whopper Ploppers, spinnerbaits, Keitechs swimbaits, and flukes.” Trout trollers are finding some quality rainbows at depths to 50 feet with shad-patterned spoons. Catfish are found in the 15- to 30-foot range with cut baits or nightcrawlers. The Glory Hole and Tuttletown boat launches are open, but the Angels Cove launch ramp is closed. The lake held at 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, “There have been mixed reviews with success below Trimmer and Windy Gap with wakebaits such as the Megabass I Jack in Threadfin Shad, the ima Roumba, Zara Spooks, KVD Splash Poppers or Owner Gobo Poppers. All white, lavender shad or Smoking Shad flukes either weightless or on a light dart head are also effective as the bass are pushing bait up the steep walls and along the long points with rocky outcroppings. A few trout trollers are working their way back to the lake with the closure of the high country lakes. In the lower Kings, trout plants continue on a weekly basis,, and shore fishermen are either drifting nightcrawlers or salmon eggs through the fast water into the eddies or casting spinners for the planters.” The lake held at 21%.

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

The striped bass bite has ranged from solid to slow during the past week at the main San Luis Reservoir as recent hot temperatures and dropping water levels may have affected the action. Interest in fishing at both the big lake and the O’Neill Forebay remain high as sales of jumbo minnows, jerkbaits, and topwater lures are is consistent.

Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “There were a few slower days at the main lake this past week, most likely due to the heat, but there are still stripers boiling in the mornings and late afternoons. Boils are taking place at the mouth of Portuguese Cove and along the left side of the cove in the flats. Jumbo minnow sales have been high, but it has been very hard to find Lucky Craft Pointer 128’s. The larger grade of striper has been in the main lake. The rockwall and Trash Racks have been slower for boils.”

Figgs reported trollers have been scoring with P-Line Predator Minnows in pearl white laser/red head or firetiger. Umbrella rigs loaded with Optimum’s Bad Bubba Shad swimbaits have also been working.

Roger George of Roger George Guide Service, the only licensed fishing guide on the lake, had a slightly different report. He said, “Trolling, bait fishing, and topwater lures has been sporadic at the main lake. The water levels are dropping, and there has been an intermittent topwater bite near Dinosaur Point as well as in Portuguese Cove. From one day to the next, the bite can be completely different. Later in the week, anglers were reporting a slower bite with the schools more difficult to locate. I believe this may be due to the new moon this week along with the water temperatures rising to around 75 degrees. I scouted Monday and found that the fish were harder to find than last week , but I did get one good fish working the 50-foot depth , a 35-inch/15.4-pounder that I released quickly on the Seaqualizer. We’re seeing some anglers trolling up fish , then leaving a trail of dead floating fish because they aren’t using the Bends Mender hollow needle to deflate the fish, so they can go back down. The algae is starting to reform with the warmer temperatures. There have been reports of some better fish in the teens from shore, but that they are also taking these fish according to other anglers. The number of boats on the weekends is often over 60 boats on Saturday and almost as many on Sunday. We are all hoping that the lake will start to go up soon which should also have a great effect on the bite.“

In the O’Neill Forebay, Clements reported a topwater bite in the morning such as Zara Spooks in shad patterns along with rip baits or weightless Magnum Flukes. half-ounce Rat-L-Traps are also working over the boils.

The main lake held at 47% as pumping from the south Delta is balanced with water releases down the California Aqueduct.

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

The lake dropped to 85%. A webcam of the lake is available at basslakeca.com.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool

Edison is at 28%, Florence is at 22% and Mammoth Pool is at 38%.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake

Kokanee 2 Trout 2

All access to the lake is closed per order of Southern California Edison along with the temporary closure of the Sierra National Forest. but the closure will be evaluated regularly through Nov. 1. Road access to Huntington Lake and Camp Sierra is available for residents only to retrieve personal items during limited times.

Shaver dropped to 75% with Huntington rising slightly to 99%.

Call: 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

Road access on the McKinley Grove Road to Wishon and Courtright is limited in scope to residents during specified time periods.

