Fishing report, April 21-27: Shaver kokanee among best bets; Bass Lake derby info

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

Aqueduct stripers active, and Isabella crappie on a tear, Pete Cormier said. New Melones bass and kokanee bites solid, John Liechty reported. Shaver pumping out kokanee, Dick Nichols said. Delta sturgeon, stripers and bass action good, Randy Pringle reported. Millerton spotted bass on the upswing, Zach Anderson said. Half Moon bay salmon hitting, Tom Mattusch reported.

Roger’s remarks: Two sides of the fish story

Talk to any avid angler and you’re going to hear one of two types of fishing stories. Either it’s about a monster fish they caught — or one they lost.

My favorite tales are the ones about the monster that got away. Losing what we think is a big fish fuels something deep inside us where our imaginations are allowed to run wild. Losing what seems to be a big fish hurts, but also gives us hope that it might happen again. Here’s my tale of both sides of the coin.

I was fishing in Alaska out of Sitka about four years ago for the first time and I was hoping for a big halibut. But on the third day of a four-day trip I was still shut out.

We had anchored in about 225 feet of water, and we were using salmon rods mooching anchovies on 30-pound braid. I had been fishing for an hour with little action, being careful not to get too close to the bottom due to snags. Our tough skipper made it clear he didn’t like us hooking the bottom — so when I found myself snagged, I was worried. I kept trying to get it unhooked, praying he wasn’t going to see me helplessly jerking the rod. Then I hear a voice behind me gently ask, “Are you hung up?”

“Yes,” I confessed as he took my pole.

He reeled down, pulled up with a huge effort, relaxed, smiled and turned to me. “You’ve got a very big halibut on that I can’t move at all, you’re completely outgunned!”

How did he know?

He pointed at our anchor buoy and said, “I just released us from the buoy a few minutes ago and the tide is taking us now. We’re over 70 yards from where you got snagged; your big halibut is moving with us, your snag wouldn’t. I need to just break it off, it’s a big fish.”

Wait! Let me try! But I had to concede defeat. My dream fish had bitten, but I was helpless. At least I now had my very own Alaskan monster story!

The next day we went out to a flats area about 335 feet deep. The skipper put out a huge pole loaded with a good 10 pounds of bait on a huge hook. An hour later my pole went down hard. I had a real horse on the other end! My hands were killing me, but I landed the 140-pound halibut of my dreams. I had won the rematch!

Who knows, maybe the one I lost was even bigger .... I’m pretty sure it was, LOL! Catching that 140-pounder now gives me some credibility in telling my story about the one I lost.

Never give up!

Roger George: rogergeorge8000@sbcglobal.net, Rogergeorgeguideservice on Facebook and @StriperWars

Valley

West-side waterways

Striper 3 Catfish 3

Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported the California Aqueduct has been a popular location for striped bass fishermen with pile worms or anchovies along with tossing deep-diving deep-diving baits such as Rat-L-Traps or jerkbaits when the water is moving. Catfish are taken on cut baits, frozen shad, or chicken livers.

In the southern section of the aqueduct in Kern County, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield said, “Moving water is the key to success for good striped bass action on white or pearl flukes, small shad-patterned swimbaits or casting Alabama rigs. Jumbo and extra-large minnow are absent throughout the state, and anglers have to find other alternative baits. Pile worms, blood worms, or sardines are also working.” 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 1 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2

Catfishing is the best option near the launch ramp in the evenings with cut baits, chicken livers or nightcrawlers. The bass bite remains slow with only one or two bass being a possibility with the lake still a “mud puddle” at 11%.

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 the best action with Senko’s, Zoom Z-Craws or Strike King’s Structure Bugs in the shallows up the river arm. The lake rose slightly to 24%.

