Fishing report, April 14-20: Bass Lake derby back on, registration details; coast report

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

Monterey and Half Moon Bay continue pumping out salmon and rockfish, Dave Hurley reported. Don Pedro kicking out bass and trout, and McClure bass hitting, Ryan Cook reported. Millerton spotted bass bite good, Cody Greer said. New Melones the destination for good action on multiple species, Kyle Wise reported. Shaver kokanee limits on tap, Dick Nichols said. Delta striper, sturgeon and bass all active, Steve Talmadge reported.

Valley

West-side waterways

Striper 3 Catfish 3

Josh Mesa at Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported a number of anglers are heading to the California Aqueduct for school-sized stripers with the best action when the water is moving. Pile worms or anchovies along with tossing deep-diving deep-diving baits such as Rat-L-Traps or jerkbaits have been effective close to the moving water around the head gates.

In the southern section of the aqueduct in Kern County, the striped bass bite is picking up as well with white or pearl flukes, small shad-patterned swimbaits or casting Alabama rigs. Cut baits are best for catfish along with chicken livers or nightcrawlers along the edge where the moving water slowed down. Anglers are also targeting carp with dough 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 bass bite remains extremely slow with only one or two bass being a possibility with the lake still a “mud puddle” at 11%. Catfishing is the best option near the launch ramp in the evenings with cut baits, chicken livers or nightcrawlers.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Hensley Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

Small crappie are attracting a few anglers to the lake with minijigs around structure, but most area crappie fishermen are heading south to Isabella or Kaweah. The bass bite remains slow with anglers having the opportunity for a few fish to 3 to 4 pounds with squarebill crankbaits or plastics such as Senko’s, Zoom Z-Craws or Strike King’s Structure Bugs in the shallows up the river arm. The lake held at 23%.

Call: Valley Rod Gun, Clovis 292-3474; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hensley Lake Hidden Dam 673-5151

Lake Don Pedro

Bass 3 Trout 3 Kokanee 2 King salmon 1 Crappie 2

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “Bass fishing has improved considerably, and we are scoring with ripbaits or spinnerbaits first thing in the morning before switching over to Baby Brush Hogs on a Texas-rig or Ned -rig along with Senkos on a wacky-rig or weighted wacky-rig at depths from 3 to 15 feet. There are plenty of bass on the beds, and the south end of the lake is best for spotted bass bedding around steep canyon walls.” Cook and a Fish and Game employee rescued a bald eagle with a broken wing and leg from along a creek arm on Saturday. 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.

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 3 Catfish 3 Bluegill 2

At Lake Isabella, the bass are moving into the shallows, and some large bed fish have been lifted out on jigs or plastics on the drop-shot or Ned-rig. Fresno-area anglers are heading south with minijigs or small minnows around structure for crappie while catfishing remains a solid possibility with a variety of baits including frozen shad, Triple S Dip Bait, chicken livers, or nightcrawlers. Master Class Catfishing is holding a two-day Catfish Tournament on the lake this coming weekend on April 17-18 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 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 designed a virtual format for the event. A trout plant is scheduled for the week of April 11. Information is available at 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 16%. The trout bite at Buena Vista continues to be slow with the occasional holdover from the plants of the past month taken on Power Bait or nightcrawlers. Catfish plants will begin within the next few months. In the upper Kern River, snowmelt is increasing the flows, and spin casters are finding success with salmon eggs, nightcrawlers, live crickets both above and below the dam in response to last week’s plants.

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 moving into the shallows, and there is a solid reaction bite with small crankbaits, jerkbaits, umbrella rigs, or flukes. Fresno-area anglers are heading to Kaweah for crappie with various minijigs. The lake rose to 20% with snowmelt occurring rapidly.

Lake Success/Tule River

Bass 3 Crappie 2 Trout 3 Catfish 2

Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company said, “The bass are in the shallows, and the bite is improving every day with crankbaits, Senkos, jigs with trailers or plastics on a Ned-rig all working. As the week continues to warm up, the bite will improve.” The lake rose to 21%.

