Fishing report, March 31-April 6: Millerton cliffhanger; 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 bass, stripers and sturgeon bites going, Vince Borges said. New Melones bass and trout on the chomp, John Liechty reported. Millerton and Hensley bass hitting, Jake Figgs said. Shaver trout and kokanee limits possible, Dick Nichols reported. Don Pedro trout abundant, Dave Hurley said. Aqueduct stripers in the hunt, Pete Cormier reported. Kaweah bass fishing good, Gary Wasson said.

Roger’s remarks: Millerton cliffhanger

Rationalizing bad decisions seems to be a step-by-step process that takes place when you want to believe something so much that you ignore the clear evidence that clearly “this ain’t going to work!”

Back in the mid-’80s I was in the upper river gorge area of Millerton and I got to thinking it might be fun to hike up the canyon and see what the river looked like for a future fishing trip. For some reason it didn’t concern me that I was alone, even though there was rough terrain and more than a few rattlers.

Off I go, after beaching my boat, following the river and watching for snakes for a good half-hour until I got to an unanticipated spot where the north side of the canyon wall ran right down into the river, blocking my progress. Hmm...if I just backtracked a little and took a cow trail up the side of the mountain I could hike around the granite wall blockage that went up about 200 feet. I began climbing the steep dirt trail until I thought I was at about the right elevation to begin heading over the steep section, and then drop back down again to the river.

I remember the little path that I took for about 50 yards ending where the upper granite face began. The 50-foot-wide granite face looked like it wouldn’t be a problem to spider crawl across. Optimism won out over rational thinking.

I got out about 20 feet when it hit me: This wall was getting more vertical and my hand and footholds were pretty small. I began sweating and the reality of the position I was in struck me. I was 100 feet above the water, a sheer face just below me — and no one to find my body if I fell.

I had gone out too far to go back, and the next 20 feet got even more vertical. Fear was creeping in. I determined that if I slipped I would try to somehow jump out as far as I could. Maybe I could make the water far below.

Somehow I willed my right hand out to grasp a little rise on the granite wall, braced myself and then moved one foot to another rough spot. Slowly I moved the last 10 feet to my goal: a single small bush growing out of the granite. When I finally got hold of it, I swore I would never be that stupid again! My hands still sweat when I recall it.

One bad decision followed by another and fueled by my excitement and impatience had temporarily blinded me to considering the real consequences of failure. I hadn’t coolly evaluated the situation before diving in. Emotions can sure cloud your rational mind at times, especially when we want something to be true.

Nope, didn’t see any fish — and didn’t care. I learned a valuable lesson: Even when you’re stuck on a sheer cliff hanging on by your fingernails, never give up.

Valley

West-side waterways

Striper 3 Catfish 2

Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “The aqueduct continues to be more popular than the main lake for striped bass with pile worms or anchovies along with tossing deep-diving deep-diving baits such as Rat-L-Traps or jerkbaits along Highway 33 side or under the I-5 Bridge where the water is flowing.”

In the southern section of the aqueduct in Kern County, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield said, “The striper bite has been really good with blood worms, lug worms, sardines, anchovies, or extra-large minnows. Small swimbaits or jerkbaits are also working in shad-patterns, particularly where the water is moving.” Catfish are also taken on Triple S Dip Bait, frozen shad, or chicken livers.

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 continues to be miserable with anglers reporting a single fish as a victory. Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “I’ve had three or four good fishermen go up there and struggle for only one fish.” Most anglers are avoiding the lake right now as it is basically a mud puddle at 11%.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Hensley Lake

Bass 3Trout 2 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

Jake Figgs of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported this lake is a much better option than nearby Eastman for largemouth bass as fish to 5 pounds have been reported on squarebill crankbaits or plastics such as Senko’s, Zoom Z-Craws or Strike King’s Structure Bugs in the shallows up the river arm. Merritt Gilbert touted white/chartreuse spinnerbaits for bass to 3.5 pounds, and crappie fishermen are quietly heading up to the lake but keeping their success on the downlow. The lake rose slightly to 23%.

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 2 King salmon 2 Crappie 2

Planted rainbow trout are abundant with kokanee gear at depths around 35 feet, and a few small kokanee in the 13- to 14-inch range are showing up in the Upper Bay. Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing found some bed fish on Sunday after few fish were on beds previously. The bite has been tough for the larger grade of largemouth bass with the best action on plastics on a finesse presentation. Working main lake cuts with ½-ounce G-Money jigs with a Yamamoto Twin Tail trailer or a 5-inch cinnamon/purple plastic on a 3/16th nail weight in the shallows or a 6-inch shad-patterned worm on the drop-shot on secondary points at 30 feet has been most productive. The lake held at 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 3 Crappie 3 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2

Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported Lake Isabella was very busy over the weekend, and crappie have been the big draw with small to medium minnows, 2.8-inch Keitech swimbaits, or various crappie jigs in red/white or black/white in the submerged trees at the 15 feet level. Roadrunners have also been effective for the slabs. Master Class Catfishing is holding a two-day Catfish Tournament on the lake on April 17/18th with a $150 entry fee for teams up to three anglers. The tournament is limited to the first 50 registered teams, and information is available at www.masterclasscatfishing.com. The catfish bite remains decent with frozen shad, Triple S Dip Bait, chicken livers, or nightcrawlers. The bass bite remains fair, but the largemouths are moving into the shallows in preparation for a spawn. 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 24th through September 6th. A total of 500 tagged trout valued from $20 to $500, and the organizers are designed a virtual format for the event. A trout plant occurred last week with one scheduled for the week of April 11th. Information is available at https://www.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 kick out bass and crappie, and the local lakes such as Ming are producing bass along with bluegill and catfish. Ming is scheduled for a trout plant this week. In the upper Kern River, the trout bite has been solid near Kernville Park and above with nightcrawlers, live crickets, or salmon eggs. All sections of the lower and upper Kern River are scheduled to be planted this week along with an additional plant near Kernville next 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 3 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2

Xtreme Bass Club president Gary Wasson said, “The bass bite is good with jigs, plastics on the drop-shot, or jigs at depths from 10 to 20 feet.” Last week’s trout plant might get the big bait bite going. The lake rose slightly to 16%. Mooney Grove south of Visalia is scheduled for trout plants the next two weeks.

Lake Success/Tule River

Bass 2 Crappie 3 Trout 3 Catfish 2

Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company said, “The bass bite has been slow, but hopefully this week anglers will be blessed with the bass taking advantage of the warm weather. The fish are moving into the shallows, and the spawn should start any day soon. Jigs have been the best option.” Gary Wasson confirmed the slow bite as the fish are moving up to spawn, and he advised working Senkos. Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported a continued solid crappie bite near the marina. Last week’s trout plant might help with the big bait bite with swimbaits. The lake rose slightly to 19%.

On the Tule, Stokke said, “The river is picking up this week as trout were taking flies at the 4,500-foot elevation level. Black caddis in size 14 has been excellent, and it should still be productive this week.” The Middle and South Forks of the Tule are scheduled for trout plants the week of April 11. Murry Park in Porterville is scheduled for a plant this week.

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

McClure Reservoir

Bass 3 Trout 2 King salmon 1 Kokanee 1 Crappie 2 Catfish 2

The spotted and largemouth bass are moving into the shallows, and they are either bedding or cruising the shorelines. Anglers have been plucking some of the better fish off of the beds. Jigs, plastics on a dart head or ripbaits are all working in the shallow water in the main lake. 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

Trout plants have occurred at the lake over the past few weeks, and additional plants from the Moccasin Hatchery are upcoming. Trout fishing is best in the morning and evening hours from the Brush Pile, Handicapped Docks and the peninsula near the marina with various colors of trout dough bait, or inflated nightcrawlers. Trollers are working up the river arm or out in front of the Brush Pile with blade/’crawler combinations, red Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler behind a dodger, or silver/blue Kastmasters from the surface to 20 feet.

Call: McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534

Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River

Bass 3 Striped bass 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

Jake Figgs of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported good action for spotted bass in the main lake coves and pockets with spinnerbaits with colored blades in the stained water. The bass are reluctant to bite in the clear water, but in the stained water where they are bedding or cruising, they will hit the reaction baits with white blades when the wind is blowing. The American shad are pushing up into the coves, and the bass are feeding on the smaller versions of the larger shad. There is a spinnerbait bite up the river arm along the rock walls at 10 to 15 feet. Merritt Gilbert thought this was the best bass option in the area with ripbaits or spinnerbaits. An 8-pound striped bass was reported, but overall reports of stripers are scarce. The lake rose slightly to 34%. State park hours at Millerton are 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

At Sycamore Island, Sarah Parkes, development director of the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust, Inc. said, “Bass from 4 to 11 pounds have been landed this week along with striped bass in the river. Catfish to 2.5 pounds along with crappie and bluegill are in the pond, and there are still a few remaining trout in the Trout Pond. A trout plant is scheduled in the pond during the week of April 11.

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

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

Bass 3 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 2

Bass fishing remains solid for numbers with John Liechty of Xperience Guide Service averaging 30 to 40 bass per outing on plastics on a shakey head or Ned-rig along with wacky-rigged Senkos or Trick Worms as the bass are ‘steamrolling’ towards the banks. Beds are starting to form on a daily basis as more and more bed fish are found. Big swimbaits are producing the occasional quality largemouth or spot, but spotted bass to 6 pounds have also been taken on jigs. Trout trolling in the river arm has been outstanding with Speedy Shiners or Trinidad Tackle’s Popeye Spoons from the surface to 25 feet for recently-planted rainbows to 17 inches. Kokanee fishing is anticipated to be outstanding in the coming months. Crappie fishing has improved with crappie lights at night near submerged structure or creek arms at depths to 35 feet with Beetle Spins or crappie jigs in black/chartreuse along with small to medium minnows. Glory Hole and Tuttletown boat launches are open at the middle ramp, but the Angels Cove launch ramp is closed. Bass tournaments have been placed on hold for the next few months. The lake held at 64%.

