Fishing report, Nov. 11-17: West-side waterways a best bet; trout plant at McClure

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 Mendota Canal and California Aqueduct producing stripers and catfish, Jake Figgs reported. McClure bass feeding, Ryan Cook said. New Melones bass active, Kyle Wise reported. Delta bass and sturgeon hitting, Joey Gamez said.

Valley

West-side waterways

Striper 3 Catfish 3

Jake Figgs of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The northern section of the aqueduct from Manning Avenue to Kettleman City has been outstanding for striped bass with the fish boiling on the surface in the mornings and evenings. The Duo Realis 120 in Neo Pearl or Ghost Minnow along with shad-patterned swimbaits on a 1/8- to 1/4-ounce Revenge Hedz or VMC Boxer head are effective. Heavier jig heads at 3/8 ounce are used to wade through the smaller stripers.”

In the southern section of the aqueduct in Kern County, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield said, “There have been stripers to over 30 pounds taken on sardines, and we are selling a lot of sardines, anchovies, blood worms and jumbo minnows. This has been the best bite in a long time in the aqueduct. Sometimes the flows are good, and there are times when the aqueduct is barely moving.” Catfishing is good with 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 2 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2

There has been some action for largemouth bass spooning over isolated rockpiles or saddles between humps, but the winning weights in Saturday’s River Rats final tournament of the season were less than 10 pounds. With the recent trout plant, the swimbait bite for the trophy largemouth bass should start up in the coming weeks. The lake level remains at 7%.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Hensley Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

Similar to Eastman, bass fishing remains very slow with few anglers heading to the lake. With the River Rat tournament at Eastman, most anglers stayed away from the lake. The lake is at 15%. The colder water temperatures have slowed down the catfish bite.

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 shad schools have scattered, but once the schools are located, bass anglers are scoring with flutter spoons over the bait. Spotted bass are feeding heavily on the shad. Woods Creek has been loaded with shad, but the shad is scattered throughout the main lake. Trout trolling was slower this week, perhaps due to the full moon, and the best action remains in open water as the water temperature was at 66 degrees. Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing anticipates the recent cold front and winds will drop the temperature further, moving the rainbows toward the surface. He plans on breaking out his leadcore this week. 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 2 Trout 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 3 Bluegill 1

Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported crappie are still found on minijigs or small to medium minnows in the South Fork in French Gulch or in Red’s Marina. Catfishing remains solid with nightcrawlers, live minnows, mackerel, or Triple S Dip Bait. Whiskerfish to 8 pounds were reported this week. Bass fishing is decent with crankbaits, spinnerbaits, or plastics on the drop-shot. The Kern River from Tulare County to Lake Isabella has reopened, and the section around Kernville received a plant last week. Plants above the dam in the upper Kern are scheduled for the week of Nov. 22. Buena Vista is also scheduled to be planted prior to the Thanksgiving Day holiday. Salmon eggs, live crickets, nightcrawlers, or Panther Martins are all working for the holdovers and plants. Lake Ming and the River Walk are scheduled to planted the week of Nov. 22 along with Brite Valley in the Tehachapi’s.

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 2 Catfish 2

Gary Wasson of Visalia reported a decent spoon bite along with plastics on the drop-shot for largemouth bass at 25 feet. The lake remained at 5%.

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

Lake Success/Tule River

Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 3 Catfish 2

Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company said, “Bass fishing has been fair at best with anglers tossing crankbaits toward the rocky points. Plastics on the drop-shot or jigs have been moderately effective.” Wasson reported a slower bite with the best action on jigs on a slow presentation. The lake remains very low at 7%.

In the Tule River, Stokke reported good action with Woolly Buggers or caddis patterns for fly fishermen while spin casters are using Panther Martins. 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

The colder temperatures are pushing the shad into the creek channels, and the spotted bass are following the bait. Flutter spoons remain an excellent technique over the shad schools along with umbrella rigs, small swimbaits and plastics on the drop-shot. The bass are feeding primarily on shad. Trout fishing remains slow with few trollers trying. The lake held at 39%. 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

A total of 1,800 pounds of Calaveras Trout Farm rainbows were released within the past two weeks, but there was not a plant this week. Trout action remains fair from the banks at the Handicapped Docks, the Brush Pile and the peninsula by the Marina with various colors of trout dough bait, inflated nightcrawlers or silver/blue Kastmasters. The lake levels remain high.