In the Tule, Stokke said, “The river is fishing excellent with dry flies, but anglers need to be careful since the majority of the Sequoia National Forest remains closed. Be sure to check the specific area for closures to avoid a citation. Spin fishermen are doing outstanding with small spinners.” Trout plants are scheduled on the Middle Fork next 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 Best Bass Tournament/Mother Lode Division held a 65-boat tournament on Saturday, and the team of Chad and Graham Leon took first place with a limit of 14.89 pounds with a 7.82-pound big fish. Tournament director, Kevin Cheek, said, “Slow and shallow was the rule with a few reaction fish found in the mud lines.” Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing reported a “wide-open” bass bite for numbers with small plastics on a Neko-rig, tubes, or jigs worked very slowly in the shallows. There is an early or late topwater bite along with a ripbait bite with the shad finishing their spawn. 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 rose slightly to 40%.

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. Trollers are finding some holdover rainbows in the river arm around the Fence Line with blade/’crawler combinations, Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler behind a dodger, or blue/silver Kastmasters at depths to 25 feet. The best time for shore fishing from the Brush Pile, Handicapped Docks, and the peninsula near the marina is in the morning or evenings with various colors of trout dough bait, or inflated nightcrawlers.

Call: McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534

Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River

Bass 3 Striped bass 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

Cody Greer of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported good action for spotted bass as the fish are locking into beds. There have been a few largemouth bass to 4 pounds landed, and the reaction bite is picking up with crankbaits while plastics on a Texas-rig, Senkos or jigs are the best for numbers. The lake is at 35%.

At Sycamore Island, a trout plant is scheduled in the pond this week.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

Bass 3 Crappie 3 Catfish 3 Trout 3 Kokanee 3

Bass fishing remains excellent with spotted bass to 4 pounds and largemouth bass to 6 pounds found this week with bed fish throughout the lake. Spotted bass are holding off of secondary points and over submerged island. Various baits are working including baits, spinnerbaits, weighted 5-inch Senkos on a Neko-rig or a wacky-rig. Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service found easy limits of kokanee to 14.25 inches running Apex or J-Pex lures at depths from 10 feet early to as deep as 43 feet. Limits of rainbow trout are taken on Shiners or similar spoons to 30 feet. 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 dropped slightly to 63%.

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 3 Trout 2 Kokanee 0 King salmon 1 Catfish 2 Crappie 2

Cody Greer of Valley Rod in Gun in Clovis said, “The bass are on beds, and flukes, jerkbaits or similar reaction baits are working. The bait is starting to form.” The Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments held at 35-boat derby this past Saturday, and the team of Ralph Encizo and Denny Bowlin came in first with 18.55 pounds with an 8.37-pound kicker. The limits dropped precipitously after first place, but each of the top three teams was able to land a bass over 4 pounds. A few crappie are taken at night close to the docks in the Deer Creek Marina or the trees around Trimmer with small to medium minnows under lights. Trout trolling has been slow despite the recent trout plants, and most trollers are heading to Shaver Lake The lake rose from 27% to 29%.

The lower Kings River is scheduled for a trout plant this week. Trout fishing remains solid for the recently planted rainbows with Panther Martins or Mepp’s spinners are working best where the water is moving close to an eddy of slower water. Salmon eggs, nightcrawlers, or trout dough bait is also effective. 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

The wind has been an issue as the lake will close with high winds creating dangerous conditions, but Roger George of Roger’s Guide Service took out father Martin and 14-year old Logan Dieck of Palo Alto after waiting until noon for the lake to open. They caught and released 10 schoolies along with Logan’s personal-best spanning 31 inches and 12 pounds before the bite shut off trolling Lucky Craft Pointers in shad patterns. He said, “The bite is tough overall, and the water temperature is nearing 60 degrees, and the males are already milting.” Boaters are drifting extra-large minnows or anchovy fillets for limited success while bank anglers are casting Rat-L-Traps, topwater lures, or jerkbaits in the early mornings. The lake dropped slightly to 53%.