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

Salmon 2 Rockfish 3 Striper 2 Sand Dabs 2 Surf Perch 2

Rockfishing remains the best show in town with limits of rockfish for boats working south of the harbor the rule, but the loads have been light over the past few weeks. A few salmon remain for trollers working the area between the entrance buoys, but a fish or two per boat is a solid score. The popular crab combination trips are coming within two weeks, and it seems that most fishermen are waiting for the combos to start.

The sport crab opener is a major event along the San Mateo coastline, and Mattusch advised anglers to make prior arrangements since 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. He said, “People will have to make prior plans since parking here will not be an option this year.” 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 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. Crab combination trips are $225/angler with crab-only at $125.

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 White sea bass 2 Sand Dabs 3 Surf Perch 2 Halibut 2

Chris Arcoleo of Chris’s Fishing said, “We have been going to Point Sur every opportunity possible, and we continue to score limits of rockfish with a few ling cod. The ling cod haven’t been wide open, but when we go south, there have been lings to 25 pounds landed. We are getting pretty full on the weekends for the upcoming crab season as we are running two boats on crab combinations with the Star of Monterey focusing on rockfish only. There is some room on the weekends toward the end of the month of November, but the weekdays still have plenty of room. Local rockfishing has been excellent with quality vermilions, olives, and yellows. The biomass of crab in Monterey Bay appears to be very encouraging.”

Allen Bushnell of the Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “Thanks in part to mild weather and ocean conditions, fishing remained productive all across Monterey Bay this week. Halibut fishing has been decent near Capitola and Pajaro in 65 to 90 feet of water and also along the north coast beaches. Carol Jones from Kahuna Sportfishing in Moss Landing continues to maximize her long-range trips to the Big sur area. Jones told us, “Yet another beautiful day on the water with limits of rockfish and seven lingcod from the Point Sur area. The day before we were down at Lopez near the little town of Lucia.” While the number of seabass in our area might be dropping, there are still a few around for dedicated (and lucky) anglers. Big fish honors this week go to Jeff Ward on the “Psych Ward” from Monterey. He worked the area near Tioga Street in 100 feet of water and found at least one of the monster croakers this week.”

Call: Chris’ Landing (831) 375-5951; Allen Bushnell – Santa Cruz Kayak and Surf Casting (831) 251-9732

San Francisco Bay

Salmon 2 Halibut 2 Striper 2 Rockfish 3 Leopard shark 2 Sturgeon 1 White sea bass 3

Salmon fishing remains hit or miss along the Marin coastline, but the grade of the few fish landed is much larger than the school currently above Point Reyes. Captain Jerad Davis of the Salty Lady out of Sausalito went north of Point Reyes on Sunday for 13 salmon for 14 anglers with the fish taken as deep as 150 and as shallow as 30 feet. The grade of salmon is less as these fish average from 5 to 10 pounds. Davis will be finishing up his salmon season this weekend and beginning to prepare for the upcoming crab/rockfish combination season beginning on Saturday, Nov. 7. Davis will start his trips out of Emeryville Sport Fishing beginning on Sunday, Nov. 8.

Rockfishing remains outstanding for the boats willing to make the long run to the Farallon Islands, and the California Dawn out of Berkeley posted 17 limits of both rockfish and ling cod on Monday. The Happy Hooker, the Pacific Dream, and the California Dawn out of Berkeley will start running crab combination trips beginning on Nov. 7.

Inside the bay, white sea bass were all of the rage over the weekend, and the Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions aka ‘The Ghost Whisperer’ out of San Francisco had an incredible two days of white sea bass action with 9 white sea bass and 5 halibut on Sunday on a ½-day trip along with 9 more white sea bass on Monday. Captain Craig Hanson of Argo Sport Fishing out of San Francisco also put up an impressive white sea bass score on Monday with 6 white sea bass (limits) and 4 halibut for three anglers. Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters out of Loch Lomond Marina was out early on Saturday with live bait for limits of striped bass by 7:30 a.m. in San Pablo Bay before working the central bay for 9 halibut to over 20 pounds. After posting limits of striped bass on Sunday, Slate ran over to the flotilla of boats fighting white sea bass in a small area, and he was able to put in three of the ghosts to 40 pounds along with losing two other fish that got tied up into gear on other boats.

