Fishing report, April 28-May 4: Bass Lake Trout Derby is Saturday; info on McSwain derby

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 salmon and rockfish hitting, Chris Arcoleo said. Don Pedro kokanee and trout action good, Kyle Wise reported. McClure bass active, Ryan Cook said. San Francisco pumping out some huge halibut, Trent Slate reported. Delta sturgeon and striper bites good, Alan Fong said. Aqueduct stripers hitting, Mickey Clements reported.

Valley

West-side waterways

Striper 3 Catfish 2

Mickey Clements at Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “Most of our striped bass anglers are heading either to the forebay or the California Aqueduct as the action from the banks in the main lake has been slow. They are using a lot of bait such as sardines, blood worms, or pile worms, but they are also throwing deep-diving lipless crankbaits 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, “The aqueduct remains a hot spot down with large minnows along with blood worms. We received a shipment of large minnows on Thursday, and they were gone within a day. Jumbo minnows are not available right now so anglers have to use what is available which are either large or extra-large, on occasion. White or pearl flukes, small shad-patterned swimbaits or casting Alabama rigs are also working in the moving water. Pile 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 2 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2

Not much change at this very low lake which rose slightly to 12%. Catfishing remains 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.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Hensley Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

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. 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 lake held at 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 3 King salmon 2 Crappie 2

This has been a sleeper for kokanee with fat kokanee to 14 inches taken by Kyle Wise of HeadHunter using J-Pex lures in orange or pink behind Paulina Peak’s gold dodger at depths to 38 feet. Wise said, “I think that Pedro will produce the largest kokanee in the Mother Lode by the end of summer.” Monte Smith of Gold County Sport Fishing is back on the water, and he found easy limits of rainbows from 30 to 60 feet with his heavy spoons. He said, “We also landed a healthy 14-inch kokanee on a spoon as we were targeting trout primarily. The rainbows were in really good shape.” For bass, Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “The best grade is found on the flats with reaction baits with numbers taken on steep walls with plastics or tubes such as 4- to 6-inch worms in natural colors on a drop-shot or dart-head. Fewer bass are on beds. The grade of bass is better than at nearby McClure, but the numbers are fewer.” The lake held at 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 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 3 Bluegill 2

At Lake Isabella, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported the hot crappie bite from the banks that had anglers lined up shoulder-to-shoulder in the South Fork last week has dried up, and few bank fishermen are targeting crappie. Slow-trolling is producing up to a limit of slabs to 1.5 pounds. The wind has been the limiting factor as the wind was ‘howling’ over the weekend. The bass are in all stages of spawning, and there are still numbers of bass in the shallows. The action is best with jigs or plastics on the drop-shot or Ned-rig. Catfishing is also solid with an array of baits including frozen shad, Triple S Dip Bait, chicken livers, or nightcrawlers. The annual Lake Isabella Kern Valley Chamber of Commerce Trout Derby started last Saturday, and it will 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. Trout trolling has been fair with Kastmasters or spoons at depths to 40 feet. The 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, but there are some bass and crappie coming out of the lake now. Ming has settled down after the boat races, and there are also bass, catfish, crappie, and carp coming out of this impoundment. In the upper Kern River, trout plants are scheduled again this week 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 this week.

Call: Bob’s Bait Bucket in Bakersfield (661) 833-8657; North Fork Marina (760) 376-1812; Golden Trout Pack Station 542-2816

Lake Kaweah

Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2

The Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments held a 22-boat adult tournament on Saturday with a youth tournament on Sunday, and the team of Vince Bryan and Wes Vannay took first on Saturday with a 10.77-pound limit with a big fish at 4.40 pounds. Regular contributor to the rishing report Gary Wasson and his partner Jaime Marquez came in third with a 9.60-pound limit. The big girls have been missing in action as the winning limit was just over a two-pound average. The best action is taking place with small crankbaits, jerkbaits, umbrella rigs, or flukes. Crappie are found in the shallows with various minijigs or small swimbaits. The lake rose to 24% with snowmelt occurring rapidly.