In the O’Neill Forebay, Josh Mesa of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “The pumps have been running regularly at the forebay, and striped bass fishing is best in the moving water around Check 13 with pile worms or anchovies for the opportunity for a legal limit after culling through numerous undersized linesides.” 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 3 Kokanee 2

After being canceled last year, the Bass Lake Chamber of Commerce Fishing Derby is back on for May 1-2. The annual derby is a long-running tradition at the lake, and if you signed up for the canceled 2020 derby, your registration was transferred to 2021. Registration is $25 per licensed adult or child 16 years or older, $15 for the first child under 16 years, and $10 for each additional child. The Grand Prize tagged trout is worth $25,000 with two more at $10,000, one at $5,000, eight tagged fish worth $500 which are new this year thanks to local sponsors, 150 worth $100, and 847 at $20. Registration closes at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 1 with registration and information available at basslakechamber.com/fishing-derby.

Todd Wittwer of Kokaneenet.Com Guide Service said, “We have been averaging from 6 to 10 fish per trip, and the majority of these are trout. The kokanee at Bass Lake traditionally don’t show up until May, but we have been picking up the occasional large kokanee. Mike Beighey of Bass Lake Fishing landed two this week at 16 and 16.5 inches along with a 2.5-pound rainbow which was one of the brooders planted earlier this year. Purple/pink Rocky Mountain Tackle Signature Squids behind a matching dodger are working best, anywhere from the surface to 26 feet. One day, the trout were close to the surface and the next day, they were between 18 and 26 feet. I will be moving over to Shaver Lake sometime in the next few weeks once the docks are back at the Shaver Lake Marina.” The Sheriff’s Motor Fee remains in effect. The lake rose to 62%, 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 in early May as the snowpack is limited. Edison dropped slightly to 18% with Florence rising to 11%. Mammoth Pool rose to 71% as snowmelt is starting to slowly elevate the High Sierra lakes.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake

Kokanee 3 Trout 2

Shaver Lake continues to attract trollers targeting kokanee and various species of planted trout. Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters said, “Jared and Manny Romero of Clovis have experienced excellent fishing throughout the winter, but the bite was slower on Saturday as they worked most of the lake for two limits of kokanee with pink spinners tipped with scented corn behind Mag Tackle’s gold dodgers or Dick’s Mountain dodgers in watermelon at 21 to 45 feet on the downrigger. Trout trollers should be picking up some recently planted catchable size trout that were planted late last week by the Department of Fish and Wildlife with the top areas being the Sierra Marina, the dam, and Roads One or Two at depths from the surface to 20 feet with spinners tipped with a piece of nightcrawler behind a dodger.”

John Parker and Steve Porter of Visalia put in limits of kokanee by 10 a.m. at Shaver this week running custom spinners or hoochies in orange or pink at 35 to 40 between the Point and the Island, releasing a few below 12 inches. Porter said, “The fish are starting to bite earlier in the morning and when it hits, it’s lights out with quick limits.” Shaver held at 75%.

At Huntington, a trout plant occurred two weeks ago, and a few planters are taken from the shorelines near the mouth of Rancheria Creek with trout dough bait or nightcrawlers. The lake rose slightly to 46%, leaving the boat launch out of the water and only hand-carried boats are able to be launched.

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, and a trout plant is scheduled at Wishon this week. A trout plant is scheduled at Wishon the week of April 11.

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

Salmon 3 Rockfish 3 Striper 2 Sand dabs 2 Surf perch 2

The weather was problematic over the weekend with heavy northwest winds keeping even the larger Half Moon Bay party boats closer to port, but all indicators show that the salmon are still holding south of the Pigeon Point line in currently-open waters. Rockfish limits remain the rule with quality bottom fish filling sacks along with a few ling cod.

Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat was out on Tuesday morning during the last day of halfway decent weather, and they traveled south of Pigeon Point to land 15 salmon for 13 anglers before a blown water pump cut their trip short around 12:00 noon. Mattusch said, “We had 8 to 10 shakers, some drive bys, and scratched baits. We repaired the water pump, but the weather has been rough throughout the weekend. Chris Chang of the Ankeny Street was down by the Ritz-Carleton on Sunday, and he was able to put in some rockfish, but it was too rough to head further south. We were hoping to make it down to the salmon grounds on Monday, but the weather is dictating a rockfish trip, and we were able to make it to the Deep Reef for 7 limits of rockfish along with another 7 limits of Dungeness crab.”