Call: McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534

Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River

Bass 2 Striped bass 1 Shad 2 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

The bass bite slowed considerably with the water temperature dropping rapidly to 66 degrees. Figgs said. “The bass bite remains extremely tough with quality anglers familiar with the lake struggling for spotted bass to 1.75 pounds. There is an early morning reaction bite with jerkbaits and topwater lures, but the best action remains on the bottom with the custom Casper worm poured by Merritt Gilbert on a 1/8-ounce dart head.” The lake held at 31%.

Park hours are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

Bass 3 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 1

Spotted bass are congregating with the shad schools in the coves, and trolling for trout has been hampered by the aggressive bass. Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service said, “Every major creek arm is loaded with bass, and they are as deep as 60 feet. We didn’t land a single trout on Sunday although we released over 50 bass with the silver/blue Trinidad Tackle’s Popeye or Optimizer Jr. spoons. I even tried in the deeper water along the West Wall near the spillway for nothing. There are shad everywhere from 30 to 55 feet. We need the lake to turn over, and the current cold temperatures will move things in this direction.” For bass, spoons, small swimbaits, plastics on the drop-shot or spy baits are all working over the abundant shad schools. The Glory Hole and Tuttletown boat launches are open, but the Angels Cove launch ramp is closed. The lake held at 62%.

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 continues to be slow as the fish are suspending in the main lake. Ice jigs or small spoons over the shad schools remain the best techniques around rocky points or outcroppings where bait has congregated.” The lake rose slightly to 21%.

In the lower Kings, the flows remain consistent with the lake stabilizing, and trout dough bait, nightcrawlers, Panther Martins or Roostertails are picking up a few planters working the slower water eddies.

Avocado Lake and Pine Flat are scheduled for trout plants the week of Nov. 22. Bass 101 is holding a fundraiser tournament for Valley Children’s Hospital at the lake on Nov. 21, and they are search of both fishermen to participate and additional sponsors. All sponsors and/or raffle prizes are welcome. Information is available from Mark Corrente at 284-2768.

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

High winds disrupted the ability to get onto the main San Luis Reservoir or the O’Neill Forebay over the weekend, but despite the break in action, both reservoirs plus the California Aqueduct remain popular for striped bass anglers. The two lakes plus the nearby Los Banos Creek Reservoir are very susceptible to high winds creating dangerous conditions, At San Luis, there are three wind warning and lake closure lights near the Basalt Entrance Station, Quien Sabe Point and the Romero Visitor Center. At the O’Neill Forebay, the lights are located near the old Medeiros boat ramp and above the South Beach Area. Amber lights signify caution conditions for winds or other concerns while red lights indicate the lake is closed to boating and all vessels must immediately vacate the lake.

Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported most fishermen have been trolling with umbrella rigs as the boils have slowed down over the past few weeks. He said, “The bite has slowed down, but we are still selling tons of ripbaits such as the Sixth Sense, Lucky Craft Pointers or Duo Realis in the popular Neo Pearl pattern. Jumbo minnows are also producing when boaters can get on the lake. In the forebay, most fishermen are soaking anchovies or pile worms near the old Medeiros ramp, but there are those tossing the castable umbrella rigs near the Twin Islands. There is still a topwater bite going on with the Sixth Sense Mad Dog 150 along with a subsurface bite with flukes in White Ice or Green Albino on a 1/4-ounce belly hook along with jerkbaits and paddletail swimbaits. The aqueduct is getting very popular with fishermen either soaking bait or running Rat-L-Traps or ripbaits on the bottom.”