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 2

Limits to near-limits of rockfish remain the rule out of the San Luis Obispo ports, but ling cod remain scarce despite the normal fall pattern of moving into the shallows to spawn. In order to find ling cod, a longer trip seems to be necessary. Out of Morro Bay Landing, the Avenger and Endeavor were out on Monday with 29 anglers for near limits of rockfish consisting of 41 vermilion, 25 copper, 40 Bolina, 184 assorted, 2 petrale sole, an ocean whitefish, and 3 ling cod to 9 pounds. Also in Morro Bay, Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay had the Fiesta and Black Pearl out on Monday with 35 anglers for 109 vermilion and 215 assorted rockfish to go with one ling cod at 7.5 pounds landed by Henry Ortiz of Delano. Out of Port San Luis and Patriot Sport Fishing, the Patriot, Phenix, and Flying Fish were out on Monday with 36 passengers for near limits of rockfish consisting of 21 vermilion, 8 copper rockfish to 8 pounds, 3 Boccaccio, 48 Bolina, 275 assorted rockfish, 2 cabezon, one rocksole, and 3 ling cod to 6 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 2 Bluegill 2 Salmon 2

Sturgeon in the Sacramento-Delta remain the most-desired species as the salmon bite continues to be exceedingly slow throughout the entire system as the salmon are on a fast run through the Delta waters into the upper tributaries. The water temperatures remain unseasonably warm, and despite during a normal year the salmon bite is at its peak from mid- to late-October, the weather conditions are telling the salmon that something is different right now.

Alan Fong of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento said, “Fish don’t have a calendar, and although many fishermen come in and tell me that they normally are catching salmon right now, it just isn’t happening with the water temperatures in the 62 to 64-degree range. Normally, the water temperature should be around 58 degrees at the end of October, and this is when the action takes off. I was up in Liberty Island this week, and I tried for stripers for ½-hour without results so we punched big Brush Hogs on a 1- to 1.5-ounce punch weight. We did well with punching, and the key is to work heavy current as the northern largemouths prefer current. You have to use the heavier weights in the moving water. The big tides affected the striper bite as the weeds and debris has been thick, but Rick Tietz of Blade Runner Spoons caught and released a 30-pound lineside at Liberty on Saturday evening on a River2Sea Swaver.”

The River Rotters held their annual salmon derby out of Wimpy’s Marina on the Mokelumne River on Saturday, and only 4 salmon to 19 pounds were weighed in with three of the salmon coming on the Mokelumne.

Mark Stewart of Galt landed a 27-pound salmon near Walnut Grove on the Old Sacramento River using a Silvertron spinner with chrome blades with purple/pearl beads using 60-pound braid and a 20-pound monofilament leader.

Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle in Freeport said, “Salmon in the 10- to 30-pound range are still here, and the best action has been with either Brad’s Cut Plugs behind an 11-inch Pro-Troll E-Chip dodger or with spinners. The fall-run stripers are here as well, and live mudsuckers or cutbaits soaked in garlic are working best.”

Dave Sharp of Marina Bait and Tackle in Suisun City reported most sturgeon fishermen are finding success outside of Pittsburg near Light 31, Chain Island, or the green can outside of Pittsburg. He said, “The wind came up on Thursday, and I was out there in Broad Slough and the mouth of Broad Slough. I marked so many stripers and sturgeon in 31 feet of water but the combination of the wind and the grass made for difficult conditions. I was finally able to land a limit of school-sized stripers on butterflied shad, but these fish didn’t run – they just pulled down the rod off of the balance beam like a piece of weed got stuck on the line. We have been incredibly busy, and we sold out of 10 buckets of ghost shrimp that arrived Thursday by Sunday morning with 50 pounds of grass shrimp gone in 1.5 days. With the lack of rain, shrimpers have been having a difficult time right now.”

Also for river salmon in Suisun Bay, Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait reported very slow action from the shorelines with only three anglers out at 1st Street on a morning during the week. He said, “I was even able to find a parking spot for a change. The wind made a difference on Thursday as the boats weren’t able to anchor in the deep water. It was pretty much the same over the weekend as three salmon were hooked, but two were lost to sea lions. Ron Reisinger of Chico was out targeting sturgeon on Sunday, but he was one of the only anglers to find success for striped bass on Saturday with a 28-pound lineside taken on a live splittail.”

