Fishing report, Feb. 24-March 2: Delta, New Melones among best bets; High Sierra conditions

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 stripers, sturgeon and bass hitting, Alan Fong said. Monterey surf perch going, Mickey Clements reported. New Melones bass active, John Liechty reported.

Valley

West-side waterways

Striper 2 Catfish 2

The northern section of the California Aqueduct continues to be fair at best for striped bass as the water releases have slowed, but with the unseasonably warm weather, releases should start ramping up and pushing the bait into the headgates and restricted area.

In the southern section of the aqueduct in Kern County, Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported water movement has just begun, and Magnum Flukes in pearl or white ice along with jumbo minnows or blood worms are working best for the striped bass. Catfishing is best with cut baits.

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

The largemouth bass bite remains very tough with a few fish taken over rockpiles or submerged humps with finesse techniques. There still remains the possibility for a trophy on a large rainbow trout patterned swimbait, but there is more of a change of striking out than scoring. The bass are starting to move up with the warm springlike weather over the past few days. The lake held at 10%.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Hensley Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

Similar to Eastman, the largemouth bass bite at Hensley remains slow with a bass or two possible for those working the bottom with contact baits. There is the possibility for a quality largemouth on a swimbait since last month’s trout bite, but the chances have been slim. The lake rose slightly to 20%.

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 1

Trout action is showing signs of life as rainbows and king salmon are found with shad-patterned spoons at depths from 30 to 35 feet. The trout are both recent planters and holdovers, and they are in good shape. The bait is scattered, and the best trolling occurs along the banks with lead core as the downriggers might get hung up. Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “The bass bite remains very tough as the bait has been basically nonexistent. There are some bass moving into the shallows, and I would start by working secondary points or standing timber with small baits such as 4-inch plastics on a Carolina-rig. With this weather, the bite is ready to bust out.” The winning limit during Saturday’s Christian Bass League tournament was 13.56 pounds and a big fish at 4.36 pounds. The lake held at 68%.

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

Lake Isabella/Bakersfield area

Bass 2 Trout 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2

Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported the crappie have disappeared, but there have been a few catfish taken in deep water on cut baits or with spoons intended for bass. 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%. With the last trout plant at Buena Vista a few weeks ago, the trout action has slowed with the best action on Power Bait or nightcrawlers on a long leader on a sliding sinker rig. The occasional Lightning trout from the plant is taken. Regular stocking on the upper Kern River has created the best opportunities near the Johnsondale Bridge with Power Bait, Power Eggs, salmon eggs, nightcrawlers, or live crickets. Fly fishermen are scoring with small nymphs or Woolly Buggers, and there have been some larger holdovers landed recently. Trout plants are scheduled at Lake Isabella, the upper Kern Section 4, Brite Valley, River Walk and Lake Ming this week.

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 are starting to make a move into the shallows with the warm weather trend, but the majority of fish remain in the depths. Working the bottom at depths to 30 feet with jigs, plastics, on the drop-shot or dart head on a slow presentation remains the best option. The lake rose to 11%.

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

Lake Success/Tule River

Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2

The best action remains on the bottom with jigs, spoons, or plastics on the drop-shot, but the overall action is slow. The bass will be moving up with the warmer weather within the coming weeks. Recent trout plants have created the opportunity for a few swimbait bass. The lake rose to 14%.

Recent trout plants on the Tule River have created opportunities with for the planters with nightcrawlers, salmon eggs, or spinners.

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

Despite the 9.80-pound largemouth landed during a tournament last week, the bass action is dominated by small, thin fish with the best fishing occurring on the bottom with plastics on finesse techniques. Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “There is a decent shallow jig bite in the mornings as the fish are moving up. Plastics on a Neko-rig or tubes are the best set up. There is bait in the river arm at depths from 15 to 40 pounds, and there have been a few larger fish taken on swimbaits. I would use crawdad patterns in the shallows with shad patterns in the deeper water since the shad are still holding deep.” 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 held at 38%.

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

McSwain Reservoir

Trout 2

Minimal change at McSwain as a trout plant has yet to occur or be reported. As a result, 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 or inflated nightcrawlers.

