Fishing report, July 28-Aug. 3: West-side waterways good for striper and catfish

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

Delta bass and striper action good, Alan Fong said. Wishon and Courtright rainbows continue pumping out limits, Kelly Brewer reported. New Melones kokanee and bass bites keeping anglers busy, Kyle Wise said. Shaver kokanee on an early bite, Dick Nichols reported. Success bass bite improved, Chuck Stokke said.

Valley

West-side waterways

Striper 3 Catfish 3

Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait in Morgan Hill said, “There is a lot of bait in the aqueduct right now, and anglers are still tossing Magnum Flukes on a ½- or 3/4-ounce jig head and dragging them through the bottom of the channel. Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported Cody Greer of the shop has been finding such with a topwater rat for largemouth and striped bass to 6 pounds in Fresno Slough near Mendota. The hydrilla and hyacinth is very heavy past the boat launch.

In the southern aqueduct in Kern County, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield said, “We have a number of fishermen heading to the aqueduct, but they are complaining about the grass and floating debris with the slow, moving water. The leading catfish in our July Catfish Derby is 12.5 pounds taken out of the aqueduct.”

Call: Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis 292-3474; Bob’s Bait Bucket in Bakersfield (661) 833-8657

Eastman Lake

Bass 1 Trout 1 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2

Algae blooms are springing up in the low, stagnant waters. Catfishing is the only game in town with cut baits or chicken livers at night from the banks near the launch ramps or under lights at night in the murky water. Eastman held at 7%.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Hensley Lake

Bass 1 Trout 1 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

Similar to Eastman, blue-green algae is taking over the shallow, stagnant waters. The only game in town remains catfish under lights at night in the off-color water or during the evening hours from the banks with chicken livers, nightcrawlers, or cut baits. The lake dropped from 11% to 9%.

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 2 Kokanee 2 King salmon 2 Crappie 2

Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing was on Don Pedro this week for 14 kokanee and 10 rainbow trout for his clients with some of the kokanee approaching 2.5 pounds. He said, “The kokanee have really dropped down as we started out at 65 to 75 feet, but they started biting right away. We had three rods go off, and within another minute, the fourth rod went off. There were only a few boats trolling, and we had relative peace until the recreational fleet came out with jet skiers running right by us instead of staying at least 200 yards off. The combination of Pro-Troll’s Kokanee Killers along with J-Pex lures behind a Mack’s Sling Blade continue to work for us. We dropped down as the day went on, and we even landed a rainbow at 90 feet.”

Kokanee fishermen are requested to diligently complete the kokanee/king salmon survey every trip at bit.ly/kokesandkings.

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “Bass fishing is decent with jigs, plastics on the drop-shot, or topwater lures such as the Berkley Choppo 130 or DM Custom double buzzbait over wind-blown banks or coves along with in submerged wood. The lake dropped to 58%, and a buoy line has been installed outside of Fleming Meadows with the intent of moving the houseboats into deeper water. Some of the moorings are submerged, and boats have already destroyed their lower units by striking the submerged buoys.

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

The lake continues to drop, and it is currently at 11%. Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported largemouth bass to 12 pounds have been landed within the past few weeks, and the bass are hugging structure with the low water levels. Deep-diving crankbaits, underspins, jerkbaits, jigs or big plastic worms such as 10-inch Berkley Power Worms are effective. Crappie are found in open water by trollers seeking the holdover rainbow trout. Catfishing is another solid option with the low, warm water with Triple S Dip Bait in Blood Formula along with frozen shad. Information on the annual Lake Isabella Kern Valley Chamber of Commerce Trout Derby is available at https://www.kernrivervalley.com/2020-isabella-lake-fishing-derby. The virtual derby will run through September 6th. The French Gulch Marina is only launch ramp with the low lake level. Buena Vista remains slow overall, but carp are taken on dough baits from the shoreline along with the occasional catfish on chicken livers. The upper Kern River is still flowing at over 93 cfs at Kernville, and it’s a matter of working from pool to pool with Power Bait, nightcrawlers, or salmon eggs fished with as light a weight as possible. The upper river in the 20-Mile stretch has been best for fly fishermen with dry flies or Woolly Buggers. The lower Kern River has far more water, and the action has been good for catfish and bass with the bass on Senkos, jigs, or plastics with catfish on cut baits or dip baits.

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 2 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2

The only change has been the level of the lake as water releases have dropped the lake from 20% to 19% this week, and there are unmarked hazards throughout the shallow lake. Few bass fishermen are targeting the lake with the dropping water levels. There is a window for topwater in the early mornings before finesse techniques with Senkos or plastic work best. The bass have moved out into open water, holding on the available structure. Recreational boating continues to be heavy despite low lake levels.