Sherri Ingles of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing said, “We went rockfishing from Sunday through Thursday with limits every day along with a few lings, but it was too rough to fish the deep water at the Deep Reef on Thursday so Captain Wallace Kluger of the Queen of Hearts stayed closer to home at 160 to 180 feet for limits. They ventured south of Pigeon with a group of 14 hardy anglers on Friday, but it was so rough that they couldn’t troll uphill, opting to tack up and troll with the wind at their backs. Ingles said, “He couldn’t get to the spot that he wanted, but they still ended up hooking 20 fish, releasing 9/10 shakers along with boxing 8 keepers to 15 pounds. It seems like the salmon are still down there, and it is a matter of getting the right weather to make it down. We are running salmon trips on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday with the good early-season action.” Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing is open with a service window from 5:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on a daily basis.

Captain Dennis Baxter of the New Captain Pete said, “We still have a bit of work to complete on the refurbished vessel, and I expect to be running in two to three weeks. I have been champing at the bit to get out there for salmon, and my son, Braden, was able to get on the Huli Cat on their last trip, and he was able to reel in a few salmon before the trip was ended.”

After being damaged by the king tides in January, the portion of the Pacifica Pier that runs perpendicular to the shore has been reopened with the second at the end running parallel to the shoreline remaining closed.

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

Monterey/Santa Cruz

Salmon 3 Rockfish 4 Striper 2 Sand Dabs 3 Surf Perch 3

Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “We have seen better salmon fishing on Monterey Bay, but not much better and not for quite a while as limits are here for the taking. With proven tackle and techniques and just a little luck, private boaters and charter operations reported limits of fine king salmon on a daily basis this week.

Santa Cruzan Dale Smith on the Aquanaut has been trolling all week and reported, “Thursday we hooked five fish at 55 to 65 feet on the downrigger. There was a nice pocket of salmon spread from Soldier’s Club to the west side of the Soquel Hole. We caught fish on bait, gold spoons, and hoochies, and they all produced. It’s a huge fleet, but Fish and Game are on top of things out there. We’re seeing some slugs up to 25 pounds so be ready as well as courteous to your neighbors.” Other private boaters reported similar success. Mariah Garcia from Santa Cruz fished with fiancée Patrick Wright aboard the Sea Alice. She boated a 34-inch, 20-pound king. Wright reported, “It was kinda tough for us today. We got two in the box but lost seven others.”

These fish are high and hot, feeding mostly on krill. Red flashers seemed to be a key for many anglers trolling the big canyon edges. Matt Mitchell on the Silver Lining checked in on Sunday as well. Mitchell was pretty enthusiastic, saying, “We just limited out in two hours! Landed four out of five. Three on chrome Krippled ‘Chovies behind a red flasher, and one on a blue hoochie behind a red flasher. Everyone is limiting! Fishing is going off!” Joe Baxter and his son Shane have been hitting it hard while these fish are here. Baxter reported, “East edge of the hole three days straight, limits before 10 am. We got six Friday, eight on Saturday, and six Sunday on our boat, the Meat Hunter. We’re fishing 40 to 80 on the wire. We are basically in the middle of the bay. There is a line where the dirty water meets clear water. The fish are mostly concentrated on the dirty edge. Flashed bait, spoons and hoochies. The fleet is there. They have been there since the opener.”

Charter boats are doing well also as the big boats are averaging around a fish per rod while six-pack operators are counting mostly limits with their smaller loads. On Sunday, Chris Arcoleo from Chris’ Fishing trips reported “Nick had 19 for 26 anglers on the Star of Monterey and Tinker had a four-man charter on the Check Mate that ended up with six fish. On Friday, we slammed them! Nine clients on the Caroline got 18 fish we had limits then. Tinker had 27 for 16 anglers. They’re coming in all sizes. Yes, the bait is mostly krill, though there has been some small squid in the mix as well. There’s nothing major on the bait scene but there’s lots of salmon in the Avila/Morro Bay area right now, and those fish will be coming through Monterey Bay eventually.”

