Fishing report, Aug. 11-17: ‘Shaver kokanee still gulping lures’ among 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.

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Best bets

Don Pedro trout hitting, Kyle Wise reported. Tule River trout bite good, and McSwain rainbow plants working for limits, Dave Hurley said. Shaver kokanee still gulping lures, Dick Nichols reported. Wishon and Courtright continue pumping out trout, Kelly Brewer said. Delta bass and striper action good, Alan Fong reported.

Valley

West-side waterways

Striper 2 Catfish 2

Hot daytime temperatures and heavy smoke over the weekend continue to limit anglers at the California Aqueduct, but Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported fishermen are still casting Magnum Flukes on a ½- or 3/4-ounce jig head and dragging them through the bottom of the channel.

In the southern section of the aqueduct in Kern County, Bob’s Bait and Bakersfield said, “The water hasn’t been moving, and the striped bass bite has slowed. I haven’t heard of a striper caught for some time, but anglers are focusing on catfish with Triple S Dip bait or mackerel or largemouth bass with nightcrawlers or plastics on the drop-shot.”

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

Very little change here with Eastman being plagued by low, stagnant water and forming algae blooms. Eastman is now at 6%, and 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.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Hensley Lake

Bass 1 Trout 1 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2

Similar to Eastman, very little change here with Hensley being plagued by low, stagnant water and forming algae blooms. The lake is currently at 8%. 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. A few bass are taken on plastics.

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

Lake Don Pedro

Bass 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 2 King salmon 2 Crappie 2

Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing said, “The kokanee are sitting on humps in the river channel, and you have to get down to them as they have really scattered. We see them on groups of 2 or 3 on the graph, and we can call our shot when we find them because they will hit soon after. We put in 8 kokanee on our last trip in addition to rainbows and a 3-pound king. We have been either rolling shad for the rainbows or kings with the Pro-Troll Kokanee Killers or UV Apex lures at depths closer to 100 feet for the kokanee. Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service found easy rainbow action for quality trout running UV Apex lures, and they also boxed a 7-pound king. The kokanee and kings are deep while the rainbows are taken on similar gear higher in the water column. Good electronics are a must at this time of year. Bass fishing remains 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 56%, 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. The lake dropped to 56%.

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

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 2 Bluegill 2

The lake dropped to 10%, and the French Gulch Marina is only launch ramp with the low lake level. Bass fishing is still decent with topwater lures such as Spooks or Whopper Ploppers in the shallows to 15 feet of water. The water temperature is in the 80-degree range, and it is stained. Bass fishing is best around trees or boulders. Bluegill, catfish, and largemouth bass are providing the best action. No trout have been reported despite the Lake Isabella Kern Valley Chamber of Commerce Trout Derby continuing through September 6th. Information is available at https://www.kernrivervalley.com/2020-isabella-lake-fishing-derby. Buena Vista is kicking out crappie under lights at night with minijigs. Catfishing is slow, but bass can be taken on plastics on the drop-shot around structure. Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield touted the lower Kern River as the top option in the region with largemouth and smallmouth bass along with catfish. The upper Kern River dropped from 162 to 106 cfs at Kernville, and the upper stretch of the river is even lower. It is as low as most long-time residents of the area have witnessed. The rainbows are holding in the pools, and you have to work stealthily from pool-to-pool with Power Bait, nightcrawlers, or salmon eggs fished with as light a weight as possible.

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 1 Catfish 2

The only change has been the level of the lake as water releases have dropped the lake from 17% to 16% this week, and parts of the lake under several feet of water are now exposed. There are unmarked hazards throughout the shallow lake. Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait reported bluegill and crappie are possibilities along with spotted and largemouth bass. 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 such as rockpiles. Recreational boating continues to be heavy despite low lake levels.

Lake Success/Tule River

Bass 2 Crappie 1 Trout 3 Catfish 2

The lake keeps dropping, and it is currently at 15%. Bass fishing is up and down with a morning and evening topwater bite near structure before dropping to the bottom with plastics on a drop-shot or Texas-rig. In the Tule River, trout fishing remains excellent with dry flies, particularly terrestrials. Spin casting with nightcrawlers, spinners, spoons, or Power Bait has been excellent with the previous trout plants at upper and lower Balch Park.