Figgs said, “The forebay has been decent for anglers using small swimbaits on an umbrella rig such as Keitechs or Strike King’s Rage Swimmers in White Flash or Sexy Shad. They are using the 2.8s on the dummy hooks with the 3.8-inch swimbaits on the hooks. The aqueduct has been on fire from Manning Avenue to Kettleman City, and anglers are chasing boils in the mornings and evenings with Duo Realis 120s in Neo Pearl or Ghost Minnow along with using swimbaits om Blue Shad or White Ice on a Revenge Hedz or a VMC Boxer Head ranging from 1/8- to 1/4-ounces while some are going as heavy as 3/8 ounce to get through the smaller fish.”

Jesus Reyes of JKings Lures was searching for stripers for 3 hours on the main lake before finding the school willing to bite his custom topwater lures.

Roger George of Roger George Guide Service in Fresno said, “The bite in the main lake was very slow as I fished both Tuesday and Wednesday, expecting a better bite that didn’t materialize. I had several good anglers call me Tuesday saying the fish weren’t to be found, and they averaged between none to just two fish trolling all day. Something caused the troll bite to shut off, perhaps the falling water levels or the coming low-pressure front. The bite slightly improved on Wednesday as we released 10 stripers to 23 inches with most linesides in the 21- to 22-inch range using Lucky Craft Pointers at 70 feet in depth around the Portuguese Cove area. The water temperatures are dropping, and they are currently in the 68- to 69-degree range. I expect this current cold storm and wind to change everything in the next week.”

The main lake dropped to 45%.

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 Sierra National Forest which has limited vehicle traffic on all roads within the national forest. The closure is temporary. Updated information is available at fs.usda.gov/sierra. The region got its first snowfall this week.

Bass Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 1

The lake is releasing water, and it dropped to 69%.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool

Edison is at 25%, Florence is at 21% and Mammoth Pool is at 22%.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake

Kokanee 2 Trout 2

All access to the lake is restricted per order of the Southern California Edison. Access is available for residents only during specific times with a permit. Shaver dropped to 69% with Huntington also dropping to 86%.

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

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

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

The party boats held out from setting gear over the weekend due to the weather conditions, but Captain Tom Mattusch was out on Monday for 27 limits of Dungeness crab. The Queen of Hearts out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing was also out on Monday for 13 limits of rockfish plus a crew limit along with 13 limits of Dungeness crab. Captain Dennis Baxter of the New Captain Pete also pulled his pots for limits, and he was cooking crab on Monday evening. The New Captain Pete, Huli Cat, and Queen of Hearts will all be running the crab combination trips starting Saturday, 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.

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

Monterey/Santa Cruz

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

The Dungeness crab opener started on Saturday, but as their normal custom, Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching in Monterey set their pots on Saturday morning in anticipation of pulling them on the next available trip. Sunday’s trips were canceled well in advance, but they were able to make it out on Monday for limits of rockfish and 50 Dungeness on the Check Mate with 3/4 limits of rockfish and 40 crab on the Caroline. Chris Arcoleo of Chris’s Fishing said, “We had hopes for a much better opening pull, but the big swell may have buried the crab. We will know more in the coming week as the earlier reports from the domoic acid testing indicated a healthy biomass of Dungeness in our waters. We found better action in the shallows, and we moved some of our pots in.” 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, “Local anglers enjoyed a pleasant week for fishing all along the Monterey Bay this week. Rockfish remain plentiful, especially on the deeper reefs, halibut are still in the mix for those fishing 60-80 feet of water on the broad sandy stretches below Santa Cruz and above Monterey. Charter operations across the bay took full advantage of the conditions and all forwarded good reports during the past week. Surfcasters are finding more, and bigger barred surf perch from the beaches near Santa Cruz and close to Moss Landing.

Sport crabbers have a little breathing room, as the commercial season was delayed by the California Department of fish And Wildlife. The CDFW announced this on Wednesday saying, “The commercial Dungeness crab season in the central management area, which was scheduled to open Sunday, Nov. 15, will be delayed due to the presence of whales within fishing grounds and the potential for entanglement. In mid-November, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director will re-assess entanglement risk in the central management area and evaluate risk in the northern management area, which is scheduled to open Tuesday, Dec. 1. CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham added, “The fleet has gone to great lengths to be more nimble in order to protect whales and turtles, and the results are promising. This year for the first time in a long time it looks like we don’t have to worry about domoic acid, which is good news.