Lake Success/Tule River

Bass 3 Crappie 3 Trout 3 Catfish 2

Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company said, “Bass fishing has gotten better day by day as the fish are in post-spawn mode. You can choose your poison of a variety of techniques including plastics on the drop-shot or Ned-Rig, crankbaits, or jigs. Crappie are also taken at the marina.” Recreational boating is heating up with more good weather in the coming weeks. The lake held at 22%.

In the Tule, Stokke said, “The river is fishing well with spinners, but we are using dry flies or nymphs on the fly. Woolly Buggers are getting smashed by the trout, and the black patterns are working best.” Trout plants are scheduled for the Middle and South Forks of the Tule 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

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing is getting good numbers of bass on tubes, Senkos, or plastics on the drop-shot throughout the lake with numbers found along steep walls from the banks to 20 feet. There are still quality largemouth bass over 8 pounds taken on Neko Rigs in the shallows. Levi Crain caught and released an 8.40-pound largemouth on a Neko Rig in 10 feet of water. Another wave of spawning fish should be moving up with the full moon. The occasional crappie is taken on minijigs or small minnows in the shallows. 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 held at 41%.

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

McSwain Reservoir

Trout 2

The annual Merced Irrigation Derby will be held on Saturday, May 15, 6 a.m. to p.m. Cost is $25 with youth under 16 free for every adult registration. An additional feel of $8/day for entry, and there are some limited campsites available for the derby weekend. The registration and payments are made through the FishDonkey app, and participants are encouraged to become familiar with the app prior to the derby. Anglers will need the app downloaded on their smart phone on the day of the derby as well as possess either a measuring tape or board to photograph their catch. The app will allow participants to practice uploading their fish photos in preparation for the derby. Once the app is loaded onto a smart phone, participants can select “Fish in a Tournament.” Then a search window will appear. Participants can then enter “Lake McSwain.” This will take anglers to the derby page with all the required registration and information.

Trout plants have been occurring through the spring, and they will continue up to the derby. Bank fishing is best with trout dough bait, nightcrawlers, or Kastmasters from the Brush Pile, Handicapped Docks, or peninsula near the Marina while trollers are working blade/’crawler combinations, Wedding Rings, or Rapalas up the river arm.

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 spotted bass are taken on jigs or Senkos at depths to 20 feet, but the reaction bite remains slow. Natural colors such as watermelon black/red flake, green pumpkin, or watermelon seed are working best for the spots from the banks to 20 feet. The bass are in varying stages of the spawn. The lake rose to 41%.

Sycamore Island has been kicking out planted rainbows on trout dough bait since last week’s trout plant.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

Bass 3 Crappie 2 Catfish 3 Trout 3 Kokanee 3

Kokanee action has been excellent, and the lake is experiencing more pressure due to the recent reports of kokanee to 18 inches. Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service is finding all the trout he wants at depths from 25 to 45 feet with orange/pink J-Pex lures with kokanee taken on Peak’s Tahoe spinners behind a gold blade. Limits have been the rule. John Liechty of Xperience Bass Fishing Guide Service said, “There is the opportunity for a big bass on swimbaits in the early mornings or during overcast conditions, but the falling water levels have been creating a challenging bite. Numbers are taken on shad-patterned flukes, small crankbaits, swimbaits, or jerkbaits as the bass are feeding heavily on shad with an early spawn. Normally the shad spawn will occur in the middle of May.” 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 to 62%.

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

A tournament was held in rainy and cold conditions on Sunday, and the tournament weights improved slightly from last week with a limit nearly 11 pounds with a big fish over 6 pounds winning Saturday’s tournament with a few more limits over 9 pounds. The key is to find the bait balls and work the bait with shad-patterned jerkbaits or ripbaits. Crappie are found at night under lights with small minnows or minijigs near the Deer Creek or Trimmer Marina. Trout trolling remains slow despite the recent trout plants, and most trollers are heading to Shaver Lake The lake rose slightly to 32%. In the lower Kings River, another trout plant will continue to attract fishermen working for the planters with salmon eggs, nightcrawlers, or trout dough bait along with spinners such as Panther Martins or Mepp’s near moving water adjacent 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.

