Fishing report, March 10-16: 3 tips for San Luis; Bass Lake, Shaver among best bets

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, striper and bass action accelerates, Joey Gamez reported. Don Pedro trout and king salmon hitting, Dave Hurley said. Bass Lake bass and trout begin feeding, and Hensley catfish active, Jake Figgs reported. New Melones trout on the prowl, Kyle Wise said. Shaver pumping out mixed limits, Dick Nichols reported.

Roger’s Remarks: 3 tips to fishing San Luis

After guiding for the last eight years at San Luis Reservoir, I thought I might share my basic framework for dealing with one of the most difficult fishing lakes in California.

First off, I’m no technical fishing guru. I try to understand why things work like they do, and I’m pretty persistent once I focus on a goal.

Through the first couple years it became evident that guiding without a plan could be disastrous at San Luis. Factors like rapidly falling or rising water levels, moving schools of fish, quickly changing wind conditions, unique weather patterns and massive algae blooms can throw a monkey wrench into that day’s fishing.

It took over five years of observation and keeping records to develop the basic guiding framework I use on every trip now:

First, I try to find the fish! Ha! Sounds simple, but actually taking the time to find them takes patience and focus. It’s why I scout a lot. Where are they today? I watch anglers go to one spot and immediately begin fishing without checking out the area. It was good a week ago, but after the water fell 3 feet, it’s a desert now. They are fishing their memories, one of the biggest problems anglers have. It has bitten me many times, too. Looking until you find something decent and not wasting time on poor conditions takes time but it gets you on target much more effectively. I don’t go to the next step until I have this under control.

Second, I begin looking for the right pattern to get the stripers to bite. So, once I know there are fish around, I can begin trying different lures, colors, speeds, depths and techniques. I begin looking for a reaction to my offering and leave it to the fish to “vote.” Move on as quickly as you can to another option. See fish all over the place and you’ve tried everything you know? Leave. They don’t like you!

Lastly, and this is the toughest one: Timing. Fish move, conditions and bites change, and you may have missed an earlier bite window, or it may be a lot later. Not all bite windows and fish locations happen when you’re there. Fish schools move a lot and they seem to have “milk runs” where they will move from spot to spot during the day looking for the bait they are tuned into at very specific times. They come and go far more than I ever imagined. The bite windows can open up very quickly and shut off the same way, especially for big fish. Fish activity also tells me a lot about the biting trend as the day goes on. Got the first two factors figured out? Then getting this final thing right is the golden ticket!

Like any system, you have to apply what you learn, and it takes discipline to stay on task, but it pays off in insights and improved catches. Never give up!

Valley

West-side waterways

Striper 3 Catfish 2

The northern section of the California Aqueduct continues to see less activity than the forebay, but with increased water releases occurring out of San Luis Reservoir, the moving water will push the bait into the headgates and provide an ambush point for striped bass.

In the southern section of the aqueduct in Kern County, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield said, “The aqueduct continues to attract fishermen, and we are seeing plenty of pictures of striped bass. Blood worms are hard to keep in the shop along with extra-large and jumbo minnows. Where the water is moving, small shad-patterned swimbaits or flukes in white ice or pearl are are effective.” Catfishing is best with cut baits or Triple S Dip Bait.

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 bass bite is brutal at best with the Kerman Bass Club Bass holding an event this weekend with 17 anglers weighing in only 33 bass with a 1.21-pound average. The winning 4-fish limit was only 5.12 pounds. The lake is basically a mud puddle at 10%.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Hensley Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Catfish 3 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

Jake Figgs of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis touted the lake as a good option for catfish near the dam with chicken livers or anchovies. Crappie are found in the submerged trees, and bass fishing is best in the shallows with plastics in natural color patterns such as green pumpkin. A double-digit bass was reported this week, but it is quite possible that local anglers are attempting to keep the bite on the down-low. The lake held at 20%. A trout plant is scheduled for this week.

