Fishing report, Sept. 1-7: Retiring Shaver Lake guide Dick Nichols’ best advice

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

Delta stripers and bass lead the parade, Alan Fong said. Shaver Lake kokanee limits the rule, Dick Nichols reported. Don Pedro trout keep up the pace, Monte Smith said. Wishon and Courtright kicking out rainbows, Kelly Brewer reported. San Luis stripers hitting bait, Bill Sterling said.

Roger’s remarks: Secret to being a good guide

My replacing Dick Nichols, who’s retiring Sept. 10 after 16 years as a fishing guide at Shaver Lake, germinated 11 years ago at our annual lunch when Dick told me I should become a guide.

The next year, Dick once again told me I needed to get my guide license. I confessed I hadn’t done it because I was afraid of having a bad day — what would my guests say?

In true Dick fashion, he told me that guiding wasn’t really about catching fish, or having to be the best angler on the lake; it was all about serving your guests first. Dick said someone asked him how he learned to be a guide? “I told them I learned it at the United Airlines stewardess training school!” His point, focus on your people, help them enjoy themselves and make the experience memorable. I realized I could do that, so off I went as a striper guide. He was right, I loved it. He had the vision to see what I could be and then got me to believe it.

Fast forward to a month ago to our annual luncheon. I knew Dick was retiring very soon; we had a lot to talk about. I didn’t expect that the possibility of my filling his spot with Shaver Lake Sports would be a topic, but we started to see how this could be a great fit.

I was still concerned since I had never guided at Shaver. Just like 11 years ago, Dick gave me focus. “You’re going to be helping guests have a great time, that transcends just catching fish. Many anglers catch a lot of fish, but their skill sets are not the only ones they need to become a great guide.”

Dick’s insights, vision and dogged determination to do the “right thing” are what led him to become a leader in transforming and improving Shaver — the lake and the community. All I can do is be myself and carry the vision he has passed on to me.

I’m happy to say that Shaver Lake Sports general manager Heather Leon will be accepting my reservations as the store has done for Dick for the last 16 years. I’ll be working out of the Shaver Lake marina just as Dick has done. Working as pro staff and promoting his great lures will be fun and of course he’s agreed to mentor me for awhile, too.

My first Shaver trip will be next season on May 1, and I’ll continue through into early September. I plan on continuing to guide for stripers starting in the fall and going until the May 1 Shaver start date.

I grew up fishing Shaver with my dad. I’m looking forward to guiding for kokanee, but Shaver has a wide range of other species like browns (I caught a nice 13-inch brown last week) and trophy trout.

I’m also hoping that I’ll finally find out how Dick makes his “secret“ corn sauce (the formula he “borrowed” from his buddy and fellow guide Tom Oliveira). Dick claims it’s why he catches so many kokanee.

Never give up!

Valley

West-side waterways

Striper 3 Catfish 2

In the northern section of the California Aqueduct, Bill Sterling of the Sportsman’s Warehouse in Fresno said, “I’ve heard there have been some boils in the Nees Avenue and Poleline Road area as anglers have been picking up limits within an hour on jerkbaits or flukes in the early morning or late evening. The Delta Mendota has been kicking out mostly smaller fish, but there is plenty of action. Between four of us, we released 30 undersized stripers one morning.”

In the south aqueduct in Kern County, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield said, “We have been selling lots of Triple S Dip bait for catfish as the aqueduct is producing mostly catfish, but there have been more striped bass taken lately so that is a good sign that the water is moving. Flukes, shad-patterned swimbaits, blood worms, or sardines are best for the linesides.”

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 1

Not much change here, and there won’t be any change until there is some rain to freshen up the increasingly stagnant water. Both Eastman and Hensley are primarily fed by rainfall, and it won’t be until November until there is some change. The lake is at 6% with dead fish starting to accumulate along the shorelines with the lack of oxygen in the low, warm lake. An algae bloom continues to form. Catfishing is the only game in town with chicken livers, cut baits, or nightcrawlers from the banks near the launch ramps.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255

Hensley Lake

Bass 1 Trout 1 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2 Crappie 1

Similar to Eastman, very little change here with Hensley being plagued by low, stagnant water and forming algae blooms. The lake is at 8%. Catfishing with cut baits or chicken livers at night from the banks near the launch ramps or under lights at night in the murky water is the only reason to make the trip.

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 1

The Mother Lode lakes have generally slowed down for trout and kokanee as the water continues to recede along with heavy smoke from the wildfires and triple-digit temperatures, but Don Pedro remains consistent for rainbow trout with the possibility of kokanee and king salmon. Bass fishing is fair at best with small plastics working along main lake points after a bit of a window for topwater in the early morning.

Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing said, “I took out Scott Palmer, Dane Treiber, and Tim Lunehart this week, and we just couldn’t find the kokanee, but we did land a king salmon in the 3-pound range working pink Pro-Troll Kokanee Killers behind Mack’s dodgers at depths from 100 to 115 feet. Since we didn’t have much action by 11 a.m., I asked the guys if they wanted to switch over to targeting trout, and they agreed. We started fast-trolling my custom spoons at depths from 50 to 70 feet, and they kept 12 rainbows, releasing another 8 fish. The rainbows were fat and loaded with shad, and when I placed them in the ice chest loaded with slushy water, shad came out of their mouths.”

Jeff Boyle of Bass Pro Shops in Manteca was out with Steve Wirfs of Modesto, and they found the kokanee at depths from 85 to 90 feet on their way to a “Don Pedro Trifecta” of rainbow trout, king salmon, and kokanee.

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing reported an overall tough bass bite as the majority of bass are suspended, but there are some fish taken on plastics on a shaky head along long main lake point. He said, “Once you find bait, you have to drop in on them as running the banks has been unproductive. Most of the bass are out in open water.”

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 lake has dropped to 53%, and the Blue Oaks launch ramp is expected to remain open through the Labor Day weekend with closure expected sometime in September. The Fleming Meadows and Moccasin launch ramps will remain open until further notice while there is a visible buoy line installed from Schoolhouse Point to Fleming Meadows.

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 1 Crappie 1 Catfish 3 Bluegill 2

The lake is very low at 10%, and Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Tackle reported solid catfishing with Triple S Dip Bait near the dam, French Gulch, or Piney Point. He said, “Catfish are the best thing going, and I haven’t heard much about bass or crappie. The trout bite hasn’t been happening for weeks now although the tournament continues through September 6th. “The French Gulch Marina is only launch ramp with the low lake level. Trout fishing has come to a standstill with the low and warm water 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 sports a decent bass bite with plastics around submerged trees or rock while crappie have been taken on minijigs once anglers find the right tree or bush. Catfishing remains slow. The lower Kern River continues to be the top location in the region for smallmouth and largemouth bass with live minnows or plastics. Catfish are also taken in the lower river, but the upper river is very low at 81 cfs at Kernville. Few anglers are heading to work the shrinking pools.

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 lake dropped to 14% this week, and parts of the lake previously under several feet of water are now exposed. There is a window for topwater in the early mornings before finesse techniques with Senkos or plastic work best. The bass are holding on the available structure such as rockpiles. There are unmarked hazards throughout the shallow lake. The Kaweah River is running at only 8 cfs at Three Rivers.

Lake Success/Tule River

Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2

Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company said, “The lake is very low, and there is a lot less recreational boating at the lake. Bass fishing is good on plastics, however, a number of small bass have been landed on Panther Martin spinners along the rocky points. The lake held at 12%, and bass fishing remains slow due to high daytime temperatures. In the Tule River, Stokke said, “I fished the river this weekend, and the trout bite has slowed down. I caught and released a few quality natives on terrestrial patterns or Woolly Buggers. The river is very low, and the trout are spooky.”

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

McClure Reservoir

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

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “There is a decent topwater bite with Poppers or small buzzbaits as the bass are suspending over long, main lake points. There is a bite up the river along steep canyon walls with 3-inch plastics on a Ned-rig or 4-inch plastics on a drop-shot. Smaller is better right now.” A recent trout plant of 1000 pounds could bring out the big swimbait bite for quality largemouth and spotted bass. Bagby, Horseshoe Bend, and McClure Point North launch ramps are closed due to water levels. The lake dropped from 26% to 25%.

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

McSwain Reservoir

Trout 2

Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait and Tackle in Lathrop said, “The best action is occurring from the banks in the evenings with Power Bait, nightcrawlers, or Kastmasters from the Brush Pile, Handicapped Docks, or peninsula near the Marina.” With the recent trout plants from Calaveras Trout Farm and the Department of Fish and Wildlife, trollers are working blade/’crawler combinations, Wedding Rings, or Rapalas up the river arm as the trout are migrating towards cooler water. The annual fall Merced Irrigation Trout Derby is scheduled for Oct. 2-3. Information and registration lakemcclure.com/annual-fall-trout-derby-returns-to-lake-mcswain/

Call: McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534

Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River

Bass 2 Striped bass 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 3 Crappie 2

The lake rose to 45% with water releases on the San Joaquin River system out of Shaver and Huntington, and recreational boat traffic is expected to be particularly intense over the Labor Day weekend with the triple-digit heat in the Valley. The spotted bass bite has been decent, particularly in the early mornings or evenings in Winchell Cove with plastics on a Texas-rig, jerkbaits, or jigs. The bass loading up on crawdads, and crawdad-patterned crankbaits or large orange jigs are working best along small rocks in the main lake. Bluegill are thick around the shorelines.

