Fishing report, May 5-11: Bass Lake Derby results; South Valley reservoirs best bets

Compiled by Dave Hurley and edited by Roger George, a former Olympic-class decathlete at Fresno State (he still holds the school record). George guides in the greater Fresno area and holds the striper record at Millerton Lake. Telephone numbers are in 559 calling area unless noted.

Photo gallery

Show off your success! Share your fish photos and videos with Bee readers. Please share only jpeg images and Mp4 video files. Include “Fishing Report” in the subject line and a full caption and email to sports@fresnobee.com

Best bets

Half Moon bay salmon kicking out limits, Stefan Grobecker said. Don Pedro kokanee and bass bites good, Monte Smith reported. New Melones kokanee, bass and crappie bites on, Kyle Wise said. Kaweah bass and crappie on a tear, Gary Wasson reported. Success bass continue hitting, Chuck Stokke said.

Roger’s remarks: Online has more barbs than a hook

Posting pictures on social media of big fish can turn into a merciless troll-fest.

I happened to see a post by an angler showing off his new (estimated) personal-best catch. He was obviously very excited, but he made a few beginner mistakes and I noticed a few things that made me cringe.

Several pictures showed a lot of background. He was holding the fish in such a way that it could bring some criticism about harming it. He estimated the fish at around 20 pounds. And he wasn’t going to disclose the location.

The first few comments were all complimentary. But it didn’t take long for the tide to change. First, a guy writes that he’s ticked that this lucky angler is deliberately withholding the lake he’s fishing and that it’s poor sportsmanship. The post completely changed the temperature of all the comments coming in. Everyone is now scanning, magnifying and analyzing every picture. The whole attitude suddenly shifted to a “fishing mob.“ The poor angler had suddenly lost most of his credibility, as “expert” guesses and opinions about the true identity of the secret lake took over the thread.

Circling like a shark, a new commenter tells the angler it’s a nice catch BUT he’s pretty sure it’s more like 10 pounds. The angler tries to explain that the fish was actually bigger than the picture showed. He was right, the fish was a very good one and not very far from his estimate, but the troll only wanted to spoil this guy’s new PB as well as everyone who applauded the catch. He was succeeding.

What should have been a big victory turned into a sickening experience for the angler just wanting to share his joy. I hated watching it unfold. I felt bad for the angler, he was very excited.

Sad that there are folks out there who due to jealousy or anger want to destroy someone’s legitimate big fish catch, but it happens a lot online where trolls can remain hidden.

Be careful posting fish pictures . Never give up!

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

Valley

West-side waterways

Striper 3 Catfish 3

Mickey Clements at Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “Many of our striped bass anglers have been heading to the California Aqueduct instead of San Luis Reservoir, and a top technique is to slow-roll or bounce flukes on the bottom with a ½- or 3/4-ounce jig head. Rat-L-Traps are also effective in shad patterns. Bait is also popular, and sardines, blood worms, or pile worms are the primary choices.” Catfish are taken on cut baits, frozen shad, or chicken livers.

In the southern section of the aqueduct in Kern County, striped bass are taken on small shad-patterned swimbaits or flukes where moving water slows. Catfish are taken on sardines, anchovies, or blood worms while there are also carp landed on doughbaits. Largemouth bass are hitting plastics on various presentations.

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 3 Crappie 2

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. The lake held at 12%.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Hensley Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

Minimal change here as the bass bite remains slow with the best action with plastics 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 dropped slightly to 23%.

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

Lake Don Pedro

Bass 3 Trout 2 Kokanee 3 King salmon 2 Crappie 2

The kokanee are in good shape, and Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing found seven quality kokanee at depths from 35 to 55 feet in open water with J-Pex lures or micro-hoochies behind a Mack’s Sling Blade. For bass, the team of Alex Niapas and Jason Remmers came out of second place on day one to take first during the weekend’s two-day Wild West Bass Trails Team Open. There are some bass chasing bait in the mornings, and topwater lures, but the most consistent action is for suspended fish along steep bluff walls with jigs, tubes, or plastics in green pumpkin or purples on a Ned-rig. Wind-blown pockets are also holding bass at 20 to 50 feet. Few bass are on beds. The lake dropped to 68%.

