Fishing report, Dec. 2-8: Shaver Lake open from bank and boat, launch ramps available

Compiled by Dave Hurley and edited by Roger George, a former Olympic-class decathlete at Fresno State (he still holds the school record). George guides in the greater Fresno area and holds the striper record at Millerton Lake. Telephone numbers are in 559 calling area unless noted.

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Best bets

Delta bass, stripers and sturgeon on the chomp, Randy Pringle reported. Don Pedro bass and trout on solid bites, Kyle Wise reported. Success bass fishing improved, Chuck Stokke said. New Melones trout plants spurs on big bass action, California Aqueduct stripers hitting, Dave Hurley said. McClure trout plant helps trollers, Ryan Cook reported.

Valley

West-side waterways

Striper 3 Catfish 2

The northern section of the aqueduct has been solid for striped bass for lure fishermen casting either jerkbaits or topwater lures. Duo Realis 120s in Ivory Halo, Prism Smelt or Ghost Minnow remain popular if they can be found. There is a topwater bite in low-light conditions with Poppers.

In the southern section of the aqueduct in Kern County, Magnum Flukes in shad patterns on a ½-inch jig head are working along with sardines or anchovies. Working the moving water is the key to success.

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

With the lack of rain and the continuance of an algae bloom, few bass anglers are targeting the lake.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Hensley Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

Similar to Eastman, an algae bloom is present, and most bass fishermen are finding other options. Working the shallow rockpiles with Senkos has been the best option, and you can catch and release all of the carp that you desire in the shallows with dough baits.

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

Lake Don Pedro

Bass 3 Trout 3 Kokanee 1 King salmon 2 Crappie 1

Don Pedro is another good option for trollers, and Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service said, “We went through 37 rainbows from 12 to 16 inches this week as the big plant of 9,000 pounds a few weeks back have moved into the coves where the shad is located. I found our best action on Speedy Shiners on a setback of 150 feet on the planer boards using a 1/8-ounce sinker to keep the lure just below the surface. The planer boards were more effective than the downriggers, but I did drop down to 80 feet to see if we could locate a king salmon, but we landed a 14-inch rainbow at this depth. The majority of action came from 25 to 30 feet in depth, and the good news was that we didn’t have to release a single bass.” The spotted and largemouth bass bite is “getting really good” according to Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing who has been finding quality bass over 6 pounds with ¾-ounce Hopkins Smoothies, 4- to 5-inch Strike King’s Flutter spoons, or G Money jigs on a ½- or ¾-ounce jig head at depths from 40 to 70 feet.

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 3 Crappie 2 Catfish 3 Bluegill 2

The local lakes of Ming and the River Walk were planted last week, and catchable rainbows are taken on Power Bait in various colors, but using scent is important. Buena Vista was also planted by the private concessionaire. At Lake Isabella, it is quantity over quality on the bass scene as largemouth bass to 9 pounds have been reported on 10-inch Power Worms or large profile jigs worked on a slow presentation. Catfishing remains good with nightcrawlers, live minnows, mackerel, or Triple S Dip Bait. In the upper Kern River above the dam, heavy trout plants occurred within the past week, and there is an insect hatch taking place in the early afternoon. Fly fishing has been solid while spin casters are scoring the planters with salmon eggs, live crickets, nightcrawlers, or Panther Martins.

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, local bass expert, reported the bass are holding in deep water with ice jigs, plastics on the drop-shot or jigs on a ½-ounce jig head working best.

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

Lake Success/Tule River

Bass 3 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2

Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company said, “Bass fishing has picked up this week, and anglers are having good luck with crankbaits along the rocky points.” Wasson said, “Similar to Kaweah, the best action is deep with slow-rolled, small-profile swimbaits, plastics on the drop-shot or jigs.”