Sycamore Island will be open Fridays through Sundays and state holidays through Nov. 11. September seasonal hours of operation are 6 a.m. to 7 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 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 2

The lake dropped to 38%, and the continual dropping water has resulted in an inconsistent bass bite. There is a window for topwater, but it changes from day to day. The majority of bass are suspending, and working long points with small plastics or jigs are the best option. The kokanee are hugging the bottom, and fewer trollers are targeting the lake, opting for Don Pedro for easier launch ramp conditions and active fish. There are big rainbows remaining in the lake, and the best fishing is under lights at night. There are numerous unmarked hazards throughout the lake. Boaters have to be extremely cautious. Heavy recreational boat traffic is anticipated over the upcoming holiday weekend due to triple-digit temperatures and the closure of the national forests.

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 balancing inflow with outflow, and it held at 20%. The best bass action remains around Deer Creek and Sycamore in the river arm near the submerged trees or rock with jerkbaits or plastics on the drop-shot, but few fishermen are heading to the lake. Even with the low water levels, heavy recreational boating pressure is expected over the holiday weekend. A trout plant is scheduled in the lower Kings this week, and with the lower flows, the action has been strong with spinners, Power Bait, salmon eggs, or nightcrawlers in the transition from fast to slow water. Fly fishermen are scoring in the the catch-and-release zone at Cobbles Weir. The river dropped from 170 to 132 cfs near Trimmer.

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

San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay

Striper 3 Catfish 2 Bass 2 Crappie 2

San Luis Reservoir has been dropping steadily toward historic lows (it’s down to 21%), but bank fishing has been solid for school-sized striped bass while some true trophies are being caught-and-released by experienced and ethical trollers.

Bill Sterling of the Sportsman’s Warehouse in Fresno said, “Shore fishing has been on fire, and we had a great trip this week along the Basalt side with 14 legal linesides to 23 inches with only one undersized fish. The big fish was landed by Manny Olivas on grass shrimp, but the most consistent bait was anchovies, accounting for 12 of the 14 stripers. The bite came in waves, and they were very aggressive bites.”

Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said, “The overall bite is decent with bait soakers doing the best off of points and steeper banks. Trollers and reaction anglers are getting a few school fish, but the fish are mostly inactive and suspended in the falling water with covering water to try to find a few active fish the best tactic. The Basalt ramp/dock #2 is now open and in good shape. After a canceled trip due to heat, I decided to go scout the lake with Larry Nunes on Saturday. The last few trips have been slow fishing, and today was no different as we only had seven bites fishing from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. However, those few bites occurring hours apart produced an epic day for us with fish going 19.2, 30.1, and 33.2 pounds. We somehow kept hitting it right! I thought the 30 was a small fish at first after hitting a shad-colored Lucky Craft minnow lure at 50 feet in the dam area, but it made a run like I’ve never seen, heading out 60-70 yards before slowing down. I also thought the 33 was a small fish before it went down and wouldn’t come up. We used the Seaqualizer Release Tool to put them all back down. Big fish like these are the future. We have to be thinking ahead and protecting our fishery, not abusing it. Most all the boats left by 11:30 or before on the slow bite. We persevered and finally hit it right after a bunch of very poor trips.”

Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill confirmed the solid shoreline bite with anchovies in the evenings while the O’Neill Forebay is kicking out stripers in the channel leading into the Highway 152 Bridge with blood worms, pile worms, or anchovies.

The main lake is receding about a half-foot per day, and watching out for shallow water and obstacles is key. The state park rangers are closing the lake at dusk now due to shore fishermen driving off of the road area around 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 closure of all California Region National Forests will impact the Sierra National Forest and access to various campgrounds and road areas. The closure will last until at least Sept. 17, and based upon last year’s closures, perhaps well into the future.