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 1

At Lake Isabella, heavy trout plants for the start of the Kern Valley Chamber of Commerce Derby have paid dividends for bank anglers soaking Power Bait, Mice Tails, nightcrawlers, Kastmasters, Roostertails, or Panther Martins while trollers are picking up the planters on Speed Shiners or similar spoons. The crappie have moved into the shallows, but the best action is for boaters drifting minnows or minijigs. It is a matter of locating the structure that are holding the crappie. Catfishing remains solid with frozen shad, Triple S Dip Bait, chicken livers, or nightcrawlers. The annual Lake Isabella Kern Valley Chamber of Commerce Trout Derby started on April 24 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 kernrivervalley.com/2020-isabella-lake-fishing-derby. 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. Buena Vista has been very slow for the few trout fishermen, but a nearly 60-pound blue catfish came out of the lake this week. Catfish plants will begin within the next few months. In the upper Kern River, trout plants are scheduled again this week and also during the week of May 16 near Kernville and above while the river below the dam is scheduled for trout plants next week. Spin casters are finding success for the planters with salmon eggs, nightcrawlers, live crickets. The flows bumped up significantly over the weekend with the snowmelt, and the river has become somewhat dirty from the inflow. It will take a few days to clear.

Call: Bob’s Bait Bucket in Bakersfield (661) 833-8657; North Fork Marina (760) 376-1812; Golden Trout Pack Station (559) 542-2816

Lake Kaweah

Bass 3 Crappie 3 Trout 2 Catfish 2

Gary Wasson, president of the Xtreme Bass Club, said, “There is a good jerkbait and Senko bite at Kaweah.” Crappie are found in the shallows with various minijigs or small swimbaits. The bass are still in the shallows or suspending along the outside edges in post-spawn mode. The lake rose slightly to 25% with snowmelt occurring rapidly.

Lake Success/Tule River

Bass 3 Crappie 2 Trout 3 Catfish 2

Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company said, “Bass fishing has been good this week. The lake is low and stable, making the fishing good with crankbaits, jerkbaits, and plastics on various presentations.” Recreational boating is heating up with more good weather in the coming weeks. The lake rose slightly to 23%.

In the Tule, Stokke said, “The river was slower this week due to cooler temperatures, but there was an unexpected trout plant last week. Fly fishermen are scoring with Woolly Buggers while spin casters are landing the planters on either spinners or nightcrawlers.” Trout plants are scheduled for the North, Middle and South Forks of the Tule this week and on several branches of the Middle Fork on the week of May 16.

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

McClure Reservoir

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

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing reported a similar pattern to nearby Don Pedro with the majority of bass suspending along wind-blown pockets or steep bluff walls with plastics in green pumpkin or brown/purple on a Ned-rig, jig, or tubes. The numbers are better than Pedro, but the majority of the bass are smaller with the exception of a few quality largemouths taken in the shallows. Crappie fishing has improved considerably with minijigs or small minnows in the shallows. Barrett’s Cove, Bagby, Horseshoe Bend, and McClure Point North launch ramps are closed due to water levels. The lake rose slightly to 42%.

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 6 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 said, “There is a crankbait and jerkbait bite in the main lake around Sky Harbor to Winchell’s Cove along with the dam, and plastics on the drop-shot, dart head, or jigs at depths to 20 feet are also effective. 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 42%. Sycamore Island has been kicking out planted rainbows on trout dough bait.

