Fishing report, week of Oct. 28-Nov. 3: Hot bass bite at Central California reservoirs

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 and bass bites going, Alan Fong said. New Melones bass feeding, John Liechty reported. Delta Mendota Canal/California Aqueduct kicking out stripers and bass, Millerton spotted bass on tap, Jake Figgs said. McClure bass action outstanding, Ryan Cook reported. Kaweah bass action solid, Gary Wasson said. Isabella touting bass bite, Pete Cormier reported.

Valley

West-side waterways

Striper 3 Catfish 2 Bass 3

Jake Figgs of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The increased water flows are pushing bait into the headgates, and the topwater bite for striped and largemouth bass has been solid with Zara Spooks in Baby Bass or Florida Bass along with flukes or Duo Realis jerkbaits.”

In the southern section of the aqueduct in Kern County, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported a continued solid striped bass bite with sardines. Blood worms continue to be extremely popular. Catfish are taken on chicken livers, live minnows, cut baits and Triple S Dip Bait.

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

Figgs said, “With the lake at 7%, the algae bloom has taken over the lake. A few largemouth bass to 2.5 pounds have been taken on Senkos, but the best fishing remains for catfish with either anchovies or chicken livers in the evenings near the dam.”

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Hensley Lake

Bass 2 Trout 1 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

Figgs said, “Swimbaits are working for a few big bass, but hookups have been scarce. The swimbait bite will improve as the fall weather arrives in force. 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 2 Kokanee 1 King salmon 2 Crappie 2

The bass bite remains tough, but there are signs of improvement with Ryan Cook anticipating significant improvement in the coming weeks. The bass are holding deep in the creek channels from 30 to 60 feet with jigs or plastics. A 13-pound limit won this weekend’s Future Pro Tournament. Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service reported trout trolling is best over the shad schools at depths from 35 feet in the morning to 50 by mid-morning with Speedy Shiners or Trinidad’s Optimizer Jr. spoons are working in various colors patterns. The lake held at 68%.

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 continued very good largemouth bass bite with crankbaits in the 10- to 20-foot range over rockpiles in the shallow lake. Largemouth bass in excess of 8 pounds have been reported by local guide Rusty Brown. Catfishing remains solid with mackerel, sardines, or Triple S Dip Bait. Crappie are still found near the marinas of Red’s or French Gulch in the South Fork with small to medium minnows along with minijigs. The lake held at 17 percent. 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 3 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2

The lake remains very low at 5%, and the bass are concentrating on the few submerged rockpiles remaining in the lake. Gary Wasson of Visalia, local bass fishing expert, reported a good jig bite at 15 feet in depth. 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/Tule River

Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 3 Catfish 2

Wasson reported a much slower bass bite with jigs or plastics on the drop-shot working best. There are a few trophy bass to be had, and Wasson was able to catch and release a 6-pound largemouth this week. The lake remains very low at 7%.

In the Tule River, the fishing is excellent, but the river is closed to non-residents. 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 2 King salmon 1 Kokanee 1 Crappie 2 Catfish 2

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing and Guide Service said, “The bass are all over the place from 1 foot to 96 feet, and we put in a 13-pound limit this week which is double what it has been taking to win recent tournaments. We are scoring with small 2.5-inch swimbait on the drop-shot with the better fish coming at 65 to 80 feet in the cuts. Spoons, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and G Money jigs in shad patterns on an underspin are all working off of main lake points and cut.” A 900-pound trout plant from the Calaveras Trout Farm took place at McClure Point this week. The lake dropped slightly to 40%. The Bagby, Horseshoe Bend, and McClure Point North launch ramps are closed.

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

McSwain Reservoir

Trout 2

The Calaveras Trout Farm released 900 pounds of rainbow trout into the lake this week. 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 2 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

Figgs said, “The most consistent bass bite in the region with plastics on a Neko rig with a 6.75-inch Strike King’s Bullworm in Moon Juice. The river arm has been slow with the best action in the main lake near Finegold Bay, Sky Harbor and similar cuts. There is a jerkbait and speed crankbait bite in the mornings. The bite will continue to improve as the water temperature drops into the 60s.” The lake held at 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 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 2

John Liechty of Xperience Fishing Guide Service has been scoring with ½- to ¾-ounce P-Line Laser Minnows on spinning rods over the shad schools. He said, “I got on an insane school of fish as the mergansers, grebes and herons were all working the surface, and we caught and released 100 bass one day, 50 to 60 the next, and only 2 the following day as the bait moved out. Vertical jigging in the creek channels or tossing the spoon into surface boils is working as the Laser Minnows are the perfect bait size.” Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service reported trout trolling for planted rainbows is picking up with Speedy Shiners or Optimizer Jr. spoons at depths to 50 feet over the shad schools. 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, “The bass bite has tapered off, and the topwater bite has died. The best action has been by downsizing to 4.25-inch Strike King’s Dream Shots or 4.5-inch Robo Worms around Windy Gap and along the points from Deer Creek to Billy Creek at depths of 30 feet.” The lake dropped to 20%.

