Fishing report, Jan. 20-26: Trout limits at Pine Flat and Bass Lake, mixed limits at Shaver

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 sturgeon stacked up, Joey Gamez reported. New Melones trout and bass hitting, Kyle Wise said. Pine Flat and Bass Lake both putting out trout, Dave Hurley reported. Shaver Lake pumping out mixed limits, Dick Nichols said. McClure trout bite going, John Liechty reported.

Valley

West-side waterways

Striper 2 Catfish 2

Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported some crappie are coming out of the Mendota Slough, but the hyacinth is so thick in the slough that boating is nearly impossible.

In the southern section of the California Aqueduct, striped bass in the 3- to 5-pound range have been taken on Magnum Flukes or swimbaits in pearl white or white ice near moving water.

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

Trout plants occurred last week, and there have been some reports of the occasional quality largemouth taken on a swimbait, but the overall consensus is that the lake is in the doldrums. The lake rose slightly to 8%.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Hensley Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

There hasn’t been any change here although a trout plant was scheduled for last week. The lake has risen slightly to 17%, and there are reports of a few crappie taken in the evening hours.

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 Best Bass Tournaments held the second of two consecutive weekends with 104 teams competing with the winning weight over 15 pounds. Mike Gomez of Berserk Baits participated in the tournament, and he reported a very tough bite with all action found at depths from 45 to 65 feet with orange/brown jigs with a 330 Hula Grub trailer. Catching bass wasn’t a problem, but finding anything over 2.5 pounds was the challenge. Even though the bass were hitting crawdad patterns, they were spitting up shad. Trout trolling has been quiet, but the key to success remains locating the bait schools and running shad-patterned spoons through the schools. The lake held at 67%.

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

Largemouth bass fishing is best over main lake points at depths to 35 feet with deep-diving crankbaits such as Norman DD 22s, KVD Deep Squarebills or Rapala DT 20s in crawdad pattern. A few largemouth have also been taken on jigs. The water is cold in the low 50s, and the crappie and catfish bites have slowed. A few whiskerfish are taken on Triple S Dip Bait, mackerel, sardines, chicken livers or nightcrawlers. French Gulch Marina hosts the only launch ramp with the low lake level. A trout plant at the lake is scheduled for this week. The lake held at 17%.

Buena Vista has slowed considerably for planted rainbow and Lightning trout as the last plant was a few weeks ago. There is the occasional trout taken on Power Bait on a sliding sinker rig with a long leader.

The upper Kern River will be planted this week and next week, but cold water flows have kept the planted trout holding in the deep holes with live crickets, salmon eggs or nightcrawlers drifted through the pools working best.

Trout plants are scheduled at Brite Valley, River Walk and Ming during the week of Jan. 24.

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

A trout plant occurred last week, and shore anglers are trying for the planters with Kastmasters, Power Bait or nightcrawlers. The planted rainbows should get the big largemouth bass moving into the shallows, but the bass are still holding in the deepest parts of the lake, and spoons, jigs or plastics on the drop-shot at 30 feet are the best techniques. The lake rose slightly to 7%.

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

Lake Success/Tule River

Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2

A trout plant occurred last week, and the rainbows should bring the largemouth bass into the shallows. Shore anglers are trying for the platners with Power Bait, Kastmasters or nightcrawlers. The bass continue to hold in deep water with jigs, plastics on the drop-shot or deep-diving crankbaits on a slow presentation remaining the best techniques. The lake held at 9%.

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 2

The bass bite remains very tough, and John Liechty of Xperience Fishing Guide Service participated in Saturday’s American Bass Association tournament for second place at 8.40 pounds, .02 pounds below the winning weight. He said, “It was slow, tedious fishing with plastics on the dart head, Ned-rig, Carolina-rig or jigs anywhere from 15 to 55 feet. Catching fish wasn’t a problem, but the bass are long and thin with big heads and no size on the body.” The lake is full of planted rainbow trout, and trollers are finding easy limits within a short period of time running Speedy Shiners near the surface. Barrett’s Cove Marina is closed for the winter, and the Bagby, Horseshoe Bend and McClure Point North launch ramps are closed due to water levels. The lake dropped slightly to 36%.

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

McSwain Reservoir

Trout 2

Minimal change here as a trout plant has yet to occur or be reported. The campgrounds at both Lake McClure and McSwain are temporarily closed. Trout fishing remains very slow 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.