Sycamore Island is open Fridays through Sundays and state holidays through November 11. Seasonal hours May through August are 6 a.m. through 8:30 p.m. Entry fees are $9 per vehicle and $5 per trailer. Annual passes are available for $85.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

Bass 3 Crappie 3 Catfish 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 3

Kokanee fishing continues to be outstanding with salmon to 19 inches reported already this year. The big ones are few and far between, but they are there. Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service is scoring quick limits running orange J-Pex lures or Paulina Peak’s Tahoe Spinner behind a gold Paulina Peak or Mag Tackle 5.5-inch dodger at depths from 40 to 50 feet. Bass fishing remains solid with a topwater bite in the mornings before switching to working steep bluff walls with plastics or jigs. 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 61%.

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 Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments held an adult and youth event over the weekend, and the tournament weights remained consistent in the 10-pound range with a big fish just over 4 pounds. The larger fish are taken on shad-patterned jerkbaits or ripbaits near the shad schools. Crappie are found at night under lights with small minnows or minijigs near the Deer Creek or Trimmer Marina. Trout trolling remains slow, but a trout plants is scheduled this week. The lake rose slightly to 33%.

In the lower Kings River, trout plants are scheduled for the next three weeks, and shore fishermen are scoring 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 the overall bite has been slow but there are periods of improved action in the slowly falling reservoir. “ I took out Dave Lewis of Sacramento on Wednesday and I spent the morning scouting for active fish. We released over 12 fish, with a 9-pounder and a 10.2-pounder working the 70-foot range with various lures that were mainly silver. The fish were spitting up mature shad as they came up to the boat. Finding the fish schools is still the key issue as we caught fish at about five places - each time a couple fish then it stopped. Trolling that covers more ground may be the best bet.”

Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait in Morgan Hill said, “The striped bass bite has been very slow, and most anglers are heading to either the California Aqueduct or the O’Neill Forebay. The wind has been brutal during the past week, and the lake has been closed on many occasions. Our minnow sales are down significantly with fewer boats heading to the lake.”

In the O’Neill Forebay, Clements said, “The forebay is kicking out schoolie stripers with white or white ice flukes on a ½- or 3/4-ounce jig head along with Rat-L-Traps. We have been selling a lot of flukes and the lipless crankbaits. 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 3 Kokane 2

The annual Bass Lake Trout Derby was this past weekend, and although none of the big-ticket grand prize fish were caught, three $500 fish sponsored by California Land Management, Bass Lake Realty, and Sierra Vacation Home Rentals were reeled in. Other big-fish sponsors with trout still in the lake are Miller’s Landing, The Forks Resort, The Pines Resort, Nancy Gunning – Realtor, Stars and Stripes Realty, Visit Yosemite Madera County, and Good Ol’ Daze. There were just over 2,300 registered for this year’s derby, and 298 tagged fish for a combined winnings of $11,160 were landed including the three sponsored $500 fish, 253 trout worth $20, and 46 trout worth $100. Mike Beighey of Bass Lake Fishing took several days off prior to the derby, but he found good action for rainbow trout and a few large kokanee to 16 inches with hoochies or spinners behind a Mag Tackle dodger at depths to 24 feet. Bass fishing is best with plastics on the drop-shot or shaky head along with jerkbaits. The Sheriff’s Motor Fee remains in effect. The lake rose to 67%, making launching a large boat at the public dock more doable.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool

Kaiser Pass is scheduled to open on May 31, but it may open sooner due to the lack of snow. Edison held at 17% with Florence rising to 22%. Mammoth Pool rose to 80% 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

Good weather brought heavy boat traffic over the weekend, but Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters kicked off his season by putting Bob Hatmaker of Arroyo Grande onto a limit of kokanee from 15 to 17 inches with 12 landed out of 21 hookups with Dick’s orange Koke Busters behind a Mountain Dodger at 33 to 37 feet south of the Point. The kokanee bite was slower overall, but trollers have been able to pull together up to two limits. John Parker and Steve Porter of Visalia were on the lake this week, and Parker reported a bit tougher action. He said, “The kokanee were a little higher in the water column from 18 to 25 feet, and they were spread out more than on previous trips. We found some at the 30 to 35-foot range, but these fish seemed to have lockjaw. We ended up with nine kokanee in the 12 to 16-inch range, losing another two at the net. We trolled from Road 2 to the island, the Point, and in Edison and Dorabella coves with my custom spinners in orange/chartreuse or Paulina Peak’s micro-hoochies in pink and purple/chartreuse.” Two separate plants of rainbows to 9 pounds from the Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project will occur within the next two months, but a plant from the Department of Wildlife is scheduled for the week of May 16. The lake rose slightly to 77%.