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

Bass fishing remains slow with the exception of those pulling bed fish off of the beds in Zebe or Lefevre Creeks with bluegill patterned swimbaits such as the Savage Gear’s Pulse Tail. Gary Wasson placed second during Sunday’s Bass 101 tournament, and he reported a good bite with Senkos, jigs, plastics on the drop-shot, or a Trick Worm on a dart head. Crappie is best at night close to the docks in the Deer Creek Marina or the trees around Trimmer with small to medium minnows under lights. Merritt Gilbert reported catfish to 3.5 pounds are taken on anchovies. Trout trolling is fair at best with most trollers heading up the hill to Shaver Lake, but a trout plant is scheduled for this week. The lake held at 25%.

The lower Kings River was planted last week, and it is scheduled for plants for the next two weeks. Panther Martins or Mepp’s spinners are working best where the water is moving close to an eddy of slower water. 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. Avocado Lake is scheduled for trout plants the next two weeks.

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, “The bright full moon was having its usual overall negative effect on all the bites in the big lake with even experienced anglers struggling to catch fish. I broke all my rules about fishing right on a full moon and guided Dr. Greg Clark and Brian Mimms of Fresno on Saturday. We didn’t get a fish trolling till almost noon and then at 3 p.m. we finally found some active fish at 70 feet and in a flurry of action ended up with 14. The surprise was that Brian got a nice 30-inch/11-pound striper, immediately followed by an 8-pounder for Dr. Clark. The bite shut down totally after that. On Sunday, guests Tad Haroldsen of Fresno and his son Cole landed 10, with Cole notching a personal-best at 28 inches and 7 pounds. The same pattern as Saturday, but an even slower bite made for a tough, long day. Minnow anglers were getting some school fish back in Portuguese Cove. The water temperatures are rising quickly while the reservoir is slowly falling. Algae mats are growing fast, and the fish are moving quickly.” Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported an improved bank bite off of Dinosaur Point with pile worms or anchovies. The minnow bite has slowed, but there has been some action for those drifting live bait in the early mornings until 7 a.m. Most area striper fishermen are heading to either the O’Neill Forebay or the California Aqueduct. In the O’Neill Forebay, Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle reported most area striped bass anglers are heading to the forebay with pile worms or anchovies in the attempt to go through a number of undersized striped bass to put together a legal limit. The Highway 33 side of the impoundment has been the most productive, and parking on this side is limited as the lot fills up and vehicles have to park alongside the highway far from the lake.

At San Luis, there are three wind warning and lake closure lights near the Basalt Entrance Station, Quien Sabe Point, and the Romero Visitor Center. At the O’Neill Forebay, the lights are located near the old Medeiros boat ramp and above the South Beach Area. Amber lights signify caution conditions for winds or other concerns while red lights indicate the lake is closed to boating and all vessels must immediately vacate the lake.

Call: Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711, Roger George of rogergeorgeguideservice.com 905-2954

High Sierra

The Sierra National Forest has extended closures for select recreational sites, roads, and trails until April 21. Updated information is available at fs.usda.gov/sierra.

Bass Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 2

Bass fishing is slow overall for bass, but there have been some smaller spotted bass taken on shad-patterned ripbaits or chatterbaits in green pumpkin or bluegill. Todd Wittwer of Kokanee.net Guide Service has been picking up from 1 to 4 kokanee to 15 inches working Rocky Mountain Tackle’s UV pink/purple Billfish behind a purple Moonshine dodger from the surface to 26 feet with the best action between 16 and 24 feet in the middle of bay near the Sheriff’s Tower. He also has been picking up holdover rainbows from 16 to 19 inches with most in the 14- to 15-inch range, but on Sunday, he was only able to find a couple small planters at 12 inches. The Crystal Pink N’ Purple Signature Spinner has also been effective behind a UV Pink Splatter dodger with the best bite from mid-morning until later in the morning.” The Sheriff’s Motor Fee remains in effect. The lake rose to 58%, making launching a large boat at the public dock more doable.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool

Kaiser Pass remains closed, but it most likely will be open prior to Memorial Day as the snowpack is limited. Edison held at 20% with Florence dropping to 8%. Mammoth Pool rose slightly to 51%. Merritt Gilbert said, “One trout angler made it in to Mammoth Pool for three small trout off of the banks, but the lake is chocolate brown from all of the run-off” from the Creek Fire.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake

Kokanee 3 Trout 3

While most Northern California kokanee fishermen converge at Berryessa, the Central Sierra lakes of Shaver and Bass are quietly kicking out quality kokanee along with numbers of rainbow trout.