Bass Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 2

Few trollers are working the lake in the early mornings, and they are finding an occasional large kokanee to 18 inches along with rainbow trout before the recreational boating starts. The lake held at 66%.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool

Prior to the closure, Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported an excellent trout bite at Florence with Joe’s Flies from the banks. Edison is very low at 10% with Florence at 34%. Mammoth Pool dropped to 52%.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake

Kokanee 3 Trout 2

Prior to the closure that will affect various areas at Shaver and Huntington, Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters said, “My regular Saturday morning client, Bob Hatmaker of Arroyo Grande, kept his limit of five kokanee after releasing another 10 fish. The key is using the right tackle and depth at 80 feet in 90 feet of water as the kokanee are hunkering down on the bottom. On Monday, Stan and Scott Jenanyan of Fresno limited out by 8:30 with kokanee to 19 inches running orange, orange/white, and orange/yellow Dick’s Mountain Hoochies tipped with scented corn behind watermelon or gold and orange-foiled 5.7-inch Dick’s Mountain Dodgers.”

The final Kokanee Power Derby of the year is scheduled for Sept. 11 at Shaver, but it may be canceled due to the forest closures.

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, water releases have started, and the lake dropped slightly to 97%. Trout fishing is decent near the mouth of Rancheria Creek with Power Bait, nightcrawlers, or spinners. Trollers are launching easily to pick up small planted rainbows along with kokanee at depths from 20 to 40 feet with Wedding Rings or spoons.

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

Prior to the announced closure starting at midnight on Tuesday, Kelly Brewer of the Wishon Village RV Park and Store said, “Wishon is back on the concrete ramp, and trout plants have kept the lakes going for both bank fishermen and trollers. Courtright received a trout plant last week. 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.”

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

Salmon 2 Rockfish 3 Striper 1 Halibut 2 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3

The salmon bite out of Half Moon Bay requires a run north of the Golden Gate, and the Riptide made the run Friday and Sunday with decidedly different results. After scoring 6 limits of salmon on Friday, their score was similar to the majority of the Golden Gate fleet on Sunday with 4 salmon to 18 pounds for 8 anglers. Rockfishing remains the best bet to put some fish in the freezer, and limits of bottom fish have been the rule.

After operating California Collaborative Fishing Research Program’s trips to the closed zones near Ano Nuevo during the week, The Queen of Hearts out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing was also out on Sunday for 15 limits of rockfish along with 5 ling cod after posting 14 limits of rockfish on Friday. The Ankeny Street put in multiple species on Saturday with 14 limits of rockfish, 3 halibut to 14 pounds, one 9-pound ling cod, and two rock sole. Rockfishing south of the harbor from Martin’s Beach to Pescadero in shallower water along with the deep water at the Deep Reef have been consistently producing limits of rockfish. Salmon fishing is on the back burner for the private and party boats as the bulk of the run are entering the Golden Gate via the Marin coastline. The Coastside Fishing Club’s net pen fish have yet to arrive in any discernable numbers, and the reason may be the shorter stay in the pens before release.

It seems that it will be all about rockfish on the reefs or halibut south of the harbor on the flat, sandy beaches until the arrival of the recreational crab season scheduled for the first Saturday in November. However, with the changes enacted by the Fish and Game Commission ceding power to the Director of Fish and Wildlife, the recreational crab season may be placed on hold depending upon the presence of endangered humpback whales in local waters.

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 White seabass 2 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3

Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “Launching from Moss Landing, Kahuna Sportfishing targets the Big Sur area as much as possible. “That’s where we head, unless the weather totally prevents us,” owner Carol Jones told us last week. This Saturday, the Kahuna left the dock at 5:00 a.m. for a “long-range” Big Sur sojourn. With Captain Kris Victorino at the helm, they beelined down the coast well past Point Sur. “We stopped just short of Point Lopez, and had wide open limit-style fishing on 7- to10-pound vermilion. It was sorta’ like One Stop Shopping!” Victorino chortled. “It took us only two stops and we had all of the ‘verms our bag sub-limits allow, as well as about two thirds of the rest of what we needed.” Victorino then treated the clients aboard to some shallow water action around Pt. Lopez and ended up finishing in the deeper water off of Point Lopez. Everyone caught their sub-limit of five vermilion and the remaining portion of our limits were made up of coppers, yellows, olives, and a few blues. We got a total of eight lingcod to 15 pounds, and even one bonus cabezon,” Victorino recounted. The Kahuna will continue fishing the Big Sur area through the fall season, and they have a few long-range trips planned as well.

Monterey Bay action includes rockfishing, halibut and market squid. Chris Arcoleo at Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching Trips said, “The squid are still spawning like crazy near Cannery Row. Small boats and kayak anglers are loading up on squid for calamari or quick freezing it for future bait. There’s got to be some white seabass in the area, though I have only heard of one sea bass caught lately.”