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. Another plant is scheduled for the week of May 16. The lake rose to 57%, 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 at Dinkey Creek was scheduled to open on May 1. A trout plant occurred at Wishon two weeks ago with a plant at Courtright last week. Dinkey Creek is scheduled to be planted for the next two weeks with Ten Mile and Tamarack creeks during the week of May 9. 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

Similar to last week, limits to near-limits of salmon were the rule south of the Pigeon Point line when the weather has been conducive to making the run south.

This port has been the epicenter of the salmon season as second Captain Michael Cabanas of the Huli Cat put in 15 limits by noon on Thursday with the top three fish at 20, 25, and 35 pounds. They started off losing 4 salmon to a sea lion before moving to another location for the limits in short order. Cabanas said, “There are humpback, fin, and blue whales lunge feeding on massive balls of krill with schools of anchovies all around.”

Stefan Grobecker of Hayward was on the Riptide out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing on Friday, and he said, “We left them biting with 12 limits to 18 pounds by 9:15 a.m. I picked up my limit while losing an estimated 25-pound salmon at the boat. It was great fishing.” The Queen of Hearts out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing was also out on Friday with 13 fishermen with near-limits at 24 salmon to 16 pounds before heading back in the wind on Saturday for a fish per rod with 14 to 14 pounds.

With all of the excitement about salmon below Pigeon, rockfish trips have been less frequent, but the Queen of Hearts put together a mid-week trip with 7 anglers for limits including a cabezon and a bonus ling cod.

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 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.

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 Surf perch 3

Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “As predicted, our week of strong northwest winds in the afternoons brought in the bait, and salmon fishing has been fantastic on the Monterey Bay. Upwelling is occurring, and it’s crazy how quickly the giant schools of anchovies come in to feed as that upwelling brings up nutrients from the depths. Anglers near the canyons are reporting lots of surface bait activity and seabird feeding as well. We are likely to see more humpback whales soon, as the anchovy schools grow.

The “Godfather of Sole,” Chris Arcoleo of Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching in Monterey is a happy charter operator this week. On Sunday he reported, “Anchovies arrived ‘en masse’. They were everywhere in the bay with a lot of squid also. So, the bait is here, and I’ll tell you what, it’s been an early bite. If you don’t get have your fish by 7:30 or so, it goes dead. There’s been a little surge around 1:30 or 2:00 p.m., but in between, it’s pretty dead. Only one fish here one fish there.” Most of the sport caught fish have come from 40 to 100 feet down and most often from the canyon edges. The Check Mate posted 18 big salmon on Saturday, but on Sunday, the numbers dropped off significantly.

According to Arcoleo, these salmon are still here, but they are going deep during the day. “The commercial guys are doing well. They need to catch them while they can their open fishing periods are short.” Those commercial boats are putting pressure on the main body of salmon in the bay. That may be why we saw sport catch rates drop over the weekend. But the northwest winds are still blowing.”

Carol Jones from Kahuna Sportfishing put out the clarion call on Wednesday. “Need anglers for tomorrow...Thursday. Anchovies showed up big time! Fish on it! Early LIMITS!!!,” her message read. The Kahuna did well for the next couple days, mooching up an average of one fish per rod. The fish were of amazing quality, one weighing in at 27 pounds with many in the high teens or low twenties. These fish are hot and hungry. There is nothing more exciting than mooching for big salmon that have been feeding on krill and anchovies. Jones reported many fish were lost and many opportunities missed despite the Kahuna crew’s urging all clients to attend their rods and keep the baits moving.