Call: McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534

Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River

Bass 2 Striped bass 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

Using finesse techniques for small spotted bass is the story here with the best bite in the river arm with 4.5-inch plastics in light shad, green pumpkin or watermelon seed on the drop-shot or dart head. Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The bite seems to have actually gotten worse here with a limit in the 6.5-pound range possible.” The lake dropped slightly to 33%.

State park hours at Millerton through Feb. 28 are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A trout plant at Woodward Park is scheduled for the week of Jan. 24.

Sycamore Island will be open Fridays through Sundays and state holidays through Nov. 11. Seasonal hours of operation are 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. January, February, March, October and November; 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. April and September; and 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. May through August. Entry fees are $9 per vehicle and $5 per trailer. Annual passes are available for $85.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

Bass 3 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 1

The largemouth and spotted bass are healthy, and the action is the best of the Mother Lode lakes. John Liechty of Xperience Fishing Guide Service has been finding numbers of 2.5- to 3-pound bass on plastics on the shaky head or drop-shot along with jigs. The swimbait action has been very hit or miss, but he said, “You can head down a certain bank and go through a number of chunky bass with plastics as they are in shallower water.” For rainbow trout, Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service continues to score easy limits of planted rainbows to 15 inches with the occasional holdover to 3 pounds. Trinidad Tackle’s Popeye Spoons are working on a fast-troll, but he had to slow down to 2.5 mph on Sunday with Uncle Larry’s spinners tipped with a nightcrawler as the rainbows didn’t want the fast presentation. 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 held at 65%.

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 3 Kokanee 0 King salmon 1 Catfish 2 Crappie 2

A trout plant occurred at the lake this week, and Manny and Jared Romero of Clovis found the planters so numerous that they couldn’t keep the small trout off of their lines with small spoons or on a blade/’crawler combination near Windy Gap from the surface to 20 feet. The bass bite is a grind with finesse techniques with plastics on a Ned-rig, Neko rig or drop-shot along with jigs remaining the best option near Trimmer. Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “There were two boats with two fishermen in each boat, and they only hooked two fish within around four hours. There are reports of a few crappie coming at night.” The lake held at 22%.

The lower Kings River continues to be excellent for planted rainbow trout with nightcrawlers, trout dough bait or Panther Martins, but a number of rainbows were released into the catch-and-release section. The harvest zone is between the dam and Alta (Cobbles) Weir, and between Alta Weir and Highway 180 is a catch-and-release zone with a zero limit. The lower Kings will be planted this week and next week. Avocado Lake is also scheduled to be planted this week.

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’s Guide Service reported the overall fishing has improved to a moderate level for trollers, saying, “The fish continue to be spread out in the water column and finding them in an active bite window is the trick. I scouted on Saturday, and there were a number of boats on the lake. I managed to release 14 school-sized striped bass to 26.5 inches working at depths from 50 to 80 feet over points and drop-offs. Topwater action reports have been scarce, but I’m sure there is some action at low-light. Bait and minnow fishermen continue to congregate around the Trash Racks for limits of school fish, but some boats are encroaching in the No Entry Zone within 500 feet. The water visibility is very clear and warm at 57 degrees.” The lake rose to slightly to 49%. Jumbo minnows have been scarce in Northern California bait shops.

In the O’Neill Forebay, Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle reported the best action has been near the Medieros launch ramp near the Twin Islands with ripbaits, flukes or small swimbaits on an underspin for both bank and boat anglers. The heavy interest near Highway 33 has subsided this week as fewer cars are parked along the highway on the weekend.

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 for certain areas until Feb. 3. Updated information is available at fs.usda.gov/sierra.

Bass Lake

Bass 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 1

The recent trout plant has spurred action for bank anglers as well as trollers, and bass fishermen are also hooking up on the planted rainbows on ripbaits. The bank action is best around the Sheriff’s Tower with nightcrawlers or trout dough bait. Trolling is best with blade/’crawler combinations or Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler behind a gold dodger at depths to 20 feet. The Sheriff’s boat is still operational, and boaters must possess the Motor Permit. The lake held at 48%.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool

Edison is at 21%, Florence at 8% and Mammoth Pool at 34%.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake

Kokanee 3 Trout 3

Wind and snow may change the conditions at the lake at the start of this week. Trolling action has slowed down a tad, but experienced trollers continue to score multiple limits of kokanee/trout. Jay Irvine of Visalia and Jim Fargo of Fresno posted limits over two days trolling from Dorabella Cove to the point at depths from 36 to 57 feet on the downriggers, but they found better action on the side poles from 15 to 30 feet with Dick’s Scout Trout Busters behind a Dick’s Mountain Flasher at a setback of 90 feet. Also productive were pink Mountain Hoochies behind a purple/green/silver Mountain dodger and Paulina Peak’s green/orange spinner behind a High Mountain Panther Martin dodger.