Call: McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534

Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River

Bass 2 Striped bass 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

Not much change here as the bass bite has been good for some while others struggle. With the warmer water, the spotted bass will start moving into the shallows, but the best action remains over the bait balls at depths from 10 to 30 feet with finesse presentations. The lake rose slightly to 32% with work taking place at K2 Power House for the next three months.

A trout plant is scheduled for Sycamore Park Pond this week.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

Bass 3 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 1

John Liechty of Xperience Fishing Bass Guide Service reported the consistent water levels around 65% for the past several months have kept the bass from moving up and down. He said, “Fluctuating water levels, which are normal during the wintertime, allow the bass to move up. Fishing is still good as we are averaging from 25 to 40 fish per trip, and the best action remains on finesse techniques of jigs or tubes on a Ned-rig along with a few on underspins. You can catch them on a drop-shot or shaky head, but my go-to has been the TRD plastic on a Ned-rig at depths from 15 to 35 feet. The bass remain scattered from deep water into the shallows.” Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “I have been focusing in the creek channels, and you can stay on them all day at depths from 30 to 70 feet. There is good action in the morning along main lake points or humps as well as in the river arm along steep bluff walls. Small 2.8-inch Keitechs, small 3-inch shad patterned plastics, or 5-inch Senkos on a Neko-rig have been the best offerings.” Trout trolling has been fair with the planted rainbows spreading throughout the lake, and the crappie are scarce. It takes a lot of effort to locate the crappie schools. 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 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 2 Kokanee 0 King salmon 1 Catfish 2 Crappie 2

The bass bite remains brutal as evidenced by Saturday’s Sierra Bass Club bite won with 7.11 pounds; 26 anglers participated in the event with only three five-fish limits being weighed in with 10 boats returning with empty livewells. This action is similar to the past few tournaments with a very tough bite and small limits. The recent crappie bite has dried up. The lake rose to 24%.

Trout plants in the lower Kings have put a number of planters in the river, and nightcrawlers, trout dough bait or Panther Martins are all working. 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.

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

San Luis Reservoir has been quiet for the past few months despite the reservoir steadily rising, but it has shown life this week with a truly large striped bass caught and released.

Jesus Reyes of JKings Custom Lures was out with Perry DiBenedetto of Santa Cruz, and he said, “Our winter striper bite has been steady, and we are finding a nice class of striped bass, mostly in the 20- to 22-inch range. However, I caught and released a bonus 47-inch lineside, and the JKingslures jerkbaits in both 110 and 130 have been the baits of choice. We start on the lake as soon as it opens in the morning, and we stay out on the lake until closure, casting along every deep spot along the banks. The best action has been coming on cloudy, windy, overcast days which are perfect for jerkbaits.”

Roger George of Roger George Guide Service reported that the overall bite is sporadic for trollers due to the changing weather patterns. “We’ve had light rain, high winds, cold dips, and then sunshine days along with the rising water, leading to a bite that turns on for a while before turning off. A lot of the fish are suspended and holding in the middle of the water column right now, moving from one area to another. I’ve fished twice last week, and the troll bite has been tough each time. The wind has also been coming up in the afternoons, making it hard to stay in the main lake. The main lake continues to be the best bet trolling the dam and area around the Trash Racks as well as the Dinosaur Point and mouth of Portuguese Cove.”

Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “Numbers of striped bass in the 16- to 18-inch range are coming out of the O’Neill Forebay along the Highway 33 side on anchovies, blood worms, or pile worms. There is a lot of action, and it is possible to put together a legal limit, but you have to get there early as all the parking spots along the highway are taken by early morning.”

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 March 19. Updated information is available at fs.usda.gov/sierra.