Salmon fishing always takes the headlines, but there’s plenty else to target from Monterey Bay right now. Rockfishing is productive and steady from most the reefy areas within the bay. Anglers are finding plenty of browns and gophers on the shallow reefs in 40 to 70 feet of water. The deeper reefs are producing larger quality rockfish including vermilion, canaries, coppers and lings with the occasional cabezon reported as well.

Surfcasters report an increase of action for barred surf perch from the big broad beaches of the central bay. A number of walleyes were reported caught this week as well as the occasional calico. We are still waiting for the striped bass bite to go off. A few small stripers were reported caught from Rio Del Mar down to Sand City of the past few weeks, but the bigger fish (likely from San Francisco Bay) have yet to appear. Perhaps this new influx of anchovies will spur that bite soon. Halibut are firmly on the menu, though few catches were highlighted this week. It may be just a result of salmon fever. Halibut hunters who are in the know are hooking big flatties in 40 to 70 feet of water, with a few reported caught from the beach in calm protected 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 Sturgeon 2

A week of minus tides along with high winds to 30 knots over the weekend made for difficult conditions in San Francisco Bay with the party and private boats crowding around the Alameda Rockwall and environs in the south bay to stay out of the wind. Fortunately, the morning hours provided an incoming tide which made for slightly less rocky conditions before the wind and big outgoing tide decided to fight each other and bring on big whitecaps throughout the day.

Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Fishing was out on Saturday on a ½ day trip, and he went down to the Alameda Rockwall in the morning when the wind was less challenging, and he worked along the edge of the Alameda Rockwall. He said, “I was bumping along the edge at the end of the tide, and we put in 5 halibut within 25 minutes before the bite shut off. It seemed like once I would bump up the drift, the halibut would bite. We went to the Outer Harbor of the Oakland Estuary on Sunday, and Captain Charles Kimberly on Flash II put in 7 halibut on the outgoing tide before the bite slowed. He was going to go back to the same area at the first of the income because there is a pod of fish there.”

With the big tides, the window for the bite has limited to a much shorter period, but the tides start backing off on Sunday, and this week should produce much larger scores of the flatfish.

Another massive halibut came out of the bay this week with Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle in San Rafael saying, “Ron Burns of Petaluma landed a 47-inch/50-pound halibut on a Loch Lomond live smelt off of the Paradise Pier on Monday. There have been a lot of big halibut caught already this year, and there was a diver working around the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge said, ‘I’ve never seen so many halibut.’” Considering the 1.4 minus tides, the halibut fishing has been pretty good since you wouldn’t see me out there for halibut on such a big tide. There are quite a few bass around as well, and the tides are slacking off starting Sunday, and next week should be terrific for halibut.” Loch Lomond has live ghost and grass shrimp, live smelt and anchovies, or pile worms. The smelt are extremely hardy, and once you pin on a smelt, you won’t look at an anchovy the same way.

Ed Chin at Bay Tackle in El Cerrito confirmed the slower action for both striped bass and halibut, and the wind has been the factor on the bass counts from the banks. He said, “I am surprised that the halibut are still biting with the muddy water from the wind and tides, and most boats are working around Treasure Island or the Alameda Rockwall. The water is muddy between Point Pinole and the Pumphouse, but one boat limited out on halibut there. The 50-pounder at Paradise Beach Pier is only one of many big fish, and fishermen are complaining about having their hooks straightened out or breaking off big fish. The live bait is making a difference, but halibut are still taken on frozen herring or anchovies.”

Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing went away from the fleet this week searching for peace and quiet and another area holding fish. He found bait and halibut, but the wind on Sunday made for an impossible drift, ending up with four halibut and a bass. Earlier in the week, Mitchell put Josh Pickern of Redding onto a 25-pound white seabass, one of a few landed early in the week.