Lake Success/Tule River

Bass 3 Crappie 2 Trout 3 Catfish 2

Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company in Springville said, “Bass fishing has improved even with the lake dropping. Anglers are working the submerged trees and rocky points with plastics on the drop-shot, crankbaits, and jigs for smaller bass. The big boys are submerged and being finicky.” Recreational boating continues to be heavy with the triple-digit temperatures plaguing the Central Valley, and the lake dropped to 17%.

In the Tule River, Stokke said,” The river is still fishing excellent on spinners while fly fishermen are scoring with Woolly Buggers or dry flies, and there are some 14-inch plus browns being landed.” Balch Park upper and lower is scheduled for trout plants this week.

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

McClure Reservoir

Bass 2 Trout 2 King salmon 0 Kokanee 0 Crappie 2 Catfish 2

The bass bite remains tough with 77 kayaks hitting the lake on Sunday during the Yak-A-Bass event won by Tas Moua with a limit at 90.25 inches. Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “A few decent fish are taken on topwater lures along steep banks with wood before dropping to the bottom with finesse presentations of plastics or G-Money Jigs.” 900 pounds of trout were released into the lake last week. Boat traffic remains very heavy, particularly on the weekends. Bagby, Horseshoe Bend, and McClure Point North launch ramps are closed due to water levels. The lake dropped from 34% to 32%.

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

McSwain Reservoir

Trout 2

A Department of Fish and Wildlife trout plant of 2,000 pounds occurred last week, and combined with 1,800 pounds of rainbow trout from Calaveras Trout Farm, a total of 3,800 pounds were released last week. Bank fishing is best in the early morning and late afternoons. Power Bait, nightcrawlers, or Kastmasters are working best from the Brush Pile, Handicapped Docks, or peninsula near the Marina in the early mornings while trollers are working blade/’crawler combinations, Wedding Rings, or Rapalas up the river arm. The holdover rainbows have migrated into the river arm in search of cooler water.

Call: McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534

Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River

Bass 2 Striped bass 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The full moon slowed down the bass bite, but there is some action with 5-inch swimbaits or 4-inch topwater lures in low-light conditions. Plastics on the drop-shot in shad patterns is another option.” Water releases have dropped the reservoir level to 43%, and water is running fast down the San Joaquin River, creating unsafe conditions for shore fishermen at the Broken Bridge. Recreational boating continues to dominate the lake.

Sycamore Island will be open Fridays through Sundays and State holidays through November 11. Seasonal hours of operation are 6:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. January, February, March, October, and November; 6:00 am to 7:00 pm April and September, and 6:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. May through August. Entry fees are $9.00 per vehicle and $5.00 per trailer. Annual passes are available for $85.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

Bass 3 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 3

Kyle Wise of HeadHunter Guide Service was back out on his home lake of New Melones after waiting for a few days for the lake to recover from heavy fishing pressure from the recent derby. He said, “It didn’t disappoint. We had to weed through some smaller fish, but we found the quality as the late season kokanee are showing up from 70 to 85 feet and deeper with a few from 100 to 105 feet. With the bait balls showing up, the big rainbows are also here.” Wise continues to use his combination of Apex or J-Pex lures behind a gold Mag Tackle’s Stealth dodger.

Anglers are requested to complete the kokanee survey at bit.ly/kokesandkings upon the completion of every trip to provide accurate information to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The next scheduled Kokanee Power Derby is Aug. 17 at Bullards Bar, but due to rapidly dropping lake levels and the inaccessibility of an adequate launch ramp for multiple participants, the derby may be relocated once again. The original derby on this date was scheduled for Stampede, but low water conditions and small kokanee forced the initial rescheduling.

For bass, Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “There is still a solid topwater bite with the DM Custom double buzz bait in the shallows around wood while other bass are suspended on submerged wood with 4.5-inch shad patterned plastics on the drop-shot. 3/4-ounce Hopkins Spoons or Tailspinners in the middle of the creek channels are another option along with jigs or tubes near main lake points.” The lake dropped from 47% to 45%, and there are numerous unmarked hazards throughout the lake. Boaters have to be extremely cautious.

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 0 Catfish 2 Crappie 2

The lake is releasing water at a rapid clip, dropping from 24% to 23% this week, creating dangerous conditions for shore fishermen on the lower Kings due to swift water. Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun said, “There have been some quality largemouth bass taken in the main lake by experienced fishermen, but the majority of bass are of the small variety found in the deepest portions of the lake near the dam or in the cooler water near the mouth of the river. The bass are holding on structure and seeking shade with the warm water conditions and triple-digit daytime temperatures.” Recreational boating remains high.