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

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “There is an early or late topwater bite with River2Sea Rover or the Berkeley El Choppo before working 4- to 6-inch worms in natural colors on a drop-shot or dart-head. The overall bite has been difficult as there are a number of bass holding on beds.” Kokanee to 13 inches are found at 25 feet with standard kokanee gear, and planted trout are also abundant with Speedy Shiners or similar shad-patterned spoons. The lake dropped to 69%.

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 3 Bluegill 2

At Lake Isabella, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported crappie fishermen are lined up shoulder-to-shoulder in a small area in the South Fork casting for crappie with anglers coming from as far north as Fresno and as far south as Los Angeles. Small minnows or minijigs are working for the slabs, and he reported some are walking away with 25-fish limits. Bass fishing is best with jigs or plastics on the drop-shot or Ned-rig as they are in all phases of the spawn. There are a number of bass on beds. Catfishing is also solid with an array of baits including frozen shad, Triple S Dip Bait, chicken livers, or nightcrawlers. The Master Class Catfishing tournament this past weekend drew 17 teams over the two-day event with the team of Ed Dominguez, James Harris, and Jack Kerbo taking first with 40.39 pounds; The annual Lake Isabella Kern Valley Chamber of Commerce Trout Derby will take a different format this year, and it will start this Saturday, April 24 and run 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 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 16%, and an algae bloom is already starting to form at the lake. Catfish plants at Buena Vista will begin within the next few months. The local lakes have been kicking out bass, catfish, and bluegill, and Ming is back in play after a week of boat races. In the upper Kern River, trout plants are scheduled for the next two weeks near Kernville and above. The snowmelt is increasing the flows, and spin casters are finding success for the planters with salmon eggs, nightcrawlers, live crickets. A trout plant will occur in the lower river near Bodfish 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 2 Crappie 3 Trout 2 Catfish 2

The bass are in all stages of the spawn, and the first wave has passed with more cruising the banks. The best action is taking place with small crankbaits, jerkbaits, umbrella rigs, or flukes. Fresno-area anglers are heading to Kaweah for crappie with various minijigs. The lake rose to 22% with snowmelt occurring rapidly.

Lake Success/Tule River

Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 3 Catfish 2

Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company said, “The bass are starting to make beds as they are in the shallows and pairing up. There is a reaction bite with crankbaits along with jigs or plastics on the drop-shot. Recreational boating is heating up in response to the weather and the lake rising slightly to 22%.”

In the Tule, Stokke said, “The river was planted with 500 catchable rainbows this week, and spin casters are scoring with spinners or Woolly Buggers on a bubble. Natives are caught and released on nymphs, Hare’s ears with a Copper John dropper.” Trout plants are scheduled for the Middle and South Forks of the Tule 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

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing reported an early morning or late afternoon topwater bite as well is during mid-day when the wind is blowing. Numbers of bass are taken off of steep bluff walls with a mudline by working small swimbaits, 3.5-inch Dry Creek tubes in green pumpkin, plastics on a Neko-rig or drop-shot, or G-Money jigs on a slow presentation. Barrett’s Cove Marina will be opening soon, and the Bagby, Horseshoe Bend, and McClure Point North launch ramps are closed due to water levels. The lake rose slightly to 41%.

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

McSwain Reservoir

Trout 2

Not much change here with recent trout plants from the Moccasin Hatchery assisting trollers to find 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

Zach Anderson of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported improved bass action over the past few weeks with a number of bed fish in both the river arm and in the main lake. Spotted bass are on beds at depths from the banks to 20 feet, and plastics in watermelon black/red flake, green pumpkin, or watermelon seed are working best for the spots. Largemouth bass to 4 pounds have been taken with more regularity. The lake rose to 39%.