The wind has been ugly in the open water of Suisun Bay, and Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing worked hard for three slot-limit sturgeon on Thursday along with a shaker. He said, “Every place we went, we got a fish, and it was ok in the morning, but the wind kept us from holding in most locations.” Gamez is now filled on the weekends through November, but there is room during the week.”

Captain Steve Mitchell was down at his boat in Pittsburg Marina on Thursday, getting ready for his first venture into the sturgeon fray on Oct. 22.

Captain Zach Medinas of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures is also returning to Pittsburg Marina this week for his catch-and-release sturgeon trips, and he said, “My deckhands were out this Friday night out of Martinez, and they caught and released 6 slot-limit sturgeon, but the hyacinth was floating in big mats all over the surface with the tides.”

Striped bass are starting to make an appearance in the San Joaquin-Delta and power-drifting live minnows seems to be the top technique. Largemouth bass remain the top species, but a slow, steady presentation is necessary for success.

For largemouth bass, Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, said, “Last weekend’s Tournament of Champions brought out a lot of largemouth bass, but finding bass with any size was a challenge. It was hard to back up a first day score as the weather has been a factor. There was some wind, and the week before we had a full moon along with 100-degree temperatures followed by a small front moving through and then more hot weather. We need the temperatures to stabilize in the high 70’s and low 80’s to bring the shad up and the larger striped and largemouth bass will be moving to the shorelines. There is shad all over the place, and shad-patterned lures will be most effective. The key is to slow things down right now. A variety of baits will work, but the best fish over the past weekend were taken by either flipping into the weeds and the deep tules. Plastics on the drop-shot were another possibility. There is a topwater bite in the early mornings, but it is ‘hit or miss.”

Dan Mathisen of Dan Mathisen Outdoors said, “There are a few striped bass around, but the bluegill drifters are having some difficulty getting them. I had another salmon follow up my Rat-L-Trap on Tuesday as I have been working them along the rockwalls. These may be Mokelumne River fish.”

Kenji Nakagawa of Lodi and Phenix Rods has been working topwater lures in the Delta in low-light conditions, and he said, “The stripers are scattered out right now.”

James Netzel of Tight Lines Guide Service would normally be targeting river salmon in the metropolitan Sacramento area at this time of year, but with the slow action, he has opted to take his clients for striped bass in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers out of Brannan Island State Park. Netzel said, “We got pretty spoiled at the start of the week as we caught and released over 50 legal stripers on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, but the weekend was slower with the larger tides. We landed between 16 and 20 legal stripers on Sunday, and if we didn’t experience the ‘lights out’ action earlier in the week, I would have been ecstatic with Sunday’s count. You have to be willing to move around as the stripers may be at 15 feet one drift, but they may move out to 30 feet on the following drift. I will be focusing upon striped bass until the salmon action picks up as I can’t take clients out for the possibility of one or two hookups per day. Chris Ditter of Head Rush Guide Service did put in two limits using the cut plugs on Sunday so perhaps there is hope. The live mudsuckers have been out fishing the live minnows, and this is great because you can land multiple stripers on a dead mudsucker. In fact, they seem to work best when they have already caught a fish. Power-drifting is running the motor slightly faster than the current to give the appearance of a lively bait.”

In the south Delta, H and R Bait in Stockton continues to receive intermittent deliveries of up to 70 pounds of fresh shad several times per week. Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle in Freeport touted Eight Mile Road northeast of Stockton as the top location for either crappie or bluegill with the slabs taken on live minnows while the Delta Loop has been the top location for red ear perch with red worms or jumbo red worms.

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 3 Crappie 2 Bluegill 3

All of the coastal lakes seemed to slowdown for bass over the past week starting with Nacimiento where the topwater bite was so hot for weeks. The reaction bite slowed considerably, but there is a good spoon bite with shad-patterned iron at depths to 35 feet. It is a matter of locating the shad schools with your electronics and working the area. Shad-patterned plastics on the drop-shot have also been effective. The lake dropped slightly to 25%. A webcam of the lake is available at lakenacimientolive.com.