In the lower Kings River, the last trout plant was last week with no future plants on the schedule, and anglers have to be very cautious with the high flows. 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. The river dropped from 345 to 234 cfs near Trimmer.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474; Sequoia Fishing Co. 539-5626

San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay

Striper 2 Catfish 2 Bass 2 Crappie 2

The lake has dropped from 26% to 23% during the past week, and Roger George of Roger’s Guide Service said, “Falling water levels, wind, and a full moon have all slowed the overall bite to a slow crawl for trollers, reaction and bait anglers. The Dinosaur Point dock has already been moved to the second location, and the Basalt dock looks like it will be relocated very soon, too. I would highly suggest having a 4x4 vehicle right now especially if launching at the Basalt ramp due to heavy mud. The park’s heavy equipment operators are cleaning the dock areas regularly, but the falling water puts the dock out further every day. With all the wind lately, the new Basalt dock could be a problem — especially when loading since the dock will be pointing to the west, right where the rollers usually come from with a northwest wind. Finding fish has been the problem anglers are having as most all of the regular islands, humps and points they usually fish are already out of water. The fish continue to react to the falling water by suspending in deeper water or just shutting off entirely. It’s been one of the toughest bites I’ve seen for quite a while. The wind seems to come up just about every day after 12:00 p.m. with calm conditions followed by heavy northerly winds.”

Mickey Clements of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported some very large striped bass have been caught-and-released from the banks near Dinosaur Point with anchovies. He said, “There were stripers at 42 and 44 inches reported, and bait fishermen have the upper hand right now.” In the O’Neill Forebay, Clements reported, “Grass is growing rapidly along the shorelines, and anglers are avoiding the Check 12 area due to the grass. Most interest is occurring around the rockwall and the openings around Highway 33 with pile worms, anchovies, or sardines.” Fishermen continue to cull through many shakers for a legal limit.

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

Bass Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 2

Recreational boating remains extremely high, and the only time when trollers can access the lake is in the early mornings behind the protection of the Buoy Line near the dam. Interest in fishing has diminished with the heavy boat traffic affecting the lake. The Sheriff’s Motor Fee remains in effect. The lake held at 68%.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool

The road to Edison and Florence is open, but Edison is very low at 17% with Florence at 53%. Mammoth Pool dropped to 74%. Trout plants are scheduled at Ward Lake, Portal Forebay, and Mono Creek this week.

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 kokanee in the Central Sierra, and there is great anticipation for a successful tournament in a few months during the annual Kokanee Power Derby on Sept. 11.

Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters said, “The dawn before sunrise has been the secret for catching up to three limits of kokanee. It’s a must to be out around 5 a.m. Once the sun hits the water, it’s one here and one there. We are still fishing in the vicinity of the Point down 45 to 55 feet using Dick’s Orange Tubes or hoochies tipped with scented corn, behind a 5.7-inch gold and orange or watermelon Dick’s Mountain Dodger.

“It was multiple limits all week. On Thursday, Scott Yeager took his son, Jake and granddaughters, 8-year old Brielle and 5-year old Eisley from Coalinga, out with me. The girls caught three limits of kokanee ranging from 15 to 17 inches, and their first 10 were in the boat by 7:30 a.m. and the rest by 9:30 a.m. The big kokanee for us this week was an 18.5-inch fish caught by Sanger High football player Brady Stoval. The trout bite trolling has been better, but we have been targeting kokanee with a few throwback rainbows.”

Tom Oliveira of Tom Oliveira’s Fishing was out on the lake over the weekend, and he said, “I fished with Peter Castanos and his son Wyland for quick limits of kokanee with most being 16 to 17.5 inches. Mag Tackle’s Gold Dodgers with orange hoochies were the best setup. The fishing was great early before tapering off around 7 a.m. On Sunday, Greg Burke and Dave Fry brought their niece and daughter Maddie and Katie for limits of kokanee, and Dave landed a 5-pound 6-ounce trophy rainbow using the same lures as the previous day, but it took longer to get our 20 fish. Our best spots were the Point and in Rock Haven Cove.”

Anglers are requested to complete the kokanee survey at bit.ly/kokesandkings upon the completion of every trip to provide accurate information to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

At Huntington, trollers are finding planted rainbows or small kokanee are found near the dam with similar tackle at 20 feet in depth for trout and 38 for kokanee. A trout plant last week spurred on improved action from the banks near Rancheria Creek with Power Bait, nightcrawlers, or spinners The lake is at 99%, and the docks are in the water at the launch ramp.

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 3

Kelly Brewer of the Wishon Village RV Park and Store said, “Wishon is pretty low as boats are now launching on the dirt ramp. Courtright is still on the ramp with the docks in the water. Fishing is good at both lakes with anglers picking up limits of trout with an assortment of Power Bait or nightcrawlers from the bank while trollers are scoring with Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler behind a flasher or blade/’crawler combinations at depths to 40 feet.”