At Sycamore Island, a trout plant occurred last week.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

Bass 3 Crappie 3 Catfish 3 Trout 2 Kokanee 3

Bass fishing remains excellent with spotted bass to 4 pounds taken on plastics either on a Neko-rig or a drop-shot along main lake points or island tops. Bass are on beds throughout the week, John Liechty of Xperience Guide Service is focusing on an early morning reaction bite in the shallows before moving deeper for numbers with plastics. Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service continues to find quick limits of kokanee to 17 inches with a 13- to 15- inch average running Paulina Peak’s Tahoe spinners at depths from 10 feet early to 40 feet by mid-morning. Rainbow trout are also taken on Speedy Shiners or J-Pex lures in chartreuse or orange/pink. 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 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 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 0 King salmon 1 Catfish 2 Crappie 2

The Best Bass Tournaments attracted 20 boats on Saturday, and the winning limits reverted to the 7/8-pound range with the team of Mark Cobey and Brandon Young taking first at 7.98 with a big fish at 2.81 pounds. Zach Anderson of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “There has been the occasional swimbait fish along with flukes, jerkbaits, or similar reaction baits are working. Bait balls are forming with more regularity, and the bass are focusing on the bait. 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 green lights.” Trout trolling remains slow despite the recent trout plants, and most trollers are heading to Shaver Lake The lake rose slightly to 30%.

In the lower Kings River, recent trout plants attract angles for rainbows with Panther Martins or Mepp’s spinners water is moving close to an eddy of slower water. Salmon eggs, nightcrawlers, or trout dough bait are also effective. The river is scheduled for additional plants the next two weeks. 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 George Guide Service reported the stripers are moving, and he is trolling through solid groups of linesides with little reaction. Bait anglers seem to be doing better than the reaction bite guys for now although the water temperature are around the low 60’s. Portuguese Cove remains about the best bet overall right now. The male stripers are milting, and the spawn in in place. George has found the 60- to 75-foot range the best depths for trolling. He rates the fishing overall as very moderate at best. The lake dropped slightly to 52%.

In the O’Neill Forebay, trollers have been working around the Twin Islands while shore anglers are concentrating around Check 12 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

Todd Wittwer of Kokaneenet.Com Guide Service said, “The trout bite has improved with Mike Beighey of Bass Lake Fishing picking up more rainbows along with the occasional kokanee to 16.5 inches running Mag Tackle hoochies or spinners behind a dodger at 16 to 24 feet.” The Sierra Bass Club held an event on Saturday with a 14.14-pound limit by Dan Folia and Jordan Armbrister buoyed by Ambrister’s 7.02-pound kicker. There is a decent jerkbait bite for bass. The lake rose to 64%, making launching a large boat at the public dock more doable.

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.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool

Kaiser Pass remains closed, but it most likely will be open in early May as the snowpack is limited. Edison held at 18% with Florence rising to 15%. Mammoth Pool rose to 72% as the snowmelt is slowing down at 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 be a bright spot for Central Valley kokanee and trout trollers, and the lake will be facing heavy pressure during the summer months with the combination of good fishing and high water conditions.

Due to the outstanding weather conditions, Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters is starting his 17th season a few weeks early with this first trip on April 26. Nichols said, “With the recent trout plant and good kokanee bite along with demand from customers, I am starting early. The reports have been coming in from several boats that the kokanee bite is very good. Auberry residents, Wade Obermann and Jill Kovicich, went out in the early hours this past week running pink Mountain Hoochies and Dick’s Trout Busters in green and orange behind a blue and pink Dick’s Mountain Dodger, and they picked up two limits by 10 a.m. at depths from 30 to 40 feet near the dam and the Point. Tom Oliviera of Tom Oliviera’s Guide Service scored a total of 49 kokanee and three browns on three weekend trips running his Mag Tackle’s spinners or hoochies behind dodgers. However, it was slower on Sunday after a week of great action, but the experienced trollers were able to get the job done with Terry Walton of Sierra Gold Tackle along with his grandchildren scoring limits of mostly kokanee using his Terry’s Turbo in blue/white while it was the same lure in purple/white earlier in the week.”