Brown and golden trout from plants over the past couple years are at catchable or larger size and have been found near the buoys in Dorabella Cove. Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters reported that kokanee fishermen have been as deep as 62 feet to get below the trout and only land kokanee. He said, “I am also getting good trout reports out of Stevenson Cove.” As the winter fishing progresses into spring, most trollers will find better action in the top 35 feet of water. The lake held at 73%. Launch conditions can be seen via webcam at sierramarina.com/camera.html. The lake held at 73%.

Road access to Huntington Lake and Camp Sierra is available for residents only during specific times with a permit. The lake dropped to 51%.

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

Striper 2 Crab 2 Sand dabs 2 Surf perch 3

A huge swell has been plaguing the California coast for the past week, creating dangerous surf conditions.

The commercial crab season started last week, but the opening pulls have been less than encouraging. Sport crab are still a strong possibility, and Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat said, “We had success on sand dab/crab combos on days the wind didn’t blow. Other sand dab crab combos switched to crab-only when the weather conditions dictated. We have cut back on loads due to the COVID spike, and we are pleased to report all trips have had passengers and usually crew limits of crab. In order to fish sand dabs, there can’t be much wind as the fishing is taking place in about 300’ feet of water.

Dungeness crab season lasts until June 30.

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

Monterey/Santa Cruz

Striper 2 Crab 2 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 2

Chris Arcoleo of Chris’ Fishing in Monterey said, “The big swell continues along the coast, but we have been able to find a decent number of sand dabs with up to 40 sand dabs per angler along with crab scores from two to four crustaceans per angler. We will continue to run these trips until April, weather and interest permitting.”

Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “Overall, fishing has slowed considerably for most Monterey Bay anglers. The primary factor is the relentless series of big swells hammering the coast since mid-December. And, we are not done yet. NOAA reports, “Large northwest swell continues hazardous seas, increased wave action, and shoaling near harbor entrances for smaller vessels. Strengthening high pressure over the eastern Pacific provides a calmer weather pattern moving forward. The next northwest swell and stronger winds are expected to arrive at the end of the week.” Specific forecasts for the open ocean areas outside Monterey Bay includes a swell of 12-14 feet with an 18-second period for Saturday. Inside the bay, the swell forecast calls for 9-11 feet. The open ocean forecast also includes winds up to 25 knots and wind waves up to eight feet. Inside the bay, west winds are expected to reach 15 knots with two- to three - foot wind waves. It is important to know and remember that these wave height forecasts project the “mean” significant wave height. Tom Ainsworth, from the NOAA/National Weather Service Forecast Office in Juneau, AK further explains, “The wave height value in a forecast, and reported by ships and buoys, is called the significant wave height. Significant wave height (Hs) is defined as the average height of the highest one-third waves in a wave spectrum.” It gets a bit more complex but for practical purposes, at least one% of the swells will be 1.67 times the maximum swell forecast, and the maximum (theoretical) wave height would be twice as tall as the swell forecast. So, if our forecast calls for 10-foot west swell, One out of a hundred waves is likely to measure 16 feet. And, the possibility exists of a 20-foot swell hitting the coastline when the forecast warns of only 10-foot swells. Once again, these are very dangerous conditions and all caution should be taken near the shoreline, or while at sea. With rockfish season now closed, and the halibut off to their deepwater wintertime habitat, ocean anglers find the pickings are getting slim. Dungeness crab was slowing down even before the big series of swells hit. Many experienced crabbers pulled their pots in mid-December due to the low crab counts per pot. Sand dab fishing is extremely popular during the wintertime on Monterey Bay. Both the Dungeness crab and sand dabs go into hiding when the swell is up as it has been lately. Most Charter operations are taking a vacation now, or running only occasional trips. Chris’ Fishing Trips in Monterey is hanging in there. Owner Chris Arcoleo says he is getting his boats out whenever he has enough clients to cover the boat costs, with weekends being a bit busier. Chris’ reported catches of up to 30 sand dabs and two or three Dungeness crab on their combo trips last week.”