Kahuna Sportfishing in Moss Landing owner Carol Jones says, “We started out good on the opener with 20 salmon up to 23 pounds, then the count dropped due to pressure from the big fleet.” Elkhorn Slough native son Brian Cutting, skipper on the Kahuna, always stresses the importance of working the water column when mooching for king salmon. “You always got to work your bait up and down slowly.” This covers more territory within the water column and also takes advantage of the upper and lower edges of the bait balls. Plus, as Cutting says, “These fish need movement.”

Six-pack charter Go Fish Santa Cruz has managed limits for nearly every trip this week. On Thursday skipper JT Thomas reported, “Go Fish Santa Cruz Charters fished near Mulligan Hill today, and the salmon bite continues to be hot. Our repeat clients had limits before noon as they landed 12 and lost eight at the boat keeping two beautiful salmon each. Captain JT and deckhand JP landed two for them to take home. Crew limits of 16. Yeah!” On Saturday JT said, “The Miss Beth started fishing in the Big Canyon, then made our way through the flats to the Soquel Hole. We were scratching a salmon every 45 minutes. We ended up with eight salmon, lost four and threw back two shakers. The wind did not pick up as predicted. The water was nice.” Four-pack sniper Tom Joseph on the Sara Bella from Fish On Sportfishing’s report was succinct to say the least. Joseph reported, “We limited out every day with four limits plus the possibility of crew fish from April 4th through the 10th.”

Rockfishing remains steady in the Monterey Bay. Arcoleo from Monterey commented, “Cod fishing is a little slow as the winds are keeping us from heading south to far. We’re getting about 3/4 limits fishing near Cypress Point, but we are planning on going a trip down to Big Sur on Wednesday.” In other good news, California halibut are making their presence known, with some bigger fish reported this week from 30 to 60 feet of water. Ed Burrell from Capitola Boat and Bait has caught four halibut already this year with his best coming on a frozen sardine on Saturday that measured 49 inches and weighed in at 32 pounds. “Live bait, even jack smelt and kingfish have been hard to find,” Burrell commented.”

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 1

The big news of the week was the opening of the live bait receiver in San Francisco on Monday, April 12th, and the presence of live bait will only enhance an already excellent halibut and striped bass early season in San Francisco and San Pablo Bays. Private and party boats have either trolling or drifting frozen anchovies or herring, but the live bait will allow fishermen to work in deeper water. A full scoop is $55 with a half-scoop at $35 and fresh dead pier scoop at $25 during the hours of 6:00 to 9:00 a.m. from Monday through Thursday and from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. from Friday through Sunday at J and P Bait in San Francisco. The past few years, this has been the only bait receiver in the bay.

Striped bass action has been excellent with Captain Jared Davis of the Salty Lady out of Sausalito was inside the bay over the weekend for limits of striped bass along with two halibut per rod on their first bay trip. However, it appears that the striped bass have moved out of the bay as the scores dropped dramatically as the weekend progresses. Davis said, “We averaged over a fish per rod on Saturday and a bit less than a fish per rod on Sunday, and at first, I thought it was the heavy boat traffic putting down the bite. There were around 150 boats on Saturday working the flats in front of Point Pinole across the bay towards the Pumphouse. The lack of fresh water is allowing the halibut to move further into San Pablo Bay. Dirty water moved into San Pablo Bay on Monday, and the halibut count was affected by the poor visibility, but some of the party boats were able to scratch out limits of school-sized striped bass on the live bait.

Most of the action is taking place in San Pablo Bay around Point Pinole, and Captain Melynda Dodds of the Flying A out of San Francisco demonstrated how it is done with massive halibut at 28 and 31 pounds during the week.

Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions out of San Francisco took out a three-person charter from Orange County on Thursday, and they went north for limits of striped bass to 16 pounds along with 6 halibut to 11 pounds. He said, “We are finding these fish on frozen bait, and we can’t wait for the live bait to be available. There have been some big anchovies in the 5- to 6-inch range that have been jigged up around Alameda, but the boats aren’t heading south since there are so many undersized halibut in the south bay. One thing I have never seen in all of my years occurred today when we cut open the 11-pound halibut, and she was loaded with eggs for the spawn inside of the bay.” He was out again on Saturday for 10 halibut and a single striped bass, leading Koyasako to surmise that the bass had moved on since ‘we couldn’t find them after scoring limits every trip until Friday.”

Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle in San Rafael said, “Until they fill up the bait receivers, we have the only live bait around with live smelt in the pens and more on the way.”

Bay Tackle in El Cerrito reported some huge halibut have been landed around the Alameda Rockwall with three over 40 inches so far this year. There are some big fish there, but also a number of shakers. Surf perch fishing is closed inside of the bay, but it is excellent from the Sonoma County beaches of Limatour, Bodega Bay, Dillon Beach, and around Jenner.

Captain Jonathon Smith of Happy Hooker out of Berkeley Marina is finishing last minute maintenance on the boat, and said, “We have a few things to complete, and our first trip will be on April 25th. The Pacific Dream is also finishing up, and it will be good to go for live bait potluck trips soon.”

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

Rockfish 3 Salmon 2 Surf perch 2

The salmon season was ‘the best in many years’ for private boaters out of Morro Bay and Port San Luis, but the winds made for much tougher conditions this week. When there was a weather window, private boaters were able to get out for quality salmon. Rockfish remain the staple for the party boats, and the Starfire, Avenger, and Endeavor out of Morro Bay Landing were out on Monday with 53 fishermen for 265 vermilion, 99 copper, 35 Boccaccio, 116 assorted, one petrale sole, and 2 lings to 11 pounds with Earl Subejano of Visalia with the jackpot ling. The Black Pearl and Fiesta out of Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay were also out on Monday with 30 passengers for 85 vermilion, 85 assorted, 25 copper, 12 canary, 4 Boccaccio, 4 rock sole, and a solitary ling cod. The boats out of Patriot Sport Fishing have not been out since last Wednesday when 9 anglers returned with 12 vermilion, 9 copper, 5 Bolina, 51 assorted rockfish, and two ocean whitefish. You are only allowed 5 vermilion as part of a 10-rockfish limit this season as there is a sub-limit.

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 decided to bite again in force just as the six-pack operators are heading back to San Francisco Bay for the live bait season. Striped bass are finally making somewhat of a move through the Sacramento-Delta, and the West Bank from Rio Vista to Collinsville was loaded with trollers over the weekend as the linesides have arrived.

Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Fishing will wrap up his Delta operation this coming weekend, but he found spectacular action over the past weekend with four limits on Saturday, leaving them biting and two early limits and four shakers on Sunday morning. He said, “We had a charter on Saturday, and after landing 4 quality sturgeon between 54 and 57 inches, we went into release mode as we ended up releasing another 5 sturgeon. We determined that there was plenty of fish for the charter, and I would have suggested that we release the third sturgeon, but it was going to be hard to convince the young man to release his first-ever sturgeon at 57 inches. The bite was the same on Sunday morning as we had four shakers and two keepers at 55 and 44 inches with the largest coming on the incoming tide. The water temperature has risen to 63/64 degrees, and these fish are fighting like ‘mad dogs’ jumping out of the water nearly every time. Joe Tarantino of Lincoln landed the 55-inch sturgeon with Anthony Dasso’s sturgeon coming in at 44 inches. Everything came on salmon roe, and we have been anchoring in Montezuma Slough.”

Legendary captain Jim Smith of Happy Hooker fame was out with Larry – aka ‘The Legend’ Nelson along with Dave Rasmussen. Smith said, “We are using a special cured roe that we received from one of the six-pack captains, and we are enhancing it by adding some additional ingredients. We had three limits one day along with a 47-inch slot fish by Dave Rasmussen, the ‘Legend’s’ shakers, and back-to-back oversized at an estimated 200 and 140 pounds before released.”