Meanwhile, halibut are munching live bait and frozen, and hitting trolled hoochies or swimbaits just up the coast towards Soldier’s Club and the Fort Ord area. There are still a lot of short juveniles in the mix. Handle these halibut carefully. Halibut are easily injured when netted or flopped on deck. If the flatty is of questionable size, the best practice is to affect an “in the water release.” Plastic mesh nets are also recommended to avoid splitting the tailfins of halibut prior to release. These fin splits often get infected, causing a mortality rate of up to 40% for released California halibut. Damaging the ‘slime layer’ covering on California halibut can also lead to infection and mortality. Happily, not all the fish are dinks. There’s plenty of legal-sized flatties biting right now. There are quite a few jumbos as well, in the 15- to 30-pound range. If the halibut is obviously longer than the 22-inch minimum size, I say gaff it quick! Leave the protective net for handling questionable fish if you need to.

Halibut fishing tops the list in Santa Cruz as well. The hot stretch this week is from the Pajaro Pipeline up to Capitola, though the big flatties are biting pretty much everywhere on flat, sandy areas. We are also seeing an increase of halibut coming in from the North Coast spots, a regular fall season occurrence. Anglers find success drifting bait or trolling 60 to 70 feet of water just outside the bull kelp beds from Scott’s Creek down to the west side area of Santa Cruz.

Salmon fishing in Monterey Bay has been reduced to a trickle. There are still some kings in the bay, and a few are getting hooked by dedicated anglers. Most success this week was found in the area between Mulligan’s Hill and the Soquel Hole. Anglers are trolling right on the bottom in 160 to 200 feet of water.

Bushnell operates Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service, and he said, “Surf perch fishing is good for numbers at Seabright Beach in Capitola, as I caught and released over 30 barred surf perch on a paddletail grub on a #2 baitholder hook. Most of the perch were dinks, and although setting the hook is more challenging with the larger hook, a release is much easier. We had bites on nearly every cast.”

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

Golden Gate/San Francisco Bay

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

If you want to catch fish, it’s rockfishing time, but if you want a chance at a trophy – go salmon fishing. But just know what you are getting into.

A new school of salmon showed up off of the Marin coastline on Sunday, and these fish were of a much smaller grade than the big fish over the past several weeks. However, with the great action north of Point Reyes this week, it is only a matter of time before another wave of huge fish makes it around the corner on their way to the Golden Gate. Rockfishing remains tremendous with the best action at the Farallon Islands.

Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters out of Loch Lomond posted 4 limits of big salmon on Friday for Justin Anderson and crew from El Dorado Hills on Friday trolling near Duxbury Buoy. He said, “The bite slowed down on Saturday and Sunday with 6 salmon for 4 anglers on Saturday, and a fish per rod for 4 anglers on Sunday. We started off at the Channel Buoys for nothing on Sunday morning before I got the call to head up above Duxbury, but these were a much different grade of salmon at 8 to 9 pounds. We had used 8 weights the day before for the 6 salmon with 6 bites on Sunday for a fish per rod. The boat traffic may be the factor in the slower bite over the weekend as there are motors running over the fish all day long.”

Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing had a similar report after posting four limits of big salmon earlier in the week. He said, “A wife surprised her husband with a birthday trip fishing, and he didn’t know they were fishing until she woke him up at 1:00 a.m. to travel to Berkeley. They had never been fishing before, but they ended up with limits of salmon, and their young son was able to land an 18 pounder with a little help from me. Sunday was a different story as we also started off at the Channel Buoys for nada before heading north to the Double Point area for slow action once again. We headed back down to the Channel Buoys towards the end of the day, and I saw that the bait balls were broken up, and since it had been slow all day long, we put away the troll gear and mooched up two salmon of a smaller grade, releasing a silver.”

Captain Jerad Davis of the Salty Lady out of Sausalito said, “There were at least 5 bonito caught on the salmon boats on Friday, and the last time the bonito showed up, the salmon bite slowed down. We had a charter earlier in the week for 8 limits, and the remainder of the week’s scores was in the range of a fish per rod. There are signs of the bite being tougher in the coming weeks, but we are optimistic with the good reports coming north of Point Reyes.”

Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions out of San Francisco is rightfully known as the ‘Ghost Whisperer’ for his mastery of the bay’s white seabass population, but he took this moniker to a new level this week. On their way back from the salmon grounds, he observed birds on the surface next to something that looked like a dolphin. Upon closer inspection, it was a 61-inch white sea bass with two huge fang marks along its side from a sea lion attack. The seabass was freshly killed, and it was bleeding profusely. Koyasako will focus on seabass inside of the bay during the months of October and November.

