Fishing report, Dec. 9-15: Shaver reopening kicks off trout and kokanee bites

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

California Aqueduct stripers put on a show, Jake Figgs reported. Don Pedro trout and bass bites solid, Ryan Cook said. New Melones bass react to recent rainbow plant , both hitting, John Liechty reported. Shaver reopening kicks off trout and kokanee bites, Dick Nichols said. Delta sturgeon chomping, Joey Gamez reported.

Valley

West-side waterways

Striper 3 Catfish 2

Jake Figgs of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The northern section of the aqueduct continues to be a bright spot for striped bass for both quality and quantity. Umbrella rigs are popular, and Valley Rod and Gun has sold numbers of Frenzy, Picasso and Strike King Squadrons. Lucky Craft and Duo Realis 120 jerkbaits are also working with the best patterns being Prism Shad, Prism Smelt and Ivory Halo.”

In the southern section of the aqueduct in Kern County, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield said, “The aqueduct has been excellent, and it has been generating more interest than I’ve seen in years. There have been some large striped bass at 28 and 30 pounds reported, but most fishermen are scoring limits in the 20- to 27-inch range. Lucky Craft Pointers, Magnum Flukes fished like a jerkbaits anchovies or sardines on fly line, or blood worms near the bottom are all working.”

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

Few bass fishermen are targeting the lake with the low water levels along with the remainder of an algae bloom. The lake is at 7%.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Hensley Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

A few fishermen are tossing big swimbaits such as Dep’s 250s for the opportunity for a trophy largemouth feeding on trout, but the water is too murky to see followers. Catfish have been taken at the dam with live crawdads or chicken livers. The lake is 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 3 Trout 3 Kokanee 1 King salmon 2 Crappie 2

Trout trolling continues to be solid for planters within the top 30 feet of the surface as the rainbows have moved into the coves. Bass fishing is turning on, and Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “Pedro is kicking on, and the bite is good if you know what to throw. There is a decent jig bite a ½-ounce jig head near big rock at depths from 20 to 40 feet. Plastics in the 3- to 6-inch range or vertically jigged spoons are also productive at depths from 40 to 60 feet. All of the bait is on the bottom, but it is moving into the creek beds. There is a decent bite in the main lake humps, and it is only going to get better.” The team of Alex Niapas and Jason Remmers of Angels Camp took Saturday’s 14-boat ABA tournament with a five-fish limit of 15.30 pounds and a big fish at 5.90 pounds. The lake is 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 2 Bluegill 2

Cormier said, “The trout plants brought out numbers of fishermen to the local lakes of Ming and the River Walk, but after the heavy fishing pressure, there are few trout remaining in the lakes. Nightcrawlers and Power Bait were the top offerings. Buena Vista was also planted by their concessionaires, and it took a few days for the fish to become acclimated. There have been some quality rainbows taken out of this lake, and another plant is expected before Dec. 20. At Isabella, the lake is low, but there are some good bass to be had with 10-inch Power Worms, large profile jigs, or creature baits. Crappie are still taken near the docks in the French Gulch Marina with small to medium minnows or minijigs. Catfishing remains decent with nightcrawlers, live minnows, mackerel, or Triple S Dip Bait.” In the upper Kern River above the dam, heavy trout plants took place last week, and the planters are holding in the deeper pools. Fly fishing has been solid with nymphs while spin casters are scoring 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 fishing expert, reported a continued challenging bass bite with the best action at depths from 25 to 60 feet with spoons, ice jigs, jigs, or plastics on the drop-shot. The lake is at 6%.

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

Lake Success/Tule River

Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2

Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company said, “The lake is low, but the nice weather has improved the bass bite. There have been lots of shore and boat anglers working the rocky points, and some quality bass are taken on jigs, plastics on the drop-shot, or deep-diving crankbaits.”

Wasson said, “A few big bass can be taken deep, but the bite has suffered from the pressure. The best action is found with plastics on the drop-shot, jigs, or spoons.”

Eighteen boats participated in Saturday’s Xtreme Bass Club event with a winning limit at 13.64 pounds. The lake is at 8%.