Bass Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 1

Trout fishing is the best bet for planted rainbows with blade/’crawler combination or Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler behind a dodger at depths from the surface to 20. Bass fishing is slow, but a few bass anglers are working from the banks as the Sheriff’s Motor Fee remains in effect. The lake has risen to 53%, but launching a large boat at the public dock is a challenge.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool

Edison held at 21% while Florence rose slightly to 10% with Mammoth Pool dropping to 38%.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake

Kokanee 2 Trout 2

The last week brought snow to this lake at 5,500 feet in elevation, but the weekend brought out sunny conditions. Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters said, “There were 10 boats out on Monday, and Rick Schiedt of Clovis picked up a couple of small kokanee using a Koke Buster tipped with corn behind a Mountain Dodger. Since there haven’t been many boats in the water recently, it will take some time to get back on the fish. I will be starting my charter season on May 15, and we are already starting to take reservations for what should be a great season with the variety of species we have in the lake now with golden trout, brown trout, planted rainbows, trophy rainbows and kokanee.” The fish are there, it’s just a matter of being able to launch and access the lake. Launch conditions can be seen via webcam at sierramarina.com/camera.html. The lake stayed at 75%.

Road access to Huntington Lake is also limited. Sections of the lake near the dam have a coating of ice, but the thickness of the ice has not been verified. The lake dropped to 45%.

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 Crab 2 Sand dabs 2 Surf perch 2

Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat is the only party boat running, and The Huli Cat was out on a sand dab/crab combo this week, and they returned with 4 limits of Dungeness and 155 sand dabs for their light load. They were fishing in 280 feet of water west of the harbor, and Alex Druker from Castro Valley landed a bonus petrale sole on a Sabiki. 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 3

Chris Arcoleo of Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching said, “We had a great trip on Friday with 450 sand dabs, 70 petrale sole, and 13 crab for 13 anglers. We also had 400 sand dabs, 10 petrale, and 22 crab for 9 anglers on Sunday. The loads are light during the week, but the weekends have been sold out in advance on the combination trips.”

Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “As we move towards springtime, weather and sea conditions are slowly transitioning from wild to mild. The train of huge swells we had in December and January has moved hundreds of tons of sand down the beaches, creating high spots in some places and low spots in others. Fishing was a bit difficult while the big waves were pounding. Add a little gale-force wind and chilly temperatures to that, and you can see why surfcasting fish counts have been rather low lately. But a new day is dawning. Surf cast reports from beaches in Monterey, the Marina area, south county Santa Cruz and even beaches smack in the middle of Santa Cruz itself indicate more numerous catches, including some hefty slabs. Most of the perch being caught right now are barred surf perch, though we have seen some walleye and calico perch in the mix as well. This week will be ideal for early morning surfcasting, with plenty of water and light winds possible until noon or beyond. All beaches ringing Monterey Bay have good structure right now, with the most dramatic occurring on the broad beaches from Manresa down to Sand City. April 1 is the scheduled opener for rockfish season. Salmon season may open as early as April 3. That time will fly, so it’s a great idea to get your boats and gear cleaned and tuned for these openers. In the past few years, we’ve noticed halibut coming in towards the shallow waters earlier and earlier. While April/May is the traditional time to start hunting these big flatfish, a few forays for the flatties might be in order as we move into March.”

Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported good surf perch fishing on the high tide off of Manresa and Sunset Beaches with Lucky 13 Fishing motor oil grubs or Crappie Sliders in motor oil/red.

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

San Francisco Bay

Halibut 2 Striper 2 White sea bass 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.

In San Pablo Bay, Captain Trent Slate was out on Sunday, and he said, “Although we didn’t have a single sturgeon bite, we saw 5 sturgeon jump which is the most we have seen this year. I was anchored between the Pumphouse and the Corregidor, and we ended up with two striped bass and a seven-gill shark.”

There was a huge herring spawn off of Hunter’s Point on Thursday morning, and every available parking spot was taken. Ed Liu of Bay Tackle in El Cerrito said, “The spawn is a big one as it is occurring in the mid-south bay, and there is also a spawn off of Coyote Point. Hopefully they will coming to his side of the bay with the big tides on Monday and Tuesday. These are the larger herring in the 8 to 10-inch range as the first run was small at 4 to 5 inches. The herring spawns will get the sturgeon going along with the halibut and white sea bass. I have heard of 4 white sea bass landed in the past two weeks, and they have all been in the 40- to 60-pound range. Striped bass fishing has been hit or miss as Pete and I were out on Thursday working the east side of the bay from Emeryville near the Bay Bridge towards Crockett, and there was no bait anywhere. The weather was perfect, but we didn’t even get a bite. The previous two days, we caught fish on the same baits, the Z-Man or KVD swimbaits in shad patterns.”