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 for both numbers, but there have been some quality largemouth and spotted bass taken on the Berkley Choppo 130 topwater lure along steep banks with wood. A recent trout plant of 1000 pounds could bring out the big swimbait bite for quality largemouth and spotted bass. After first light, dropping to the bottom with finesse presentations of plastics or G-Money Jigs is best. 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 31 to 29%.

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

McSwain Reservoir

Trout 3

A Department of Fish and Wildlife trout plant of 2,000 pounds occurred two weeks ago and along with a Calaveras Trout Farm plant of 1,800 pounds, bank fishing is solid in the early morning and late afternoons with Power Bait, nightcrawlers, or Kastmasters 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. Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait and Tackle in Lathrop reported anglers are drifting live minnows around structure for crappie. The annual fall Merced Irrigation Trout Derby is scheduled for Oct. 2-3.

Call: McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534

Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River

Bass 2 Striped bass 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 3 Crappie 1

The lake held steady at 43%, and the spotted bass are loading up on crawdads with crawdad-patterned crankbaits or large orange jigs working best along small rocks in the main lake. Recreational boating continues to dominate the lake, but it will cease in the coming weeks. Bluegill are thick around the shorelines. A few striped bass on the small side are found below Friant in the river.

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 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 2

The kokanee are holding tight to structure, and it takes experience to entice the big fish to bite. Big Apex lures in UV or similar large lures at depths from 100 to 110 feet are producing the occasional large kokanee in the south end of the lake. Big rainbow trout to over 6 pounds are taken on the troll or at night under lights with nightcrawler/Power Bait combinations at 50 to 70 feet. Bass fishing is all about timing with the colder nights creating a better window for topwater with Spooks, Whopper Ploppers, or Poppers as the bass are starting to feed on shad. Wind in shady pockets is a key to finding a solid topwater bite. Finesse presentation of Senkos or plastics on the drop-shot are also effective during the day. The lake dropped from 43 to 41%, 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 continues to release water, and it dropped from 21 to 20% this week. Fishing action has been extremely quiet at the lake with bass holding in the deepest water near the dam or what is left of the river arm. Finesse presentations in deep water near the dam is the best bet for the spots. Trout trolling is slow with most boats heading to the high country for more consistent action. A trout plant is scheduled in the lower Kings River this week, but the water releases have created dangerous conditions with fast-moving 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.

The river dropped from 307 to 216 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

San Luis Reservoir continues to drop rapidly due to heavy water releases down the California Aqueduct, and it receded from 21% to 18% this week. The Dinosaur Point Launch ramp is the only place to put in a boat for the next few weeks until repairs are completed at the Basalt Recreation Area Ramp.

Bill Sterling of the Sportsmen’s Warehouse is a striped bass afficionado with his social media page, Striperz Gone Wild, and he was excited about the big stripers taken from the banks at Dinosaur Point or the Basalt Area with live grass shrimp in the afternoons towards the evenings. The linesides are loading up on the grass shrimp that make into the big lake and the aqueducts through increasingly salty conditions in the Delta.

Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “With the lake levels so low in the main lake, trollers are picking up quality stripers with P-Line Predators, Lucky Craft Pointer 100s, or Duo Realis 120s as the fish are concentrated. In the forebay, most anglers are working under the Highway 152 Bridge as the grass is thick throughout the lake. If you don’t have waders, it is hard to find anyplace to cast without being in the grass. The California Aqueduct seems to have slowed down for stripers with most fishermen now targeting largemouth bass, but there is still action for those tossing swimbaits on a ½- or 3/4th -ounce jig head and dragging it along the bottom.”

Roger George of Roger’s Guide Service said, “The Basalt ramp #2 is still closed as the Park evaluates the road out to the launch, and hopefully it can be reopened in the next week or so. Boaters will need to launch at the west side Dinosaur Point launch #2 for now, but it may be moved again in a couple days to the final #3 launch ramp. The lake is expected to reach the low point capacity level fairly soon - where no more releases can be made. Overall, Fishing has been very tough for boaters, trolling or throwing reaction baits as the fish remain fairly inactive in response to the dropping water. Shore anglers using bait or shrimp are probably doing the best right now for school-sized fish. I had a guest cancellation this week due to the heat, but once again I decided to go scouting alone. I covered the whole lake for nine hours and only caught six fish with one of them going 40 inches and 20.3 pounds at about 60 feet. I released it in great shape on the Seaqualizer tool. Everyone’s trolling numbers are down and finding fish seems to be the issue. Much of the lake is only 60 feet deep, and the fish can be anywhere out in the middle. The algae is heavy in some parts of the lake, and finding active fish is the key!”