In the lower Kings, trout plants continue on a weekly basis, and Kastmasters, nightcrawlers, meal worms or Panther Martins are working. Fly fishermen are scoring with a caddis pattern.

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 2

Striped bass continue to be the top draw for Fresno and San Jose-area anglers, and in addition to the main San Luis Reservoir and the O’Neill Forebay, the California Aqueduct is coming into play.

Roger George of Roger George Guide Service in Fresno said, “The overall bite has been sporadic due to the slowly falling water levels as well as receding water temperatures near 70 degrees. I took out two guests last Wednesday, and we managed to boat about 20 stripers up to 28 inches trolling Lucky Craft lures in minnow colors. The bite windows seems to be small with a lot of suspending inactive fish. I’ve seen the bait and minnow anglers back in Portuguese Cove do well one day and then blank the next. The topwater bite has been on and off in the big lake, according to locals who fish the lake almost every day. I’ve had to work hard for my fish picking up one here and there before moving on. Overall, the bite has been sporadic and every day has been different with the best action early in the morning. The key right now is finding active fish willing to bite.”

Mason Surber of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “Smaller minnows seem to be working much better than the jumbos right now as the bait in the lake has been small. We have had a number of fishermen picking up limits of 18- to 23-inch stripers on walking-style topwater lures such as Zara Spooks, Evergreen’s Shower Blows 150s, River2Sea Rovers or Lucky Craft’s Whopper Ploppers. Largemouth bass have been taken on the same lures as they are also working the surface in the early mornings. In the forebay, boils are common, and topwater lures, jerkbaits, swimbaits on a scrounger head and lipless crankbaits are all working.”

The main lake dropped to 46%.

Ryan Cook was on the forebay on Friday night, and he said, “Most of the boils we were seeing were out of our reach, but once we moved into the shallows of 2 feet, we started to pick up stripers with the Reaction Innovation’s Vixens, LV 500s, spoons or double fluke rigs. The bait is in the shallows, and the bass are focusing upon the bait schools.”

Figgs reported the California Aqueduct is kicking out striped bass around Manning Avenue and Kettleman City as the majority of bait is in the northern section of the aqueduct. There is a topwater bite with any Duo Realis 120 regardless of color as Neo Pearl has been difficult to obtain. Spooks in Baby Bass or Florida Bass along with flukes are also popular for the linesides.

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 is available at fs.usda.gov/sierra.

Bass Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 1

A webcam of the lake is available at basslakeca.com. The lake is releasing water, and it dropped from 85% to 75%.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool

Edison is at 26%, Florence is at 22% and Mammoth Pool dropped from 38% to 20%.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake

Kokanee 2 Trout 2

All access to Shaver Lake is restricted per order of Southern California Edison. Access is available for residents only during specific times with a permit. Road access to Huntington Lake and Camp Sierra is available for residents only during specific times with a permit.

Shaver dropped to 74% and Huntington dropped to 96%.

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 available for residents only during specific times with a permit.

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

Salmon 2 Rockfish 3 Striper 2 White sea bass 2 Sand dabs 2 Surf perch 2

It’s all about rockfish in the final weeks prior to the Dungeness crab opener on Saturday, Nov. 7, and light loads of anglers returning with limits of rockfish are the rule. Ling cod continue to be very scarce along the coast for boats out of Half Moon Bay and further south. A few salmon from the Coastside Net Pen program are returning to the harbor, but the numbers have dwindled. The next big event is the Dungeness crab opener, and the recreational boats will only have 8 days prior to the start of the commercial season on Nov. 15.

Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat had 12 anglers out south of the harbor in 170 feet of water off of Martin’s Beach on Saturday for quick limits of quality bottom-grabbing rockfish. He said, “We are gearing up for the crab opener, and we are sold out on the weekends in November, but there is plenty of room during the week. We have been preparing our gear for the past few weeks.” Mattusch is a member of the Whale Entanglement Task Force, and he has some recommendations for the 2021 crab season. One suggestion is that the recreational season open every year on Nov. 1 with the first pots set at safe light instead of at midnight which has proven to be a safety concern for many. Mattusch’s explanation is that if the season opened on November 1st, recreational anglers would have a two-week period prior to the arrival of the commercial crab fleet which is responsible for over 80% of the take. He said, “Take for instance this season starting on Nov. 7, this will give us only a week before the commercial boats are able to set pots 18 hours prior to the Nov. 15 opener. November 1st would give us two weeks of uninterrupted access. Once the commercial opener starts, many private boats pull their pots instead of having their gear wrapped up in commercial gear with the possibility of losing expensive pots. Three small scale commercial crab boats will take more crab than the entire recreational fleet combined. Another option to look at is something known as ‘Active Monitoring.’ This would be when a no whales are observed in the area, and a boat would be able to dump 5 to 10 pots in a 100-yard circle and constantly observe the situation, pulling the pots prior to leaving the area. You can see three miles in all directions from the deck of a boat, and you would be able to keep a constant watch on your pots.”

Captain Dennis Baxter of the New Captain Pete is gearing up for the crab combination opener, but he took a coastal rockfish trip this week, saying, “The rockfish bite was slow in the morning, but the bite switched on by mid-morning to a good action for good limits of rockfish. We only landed a couple of ling cod, and the lings don’t seem to be hitchhiking onto the rockfish.”

The Queen of Hearts out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing has also been consistently limiting out with rockfish on the light loads, but similar to the other boats, the ling counts have been lacking.

Inside the harbor, the salmon bite has slowed down, and the Harbormaster has eliminated the ladders after an angler fell off of a ladder and broke both of his legs.

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.

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.

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

The wind on Monday kept the Monterey Bay party boats tied up to the docks, but Chris Arcoleo of Chris’s Fishing reports continued limits of rockfish with a few ling cod are the rule on both the local trips and when they can make it south to Point Sur.” Chris’s is filling up on the weekends for the upcoming crab season despite 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.

Allen Bushnell of the Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “For Northern California and Monterey Bay, no species historically defines fishing more than the Dungeness crab. It is right up there with king salmon as a premier catch for both sport and commercial anglers. Just like the anticipation and excitement every spring as anglers ready their boats for salmon season, fall brings our “other” special season opener, and boats are being prepped right now. Closed since July 1, 2020, sport crab season is scheduled to reopen on November 7. Commercial crab season opens in our area on Nov. 14. This impels sport crabbers to get out as soon as possible to harvest the big meaty crustaceans before the big commercial boats put the pressure on and the crab scatter. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife says “The commercial fishery is closed from July 16 to November 30 in the Northern Management Area and from July 1 to Nov. 14 in the Central Management Area.” This means our Central Area is open to commercial Dungeness fishing for two weeks before the adjacent Northern Management Area. Of course, many commercial crab boats from up north come down past Pigeon Point to get a start on their season. This adds pressure on the crab stock, and makes things a bit more difficult for local anglers, both sport and commercial. Dungeness crab can be a major factor in yearly income for commercial fishers. Scheduled season closures can be amended with “in season changes” for a variety of reasons including whale entanglements and domoic acid levels in tested crabs. Sport regulations remain essentially the same this year. CA DFW cites, ‘ Minimum size: Five and three-quarter inches measured by the shortest distance through the body from edge of shell to edge of shell directly in front of and excluding the points (lateral spines).” The daily bag limit for sport crabbers is ten crab per person per day. Crabs can be taken by hand by divers and hoop nets are legal to use from boats and piers. Crab “loop traps” are often utilized by anglers from jetties and beaches. In our area, the crab are usually found in deeper waters and most crabbers use large crab pots. Rules regarding crab pots and traps are very specific and have changed over the past few years. Here is the latest info from CA DFW:

(1) Crab traps shall have at least two rigid circular openings of not less than four and one-quarter inches inside diameter so constructed that the lowest portion of each opening is no lower than five inches from the top of the trap.

(2) Crab traps shall contain at least one destruct device of a single strand of untreated cotton twine size No. 120 or less that creates an unobstructed escape opening in the top or upper half of the trap of at least five inches in diameter when the destruct attachment material corrodes or fails.

(3) Every crab trap except those used under authority of subsection 29.85(a)(5) of these regulations shall be marked with a buoy. Each buoy shall be legibly marked to identify the operator’s GO ID number as stated on his/her sport fishing license.