At Courtright Reservoir, Dick’s Tackle Pro Staffer, Jay Irvine of Visalia, took College of the Sequoias baseball coach Jody Allen for 25 planter size trout from 10 to 12 inches within three hours using Dick’s Trout Busters in orange/green or a chartreuse spinner behind a Paulina Peak Arnold Palmer Peak Performance dodger back between 105 and 135 feet did well. The surface water temp is about 63 degrees so the trout are not real deep.

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

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

No additional talk of bluefin tuna out of Half Moon Bay this week, but the end of July in 2020 set off a brief, but intense, spurt of bluefin fever out of this port. History could repeat itself. In the meantime, Half Moon Bay party boats are heading as far north as the Shipping Channels above the Golden Gate to get in in the best action for salmon while the table is set off of Pacifica, but the salmon remain scarce.

Captain Dennis Baxter of the New Captain Pete had a small load of 5 anglers on Thursday, and he started out above Egg Rock to find good sign of salmon with loaded of anchovies, but the guest of honor didn’t arrive on the scene once again. He said, “We tried six different spots on the south side above Egg Rock before biting the bullet and making the run up to the Channel Buoys. We arrived late, but we ended up with 7 salmon to 33 pounds with plenty of opportunities for limits provided. We landed five quality halibut off of Half Moon Bay earlier in the week.”

Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat said, “We started off salmon trolling off of Pedro Point with only a few fish being landed before we decided to make the long run north to the Channel Buoys. We ended up with 11 salmon for 9 anglers with plenty of missed opportunities due to not keeping pressure on the fish, buttoned down the drag, or not reeling when the opportunity presented itself. Jennifer Bachholm from Santa Rosa did come through with a limit of salmon to 8 pounds on straight bait. We went rockfishing off of San Gregorio on Sunday in 150 feet of water for 11 limits of rockfish and 9 ling cod, and we have research trips for the California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program (CCFRP) on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in the closed zones. Clara Ricabal from Western Outdoor News will be out on Tuesday’s research trip. These research trips have provided accurate science in determining groundfish stocks as data has been collected over the past 15 years.”

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

Monterey/Santa Cruz

Salmon 2 Rockfish 4 Striper 2 Halibut 3 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3

Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surf Casting Guide Service reported, “Salmon anglers in the Monterey Bay area are getting frustrated. There are still fish in the bay, but they’re scattered and difficult to find from one day to the next. The most productive areas bounce from Mulligan’s Hill, then up towards the Pajaro and Soquel Holes. Last week saw a few good catches straight out from the Santa Cruz Harbor in relatively shallow water of 120 feet or so. Quite a few Coho (silver) salmon are in the mix, especially in the shallows. It’s great to see the Coho population apparently on the rebound, and hard to release one when it’s the only salmon seen that day. To avoid injuring these fish, anglers are advised to leave Cohos in the water for release without netting them or letting them hit the boat deck. Sliding a gaff down the leader line and popping the barbless hook is a great way to affect a safe release.

Increasing numbers of anglers are turning towards the inshore halibut fishery as the salmon numbers wane. There are plenty of halibut in the bay with fish reported caught from the shoreline by surfcasters as well as power boat and fishing kayaks hooking up in 30 to70 feet of water. Drifting live bait is the classic technique for halibut hunters. Schools of four- to six-inch anchovies are moving into the shallows, right up to the beach this week. A few anglers found small squid spawns from the Capitola to Pajaro areas. Jigging up live squid and using them for halibut is a guaranteed killer technique and has the added benefit of possibly attracting a stray white seabass or two. An increasing number of boaters are using the bounce-ball technique. Employing a three-way rig with enough weight to keep it at the bottom, they will run a dodger with a hoochie or bait behind it. This approach has the advantage of covering more territory, and the fish literally hook themselves as the boat slow-trolls.

A few charter operations are taking the risk of targeting halibut for their clients with some decent numbers coming in. Carol Jones from Kahuna Sportfishing had a good report on Saturday saying, “Our private charter group of 14 wanted to fish in the bay so we decided to do a little halibut fishing. It paid off as they landed seven halibut, lost a few, missed some. All in all, a great day on the water!” Rodney Armstrong at Santa Cruz Coastal Charters is another skipper willing to take the gamble. This week, Armstrong reported, “Today we went halibut fishing. We trolled due to the amount of dog sharks. We ended up with three nice halibut and four nice petrale sole. We still ended up hooking about five dog sharks. Yesterday’s trip was a light-tackle rock fish and halibut combo. It went well we had seven early rockfish limits before trolling for five halibut and a pair of petrale sole.” Armstrong is featuring light spinning gear on select rockfish trips. Clients still pick up plenty of filets for the freezer when they limit out, and the action is so much more exciting on light gear.