“In other good news, COVID restrictions are easing for the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor. Port Director Marian Olin announced “The harbor office resumed regular operating hours on Nov. 1 and is once again open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please respect social distancing guidelines! Customers must wear a mask and the customer service counter is limited to serving one person at a time.”

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

San Francisco Bay

Halibut 2 Striper 3 Rockfish 3 Leopard shark 3 Sturgeon 2 Crab 3

The salmon season ended on Nov. 8, but the Dungeness crab season began the previous day on Nov. 7. Recreational anglers will get a few more weeks with the crab fishery to themselves as the commercial season has been delayed from the scheduled Nov. 15 opener until at least December 1st due to the presence of humpback whales off of the California coast. The commercial fishery has been responsible for the vast majority of whale entanglements. Saturday’s weather conditions brought out high winds and a huge swell, but party boats were able to set their gear and make it out to pull crab pots for limits while Sunday’s conditions were far too rough even the largest boats to head out. The wind died on Monday, and the swell is backing off with Captain Jerad Davis of the Salty Lady out of Emeryville returning with 18 limits of both rockfish and Dungeness crab. The Pacific Dream out of Berkeley ran to the Farallon Islands for 24 limits of both Dungeness crab and rockfish while their other boat, the Happy Hooker, returned with 15 limits of both crab and rockfish with 3 ling cod to 8 pounds. The big swell pushed down the ling cod bite, but once the ocean settles down, the action should return at the Farallons.

It was limits all around with the Emeryville Sport Fishing reports returning with a combined 820 limits of rockfish and crab while the Lovely Martha out of San Francisco scored 22 limits of rockfish and crab. At both the Berkeley and Emeryville Marinas, there are crab shacks that will cook and clean your crab.

Inside the bay, Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions, aka ‘The Ghost Whisperer’ out of San Francisco Pier 45 continues to put on a clinic on the elusive white sea bass with as many as 18 of the ‘ghosts’ on recent trips. Koyasako targets all species, but he has specialized on white sea bass which are a species on many angler’s bucket lists.

Ed Liu of Bay Tackle in El Cerrito reported numbers of striped bass in the 17- to 22-inch range are coming from the eastern shorelines of San Francisco Bay. He said, “There are striped bass everywhere, but the majority of fish are small. We are still scoring with the KVD swimbait in salt/pepper, white, or chartreuse. We haven’t been able to get nothing on topwater, though. There is great anticipation for the recreational crab season, and we are selling plenty of snares, nets, and crab pots.”

Out of Loch Lomond Marina, the ‘Lord of the Sea’ aka, Keith Fraser, said, “There are still a lot of bass in our harbor, and if you went out to the Marin Islands and drifted between the islands with live bait before trolling at the top of the tide, you will get into the stripers. The tides over the past few days have been slow, but later this week, this game plan will work. There are still halibut and bass taken off of the China Camp shoreline, and we have some great sturgeon tides coming up next week with a minus 1.4. We have live pile worms, anchovies, blood worms, mudsuckers, and smelt in the shop for the weekend.”

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 Surf perch 2

High winds and a huge swell kept the boats tied up to the docks over the weekend, but the swell is backing off, and the boats are running again. Prior to the front moving through, out of Morro Bay Landing, the Starfire and Endeavor were out with 40 anglers for near-limits of rockfish consisting of 110 vermilion, 20 copper, 10 Boccaccio, 250 assorted, and 6 ling cod to 8 pounds. Also out of Morro Bay, Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay, the Rita G was out on their last trip for limits for 17 anglers with 50 vermilion, 115 assorted rockfish, 5 ocean whitefish, and 2 ling cod to 5 pounds. Ryan Croonenberg of Visalia landed the jackpot ling. Out of Port San Luis and Patriot Sport Fishing, the Flying Fish was out with 16 passengers for limits of rockfish consisting of 29 vermilion, 8 copper rockfish, 114 assorted rockfish, 2 ocean whitefish, and one ling cod to 6 pounds. Both ports are running a variety of trips from ½- day to long range ventures far from the harbor. Rockfish season ends Dec. 31.

