Fishing report, Feb. 3-9: Spotted bass at Millerton Lake a best bet from stormy week

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.

Photo gallery

Show off your success! Share your fish photos and videos with Bee readers. Please share only jpeg images and Mp4 video files. Include “Fishing Report” in the subject line and a full caption and email to sports@fresnobee.com

Best bets

New Melones trout active, John Liechty said. Millerton spots hitting, Merritt Gilbert reported.

Valley

West-side waterways

Striper 2 Catfish 2

Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported many local San Jose-area fishermen are heading to the California Aqueduct instead of the O’Neill Forebay, and they are working the bottom with deep-diving lipless crankbaits or Keitech swimbaits on an underspin.

In the southern section of the aqueduct, the striped bass bite has been tough with the best action found in moving water with white flukes or small Keitech swimbaits in shad patterns.

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

Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The lake came up a few feet, but we haven’t heard of any trout reports since the plant a few weeks ago. Bass fishing is also tough for the few fishermen that are going.” The lake rose slightly to 9%.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Hensley Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

Gilbert reported a few quality crappie have been taken at night with minijigs, but the slabs are few and far between and hard to locate. Despite the recent trout plant, there haven’t been any reports of success. The lake rose to 19%.

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

Don Pedro hosted 96 boats on Saturday, and John Liechty of Xperience Bass Fishing Guide Service was out with his partner, Rob Betsch. Liechty said, “It was a tough bite with the bright sunshine without a cloud in the sky after 9 a.m. and no wind on the water. I looked at the clear skies on Friday night, and after seeing the stars, I knew that it was going to be a tough bite. I was hoping for the tail end of the storm with overcast skies, but it wasn’t meant to be. This was the type of day where you had to work very slow, and if you found the right stretch of bank holding fish, you were best off working that bank over and over again. The bass were moving up and down with the conditions, and we found our best action at 25 to 35 feet with plastics on the drop-shot or dart head. Even though the bass were coming out of the relative shallows, they still had to be fizzed as if they were coming out of very deep water. The bass were spitting up crawdad remnants, and the only bait that we located was deep around 120 feet.”

The winning weight at Don Pedro was taken by the team of George Rosales and Ray Grammer at 14.93 with the big fish taken by Randy and Glenn Pierson at 3.83 pounds.

Trout trollers are working the open water off of the shorelines with shad-patterned spoons from the surface to 15 feet. The lake rose slightly to 68%.

Call: Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing (209) 581-4734; Kyle Wise – Head Hunter Guide Service – (209) 531- 3966; Ryan Cook – Ryan Cook’s Fishing – 691-7008

Lake Isabella/Bakersfield area

Bass 2 Trout 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 3 Bluegill 2

Snow fell as the lake’s edge, and the colder temperatures slowed down any possibility of a reaction bite. Working jigs or spoons on a very slow presentation over submerged structure is a key for the occasional quality largemouth bass. Catfishing has been strong with cut baits scented with garlic, and mackerel has been a particularly solid bait. A trout plant at Isabella is scheduled for the week of Feb. 7. The annual Lake Isabella Kern Valley Chamber of Commerce Trout Derby will take a different format this year, and it will be held from April 24 through Sept. 6. A total of 500 tagged trout valued from $20 to $500, and the organizers are designed a virtual format for the event. Information is available at kernrivervalley.com/2020-isabella-lake-fishing-derby. French Gulch Marina hosts the only launch ramp with the low lake level. The lake held at 17%.

Buena Vista continues to be slow for planted rainbows and Lightning trout as the last plant occurred a month ago. Power Bait or Mice Tails are working on a sliding sinker rig with a long leader for the occasional holdover.

Snow fell as low as Kernville with far more snowfall at high elevations. Planted rainbows are found in the deeper holes in the cold river water with Power Bait, Power Eggs, salmon eggs, nightcrawlers or live cricket. Fly fishermen are scoring with small nymphs or Woolly Buggers. The lower Kern River below the dam is scheduled for a trout plant this week with the upper section of the river above the dam during the week of Feb. 7. Lakes Ming and Brite Valley are also scheduled to be planted the week of Feb. 7.