As mentioned above, baitfish are showing up in increasing numbers along the beaches. The bait includes tiny juvenile smelt but is transitioning to schools of medium-sized anchovies. There are plenty of barred surf perch at most beaches with very few jumbos in the mix. Using the two-inch Berkley GULP! Sandworms almost guarantees success for surfcasting perch. Big game from the beaches this week was limited mostly to halibut with perhaps one out of five being keeper-sized. No idea where the stripers are, but we’ve received no reports from either side of the bay for striped bass action.”

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

San Francisco Bay

Salmon 2 Halibut 2 Striper 3 Rockfish 3 Leopard shark 3 Sturgeon 2

The salmon bite remains up and down with limits one day followed by a much scratchier bite the following day. This past weekend was a perfect example as both Captains Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing and Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters put their clients onto limits of salmon on Saturday despite rough ocean conditions, but on Sunday, they were scratching for a fish per rod. The Shipping Channel between Buoy 1 and 2 remains the hot spot, but there have been some salmon found further north near Rocky Point as well above Muir Beach at Gull Rock. Rockfishing remains excellent whether you head to the Farallon Islands or along the Marin coastline while halibut remain outside the Gate on the North or South Bay along with the occasional trophy white seabass.

Slate posted limits of salmon on Sunday trolling at the Shipping Lanes, but he said, “The fish were a mixed grade to 12 pounds, and the weather made for a rough day. We are trolling, and we still need several days of calm weather before the salmon can be taken in numbers on the mooch.”

Mitchell had a similar experience on Saturday with limits despite of more than a few cases of ‘mal de mar,’ and he said, “It was rough, but we stuck it out for limits to over 20 pounds. Sunday was a struggle to say the least as we ended up with two fish out of three opportunities. The fish are there, and we saw hard marks all throughout the day, but with the big haystacks of bait, I think they are just gorging themselves on the anchovy schools.”

Captain Jerad Davis of the Salty Lady out of Sausalito returned with an impressive score of 22 salmon to 18 pounds for 20 anglers on Thursday, working between Number 1 and 2 in the Shipping Channel. He said, “It was good for us, but it wasn’t wide open. We started out there all by ourselves, but once the news of the action broke out, we were joined by a bunch of company. A few boats ran back north to Duxbury by the end of the day, and there were some decent fish taken up there.” The first opening on the Salty Lady is August 17th.

Fortunately, there is an alternative with the Captain Chris Smith of the Pacific Dream out of Berkeley beginning to run salmon trips as they are opening up for salmon due to the great action and angler demand.

The Pacific Dream out of Berkeley went rockfishing at the Farallon Islands on Sunday, and Smith reported 16 limits of rockfish along with 16 lings to 12 pounds. He said, “After loading up with rockfish, we went to Fanny Shoals to see about the lings, but we had a hard time getting to the bottom as the rockfish were stopping the gear on the way down. They were even hitting the weights as several fish had the weights through their gills. It’s a wide-open rockfish bite out there.”

The annual Optimum/Phenix Rods swimbait trip was on Tuesday, and the group of quality anglers posted 17 limits of rockfish including 3 cabezon to 11 pounds along with limits of ling cod to 17 pounds. Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, was on the trip, and he landed the third largest ling as Vince Borges of Phenix Rods once again took the jackpot and turned over the rod to the second-place finisher. Pringle said, “I was given three firetiger swimbaits by Optimum prior to the event, and after I landed several lings, others were desiring my bait. It was a great trip with all of the action in less than 100 feet of water near the Towers off of the Marin coast. We made a few drifts for halibut at the end of the day for a total of three flatfish.”

Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursiosn was out on Wednesday for limits of salmon outside the Gate at the Shipping Channels along with limits of striped bass inside of the bay on the rockpiles. He said, “The bass haven’t been holding on the rocks at all this summer, but they were there on Wednesday. There have been some big white seabass to 55 pounds landed at Seal Rocks, and they are also off of the North Bar. We made a drift inside of Bonita Cove for nothing though.”

Inside the bay, big minus tides was the story of the week as several days of minus tides along with high afternoon winds turned the bay into ‘chocolate milk.’ Sharks are the best option in the bay right now as there is a plethora of undersized halibut, and the striped bass are on hiatus to parts unknown. Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing has been targeting the big seven-gill sharks, but he informs his anglers that they will be releasing any fish over 100 pounds. This fishery is easily overfished so it is imperative to take only what you need as our Fish and Game Department has yet to develop adequate protections based upon size or bag limit restrictions. Ocsanna Seropyan, manager of the Fisherman’s Warehouse in Manteca, was out twice with Gamez this week, and she came through with big leopard and seven-gills.

Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Sport Fishing out of San Francisco said, “We have been targeting shark in the mornings, and the shark are a lifesaver as the halibut bite in the afternoons has been extremely slow. We have been searching around the central and south bay, but the halibut have been absent. The bay has been extremely dirty on the outgoing tide, and even when it cleans up at the end of the incoming at high tide, the action has been off. We have gone outside of the Gate to pick some rockfish out of Bonita Cove to put some fish in the box.”

Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions was in the bay on a ½ day morning trip on Thursday, and he said, “We found a very tough bite, traveling from the rockpiles to Raccoon Straits to Red Rock to the Berkeley Flats, back to Red Rock and finally to the south bay near the Grey Ship before returning to the backside of Alcatraz. The water was so chocolate that we couldn’t see the bait in the bait tank, and we struggled hard for one keeper halibut along with numerous shakers released. There were no bass on the rockpiles where there had been some earlier in the week.”

Ed Chin of Bay Tackle in El Cerrito said, “The striped bass bite is hit or miss, and we still aren’t finding anything on lures. A few more stripers in the 30-inch range are starting to show up along the shorelines, but they are only hitting bait. The majority of striped bass seem to be up the river arm. Tray bait has been very hard to keep in the shop as we had three boxes of tray bait last week that sold out in a day. We are also selling plenty of bag anchovies with the absence of tray bait.”

Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle in San Rafael said, “It didn’t blow hard for once on Thursday, and there are a number of halibut around, but close to 3/4th of them are undersized. Paradise, the Marin Islands, the Marin side of the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge, or along the Marin Rod and Gun Club Pier have been the best locations for halibut. Striped bass remain absent, but there were a few days when they were found at the Brothers and the Whaling Station. I haven’t seen a year like this before when the striped didn’t show up, but we have had so many minus tides, and it will be 1.3 minus for the next few days. There were a lot of bass in our ballpark in April, but they seem to be outside the Gate at Seal Rocks or the bars right now.”

With the supply of six-pack boats growing exponentially in both San Francisco Bay and in the Delta, you are advised to book with a registered, bonded, and insured captain for safety as well as a quality trip.

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

The best quality rockfish and better ling cod counts are found on long-range or full day trips, and the Endeavor out of Morro Bay Landing was able to put 11 lings to 16 pounds out of a total of 16 lings on Sunday as part of a combined score of 252 vermilion, 40 Boccaccio, 111 copper, and 337 assorted rockfish for near limits on the Avenger and Starfire. Also out of Morro Bay, the Fiesta, Black Pearl, and Rita G out of Virg’s Landing were out on 3/4th day trips on Sunday with 45 anglers for 118 vermilion, 250 assorted, 38 copper, 2 Boccacio, a ling, and a California sheephead. The Patriot, Phenix, and the Flying Fish out of Patriot Sport Fishing at Port San Luis were out on Saturday on trips ranging from ½-day to full day with 48 fishermen for 53 vermilion, 51 copper, 9 Boccaccio, 67 Bolina, 191 assorted rockfish, one ocean whitefish, 5 ling cod, and two white seabass to 21 pounds. The new sub-limit is 5 vermilions 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 2 Catfish 3 Bluegill 3 Salmon 2

Big minus tides are not what the doctor ordered for fishing on the Sacramento-Delta, and the week of minus tides created muddy water conditions throughout the system. Combined with the lack of fresh water flow, hot water temperatures, the muddy water was one more disincentive for ocean salmon to make their move up into the rivers. Despite the limiting factors, a few salmon are making the push, but the numbers are far less than what will arrive within the next few months. But when they do make their move, they will find less-than-ideal river conditions. The big tides limited striped bass trollers by the end of the week, but largemouth and striped bass action has been tremendous in the north Delta sloughs and submerged islands.

Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle in Freeport said, “A few salmon have come in here and there on Flying C’s, and there are still plenty of striped bass on pile worms, anchovies, or sardines. Catfishing is probably the best bet with chicken livers or nightcrawlers in Lisbon Slough and all of the sloughs. Smallmouth bass are taken on live minnows, Keitech swimbaits, or plastics on the drop-shot in the sloughs, and Georgianna Slough has been the top location for the smallies.”

Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento, went into Liberty Island once again this week with Warren Trumbly and Denise Loo, and they once again limited out with largemouth and striped bass. He said, “The Prospect Slough side of Liberty Island was murky so moved to the other side of the submerged island to find clear water in 7 feet that was just loaded with grass. The stripers and largemouth bass are in the grass, and they are loading up on crawdads. Every fish was just stuffed with crawdads, and the red LV500 lipless crankbaits on a fast retrieve over the grass along with the Z-Man’s Jackhammer swimbaits. You have to rip the bait fast over the tops of the grass in order to get bit, and Denise had the technique down while Warren was experiencing a larger learning curve. The stripers were all schoolies to 5 pounds, but my nephew, Michael ‘Bubs’ Fong, was in the island on Sunday, and he caught and released stripers over 20 pounds. The stripers he kept were full of crawdads in their bellies.”