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 3 Kokanee 1 King salmon 3 Crappie 2

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “The bass bite remains very tough overall, but there is a good early bite within the first hour of daylight before the bass move into deep water. During last Sunday’s Ed Lacy Memorial Tournament which was a fundraiser for the Gold Country Junior Bass Club, the larger fish were taken on big plastics on a slow presentation or with jerkbaits or spinnerbaits in the early morning. There is a reaction bite in the shallows before they back off to the 20- to 40-foot range.” Saturday’s 52-boat tournament produced a winning weight at 18.10 pounds while Matt Frazier of Denair took the big fish at 5.79 pounds. Trout fishing is solid as the rainbows and king salmon are found with shad-patterned spoons at depths from 30 to 35 feet. The bait is scattered, and the best trolling occurs along the banks with lead core as the downriggers might get hung up. The lake rose to 70%.

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

Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported the best action has been for catfish while a few crappie are being taken when they are found. For the whiskerfish, frozen shad, Triple S Dip Bait, chicken livers, or nightcrawlers, and jumbo minnows are working best while the occasional slab is found on a small- to medium-minnow or minijig. Bass fishing remains very slow with a few fish taken on finesse techniques. 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%.

Despite the last plant at Buena Vista taking place a few weeks ago, an occasional planted rainbow or Lightning trout is landed on Power Bait or Mice Tails. Cormier reported a good crappie, bluegill and catfish bite along with a solid crappie bite at Lake Ming. Planted rainbows are still taken out of Lake Ming on Power Bait, Mice Tails, and nightcrawlers. Trout plants are scheduled at Ming this week and at the River Walk during the week of March 21. The upper Kern River is scheduled for multiple trout plants the next three weeks, and the planted rainbows are taken 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.

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 still on the deep side with finesse techniques of jigs or plastics on the drop-shot or Texas-rig. A trout plant is scheduled for the week of March 21, and this might get the big bait bite going. The lake rose slightly to 13%. Mooney Grove south of Visalia is scheduled for trout plants this week and the week of March 21.

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

Lake Success/Tule River

Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2

Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company said, “The bass bite is still tough, but the spawn should be starting soon as the bass are pairing up in the shallows. As a result, the fish aren’t interested in much of anything, Anglers are catching some small ones with jigs or plastics on the drop-shot.” A trout plant is scheduled for the week of March 21. The lake rose slightly to 15%.

On the Tule, Stokke said, “The river is starting to have a Mayfly hatch with the warmer weather, but trout fishing remains slow except for anglers using nightcrawlers.”

Murry Park Pond is scheduled for a trout plant the week of March 21.

The Sequoia National Forest has partially reopened, and information on the current closure and open areas is available at fs.usda.gov/sequoia.

Call: Sequoia Fishing Co. 539-5626, sequoiafishingcompany.com

McClure Reservoir

Bass 2 Trout 2 King salmon 1 Kokanee 1 Crappie 2 Catfish 2

The bass action has been dominated by small, thin, spotted bass, but over the past few weeks, there has been at least one quality largemouth bass taken during a tournament. The team of John Liechty and Rob Betsch exceeded all expectations with a 27.74-pound limit on Friday buoyed by three largemouth bass at 12.19, 7.5, and 6.5 pounds on big swimbaits before 8:30 a.m. The remainder of the lightly attended event succumbed to the norm of limits less than 10 pounds, but it is clear that the larger bass are there for the right technique and timing as the fish are moving up. The previous weekend, everything was on the bottom for the team of Liechty and Betsch during their second-place finish at the River Rat tournament. Liechty said, “It was really a tough bite as everything was on the bottom with almost all of our bass in the 1-pound or slightly larger range.” Barrett’s Cove Marina will be opening within the month, 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

Figgs said, “Bass fishing has been challenging with the river arm receiving most of the attention with spinnerbaits with nickel blades finding the best success. In the main lake, the bass are moving into the shallows at depths around 10 feet, and small jigs in green pumpkin/chartreuse are effective for small spotted bass. The spots are starting to bed up already.” The lake held at 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 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 1