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

The bass remain deep, and the best action is found with jigs, plastics on the drop-shot or dart head at depths to 30 feet. A trout plant took place a month ago, and the planted rainbows should get the big largemouth bass moving into the shallows. Another plant is scheduled the week of Feb. 7. The lake held at 8%.

Trout plants are scheduled at Mooney Grove Park south of Visalia this week and the week of Feb. 14.

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

Lake Success/Tule River

Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2

The best action for bass remains deep with either spoons or jigs. A trout plant occurred a month prior, and the rainbows should bring the largemouth bass into the shallows. A trout plant is scheduled for the week of Feb. 7. The lake rose slightly to 11%.

In the Tule River, there was heavy snowfall in the mid- to higher levels of the watershed. The South and Middle Forks of the Tule are scheduled to be planted the weeks of Feb. 7 and 14. A trout plant is scheduled at Murry Park Pond in Porterville the week of Feb. 7.

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 3

McClure remains even tougher for size as the winning weight in Saturday’s Merced Bass Club tournament came in at 7.79 pounds. Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Guide Service took out young Cory Griffith of Modesto on Friday, and he said, “We caught between 40 and 50 bass for a limit in the 8-pound range, but it is very different to fish on Friday without boat traffic than it is on Saturday when there are a number of boats working the same spot. Almost everything came on a drop-shot rig with a short leader with 3-inch swimbaits or 4.5-inch Roboworms. You had to be around bait, and you really had to work the plastics almost like a dead-stick. The bite is very tough, but we were fortunate to get onto one big school as you have to be around bait to find the bass.” The Best Bass Tournaments is holding events on the lake on Feb. 6 and 13.

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

McSwain Reservoir

Trout 2

Very little change at McSwain 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 3 Striped bass 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported a good bite for spotted bass in the 1.75 to 2.5-pound range with finesse techniques from 15 to 25 feet. He said, “The main lake is not holding as many fish, but the quality seems to be better than in the river arm where you can pick up more numbers, but the size is limited. There are some bass coming on spoons in the main lake at depths from 40 to 45 feet, but the bait has been hard to find. The reaction bite with spinnerbaits or crankbaits is non-existent.”

The lake dropped to 32%. State park hours at Millerton through Feb. 28 are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., extending to 7 p.m. starting March 1.

A trout plant is scheduled for Sycamore Island this week. Sycamore Island is open Fridays through Sundays and state holidays through Nov. 11. Seasonal hours 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 $85.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

Bass 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 1

Bass fishing has been the top draw as the possibility of a quality largemouth or spotted bass on a big swimbait is possible when the weather conditions are inclement. John Liechty of Xperience Fishing Guide Service landed largemouths to 6 pounds on swimbaits during Wednesday’s rain and snow. Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Guide Service said, “It was hard to get the fish fired up even though there was a lot of bait in the creeks. I ended up working 45-degree banks with big rock into the creek channels, and we had to almost dead-stick our presentation on shaky or Neko-rig at depths from 15 to 40 feet.” Trout trollers are finding success with green Rainbow Runners or similar spoons at depths from the surface to 15 feet on a fast troll to 2.5 mph. 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. Bass tournaments have been placed on hold for the next few months. The lake rose slightly to 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 2 Kokanee 0 King salmon 1 Catfish 2 Crappie 2

Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun reported a few crappie are taken at night on minijigs or live minnows near Trimmer, but the numbers are very limited. Bass fishing is fair at best, and the very occasional quality spotted and largemouth bass have been taken on River2Sea Swavers with a smaller grade found in jigs or plastics on the drop shot. Anglers are struggling to put in a 6.5- to 7-pound limit. No trout reports, but a plant is scheduled for this week. The lake held at 22%.