John Parker and Steve Porter of Visalia were back out this weekend for limits from 12 to 15.5 inches at 20 to 30 feet. Parker said, “This may mean that the lake is finally turning over. We used my custom orange or orange/chartreuse spinners as well as handmade Kokanee Flies with UV Crystal Flash of kokanee, and the fly landed the biggest fish of the day.” Shaver rose slightly to 76%.

Shaver will feature a number of guides on the lake this season including long-time Shaver guides Dick Nichols and Tom Wittwer along with relative newcomer Tom Oliviera and now first-time guides Jared Romero and Richard Emerson. Emerson is on the process of obtaining his guide’s license, and he was out on the lake on Friday for 12 kokanee to 17 inches, 2 golden trout, and one holdover rainbow trout using Paulina Peak’s pink or orange micro-hoochies with matching teardrop dodgers at depths from 30 to 45 feet in the main channel from the west end of the dam to around 100 yards from the Point.

At Huntington, a trout plant occurred three 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 49%, leaving the boat launch is 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 soon and a trout plant occurred at Wishon last week with a plant at Courtright on the week of April 25. Dinkey and Tenmile Creeks will be planted this week.

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

Salmon 3 Rockfish 3 Striper 2 Surf perch 2

The Pacific Fishery Management Council set the local ocean salmon season last week with the season starting in Half Moon Bay waters from Pigeon Point north from June 26 through October 31, but party and private boats currently have the option to run 18 miles south below Pigeon Point where the salmon season is open.

Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat, a recent inductee into the California Outdoors Hall of Fame, made the run on Sunday for 9 limits of salmon to 10 pounds working in 350 feet of water below Pigeon Point. He said, “We had plenty of action between scratched baits, drive bys, and flurries of salmon with up to 4 hanging at one point during the trip.”

The Riptide out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing went south on Sunday for 16 salmon to 20 pounds, releasing another 8 short fish under 20 inches. The Queen of Hearts was there on Saturday with 13 anglers for 9 salmon, also releasing a number of shakers.

Local rockfishing remains solid with the Huli Cat scoring 13 limits of Dungeness crab and 100 rockfish on Saturday’s combination trips, and they have another combination trip this Tuesday. The Queen of Hearts was also rockfishing on Sunday for 14 limits and 5 ling cod to 12 pounds.

Mattusch was the only party boat operator to express concerns during the April 14th meeting of the Fish and Game Commission regarding the upcoming regulation changes for recreational Dungeness crab. The proposed regulations have the potential to severely limit the ability for party boats to offer combination trips when the season opens in November due to the discretion now given to the Director of Fish and Wildlife to open the season based upon the possibility of whale entanglements despite no entanglements reported during the recent recreational season.

Captain Dennis Baxter of the New Captain Pete will have the boat ready to go within a week, and he is ready to head south for salmon.

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 2 Rockfish 3 Striper 2 Surf perch 3

Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “Salmon fishing slowed down considerably along the Monterey Bay coastline just before the weekend. But boat-based anglers are finding plenty of rockfish, lingcod and cabezon closer to shore. And, we are getting off to a good start in hopes of another epic halibut season. Although the salmon fishing has slowed, reports from last week indicating big salmon schools near Morro Bay suggest that we’ll be seeing new schools moving into the bay very soon. Many charter operators are turning to bottom fishing while the salmon bite lags. Tom Dolan on the Mega Bite out of Santa Cruz is always ready to pivot and keep his clients happy. On Friday he reported, “Beautiful water for our salmon hunt today. After experiencing a slow salmon bite, he switched over to rockfish at ‘Jurassic Park’ for a shot at lingcod. The lingcod were biting, and so were rockfish so we came home with three nice lingcod and about a dozen bigger rockfish. Other anglers are limiting out on decent quality rockfish from the Mile Buoy in Santa Cruz and along the West Cliff reefs. Right now, the deeper reefs are the best bet from 75 feet of water out to the 120-foot reefs. The hardy surfcasters are seeing an increase in both quantity and quality of barred surf perch from the beaches below Capitola. Tom Niccum from Coyote Bait and Tackle has caught the surfcasting bug, and he is putting in a lot of time on this side of the hill. Niccum found the right spot Friday evening, ending up with 13 fish. On Saturday, Niccum returned to the same spot and landed six more despite wind and weeds. Other beach reports are filtering in of striper catches from the broad beaches towards the middle of the bay. So far, the bass have been small juveniles. We really need some bait to bring the bigger boys in.”