The Pacific Dream out of Berkeley is taking a combined Phenix Rods and Fishermen’s Warehouse of Manteca charter to the Farallon Islands on Monday where rockfishing remains outstanding. Limits of ling cod have been a possibility for boats willing to work hard in certain spots for the lings. Sunday brought a rescue of five anglers from a sinking private boat at the Farallons by the New Huck Finn and the Tigerfish out of Fish Emeryville. Captain Jon Yokomizo was running the New Huck Finn was waved down by a private vessel outside the Farallon Islands this afternoon, and the boat only took about 10 minutes to go under. The Tigerfish came to standby with the Huck Finn, and with their loading door lower to the water, they were able to bring in the five passengers from the sinking boat. Once again, the party boat fleet came to the rescue of private boaters in serious distress.

San Francisco Bay has been a body of water to avoid for most party and private boats as the allure of salmon or rockfish outside of the Golden Gate has been strong, but there are signs of life for the halibut and striped bass inside of the bay.

Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Sport Fishing out of San Francisco said, “Leopard shark remain our staple, and we are heading south towards the Red Stack near Candlestick Park for all the leopards our passengers can handle. The legal limit is three leopards over 36 inches, but many of our clients are happy to catch and release the hard-fighting sharks. Salmon roe continues to be an excellent bait for the leopards.”

Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing continues to focus on a variety of shark in the central bay, and the action is solid for all varieties of big shark. Gamez releases all big soupfin, cow, and seven gill shark over 100 pounds as it is necessary to preserve the breeding fish.

Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle in San Rafael said, “The tides are really slow this week with less than a foot of movement at the start of the week before they start to improve with more water movement by Thursday. Halibut fishing is improving, and although it isn’t red hot by any means, it has been better with the smaller tides. However, the lack of water movement has made it difficult to drift, and with the lack of wind on Sunday, particularly difficult to drift. Salmon are showing up rolling on the surface at the top of the tide at California City, but the largest fish reported so far has only been 12 pounds. With all of the big fish coming out of the ocean, I expect Cal City to go off within the next few weeks as the salmon turn the corner from the Golden Gate towards San Pablo Bay.”

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 remains the best thing going 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. Out of Patriot Sport Fishing at Port San Luis at Avila Beach, the Patriot, Phenix, and Flying Fish were out on Sunday on trips of varying lengths with 55 fishermen for a cornucopia of species with 15 vermilions, 14 coppers, 7 Boccaccio, 96 Bolina, 404 assorted rockfish, 1 cabezon, 7 ling cod to 8 pounds, 6 ocean whitefish, and 13 treefish.

Out of Morro Bay, the Fiesta, Black Pearl, and Rita G out of Virg’s Landing took out a combined 68 passengers on Sunday for 274 vermilions, 102 copper, 284 assorted rockfish, four ling cod, 10 ocean whitefish, 20 Boccaccio, and 23 petrale sole. Also out of Morro Bay Landing, the Avenger took two half-day trips on Sunday with the Starfire and Endeavor on longer trips with a total of 76 anglers for 235 vermilions, 57 copper, 20 Boccaccio, 10 Bolina, 375 assorted rockfish, 5 ling cod to 11 pounds, and a bonus 15-pound halibut. All ports are taking trips ranging from ½ day to long range. 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 2+ Bluegill 3 Salmon 2

The river salmon are moving rapidly through the Sacramento-Delta, but the number of fish arriving in the system is increasing, leading to slightly better action than during the first bleak six weeks of the river season. Three salmon were landed off of the Dillon Point State Park this week with a sea lion inhaling another hooked 20 pounder, and a few salmon are coming off of the banks from the stretch of river in the north Delta from Clarksburg to the Freeport Bridge. Striped bass are moving upriver towards Liberty Island, and the size is growing larger and larger. Sturgeon fishermen remain absent for the most part, but the only six-pack operating out of Pittsburg continues to score with salmon roe outside of the harbor.

Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle in Freeport said, “There are a few salmon coming off of the banks with Flying C spinners, and there are a number of striped bass in the system. However, there are also quite a few shakers. Liberty Island is heating up with blood worms, sardines, or drifting minnows, and the main river is producing stripers with pile worms, blood worms, and sardines coated with garlic scent. Bluegill are everywhere in the sloughs with wax worms or red worms, and smallmouth bass fishing is fair in the rocky structure in Steamboat and Miner Sloughs along with the Old Sacramento River near Walnut Grove.”

Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento, was in Liberty Island twice this week, and he said, “It was blowing so hard one day that it was white capping inside of the island, but we hooked 10 stripers to 15 pounds with a number of linesides over 10 pounds with the big Megabait Mega Dog or the ima Big Stick. We used to think a 7-inch lure was big, but now we are throwing 10- to 12-inch plugs, and the stripers are exploding on them. It was so rough out there, the stripers kept missing the big lures. The River2Sea Swaver is another good lure to toss, particularly when it is blowing hard. I don’t change the hooks out on my lures since the heavier hooks don’t allow the bait to swim right, and I had one big striper straighten out a hook. We also put in limits of largemouth bass with chatterbaits or Senkos.”

Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors has been taking all of his guide trips to the north Delta, and he said, “We have been finding striped bass in the 4- to 10-pound range early in the morning with topwater lures, but with the heat, the topwater bite dies early. When this happens, we are switching over to swimbaits such as the Reaction Innovation’s Skinny Dippers or the Optimum’s Double A’s with a paddletail. There is also a good crankbait bite, and swimbaits will work for both bass and stripers. I had Martin and Logan Dieck of Palo Alto out this week, and we stopped near Vieira’s Resort on the Old Sacramento River. Even though the water was clear, young Logan decided to throw a frog out into open water, and he landed a 5-pound largemouth bass. He has good instincts for a young angler.”

Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait said, “Three more salmon were landed from the state park this week on Vee Zee lures, and a sea lion took a 20 pounder off of a line. This was the best week that we have had for salmon since the season opened. Striped bass are biting on grass shrimp, blood worms, or pile worms from the shorelines, and although we haven’t had many fishermen, the six-pack out of Pittsburg continues to find sturgeon every trip.”

The striped bass bite is improving in the San Joaquin-Delta with more and more linesides coming into the system much earlier than anticipated. Largemouth bass remain the most-sought out species, but with the arrival of striped bass, those drifting live bait, trolling lures, tossing plugs, or soaking bait have a few good months in front of them.

Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing out of Lauritzen’s Yacht Harbor in Oakley said, “We found the best grade of striped bass all year long on Saturday as we were drifting bait in the San Joaquin. Once we found the fish, we started spooning, and we hammered them. The stripers were fat as the grade is getting larger. We didn’t land a single shaker all day long, and we haven’t seen schools like this for some time. The stripers are moving with the tide, and you have to move with the schools. There hasn’t been a lot of shad, but the stripers are here for sure.”

Dan Mathisen of Dan’s Delta Outdoors confirmed the improved striped bass bite with stripers taken in the western edge of the San Joaquin with Optimum’s Bad Bubba Shad or topwater lures. He said, “It seems that everything is 6 to 8 weeks ahead of schedule. A few anglers are working off of the Humphrey’s Dock in Antioch, tossing spinners for the chance at a salmon.”

Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, said, “Guys drifting bluegill are finding good action for stripers near the bridge in Connection Slough. There have been some big striped bass caught and kept near Sherman Lake on live bait, but when they bring the big fish into the shop or show me a picture, I remind them to release the big fish in the future. We can’t keep losing these big females, particularly with the low water conditions upriver.” Wang went bass fishing outside of Ladd’s Marina towards the mouth of the Calaveras, and they caught and released 14 largemouths within a few hours pitching worms into the riprap. He added, “Eight Mile Road east of Stockton is producing mostly undersized stripers, and the shad schools are starting to form.”

Ocsanna Seropyan, manager of the Fisherman’s Warehouse in Manteca, confirmed the improved striped bass bite in the San Joaquin with topwater lures such as the new Spro Fat Papa Walker 130 topwater lure.

Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors fished the Wednesday Night Shoot Out Tournament of Champions out of Ladd’s Marina in Stockton with his partner, Alex Sanchez, and they cashed a check. Borges said, “The bite has been tough overall in the central Delta, but a few guys fell into the larger fish with the winning weight at 21 pounds and change. The limits dropped off considerably after this, and I lost an estimated 6/7-pound bass on a buzzbait with 5 minutes left in the tournament as it came off while bringing it out of a clump of tules. The north Delta has been the most consistent largemouth producer, but with the five hours of the tournament, we stick around the central Delta.”