The lower Kings River has been good for planted rainbow trout with nightcrawlers, trout dough bait or Panther Martins. 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 each week for the next three weeks. Avocado Lake is scheduled to be planted this week and next 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 said, “Fishing has been tough for trollers right after this week’s storms although the reservoir has come up several feet. The effects of the full moon and the passing weather fronts have created an unstable bite with the majority of stripers suspended and inactive. I scouted the lake on Saturday in the 55-degree water. Finding active fish was the key to catching anything. Most trollers are working the main lake as opposed to the coves right now, and the overall pattern has changed with most anglers reporting just a few stripers per boat at best. With all of the changes and a reservoir that will be rising within the next few months, the bite may continue to be sporadic.” The lake rose to 50%.

In the O’Neill Forebay, Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle reported overall slow striped bass action with most striper fishermen heading to the California Aqueduct. The Highway 33 side remains the most popular section of the lake with pile worms or blood worms for mostly sub-legal striped bass.

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 2 Kokanee 1

Snow fell on the lake’s edge during the week, and few bass or trout fishermen braved the snow. The Sheriff’s Motor Fee remains in effect. Prior to the snowstorm, trout fishing was decent for planters for those running blade/’crawler combination or Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler behind a dodger at depths from the surface to 20 feet. The public launch ramp has been iffy to put a large boat in, but the lake has risen to 50%.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool

Edison is at 21%, Florence at 8% and Mammoth Pool at 38%.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake

Kokanee 2 Trout 2

Heavy snow fell in the region during the past week, bringing the good kokanee and trout action to a halt. Once the weather clears, the boaters will be back on the water. A plant of approximately 2,000 trophy rainbows is anticipated in the coming months by the Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project. The lake rose slightly to 74%. Launch conditions can be seen via webcam at sierramarina.com/camera.html.

Road access to Huntington Lake is also limited. The lake rose slightly to 50%.

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

The McKinley Grove Road is closed at Dinkey Creek, ending access to the two lakes on the upper Kings River watershed.

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

Striper 2 White sea bass 1 Crab 3 Sand dabs 2 Surf perch 2

Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat continues to run sand dab/crab trips, and limits of crab remain the rule despite the commercial pressure. Sand dabs are taken on Sabiki rigs in 240 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 White sea bass 1 Crab 3 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 2

Chris Arcoleo of Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching said, “We are ready to run anytime we have good weather and enough interest, and we were out on Sunday on the Check Mate for good action with between 45 to 50 sand dabs and 5 crab per angler along with a total of 20 to 25 petrale sole.”

Allen Bushnell of the Santa Cruz Kayak and Surfcasting Guide Service, said, “Perch fishing is getting more consistent on beaches around the bay. Most productive reports have been coming from surfcasting spots close to the cities of Monterey and Santa Cruz. The bigger, broader beaches in the middle of the bay must be holding perch at this time, but we have received no reports of action from those areas. It may be that with this weather no one is making the “long walk” necessary to fish those spots. And, what about striped bass from the beach? We should expect to see beach reports of stripers very soon. Again, weather is a primary factor along with the stripers’ yearly patterns. An anadromous fish, striped bass head for fresh water in the winter to spawn. In late winter/early spring they return to the salt for feeding. Anglers who understand species’ patterns are the ones who catch the most fish. Noted nighttime striper fisherman Glenn Sales from Seaside commented on what we might expect on that front. Sales said, “My buddy who fishes the Sacramento River area calls me when the big run of stripers head down stream. We start to see them down here about three weeks later. That usually happens in May (ish). If we get a lot of rains that open up the local rivers then we can see those skinny stripers that were stuck in the rivers all year out in the bay but we haven’t had that much rain so I’m thinking we will see them a little later.” Hopefully the rains from this week were sufficient to break open the Salinas and Pajaro Rivers to the sea, allowing wintertime stripers to escape to our local beaches. The Santa Cruz Harbormaster’s Office issued a reminder warning on Monday this week to all boaters regarding the extreme shoaling of the Harbor entrance channel. The Harbormaster’s message included, “The sandbar present across the harbor entrance is expected to worsen over the next week as a series of storms are forecast to impact our area. Please be advised that the entrance is impassable. Mariners are advised not to transit the entrance for their safety and the safety of their vessel.”