(4) Crab traps shall not be deployed and used in ocean waters seven days prior to the opening of the Dungeness crab season.”Old hands have their favorite spots to drop crab pots in Monterey Bay. The traps are set out in a line and that line is moved when necessary to follow the crab movement as weeks progress. Most Dungeness are trapped in 180-220 feet of water in the Monterey Bay. The Dungeness prefer a soft bottom of sand or mud. Crab pots are typically left to “soak” from overnight to a few days. Theft from crab posts is a perennial problem along our coast. DFW law is clear on this point saying, “It is illegal to disturb, move or damage any trap, or remove any saltwater crustacean from a trap, that belongs to another person without having written permission in possession from the owner of the trap (California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 29.80 (a)(3) and Fish and Game Code, section 9002(a)).” The DFW also suggests,”If you suspect someone is illegally disturbing your traps, be sure to report this to your local warden or through CalTIP at 1-800-334-2258.”

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 3 Rockfish 3 Leopard shark 2 Sturgeon 2

Ocean salmon season ends Nov. 8, but many of the party boats have given up on the species as the bite remains hit or miss. The Lovely Martha out of San Francisco had a good day on Sunday with 14 salmon to 30 pounds for 14 anglers, but the majority of the salmon boats have opted to either fish inside the bay or target rockfish. Captain Jerad Davis on the Salty Lady has ended his salmon season early despite the actual season closing on Nov. 8, and he is moving his boat to Emeryville for the crab combination season.

Rockfishing remains outstanding for the boats willing to make the long run to the Farallon Islands, and the California Dawn out of Berkeley posted 18 limits of both rockfish and ling cod at the islands on Sunday. The boats out of Emeryville Sport Fishing returned with 65 limits of rockfish and 106 limits of both rockfish and ling cod at the Farallons on Sunday.

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, Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters out of Loch Lomond Marina in San Rafael put on a striped bass clinic on Saturday with over 130 striped bass caught and released on live bait in the north bay on two half-day trips. In addition to the stripers, they landed 3 legal halibut. Despite the timing of the end of October, the occasional halibut continue to be taken inside of San Francisco Bay. Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions aka ‘The Ghost Whisperer’ out of San Francisco continues to find white sea bass inside of San Francisco Bay along with halibut and limits of striped bass.

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

Limits to near-limits of rockfish remain the rule out of the San Luis Obispo ports, but there hasn’t been much change on the ling cod situation as the ling counts remain extremely limited on the close to the harbor trips. In order to boost up the ling count, a long-range or overnight trip is necessary. Out of Morro Bay Landing, the Avenger and Starfire were out on Monday with 25 anglers for limits of rockfish consisting of 150 vermilion, 46 copper, 54 assorted, 70 ocean whitefish, and 4 ling cod to 11 pounds. Additionally out of Morro Bay, Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay had the Fiesta and Black Pearl out on Monday with 41 anglers for 52 vermilion, 5 copper, 305 assorted rockfish, and one ocean whitefish to go with 2 ling cod at 5 pounds with one jackpot ling landed by Cooper Worth of Coalinga. Out of Port San Luis and Patriot Sport Fishing, the Patriot and Flying Fish were out on Monday with 25 passengers for near limits of rockfish consisting of 42 vermilion, 12 copper rockfish, 12 Boccaccio, 23 Bolina, 161 assorted rockfish, 5 ocean whitefish, 1 rock sole, and one halibut to go with 3 ling cod to 12 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 2 Sturgeon 3 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2 Salmon 2

Sturgeon fishing in the Pittsburg area remains the top draw in the Sacramento-Delta as the striped bass remain spread out in various locations. Overall, the river salmon season has been a major disappointment with the excessively warm water conditions, but Saturday’s overcast skies and cooler temperatures in the morning brought one of the best scores to the Benicia shoreline so for this season. However, 7 salmon being the highlight of the season demonstrates how difficult this river salmon season has been. There are a number of questions as to why the river salmon has been so disappointing, but there are few answers to these questions as the ocean season was solid for big fish.

Sturgeon action went through a bit of a lull during the middle of the past week due to high winds plaguing Suisun Bay, but the action broke out on Friday for the return of Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing to the Delta. Mitchell put his five clients on a private charter from the EIG Electric onto early limits of sturgeon working water in the 60-foot range with salmon roe near Pittsburg. Mitchell said, “These fish were really on the chomp, and we had multiple opportunities to land these fish. The sturgeon are stacking up on certain tides, and it is a matter of being able to anchor successfully in the deep water. The method of reeling down when you are getting bit makes a huge difference in the hook up ratio as setting the hook on a sturgeon bite is generally the most difficult aspect of sturgeon fishing.”