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 said that high winds are keeping anglers off the big lake most days. “The water is falling slowly but the overall bite is slow for boat and shore anglers right now. Everyone’s trying to figure out the best calm weather window, but the latest storm put a dent in the regular patterns for now. May is considered the windiest month at San Luis so we may be seeing more of it.” Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait in Morgan Hill said, “The striped bass bite continues to be tough with the wind hindering the ability to get on the lake on many days. A few anglers are either trolling deep or spooning with shad-patterned spoons near the Trash Racks.” Most Valley and San Jose-area striper fishermen are heading to either the forebay or the California Aqueduct. The lake dropped slightly to 51%.

In the O’Neill Forebay, Clements said, “The forebay remains the top location for striped bass, and there is a topwater bite close to the rockwall with shad-patterned Zara Spooks or similar small lures. The majority of stripers are undersized from 14 inches to just barely-legal at 18 inches. Pile worms, anchovies, or blood worms are working for the small stripers around Check 12 in the moving water.” 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 May 26. Updated information is available at fs.usda.gov/sierra.

Bass Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokane 2

The Bass Lake Trout Derby is this coming weekend, and registration closes at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 1 with registration and information available at basslakechamber.com/fishing-derby. Trollers are scoring planted rainbows along with the occasional kokanee to 16.5 inches running various gear at 16 to 24 feet. Bass fishing is best with plastics on the drop-shot or shaky head along with jerkbaits while the occasional large rainbow is landed on a drop-shot. There is a decent jerkbait bite for bass. The Sheriff’s Motor Fee remains in effect. The lake rose to 66%, 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 17% with Florence rising to 17%. Mammoth Pool rose to 77% as the snow melt is slowing down at the High Sierra lakes.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake

Kokanee 2 Trout 2

The hot kokanee and trout bite slowed over the weekend with the overcast and cold conditions. Limits were hard to come by, but regular troller Jay Irvine of Visalia managed to scratch out a limit of kokanee with orange Dick’s Mountain hoochies behind gold/orange flash Mountain dodger at depths from 32 to 35 feet around the Island, Road 2, or Dorabella Cove. Bank fishing is good with orange trout dough bait on a Carolina-rig near Dorabella Cove. Two plants of rainbows to 9 pounds from the Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project will occur within the next two months. The lake held at 76%. Launch conditions can be seen via webcam at sierramarina.com/camera.html.

Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters will be starting his charters this coming weekend on May 1 after the weather postponed his start a few days, and Todd Wittwer of Kokanee.net Guide Service will be joining him. Nichols said, “Shaver regular Wade Obermann of Auberry found a good early bite during the middle of the week using similar gear to Irvine at depths from 30 to 35 feet, but the bite shut off after 8 a.m. The weather is expected to be good and warm, and I am looking forward to my opening charter on Saturday.”

At Huntington, a trout plant occurred a month 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 to 53%, and the boat launch remains out of the water, and only hand-carried boats or small aluminums can be launched from the shorelines.

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 continues to be closed at Dinkey Creek. The road to Wishon should open soon and a trout plant occurred at Wishon two weeks ago with a plant at Courtright this week. Dinkey and Tenmile Creeks were planted last week, and anglers are scoring the planters with live crickets, salmon eggs, or nightcrawlers.

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

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

The weather kept boats either tied up or close to the harbor at the start of the past week, but when the weather window opened up at the end of the week, limits to near-limits of salmon were the rule south of the Pigeon Point line.

Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat, a recent inductee into the California Outdoors Hall of Fame, said, “It was limits of salmon below the Pigeon Point line on Monday with 7 limits to 13 pounds by 10:30 a.m. Second captain Michael Cabanas took 9 anglers south for 9 limits to 13 pounds on Saturday’s trip. We are excited about the opener above Pigeon Point as Chris Chang of the Ankeny Street was down at the Deep Reef, and he reported great conditions with dark water, birds, and bait. Captain Cabanas was back at it again on Saturday with 23 salmon to 23 pounds for 15 anglers in 240 feet of water with straight bait. Cabanas said that there was plenty of action with more than a fair share of missed opportunities.”

The Riptide and Queen of Hearts out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing were also finding good action below Pigeon with the Riptide returning with 15 salmon to 15 pounds for 10 anglers while the Queen of Hearts loaded up with near-limits of 22 salmon to 14 pounds for 12 anglers.

Rockfishing remains solid at the Deep Reef with the Ankeny Street scoring 16 limits along a ling on Saturday.

The Coastside Fishing Club is once again coordinating the net pen salmon project, and the deliveries of smolts from the Mokelumne River Hatchery will occur on May 23, May 29, and June 5 while the club’s members are preparing the pens.

Captain Dennis Baxter of the New Captain Pete is finishing up the final touches on the vessel, and he will be ready to head south for salmon within a week.

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. Crabbing has been decent with snares when the swell is down.

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

Monterey/Santa Cruz

Salmon 3 Rockfish 3 Striper 2 White sea bass 1 Surf perch 3

Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “Anglers from the Monterey Bay-area have been watching for the big schools of salmon that were reported a couple weeks ago from the Morro Bay/Avila area. As the salmon bite tapered off here in Monterey Bay last week, everyone was anxious to see these fish come up from the south. Well, they are here now. Chris Arcoleo from Chris’ Fishing and Whale Watching tracked the salmon as they came up the coast. On Sunday, Arcoleo reported, “We heard reports for a couple days of salmon being caught down near Cypress Point. Those fish have now moved into the bay. Everyone is catching fish. We had ten today, and other party boats caught up to 15. A lot of private boats got their limits.” Chris’s also sends rockfish trips out, and weather conditions allowed a few make it down to the vaunted Big Sur area reefs. “For the rockfish, we’re getting limits.” Arcoleo said. “Very good fishing on Saturday at Sur with limits of reds, lings and what have you.” Friday’s rockfish trip on the Check Mate counted 220 rock cod and six lings for the 22 anglers aboard.

Kahuna Sportfishing from Moss Landing saw their salmon counts rise steadily this week. Thursday’s trip netted just two kings for eight anglers aboard the Kahuna. On Friday they caught four, and Saturday’s trip saw nine king salmon in the box. The Kahuna is a mooching boat, and owner Carol Jones pays close attention to details. “Working your bait through the water column is key to catching a salmon. Anglers who did that caught fish. These are a nice grade of fish. We’ll be back at it tomorrow.” Jones said. For the longer view, Jones added, “What we need are some anchovies in the bay. Those fish will come up here. We need large bait schools to keep them here for a while. And these salmon want moving bait. It’s sometimes hard to get clients to be persistent. You have to keep working your bait. We went up to Pigeon Saturday. Those guys did OK with about a fish a rod. I think we’re going have a long season, and I think it’s going to happen as long as we get good upwelling. It looks like that is going to happen starting this week with strong northwest winds. that’s what feeds the anchovies They love it, and consistent upwelling will keep these fish here. I don’t mind sitting at the dock for a couple days due to heavy winds when it means there’s going to be big anchovy schools. It’s the best for the mooch bite.”

Inside the Monterey Bay, the bite started picking up just before the weekend with private boater reports ranging from a fish per rod to boat limits while trolling relatively high in the water column. The 50 to100 foot depths seem to be best for now, and the salmon are concentrating at the ‘usual spots,’ namely Soldiers Club, Mulligan’s Hill, the big canyon fronting Moss Landing, and the Soquel/Pajaro Hole areas.