The halibut scores were decent considering the combination of wind and tide with Captain Jonathon Smith of the Happy Hooker out of Berkeley returning with 17 halibut and 5 striped bass for 17 anglers on Saturday working the south bay with Captain Mike Rescino of the Lovely Martha out of San Francisco posting 30 halibut to 18 pounds plus a striped bass with the best action later in the afternoon on Sunday.

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 3

Despite salmon on the area, the San Luis Obispo party boats continue to concentrate solely on bottomfish. Rough weather over the weekend limited trips on Sunday and Monday. Out of Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay, their last trip was on Friday with the Black Pearl, Fiesta, and Rita G taking out 61 passengers for 168 vermilion, 285 assorted, 20 copper, 5 rock sole, and 2 ling cod for 2/3rd limits. The Avenger and Starfire out of Morro Bay Landing were out on Saturday with 37 anglers for 125 vermilion, 50 copper, 190 assorted, 5 Boccaccio, and 3 ling cod to 8 pounds for limits. The Patriot and Flying Fish out of Patriot Sport Fishing at Port San Luis were out on local reefs on Saturday with 36 anglers for 11 vermilion, 1 copper, and 348 assorted rockfish for limits. The ling cod continue to be scarce along the local reefs. 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 2 Sturgeon 2 Catfish 2 Bluegill 3 Shad 3

The week brought a series of minus tides, and combined with the high winds that arrived at the end of the week, striped bass trolling along with sitting on the anchor for sturgeon was a challenge.

Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing out of Laurtizen’s Yacht Harbor in Oakley has been out on the Delta every day even if he doesn’t have clients, and he said, “I am always out there searching. Fishing has been good, and we have been using more live bait over the past week with the larger tides. There is a much smaller window for trolling, but we are finding the stripers in certain locations at the right tide where I expect them to be. The winds were brutal on Saturday and with the big tides, things were a bit difficult when it came to controlling the drift. We ran looking for shelter and settled in to a place where we’ve been fishing and was also offering some protection from the wind. We were hooking from 2 to 4 striped bass on every drift so action was not lacking. As it got later, the guys got tired of dealing with conditions, so we kept our last few that we needed and headed in. We will be targeting striped bass in the Delta until June.”

James Netzel of Tight Lines Guide Service said, “There is another smolt plant starting Friday through the weekend out of Eddo’s, but the last smolt plant didn’t do much to draw in the striped bass with the larger tides. We do have the advantage of having jumbo minnows for these larger tides. It was kind of a struggle on Saturday, and we landed the bulk of our fish in the last hour as the big minnows were not working as we found our best action with the smaller-sized minnows.”

In the north Delta, Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait in Freeport said, “It is full-blown shad around here as the whole crew has arrived with both males and females migrating into the river. Shad darts, shad grubs in chartreuse or grubs on a drop-shot rig are all working from Freeport up to Miller Park in Sacramento. Striped bass has been good as well with sardines coated with garlic spray, blood worms, or pile worms. There are already some striped bass coming down from the upper river. Sturgeon are also moving down from the upper tributaries, and most fishermen have moved on to other species. Crappie are found in any of the back sloughs with small to medium minnows or minijigs.”

Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento, confirmed the shad bite, saying, “It’s red hot right no all over. Most of the striped bass have run north as there was nothing in Liberty Island this week. The big tides have also affected the largemouth bass in the north Delta as we struggled for a few fish in Prospect Slough. I should have gone into Cache Slough since the tides move slower there with the deeper water.”