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.

Ed Liu of Bay Tackle in El Cerritto said, “The sturgeon are starting to show up in the south bay with all of this rain, but the majority of sturgeon remain in the Delta. There have been herring spawns at Chase Park in San Francisco, and we are hoping the herring loop around the bay to spawn out of Richmond within the next couple of days. Our customers are waiting to cast nets to load up with bait for the upcoming halibut and salmon seasons.”

Speaking of halibut, in addition to the flatfish landed on the Happy Hooker last weekend, there were several keeper halibut landed on frozen bait between Angel Island and the Bay Bridge. Liu added that striped bass have been coming off of the beaches in Santa Cruz and Monterey, and he hopes that they will be off of the San Francisco shoreline by February since there is so much bait along the coast. He has been scouting the area, and the bird life is thick along the coast with the anchovies and sardines.

In the South Bay, Laine’s Bait in Alviso reported good action for sturgeon over the past month, and the creeks are clearing out which should make for even better action with the fresh water inflow.

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

Others

Delta/Stockton

Bass 2 Striper 2 Sturgeon 2 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2

For the 37th year, the Foundation Sportsmen’s Club Original Sturgeon Derby, aka ‘Super Bowl’ Derby will be held as usual out of McAvoy’s Boat Harbor in Bay Point on this weekend, and the Delta will be more crowded even than it has been over the past several weeks. Over 900 participants are anticipated, and entire boats must be entered on one entry form available at originalsturgeonderby.org. All signups are at McAvoy’s Harbor at the Foundation Sportsman’s Club with a fee of $40/participant with a deadline for signups Saturday morning by 7 a.m. Entrants are not allowed to fish on Friday until the opening of the derby at 7 a.m. on Saturday. The sturgeon target-length for both days will be announced via VHF Radio on Saturday at 7 a.m. With the potential for thousands of dollars in cash prizes, additional measures are enforced to discourage cheating.

Derby rules:

ALL persons on boat must be entered into the derby – no bank fishermen

ALL fish must be measured at the Sportsman’s Club at McAvoy Harbor

Fish must be alive with no damage to the head or tail and tagged with DFW Sturgeon Tag

For each sturgeon kept, you must fish with one less person for that day

ANY violation of Fish and Wildlife laws will disqualify the entire boat

Derby updates provided on VHF Radio Channel 68

All persons on boat that are cash winners may be required to pass polygraph and provide valid identification to claim prize.

Participants are highly advised to make bait reservations in advance of the derby starting day as local bait shops will be ordering this week to prepare for the rush on supply. Waiting until the last minute for bait is a recipe for disappointment.

The Super Bowl Derby is a boon for local bait shops and the economy of the Delta cities along with providing funds for scholarships and other charitable causes by the Foundation Sportsman’s Club. Sportsmanship and courtesy should rule throughout this event.

Heavy rains arrived in the Sacramento-Delta watershed, and there is some indication that the sturgeon are starting to move out of their very comfortable home outside of Pittsburg for the first time this season. The sturgeon action remains tremendous with six-pack boats limiting out within two hours during the middle of the week, but a rapid drop in water temperature put a damper on the bite over the past weekend. Another storm this week should bring in more inflow, but the normal wintertime conditions of heavy logs, debris, and even appliances floating down the river has yet to occur.

Sturgeon fishing was absolutely spectacular for Captain Joey Gamez as he put on a clinic on both day and night trips during the middle of the week. Gamez said, “We limited out with 5 slot sturgeon within one hour, forty-five minutes on Friday morning out of Pittsburg. The sturgeon are chomping, and they bit straight pile worms along with roe the past two days. We also landed 5 slot sturgeon on Thursday, releasing three to go with an oversized released fishing on the slow morning tide. The funny thing was these fish have been going against the current upstream, and I first set up on them as if they were heading with the current, but when no sturgeon showed up, I went back up and reset the anchor above the sturgeon in the current. Normally, they are heading with the current, but perhaps with the soft tide and the fresh water inflow, they are making their move. The fish were chomping as we had two doubles in the morning before the tide change.”