In the Tule River, Stokke said, “The Tule is still slow due to very clear and low water. The trout are spooked very easily. Hopefully the river holds up this winter due to runoff of ash and mud due to the SQF Complex Fire.”

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 2 King salmon 1 Kokanee 1 Crappie 2 Catfish 2

The bass bite remains ‘brutal’ as the fish are scattered at depths from 1 to 80 feet, and the bass are thin and appear unhealthy. Cook said, “You have to fish slow and shallow with plastics on a finesse presentation. I think the dropping water over the past few months has contributed to the slow bite.” Trout 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. The lake is at 38%.

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

McSwain Reservoir

Trout 2

Minimal change at McSwain as 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 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

Figgs said, “The bass bite remains extremely slow for spotted and largemouth bass with few quality fish taken on tubes or small-profile jigs in green pumpkin on a 1/4- to 3/8-ounce jig head. The lake is at 34%.

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 changed the feeding patterns of the spotted and largemouth bass, and John Liechty of Xperience Fishing Guide Service said, “I think the spots have gained 1.5 pounds in the past three weeks since the plant, and we landed a 5-pound spot that had a huge gut on a frame normal for a 3-pound fish. We are scoring best with plastics on a shaky head, Ned Rig or drop-shot, but there is a good spoon bite along with small swimbaits such as Keitechs. It is a matter of situational fishing as there are some bass close to the banks in the creek channels on steep banks at 15 to 20 feet, but the majority are holding out at the end of tapered points from 35 to 55 feet.”

Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service said, “You can catch all of the planters you want as they are all over the lake. I went from Glory Hole Point to the Spillway, the Spillway to the dam, and from the dam to Rose Island, and we landed planters to 16 inches in all of the locations. I still am running Speedy Shiners or Trinidad Tackle’s Popeye spoons at 3 mph from the surface to 20 feet. 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. The lake is 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 reported a slow bass bite in the main lake with the area around Trimmer and Windy Gap being the best location with finesse techniques such as a light Neko rig or a drop-shot presentation. The Kerman Bass Club held an event on Saturday with 16 individuals, and the winning weight was 9.18 pounds with a 3.41 big fish. There remains a crappie bite with Atomic Tubes near the docks at Deer Creek. The lake held at 21%.

The lower Kings has been hot for planted rainbows with nightcrawlers and trout dough baits in the slower water adjacent to moving water.

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

Roger George of Roger George Guide Service reported, “Striper fishing has slowly improved now that we are past the full moon phase. Trolling has been challenging, but the numbers and quality is improving as he has caught several school fish to 26 inches topped by a released 32 1/2-inch, 12.8-pound striped bass. The water levels are holding and the weather patterns look stable, so something should be happening soon. It’s yet to break out. “ The anchovy and jumbo minnow bites are producing limits of school-sized fish fished on the flats.. There is a sporadic topwater bite in the early mornings with Poppers, Spooks and flukes. The water temperature is at 63 degrees with the lake at 46%.

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

Bass Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 1

The private areas of the lake remain open. Figgs reported a tough bite with bass fishermen scoring from 5 to 7 fish to 1.5 pounds at depths to 25 feet with plastics on the drop-shot or dart head. The Sheriff’s boat is still operational, and boaters must possess the Motor Permit. Trout trolling is fair at best with Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler behind a dodger or blade/’crawler combinations. The lake dropped from 61% to 57%.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool

Edison is at 23%, Florence at 7% and Mammoth Pool at 26%.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake

Kokanee 2 Trout 3

Shaver Lake in the central Sierras has reopened for both bank and boat fishing after being closed for the past several months due to the devastating Creek Fire starting Labor Day weekend.

Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters, former president of the Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project, said, “Anglers from all over showed up to get a crack at quality yearling trout in water that has been closed since Sept. 5. Mike and Bob Guibbini of Paso Robles made the trek from the coast to troll for two days, finding multiple limits and keeping their legal share each day. They were working the Stevenson Bay area in the back of the lake with pink and chartreuse Dick’s Trout Busters tipped with Gulp! garlic-scented crawlers behind a Mountain Flasher at a setback of 100 feet. This distance keeps the gear at the 20-foot depth which is where the yearling rainbows are holding. Most of the rainbows average 14 inches with a few up to 1.5 pounds. Another regular duo, Jay Irvine and coach Jody Allen of Visalia, hit the lake a couple of days to troll with similar setups of Dick’s gear tipped with a piece of nightcrawler at 20 feet on their side poles while running Tasmanian Devil spoons, Paulina Peak Tackle’s spinners in UV green and orange or Ken’s blue spinners tipped with scented corn on their downriggers at 30 feet. This duo was working from the Sierra Marina to the island, and they landed both rainbow and golden trout along with kokanee to 13 inches. They also found multiple limits per day, releasing all of the golden trout and five kokanee.”

Nichols added, “Another duo of regulars, Jared and Manny Ramirez of Clovis, took out a couple of friends, and they found fantastic action near Rock Heaven Cove at various depths with Mag Tackle’s lures behind their dodgers. They hammered kokanee, rainbow trout, four brown trout and a holdover trophy rainbow in the morning, keeping mixed limits.”

Shaver Lake Sports reported that both launch ramps are open, but the marinas are closed which is typical for this time of year. Shaver is at 73%.

Access at the snow parks is currently closed, and with Huntington at only 69%, only hand-carried boats are able to be launched. 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

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

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

Dungeness crab limits remain the rule, but the rockfish has been challenging due to the cold water. Captain Dennis Baxter of the New Captain Pete put in 21 limits of crab on Sunday, but the rockfish count was around 1/3 limits. He had a crab-only on Monday for 18 limits. The Huli Cat was also out over the weekend for 18 limits of Dungeness crab along with 3/4 limits of rockfish at San Gregorio in 140 feet of water. Pots had up to 22 crab. 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 party boats will be out for a surfing exhibition at Maverick’s Reef on Tuesday.

Rockfish season ends on Dec. 31.

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 2 Sand dabs 2 Surf perch 2

Chris Arcoleo of Chris’ Fishing Trips in Monterey said, “We headed south to Point Sur with the Star of Monterey on Saturday, and we had easy limits of rockfish with a few lings. The local rockfishing has been producing limits of an average quality of rockfish. The Dungeness crab counts have been low overall as the biomass of crab is lacking in our area. On Sunday, The Star of Monterey scored 12 limits of rockfish while the Check Mate had half-limits of rockfish and 25 crab for 14 angles with the Caroline scoring 90 rockfish and 20 crab for 11 anglers.” There is plenty of room on the combination trips during the week and also on the weekends.

Allen Bushnell of the Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “Though winter-type beach structure is not firmly established, fishing for perch both in Monterey as well as the Santa Cruz area has been decent, and it’s getting better. We’re seeing more fish, and the average size is getting larger. Once we get significant rains, the Salinas and Pajaro rivers will open up to the ocean and loose this year’s flood of schoolie-sized striped bass from their spawning grounds. Wintertime and early spring is the best time for surfcasting the stripers. Private boats and charter operations are doing well on rockfish, lingcod and Dungeness crab fishing. Ken Stagnaro from Stagnaro Charters reminds us that, “Rockcod season ends Dec. 31. We have rockcod fishing trips scheduled all December. New Year’s Day we’ll switch over to sanddabs for a few months. On the Go fish Santa Cruz continues to make big scores on Dungeness crab and lunker rockfish, working a broad area from Natural Bridges up to Franklin Point. In an understatement, Captain JT Thomas reported “Our combo trips for Dungeness Crab and rock fish are fun and productive.” In Monterey, Chris’ Fishing Trips continues to catch limits of rockfish and near-limits of Dungeness on their daily combo trips.”

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 2 Leopard shark 2 Sturgeon 2 Crab 3

The Bay Area region has enforced specific Shelter In Place restrictions until at least Jan. 4, and the party boats out of San Francisco were closed down for the remainder of the season starting Dec. 6. The Shelter In Place restrictions are currently in place until Jan. 4. The party boats in Berkeley, Emeryville, Richmond, and Loch Lomond currently remain in operation.

Crab limits have been the rule, and Captain Jerad Davis of the Salty Lady out of Emeryville Sport Fishing has been consistently scoring easy limits of rockfish with as many as 50 Dungeness crab per pot in the deeper strings. Rockfishing has been a grind, but they have been returning with limits of rockfish along with an occasional ling cod at the Farallon Islands.

Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters out of Loch Lomond took a private charter to the Fanny Shoals on Saturday, and he said, “The rockfishing was wide open, and we had 7 limits of ling cod to 15 pounds, 70 rockfish in the 4- to 6-pound range, and 7 limits of Dungeness crab. Fanny Shoals is a long run at 33 miles from Point Bonita.”

The live bait receiver out of San Francisco closed a few weeks ago, but there were still a few scoops left for the party boats. That is over now until at least April when the anchovies are back within range of being netted.

Inside the bay, Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions out of San Francisco took his final trip of the season on Sunday, and he said, “Our last trip of the year started off with sharks, but we made a few more drifts and caught our first white sea bass and started to pick at the flatties. At the end of the day, we scratched out a catch, throwing in some more halibut and another sea bass which is unbelievable for December. I took a part of a group out this week for 11 limits of striped bass in San Pablo Bay along with a halibut taken on one drift at Paradise before I went out with my deckhands for 5 stripers to 12 pounds, one 10-pound halibut, and three white sea bass to 28 pounds. The sea bass were all big, quality fish.”

Ed Liu of Bay Tackle in El Cerrito said, “The Shelter In Place orders will be limiting us to between 2 to 4 people in the shop, and we have been having up to 20 people in the shop over the past months. The striped bass are still biting in the bay, but the action really slowed down at the start of the week with the full moon. A bad day is around 20 stripers with a good day with over 100 striped bass hooked. We have been finding much larger fish after 5:00 p.m. in the afternoons with linesides to 36 inches throwing KVD swimbaits in white or Z Man’s in white/salt and pepper from the shorelines from Emeryville to Crockett. When the water is dirty, we switch over to chartreuse or chartreuse/gold glitter. Over on the Marin side, we are hearing reports of striped bass and even sturgeon off of McNear’s Pier.”

Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle in San Rafael said, “We are still having halibut around here, not a lot, but remember, this is December. There are reports of halibut being caught every day. Striped bass remain in our harbor and also along the levee around the harbor. There was a 65-inch sturgeon that was landed and released off of the China Camp shoreline.”

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 3

Rockfishing remains the highlight along the San Luis Obispo County coast, and long-range trips have the potential for solid ling cod counts. The Endeavor out of Morro Bay Landing was out on Sunday on a 12-hour trip, and they returned with 20 limits of big rockfish consisting of 190 vermilion and 10 Boccaccio along with 3 ling cod to 12 pounds. The Avenger and Starfire were also out on Sunday with 36 anglers for 16 vermilion, 5 copper, 227 assorted rockfish, 1 cabezon, and 2 ling cod to 7 pounds. Out of Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay, the Fiesta was out on Monday with 16 anglers for 15 vermilion, 15 copper, 130 assorted rockfish, and an ocean whitefish. Jasmine Demp of Tulare took the jackpot with a solitary 10-pound ling cod. Out of Port San Luis and Patriot Sport Fishing, the Phenix, Flying Fish, and Patriot were out on Sunday with 51 passengers for 25 vermilion, 8 copper rockfish, 282 assorted rockfish, 2 Bolina, 2 cabezon, and 26 ling cod. The Phenix put in 23 of the 26 lings to 10 pounds on a 3/4-day trip to Point Sal. 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 2 Striper 2 Sturgeon 3 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2 Salmon 2

The absence of fresh water flow in the Sacramento-Delta has kept the sturgeon from migrating past Suisun Bay, and the diamondbacks are in a holding pattern from Pittsburg to the Mothball Fleet. Sturgeon fishing remains excellent on certain days when the tides are right, but during the slow tides, the bite has been much slower. The best tides have been at night, and some impressive scores have been posted. The entire Delta system is in desperate need of precipitation, but it appears that it will be a few more weeks until there is a chance of rain. Most salmon fishermen have given up, but there are still a few diehards finding limited success in the north Delta. The colder water has slowed the largemouth bass bite, but there are still striped bass to be found. The troll bite should be slowing down with the colder water with live and cut bait taking over.