At Shaver Lake, Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters said, “Jay Irvine of Visalia really got into them in Dorabella Cove and near the Point for three limits of trout including three Golden trout. The goldens from last year’s release have grown to catchable size, and these are the actual golden trout, not the Lightning trout that are planted in various lakes. Irvine was out with Neil Blatner and Harley Taylor from Visalia as they wanted to learn how troll since they just bought a boat. On the side poles, they used Paulina Peak’s Top Gun Wikiup Sunrise Spinners with Panther Martin’s High Elevation Mountain Troll flashers in gold/silver at a setback of 125 to 135 feet while on the downriggers, they used Dick’s orange Spinner Micro-hoochie with Dick’s Mountain Dodger at a setback of 45 feet at from 22 to 25 feet deep.”

John Parker and Steve Porter from Visalia located two quick limits of kokanee with orange or pink spinners behind a 4.25-inch tear drop dodger at 30 to 40 feet between the Point and the island. Parker said, “I caught four of the ten on one of my homemade orange/pink Wedding Rings.”

Trout plants including the upcoming trophy plant from the Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project will take place in early May. A Department of Fish and Wildlife plant is scheduled for the week of April 11. The lake held at 75%. Launch conditions can be seen at sierramarina.com/camera.html.

Road access to Huntington Lake is also limited A Department of Fish and Wildlife trout plant is scheduled for the week of April 11.

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. The road to Wishon should open sometime in April. A trout plant is scheduled at Wishon the week of April 11.

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

Striper 2 Sand dabs 2 Surf perch 3

Finally the opportunity to fish for something other than sand dabs, petrale sole, and Dungeness crab will occur this week out of Half Moon Bay as the rockfish season starts on Thursday, April 1st with the ocean salmon season below Pigeon Point on Saturday, April 3rd.

Captains Tom Mattusch and Michael Cabanas on the Huli Cat have been making the best of the sand dab situation since January 1st, and this past Saturday, they took a combination trip off of San Gregorio in 300 feet of water for a slow pick of only 16 sand dabs, 4 petrale sole to 3 pounds, and 80 crab for 11 anglers. The Huli Cat will start targeting rockfish on the local reefs this week, and their crab pots will remain in the water for the bonus of Dungeness crab. Mattusch said, “We will be making the 18-mile trek south of Pigeon Point in search of salmon, and there were two small salmon caught and released about 10 miles north of the line this week.”

Captain Dennis Baxter of the New Captain Pete said, “I am anxiously awaiting the opening of the salmon season, and I will be on the decks of the Huli Cat if the fish show below Pigeon Point. It is hard to tell right now what is going to happen, but we remain optimistic. Our boat is still a few weeks out as similar to remodeling a house, there are always delays and additional expenses so we expect to be back in the harbor by the third week in April.”

The Queen of Hearts and remainder of the fleet out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing will also take part in the rockfish opener as well as the potential for salmon below Pigeon Point.

The Pacifica Pier remains closed due to storm damage, and a petition has been started on Change.org to have the government agencies repair and reopen the pier as it is extremely important for Bay Area ocean shore fishing and crabbing. Snares are working for a few legal Dungeness crab off of the local beaches.

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

The rockfish season opens on Thursday, April 1st, followed by the ocean salmon season south of Pigeon Point on April 3rd, and the port of Monterey, Moss Landing, and Santa Cruz will be awash with private and party boaters.

Chris Arcoleo of Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching in Monterey said, “We were out on a combination trip on Sunday with 19 anglers for 21 Dungeness crab and 400 sand dabs. We are sold out through the opening weekend for both rockfish and salmon, but there is room starting next week for both types of trips.”

Celebrities Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani went out on a crab/sand dab combination out of Chris’s on Saturday, and they returned with 50 sand dab along with 17 Dungeness and a picture that is making the rounds across various media outlets.

Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “Since its inception in 2005, the Annual Sand Crab Classic Perch Derby has become an institution among the surfcasters of the Monterey Bay region and well beyond. Attracting nearly 150 participants in the first year of competition, the derby has had to limit entries to “only” 300 anglers for the past six years. The derby is a family-friendly community affair. All proceeds always go to support the Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project. In 2020, the 300 entries sold out online in just one hour. You can imagine the deep disappointment when the Derby was postponed due to COVID just days prior to the event. In 2021, another postponement was necessary due to Health Department regulations. This year, however, the Sand Crab Classic sponsored a ‘Virtual Derby,” wherein angers could submit their big perch catches online. A number of large fish were recorded as entrants, but none surpassed those of the two winners. We are a community of good sports, and offer our congratulations to this years “VIRTUAL” Sand Crab Classic Perch Derby Winners!! First Place Men’s Division Trophy went to Javier Paramo from Capitola for his winning 15 3/4” Barred Surf Perch. First Place Women’s Division was captured by Grace Volz from Aromas for her 14 7/8” Barred Surf Perch. Paramo quipped, “Yahoo. Caught that momma on a bloodworm near Sand Dollar, clicked a picture and released her, while Volz reported “Thank you, caught in Monterey Bay on a grub and I ate mine. Soo delicious!” Surfcasters all around the Bay are remarking on a noticeable increase in perch catches, especially the barred surf perch. There are quite a few juveniles in the mix, please treat them gently and release. Anything over 10-12 inches may be worth keeping and cooking. A few limits of perch in that range were reported this week, mostly from the beaches adjoining Moss Landing, and the mouth of the Salinas River. And, the number of bigger trophy perch has remained consistent. While not common, big slabs in the 14-16-inch range are delighting surfcasters lucky enough to hook one. Most of these big perch are hanging just behind the inside shore break, so let your bait hang in that area. Don’t reel in too fast and miss a hit.

We are only days away from season openers for rockfish and salmon fishing. Boaters should be checking all the mechanicals on the boats as well as the electronics. Check the Coast Guard Safety Equipment Guidelines and double-check your compliance. Don’t forget to look at your trailer as well. Nothing can ruin an early morning of fishing as a burned out bearing leaving you, and your boat stuck on the side of Highway One while everyone else is steaming out of the harbor.”

Along the beaches, Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle said, “Perch fishing remains strong with crappie sliders, Lucky 13 grubs, or Lucky Craft 110’s along the Santa Cruz beaches.”

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

San Francisco Bay

Halibut 3 Striper 3 Leopard shark 2 Sturgeon 2

Rockfish season starts this coming Thursday, April 1st, but all of the interest is inside San Francisco and San Pablo Bay despite the early season for stripers and halibut without live bait. Live bait may be available in the San Francisco receiver by mid-April, leading to the migration of sturgeon six-packs out of the Delta into the bay’s marinas. With the salmon season starting as late as the last week of June, private and party boats will be focusing on halibut and striped bass. Fortunately, with commercial demand for halibut down with a major dip in the local restaurant business, drag boats haven’t been mopping up tons of halibut outside of the Golden Gate, allowing the flatfish to enter the bay unmolested. However, once they are in the bay, the halibut will be swarmed by hundreds of boats, especially when live bait becomes available.

A few boats have cured their own live bait, and Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters has been curing up live smelt from his perch in the Loch Lomond Marina. He said, “We were in San Pablo Bay on Friday for 7 limits of striped bass to 8 pounds along with releasing another 40 to 50 mostly-legal stripers. I had a group of youngsters from Petaluma on the boat, and we had plenty of action and lots of fun on the trout rods for the children on board. We did it again on Sunday with five limits of striped bass and two shaker halibut on live bait.”

Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions out of San Francisco was out on Friday for four limits of both striped bass and halibut. He said, “We had a few of our precious pets out there, (live bait), along with trolling in San Pablo Bay, and Captain Trent called me into the striper bite before we loaded up with halibut.”

A few party boats braved the winds this week in the south bay, but the action wasn’t as good as it has been as the Lovely Martha out of San Francisco was up at Point Pinole on Sunday, but the heavy pressure on the resident halibut has made a serious dent as they returned with only 6 halibut along with 25 striped bass for 14 anglers trolling or drifting frozen bait.

Captain Steve Gutierrez was on the south bay flats earlier this week, and he said, “We finally got a small window of weather with no wind, and some friends and I trolled my custom Deadliest Kast Halibut Trolling leaders for three decent keepers before I struck gold. I though I was not going to catch a fish myself and head home skunked, but my rod went off like it snagged another boat. We put the boat in neutral thinking it was a snag for sure, and as the boat came to a stop, I lifted up o n my rod to possibly free up the snag and it pulled back with two big pumps. At this time, I knew that I had something above average, and the fish started peeling line and giving some big head shakes. I thought it was a big striper or even a white seabass, but within a minute, I saw a big dark silhouette of a halibut. I didn’t want any mistakes so I handed off the rod to my friend in order to gaff it myself. The halibut was 40 inches and 28.62 pounds, not my personal best at 35 pounds, but an amazing fish for mid-March in the bay.”

Ed Lu of Bay Tackle in El Cerrito said, “Stripers are picking up this week, but the wind has been high in the 12 to 20 mph range every day. There are stripers off of Emeryville, Richmond, Rodeo, Point Pinole, and Hercules with live smelt, anchovies, pile worms, or ghost shrimp. We have been starting to get them on swimbaits off of Albany, Emeryville, Crockett, and Rodeo, and they are also in the Napa River, Sonoma Creek, and the Petaluma River. The south bay halibut bite has slowed down as well as outside of Point Pinole, but kayakers have been finding some really large halibut off of Candlestick Point. There have been halibut over 30 pounds reported, but the average keeper is from 5 to 12 pounds. Sturgeon fishing is best around Martinez, Pittsburg, Eckley Pier in Crockett or off of the Point Pinole Pier with ghost shrimp, pile worms, or even mudsuckers.”

Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle in San Rafael said, “The wind has been blowing like crazy every day, but Thursday was not as bad as it has been the previous three days, and it is going to get better over the weekend. Before the wind arrived, halibut fishing had been very good with an average of a fish and a-half per rod. Sturgeon fishing should improve with the tides over the weekend, and there are striped bass at the Marin Islands and the Brickyard with some bass in the 30-inch category. Live smelt has been hard to obtain this week for some reason so anglers are taking out Green Label herring or tray anchovies. We are expecting a load of live Dungeness crab this week as the ocean has been unfriendly this past week for any commercial crabbing action on the smaller vessels.”

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 3

Rockfishing opens on Thursday, and interest has been high with all boats out of Patriot Sport Fishing at Port San Luis booked solid until the first openings on Monday, April 5th. Morro Bay Landing is booked through the weekend with some room on Monday while Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay also has all boats booked on the opening day. Ocean salmon season will open on April 3rd in this section of the coast. 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 have been on a tear over the past week, and the diamondbacks are going to get a break soon as the majority of six-pack operators are packing up after a stellar season for the San Francisco Bay ports of Berkeley, Richmond, and Emeryville. Both Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing and Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing will be ending their sturgeon run this coming week for the fertile waters of the bay. Striped bass are starting to flood in the Sacramento side of the Delta although most trollers are working the junior side on the San Joaquin.

Mitchell has continued his on-the-water clinic in Suisun Bay with up to four limits of sturgeon on salmon roe. On Sunday, Mitchell picked up 2 slot-limit sturgeon along with two shakers and a large oversized broken off. He said, “I was all over the place on Sunday before ending up at Port Chicago for a shaker as we also were in Honker Bay, the Little Cut, and outside of Freeman Island. The fish have been biting like crazy, and we put in three legal sturgeon within 40 minutes on Wednesday on a special trip for Donoven Bowen of Sonora. Cured salmon roe remains the best offering. We followed this up with three more limits on Thursday and two on Friday and Saturday. I will be finishing up this Thursday before heading to the Berkeley Marina for the summer halibut, striped bass, salmon, shark, and rockfish seasons.”

Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Sport Fishing will be keeping his boat in Pittsburg for sturgeon as the Flash II will be running out of San Francisco. He said, “Captain Charles Kimberly put in two keepers in the Big Cut on Saturday along with a massive oversized estimated at 8.5-feet in length before releasing a shaker near Port Chicago. I ran the boat on Sunday, and we started at the Big Cut. Within 10 minutes, we hooked a slot-limit sturgeon that came unbuttoned at the boat. After resetting, we hooked another sturgeon in a few minutes, and we had to pull anchor to chase down this sturgeon that eventually came in at oversized at 67 inches. We had another long-distance release with everything coming on salmon roe in relatively deep water from 42 to 45 feet of water.”

Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing out of Pittsburg is also wrapping up his sensational sturgeon season this week before starting in Berkeley on May 1st. He continued his mastery of Suisun Bay sturgeon with three limits of slot fish by 10:30 a.m. on cured salmon roe along with over- and undersized sturgeon released.

Scott Marran of Yuba City was out with his wife, Gracie, in Suisun Bay on Sunday morning, and he also found great sturgeon action with three upper-slot limit fish with the two largest coming on a double hook up.

Striped bass are on the move into the Sacramento system, and Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento, said, “The action has been good inside of Liberty Island the past few days as our assistant manager, Michael Kidwell, found them on big baits on Saturday, and there were at least four stripers between 10 and 12 pounds caught and released on Sunday on glide baits.”

Out of Martinez Marina, Olivia Ortega confirmed the striped bass migration with Dave Martinez landing a double-digit lineside off of the pier on a ghost shrimp.

Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing out of Lauritzen’s Yacht Harbor in Oakley was scouting on the Sacramento side on Saturday, and he said, “I went up the West Bank and metered a lot of striped bass as the linesides are moving in.”

Chris Ditter of HeadRush Sport Fishing has been focusing upon the San Joaquin for stripers, but he said, “For the first time in weeks, I heard a good report out of the West Bank. It was good on Saturday morning until around mid-morning, and this will relieve the pressure that is taking place on the San Joaquin.”

In the north Delta, crappie are in the small sloughs and the dead-end sloughs with medium minnows or Bobby Garland’s Slab Slay’R’s.