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

San Francisco Bay

Halibut 3 Striper 2 Rockfish 3 Leopard shark 2 Sturgeon 2

Halibut fever has struck northern California in a big way as the bite is now centered on the south bay around the Alameda Rockwall. With the news of Keith Washington’s 53.8-pound halibut striking the Bay Area like the small earthquake that occurred on Saturday night, as many as 157 boats were counted in the south bay on Saturday. In addition to the halibut, the very occasional white sea bass along with a consistent trickle of striped bass are filling fish boxes. However, the bite slowed to a crawl on Sunday with the change in barometric pressure and the heavy boat traffic.”

Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing out of Berkeley was part of Saturday’s fleet, and he said, “With the salmon opener still a couple of months out, all of the pressure is in the bay, and it was a zoo out there. The weather has also kept the rockfish boats from making the trek to the Islands so they have joined us along with those normally fishing salmon at this time of year. We put in 15 halibut to 13 pounds along with a striped bass, and we had the opportunities for six limits. I just kept working one spot over and over again on both tides. The bite was much slower on Sunday as we struggled for 4 halibut, and we were one of the high boats.”

Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters out of Loch Lomond also made the run to the south bay, and he put his clients onto 9 halibut and striped bass, and similar to Mitchell, he said, “We would have down better if we cashed in all of our opportunities. The flatfish are really biting our live smelt. We saw white sea bass under the boat on the meter, and Jay Lopes of Right Hook Sport Fishing was fishing right by us, and he hooked two of the ghosts.”

Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions avoided the fleet on Sunday, and he went south towards San Leandro for 8 limits of striped bass along with three halibut at 10, 12, and 15 pounds. He said, “I went out with two scoops of bait, and we had the stripers boiling on the surface. There are a number of undersized fish, but it is just so much fun to see the stripers breaking on the anchovies. I also saw two different schools of white seabass, but they didn’t want to bite for us.”

Washington’s huge California halibut may not have been the only massive fish landed this week as Ed Chin of Bay Tackle in El Cerrito reported a 54-inch, 56-pound halibut was taken near the Alameda Rockwall with a big frozen herring. He said, “I heard about the 51-inch halibut, but this is another big one, and the three anglers on the private boat landed limits of halibut with nothing under 37 inches along with 4 striped bass. The boats have spread out, and they are working from Point Pinole to the Pumphouse along with the Alameda Rockwall and around Treasure Island. There hasn’t been much action on the Berkeley Flats. We continue to catch and release striped bass before and after work from Emeryville towards the Carquinez Straits with various swimbaits in white/chartreuse, and stripers are getting larger in the 25- to 30-inch range.”

Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Fishing went further south to avoid the fleet on both Saturday and Sunday, and he said, “We were almost down to the Oakland Airport, and we had 5 halibut to 32 inches on Sunday’s half-day trip along with releasing a big leopard shark, and our other boat with Captain Charles Kimberly, scored 7 keeper halibut along with releasing a ton of shakers.”

The Point Pinole area that was the epicenter a few weeks ago has died off for now with Captain Steve Gutierrez referring to it as a ‘Dead Zone’ before heading south to the Alameda Rockwall for halibut to 29 inches

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 party boats are concentrating on rockfish along the close local reefs on the ½- and 3/4-day trips, and half limits to near limits of rockfish remain the rule with the very occasional ling cod. The ling cod counts remain very low along the local reefs. The Starfire out of Morro Bay Landing was Monday with 18 fishermen, and they were able to score limits with 90 vermilion to 6 pounds, 30 copper, and 60 assorted rockfish. The Black Pearl and Fiesta out of Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay went out on Monday with a combined 44 passengers for 49 vermilion, 157 assorted, 21 copper, 2 Boccaccio, and 4 rock sole for just above half-limits on the ½- and 3/4-day trips. The Patriot and Phenix out of Patriot Sport Fishing at Port San Luis were out on local reefs on Monday with 29 anglers for 29 vermilion to 8 pounds, 68 copper, 7 Boccacio, 168 assorted, 2 flag rockfish, a canary, a treefish, and a single ling. The new sub-limit is 5 vermilion as part of a 10-rockfish limit this season. Private boaters continue to troll for salmon with mixed results as a number of fish have been moving north.