In the Tule River, Stokke added, “The river has slowed down for trout with the colder temperatures along with the clear water conditions easily spooking the fish.” 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 2 Trout 3 King salmon 1 Kokanee 1 Crappie 2 Catfish 3

The bass bite continues to be extremely tough with the lake ‘chocked full of bait,’ along with the heavy water releases throughout the summer. Cook reported that you can find bait anywhere on the lake, in the creek channels, in the backs of cuts and in open water, but the bass are very thin. The best action has been for small fish with small plastics on a Ned-rig, small underspins or smaller swimbaits on an umbrella rig. A limit under 7 pounds took first in a recent club tournament with the big fish at 2.00 pounds. With the recent trout plant of 8,000 pounds, trolling is improving in the main lake near the surface as the rainbows are moving away from the shorelines. The Bagby, Horseshoe Bend and McClure Point North launch ramps are closed due to water levels. There is a volunteer campground host job open at Bagby Recreation Area and Barrett Cove Recreation Area. The McClure Recreation Company is looking for campground hosts at both of these campgrounds and also to create a list of future campground hosts. It comes with a campsite with full water, sewer and electric hookups. Applicants must have a vehicle and an RV, 5th wheel etc. Camp host positions are volunteer, are on 6-month rotations and require 20 hours of service in the campground per week. Information available at lakemcclure.com/volunteers.

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

McSwain Reservoir

Trout 2

The last plant took place at the end of October, and trout fishing remains fair at best from banks at the Handicapped Docks, the Brush Pile and the peninsula by the Marina has 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 1 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

Jake Figgs of Valley Rod and Gun said, “The bass bite was very tough this week as I only got one bite during an afternoon trip, but it was a quality 2.75-pound spotted bass adjacent to a big point in Finegold Bay on a brown/purple jig. One fisherman was up in the river arm, and he landed five bass with the big fish being a 3-pound largemouth working the steep walls up the river arm. The reaction bite is slow with the only action on finesse techniques.”

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

Sycamore Island has closed for the 2020 season. The property will reopen Feb. 5.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

Bass 3 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 1

The recent plant of catchable rainbows has brought out the swimbait bite for big bass, and there are reports of several largemouth bass in excess of 10 pounds landed within the past two weeks since the plant. The small catchable-size rainbows have changed the feeding pattern of the bass. Trout trolling has improved, and the possibility of landing a larger holdover rainbow continues as the larger trout are mixed in with the catchables. The rainbows are oriented towards the coves where the bait fish have congregated, and trolling near the surface has been most effective. The Glory Hole and Tuttletown boat launches are open at the middle ramp, but the Angels Cove launch ramp is closed. The New Melones Lake Marina store is closed for the season including boat rentals.

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 is a bit better than at Millerton, but that isn’t saying much. Everything has been on a finesse bite as the reaction bite isn’t happening. We were out this week, and everything came on finesse techniques including Dry Creek tubes in Natural Shad or Yumdinger’s in Morning Dawn. I did land a 2.5-pound largemouth bass on a brown/purple jigs, and there have been reports of good action around submerged trees surrounded by rock up on the river arm with big 10-inch worms.” Trout trollers are finding some planted rainbows at depths to 30 feet with shad-patterned spoons in the main lake around the Power Lines.

In the lower Kings, recent trout plants have contributed to fair action with trout dough bait or spinners such as Panther Martins.

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

The main San Luis Reservoir has been relatively slow for striped bass over the past month, but the action has been on the rebound during the past week for both trollers and those throwing topwater lures- but experienced anglers are expecting a slow down this week with a bright full moon. Drifting minnows or cut anchovies have been the best options during this time frame, and this technique continues to be productive for stripers in the 24- to 26-inch range. The California Aqueduct continues to be a top location for stripers on a variety of reaction baits.

Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said, “The big lake had picked up for some trollers along with some sporadic topwater action as the linesides seemed to have moved up to the 50-foot level after being suspended out deep over the past two weeks, but the latest report during the full moon on Monday had the bite slowing down again. We have found our best action with regular minnow-type plugs such as Lucky Craft Pointers in shad-patterns. The water temperatures are running between 63 and 64 degrees with a clarity of around 7 feet. The lake has been slowly rising, and the bite was coming back to a more normal late fall pattern before the full moon hit. We hope the lake levels continue to rise. Interest in fishing the main lake remains very high, and there have been between 50 and 60 boats or more out on the weekends.”