The annual Sand Crab Classic Surf Perch Derby will be held online this year with no entry fee. Participants can join at Sand Crab Classic on Facebook and are to enter a photo of any perch caught between Jan. 1 and March 13. Photos will document the length of the perch in inches for the longest fish. There are two divisions, adults and youth under 16, and the prizes include a large trophy, framed perch art by artist Amadeo Bachar and a Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project hooded sweatshirt. For information email scruzfishing@yahoo.com.

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

San Francisco Bay

Halibut 2 Striper 2 Leopard shark 2 Sturgeon 2 Crab 2

A few party boats in the Bay Area fleet will be running crab-only or crab/sand dab combination trips this winter, and these include the Pacific Pearl out of Emeryville.

Inside the bay, Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle in San Rafael said, “The big king tides and the huge swell has contributed to a live crab shortage, and I have so many orders that I am unable to fill right, and we have to prioritize who is first in line. The striped bass remain in our bay, and there are herring in the bay with a few spawns reported out of Sausalito and also at the Richmond Harbor. It usually takes around 2 weeks for the sturgeon to migrate down to our bay once the herring show up, and we are in our second week. Most of the trash fish have vacated San Pablo Bay, but there are still a few bat rays and now the bait-stealing Dungeness crab are present. Herring is a good bait for striped bass from our levee and also inside the harbor. It is most likely the best bait for sturgeon right now. We have live grass shrimp, ghost shrimp, smelt, and pile worms in the shop, and the smelt are excellent for sitting on the anchor for bass.”

Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters out of Loch Lomond was out on the Paradise Pier on Saturday morning, and he was able to load up on herring with his cast net. He had the pier all to himself as he observed the number of birds and seal lions in the area the previous evening. The herring spawns are fleeting as there were 300 people on the pier the next morning, but the spawn was over. The herring are used for halibut, salmon, or ling cod bait when the season reopens.

Reminder: White sturgeon may not be taken in the following described area between Jan. 1 and March 15: That portion of San Francisco Bay included within the following boundaries: A direct line between Pt. Chauncy (National Marine Fisheries Laboratory) and Pt. Richmond, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and a direct line between Pt. Lobos and Pt. Bonita.

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

Surf perch 2

The ports of Port San Luis and Morro Bay will be running nature trips and whale watching until the April 1 rockfish opener. The other action is surf perch from the piers and the beaches.

Call: Virg’s Landing (800) 762-5263; Patriot Sport Fishing (805) 595-4100; Morro Bay Landing 805-771-5500

Others

Delta/Stockton

Bass 2 Striper 2 Sturgeon 3 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2

The sturgeon seem extremely comfortable in the Pittsburg area, and with the lack of fresh water influx into the Sacramento-Delta, apparently there has been minimal incentive to move. The diamondbacks remain in the deep holes, and anglers can’t believe their eyes when they see the fish stacked up on the screen. The sturgeon are not the only thing that is stacked up since there has been a glaring lack of etiquette on the river with boaters anchoring up on the bow or the stern of the six-pack boats. With all of the sturgeon holding out of Pittsburg, the parking lot has been extremely crowded, even during the week. Since the sturgeon are kegged up in deep water, many boats do not have a heavy enough anchor, sufficient chain, or an adequate scope to hold, resulting in dragging through the fishing zone. Proper etiquette is to anchor far enough along the side of another boat to allow for boat boats to fight a fish without getting wrapped on an anchor line, never over the bow or the stern of another boat. The water remains extremely clear for this time of year, but with the high winds early in the week, logs and debris may be pulled off of the banks.

Reminder: Sturgeon Report Cards for 2020 are due to the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and they can be filled in online at ca.wildlifelicense.com/internetsales/LicenseNeedsHarvestReporting.

The sturgeon are back on the chomp, and Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing put in five slot-limit diamondbacks on a night trip after scoring three slots on Thursday morning prior to 9:30 a.m. He said, “They aren’t just biting roe right now as we are getting them on grass shrimp, eel/grass shrimp combinations, and eel/pile worm combinations. I normally never have grass shrimp on the boat, but it has been working.

Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing was out on Saturday and Sunday, and he said, “The sturgeon are still holding in the deep water near Pittsburg, but they are starting to make some moves as I went down to Garnet Point and the lower end of Grizzly Bay to find some fish on Saturday, but when I went down to the Horseshoe above the Mothball Fleet on Sunday, they were gone. I think they just came back up into the Pittsburg area. We put in one slot fish on Saturday along with 3 shakers with one slot, one oversized, and five shakers on Sunday. They are biting a number of baits including salmon roe, eel, or grass shrimp.”