Laines Bait and Tackle in Alviso reported a few sturgeon were landed off of the only guide boat in the harbor, and there were at least a dozen sturgeon weighed in during the week. They have their boat up and running, and they will be shrimping next week. There has been a tremendous amount of debris floating around in the south bay after the recent rains.

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 3 Striper 3 Sturgeon 3 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2

Finally, as if on cue, striped bass are making their way into the Sacramento-Delta. This week started off with trollers finding good action off of the West Bank between Rio Vista and Collinsville, but heavy grass and debris slowed down the action over the weekend, leaving anglers to put together limits of schoolies drifting live bait. Sturgeon continue to hold in upper Suisun Bay, but there is a trickle of diamondbacks heading both up and downstream. There still isn’t a tremendous volume near the Benicia/Martinez Bridge, but the numbers are growing steadily.

For striped bass, Dave Houston of Livermore was out with Clyde Wands, shallow-trolling expert, and Rob Turner from Sonora early in the week, and they worked the Sacramento River side from Collinsville towards the Rio Vista Bridge. Houston said, “The fish are scattered, and we didn’t find any pattern about lure color or location as they hit some lures only once, but we did get some shallow on Rat-L-Traps. The water temperature was just over 54 degrees, and it was difficult to find places to troll without grass, but we ended up with 11 keepers and 7 shakers.”

Chris Ditter of HeadRush Guide Service was also on the Sacramento side of the Delta on during the week, and they ended up with limits of striped bass to 5 pounds on the troll. He said, “There was a tremendous amount of vegetation from the Rio Vista Bridge towards the mouth of Three Mile Slough which made trolling difficult. We went over to the San Andreas Shoals on the San Joaquin, and although we found much cleaner water, there weren’t many stripers over there.”

Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing out of Lauritzen’s Yacht Harbor in Oakley went out on Sunday after high winds kept him off of the water on Saturday, and he said, “We were looking for troll fish along the West Bank, but we switched over to drifting jumbo minnows for limits of school-sized stripers. We will be starting our Delta striped bass trips on the first of March.”

Captain James Netzel of Tight Lines Guide Service has also been out on the Delta, and he found great action early in the week trolling for linesides.

Live jumbo minnows have jumped up to as much as $25/dozen in local bait shops, and the high price of live bait will make drifting live bait a pricey matter for guide boats.

Sturgeon fishing remains tremendous for some party boat operators, and Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing continues to score multiple numbers of diamondbacks on the Pittsburg area on salmon roe. Gamez was out with Troy Barr of T-Roy’s Guide Service along with Barr’s son, Andrew, and they put in legal sturgeon within a few hours on salmon roe. It was more of the same with his friend, John Pham, as they went out for an hour after working on the boat, putting Pham onto a slot-limit sturgeon that was released.

The north wind blew on Saturday, but it didn’t stop Captain Steve Mitchell from experimenting with a salmon roe cure while on legendary Captain Jim Smith’s private boat out of Martinez Marina. Mitchell said, “We marked some quality sturgeon on the bottom, but they were scattered. There was a good bite at Port Chicago on Friday, but these fish moved, and we set up inside of Seal Island. After being on the anchor for a few moments, Smith hooked into an oversized that came in at 64 inches, and this fish gave him a fight as it was a heavy female. We eventually had to pull anchor and drift down before bringing the diamondback to the boat for a quick picture and release. Captain Jim taught me quite a bit about Delta striper spots during our day. My boat is finishing up the wrap, and I will be back on the water this week.”

Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service was out with fellow guide Mike Tripp on Friday in the rain and mist, and they found a total of 8 sturgeon off of Port Chicago with 3 oversized, 2 slot-limit, and three shakers on Wise’s cured salmon roe.

Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Sport Fishing said, “This has been a bizarre year as normally I would be running out of Martinez, but I haven’t moved from Pittsburg all year long. We were out Friday, Saturday, and Sunday this weekend, and we found the largest concentration of sturgeon inside of the Little Cut. We had two one on Saturday before they came off, and the grass on the outgoing tide finally ran us out of there. I started off on the incoming tide near Port Chicago and inside of Seal Island, but there wasn’t enough sturgeon to set up upon. We had reports of a few sturgeon near the Benicia/Martinez Bridge and Ozol Pier, but once again, there was not enough there to draw us down. Captain Charles Kimberly ran the boat on Sunday, and he was up at the Little Cut for an oversized and a shaker. The sturgeon are still stacked in throughout the Little Cut from the mouth through the S-Curve.”

Captain Zach Medinas of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures is repowering his vessel, and he hopes to resume catch-and-release white sturgeon trips before heading to San Francisco for the live bait/salmon seasons.

The north Delta has perked up for largemouth bass, and Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento said, “My nephew, Michael, was up north, and he put in a 28-pound limit with one hugging 10 pounds using glide baits in the 54-degree water. There are also stripers up in Liberty, and there was a sea lion chomping down an estimated 20-pound lineside.”

Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle in Freeport said, “Sturgeon are starting to show up in the Sacramento River at Courtland and Freeport with ghost shrimp, pile worms, and lamprey eel. They are finally moving up. A few stripers are showing up in the Deep Water Channel with blood worms, pile worms, or sardines coated with garlic spray. The river has been muddy after the recent rain, but it will clear up soon with this week of sunny weather.”

The San Joaquin-Delta is starting to clear up in the sloughs while the main river remains off color, but the largemouth bass bite is breaking out in a big way.

Dan Mathisen of Dan Mathisen Outdoors held a 19-boat tournament out of Holland Riverside Marina in the south Delta, and he said, “We had a good turnout with the winning limit at 24.13 pounds on wake baits, and the big fish came in at 7.21 pounds on a frog. Flipping Senkos was the most consistent technique, and the marina is going out of their way to make this a great venue for bass tournaments with new bump tanks and sinks along with a huge parking lot for up to 100 vehicles.”

Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors said, “I launched out of Ladd’s Marina in Stockton on Friday, and I took my neighbor out for decent largemouth action with swimjigs, swimbaits, and chatterbaits. The water is much clearer in the backs of the sloughs as we went into Fourteen Mile Slough, and it got clearer the deeper we traveled with around 1.5-feet of visibility. The same occurred further north near Mandeville Tract, but the main river was dirty. The quality of largemouth was solid, and the reports of glide bait action are encouraging as this means we have more of a visual bite.”

Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, just received his new Bass Cat bass boat, and he was out working the new boat three times on the Delta this past week. He said, “The best action has been on the switch of the tides, and we found good action with bladed jigs in dark colors or the ima Rock N’Vibe Suspend in crawdad patterns. It is a matter of working these baits through the zone slowly. You can also catch bass on a drop-shot or Zappu Head, and I am using a 5-inch Fatty Bottom Hopper, allowing it to sit. The larger profile plastic falls slower, and we are finding quality bass from 3 to 5 pounds working south-facing banks with rock where the water is breaking over the rock. The south-facing warm up quicker and stay warm longer, and the bass are starting to move into the warmer areas as the water temperatures range from 52 to 56 degrees depending upon the location. When you are in clear water, it is important to downsize your line to entice more strikes. In the dirty water, line size is less important.”

Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait in Tackle said, “The shad are starting to come back, and my shadder is starting to pick up some here and there, but there hasn’t been enough fresh shad to sell yet. The good news is that they are coming back, and there should be a supply of fresh shad within the next month. The water is clearing up, and anglers want medium minnows for crappie at various lakes as well as the south Delta.”

Tran of New Romeo’s reported good action for crappie in the sloughs off of Eight Mile Road east of Stockton with medium minnows.