Josh Mesa of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported striped bass in the main lake up to 26 inches taken by those drifting minnows or anchovies. He said, “In the O’Neill Forebay, most of the striped bass are undersized while the aqueduct remains the best area for reaction baits with a topwater bite with Poppers along with either Duo Realis or Lucky Craft jerkbaits in shad patterns. There is a topwater bite with the Megabass MegaDawg.”

Jesus Reyes Silva of the custom JKingslures said, “The fall striped bas bite has been activated with the low temperatures, and the shad are moving from deep water in to the shallow coves and in some spots in the open water. During the morning as well as in the evening hours, there are some boils occurring here and there by Goosehead Point, the Bay of Pigs, Trash Racks, and Cottonwood Creek. Five-inch topwater Spooks or Sammy’s 6-inch jerkbaits in shad patterns are effective. Teddy Thao from Merced and Francisco Ruiz from Prunedale chased the boils and landed stripers from 20 to 24 inches.”

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.

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

High Sierra

Access to the region is limited and extended to Dec. 9 by the order of the U.S. Forest Service which has limited vehicle traffic on all roads within the Sierra National Forest. Updated information is available at fs.usda.gov/sierra.

Bass Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 1

The private areas of the lake are open. The sheriff’s boat is still on patrol, and boaters must possess the motor permit. Few bass fishermen have been on the lake, but there is a reaction bite with ripbaits. Trout trolling remains fair with Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler behind a dodger or blade/’crawler combinations. The lake dropped to 61%.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake

Kokanee 1 Trout 2

Shaver Lake Sports reported the lake reopened this week for both bank fishing and boating, and both launch ramps are available. There have been few reports since the lake recently reopened, but a number of boats were on the lake over the weekend. Road access to Huntington Lake and Camp Sierra is available for residents only during specific times with a permit. The Huntington Lake Resort and Marina is currently closed.

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 Sand fabs 2 Surf perch 2

The commercial Dungeness crab season from Point Arena south to the Mexican border has been delayed until at least Dec. 16 due to the presence of whales in the zone where majority of commercial gear would have been set. The California Fish and Game Commission will review modifications to the 2021 sport Dungeness crab season, and the proposal is to delay both the sport and commercial seasons for crab next year despite only 3 of 542 confirmed whale entanglements are attributed to sport gear. Information regarding the meeting including the opportunity for public comment is available at fgc.ca.gov/Meetings/2020.

Limits of Dungeness crab remain the rule for all party boats, but the rockfish have been reluctant to bite with the large tide movement and the colder water conditions in the low 50’s. Captain Dennis Baxter of the New Captain Pete has been posting crab limits on all trips, and he is running his last crab/rockfish combination trip on Dec. 5 before switching over to crab-only trips for the remainder of the season. Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat is also finding stuffed pots with limits of crab and around half-limits of rockfish. He took military veterans out this week for crab limits, and the crab was cooked at the dock by the Coastside Fishing Club. Rockfish season ends on December 31st.

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

Chris Arcoleo of Chris’s Fishing in Monterey said, “Limits of rockfish remain the rule on our trips south, and on Monday, the Star of Monterey returned with 18 limits of rockfish including a number of big vermilions along with 10 ling cod to 30 pounds at Point Sur. The Check Mate and Caroline were on combination trips, and they fished the local reefs for a combined 185 rockfish and 105 Dungeness crab for 34 anglers.” The combination trips remain popular, but there is more room as we move into December.”

Allen Bushnell of the Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “Todd Fraser from Bayside Marine in Santa Cruz reported, “The conditions were good for anglers fishing from Ano Nuevo to Four-Mile Beach for a mix of lingcod, rockfish, crabs and halibut. The rockfishing is good and there are still a few halibut being caught in 70 to 90 feet near Five-Mile and in Capitola. The crab fishing is decent in 150 to 225 feet of water near Davenport and Pajaro. The wind and swells were down.” Higher waves on Thursday and Friday are expected to subside by the weekend, hopefully leaving improved nearshore structure along our beaches as perch fishing season swings into high gear.