Captain Zach Medinas of Gatecrasher Sport Fishing has a special trip with MMA legends on board on Jan. 24, and he took Clay, “The Carpenter” Guida out this week for a preview, and they caught and released sturgeon in preparation for the upcoming trip.

Scott Marran of Yuba City was out on Thursday in 50 feet of water outside of Pittsburg, and they landed two slot-limit sturgeon at 59 and 55 inches, tagging the 55-inch diamondback and releasing the larger slot fish. He was back out with his wife, Gracie, on Sunday, and as always, Gracie scored a large slot limit sturgeon on roe.

Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Sport Fishing had a similar report, saying, “It has been the same deal with Captain Charles Kimberly scoring 3 sturgeon including a legal diamondback on Saturday on eel, and he started off with eel on Sunday morning before switching over to roe. The fish have stayed in the same place, and the only thing that has changed has been the bait they are hitting upon. We had a two-person charter on Friday, and we were able to land two legal sturgeon between Pittsburg and Port Chicago on eel. Nothing has really changed since the sturgeon haven’t moved in numbers towards Martinez as the Martinez six-packs are coming upstream to Pittsburg.”

Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait reported six keepers and three undersized sturgeon were caught and released by a shore angler under the Benicia/Martinez Bridge on Wednesday night on grass shrimp. He said, “The Super Bowl Sturgeon Derby is on, and we are already taking bait reservations for this big event.”

In the north Delta, Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors has been finding some willing biters of the northern largemouth strain as they are able to acclimate to the colder water temperatures. He said, “The water temperature dropped 10 degrees quickly, but the northerns adjust similar to a spotted bass. Although the action is slow, you can pick up a limit of largemouth with bulky chatterbaits on a slow retrieve. The bass want the larger profile bait right now while ripbaits are producing 13/14-inch fish. The bass are feeding on bluegill, and bluegill imitations are the most effective. If you are using a ripbait, you have to pause frequently. The bluegill are in the shallows from 4 to 6 feet in the marinas right now, and this is very unusual for this time of year. There are also a number of the small crappie in the marinas, but I haven’t been able to find the larger ones.”

Borges was back out at the end of the week with Angelo Alloro and Bill Nance, and they put in a five-fish limit well over 20 pounds with his custom Vince Borges Outdoors swimbaits crawled over the grass in a slow mode. He said, “We even picked up a few striped bass as well. The day started out super foggy and it didn’t lift until 1:00 p.m. The water temperature was 50.6 degrees with excellent clarity.”

Also in the north Delta, Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle in Freeport said, “There is a mixed bag of legal and sub-legal striped bass in the Freeport area, but they are scattered from the Sacramento Deep Water Channel to Liberty Island downstream towards Rio Vista. With the clear water, live minnows are working, Bluegill are in the Delta Loop with red worms, wax worms, or jumbo red worms while crappie are found on minijigs or minnows around Liberty Island, the Port of Sacramento, and the Deep Water Channel. It is unusual for the panfish to be around in these numbers at this time of year. A few sturgeon have come up the river, but there is no consistency.”

Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait and Tackle in Manteca said, “Many of our customers have been heading out to the Rio Vista and Sherman Island area for sturgeon, and I recommend using either fresh salmon roe or lamprey eel as these both give out more scent in the cold 47 to 50-degree water. I tell my customers to combine the eel with either nightcrawlers or pile worms to maximize on both the scent and the vibration, making it easier for the sturgeon to find the bait. Plus, an eel will last a very long time.”

Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, launched out of Brannan Island for the trip down the main channel to Buoys 5 and 7 to soak sardines and frozen shad for a limit of striped bass at 9 and 12 pounds. He said, “This fish took off and ran with the bait which was a very good sign.”

With the lack of precipitation, cold and clear water remains on the San Joaquin-Delta, and the largemouth bass appear confused from the springlike weather after days of overcast and fog. The shad schools have migrated into the south Delta, and the warmest waters of the San Joaquin remain in the far south.

Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, was on the San Joaquin Delta on Tuesday, and he said, “It was a very tough bite with the unusual spring-like weather. I am expecting to find spawning bass in February as the water temperature is already between 52/54 degrees with the daytime temperatures close to 70 degrees. Everything relates to temperature, and if we get three days in a row of consistent weather, the bite will improve, but a few days ago, it was overcast and gloomy before this latest run of bright sunny days.”