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

San Francisco Bay

Salmon 2 Halibut 3 Striper 2 Rockfish 3 white sea bass 2 Leopard shark 2 Sturgeon 1

Few boats are heading to the Farallons for rockfish, those that are making the run are returning with rockfish limits and a healthy ling cod count. The majority of boats that would be normally working for salmon are in the bay for halibut and striped bass. The Pacific Fishery Management Council set the ocean Chinook salmon season from Point Arena in Mendocino County to Pigeon Point in San Mateo County from June 26 through October 31 seven days per week with a minimum size of 20 inches total length with a bag limit of two per day. No Coho salmon can be retained.

There is optimism for upcoming salmon seasons as the Department of Fish and Wildlife released one million baby fall-run Chinook salmon from the Feather River Hatchery into the bay at Fort Baker instead of releasing them hundreds of miles upstream in the Feather River. According to the Golden State Salmon Association, who was instrumental in coordinating the release, close to 35,000 adult salmon will survive and return in two years as opposed to 1000 adults if release upstream in the river.

The big news in the bay is the reemergence of white sea bass, and who better than Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions, aka ‘The Ghost Whisperer,’ to draw first blood. Captain Ron went looking on Friday morning, and he found one by 9:00 a.m. After the ‘ghost’ were absent on Saturday on a ½-day afternoon trip, he put his customers onto two more white seabass on Sunday morning. He said, “We only targeted the seabass during a small window in the tide, and we did mark a number of them, but they don’t appear to be eating as their stomachs are empty. Both females we landed this week were ripe with eggs, and the male was loaded with milt so it appears that the seabass may be spawning inside of San Francisco Bay. This is really good news, and the other good news is presence of the seabass this early. After targeting the sea bass, we put in 15 halibut and 10 striped bass for our group of 8 San Francisco firefighters on Sunday.”

The halibut went back on the chew, particularly on the incoming tide as Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing went south to the area around the Alameda Rockwall to find 11 halibut to 10 pounds along with a striped bass with all of the action on the incoming tide on Saturday. The Lovely Martha out of San Francisco has been consistently running bay potluck trips, and they return with 22 halibut to 18 pounds along with 11 striped bass. Live bait obviously has made a difference along with finding clear water along the Berkeley Flats as the bite in San Pablo Bay slowed down with the dirty water entering the bay.

Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Sport Fishing is back in the bay out of San Francisco, and they had 6 halibut and 6 striped bass on a full-day trip on Saturday with the best action on the incoming tide.

Captain Jerad Davis of the Salty Lady put in limits of striped bass during the middle of the week with the linesides averaging around 5 pounds. A few halibut also hit the box as well, but the majority of flat fish were undersized.

Ed Chin of Bay Tackle in El Cerrito reported good striped bass fishing from the banks from the Bay Bridge up to Crockett with larger fish found further into the Delta. They have been catching and releasing the linesides in the mornings before work and in the afternoons after work with Strike King’s Rage Swimmers or Z-Man’s Minnows in white/chartreuse.