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

At Nacimiento, the Best Bass Tournaments held at 42-boat tournament on Saturday with the winning limit in excess of 11 pounds with a 3-pound big fish. The spotted bass are starting to move up, but it’s still a finesse bite with plastics or jigs. The occasional reaction fish is taken, but with the dirty water, you will have to use a bait that makes noise like a spinnerbait with Magnum blades. The lake came up very quickly, and there is still floating and submerged debris throughout the lake. The lake held at 41%. A webcam of the lake is available at lakenacimientolive.com.

At Lopez, the bass bite remains fair at best as the water remains cold, keeping the bait and the bass in deep water. There are some largemouths moving into the shallows in the warm afternoons, and the best action has been on finesse presentations. The recent trout plants have brought out the trollers, and the planters are found with shad-patterned spoons at 3 colors of leadcore. Bank fishing is fair for the planters with Power Bait or Mice Tails. The swimbait bite should start to pick up as well with the planted rainbows. A webcam of the lake is available at 805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam.

At Santa Margarita, there have been some quality largemouth bass to 9 pounds taken on reaction baits such as crankbaits or spinnerbaits, but the top offering has been with large-profile jigs at depths to 15 feet. Finesse techniques remain the best for numbers, but it is a matter of finding a few quality bass as opposed to putting together a five-fish limit. Mackerel coated with garlic scent is producing the occasional double-digit catfish.

At San Antonio, there hasn’t been much change as catfish remain the top species with scented cut baits near moving water at the inlets with the occasional small bass taken on finesse plastics. The lake held at 20%.

Events

Tournament results

Delta/New Holland Riverside Marina – Dan Mathisen Outdoors – Feb. 20: 1st – Mike Andrews/Phillip Dutra – 24.13 pounds; 2nd – Jim Acosta/Hunter Schlander – 22.91; 3rd – Rob Cloutier/Sean Butler – 18.05. Big Fish – Marc Young/Dave Newton – 7.21.

Don Pedro – Christian Bass League – Feb. 20: 1st – Jonathan Whitesitt/Chuck Fuller – 13.56 pounds; 2nd – Scott Taylor/Mike Murphy – 13.32; 3rd – Dan Sexton/Nate Couchman – 13.20 (Big Fish – 4.36)

Pine Flat – Sierra Bass Club –– Feb. 20: 1st - Chris Jones – 7.11 pounds; 2nd – Chris Flammang – 5.13; 3rd – Jim Lozano – 4.96. Big Fish – Austin Owens – 2.68.

Nacimiento – Best Bass Tournaments – Feb. 20: 1st – Graham Grove/Brandon Colombo – 11.14 (Big Fish- 3.06); 2ND – Matt Clausen/Cory Woods – 9.31; 3rd – Jason and Cody Domingos – 8.26.

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

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

March 5-7

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Angler’s Press

March 5

McClure – American Bass Association

March 6

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies

Tulloch – Sonora Bass Anglers

Eastman – Kerman Bass Club

San Antonio – Bakersfield Bass Club

March 7

Don Pedro – Rio Vista High School Bass

Pine Flat – California Bass Federation

March 12-13

Delta/Russo’s Marina – American Bass Association

March 13

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Bass Anglers of Northern California

Delta/Big Break Marina – Bass N’ Tubes

New Melones – Gilroy Bassmasters

Tulloch – Kings VIII Bass Club

Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournaments/17-90 Bass Club

McClure – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

Nacimiento – American Bass Association

March 20-21

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

Don Pedro – Sierra Bass Club

March 20

Don Pedro – Christian Bass League

McClure – California Bass Nation

Hensley -River Rats

Kaweah – Xtreme Bass Club

Success – Golden Empire Bass Club

Nacimiento – Best Bass Tournaments

San Antonio – Kern County Bassmasters

March 21

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Nor Cal High School Bass/Modesto Ambassadors

Salt Springs – Gold Country Junior Bass Club

Kaweah – Kings River Bass Club

Don Pedro – Fresno Bass Club

March 26-28

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Wild West Bass Trails

March 27-28

Success – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

March 28-29

Don Pedro – Kerman Bass Club

March 27

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Merced Bass Club

Nacimiento – San Luis Obispo Bass Ambushers

March 28

Delta/B and W Resort – California Bass Federation

Pine Flat – Bass 101