Striped bass continue their move into the Sacramento River system, and the West Bank has been crowded with an assortment of experienced trollers along with novices. With the heavy boat traffic over the weekend, most of the experienced trollers have been avoiding the area as newer trollers have not been yielding the right-of-way, leading to tangled lines and near collisions. James Netzel of Tight Lines Guide Service found good action shallow-trolling Rat-L-Traps in crawdad patterns during the less-crowded weekdays, and he started out at the West Bank with deep-diving Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows on Saturday before the boat traffic drove them north to Miner Slough to drift live bait for a total of 11 keepers and plenty of undersized linesides.

In the north Delta, Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento, was out with Ryan Peterson during the first two hours of the high tide in Liberty Island, and they landed a number of largemouth bass to 9 pounds on chatterbaits or Senkos in the troughs off of the weeds. He said, “You pretty much have to dead stick your presentation. Stripers have slowed up a bit, and even though the salmon smolts are coming down, I think the linesides are still heading upriver.”

Boaters in Liberty Island need to be extremely careful as one bass boat was stranded on the road inside of the island for five hours before the tide came up enough to lift the boat. Fortunately, they struck the road while on their trolling motor, but if they would have been on the main motor, it could have been a disaster.

American shad are already showing up in the Sacramento River, and it is expected that they show up by mid-April which it is. Joseph Johnson of Stockton was testing the waters out of Freeport, and he was rewarded with the first shad to move into the river.

The San Joaquin-Delta remains outstanding for largemouth bass, and although the striped bass are scattered, there have been some quality linesides caught and released during the past week. This side of the Delta has been much more enjoyable to troll since the boat traffic is much less than on the Sacramento side.

Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, said, “I was in the Mokelumne River this week above the Highway 12 Bridge, and we had a ball catching and releasing both largemouth and striped bass. The stripers were wanting what we were throwing for the largemouths, and with the water so clear, you could see them rising to the lures. We were tossing crankbaits, bladed jigs, or Optimum’s 4.5-inch Boom Boom swimbait Sunfish with a weighted belly hook for schoolie stripers to 3 pounds along with the largemouths. The General is also effective if it is worked slowly making long casts to an area. It is a matter of making multiple casts to a location. The bass are not locked onto beds, but once the wind dies down and the water gets flat, they will be locking on with this new moon. The bite will be ‘off the chain’ when this happens. I went searching in the south and central Delta, and we found some trophy largemouths from 7 to 10 pounds on the Boom Boom which you work just like a spinnerbait, casting it to the banks and working it back slowly.”

Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors said, “The bass bite has been great, but there haven’t been many reaction fish. We are seeing the fish cruising the banks, but these have been relucant to bite. When we see the cruisers, we are backing off 30 to 40 feet and making long casts to the spots. Wacky-rigged Reaction Innovation’s Pocket Rocket’s or the ima Flit ripbait are all working, mostly for the fish on the beds. A whole new wave of fish has moved up, and there are beds now in an area where there were no beds a few days ago. This next moon should bring out the spawn. The water temperature has risen to 65 degrees in some areas, and it averaged 63/64 degrees throughout the day. The water clarity is good, and even if it is a bit cloudy, you can still see down three feet.”

For striped bass, Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing took out former captain of the New Marie S, Colin Wing, trolling into the San Joaquin on Saturday, and he said, “We had a triple right off the bat with one being a 20 incher, losing another, and Colin landing a 20-pound lineside of which we took a quick picture before releasing. At first glance, I thought this fish was a big hen, but when it started milting all over the boat, we were surprised with the big male ready to go. We are staying on the San Joaquin to keep away from the crowds, but I might go back to the West Bank this week with less boat traffic since there are stripers there. There are less fish on the San Joaquin, but there are no crowds. The wind has kept us from drifting live bait, and there are a number of days with 15 to 20 mph winds predicted this week. When the wind is down, we can drift.”