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 Surf perch 2

Rockfishing at the local reefs remain the staple for the party boats, and the Starfire, Avenger, and Endeavor out of Morro Bay Landing were out on Monday with 60 fishermen for 190 vermilion, 30 copper, 10 Boccaccio, 300 assorted, one rock sole, and a single ling cod. Marcy Curtin of Chowchilla took the jackpot on the Avenger with a 6-pound vermilion. The Black Pearl out of Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay was also out on Monday with 24 passengers for 36 vermilion, 105 assorted, and 3 ling cod for 2/3rd limits. The Patriot and Phenix out of Patriot Sport Fishing at Port San Luis were out on local reefs on Monday with 40 anglers for 31 vermilion, 11 copper, 1 Boccacio, 2 bolina, 251 assorted, a treefish, and 3 ling cod to 7 pounds. The new sub-limit is 5 vermilion as part of a 10-rockfish limit this season.

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 majority of sturgeon six-pack operators have relocated to San Francisco Bay, but the sturgeon apparently didn’t get the memo as they are ‘biting like wild dogs’ as a farewell to the six-packs. Striped bass and now American shad are migrating through the Delta, and the action for linesides has been drawing crowds to the West Bank area between Rio Vista and Collinsville.

Although Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Fishing has moved the Flash II to San Francisco, the Flash I made their last stand out of Pittsburg this past weekend, and they found tremendous sturgeon fishing in Montezuma Slough with salmon roe. Captain Charles Kimberly of the Flash II put in 4 slot-limit sturgeon along with a 9-foot oversized released in addition to one huge fish that they never ever saw as part of an 11 fish day. Talmadge said, “Everyone wants halibut right now, but the sturgeon fishing has been outstanding. Charles found them closer to the mouth of Grizzly Bay on Sunday, and there are a number of sturgeon stacked up there.”

Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing will be joining his friends in Berkeley this week, but he also found great action in Suisun Bay on his last weekend of sturgeon fishing for the season.

Legendary Captain Jim Smith of Happy Hooker fame tagged out for the season with Dave Rasmussen and Larry, ‘The Legend’ Nelson of Oakland this week, and perhaps it is Captain Jim’s special sauce on the salmon roe that is making the difference, but in any event, the remaining sturgeon in Suisun Bay are safe for the remainder of this season.

Striped bass continue their move into the Sacramento River system, and the majority of trollers have been focusing upon the West Bank below Rio Vista. The boat pressure is so intense at times that guides are avoiding this stretch of river although the stripers are present.

Dave Houston of Livermore was out this week, and he said, “We started off on the San Joaquin today and found lots fish but only in a couple locations. We went over to the Sacramento side to mark a lot more fish, but there was also a ton more boats. Fishing the West Bank is challenging right now because of the boat traffic, but once we found a clear spot to fish the bite was back on. They bit most colors today both deep and shallow, ending up with 12 keepers and 11 shakers with four of our fish in the 6- to 9-pound range.”

Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Fishing out of Lauritzen’s Yacht Harbor in Oakley has been out most days, and he said, “The West Bank has been holding fish, and we released a 20-pound female on a Rat-L-Trap in shallow water this week. My client hooked the fish and it ran straight into the bank as we were in 5 feet of water, and the boats behind us had to move out until we were able to bring the big fish to the net. The client at first wanted to keep the fish, but after he released it, he had tears in his eyes as he was so happy. The bite has been very tidal with the best action at the bottom of the tide, but sometimes the action happens when the tide is halfway through the outgo. We couldn’t go 30 feet without hooking up earlier in the week, but Saturday was a tough day for us. The water is stained along the West Bank, and it doesn’t clear up until further downstream around Marker 13. With the water as dirty as it has been, I haven’t been able to drift minnows or spoon for the stripers which is my preferred method.”

Tony Lopez at Benicia Bait reported tremendous interest in fishing, and they are having a difficult time keeping up with the demand for bag anchovies or tray anchovies or herring. Lamprey eel has been very difficult to obtain, but they are getting a limited supply of large grass shrimp as the shrimp are in the midst of spawning.

In the north Delta, Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait in Freeport said, “Striped bass are coming through the upper river, and pile worms, blood worms, or sardines coated with garlic spray are working for both the male and female stripers. A few shad are showing up on their way upriver, and a few sturgeon are coming back down from the upper river. Bluegill and crappie are in the sloughs.”