Call: Virg’s Landing (800) 762-5263; Patriot Sport Fishing (805) 595-4100; Morro Bay Landing

Others

Delta/Stockton

Bass 2 Striper 3 Sturgeon 3 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2

The sturgeon in the Sacramento-Delta still haven’t received the memo that the majority of sturgeon anglers have vacated the premises for San Francisco Bay as the action has been as good as it has been all season long. Striped bass fishing is concentrated around the West Bank from Rio Vista to Collinsville, and the number of stripers in this area has attracted numerous vessels.

It is not often that Captain Steve Mitchell gets to go fishing for fun, but he was out on during the week with Anthony Gibbs, deckhand for Golden State Sport Fishing, on Gibbs’s Parker out of Pittsburg, and he was able to hook into a 54-inch slot-limit sturgeon as one of three sturgeon hooked within a few hours on salmon roe.

Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Sport Fishing was out on a sturgeon trip during the week, and he said, “We anchored up above Chain Island, and we fished the incoming tide with roe for 7 sturgeon within two hours.”

Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Fishing has left the Delta for the bay, but he said, “Every year it happens this way, and we have to come to the bay since everyone wants halibut right now, but some of the best sturgeon action occurs throughout May. We left them biting last week.”

Striped bass have poured into both sides of the Delta, and James Netzel of Tight Lines reported ‘phenomenal’ fishing at the end of the week with only two undersized striped bass. He said, “We started out on the West Bank with a shallow troll with Rat-L-Traps, and we were hooking up while Mark Wilson, striper trolling legend who was in front of us, wasn’t getting bit. I told him to slow down at bit, and then he started hooking up. It felt pretty good to be able to give such a great fisherman some advice that worked. After picking up a few stripers shallow, we went deep, and within 30 seconds, we had a triple. There were haystacks of stripers on the bottom, and we had a few more doubles before a ship came through the main channel and wiped out the area with weeds, dirty water, and tules everywhere. We had 11 stripers to 9 pounds by 9:00 a.m., and they we went over to the San Joaquin near Eddo’s for our last few fish before the winds came up with a vengeance. The smolt plants will occur out of Eddo’s the next few days, and the striped bass should be moving in force to the area. I have a supply of jumbo minnows which are impossible to obtain right now, but I made sure that I had some in the tanks when they were getting scarce.”

Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing out of Laurtizen’s Yacht Harbor said, “It is good fishing now as we didn’t land a single shaker on Thursday. We had mostly females on Thursday after landing 10 males out of a dozen stripers on Wednesday. We were in the Sacramento in the morning, but once the ship came through, the bite was over. The majority of the stripers are on the Sacramento, but the water is muddy from outside Sherman Island to the West Bank before clearing up a bit at the top of the tide. The San Joaquin is much clearer, and you can find stripers there.”

There were celebrities in the Delta this week as the long-awaited trip with Captain Mike Gravert of Intimidator Sport Fishing took place with limits of striped bass for Kent Brown of the Ultimate Bass Radio Show, Sep Hendrickson of the California Sportsmen’s Radio Show, and Richard Burton, formerly of Honda Marine. Gravert has relocated to Tennessee, and he is finishing up his last season on the Delta in style.

Chris Ditter of HeadRush Guide Service was on the Sacramento on Saturday morning for quick limits to 7 pounds, releasing a big fish at 13 pounds on the troll. He said, “The bite is definitely on as there are more fish on the Sacramento, but I prefer the quiet on the San Joaquin.”

Dave Houston of Livermore was out with Clyde Wands, shallow-trolling expert, this week, and he said, “We put in 70 miles looking for other places that are holding fish but didn’t find any. The fish are still above the Antioch bridge on the San Joaquin and all along the West Bank of the Sacramento. The water color is changing from clear to stain depending on the tide. Selecting the right color lure for the water has been key. We ended up with 13 keepers and 8 shakers working these different areas.”