Trout trolling is back on the upswing as Kyle Wise of HeadHunter Guide Service scored a pair of limits to just under 6 pounds working Speedy Shiners from the surface to 25 feet from the dam, spillway, and in the south end of the lake with no location being better than the other. Bass fishing is best in the creek channels, secondary points, and humps from the bank to 20 feet with glide baits, ripbaits, or spinnerbaits, and plastics on the drop-shot. 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 big fish that dominated last weekend’s tournament were taken on River2Swavers, and although the big fish came out of one small spot, the bass bite remains very tough for most. The water level is rising slightly, and the spotted bass are holding on the big boulders that received the most sun during the day in the Windy Gap area. The bass are moving into the shallows in preparation for the spawn. For trout, planters are taken by trollers pulling shad-patterned Apex lures or Needlefish such as Cop Car or silver/chrome at depths from 40 to 45 feet. A trout plant is scheduled for the week of March 21. Crappie are showing up around Deer Creek at night under drop lights and also around the submerged trees near Trimmer with Dry Creek’s Jerry’s Lures in Old Ugly or Green Pumpkin. The lake held at 24%.

The lower Kings River has slowed down since the last plant was a few weeks ago. However, plants are scheduled both in the lower river and at Avocado Lake for this week as well as the next two weeks. Holdovers are found on nightcrawlers, trout dough bait, or Panther Martins where the fast water transitions into slower current. 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

Roger George of Roger’s Guide Service said, “Striper fishing continues to give anglers a different bite on an almost daily basis. Trollers and minnow anglers have been struggling to land a few small school fish due to the fish being spread out most of the time and not very schooled up. I’ve had to literally hit fish in the head with my lures when I finally find an active school which means that if you’re not right on them they won’t hit much. I’ve had to do a lot of searching each trip to identify where the biting fish are holding. I took John Higginbotham of Fresno out Thursday and spent a lot of the morning just looking for fish. I finally found some groups in the main lake at the 50- to 75-foot range, and we ended up with 15 released nicer quality schoolies in the 21- to 24-inch range pulling the usual lures in minnow colors by 2 p.m. Putting the lure in the right location near the fish was the real key. Later while scouting,I finally got one good hit around 70 feet with the fat striper weighing in right at 24 pounds on my electronic tournament scale before it was released. I hadnt hooked a big fish in the eight prior trips, it’s been tough sledding for awhile. The overall bite is slow. However, there has been some decent ripbait action along the shorelines at times. The water is slowly falling, and the water temperature is around 55 degrees early in the day.” The lake dropped slightly to 57%.

In the O’Neill Forebay, anglers are culling through several linesides in order to put together a legal limit as the majority of striped bass are in the 16- to 18-inch range. The Highway 33 side remains the top location with pile worms, blood worms or cut anchovies. Large flukes on an underspin or lipless crankbaits are an option in the early mornings, but parking is limited as the lot fills up and vehicles have to park alongside the highway far from 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 March 19. Updated information is available at fs.usda.gov/sierra.

Bass Lake

Bass 3 Trout 3 Kokanee 1

Figgs said, “There has been a reaction bite with ripbaits in Ghost Shad or underspins despite the colder waters at this lake at 3,300 feet in elevation. Limits in the 10- to 13-pound range have been reported.” Trout trolling is productive with spinner hoochies behind a dodger at depths from 10 to 30 feet near the dam. The Sheriff’s Motor Fee remains in effect. The lake rose slightly to 54%, but launching a large boat at the public dock remains a challenge.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool

Edison dropped slightly to 20% and Florence at 10% with Mammoth Pool rose slightly to 41%.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake

Kokanee 3 Trout 3

After several weeks of inactivity due to weather, Shaver Lake is back in play for trollers and bank fishermen. The limiting factor has been the ability to launch with the snowy conditions, but with the recent weather conditions, boaters have been able to get back out there.

Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters will start his season on May 15, and he said, “With good weather, Shaver Lake provided a good bite this week with a two-limit average the norm. Jake Hower and his dad, Brian, of Fresno found good action bringing a couple limits to the boat fishing from 20 to 40 feet deep. Jay Irvine and his son, Colton, of Visalia fished midday on Saturday, and they picked up two limits of mixed fish. They were targeting the Point, the island and Dorabella areas with most fish caught on Paulina Peak spinners behind Dick’s Mountain Dodgers at a setback of 145 feet. Shaver regular Jared Romero of Clovis took his mom, Kim, out for a Saturday fishing trip and picked up two limits of kokanee along with a 22-inch, 4.2-pound brown, and a rainbow, keeping kokanee releasing both trout. They fished the Point and Rock Heaven Cove with Rocky Mountain Tackle hoochies behind a Mag Tackle Dodger at 22 to 40 feet.” John Parker from Visalia limited out with five kokanee from 12.5 to 14 inches running trolling from the point to the island with the same gear as last week’s report — micro-hoochies in orange or pink behind a Moon Jelly Teardrop dodger with orange or Pink UV. The lake held at 74%.