Chuck Wolf, WON staffer, said, “Rio Vista Bait and Tackle reported 8 salmon reported with the fish being taken between Sandy Beach and Isleton. 5 of the fish were taken by boats using tray baits in chartreuse, watermelon, and silver. The shoreside anglers fishing from the Isleton Dock and near the J-Mac Ferry Landing, on Steamboat Slough caught their fish on Flying C’s in orange, watermelon, and pink. Bass numbers are still very good with some big fish being caught on chatterbaits in Cache Slough and around Liberty Island. The water quality is good with very little grass or weeds. Some of the biggest catfish of the season have come from the waters around Vieira’s Resort on the Old Sacramento River on clams. Stripers are moving back into Montezuma or Three Mile Slough with mudsuckers, pile worms and minnows.

Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing out of Laurtizen’s Yachty Harbor in Oakley was back on the Delta this week, and he said, “We poked around this week on the Sacramento on Wednesday for limits of striped bass trolling before drifting live bait on Thursday in the San Joaquin for limits of striped bass. He said, “There have been some quality stripers, and when we are marking them, they are biting. The biggest concern is the lack of availability of live bait; however, I will start running trips in the Delta in the coming weeks as the striped bass are here.”

Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait reported dirty water has been the story throughout the Benicia shoreline, but halibut to 23 inches are still being landed from 1st Street, a testament of the intrusion of salt water further into the Delta. Striped bass are still coming off of the shoreline, but salmon are still on hold with few, if any, anglers trying.

Sturgeon fishermen are still on hiatus, but the diamondbacks are holding in the Delta.

Although largemouth bass remain the top story, striped bass are getting more and more play. This weekend will be the first of the two frog tournaments out of Russo’s Marina, and the recurrence of hot weather will only enhance the frog bite.

Striped bass are showing up in greater numbers, and Bill Crooks of Sacramento was out this week with Ron Retlaff and Neil Koepke in Neil’s boat. Crooks said, “Our real ace-in-the-hole was Mark Wilson was going to captain the boat throughout the day so we had over 100 years of combined experienced trolling for Delta stripers on the boat. We started out at Brannon Island, through Three-Mile Slough and down the San Joaquin to Broad Slough and back through the Sacramento to BrannonIsland for a total of 17 keepers to 14 pounds and 11 shakers. We kept four limits with the largest fish with two 5’s, 7, 9, and 10 pounds. The best fishing was above the Antioch Bridge.”

Ocsanna Seropyan, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Manteca said, “Bass fishermen are punching, flipping, and tossing topwater lures, and the Diawa TW Evergreen Shower Blow has been a huge seller in response to the topwater bite.”

For largemouth bass, Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, said, ‘Catching lots of bass isn’t a problem, and the frog bite is starting to come on, just in time for the Snag Proof Open. You have to find moving water as the bass are holdin in the current where the cooler water is found. It is a matter of keeping the bait in the strike zone as long as possible, and I am using Optimum’s Furbet the Frog along with the ima Finesse Popper, the ima Rock ‘N Vibe, and a smaller version of the Berkley General on a 2/0 Diachi hook on an offset presentation. We are using the smaller General since the bass are keying on smaller bait. The offset hook allows the bait to fall straight in the weeds.”

In the south Delta, Omega Nguyen of MegaBait and Tackle in Lathrop said, “We have fresh shad nearly every day of the week now, and I am freezing the smaller shad and putting the larger shad into trays of what is left over from the day. Locally, the striped bass bite is limited for size although there are numerous shakers in the San Joaquin River below Mossdale. Catfishing is solid with all baits, and go can get bit on every cast.”

Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, said, “Catfish are spread throughout the Delta, and basically anywhere you go, you will catch catfish on a variety of baits. Eight Mile Road, Dad’s Point, Highway 4, Inland Drive, and Bacon Island are all good locations for shore fishermen for catfish. The striped bass bite on Empire Cut near Mildred Island has slowed down for those drifting live bluegill, but the big tides may have been a factor.”

The Ultimate Frog Challenge will be held out of Russo’s Marina during the weekend of July 31/August 1st, and this tournament is a topwater frogs-only event with lures from all manufacturers possible. The original frog tournament, the Snag Proof Open, will take place at Russo’s the following weekend on August 7/8th. Both events use a 6-fish weigh in with three-fish limits on either weekend day.

A temporary emergency drought barrier has been placed in False River to slow the movement of saltwater into the central Delta and prevent the contamination of water supplies. The work began in early June, and the temporary barrier will be removed by November 30, 2021.