Chris Ditter of HeadRush Sport Fishing was also on the San Joaquin on Saturday with his wife, Sabrina, and they put in two limits to 6 pounds working from Eddo’s Marina to Light 54. He said, “The fish are spread out, and they are there one day and gone the next. The best action was on a shallow-troll near the mouth of Three-Mile Slough. I also purposely stayed off of the West Bank due to the boat traffic over the weekend.”

Dave Houston and Clyde Wands, shallow trolling experts, launched out of Lauritzen yacht harbor today with guests Rob Turner and Biff Brethour. Houston said, “The bite is picking up, and we’re starting to see a pattern to where they are going to be at certain times of the tide. Most lure colors that we put out were catching fish, and we caught most of our fish shallow today, but other boats were catching them deep. Most of the fish are still dark so we’re still waiting for the new schools to come. The fish are getting larger as most of the fish that we caught were between 6 and 9 lbs. We ended up with 18 keepers and 12 shakers.”

Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait in Tackle in Manteca said, “There are a number of undersized stripers in the San Joaquin from the banks with anchovies, and the best fishing has been for boats drifting live minnows below Mossdale. There have been a few sturgeon in the river near Two Rivers or Sturgeon Bend with sardines coated with Lunker Lotion tipped with a nightcrawler or pile worms with a similar combination. I am hoping to have fresh shad in the shop by next week as I went out in the evening with our shadder, and day by day, the shad are starting to school up.”

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 3 Striper 0 Catfish 3 Crappie 3 Bluegill 3

At Nacimiento, both the spotted and white bass bite has broken out with the warm weather, and plastics on the drop-shot are the most effective for numbers of spots while there is a reaction bite with crankbaits or underspins. The white bass are getting extremely aggressive, and white Kastmasters or spinners along with any small shad-imitation lure is working in the river arms and the coves as the schools are forming. Crappie can be found with minijigs or small swimbaits around structure. The lake dropped slightly to 39%. A webcam of the lake is available at http://www.lakenacimientolive.com/. At Lopez, the bass bite continues to improve with largemouths to 3 pounds taken in the shallows with shad-imitation jerkbaits or crawdad-imitation crankbaits. Plastics on the drop-shot or Ned-rig are also effective. Trout are also hitting the lures intended for the largemouths, particularly shad-patterns. Another trout plant is scheduled for this week. A webcam of the lake is available at http://805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam/. At Santa Margarita, a trout plant is scheduled for this week, and combined with the earlier plant, trout have been reintroduced into the lake for the first time in many years. Bass fishing is fair with the best action on plastics on the drop-shot for numbers while crankbaits early or late are also working. Crappie are taken on minijigs or tube baits in submerged structure. At San Antonio, for the first time in recent memory, fishing action is beginning to improve with catfish taken on cut baits coated with garlic scent while bass are moving into the shallows with reaction baits or plastics on a variety of presentations. The lake dropped slightly to 19%.

Events

Tournament results

Delta/Tracy Oasis – Dan Mathisen Outdoors – April 10: 1st – Steven Ethler/Lisa Graham – 14.00 pounds (Big Fish – 6.80); 2nd – Mike Andrews/Phillip Dutra – 13.17; 3rd – Dee Thomas/Josh Hanna – 12.39.

Delta/Big Break – (7 Fish Limits) – April 10: 1st –Kent Simpson/Lemaj Plaza – 41.47 pounds (Big Fish – 8.65); 2nd –Bub Tosh/Teddy Snyder – 35.31; 3rd – Harvey Pulliam/Jamond Andrews – 27.88.

McClure – Best Bass Tournaments/Mother Lode – April 10: 1st – Chad and Graham Leon – 14.89 pounds (Big Fish – 7.82); 2nd – Tyler and Jeff Frey – 11.47; 3rd – Garth and Derek Jantz – 11.25.

Pine Flat – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments – April 10: 1st – Ralph Encizo/Denny Bowlin – 18.55 pounds (Big Fish – 8.37); 2nd – Bill Kunz/Cory Kerber – 11.91; 3rd – Tim Wells/Jeff D’Alessandro – 10.13.

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

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