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

The past weekend brought high and gusty winds, creating dangerous conditions for boating in the main channels of the Sacramento-Delta, but the overall effect of the winds will be to drop the water temperature, bringing up more and more striped bass. Sturgeon fishing is taking center stage as many fishermen have given up on the river salmon season and are starting to focus upon sturgeon although another wave of salmon should be arriving. Largemouth bass action has been excellent in the north Delta around Liberty Island, but the striped bass remain along the western edge of the Delta near Collinsville.

Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing continues to find great action, and he said, “We have two slot limit sturgeon on Thursday with a number of shorts and plenty of missed opportunities. We have been using a combination of either lamprey eel or salmon roe. The sturgeon were biting on both tides, and there are a lot of sturgeon in the system. We were in mid-range depths for 30 feet on Thursday.” Gamez has a new vessel on the way at 30 feet with a 10-foot beam. He said, “We can do everything now.” The boat will be going through some routine maintenance and painting and will be in service in a few months.

Captain Zach Medinas of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures is back on the water out of Pittsburg Marina, and he has been finding good action at a variety of depths from 28 to 70 feet with salmon roe. Medinas specializes in catch-and-release for the white sturgeon, and they released diamondbacks in excess of 8 feet this week.

Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service was out on Saturday, and he said, “We landed 5 sturgeon with 2 slot-limit fish along with a 68-inch oversized and a pair of shakers on my cured salmon roe while anchored near Chain Island. Everyone of the six-packs that were around us landed from 2 to 6 legal sturgeon.”

Out of Benicia, Tony Lopez said, “The river salmon bite remains very spotty at best as most fishermen are switching over to targeting sturgeon. I spoke with one of the regulars at 1st Street, and he said that there were 200 salmon landed by this time last year, and there have only been 43 landed so far this year. Usually, they would stage off of the Benicia shoreline, but the lack of fresh water flow may keep them moving on. Striped bass fishing has been decent off of the shorelines, even off of the 1st Street Pier. There are still big striped bass taken on live baits such as splittail around Pittsburg, but there was one angler who drifting dead shad through a striper school after marking them on his graph, and he hooked up with a number of stripers.”

Clyde Wands, shallow trolling expert, was out on Thursday, and he said, “I am not sure where the stripers went, but we put some miles on the motors today as we ran up to the Deep Water Channel before heading to the Old Sacramento River above Isleton for nothing in either location. We found some biting stripers along the West Bank near Collinsville in a small pocket of fish, ending up with 5 keepers to 7 pounds. Four of the five were new fish into the system. Everything bit on the outgoing tide, and the water temperature is getting good. Most boats have been struggling.”

Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors was up in the north Delta on Thursday, and he said, “The bass bite has been phenomenal as we caught and released anywhere from 50 to 75 largemouths to 5.5 pounds using my custom swimjigs with a Reaction Innovation’s Skinny Dipper tail in bluegill colors. The bluegill colors are working best as the Ayu color of my swimjigs matches the golden shiners in the area. Stripers have been hard to find as we landed maybe a half-dozen keepers. There is a ton of shad in the flats, and you can see the shad breaking the surface, but it seems that the stripers are feeding at night in the shallows as there is nothing in the channel during the middle of the day. This nice cold front moving through may bring up more striped bass into the north Delta, but the water temperature came up a few degrees to the 60-degree range. We also found a batch of palm-sized crappie near Vieira’s Marina in the Old Sacramento on the way back.”

Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, said, “This will be an excellent week for stripers in the Sacramento-Delta with linesides from Collinsville up to Sandy Beach. This past week’s tides were too small to entice much action, but since we have water movement from 2.5 to 3.5 feet, I expect much better action. The striper bite will happen until the water gets dirty, and the real key for those fishing on the anchor is to be patient. The best action will be taking place during the final two hours of the tide into the first two hours of the following tide. For sturgeon, the diamondbacks are stacked up in the deep hole near the Pittsburg PGE Plant like cordwood.”