The sturgeon remain in the Pittsburg area, and the majority of six-packs and private boaters are sticking around the region outside of the harbor. Captain Zach Medinas of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures has been venturing outside of the Pittsburg area, and he said, “There are sturgeon all over, and I go away from the boat traffic in order to fish.” He put James Patterson and his crew from Northern Pacific Solar to a holiday party, and they experienced the ‘Coveted Quad Hookup’ – not only fighting four sturgeon at one time, but also landing every fish.

Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing was in the Pittsburg area on Friday, and he said, “We started out with salmon roe based upon some advice from a fellow six-pack captain, but after finding slow action, we starting putting on some eel, and the sturgeon started biting. We landed five sturgeon with four being short and one being over, losing a good slot- fish along the way. There were more than enough chances as once we put on the eel, the sturgeon started to chomp. Saturday’s trip was also solid with father and son, Brandon and Glen Wyatt of Berkeley, onto two slot-limit sturgeon at 59.5 and 42 inches on either salmon roe or lamprey eel. Sunday was another story as the tides were weak, and the fish weren’t biting. We had a few bites that we didn’t capitalize upon. It was tough on all of the six-packs on Sunday. There are still a number of fish stacked up in the deep water outside of Pittsburg, but they just didn’t bite.”

Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing has his new larger boat in the water out of Pittsburg, and he has been finding a tremendous bite at night with the better tides. He said, “We were out on Saturday night, and my son, Joey Jr., was manning the rods, and he caught and released 4 slot fish, a few oversized, and 6 shakers on either salmon roe or eel. We actually weren’t fishing the deep water as we were either near the Mothball Fleet or in the Big Cut. The reality is, there are sturgeon all over the place.”

Johnny Tran, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, was out in search of striped bass and sturgeon this week, and he started down near the deep water outside of Pittsburg. He said, “I don’t like fishing at 80 feet with a one-pound ball of lead for sturgeon so we went into Mallard Slough for stripers. There wasn’t enough tide movement to get the stripers to move into the small slough, and as a result, we moved over to Chain Island where there were sturgeon jumping everywhere. The stripers were eating the shad, and we had some fresh shad from the new tackle shop in Manteca that was all 3.5 inches or larger. We kept looking for sturgeon, and we went to the deep hole in the Little Cut near the Duck Club, and I counted 30 sturgeon stacked up there, but we didn’t have enough anchor line to stay down. There were sturgeon jumping all over the place in the Little Cut.”

For striped and largemouth bass, Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors said, “The largemouth bass bite has gotten very tough as our production has dropped from 50 to 75 bass per outing to 20 fish per day. The water temperature has dropped to the 49 to 51-degree range, and it is a combination of the drop in temperature and the full moon that has put the bass off of the bite. I am still using my custom swim jigs, and we are still finding around a half-dozen schoolie stripers in the 20- to 26-inch range up north. We did see a school of stripers in the channel at 22 feet, and we threw Fish Traps for them. It is very interesting up north as one side of Liberty has been chocolate milk while the opposite side has clarity of around 5 feet.”

Clyde Wands, shallow trolling expert, launched at Belden’s Landing to troll inside of Montezuma Slough, and he said, “We landed two limits to 7 pounds, but we didn’t mark many stripers in the slough. The water was 53 degrees, and it looks like the troll bite has slowed to the point where we will need to start drifting live mudsuckers. Once the water temperature drops too low, it is a very light bite, and the bass don’t want to chase.”

In the north Delta, Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle in Freeport said, “A few diehards are still out there trolling for salmon with Brad’s Cut Plugs or throwing spinners from the banks, and a salmon is landed here or there. Striped bass are the best bet in the area of Liberty Island, Miner Slough, Steamboat Slough, and around the Rio Vista Bridge by drifting jumbo minnows or mudsuckers. There are still bluegill to be had in the sloughs with red worms, jumbo red worms, or meal worms as the water remains clear with the lack of rain. The sturgeon are stuck down in Suisun Bay, and they haven’t moved towards our area.”