Dan Mathisen of Dan Mathisen Outdoors said, “There are a few bass being flipped amongst the tules, but overall, the bite is very slow. Our first tournament of the year is coming up on January 23rd out of New Holland Riverside Marina, and I am hoping the bite improves by then.”

Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait in Tackle reported most anglers are heading for the Sacramento River as the San Joaquin River from the mouth of the Stanislaus has been slow for striped bass. He said, “I haven’t been able to get in any fresh shad for the past three days, but my shadder tells me that they are still out there, but the grass and debris has made it difficult to find them. Give it a few days, and we should be able to get some fresh shad back in the shop. We receive calls and calls about fresh shad on a daily basis.”

Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, said, “Crappie have been found in Discovery Bay as well as near the Tracy Oasis on minijigs or live minnows. One of our customers landed 20 big slabs on the San Joaquin River near Dos Rios Park, and he had two rods out – one casting minijigs and the other with minnows. He must have found a location out of the fast-moving current since the crappie down like fast water. Fly fishermen have been picking up stripers to 5 pounds in Discovery Bay.”

Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait reported Eight Mile Road east of Stockton has been a hot spot for both crappie with minnows or bluegill on red worms, wax worms, or jumbo red worms.

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

Lake Nacimiento/San Antonio/Santa Margarita/Lopez

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

The California BASS Nation held a two-day tournament over the past weekend, and the bite was extremely tough with the winning 10-fish limit weighing over 17 pounds. The non-boater division was won with a 10-fish limit less than 10 pounds. The best action has been in the afternoons with plastics on the drop-shot, Ned-rig, dart head, tubes, and small swimbaits at depths to 30 feet. The lake held at 22%. A webcam of the lake is available at lakenacimientolive.com.

At Lopez, bass fishing is actually showing some life with decent numbers of largemouth and smallmouth bass. The best action remains on the bottom with plastics on the drop-shot, Ned-rig, Neko-rig, Texas-rig, or shakey head along with jigs. The bass are feeding on crawdads in the colder water, and crawdad patterns remain best. A few larger bass are found on deep-diving crankbaits in crawdad patterns near rocky structure. A webcam of the lake is available at 805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam.

At Santa Margarita, the bass bite has slumped in the cold 52-degree water, but you can grind out a few largemouth bass with plastics on a Texas-rig or drop-shot along with jigs on a slow presentation. Crankbaits and swimbaits are also a possibility for success.

At San Antonio, there is no change from the past weeks as few anglers are targeting the lake. Catfish remain the best opportunity for success with cut baits soaked in garlic in deep water. 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

Tournament results

Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournaments – Jan. 16: - 1st: Reece Wells – 15.84 pounds (Big Fish – 4.20); 2nd – Bryan Holmes/Evan Price – 13.96; 3rd – Bill and Mike Goodman – 13.51.

Lake McClure – Sierra Bass Club – Jan. 16: - 1st: Jim L./Romero C.– 7.47; 2nd –Danny L./Tony L. – 6.98; 3rd – Chris F. 6.95 (Big Fish – 2.09).

Lake McClure – American Bass Association/Mother Lode – Jan. 16: - 1st: Adam Belmont/Steve Magill – 8.42; 2nd – John Liechty/Rob Betsch – 8.40; 3rd – Robert Mansor/Angelo Queirolo – 7.99.

Lake Nacimiento – California BASS Nation Boater Division – Jan. 16-17 (Two limits): - 1st: Dustin Selk – 17.85; 2nd – Jeremy Monn – 16.47; 3rd – Cody Bandini – 14.36. Non-boater: - 1st: Mike Garza – 9.12; 2nd – Tas Moua – 8.95; 3rd –Wyatt Moore – 8.59.

Pine Flat – Bass 101 – Jan. 1: - 1st: Mark Corrente – 8.72 pounds (Big Fish – 3.26); 2nd – David Coy – 7.55; 3rd – Wayne Arnold – 7.33.

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

Jan. 23

Delta/New Holland Marina – Dan Mathisen Outdoors

Don Pedro – Christian Bass League

Pine Flat – Xtreme Bass Club

Nacimiento – Kern County Bassmasters

Jan. 24

Don Pedro – Riverbank Bass Anglers

Jan. 30

Nacimiento – Golden Empire Bass Club

Jan. 31

Tulloch – Gold Country Jr. Bass Club

McClure – California Bass Federation

This story was originally published January 19, 2021 at 10:43 AM.