Figgs reported good bank action near the dam with trout dough bait or nightcrawlers.

Trophy trout plants from the Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project will be occurring within the coming spring months, and they will join the growing population of brown and golden trout along with planted rainbows from the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Launch conditions can be seen via webcam at sierramarina.com/camera.html.

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 held at 41%.

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 he went out for a short run for crab this past week. The weather was rough over the weekend, and he was unable to make it out for sand dabs and Dungeness crab on a combination trip. Rockfish season starts April 1st, and the party boats are starting to take reservations for the start of the season. Dungeness crab season lasts under 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 2 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 2

The three alternatives for the ocean salmon season will be announced this Thursday, March 11, but the decision will not be completed until the April meeting of the Pacific Fishery Management Council. There is a strong possibility that the salmon season will begin below Pigeon Point on April 3 as the mitigation for the endangered winter-run Chinook salmon is minimal in this section of the coast. Chris Arcoleo of Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching said, “The wind was bad over the weekend, and we had to cancel our afternoon whale watching trips. We are still running sand dab and Dungeness trips or petrale sole/sand dab trips. We were out earlier in the week for a petrale sole trip, and the action was far less than it was a week ago with 10 petrale along with hundreds of sand dabs. You need the right weather conditions to target the petrale in deep water. Normally, there are tons of anchovies in the bay at this time of year, but there aren’t many anchovies right now. There is squid, but the salmon don’t generally feed on the squid early in the season. One of the squid boats came in with 50 tons, and there have been some salmon caught in the nets. We are hoping for a good season.” Rockfish season opens on April 1st, and Chris’s is taking reservations for the opening week.

Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “Monterey Bay anglers are finding flatfish to be firmly on the menu as we as we move towards the season openers for rockfish and salmon in April. Winter weather and sea conditions are giving way to the oncoming spring. The giant north swells of winter have passed, and while big swells are always a possibility, they are not a strong probability as in December or January. Another aspect of our springtime fishing is the return of halibut to shallower water. The big flatties go out to the deep during winter, following the feed. They return towards the coastline for spring and summertime spawning. Typically by May, we have halibut on the inside in 30- to 70- feet of water. The past few years we’ve noticed more halibut coming shallow earlier in the year. One corollary indicator is the halibut bite in San Francisco Bay. Usually, about a month or so before the Monterey Bay halibut bite turns on, anglers begin to catch the big flatfish near Oyster Point and the Alameda area in San Francisco Bay. Well, the bite is on at Oyster Point right now, with numerous fish reported caught over the weekend, mostly by bounce-ball trollers using hoochies or frozen anchovies. We will be catching them here very soon. It might be well worth it to give a good try for halibut right now, maybe trolling the 45- to 75- foot depths as the fish filter in. Many of the early arrival halibut are small males. Anglers, please remember to treat these undersized fish gently and with respect. If at all possible, release them without removing from the water at all. Soft rubber mesh type nets are recommended if you need to net at all. The regular twine or poly wide-mesh nets will injure halibut, often splitting the tailfin rays. Many of these injured fish develop infections and soon die. So, if the fish you bring up is of a questionable length whatsoever, just use your pliers to release it without taking the fish out of the water at all. There will be plenty more halibut to catch, especially if we release the shorts without injuring them. Remember where you find one, you’ll find many, as these fish tend to congregate.”

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

San Francisco Bay

Halibut 3 Striper 2 Leopard shark 2 Sturgeon 2 Crab 2

The three alternatives for the ocean salmon season will be revealed this Thursday before the determination is completed during the April meeting of the Pacific Fishery Management Council. The preliminary reports do not look encouraging for the San Francisco Bay recreational fleet as the impact on the endangered winter-run Chinook is estimated at 12,000 fish from this region.