The sturgeon bite remains outstanding for the few fishermen still trying for the diamondbacks, but the wind over the weekend further limited the number of fishermen. Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service took out Ryan Cook and his girlfriend, Diana Martens, out on Saturday morning to put Cook onto his first keeper sturgeon. Wise said, “It was not the greatest conditions to fish for sturgeon, but Ryan wanted to try his luck so we set out in some very nautical conditions to run across the river from Pittsburg into the protected waters of Montezuma Slough to try and hide from the wind. We finally found a hole holding a few sturgeon, and it wasn’t 10 minutes after setting anchor that Ryan’s dream came true as he was able to fight a 59.5-inch keeper. We ended the day with three hooked and two to the boat as Diana was able to land her first sturgeon that was an undersized. The ride back to the docks was one for the books with waves off of the windshield and canopy, but fortunately, our boat was up to the task.”

Striped bass continue to move into the San Joaquin-Delta while the largemouth bass action remains solid as the fish are in the varying stages of the spawn. There were a few large tournaments out of the south Delta this week including a Pro/Am that only attracted 34 boats out of Ladd’s Marina in Stockton.

Dave Houston of Livermore was out with Clyde Wands on Thursday, and he said, “The water has been very dirty on the West Bank and also the lower San Joaquin. We stayed on the San Joaquin and found clean water around Bethel Island, Spindrift Marina, and the Old River Flats. We bounced around these spots and others to catch 12 keepers and a few shakers. Friends on the Sacramento caught larger fish than us today, but the bite is definitely tough with these big minus tides.”

Chris Ditter of HeadRush Sport Fishing said, “We’ve been grinding away for limits, but it has been a grind as we aren’t marking many fish. We put in limits on a shallow troll without marking a single fish. The river is muddy in certain areas on the moving tides, but the bite is good when the tide slows down. I have been expecting more stripers to move in on the big tides, but this doesn’t seem to have happened. The San Joaquin River has stripers in small areas, but there are lots of areas with no fish. However, when the tides slow down, the stripers have been aggressively biting. I have been experimenting with Atlas rigs, and we landed an 8.5-pound striper right after dropping down. The rigs are something to use during times of larger tides with the multiple baits. I will continue to practice with the Atlas rigs to refine the technique.”

Bob Sparre of Bob Sparre Fishing Guide Service is also targeting the quieter waters of the San Joaquin to avoid the West Bank, and he said, “It was tough in the wind on Saturday, and I cancelled on Sunday and Monday due to the continued gusts. With the wind, we haven’t been able to throw topwater lures so it has been trolling or jigging for limits of small striped bass. It is a lot of hunting and pecking right now, but when you find a school, you will pick up the stripers.”

A salmon smolt release occurred this past weekend out of Eddo’s Marina near the Antioch Bridge, but the wind made it extremely difficult to work the open area along the shoals after the releases. The second day after the release is normally the best time for the striped bass along with the birds and sea lions to appear in the area.

Kenji Nakagawa of Lodi took out his father Mike on Sunday out of Korth’s Pirates Lair, and he said, “On the whole this striper run has been dismal as the big fish have been few and far between, and even getting on consistent schools has been tough. We made a quick run this am and boxed a few schoolies before 830. It was nice to get out with the old man, and he out-fished me 3 to 1 with his old school Cordell Pencil Popper.”

Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, went back into Empire Cut for striped bass limits to 13 pounds running deep-diving Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows in chartreuse. He said, “The stripers are still there, and the females are full of green eggs which tells me that they are going to spawn in the Delta. There are also a number of sea lions in there, and one of the boats drifting bluegill right next to us had on a 15-pound striper that got snatched off his line on the surface by one of the sea lions. Despite the big tides, the water in Empire Cut has been clear with 4 feet of visibility.”

For largemouth bass, Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, said, “The topwater bite is starting to come on with the ima Little Stick, but I am not seeing the fry clouds in the shallows. The wind will scatter the balls of fry, and it takes some time for them to get together once again. I have been using a couple of different baits on a slow presentation including the 10-inch Power Worm in earth tones with the lightest weight possible. I want the lightest weight possible for a slow fall to keep the bait in the strike zone. The ima Rock N’Vibe Suspend along with the Optimum Boom Boom swimbait for success, but the bass aren’t jumping in the boat. You have to search for them. I have been targeting sloughs off of the San Joaquin like Disappointment, Potato, or White and picking areas where the bass should be spawning.”