Many anglers and families sorely missed the traditional Dungeness crab component of our coastal Thanksgiving holiday. Commercial crab season was delayed due to concerns of whale entanglements. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced on Tuesday an extension of this season‘s delay. Do not be surprised if commercial Dungeness is not available until after December 16 this year. The DFW announcement said, “The commercial Dungeness crab season in the central management area, Point Arena to the Mexico border, will continue to be delayed due to the presence of whales within fishing grounds and the potential for entanglement. In early December, 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 to inform the season opener for both areas.”

Commercial crabbers are beginning to push back against what many perceive to be an overconcern on part of the CDFW. Ben Platt is president of the California Coast Crab Association, and he complains, ““Since mid-November, fishermen have had to sit idle at the dock. Meanwhile, Californians are being denied access to fresh, delicious holiday crab.” New CDFW rules are known as the Risk Assessment Mitigation Program, or RAMP. According to Platt, the RAMP regulations are “ more restrictive than even the strictest fishery laws in the nation, the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA).” Platt has done the research, and has a markedly different opinion on potential danger to whales than does the CDFW. He says, “Humpback whales, the only ESA listed marine mammal which has any potential co-occurrence with the crab fishery, are a robust and thriving population. The only significant non-naturally occurring mortality to whales off the CA coast is caused by large ship strikes. These cruise and cargo ships kill between 50 to 150 whales a year, yet humpback whale population is still expanding at a rate of 7.5% annually, according to the Cascadia Research Collective (CRC), a highly respected marine mammal study center. When the Center for Biological Diversity first sued CDFW in 2018 over the interaction issue, there was thought to be 2,900 Humpback whales, but recent official revisions to the population count shows more than 7,200 migrating off the West Coast,” said Platt. “The California Dungeness crab fishery had only one confirmed interaction with a whale last crab season, and that whale was released unharmed. Our fishery is having zero impact on the species, and in fact, we are hopeful Humpbacks will soon be removed from the Endangered Species List.

“A quick search of the National Maine Fisheries Service records indicates only five reported entanglements were connected to the commercial Dungeness crab industry in 2019 for the entire West Coast, of which three occurred in California, and none were listed as fatal for the whales.”

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

San Francisco Bay

Halibut 2 Striper 2 Rockfish 3 Leopard shark 2 Sturgeon 2 Crab 3 White sea bass 2

Some of the best rockfishing along the coast is taking place at the Farallon Islands, and party boats are returning with limits of rockfish along with a few ling cod despite the colder water conditions. The usual solid locations along the Marin coast remain very slow for rockfish as the size of the available rockfish are very small. Captain Jerad Davis of the Salty Lady out of Emeryville continues to score limits of rockfish and crab along with the Happy Hooker and Pacific Dream out of Berkeley Marina.

There are still some white sea bass inside the bay, and Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions was out on Monday, and they hooked four white sea bass, landing two of the ‘ghosts’ to go with 4 legal halibut to 10 pounds and a striped bass.

Striped bass are still in the bay with the greatest concentration in San Pablo Bay. The normal sturgeon bite in San Pablo and the South Bay has yet to emerge as rain is badly needed to get the sturgeon to migrate out of Suisun Bay where they are currently holding up.

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

Rockfishing is the game out of the San Luis Obispo County ports, and near-limits remain the rule with the best action and quality on the full-day or 12-hour trips. On Sunday, the Endeavor, Avenger, and Starfire out of Morro Bay Landing took out 63 fishermen on Sunday for 119 vermilion, 137 copper, 319 assorted rockfish, and 18 ling cod to 13 pounds. Out of Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay, the Fiesta was out on Monday with 13 anglers for 20 vermilion rockfish to 5.3 pounds and 110 assorted rockfish for limits. Scott Flitcraft of Bakersfield took the jackpot with the big vermilion. Out of Port San Luis and Patriot Sport Fishing, the Phenix, Flying Fish, and Patriot were out on Sunday with 51 passengers for near-limits of rockfish consisting of 47 vermilion, 5 copper rockfish, 402 assorted rockfish, 16 Bolina, and 9 ling cod to 8 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 3 Sturgeon 3 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2 Salmon 2

The Sacramento-Delta is badly in need of rain, but it doesn’t look promising for any precipitation for the next few weeks. The rain will freshen up the water, and it will cause the sturgeon and striped bass to migrate further into the system. Few anglers are targeting salmon in the north Delta, but there have been some chrome fish moving through for those still willing to put in their time. The water temperature is perfect for striped bass in the mid-50s, and this is prime time for bait fishing for linesides. Sturgeon remain below Rio Vista from Pittsburg to to the Carquinez Bridge, but without fresh water, the diamondbacks are staying put and not migrating into San Pablo Bay.