Bob Sparre of Bob Sparre Fishing Guide Service is focusing in the Delta with the lack of stripers in the Sacramento River, and he said, “The boat traffic on the West Bank has been intense, and it is a matter of finding a pod of fish. We have been both trolling or tossing topwater lures in low-light conditions. There are fish along the West Bank, but there aren’t as many stripers as there should be.”

Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, was on the West Bank early on Friday morning, and he said, “We were done fishing by 10:30 a.m., but we had limited out before then as I wanted to keep catching and releasing. There are stripers there as we had double and triple hook ups with chartreuse plugs with a white worm. I was working on the outside with the current with deep-diving Yo-Zuri’s along with coming bank upriver from the Red Barn with shallow lures on the inside along the sand bar.”

Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento, said, “I took out Len Vinci of Hummingbird along with his son to prepare for an upcoming high school tournament, and we found a number of 4- to 5-pound largemouths on spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, or Senkos in Snodgrass Slough working from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. We didn’t pick up any big fish, but there was an 8-pound largemouth on a frog along with a 5 pounder by punching the weeds on Sunday morning.”

The numbers of striped bass are less on the San Joaquin-Delta, but there is something to be said about trolling without interruption as the boat traffic is minimal compared to the Sacramento side.

Chris Ditter of HeadRush Guide Service was out with a couple of clients on this week who wanted to learn to shallow-troll Rat-L-Traps. They planned for a mid-morning start, and by that time, the West Bank was blown out by the ship so they worked the San Joaquin for quick limits before the winds started to blow. He said, “There are more fish by far on the Sacramento side, but I would stay on the San Joaquin if I could.”

Dave Houston of Livermore said, “The stripers are still above the Antioch bridge on the San Joaquin, and the water color is changing from clear to stain depending on the tide. Selecting the right color lure for the water has been key.”

Bob Sparre of Bob Sparre Fishing Guide Service has been finding some pods of stripers on topwater lures on the San Joaquin, and he said, “The topwater bite has been OK in the morning some days, but there have been a few tough days mixed in there as well.”

Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, found a great trolling bite on the back side of Mildred Island on Friday with two stripers over 10 pounds. He said, “We limited out with linesides from 8 to 14 pounds on deep-diving Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows, and there were a lot of fish in there were two other boats pulling Atlas Rigs. We ended up with around 15 to 20 stripers caught and released between the three boats. The larger fish came on the deep-divers, and the stripers were fresh-run fish with a bright blue sheen. This tells me the south Delta is lit up. A smolt release occurred on the Mokelumne near Wimpy’s , and the stripers are moving into the North and South Fork and along Tyler Island.”

Randy Pringle, The Fishing Instructor, was back focusing on largemouth bass in the central and south Delta, and he said, “It has been a rollercoaster out there with the weather up and down, and even though we aren’t targeting striped bass, we are still picking them up on bass gear. Due to the weather, one day the bite is phenomenal, followed by an OK day, followed by a tough day. The key is to keep the bait in the strike zone as long as possible. We have been scoring with the ima Little Stick in bluegill pattern along with the ima Rock N’Vibe Suspend. With the topwater lure, you have to let it sit and just give it a twitch, twitch to keep in in the zone. Same thing with the 10-inch Power Worm or the General with Max Scent along with plastics on the drop-shot as a slow presentation is best. There are still males cruising, and since I haven’t seen any clouds of fry yet, it tells me that there are still bass ready to spawn. We also found some areas that were loaded with crappie and bluegill in water as shallow as three feet.”

Wang added that bluegill and crappie action in the south Delta has been good with red worms or jumbo red worms for the bluegill along with minnows or minijigs for the slabs.