Ladd’s Marina is hosting the 1st Annual ‘Kiss My Bass’ charity tournament for the Stockton Boy’s and Girl’s Club on September 18th with a $400 team entry fee. Signups are available through wonews.com/events. In addition to the charity tournament, three celebrity fishermen are holding a silent auction to be their partner. Kevin Gross, former major league pitcher, YouTube sensation Stacy Barawed, and Ken Mah, winner of the latest Apex event on the Thermolito Afterbay are the three anglers, and bids can be placed at (949)366-00248. Barawed and Mah are Stockton natives, as am I.

In the south Delta, Omega Nguyen of MegaBait and Tackle in Lathrop said, “It was a repeat of last week with a number of big stripers below the Mossdale Bridge on fresh shad. The shad schools are congregated from Stockton south to below Mossdale, and there have been boils forming on the surface. There still are a number of shakers, but there have been lineside over 20 pounds landed again this week. Fresh shad is flowing into the shop, and we received 130 pounds on Saturday morning. I separate the shad into various size groupings, and we have over 500 pounds of frozen shad now.”

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. Jellyfish have been observed as far upriver as Big Break.

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, there hasn’t been much change with the exception of the lake receding slightly to 13%. There is a topwater bite in the early morning, but the best action remains on the bottom at depths to 20 feet with plastics on various presentations at depths to 20 feet around structure. White bass continue to boil on occasion, and boaters are tossing small white-patterned small spoons or spinners will work for the fish busting on the surface. With the low water levels, there are unmarked hazards throughout the shallow lake. Boaters have to be extremely cautious to avoid striking a sandbar or submerged hump. A webcam of the lake is available at http://www.lakenacimientolive.com/. At Lopez, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported excellent panfish action with wax worms or meal worms. Bass action is best with topwater lures, spinnerbaits, or crankbaits in the early morning before dropping to the bottom with plastics on the drop-shot or jigs. The launch ramp remains open, but it is challenging to launch. Boaters are advised to call the marina at (805) 489-1006 for the latest launch ramp status. A webcam of the lake is available at http://805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam/. At Santa Margarita, numbers of largemouth bass are taken on topwater lures first thing in the morning before tossing lipless crankbait such as LV500’s or mid-range squarebill crankbaits. The majority of bass run to 2 pounds, but there is the occasional larger fish to 5 pounds in the mix, particularly on the reaction baits. Plastics on the drop-shot, Brush Hogs, or Senkos are another option for success. Catfish are picking cut mackerel soaked in garlic while bluegill are biting red worms or meal worms near the shorelines and wooden structure. At San Antonio, the lake is very low at 7%, but the lake should remain near this elevation for the remainder of the summer. The occasional crappie is found on minijigs, but it has been hard to locate numbers of the slabs. Catfishing is slow overall, but there have been whiskerfish taken on Triple S Dip Bait in Blood Formula or garlic scent. Carp are omnipresent in the shallows with dip baits, but bass fishing is slow with a few smallmouths or largemouths taken on plastics. 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

Clear Lake – Best Bass Tournaments/Northern Division - August 28: - 1st – Kelly Owens/Jared Lane – 24.29 pounds; 2nd – Adrian Murar/Tim Meeks – 21.36; 3rd – Duke Kanaya/Jeremiah Valador – 20.86.

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

September 11/12

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Best Bass Tournaments

September 11

Tulloch – Gold Country Bass Tour

Shaver – Kokanee Power Team Derby

Pine Flat – Orange County Bass Club

September 12

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Kings River Bass Club

Pine Flat – Cen Cal Elite Bass Club

September 18/19

Delta/Contra Costa County – Sierra Bass Club

Tulloch – California Bass Nation

September 18

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Western Outdoor News/Manteca Bassin’ Buddies/Nor Cal Bass

Camanche – Slay Nation Tournament

New Hogan – Tri Valley Bassmasters

New Melones – Santa Clara Bass Busters

Don Pedro – Christian Bass League/Contra Costa Bass Club

McClure – 17/90 Bass Club

Isabella – American Bass Association

Nacimiento – San Luis Obispo Bass Ambushers

September 19

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Hook, Line, and Sinker

New Melones – Nor Cal High School Bass

Millerton – Fresno Bass Club

September 24/25

Delta/B and W Resort – California Bass Federation

September 25/26

Delta/Holland Riverside Marina – Dan Mathisen Outdoors Tournament of Champions

Clear Lake – Modesto Ambassadors

September 25

Camanche – Bass Anglers of Northern California

Success – Xtreme Bass Club

Santa Margarita – Bakersfield Bass Club

September 26

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Riverbank Bass Anglers

This story was originally published August 31, 2021 at 8:14 AM.