Halibut trolling trips have started out of San Francisco, Berkeley, and Emeryville, and the Lovely Martha out of San Francisco had a banner day on Sunday with 16 halibut for 16 anglers. There are loads of undersized halibut in the bay, and these will need to be released as gently as possible so they can grow to the legal 22-inch size by the end of the summer. Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions out of San Francisco said, “The halibut really want the big tray herring right now, and they even prefer these over a live anchovy.” Sturgeon fishing in San Pablo Bay remains very slow although Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters briefly had a sturgeon on the hook on Sunday while putting in limits of school-sized striped bass on herring near the pilings known as the Corregidor.

Ed Liu of Bay Tackle in El Cerrito reported that there has been a decent sturgeon bite off of Oyster Bait and Candlestick Point, and he said, “The sturgeon are slowly migrating down, and I hope this next rain will bring them down to the Pumphouse in San Pablo Bay. The striped bass are still scattered, and we are working hard for a few bites tossing swimbaits along the east side of the bay from Emeryville to Crockett. There hasn’t been any more herring spawns, and we are hoping that they show up at Richardson Bay in Sausalito or outside our Richmond Harbor.”

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

The sturgeon are moving around in Suisun Bay, and the action was a bit slower during the middle of the week before rebounding over the weekend. Sturgeon that were concentrated into tight quarters a few weeks ago have spread out from Rio Vista to the Benicia/Martinez Bridge with few pockets of multiple diamondbacks. Striped bass action was hot on the West Bank a few weeks ago, but with the muddy water on the outgoing tide, the river has been challenging to troll.

Olivia Ortega of the Martinez Marina said, “The six-packs out of Martinez have been finding success for up to limits of sturgeon, and there has even been legal sturgeon landed off of the Martinez Fishing Pier.”

Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing out of Pittsburg rebounded over the weekend as he is back on the water after having a full custom wrap around his boat, the Top Gun. After struggling on a scouting trip during the beginning of the week when there were few sturgeon landed by any boats, he put in two big slot sturgeon at 55 and 58 inches on Saturday along with a pair of shakers released, and he followed this up with two more slot-limit sturgeon on Sunday along with three shakers released. He said, “The outgoing tide was slow for us, and by the time we got down to the spot where the others were finding success, the tide had died.” Mitchell searched high and low earlier in the week from outside of Seal Island, the Middle Grounds, the Little Cut, and back to the Pumphouse below the Pittsburg Marina. He said, “We marked sturgeon in every location with the most marks outside of Seal Island but getting them to bite was another story.”

Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing said, “The sturgeon had been feeding for three straight weeks so they had to slow down some, but they were back on the chomp starting on Friday where we put in three limits. Sunday was one of those great days with four limits, two oversized, and so many shakers that we stopped counting. Everything was on salmon roe.” Another six-pack out of Martinez working in the same area put in early limits.

The six-packs are still surrounded by private boaters anchoring up on their bow or stern within casting range, causing a situation where a hooked sturgeon is easily lost on an anchor rope.

Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Sport Fishing reported his second Captain Charles Kimberly went into Montezuma Slough due to the wind on Saturday, and he put his clients onto a big slot-limit sturgeon along with releasing a pair of shakers while losing an oversized. Talmadge said, “There is a real cat-and-mouse game going on with the sturgeon right now as the fish keep moving. On Sunday, Charles was off of Port Chicago where they had released two shakers by mid-day.”

For striped bass, Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, was out with Donald Davis anchored near Collinsville on the West Bank, and they soaked sardines coated with garlic and anise for striped bass to 7 pounds. He said, “The water was nice and green on the incoming tide, but it was very muddy with only 6 inches of visibility once the outgo got started. I had a friend fly fishing up near Liberty Island for striped bass to 10 pounds, but the water was very muddy up north.”

The off-color water has been the challenge for striped bass in the Sacramento-Delta, and Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing was out on Saturday, and he said, “We marked plenty of stripers along the West Bank, but we couldn’t get them to bite. We were out there on the incoming to the high tide with nothing doing before heading over to the San Joaquin for limited action.”