Also in the north Delta, Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento, said, “There are a number of male shad moving into the river from Freeport up into the Feather, but the American River will be the last place for the shad. Many fishermen are using Sabiki rigs on the anchor, and they are cutting off the top three of the six hooks. Bass fishing has been solid with chatterbaits or Senkos.”

The largemouth bass are in all stages of the spawn while striped bass have flooded into the San Joaquin-Delta. Trollers have been finding spacious conditions on this side of the Delta to work without interruption as the majority of trolling is taking place on the Sacramento side.

Chris Ditter of HeadRush Guide Service said, “There haven’t been a lot of fish on the San Joaquin, but you can troll in peace. We have been scratching out limits trolling either shallow or deep, but there just aren’t a lot of fish around. Normally, at this time of year it is routine to experience double and triple hook ups while running through a school, but that hasn’t been the case this year. My favorite way to troll is running the shallow-diving Rat-L-Traps in 3 to 4 feet of water as the stripers really smoke these lures. I hooked an 8-pound striper on a Rat-L-Trap that ran off 40 yards right away before making another run. I will ‘join the circus’ at the West Bank if I have to since the stripers are consistently there, particularly when the tides are right. I really would like to be able to drift minnows during the periods of negative tides when the water dirties up, but the lack of jumbo minnows will limit this opportunity so I will be trying out Atlas Rig umbrella rigs to add something else to my tool box this summer.”

Randy Pringle, The Fishing Instructor, targeted striped bass with the Little Stick topwater lure in sardine and the AA Bubba Shad swimbait on the San Joaquin River near the Antioch Bridge this week, and he said, “We wrecked them on the outgoing tide as it was very slow on the high tide. There were little pods of stripers, and once we would find a small pod, we were able to score. The stripers were holding on flats, and we did find one pod with quality stripers in the 8-to 13-pound range. The water was dinghy due to the big winds during the week, and the water temperature reached 65 degrees in Sherman Lake, but there weren’t any stripers in there. The water temperature on the main river ranged from 62 to 64 degrees. We didn’t target largemouth bass on this trip, but I was out earlier in the week, and the key is to make long casts while staying well outside of the banks. The bass have seen a lot of different gear in the past few weeks, and I showed them something different with a 10-inch Power Worm on a light weight in a bright color such as June Bug to imitate a bluegill. The big worm has to be worked slowly, but the big tail will attract attention. We didn’t land any giants, but we consistently caught fish in the 2- to 4-pound range. There are some bass ready to spawn, and many are being interrupted by being targeted by fishermen. A key is to work methodically over flats where the bass will be spawning.”

Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, said, “The south Delta has been ‘on fire’ for striped bass for those drifting live bluegill or perch in the Old River, Indian Slough, Union Point, Woodward Island, and the Highway 4 Bridge. There is a school of gobis that are spawning in the Port of Stockton, and fishermen are using red worms on a split-shot rig for the gobis to be used as striped bass bait. There is a topwater bite in the east Delta with Pencil Poppers, River2Sea Swavers, or G-Ratt’s Pistol Pets in White Slough, Tyler Island, Eight Mile Road, and around the B and W Resort.”

Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait in Tackle in Manteca said, “Below Mossdale on the San Joaquin, there have been a number of shaker striped bass taken on sardines, pile worms, or anchovies, and the legal fish over 18 inches have been ranging from barely keepers to around 5 pounds at the max. Drifting minnows has been effective, but there aren’t any jumbo minnows available, and they won’t be available until the fall months. We have a lot of interest in fresh shad, but the shad hasn’t schooled up enough for the shadders to net them yet. They are starting to ball up, and we hope to have fresh shad soon.”