Sturgeon six-packs have been concentrating in the Pittsburg area into the Big and Little Cuts, and even with the large tides, the sturgeon are on the chomp for experienced captains. Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service was out this week, and he said, “It isn’t really red hot, but we landed a total of 5 sturgeon near Buoy 31 on cured salmon roe, and two of the diamondbacks were slot-limit fish at 51.5- and 58.25 inches.”

Scott Marran of Yuba City was also out in the Light 31 area, and his wife, Gracie, landed a 60-inch sturgeon on roe on the incoming tide.

Joey Gamez Jr. of Golden State Sport Fishing was out on a night trip with Matthew Clark and Dakota Dienes in the Pittsburg area, and within a few hours, they had three slot-limit sturgeon and a pair of undersized diamondbacks.

Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing has been focusing in the Pittsburg area, and he said, “There are so many sturgeon in the Pittsburg area, and we have also been in the Little Cut and the shallows of Honker Bay. There are fish in all of these locations. The Vollbrecht family out of Tracy was out for two days in a row, and we landed a total of 5 legal sturgeon highlighted by mother Elizabeth and daughter Faith. They have been biting roe, eel, grass shrimp, and ghost shrimp, and the eel produced most of the bites on Sunday.”

Zach Medinas of Gatecrasher Adventures out of Pittsburg has been taking his ‘catch and release’ sturgeon trips, and he said, “We have been averaging 4 to 5 legal sturgeon earlier in the week, but we only released two legal fish on Sunday along with some smaller ones.”

Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento, said, “The striped bass are coming, but we need some rain to get them moving. There are stripers up north at Liberty Island, but these are smaller fish in the 4- to 6-pound range while one of the best areas has been further west for those soaking frozen shad on the anchor near Collinsville.”

Dave Sharp, formerly of Marina Bait and Tackle in Suisun City, was out solo in Broad Slough this week, and he said, “I took out some frozen shad, a half-dozen pile worms, and some tray anchovies, and I was determined to anchor in Broad Slough. I saw a number of boats spooning for stripers along the West Bank, but there are also several sea lions in the area. I went into the main channel, and when I looked at my meter, there were some stripers at 22 feet, but they were stacked up at 29/30 feet. I figured that 30 feet was the right depth so I anchored above them and threw out my first rod with a butterflied shad combined with a pile worm sprayed with Bang. As I was baiting my second rod, the clicker on the first rod went off. While I was netting the first fish, the second rod goes off, and there it was – within five minutes I had a limit at 11 and 15 pounds.”

Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, was soaking either frozen shad or mudsuckers near the Rio Vista Bridge, and he said, “We had limits of stripers to 8 pounds, and they were running with the bait. The owners of the Ultra were out on Saturday near Roe/Ryer Islands, and they landed two keeper sturgeon along with a 6-pound striped bass on a variety of baits as they had mud shrimp, roe, and eel out there. They also saw a big school of stripers on their electronics near the Little Cut. Most of the sturgeon six-packs have been either in the Little Cut near the Duck Club or in the Pittsburg/Chain Island area.”

Tony Lopez of Benicia Bay said, “Salmon fishing has been very slow around here, and I haven’t even been checking out 1st Street since there are so few fishermen out there. Most of our anglers are targeting striped bass from the banks at 9th Street with grass shrimp, pile worms, or blood worms. We have been getting in a solid supply of grass shrimp on a regular basis.”

In the north Delta, Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors continues to find solid action for striped bass and northern largemouth bass on his custom swimjigs.

The San Joaquin-Delta remains the second choice for Delta striped bass fishermen as the Sacramento side remains the most popular due to the larger quantity of fish, but there is optimism for more and more stripers to move into the San Joaquin system in the coming weeks. Normally, towards mid-December, the striped bass will migrate further and further into the south Delta in search of slightly warmer water as the shad move toward the waters around Discovery Bay. The largemouth bass are holding near current and outside the weed lines with ripbaits.

Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, said, “There are still striped bass around Empire Cut and Potato Slough for those drifting minnows, and Connection Slough near the bridge has been another productive location in the San Joaquin. There are striped and largemouth bass moving further into 14 Mile Slough off of the main channel toward Stockton. As long as the temperature stays above 50 degrees, striped bass action on the San Joaquin will hold up. There are crappie taken along any of the three bridges on Eight Mile Road east of Stockton with live minnows, crappie jigs, or flies.”

Dan Mathisen of Dan Mathisen Outdoors was in the area around the San Andreas and Santa Clara Shoals on Sunday morning in the fog, and he said, “The fog allowed for a topwater bite, and there is also action with Optimum’s Bad Bubba Shad swimbait. The stripers are in the 20- to 24-inch range, and they are tight to the tules in the shallows along the shoals.”

Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, said, “The ripbait bite has been outstanding for numbers, and we are scoring between 40 and 60 bass per trip. We are having a ball targeting the largemouths near current outside of the weed lines or in the ‘bowls’ between weed growth. When I say ‘bowls,’ I mean a small opening between the weeds. You can land either largemouth or striped bass in these areas. We haven’t been catching particularly large fish, and if you land a 3-pound largemouth, you think you have hit the Lotto. If you were to throw a wakebait or a glide fluke, you might run into a 5 to 8 pounder, but you have to know what you are doing and have to be very accurate with pinpoint casts. The ima Flit in shad patterns has been working best for us.”

In the south Delta, H and R Bait in Stockton reported Whiskey Slough has been the top local spot for striped bass with frozen shad. Fresh shad remains unavailable, and they, and other bait shops, are relying on their supplies of frozen shad.

In the Mokelumne River, pulse flows from Lodi Lake with water from the upstream lakes of Camanche and Pardee continue, but the numbers of salmon returning to the hatchery has been less than anticipated.

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 2 Crappie 2 Bluegill 2

The reaction bite continues to be extremely slow at all of the coastal lakes, and finesse techniques are the key to success. At Nacimiento, the reaction bite is non-existent with the best action for spotted bass on plastics on the drop-shot along with Neko rigs along with jigs on a football head or spider rig. Spoons in deep water are also picking up some spotted bass, but the white bass remain scarce. The lake dropped slightly to 23%. A webcam of the lake is available at lakenacimientolive.com.

At Lopez, it is quality over quantity right now, and similar to Nacimiento, spider jigs or jigs on a football head are working for the best quality while finesse techniques of plastics on a drop-shot, Neko, or Ned-rig are also effective. The panfish bite has slowed to some degree, but there are still bluegill and perch taken on mini-crawlers or meal worms. A webcam of the lake is available at 805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam.

At Santa Margarita, few limits of bass have been reports, and the topwater and jerkbait bite remains slow. There is some action with crankbaits or swimbaits on a slow roll on the bottom. Plastics on the Neko, Ned, or drop-shot are another option. Catfish are biting mackerel soaked in garlic scent. At San Antonio, there has been minimal change with a few catfish taken on cut baits soaked in garlic along with panfish taken on red worms, meal worms, or mini-crawlers. The Harris Creek ramp has new launching hours on Fridays from noon to 5 p.m. and from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. 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 global pandemic, but it will return in 2022.

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

Dec. 5

New Melones – Sonora Bass Anglers

Don Pedro – American Bass Association

McClure – Angler’s Press/Manteca Bassin’ Buddies

Pine Flat – Kerman Bass Club

Dec. 6

McClure – Fresno Bass Club

Success – Porterville Bass Club

Dec. 8

Pine Flat – Kings VIII Bass Club

Dec. 12

Don Pedro – Santa Clara Bass Busters/Contra Contra Bass Club

Pine Flat – Sierra Bass Club

Dec. 13

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

McClure – Modesto Ambassadors

Pine Flat – Sierra Bass Club

Nacimiento – Good Ole Boys

Dec. 19

Nacimiento – American Bass Association