The San Joaquin-Delta endured bass boats running to and fro last Saturday with two large tournaments out of Big Break Marina in Oakley and Ladd’s Marina in Stockton. Bass fishing continued to improve as the Wild West Pro/Am out of Big Break drew 116 boats with a winning three-day weight of 66.94 pounds by Harvey Pulliam, edging out Day 1 and 2 leader Logan Huntze by a mere 0.02 ounces. Richard Alcantar stunned the field on Friday from the backseat with the ‘Toad of the Tournament’ at 13.81 pounds, a massive bass for a co-angler.

Dan Mathisen of Dan Mathisen Outdoors said, “We had four of our circuit’s anglers place in the top ten in the Wild West event, and the frog bite took off on Sunday along with green chatterbaits while some were sight fishing the beds or punching the weeds.”

Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors said, “It’s really taking off in the central and south Delta as I put together a 25-pound plus limit this week with largemouth bass at 7, 6, 5, and a half-dozen in the 3- to 3.5-pound range. There haven’t been the numbers, but the quality is hard to beat. I would rather have quality than quantity any day. I have been finding the fish in shallow water to 2 feet with Reaction Innovation’s Pocket Rockets or a weightless Skinny Dipper with a 7/0 1/8th ounce Gambler Hook which has a keel that keeps the bait from rolling. I also punched the weeds for a 5-pound bass. This is really the best time of year right for big fish as they are beginning to spawn. You can catch them many different ways right now, and there is even a window for topwater as well as with a frog if you work it slow. The water temperature has dropped from the high 50’s to around 55 degrees, but the recent cold front and the winds account for the drop in temperature. The visibility ranges from 3 to 5 feet in some areas to less than a foot in others, but nothing is too stained. With the coming warmer weather, the bite is going to get better and better, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a three-day limit over 70 pounds during the Wild West Pro/Am this weekend. “

Striped bass has shown significant improvement, and Chris Ditter of HeadRush Sport Fishing said, “I have been trolling shallow-diving Yozuri Crystal Minnows on the San Joaquin, and the bite is improving. We have been finding stripers in most every location, and these are mostly males who are definitely milting. There have been a lot of ‘worm stealers’ as the linesides have been reluctant to commit. We have landed stripers to 13 pounds this week, but most are males to 8 pounds.”

James Netzel of Fish Tight Lines is out of Lighthouse Marina on the Mokelumne River, and he grinded it out for 15 striped bass to 8 pounds on Sunday between a combination of drifting live bait and trolling.

Nelson Vineyard of Topline Fishing said, “Striper action is on the upswing as the water temperatures are 58 degrees and the clarity has improved throughout the river system. We have been doing best drifting live minnows on the San Joaquin side, picking up most of our fish during the tide change. Some boats are accidentally landing king salmon on Rat-L-Traps while shallow-trolling for striped bass. As the water temperatures approach 60 degrees, trolling throughout the Delta should be red hot. My advice is to plan on covering a lot of water and keep your lines clean from weeds.”

Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing out of Lauritzen’s Yacht Harbor in Oakley put in 7 keeper striped bass on Saturday along with ‘tons of shakers’ drifting live minnows. He said, “The water temperature is ranging from 54 to 58 degrees, and we are seeing lots of fish on the meter. The water of the San Joaquin is very clear with the good Delta-green color.”

Dave Houston of Livermore was along out on Sunday, and he said, “I rarely fish weekends, but with the wind next week I thought I better get out and I’m glad I did. I fished by myself for about four hours, and since there were fish on both the San Joaquin and Sacramento, it just didn’t matter where you went. The water temperature is up to 58 degrees, and I left the fish chomping on the San Joaquin. The strange thing is the lures that I used on the San Joaquin never caught a fish on the Sacramento and all the fish but a couple were dark local fish. A big school of new fish should be here any day, but I’ve been saying that for the past two weeks. I ended up with 10 keepers and a couple shakers.”

Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait in Tackle in Manteca said, “Striped bass fishing in the lower San Joaquin has been hot with anglers drifting minnows. We went through 45 dozen minnows from Thursday to Saturday morning, and the stripers are coming through below Mossdale. I went out from the banks of the San Joaquin below Dos Rios this week to test out which bait is working best for my shore anglers, and I found good action on either sardines or pile worms. Anchovies were producing numbers of undersized stripers. Striped bass have also been taken on sardines near Sturgeon Bend while bluegill are all over in the back sloughs with red worms or jumbo red worms.”