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. The lake has dropped to 21%.

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

Fishermen have to get out on the water very early as boat traffic ramps up after 8 a.m. The recreational boat traffic will start to slow down with local schools starting back in session in the next few weeks. Holdover kokanee and rainbow trout are found in limited numbers by trollers from 5:30 to 7 a.m. 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 dropped slightly to 67%.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool

The road to Edison and Florence is open, but Edison is very low at 16% with Florence at 49%. Mammoth Pool dropped to 68%. Trout plants took place at Ward Lake, Portal Forebay, and Mono Creek last week.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake

Kokanee 3 Trout 2

Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters said, “Shaver continues to be the place to go for kokanee. The water level continues to slowly recede causing trollers to be a little on their toes as the depths have changed somewhat. We have been picking up multiple limits still using Dick’s Mountain Hoochies in orange and orange Mountain Tubes all tipped with corn behind a 5.7-inch Mountain Dodger in gold and orange foil and rainbow, with a setback of 30 to 40 feet. Last week we were at 55 to 60 down, this week we have dropped to a solid 62 feet deep. On Monday, we found them at 68 feet with a great bite. The week started out with a bang as the Giubbini Brothers, Bob, Rick and Mike, from Paso Robles, picked up their limits. It continued with multiple limits all week. The largest we had was a 19-inch koke caught by 9-year old Vivian Kerr of Los Angeles. Many of the kokanee are now in a pre-spawn mode. Trophy trout have been picked up near the dam along with catchables. The trout bite for shore fishermen has improved.”

Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun reported smallmouth bass to 18 inches taken near the rocks on finesse hair jigs near Road 3.

The lake has dropped from 70% to 68%.

Todd Wittwer of Kokanee.net Guide Service had 13-year old Jordan Otani of Dinuba over the weekend, and he said, “He is quite an accomplished fishermen who loves fishing and handles a rod with ease. He landed some quality kokanee on the boat.”

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

At Huntington, a trout plant is scheduled for this week, and this will help the shoreline action near the mouth of Rancheria Creek with Power Bait, nightcrawlers, or spinners. The lake is close to full at 97%, but water releases have started. Trollers are scoring planted rainbow trout with orange, silver/pink, or copper/orange spoons at depths to 20 feet with the kokanee holding as deep as 40 feet.

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, “Both lakes are still fishing good, and trollers are scoring with Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler behind a flasher or blade/’crawler combinations at depths to 40 feet while bank fishermen are picking up limits of trout with an assortment of Power Bait or nightcrawlers near the launch ramps or the dam.” Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis found good action for rainbows and browns on crankbaits or spinners at the river inlet at Wishon. The water level at Wishon has dropped, and boats have to launch from the dirt. Courtright remains on the concrete ramp. Trout plants at both lakes are scheduled for the week of Aug. 15.

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

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

Halibut fishing continues to be solid along the beaches south of the Half Moon Bay harbor while the most consistent action remains for rockfish. Salmon fishing out of the harbor requires a ride north of the Golden Gate to the Channel Buoys for the best opportunity to post a score.

The Queen of Hearts out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing has been focusing upon rockfish with the slowdown in salmon action, and they posted a combined 22 limits of rockfish along with 6 ling cod on two trips at the end of the week.

The Ankeny Street has also been focusing on rockfish south of the harbor before making some drifts along the beaches, and they posted 17 limits of rockfish including 5 cabezon along with 10 ling cod to 18 pounds and two bonus halibut to 17 pounds.

Captain Dennis Baxter of the New Captain Pete was out with 10 anglers for salmon on Saturday, and they came in with a ½-fish per rod with 5 salmon to 20 pounds. Earlier in the week, deckhand and social media expert, son Braden Baxter, said, “With salmon fishing being a bit on the slower side, we have used our days off to do some recreational fishing. We took my girlfriend, Kennedy Arnold of Half Moon Bay, out with my sister, Jenna, to do some local Half Moon Bay-style potluck fishing with fresh-dead squid for 10 halibut, 6 lings, and some quality bottom-grabbing rockfish. On an earlier trip, we scored six halibut and a bonus net pen salmon out in front of the harbor.”

Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat has been up the coast conducting California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program trips out of Bodega Bay, but he will be back at the harbor at the start of the week.