James Netzel of Tight Lines Guide Service is working out of Lighthouse Marina on the Mokelumne River through the end of May, and he said, “I am keeping my boat on the trailer to take advantage of launching where the bite is happening for stripers, and I think the high winds have knocked the silt off of the weeds on the Sacramento since the mud seemed to come out of nowhere. I have also been staying over on the San Joaquin side. The action on the West Bank was excellent a few weeks ago, but it has slowed considerably this week.”

Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento, confirmed the muddy water at both Liberty Island and along the West Bank.

Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait reported the shoreline has been the top location for striped bass despite the wind, and a 40-inch lineside was reported off of the banks at 9th Street.

With muddy water plaguing the Sacramento River striped bass trollers, six packs and private boaters have turned their attention to the clearer waters of the San Joaquin while largemouth bass fishing is improving on a daily basis as the fish are moving up into the shallows.

Spring time is clearly on its way, and the striped bass are moving into the Delta. Chris Ditter of HeadRush Sport Fishing said, “I have been trolling on the San Joaquin the last couple of trips, and although it isn’t red hot, we are picking up limits of chunky stripers to 7 pounds on either deep- or shallow-diving lures. There aren’t many fish in the system, and I’m not marking them, but they are hitting. Today, everything came with the tide as we didn’t have a strike against the tide. The bass are in good shape, and they have some shoulder as they are putting up a good fish. They have crawfish in their bellies, and they are fat. The only limiting factor has been the weeds, and there are some times and areas that the weeds are really bad. It is still trollable if you move around and stick it out, but the weeds have been a problem.”

James Netzel of Tight Lines Guide Service worked hard for three keepers for his clients on Saturday trolling from Eddo’s Marina north to the mouth of Three Mile Slough. He said, “We were running shallow divers, and the water was much clearer on the San Joaquin. We found our three fish within a small stretch near Three Mile Slough, and we also lost one around 10 pounds. You just know it’s a big fish by the way it bends over the rod. Let’s see what happens with the cold front coming in at the beginning of the week, and I plan on seeing what is taking place in the upper Mokelumne River. The main push of stripers has yet to arrive.”

Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing confirmed the tough bite, and he also struggled for three keepers on Saturday, saying, “After finding nothing on the Sacramento River along the West Bank, we came into the San Joaquin for our three fish near Connection Slough. I don’t remember it being this tough at this time of year.”

Dave Houston was out on Thursday on a trolling adventure, and he said, “The water has warmed up to 55.5degrees, but it’s still very tough trolling with no new fish coming into the system. We stayed on the San Joaquin today and fished old River and Sounding Board to Half Moon. In certain areas, there’s still lots of debris floating on the surface, but the grass is virtually gone. Most of our fish were caught on the incoming tide as the outgo got quite dirty. We got our three limits and lost a few. Friends of mine were on the Sacramento today, and they didn’t do quite as well with the stripers but they did catch and release two salmon just under 20 pounds each, trolling shallow.

Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, reported three limits of striped bass were taken out of Frank’s Tract on lures, and there were reports of linesides in Potato Slough, the San Andreas Shoals, and in the Old River.

Largemouth bass action is heating up as the fish are moving into shallower water, and Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, said, “The larger bass are staging on the outside weed lines, and it is very important to have good electronics like my Lowrance Side Scan to see the bass holding on the ledges in 5 to 15 feet of water. They are getting ready to move up, and the most consistent action has been just out of the current. I have been scoring with Power Worms with Max Scent or plastics on the drop-shot, Zappu head, or Texas-rig. Creature baits such as the Pit Boss or the Chigger Craw are also effective, and the Pit Boss is particularly effective in heavy cover as the legs are narrower in profile, and they don’t have the tendency to tear off like the Chigger Craw which is best worked in cleaner water. Earth tones such as green pumpkin or deep reds are working as the crawdads are coming out of hibernation. One key for me regarding the crawdads coming out is when we are seeing lizards on the shoreline rocks. Another working bait has been the ima Rock N’ Vibe Suspend in dark red or bluegill, and this is my go-to bait in the mornings as the bass are feeding mostly on crawdads right now.”