Pam Hayes of Benicia Bay said, “There really hasn’t been anyone trying for salmon from the Benicia shoreline, but the striped bass continue to move through. We haven’t been getting a number of sturgeon reports, but the Mothball Fleet, Pittsburg, and the Big Cut are the areas that keep getting mentioned.”

The San Joaquin Delta is still the stepsister of the larger Sacramento side of the Delta, and the water remains extremely clear and cold from the lack of rain. The largemouth bite has slowed with the colder water, and there are signs that the striped bass are starting to bite much lighter.

Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, said, “Drifting minnows or tossing topwater lures have been effective from Prisoner’s Point to the Antioch Bridge, and one of our customers reported landing 15 striped bass to 8 pounds using these methods. The water temperature is 52 degrees, and the linesides are starting to just pick up the bait instead of running. A few striped bass are also taken on live bluegill. The crappie are really starting to make a showing in the sloughs with medium minnows or minijigs as they are schooling up.”

There are still stripers willing to strike a trolled lure, and Greg Cook of Fair Oaks was out with his brother Dave, and he said, “We limited out trolling Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows or P-Line Predator Minnows at depths from 12 to 15 feet near the Santa Clara Shoals with stripers from 22 to 28 inches. It was great action while it lasted, but once the sea lion showed up, everything shut down.”

In the south Delta, H and R Bait in Stockton reported Whiskey Slough and Bacon Island have been the top spots for striped bass with either anchovies or frozen shad while bluegill and red ear perch are taken on red worms or jumbo red worms. Fresh shad has been difficult to find in most shops including H and R, but the new bait shop in Manteca, Mega Bait, has been able to obtain some quality fresh shad.

Call: Randy Pringle (209) 543-6260; Captain Steve Mitchell – Hook’d Up Sport Fishing – (707) 655-6736; J.D. Richey – Richey’s Sport Fishing – (916) 952-1554; Vince Borges – Vince Borges Outdoors (209) 918-0828

Lake Nacimiento/San Antonio/Santa Margarita/Lopez

Bass 2 White bass 2 Striper 0 Catfish 3 Crappie 2 Bluegill 2

There hasn’t been much change in the coastal reservoirs as finesse techniques remain the top option. The best action has been in the warmer conditions in the afternoons. At Nacimiento, the spotted bass bite remains tough with the best action in the afternoons once the sun comes out. Finesse techniques of small 3- to 4-inch plastics on the drop-shot along with Neko rigs or grubs are best with the only possibility for a reaction bite with small crankbaits. White bass have been missing in action. The lake held at 23%. A webcam of the lake is available at lakenacimientolive.com.

At Lopez, there is a bit of a reaction bite in deep water with deep-diving crankbaits or spinnerbaits, but the best action is with plastics on the drop-shot, Texas, Neko, or Ned Rig along with jigs. Bluegill or red ear perch are found with meal worms or minicrawlers. A webcam of the lake is available at 805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam.

At Santa Margarita, the bass bite is tough with a few quality bass are taken on swimbaits on a slow-roll on the bottom along with creature baits or lizards. Numbers are taken with plastics on the drop-shot, Ned, or Neko Rig. Catfish to over 10 pounds have been landed on chunks of mackerel soaked in garlic.

At San Antonio, few fishermen are heading to the lake, but bluegill or red ear perch are taken on red worms or minicrawlers while catfish are biting cut baits soaked in garlic. Bass fishing is slow, but a few small fish are taken on plastics on the drop-shot or jigs. 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.

Tournament results

Don Pedro – American Bass Association Mother Lode – Dec. 5: 1st – Alex Niapas/Jason Remmers – 15.30 pounds (Big Fish – 5.90); 2nd –Adam Belmont/Chris Lienau – 13.78; 3rd – Kirk Sakamoto/Keith Friesen – 11.98.

Pine Flat – Kerman Bass Club – Dec. 5: 1st: Darren Graef – 9.18 pounds (Big Fish – 3.41); 2nd – Francisco Montes – 8.13; 3rd – Shawn Young – 7.56.

Success – Xtreme (formerly Porterville) Bass Club – Dec. 6: 1st – Jose Narvaiz – 13.64 pounds; 2nd – Gil and Michael Munoz – 12.65; 3rd – Gary and Kodi Wasson – 11.61.

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

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