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

Monterey/Santa Cruz

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

Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surf Casting Guide Service reported, “Inshore waters have warmed considerably in the Monterey Bay. Temperatures were recorded as high as 65 degrees along the beaches this week. Prevailing south winds for the last week also contributed to a massive red tide bloom extending in some spots out to 120 feet of water. The algae bloom is so thick that visibility is reduced to as little as 15 inches on the surface. Needless to say, fish are not biting where the red tide is thick. Some clear areas can be found, and the deeper open ocean spots remain clear.

Charter operations such as Chris’s Whale Watching and Fishing Trips from Monterey and the Kahuna from Moss Landing are turning left at Point Pinos where the water remains clear and rockfish limits are still the norm. In Santa Cruz, Stagnaro’s Sportfishing and the six-pack Go Fish Santa Cruz are heading to the north of town. Wilder’s Beach area has featured clear water and a good rockfish bite including blues, blacks, canaries, and vermilion. The six-pack vessel Miss Beth made most of their trips this week up to Franklin Point above Ano Nuevo where the water is clear. The boat is commonly limiting out before 10:00 a.m. with quality canaries, vermilion, and lingcod in the mix.

Private boaters can find clear areas out past 60 feet of water. Many are bounce-balling or drifting bait for halibut, and still doing quite well on the big flatfish. Just east of the Santa Cruz Mile Buoy in 60-70 feet of water has been fairly consistent for halibut, and the Pleasure Point area down to Capitola is producing very well, especially for anglers using live bait. Big schools of medium-sized anchovies can be found for jigging up in that entire area. A good number of flatties were located from the Cement Ship down to Pajaro as well. Salmon fishing is very slow. A few die-hard salmon anglers are still giving it a go and catching a salmon or two here and there, usually by the Soquel or Pajaro Canyon edges.

Surcfcasters probably suffered the worst with the heavy red tide conditions lately. Reports this week featured skunks for most experienced surfcasters from all the beaches between Moss Landing and Santa Cruz. The algae bloom stretched all the way down to Monterey so surf fishing was mostly an exercise in futility on that side of the bay as well. By Sunday, some of the beach areas were cleaning up, Perch catch reports increased to two to ten fish for the experienced anglers, and a few small stripers were also reported from the Pajaro River area.

Hopefully the weather pattern has turned. With northwest winds blowing in the afternoons, and slight offshore winds resuming during the nighttime hours, the red tide should retreat and we can get back to our usual late-summer abundance-style fishing.”

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

Golden Gate/San Francisco Bay

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

It’s all about quality right now on the Golden Gate salmon front with massive fish up to 45 pounds weighed in this week. As the bite varies from day-to-day, other party and private boats are starting to opt for rockfishing, either at the Farallon Islands or up the Marin coastline. The salmon have moved in towards the coast, and the next several weeks will continue to produce some of the largest fish of the year, if not in recent memory.

Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters out of Loch Lomond is a specialist on mooching for salmon, and he said, “We returned with 5 salmon between 20 and 30 pounds on Sunday, and we hit four of the big fish right off of the bat first thing in the morning. We dropped in on them with two 25-pound salmon on the first drift before picking up another fish per drift on the next two. It was a long day for the final fish of the day although the conditions look fantastic and we are marking salmon throughout. I think the boat pressure puts them down as we are picking them up at 20 to 30 feet on the mooched anchovies. Once the boat traffic stops in the late afternoon, the bite rebounds. One commercial fisherman out of Bolinas hadn’t had a salmon all day long until after 4:00 p.m. when he boxed 7. Our previous trip produced a salmon at 38 pounds, gilled and gutted so it was over 40 pounds whole. This fish was 40 inches long and so thick throughout. My rod when off, and I handed it to a good customer who got his monies worth with a great fight before the salmon finally came to the net.”

Captain Jerad Davis of the Salty Lady came in with a solid fish per rod for 20 anglers on Friday, and he said, “The big slugs are found at Duxbury, and we started off picking up some slugs trolling there before the numbers weren’t what I would have liked for the big boat. After moving over to the Channel Buoys, we also found some big slugs there along with some smaller 2-year old salmon. With the big fish, we are lucky to bring 50% of the hook ups to the net.”

Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions took out a bachelor party of graduates from Stanford University on Sunday, and he said, “We started off rockfishing up the coast for limits and 4 ling cod before heading to the Channel Buoys for 11 salmon for the 7 anglers. The majority of salmon were commercial-grade, and we had a quad on at one time.”

Rockfishing is solid at both the islands and up the coast, and Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing loaded up with limits of rockfish and 3 ling cod to 15 pounds on Saturday. Earlier in the week, the Pacific Dream out of Berkeley took out another Phenix Rods charter for limits of rockfish and plenty of ling cod at the Farallon Islands and north to Fanny Shoals.

There hasn’t been a tremendous change in fishing action inside of San Francisco Bay as most party and private boats continue to head outside of the Golden Gate of the highly-desired gamefish of salmon, ling cod, or rockfish with the occasional halibut. The halibut inside of the bay are primarily undersized below 22 inches in length, but there are a few keepers. A few striped bass are starting to show up, but the bay striped bass summertime bite was missing in action so far in 2021. Shark fishing is the staple, and it’s pretty much guaranteed action to get on a good leopard shark bite with a few experienced six-packs targeting the larger seven-gill, cow, or soupfin sharks.

Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Sport Fishing out of San Francisco said, “Shark fishing in the south bay remains very good, and I have been taking half-day trips down off of Candlestick Point for easy limits of leopards. Halibut fishing is limited to a few keepers if you are fortunate, and one of our San Francisco six-packs ended up with 8 halibut, but they were all shakers. There were 20 halibut landed along a ledge near Hunter’s Point, but only three were over 22 inches. That’s pretty much been the story as we have been taking most of our half-day trips up the coast towards Muir Beach for limits of rockfish.”

Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions out of San Francisco took Saturday’s charter outside of the Gate for limits of rockfish by 8:15 a.m. before heading back inside the bay towards Red Rock. He made a pass by Angel Island and spotted a pair of white seabass on the meter and set up on them. They weren’t interested, however. They ended up with a legal halibut at 10 pounds off of Alcatraz Island along with a number of shakers released. Koyasako is known as ‘The Ghost Whisperer’ for his mastery of San Francisco Bay’s white seabass, and the prime time is coming during the months of late September through early November.

Keith Fraser, the vaunted ‘Lord of the Sea’ out of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle in San Rafael, said, “Fishing is at least fair, but it’s nothing to brag about overall. One boat came in with 5 legal halibut while others come in with zeros. There are quite a few undersized halibut out there, and the bass are starting to move in. Dusty Baker, manager of the Houston Astros, was on town on a recent road trip to play the Giants, and their boat landed 6 stripers to 7 pounds fishing between Red Rock, the Brothers, and the Whaling Station. There have been some salmon rolling at California City, and at least one 20 pounder has been caught there. With all of the big fish coming out of the ocean, I expect it will be an excellent year at Cal City.”

Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing continues to find great action for the big shark in the central bay although his boat releases all massive shark over 100 pounds.

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

Rockfishing is the name of the game out of the San Luis Obispo ports, and the long-range trips are producing the best quality of rockfish along with higher ling cod counts. The San Luis Obispo ports are running trips ranging from ½ day to long rang, and most weekends will feature several half-day trips along with a 3/4th to full day trip. Out of Morro Bay Landing, the Endeavor, Avenger, and Starfire were out on Sunday with 93 fishermen for 111 vermilion, 15 Boccaccio, 25 copper, 529 assorted rockfish, and 3 ling cod to 8 pounds. Also out of Morro Bay, the Fiesta, Black Pearl, and Rita G out of Virg’s Landing were out trips ranging from ½- to 3/4th-day on Sunday with 74 anglers for 149 vermilion, 483 assorted, 50 copper, 30 Boccaccio, 3 ocean whitefish, 4 rock sole, and 10 ling cod. All of the lings were taken on the long-range trip. 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 3/4th-day with 77 fishermen for 21 vermilion, 4 copper, 6 Boccaccio, 99 Bolina, 374 assorted rockfish, 1 cabezon, and 11 ling cod to 11 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

The salmon that have been migrating into the Sacramento River system in limited numbers, and they aren’t sticking around the Delta region as they are moving rapidly upstream and not holding in any section in the long stretch of water from the Golden Gate to above Red Bluff. Warm water temperatures are chasing the salmon in search of the first cold water which will not occur until they are up above the Woodson Bridge. The very occasional salmon is landed from Freeport upstream, but these are the exception. Striped bass fishing continues to improve while largemouth bass remain present in the north Delta submerged islands and sloughs. Smallmouth bass are holding along the rocks in the Old Sacramento towards Walnut Grove.

Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento, has been scoring limits of bass to 25 pounds on Z-Man’s red Jackhammer chatterbait in the past few weeks, but this week he found something new. He said, “I took out a longtime partner, and she pitched a shad-patterned spinnerbait towards the bank for a 6-pound largemouth on her first cast. I thought it was a fluke until she landed 3 pounders on her next two casts. They wanted the blade on this day in shad patterns so perhaps the bass got tired of eating crawdads. The waters around Liberty Island are clearing up, but heavy herbicide spraying has been taking place, and there was floating grass that is now pushing out. Striped bass fishing has slowed for us, but a friend picked up some stripers in Liberty on Sunday.”

Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors had a similar report to last week with the best numbers and quality of largemouth bass in the north Delta with reaction baits on a fast retrieve. He has been punching the isolated weed mats as well as using crawdad-patterned chatterbaits with a Reaction Innovation’s Bloody Mary, Kinky Beaver, or Sexy Beaver in red to match the crawdads.”

For striped bass, Dave Houston of Livermore moved over to the Sacramento River on this week’s trolling trip after starting in the San Joaquin above the Antioch Bridge, and he said, “We worked the West Bank to above the Sherman Island Power Lines, and we left them chomping. We went looking for new fish after this, but we were unsuccessful. There are a lot of stripers in the system, and they are still hitting red/white lures. We ended up with 25 keepers and 7 shakers.”

Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing said, “Striped bass fishing is fantastic throughout the Delta, and we are trolling until we find them and then spooning them up. It has been very hard to obtain live bait right now, but trolling and spoons have both been effective. There is an incredible number of stripers in the system as we are finding stacks 8 feet high in 15 feet of water, just loaded solid with fish. These stripers have been in the system for some time as they don’t have the purple lines of ocean-run fish.”

There are some big fish showing up in the system, and Mario Kelsay of Sacramento caught and released a 40-pound striped bass trolling on the Sacramento River near Rio Vista. He said, “We found haystacks of stripers, but they would move after a pass or two. Deep-diving lures in chartreuse were the ticket, and we released 20 keepers to 40 pounds along with 4 shakers. We thought the big fish was a sturgeon because that was the only thing that made sense with just how long she was. We released her after a quick photo.”

Pam Hayes of Benicia Bait reported no salmon have been landed as of yet off of the Benicia shoreline, but she said, “Once they catch one, the numbers will swell. Right now, it’s just the regulars out there tossing Vee-Zee spinners, but they have been catching striped bass in greater numbers. We haven’t had any sturgeon reports yet, but we know they are out there. Tray bait has been in high demand, but it looks like we have a supply for the week, and grass shrimp is holding up strong.”

A few sturgeon fishermen are coming out of the woodwork, and within the next few months, more and more anglers will be targeting the diamondbacks.

The second of the annual frog tournaments, the original specialty event, the Snag Proof Open, attracted 140 boats out of Russo’s Marina this past weekend, and it was a tale of varying conditions.

Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, said, “What a difference a day make as we had two weather changes that dramatically affected the frog bite. During this tournament, only Snag Proof or Scum Frogs, both manufactured by American Baitworks are able to be used. On Saturday, we fished the afternoon tide, and it was overcast with smoke from the wildfires with no wind. The 3-fish limits on the first day came in a 17.23 pounds on the pro side which nearly eclipsed the two-day total from last week’s frog tournament. On Sunday, the boats fished the morning tide, and it was cold at 58 degrees and the winds came up. These conditions make for a challenging topwater bite, especially with frogs, and the limits showed it. The pro winners of Jason Cornell and Matt Wheeler came through with another big limit at 17.41 pounds for a total six-fish limit at 34.64. There were several fish that came in over 8 pounds with two big fish of the tournament at 9.74 pounds, but the overall size of the limits came in much lower in Sunday’s colder conditions. On the amateur side, the team of Bill and Clif Wentworth came out of the pack on day two for a total two-day limit at 19.01 pounds for first place.”

The top 7 limits on the pro side of the Snag Proof tournament came in higher than the 20.13-pound limit that took first during last weekend’s Ultimate Frog Challenge, and the 8th place limit was equal at 20.13 pounds. The conditions make a tremendous difference in a frog tournament, but sales of frogs were estimated at 2.5 times greater at the Snag Proof event.