However, the action slowed considerably over the weekend as Gamez was able to pull two slot sturgeon and an oversized out of the Big Cut on Saturday morning before the bite died while other six-pack captains struggled to put together a legal diamondback. Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service was out with Dustin Pestana of Death Roe Sport Fishing on Saturday, and he said, “We were at the Big Cut the first thing in the morning before moving over to the Little Cut by Honker Bay, and we were able to put in two slot-limit sturgeon along with a pair of shakers on my cured salmon roe. There are still sturgeon all over the place, but the water temperature dropped to the 47/48-degree range.”

Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing confirmed the tough bite over the weekend, stating, “We released two short sturgeon and had another good one on and running, but it came off. It was a tough day on Saturday for most of us, and the sturgeon are starting to move just a bite. We had a report of some sturgeon downstream off of the Horseshoe near the Mothball Fleet and also off of Roe/Ryer Islands, but they are still super thick from McAvoy’s Harbor upstream above Chain Island. The sturgeon have to acclimate to the rapid drop in temperature as it came down several days within a few days of the storms. The boat pressure has also been intense with boats not letting out enough anchor line and dragging through the zone while drifting. We also had a boat anchor so close to us that a medium-length cast would have gone through their windshield before we finally convinced them to move further away.”

Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Sport Fishing out of Pittsburg confirmed the tough bite over the weekends, saying, “There are tons of fish out here, and I am taking screen shots of my electronics just to emphasize how many sturgeon are holed up here. I normally don’t do this. There are so many fish out here that it is just unbelievable. They haven’t been showing too much inclination to move as normally I would be down by the Benicia/Martinez Bridge or Buoy 2 out of Martinez, but the six-packs that are in Martinez continue to come up to the Pittsburg area. By now we should be working off of the Mothball Fleet, but after targeting sturgeon for over 40 years, I know that they do what they want to do. We had a half-dozen jumpers around us on Saturday with only one jumper on Sunday, but there are at least 30 boats spread out around us below the Pumphouse in Pittsburg. I expect the sturgeon action to remain excellent through May with the numbers of fish in the area.”

Striped bass remain scarce, and perhaps the best indicator of the lack of striped bass is that Clyde Wands, shallow trolling expert, has been consistently targeting sturgeon for the past few months. He said, “We have been averaging around one keeper sturgeon per trip out of Pittsburg, but this week, we released two oversized to go with a 48-inch keeper, all in deep water outside of the harbor.”

In the north Delta, Alan Fong of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento said, “There was a very good fisherman out in Liberty Island on Saturday targeting stripers, but he didn’t get a hit as the linesides appear to be gone. The water in the Port of Sacramento is clear, but there are only small stripers in there.”

The waters of the San Joaquin-Delta turned cloudy during the past week in response to inflow from the San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tuolumne rivers along with smaller creeks such as Little John’s and Paradise Cut. The cloudy waters should improve the largemouth bite, but you will have to employ not only scent, but now vibration to enhance your opportunities.

Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, said, “The inflow will spike the bite as this latest storm is not a cold one. The waters of the south and central Delta will be muddy, and you will need the vibration of lures such as spinnerbaits with Magnum Willow blades. You need the thump right now to stir up the bass, and the Magnum blades are shaped like a turtle with a larger profile while a regular willow blade is much thinner. The bass will be moving up, and this is the time when large baits like a 10-inch Power Worm or a Chigger Craw will work for the larger grade of bass. This is the time you can pick up a personal-best.”

Dan Mathisen of Dan Mathisen Outdoors said, “The bass bite is pretty slow in this muddy water, but this is the time of year when I am working big black/blue jigs along the corners of the islands in a very slow presentation. There are some bass taken on crankbaits or ripbaits, but once again, a slow presentation is necessary.” Mathisen’s next tournament at the marina is on February 20th at New Holland Riverside Marina.

Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait in Tackle reported little happened during the week with the storms, but the weekend was very busy with most fishermen heading west towards Rio Vista and Pittsburg. The waters of the south San Joaquin and Stanislaus has been muddy, but a sturgeon was landed at Sturgeon Bend on the San Joaquin upstream of the mouth of the Stanislaus on an eel/nightcrawler combination. Nguyen has a supply of all sizes of minnows, and the jumbo minnows are $17/dozen, several dollars less than other area bait shops.

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

At Nacimiento, the reservoir jumped up from 21 to 41% of capacity within the week with inflow from the storms, and few anglers were out during the weather windows. The spotted bass bite remains fair at best, but there are some spots moving higher in the water column. Finesse techniques remain the best option with plastics on a drop-shot, Ned-rig, or dart head, but there are some bass taken on spoons. With all of the inflow pulling wood and debris off of the banks, the lake is inundated with floating debris. A webcam of the lake is available at lakenacimientolive.com.

At Lopez, the bass action remains a grind, but there are some quality largemouth staken at depths to 30 feet with finesse plastics on a drop-shot, Texas-rig, Ned-rig or shaky head along with small-profile jigs. A trout plant is scheduled for the week of Feb. 14 that should spur on the swimbait bite. Panfish are taken on red worms or jumbo red worms. A webcam of the lake is available at 805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam.

At Santa Margarita, the lake turned off-color with the inflow, and bass fishing remains slow with the best action on finesse techniques of plastics on the drop-shot or Texas-rig along with small profile jigs. A spinnerbait with Magnum Willow Leaf blades is an option in the dingy water. Catfish are taken on scented cut baits.

At San Antonio, the lake was slow even before the week of inclement weather, and the lake has come up to 19%. Catfish remain the best option with scented cut baits.

Events

Tournament results

Don Pedro – Jan. 30: 1st: George Rosales/Ray Grammer – 14.93 pounds; 2nd – Matt Silveira/RodCree – 14.80; 3rd – Randy and Glenn Pierson – 14.61 (Big Fish – 3.83).

McClure – Merced Bass Club – Jan. 30: 1st: Seth – 7.79 pounds; 2nd – Carey Edwards/John – 7.48; 3rd –John Machado Sr./John Machado Jr. – 7.04.

Nacimiento – Golden Empire Bass Club – Jan. 30: 1st: Billie Whitted/Daniel Taylor – 3.30 pounds; 2nd – John Oglesby/Randy McAbee – 3.30 (Big Fish – 3.30); 3rd – Richard Carrier/David Heine – 2.15.

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

Feb. 6

Camanche – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies

Tulloch – American Bass Association

Don Pedro – Sonora Bass Anglers

McClure – Best Bass Tournaments/Kerman Bass Club

Eastman – Slay Nation Tournament

Pine Flat – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

Feb. 7

Delta/Russo’s Marina – American Bass Association

McClure – Riverbank Bass Anglers

Pine Flat – Bass 101

Feb. 13

McClure – Best Bass Tournaments/Kings VIII Bass Club

Pine Flat – Bakersfield Bass Club

Nacimiento – American Bass Association/San Luis Obispo Bass Ambushers

Feb. 14

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

Feb. 20

Delta/New Holland Riverside Marina – Dan Mathisen Outdoors

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Nor Cal Bass

Don Pedro – Christian Bass League

McClure – Angler’s Press

Pine Flat – Sierra Bass Club/Kerman Bass Club/Kern County Bass Masters

Nacimiento – Best Bass Tournaments

Feb. 21

Camanche – Modesto Ambassadors

McClure - Nor Cal High School Bass/Kings River Bass Club

Nacimiento – American Bass Association

Feb. 27-28

Kaweah – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

Feb. 27

Don Pedro – Merced Bass Club

Pine Flat – Gold Empire Bass Club

Success – Xtreme Bass Club

Feb. 28

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Gold County Bass Tours

Don Pedro – Gold County Bass Tours

Nacimiento – Fresno Bass Club