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, the Best Bass Tournaments held at 27-boat event on Saturday, and the team of Chris Rhoden and Matt Green returned with a very impressive limit at 20.01 pounds including a largemouth at 8.63 pounds. The bass bite is very good for spotted bass with plastics on the drop-shot along with crankbaits or small swimbaits on an underspin. The white bass are getting very aggressive, and they are blowing up on small shad imitation lures in the river channel and towards the backs of coves. Crappie are taken around submerged structure with minijigs or small Keitech swimbaits. Water releases have ramped up, and the lake dropped from 39 to 37%. A webcam of the lake is available at http://www.lakenacimientolive.com/. At Lopez, the bass have moved into the shallows, and good numbers of largemouths to 3 pounds are taken on plastics, creature baits, or shad-patterned swimbaits. Recent trout plants have contributed to bass anglers picking up a rainbow on a drop-shot. Trolling with small shad-patterned spoons is the best option for the planters as they are dropping in the water column. A webcam of the lake is available at http://805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam/. At Santa Margarita, there is a reaction bite early or late with crankbaits or jerkbaits for quality, but numbers are taken on large plastics in shad or crawdad imitations on a Texas-rig or drop-shot. The recent trout plant reintroduced rainbows to the lake for the first time in years, and the rainbows have dispersed throughout the lake. There may be another plant before the spring is completed. Bluegill and red ear perch has been slow, but there are some quality crappie taken near submerged structure with minijigs. At San Antonio, the catfish bite continues to improve with cut baits coated with garlic scent. With the bass moving into the shallows, the bass bite has also improved with reaction baits or plastics on a variety of presentations. The lake dropped slightly to 18%.

Events

Tournament results

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Wild West Bass Trail – April 17: 1st – Mark Lassagne/Jodie White – 25.54 pounds; 2nd – Ken Mah/Jason Austin – 22.95; 3rd – Mike Andrews/Phillip Dutra – 22.68 (Big Fish – 7.83).

Clear Lake/ Redbud Marina –Best Bass Tournaments – April 17: 1st – Igor Reiant/Andrey Pereverzev – 23.07 pounds; 2nd –John and Kyle Zinda – 22.94; 3rd –Joey Verna/Joel Chin – 22.54 (Big Fish – 9.12).

Tulloch – Kerman Bass Club – April 17: 1st – John Albidrez/Tony Lopez – 17.92 pounds (Big Fish – 7.47); 2nd – Ross Aoki/Mike Pickering – 17.10; 3rd –Rusty Brown – 16.22.

Bass Lake – Sierra Bass Club – April 17: 1st – Dan Folia/Jordan Armbrister – 14.14 pounds (Big Fish – Ambrister - 7.02); 2nd – Ryan Reynolds/Amy Avidekian – 11.74; 3rd – Danny Lopez/Ronnie Rustigian – 10.93.

Pine Flat – Best Bass Tournaments – April 17: 1st – Mark Cobey/Brandon Yang – 7.98 pounds (Big Fish – 2.81); 2nd – Shad Sullivan/Troy Thomas – 6.96; 3rd – Randy Whited/Michael Gaston – 6.70.

Nacimiento – Best Bass Tournaments – April 17: 1st – Chris Rhoden/Matt Green – 20.01 pounds (Big Fish – 8.63); 2nd – Jason and Geno Lazzerini – 12.14; 3rd – Dustin Selck/Suzanne Musson – 10.50.

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Wild West Bass Trail Kayak Tournament– April 18: 1st – Damian Thao – 83.50 inches; 2nd – John Myers – 80.75 inches; 3rd –Robert Woo – 80.50.

Lake Isabella – Master Class Catfishing – April 17-18: 1st –Ed Dominguez/James Harris/Jack Kerbo – 40.39 pounds; 2nd – Ky ‘KaPow’ Ramsey/Ron Ladd – 27.06 pounds; 3rd –Rick Kizzee/Judith Palma – 26.64.

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

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

This story was originally published April 20, 2021 at 8:41 AM.