Overall, the Snag Proof was a big success as the overall bass bite on the Delta has been tough with the Angler’s Press Ram Delta Challenge leading day one on Saturday with a five-fish limit at 18.78 pounds.

Ocsanna Seropyan, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Manteca reported high sales of Snag Proof and Scum Frogs before the weekends event while the bass bite has been tough for a number of anglers. She said, “The topwater bite has been off and on with Whopper Ploppers or frogs.”

Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors said, “The south Delta has been producing a few big bass with the central Delta loaded with smaller bass. The spraying has been quite heavy, and a big grass mat near Mandeville Island that I have been working was dead and gone when I returned this week.”

The We Fish for Him Series from Dan Mathisen Outdoors continues this weekend with Saturday’s tournament out of Holland Riverside Marina.

Striped bass action is best above the Antioch Bridge with Dave Houston of Livermore finding solid action for keeper linesides on the troll with the best action on red/white deep-divers.

In the south Delta, Omega Nguyen of MegaBait and Tackle in Lathrop said, “We have been getting in fresh shad nearly every day, and we are selling out early in the morning. The action on the San Joaquin below Mossdale has been limited to catfish or small stripers on cut baits.”

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 3 Crappie 2 Bluegill 3 Trout 2

At Nacimiento, the lake has dropped to 14%, and there are unmarked hazards throughout the shallow lake. Boaters have to be extremely cautious to avoid striking a sandbar or submerged hump. There hasn’t been much change from last week with a topwater bite in the early mornings or evenings and dropping to the bottom with plastics on the drop-shot or Texas-rig at depths to 20 feet off of main lake points or bluff walls. White bass are found boiling in certain areas of the lake, but the boils are unpredictable. Small white Kastmasters or spinners are effective cast into the boils if you are able to move stealthily into the boil with a trolling motor. A webcam of the lake is vaailable at http://www.lakenacimientolive.com/.

At Lopez, largemouth bass action is good for fish to 3 pounds with a reaction bite with topwater or crankbaits early or late while plastics are the most consistent bite with worms or jigs. Spinnerbaits are effective when the wind is blowing. Red ear perch are sucking up red worms or minicrawlers from the banks. The launch ramp is expected to be out of the water by early September at the latest, and boaters are advised to contact the marina at (805) 489-1006 for specific information prior to hitching up. A webcam of the lake is available at http://805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam/.

At Santa Margarita, weed growth along the edges of the lake has allowd for a topwater frog bite, and there is some action for largemouth bass to 2 pounds with buzzbaits. Lipless crankbaits or shallow-diving cranks are are picking up bass. Catfish to 16 pounds have been taken on mackerel scented with garlic while bluegill action is picking up with red worms or meal worms. At San Antonio, the lake is very low at 7%, but the lake should remain near this elevation for the remainder of the summer. With a limited pool of water, crappie are holding tight to structure, and the slabs are taken on minijigs or Keitech swimbaits. The numbers are limited, but there have been some large slabs taken. Carp are present throughout the shallows on dough baits while catfishing is fair with cutbaits. Bass fishing is showing some signs of life with plastics on a variety of presentation. Mackerel scented with garlic remains the best bet for catfish. 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

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Snag Proof Open Pro Division (6 fish limits)- August 7/8th: 1st ––Jason Cornell/Matt Wheeler – 34.64 pounds; 2nd – Xiong Vang/Tou Vang – 25.66; 3rd – Dave Cole/Ron Selk – 25.36.

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Snag Proof Open Amateur Division (6 fish limits)- August 7/8th: 1st –– Bill and Clif Wentworth – 19.06 pounds; 2nd – Donald and Tim Rickett – 18.44; 3rd –Jeff Short/Bill Rowells Jr. – 18.16.

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Major League Fishing Pro Division (15 fish limits)- August 3-5th: 1st –– Andrew Loberg– 55 pounds, 11 ounces; 2nd – Michael Moreno – 48 pounds, 15 ounces; 3rd –Jon Stretic 47.00– 33.05.

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Major League Fishing Co-Angler Division (15 fish limits)- August 3-5th: 1st –– Keith Hurney – 37 pounds, 12 ounces; 2nd – Colby Huntze – 35 pounds, 6 ounces; 3rd – Brandon Gee – 33 pounds, 5 ounces.

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

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