Call: Randy Pringle (209) 543-6260; Captain Steve Mitchell – Hook’d Up Sport Fishing – (707) 655-6736; Chris Ditter – HeadRush Sport Fishing – (916) 284-9236; 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 3 Bluegill 3 Trout 3

At Nacimiento, the spotted bass bite picked up considerably this week as the water temperatures continue to warm, and numbers are found on Senkos, jigs, or plastics on the drop-shot or shakey head. The reaction bite should be improving on a daily basis. Crappie can be taken near submerged structure on various types of minijigs. White bass remain scarce, but they should be making their annual move into the river arm as the temperatures warm. The lake held at 41%. A webcam of the lake is available at http://www.lakenacimientolive.com/. At Lopez, trout plants have brought out the trollers pulling up to limits with spoons, Needlefish, or Rapalas within 20 feet of the surface, and another trout plant is scheduled for the week of April 11th. For bass, it remains quality over quantity with jigs, crankbaits, jerkbaits, or plastics on the drop-shot with the best cut of bass found deeper. There are bass moving into the shallows, and plastics work best for the smaller shallow fish. A webcam of the lake is available at http://805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam/. At Santa Margarita, a trout plant is scheduled for the week of April 11th, and combined with last week’s plant, the swimbait bite should take off. Crappie have moved into the shallows in preparation for their spawn, and they can be taken around submerged structure with small Keitech swimbaits or minijigs. Similar to Lopez, it is quality over quantity here with largemouth bass to 7 pounds reported on jerkbaits, jigs, or plastics on the drop-shot. There are bass moving into the shallows. Bass fishing has slowed, but the trout plant should bring on the big bite with trout-patterned swimbaits. There is a reaction bite with crankbaits or chatterbaits along with dragging lizards on the bottom or plastics on the Texas-rig or drop-shot. Red worms are working for bluegill in the shallows while the crappie bite has been hit or miss with minijigs as the slabs are moving into the shallows. At San Antonio, there is basically no change with slow fishing with the best option for catfish with heavily-scented cut baits near moving water at the inlets. The lake held at 20%.

Events

Tournament results

Don Pedro – Sierra Bass Club - March 20-21: 1st – Darrel Green/Jerry Siligo – 23.72 pounds (Big Fish – Green -3.29); 2nd – Ryan Reynolds/Austan Owen – 21.01; 3rd – Ron Orbacker/Bruce Milan – 20.51.

Delta/Big Break Marina – Wild West Bass Trails Pro/Am Pro Division- March 26-28: 1st – Harvey Pulliam – 66.94 pounds; 2nd – Logan Huntze – 66.92; 3rd –Vincent Bernal – 62.37.

Delta/Big Break Marina – Wild West Bass Trails Pro/Am Amateur Division- March 26-28: 1st –Jack Farage – 42.85 pounds; 2nd – Richard Alcantar – 39.69 (Big Fish – 13.81); 3rd – Grant Harnist – 37.95.

Pine Flat – Bass 101 – March 28: 1st –Mark Corrente – 12.15 pounds; 2nd –Gary Wasson – 10.50; 3rd – Wayne Arnold – 9.50.

Success – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments - March 27: 1st – David and Gage Coy – 11.75 pounds; 2nd – Josh and Caanon Adams – 11.73 (Big Fish – 7.69); 3rd – Dave Simpson/Randy Burger– 11.23.

Success – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments - March 28: 1st – Teran Warden/Jaime Marquez – 11.10 pounds (Big Fish – 3.15); 2nd – Bear and Jr. Demacalin – 10.59; 3rd – Willow and Randy Burger – 10.29.

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

April 3

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Best Bass Tournaments

Pardee – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies

Don Pedro- American Bass Association

McClure – Angler’s Press

Success – Xtreme Bass Club

April 10

Delta/Holland Riverside Marina – Dan Mathisen Outdoors

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Sonora Bass Anglers

Tulloch – Kings River Bass Club

McClure – Best Bass Tournaments/Merced Bass Club

Pine Flat – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

Nacimiento – American Bass Association

April 11

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Riverbank Bass Anglers

New Melones – California Bass Federation

Don Pedro – Kings River Bass Club

Bass Lake – Kings VIII Bass Club

April 13

Don Pedro – Mid-Valley Agriculture

April 17-18

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Wild West Bass Trails

Don Pedro – Bakersfield Bass Club

April 17

Tulloch – Kerman Bass Club

Don Pedro – Christian Bass League/Slay Nation

Pine Flat – Best Bass Tournaments

Bass Lake -Sierra Bass Club

Kaweah – Golden Empire Bass Club

Nacimiento – Best Bass Tournaments

Lopez – Kern County Bassmasters

April 18

Don Pedro – NorCal High School Bass

April 24-25

Delta/B and W Resort – Fresno Bass Club

Kaweah – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

Don Pedro – Gold Country Bass Tour

April 24

Salt Springs – Bass N’Tubes

New Melones – Gold Country Bass Tour

Isabella – American Bass Association

Nacimiento – American Bass Association

April 25

Delta/B and W Resort – California Bass Federation

Bass Lake – Kings River Bass Club

April 30-May 2

Don Pedro – Wild West Bass Trails

May 1-2

Pine Flat – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

May 1

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Best Bass Tournaments

McClure – Stanislaus County Sheriff’s

Nacimiento – Central Coast Bass Bashers