Kris Huff of Stockton and Phenix Rods put in a fourth-place limit on Saturday at 18.36 pounds, and he said, “The jig and drop-shot bite has been remaining pretty solid, and I ended up with all solid fish and just missed that one big bite.”

Angler’s Press held a two-day tournament out of Ladd’s Marina in Stockton over the weekend, and the winning 10-fish limit came in at a very respectable 50.36 pounds.

Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait in Tackle said, “The striped bass have been moving into the San Joaquin below the Mossdale Bridge, and we have even had two sturgeon brought into the shop from the San Joaquin near Mossdale with one on pile worms and the other on sardines. Stripers are also found off of Brookside Road in Stockton and in Discovery Bay. Fresh shad should be in the shop soon, but for now, it is all about frozen shad. Crappie are taken on small minnows in the sloughs west of Stockton while bluegill are abundant on red worms, jumbo red worms, or wax 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 3 White bass 2 Striper 0 Catfish 2 Crappie 2 Bluegill 2

At Nacimiento, the spotted bass action improved over the weekend with finesse techniques of plastics on the drop-shot or Ned-rig along with small profile jigs, and the crappie bite is also on the upswing with minijigs or tubes as the slabs are moving into the shallows. The lake held at 41%. A webcam of the lake is available at lakenacimientolive.com.

At Lopez, the recent trout plants has been the top draw with trollers scoring a few rainbows apiece with shad-patterned spoons such as Needlefish or Thomas Buoyants along with Rapalas within the top 20 feet of the surface. Bank fishing has been slow, but a few rainbows are taken off of the banks with Power Bait or nightcrawlers. Bass fishing has been slow, but the planted rainbows should be turning on the swimbait bait. A trout plant is scheduled for the week of March 21. A webcam of the lake is available at 805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam.

Santa Margarita is the big bass lake at the coast, and if you were to take a double-digit largemouth on the coast, it would be at this lake. An 11.2-pound largemouth was landed this week on a crankbait as the majority of the bass are holding at mid-levels to 15 feet. The most consistent action has been with jigs or plastics on the drop-shot, but the reaction bite with spinnerbaits, crankbaits, underspins, or swimjigs is improving. Crappie are taken by trollers working jigs or small crankbaits in open water. A trout plant is scheduled for the week of March 14th, and this could break out the big bait bite for the lake’s quality largemouths.

At San Antonio, still little change except bass fishing has slowed considerably. The best option is for catfish with heavily-scented cut baits near moving water at the inlets. The lake held at 20%.

Events

Tournament results

McClure – American Bass Association – March 5: 1st – John Liechty/Rob Betsch – 27.74 pounds (Big Fish – 12.19); 2nd – Hayden Lee/Dean Korbelik – 9.86; 3rd – Steve Riggs/Steve Chappell – 9.28.

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Angler’s Press - March 5/7: (15-fish limits – no first names provided): 1st – Dassonville/Dassonville – 79.33 pounds; 2nd – Hall/Perez– 73.30; 3rd – Arbuckle/Ryans – 66.30.

Tulloch – Sonora Bass Anglers– March 6: 1st – J.Payne/A. Hatfield – 19.10 pounds; 2nd – N.Vantrece/A. Pearson – 17.74 (Big Fish – 5.77); 3rd – B. Harskamp/C. Harskamp – 17.57.

Don Pedro – March 6: 1st – Randy and Glenn Pierson – 18.10 pounds; 2nd –Anthony Souza/Matt Frazier – 15.52 (Big Fish – 5.79); 3rd – John Myers/Brian Rabith – 15.27.

Eastman – Kerman Bass Club (4 Fish Limits) – March 6: 1st –– Darren Graeff – 5.12; 2nd – Chris Griffen – 5.10; 3rd – John Horton – 5.00 (Big Fish – 2.22).

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

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 27

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Merced Bass Club

Nacimiento – San Luis Obispo Bass Ambushers

March 28-29

Don Pedro – Kerman Bass Club

March 28

Delta/B and W Resort – California Bass Federation

Pine Flat – Bass 101

This story was originally published March 9, 2021 at 11:12 AM.