On Sunday, Mitchell put his clients onto two legal sturgeon at 53 and 47 inches for Beau and Kathleen Brown of Walnut Creek along with a pair of undersized sturgeon released.

Captain Jay Lopes of Right Hook Sport Fishing also found great action in the deep water on Friday with 9 slot-limit sturgeon with his group keeping two legal fish. Lopes is limiting his trips to keeping one or two sturgeon and sharing the meat in order to limit the impact on the fishery.

There has been more concern expressed recently about the numbers of sturgeon caught and kept by private and party boats, and this trend of selective harvest may catch on with other party boat operators. Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing said, “We already try and encourage our groups to limit the number of sturgeon that are kept, but it is a difficult concept to get anglers to wrap their heads around since once they land a big fish like a sturgeon, especially if its their first sturgeon, they want to keep it.”

Captain Zach Medinas of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures has taken this a step further with his catch-and-release only trips out of the Pittsburg Marina. These trips have proven extremely popular as the fishing community responds to the desire to preserve the viability of the fishery.

Clyde Wands, shallow trolling expert, and his protégé, Dave Houston of Livermore, were out on Houston’s custom 22-foot Thunder Jet in Montezuma Slough for 9 keepers to 25 inches along with 3 shakers, keeping 2 limits running Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows in chartreuse patterns at depths in the 13-foot range. Houston said, “The fish aren’t really stacked up right now, and there is a striper here and there, but there is no real concentration.” Wands added, “The water temperature is still in the 69-degree range, and we need it to drop to around 62 degrees before the bite becomes consistent. The conditions were ideal in the slough with relatively clear water with a minimum of grass.”

Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento, was in the north Delta this week for limits of northern largemouth bass at 18 and 20 pounds on successive days punching the weeds. He said, “I have been using Brush Hogs with either a 1- or 1.5-ounce punch weight so I can get through the mats in the heavy current. The current was moving, and there is quite a bit of dead vegetation from the herbicide spraying. We tried for striped bass for around ½- hour with no takers, and there is so much grass out there it is difficult to cast. I think the majority of striped bass are still between Rio Vista and San Francisco Bay.”

James Netzel of Tight Lines Guide Service has been drifting live bait in the San Joaquin system, and he said, “We had a decent day early in the week with 20 keepers, but the following day was one for the books. We had only 6 keepers by noon, but we landed on one of those miracle spots where you couldn’t get the bait down to the bottom without having a fish on. We have been working on the Sacramento side of the Delta.”

For largemouth bass, Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors reported a solid largemouth bite in the north Delta by punching the weeds with Sweet Beavers or tossing swimjigs. He said, “The larger average fish to 4 pounds came by punching, and it is a matter of finding clean green grass. A lot of the weeds have been sprayed, and they are dying off and disappearing, but there is thick growth beneath the surface, and it is a matter of dropping a 1-ounce weight through the submerged weeds. Swimjigs were working on the flats over the grass, but current was necessary as the bite died when the current stopped. After the quick change of the tide in the north Delta, the current started moving again, and the bass started to bite again. Striped bass have been ‘hit or miss’ as we are graphing a lot of fish in the deep water, but it is hard to get down to these fish with the swimjigs. The shad are on the flats already, and the largemouth bass are working the shad schools, but the stripers haven’t moved in. The water temperature remains warm at 69.8 degrees.”

Dave Sharp of Marina Bait and Tackle in Suisun City reported the opening of duck season limited the number of anglers out over the weekend, but there are still plenty of shore fishermen in Suisun Bay. He said, “There has really been no cluster of striped bass, and they seem to be scattered everywhere.”

For river salmon in Suisun Bay, Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait said, “There were 7 salmon landed off of 1st Street on Saturday morning along with another one lost, and I think the cooler temperatures and overcast conditions really helped with this. We haven’t been getting many reports from the Dillon Point State Park. For sturgeon, Ron Reisinger of Chico has really been lighting it up with lamprey eel, and he caught and released 16 sturgeon in my spot on Saturday.”