The combination of high winds and a very cold front over the past weekend brought some major changes to the San Joaquin-Delta. The water temperature continues to cool, and the striped bass are on the move. Conversely, the Florida-strain largemouth bass don’t like the rapid change in temperature, and they will be less active until the water stabilizes.

Johnny Tran, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, said, “There are stripers all over the place, and they are moving closer to the Port of Stockton. Spooning off of the Stockton Golf and Country Club in the main channel as well as drifting bluegill has been good along with trolling or drifting live bait near the Black Bridge on the San Joaquin. The hyacinth has been pushing further in, and you have to work around the floating mats. Disappointment Slough in the eastern part of the San Joaquin is also kicking out stripers on cut bait or drifting bluegill if you can find them as the cold temperatures will push the panfish into deeper water. The area around Bacon Island and Bullfrog Marina in the south Delta is producing stripers to 30 inches on topwater lures along with the live bait for both shore and boat anglers with the boats having a bit of an advantage. This is a great week for striped bass action with the vastly improved tides with water movement up to 3.5 feet. The largemouth bass will turn off with the colder water, but you can find them sunning themselves in the shallows along the south-facing banks. Since the water temperature remains above 50 degrees, the largemouths will bite once again with anything resembling a shad whether it be a topwater lure, a crankbait, chatterbait, or spinnerbait.”

Dan Mathisen of Dan Mathisen Outdoors went to the tules opposite of the Pittsburg PGE Plant for a short venture this week, and they caught and released stripers to 10 pounds on Optimum’s Bad Bubba Shad on a ½-ounce jig head. These were new fish as they had a bright purple translucent line.”

In the south Delta, H and R Bait in Stockton reported fresh shad has not come into the shop for the past two weeks, but they expect to have shad deliveries this week. They continue to be very busy servicing bank fishermen in the south Delta, and they will routinely sell out of live minnows at the start of the weekend.

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

At Nacimiento, the reaction bite has slowed to a crawl with the low- pressure fronts moving through, and the action has migrated to the bottom with plastics on the drop-shot or Neko-rig along with jigs at depths to 25 feet. Vertically-jigged spoons are effective when the bass are found in the shad schools. The numbers have diminished, but there have been spots ot 3 pounds landed. White bass need some incentive to bite, and trolling has been more productive than spooning or casting as the boils have been absent. The lake dropped slightly to 24%. A webcam of the lake is available at http://www.lakenacimientolive.com/.

At Lopez, the largemouth bass bite has come to a grinding halt with the reaction bite falling off. Working the bottom with plastics on the Texas-rig, drop-shot, or jigs provide the best opportunity for limited success. Mealworms, redworms, or mini-crawlers continue to be effective for bluegill and red ear perch. A webcam of the lake is available at http://805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam/.

At Santa Margarita, prior to the arrival of the cold fronts, the largemouth bass bite improved for quality bass in the 5-pound range with a small window for reaction baits early in the mornings or late in the afternoons. The majority of action has been on the bottom with plastics on the drop-shot or Texas-rig. Catfishing has been best with cut baits coated with garlic or nightcrawlers fished weightless. Panfish are taken on red worms, meal worms, or small ‘crawlers. Crappie are near submerged structure with minijigs or small swimbaits.

At San Antonio, the Harris Creek ramp has new launching hours on Fridays from noon to 5 and from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. There hasn’t been much change over the past week, but there has been less angler interest due to the colder weather. Catfish remain the best option with cut baits soaked in garlic, but the bluegill and red ear perch bite has been slow along with the smallmouth and largemouth bass.E

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

Don Pedro – American Bass Association – November 8th: 1st- Matt Dolph/Robert Mansor – 14.74 pounds (Big Fish – 6.36); 2nd – Collin and Jace Degough – 13.86; 3rd – David Permenter/Eric Jones – 13.55.

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

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

This story was originally published November 10, 2020 at 8:38 AM.