At Lopez, the bass bite also became a grind with the reaction bite disappearing over the past week. Plastics on the drop-shot or Texas-rig along with jigs on a finesse presentation are your best options. Panfish continue to be accessible with mealworms, red worms, or minicrawlers. A webcam of the lake is available at 805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam.

At Santa Margarita, the bass bite has also slowed with the best action found on finesse techniques of shad-patterned plastics such as Roboworm’s Hologram Shad on the drop-shot or wacky-rigged Senkos. Small shad-patterned swimbaits such as Keitechs are also effective. Catfish to over 10 pounds have been reported with chunk mackerel soaked in garlic. Crappie are taken on minijigs near structure in the coves. The algae bloom continues to dissipate. At San Antonio, panfish or catfish provide the best action as expected with whiskerfish taken on cut baits soaked in garlic with panfish found using very light minijigs over structure. The operating hours at San Antonio are from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends only. The lake held at 16%.

Events

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

Tournament results

Delta/Contra Costa County – Sierra Bass Club – October 17th – 1st: Carlos Contreras Sr. and Jr. – 21.25; 2nd – Chris Flamming/Ryan Motter – 19.31; 3rd – Jimmy Smith/Dan Folia – 19.30. Big Fish – Quincy Marrs – 5.22.

Delta/Wimpy’s Marina – River Rotters Salmon Derby – October 17th – 1st: Jeremy Xiong – 19.02; 2nd – Gordon Bice – 16.5 pounds; Cody Harris – 16.0 pounds.

Tulloch – Christian Bass League – October 17th: 1st – Joey and Jun Yang – 13.24 pounds; 2nd – Sergio and Nathan Molina – 12.94; 3rd – Howard Mori/Jeff Sorensen – 11.80 (Big Fish – 5.22).

Don Pedro – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments – October 17th: 1st – Anthony Hunt/ Ron Orbaker– 11.10 pounds (Big Fish – 3.23); 2nd – David and Gage Coy – 9.17; 3rd – Darl Head/George Rosales – 8.58.

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

Oct. 24-25

Delta/Pittsburg Marina – City of Pittsburg Fishing Derby

Oct. 24

Camanche – Yak-A-Bass Team Open

Don Pedro – Angler’s Press

Oct. 25

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

Success- Porterville Bass Club

Nov. 1

Don Pedro – Modesto Ambassadors

Nov. 6

Pine Flat – Orange County Bass Club

Nov. 7

Delta/Russo’s Marina – American Bass Association

Don Pedro/American Bass Association/Sonora Bass Anglers

McClure – Stanislaus County Employees

Eastman – River Rats

Kaweah – Visalia Bass Club

Nacimiento – Golden Empire Bass Club

Nov. 8

Pine Flat – Kings River Bass Club

Kaweah – Kings VIII Bass Club

Nacimiento – Good Ole Boys

Nov. 14

Delta/Sacramento County – Central Valley Anglers Sturgeon Derby

Delta/Sacramento County – California Striped Bass Association Sturgeon Derby

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Best Bass Tournaments

Tulloch – Sierra Bass Club

McClure – TriValley Bassmasters/Christian Bass League

Kaweah – Visalia Bass Club

Nacimiento – Bakersfield Bass Club

Nov. 15

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

New Hogan – Riverbank Bass Anglers

McClure – Fresno Bass Club/NorCal High School Bass

Los Banos Reservoir – Slay Nation Tournaments

Success – Porterville Bass Club

Nov. 16

Nacimiento – American Bass Association

Nov. 17

Don Pedro – 17/90 Bass Club

Nov. 21

Eastman- Kerman Bass Club

Pine Flat – Bass 101

Trout plants

Week of Oct. 18 by California Department of Fish and Wildlife conditions permitting:

none scheduled as of Oct. 18

Week of Oct. 25:

Fresno County: Kings River below Pine Flat Dam

Inyo County: Bishop Creek Lower, Lone Pine Creek, Owens River below Tinnemaha and section 2, Pleasant Valley Reservoir

This story was originally published October 20, 2020 at 11:55 AM.