The Delta Cross Channel gates at Walnut Grove closed for five days during the end of October, and the closure is related to a lower Mokelumne River pulse flow to help prevent adult fall-run Chinook salmon from being diverted off of the migratory route from the Mokelumne River into the Sacramento River. The gates have reopened, but opening or closing gates can be made on short notice, and boaters are advised to check the status of the gates, especially around the holidays. The process of opening and closing the gates takes about one hour.

The Delta Cross Channel gates control the diversion channel near Walnut Grove, about 30 miles south of Sacramento. When the gates are open, fresh water is drawn from the Sacramento River into the interior of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta through Snodgrass Slough and the Mokelumne River. The open gates also allow boat traffic to pass. Information on gate operations can be accessed on Reclamation’s Central Valley Operations website at usbr.gov/mp/cvo/vungvari/dcc_chng.pdf or by calling 916-979-2196 or 916-979-2194 (TTY 800-877-8339) during normal business hours.

So far this fall season, the striped bass bite in the San Joaquin-Delta has been nothing to brag about as the water temperatures remain excessively warm, but this weekend’s cooler temperature are bringing more hope to the San Joaquin side. Largemouth bass fishing remains decent, but most guides have been heading north to the Liberty Island area on the Sacramento-Delta to have the opportunity to target boat striped and largemouth bass.

Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, was out targeting striped bass this week, and he said, “Due to the colder weather conditions, the striped bass bite has improved with the ima Big Stick or Little Stick in shad patterns along with the Optimum AA Bad Bubba Sad or Road Runners as the shad schools are being pushed up over the shoals on the San Joaquin River. The areas around Eddo’s Marina, the San Andreas, and the Santa Clara Shoals are locations where the water is pushing over the shallow water off of the shoreline.”

Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing out of Lauritzen’s Yacht Harbor in Oakley has been putting his clients onto limits of striped bass drifting live bait in the San Joaquin River. He said, “The majority of striped bass have been scattered, but we are finding some locations where the bass are congregated.”

The 16th Annual Northern California Delta Club Classic took place at Russo’s Marina on Bethel Island on Saturday, and the 6-member team representing the Fresno Bass Club took first with a 30-fish limit weighing 53.61 pounds followed by the Manteca Bassin’ Buddies at 52.49 pounds.

In the south Delta, H and R Bait in Stockton reported fresh shad has been coming into the shop most every day with the exception of Sunday, but there is always fresh shad on Fridays and Saturdays. Waxworms have been flying out of the shop in response to a solid bluegill bite off of the regular locations of Eight Mile Road, Whiskey Slough Road, or Bacon Island Road.

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 2 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 http://www.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 http://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 cancelled due to the global pandemic, but it will return in 2022.

Tournament results

Delta/Russo’s Marina – 16th Annual Northern California Delta Club Classic (6 person teams)– October 24th: 1st- Fresno Bass Club – 53.61 pounds; 2nd – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies – 52.49; 3rd – Delta Bass Club – 51.43.

Delta/Pittsburg Marina – City of Pittsburg Fishing Derby Adult Striped Bass Division– October 24th – 1st: Tyler Bass – 30.85 inches; 2nd – Roger Mariano – 26.15 inches; 3rd – Dewey Romero – 24.38 inches.

Delta/Pittsburg Marina – City of Pittsburg Fishing Derby Adult Sturgeon Division– October 24th – 1st: Ricky Duncan – 47.93 inches; 2nd – Roy Davis III – 48.10 inches; 3rd –Jaime Espinoza – 46.75 inches.

Don Pedro – Future Pro Tour – October 24th: 1st – Pitts/Pitts – 13.54 pounds; 2nd – Ralston/Friss – 13.26 (Big Fish – 6.42); 3rd – Perimeter/Jones – 12.62.

Delta/Pittsburg Marina – City of Pittsburg Fishing Derby Adult Striped Bass Division– October 25th – 1st: Santiago Zamora – 26.75 inches; 2nd –Gregory Brown – 24.94inches; 3rd –Ricky Ring– 28.88 inches.

Delta/Pittsburg Marina – City of Pittsburg Fishing Derby Adult Sturgeon Division– October 25th – 1st: Thomas Soares – 44.13 inches; 2nd – Roy Davis III – 42.00 inches; 3rd –Jose Solis– 48.13 inches.

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Hook, Line, and Sinker – October 25th: 1st –C. Ewing/B. Temby – 24.12 pounds (Big Fish – 6.04); 2nd – M. Rominar/G. Moody – 16.05; 3rd – J. Martin/B. Squalia – 15.53.

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

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. 25 by California Department of Fish and Wildlife conditions permitting:

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