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 2 White bass 2 Striper 0 Catfish 2 Crappie 2 Bluegill 3 Trout 2

At Nacimiento, extremely hot temperatures combined with recreational boat traffic has limited fishermen to the early morning hours or late afternoons in slightly cooler conditions. There is a window for topwater in the early morning before heading to the bottom to 20 feet with plastics on a drop-shot or Ned-rig. White bass boils are intermittently happening throughout the lake, and white Kastmasters or spinners are working for the whites when they are boiling. The lake is extremely low at 15%, and there are unmarked hazards throughout the lake including a number of sand bars. Caution is advised while boating. A webcam of the lake is available at http://www.lakenacimientolive.com/. At Lopez, largemouth bass to 5 pounds have been taken on topwater lures first thing in the morning, and combined with spinnerbaits or small swimbaits, the reaction bite is best in the morning before heading to the bottom with plastics on the drop-shot or Texas-rig along with jigs. The launch ramp will most likely be out of the water as soon as the first week of August, and boaters need to contact the marina at (805) 489-1006 to determine if the launch is available. Meal worms, red worms, or mini-crawlers are effective for bluegill or red ear perch. A webcam of the lake is available at http://805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam/.

At Santa Margarita, the bass bite has slowed to a crawl with a few largemouths taken in the early morning hours on topwater lures along with frogs while the best action remains on the bottom with plastics on a drop-shot or Senkos on a Texas-rig. The weed growth is thick, and you have to rig your worms weedless to stay out of growth. Catfishing is fair with cutbaits coated in garlic scent or spray while bluegill and red ear perch are taken on red worms or meal worms. At San Antonio, the lake has dropped to 7%, but there is a decent crappie bite with minijigs near structure. Catfishing should be good with the hot weather, but the bite has slowed with a few whiskerfish taken on cut baits or dip baits such as Triple S Dip Bait in Blood Formula. Bass fishing remains slow with a few taken on plastics, but carp are willing biters on dough bait. The ramp opens at 1:00 p.m. on Fridays, but it is open at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Reminder: consuming white bass, black bass, crappie, catfish, or carp are subject to safe eating guidelines due to excessive mercury.

Events

Tournament results

Success – Xtreme Bass Club- July 17: 1st – Gary Wasson/Joe Baeza – 15.45 pounds; 2nd – Jaime Marquez/Grant Byers – 13.65.

Don Pedro – River Rat Night Tournament (No last names provided) - July 23: 1st – Ryan/Johnny – 12.81 pounds; 2nd – Steve/Russ – 11.86 (Big Fish – 4.47); 3rd – Jose/Adrian – 11.66.

Clear Lake – Best Bass Tournaments - July 24: 1st – John Neese/Brian Dickson Jr.– 25.96 pounds; 2nd – David Homen/Bryan Cox – 23.18; 3rd – Lee Branstetter/Steve Conselvi – 22.46 (Big Fish – 7/05).

McClure – Fresno Bass Club Night Tournament (Two Limits) – July 24/25: 1st – Jose Guzman – 22.42 pounds; 2nd – Tim Turner – 21.68; 3rd – Mark Corrente – 19.76. Big Fish – Seth Rowe – 6.16 spotted bass.

McClure –Yak A Bass – July 24: 1st – Tas Moua – 90.25 inches; 2nd – Damian Thao – 85.00 inches; 3rd – Jonathan Hervey – 79.75 inches.

Success – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments - July 24: 1st – Dave Simpson/Randy Burger – 13.10 pounds; 2nd – Brandon Turner/Seth McLain – 11.04; 3rd – Gary and Kodi Wasson – 10.74 (Big Fish – 6.46).

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

July 31/August 1

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Angler’s Press Ultimate Frog Challenge

August 7/8

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Snag Proof Open

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Angler’s Press

August 7

Amador – Tri Valley Bassmasters

New Melones – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies/Bass N’ Tubes

August 8

Amador – Gold Country Bass Tour

August 14/15

Don Pedro – Modesto Ambassadors

August 14

Delta/Holland Riverside Marina – Dan Mathisen Outdoors

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Bass Anglers of Northern California/Delta Bass Busters

Pine Flat – Xtreme Bass Club

August 21/22

Los Banos Reservoir – Wild West Bass Trails

August 21

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Best Bass Tournaments

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – NorCal Bass

Don Pedro – Sierra Bass Club

Pine Flat – Fresno Bass Club

Kaweah – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

Isabella – American Bass Association

Nacimiento – San Luis Obispo Bass Ambushers

August 22

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Nor Cal High School Bass

Delta/Russo’s Marina – East County Student Anglers

August 23

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Stanislaus County Sheriff’s

August 28/29

Pine Flat – Bass 101

This story was originally published July 27, 2021 at 7:59 AM.