Dan Mathisen of Dan Mathisen Outdoors reported striped bass from 24 to 30 inches have been showing up on the main channel, but for largemouth bass, most anglers have been working over the beds. There is a frog bite emerging along with flipping the tules on the main river. Mathisen is hosting a tournament this coming Saturday, May 8, out of Holland Riverside Marina.

Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait and Tackle in Lathrop reported sturgeon have been moving into the south San Joaquin River near Sturgeon Bend to spawn, and there has been a heavy law enforcement presence in the region to restrict attempts at poaching. He said, “Sturgeon are biting everything including pile worms, anchovies, or sardines. There are also big striped bass moving into the river, and we are selling more pile and blood worms instead of minnows. We will be receiving fresh shad soon as the shadder is in the process of renewing his permit with Fish and Wildlife. He will be supplying the local baits shops of H and R and in Rio Vista along with ours.”

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 is steady with plastics on the drop-shot, Keitech swimbaits in shad patterns on an underspin, and small grubs as the spotted bass are holding in the shallows. The white bass bite has been sporadic, but there are opportunities when the schools show up in the river arms and coves with white Kastmasters, Roostertails, or small Keitech swimbaits in the schools. Water releases have ramped up, and the lake dropped from 36 to 34%. A webcam of the lake is available at lakenacimientolive.com. At Lopez, trollers had been scoring recently-planted rainbows at the start of the week with spoons or small crankbaits, but the bite slowed at the end of the week. Fortunately, another trout plant is scheduled for this week. Bank fishing for the planters has been slow, but there have been a few trout taken by casting long into deep water with Power Bait or nightcrawlers. The bass fishing is fair for both smallmouth and largemouth bass, and there are still fish in the shallows. Plastics on the drop-shot or Texas-rig along with Senkos are the most productive, but there is a reaction bite with spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, or crankbaits early in the morning or at dusk. Live worms are producing bluegill or red ear perch. A webcam of the lake is available at 805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam. At Santa Margarita, numbers of largemouth bass are taken in the shallows on plastics on various presentations, but there is a reaction bite with crankbaits or chatterbaits in low-light conditions. A trout plant is scheduled for this week, and this should spur on the big swimbait bite as well as provide an option for bank anglers with Power Bait or nightcrawlers. Panfish are found in red worms or jumbo red worms while catfishing is best with cut baits scented with garlic. 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 rose slightly to 17%.

Events

Tournament results

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Best Bass Tournaments - May 1: 1st –Trent Vannieuwburg/Jason Minear – 20.25; 2nd – Brent Zieska/Jim La Rosa – 19.80 (Big Fish – 8.24); 3rd – Justin and Shane Cunningham – 19.53.

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Pro/Am Pro Division (Three Limits)- April 30-May 2: 1st – Tim Woltkamp – 63.14 pounds (Big Fish – 12.62); 2nd – Bub Tosh – 59.39; 3rd – Joey Price – 58.21.

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Pro/Am Amateur Division (Three Limits)- April 30-May 2: 1st –Richard Rodriguez – 62.36 pounds; 2nd – Troy Diatte – 57.39; 3rd –Beau Carter – 55.32.

Pine Flat – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments Adult Division - May 1: 1st –Tim Wells/Jeff D’Alessandro – 10.37 pounds; 2nd – Rick Helegson/Mike Yelinek – 9.94 (Big Fish – 4.26); 3rd –Nai Saeleaw/Jeremy Jones – 9.40.

Pine Flat – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments Youth Division - May 2: 1st –Cohen and Josh Adams – 8.54 pounds (Big Fish – 3.45); 2nd – Remi and Randy Burger – 6.97; Kyler Rader/Jeremy Knauer – 6.15.

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

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 May 4, 2021 at 8:48 AM.