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 3 Crappie 2 Bluegill 3

At Nacimiento, the bass bite remains solid, and it will continue to improve as the water temperature has risen to 70 degrees. There are many spotted bass still tight to the banks, and crawdad or bluegill imitation lures are working along with plastics on the drop-shot along with small tubes or grubs. White bass remain in the coves, and they are taken on small shad-patterned swimbaits, spoons, or spinners along with underspins. The crappie bite has slowed, but there are still some slabs taken on minijigs. Water releases have ramped up, and the lake dropped from 37 to 36%. A webcam of the lake is available at http://www.lakenacimientolive.com/. At Lopez, the bass are in all stages of the spawn, and there are still several largemouths holding tight to the banks. Plastics on the drop-shot or Texas-rig are working with bluegill or crawdad imitation plastics. A few trout from the recent plants are taken by trollers working the deeper sections with spoons or spinners. A webcam of the lake is available at http://805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam/. At Santa Margarita, similar to Lopez, the bass are in all stages of the spawn, and with the shad also spawning, shad-imitation swimbaits, jerkbaits, or crankbaits are working on occasion while the best action remains on plastics on the drop-shot or Texas-rig. Crappie are there for the taking with minijigs tipped a Crappie Nibble or similar bait imitation. The recently planted rainbows are taken from the banks with Power Bait along with minijigs or Kastmasters. At San Antonio, catfish provide the best option with mackerel soaked in garlic scent, chicken livers, or shrimp while the bass bite continues to improve with the warming water temperatures. Tubes or small swimbaits on an underspin are working best. The lake dropped from 18 to 16%.

Events

Tournament results

Lake Camanche – April 24: 1st –Alex Niapas/Jason Remmers – 39.66 pounds (Big Fish – 12.62); 2nd – Brandon Gaither/Daniel Reen– 14.98; 3rd –Earl Dalton/Chris Gambol – 13.17.

Kaweah – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments– April 24: 1st –Vince Bryan/Wes Vannoy – 10.77 pounds (Big Fish – 4.04); 2nd – Josh and Canon Adams– 10.73; 3rd – Gary Wasson/Jaime Marquez – 9.60.

Pine Flat – April 25: 1st – Jason and Josh Sanchez – 10.73 pounds (Big Fish – 6.06); 2nd – Dusty Mart/Jason Horn – 9.41; 3rd – George Espino/Ron Orbaker – 9.20.

Kaweah – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments/Youth Event– April 25: 1st – Colton and Jadon Rader – 9.77 pounds (Big Fish – 3.07); 2nd – Teran Warden/Jaime Marquez – 9.31; 3rd – Cohen and Josh Adams – 8.02.

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

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

May 8

Delta/Holland Marina – Dan Mathisen Outdoors

New Hogan – Gold Country Bass Team

Tulloch – River Rat

Don Pedro – American Bass Association

McClure – Best Bass Tournaments

Bass Lake – Kerman Bass Club

Nacimiento – Best Bass Tournaments

May 9

New Hogan – Gold Country Bass Team

May 13-15

Delta/Big Break Marina – Forrest L. Wood Major League Fishing

May 15-18

Pine Flat – Xtreme Bass Club

May 15-16

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Kern County Bass Masters

Nacimiento – Golden Empire Bass Club

May 15

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Nor Cal Bass

Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournament

Isabella – American Bass Association

May 16

Delta/Contra Costa – The Bass Federation

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Modesto Ambassadors

Don Pedro – Fresno Bass Club/California Bass Federation

Kaweah – Kings River Bass Club

May 22-23

Success – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

May 22

Delta/B and W Resort – Bass Anglers of Northern California

Delta/Contra Costa – Sierra Bass Club

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Yak-A-Bass/17-90 Bass Club

Nacimiento – San Luis Obispo Bass Ambushers

Lopez – Bakersfield Bass Club

May 23

Delta/B and W Resort – California Bass Federation

Don Pedro – California Bass Federation

May 30

Don Pedro – California Bass Federation

This story was originally published April 27, 2021 at 8:54 AM.