Fishing report, Sept. 22-28: Savoring the last trip with Shaver guide Dick Nichols

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

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Best bets

Delta stripers and bass action good, Alan Fong reported. Isabella bass and catfish bites best bets, and Aqueduct stripers on a tear, Pete Cormier said. New Melones trout hitting, Monte Smith reported. McSwain trout plant spurs on bite, and Don Pedro trout improved, Dave Hurley said. Success bass active, Chuck Stokke reported.

Roger’s remarks: The perfect way to celebrate a career

An unexpected email earlier this month led to one of my best days at the lake.

“Roger, I’m Billy Burgen and my dad Bill Sr. and I are going out fishing with Dick Nichols on his last trip. We’ve never fished with Dick before, but we thought it would be special to invite you along as our guest for the day for several reasons. 1. It’s Dick’s last trip and you should be there. 2. You’ll be taking Dick’s guiding spot next season, and it’s a passing of the baton. 3. I’m having my 59th birthday that day. 4. My dad’s 83rd birthday is just a few days later.”

It arrived on the evening before the Sept. 10 trip. We made hasty arrangements to meet. Dick didn’t know I was coming.

It was still dark at 5:50 a.m. when I met the Burgens at the Shaver Lake Marina lot. They went ahead of me to introduce themselves to Dick and tell him they had brought an unexpected guest, and hoped he didn’t mind. Moments later, I announced myself: “Dick, I’m here for your last trip to be your first mate!” He wasn’t expecting that, but he quickly pivoted: “Great, you’ll drive the boat!”

The bite started slow but picked up. As we made our trolling passes, anglers in other boats would shout out to Dick congratulating him on his last trip. Each time the Burgens reeled in a beautiful salmon, it was a celebration. Bill Sr. said this was the best trip he had had in many years. Billy Jr.’s wife had made some carrot cake cupcakes to die for, ones I’ll always remember this trip by, too. Eating awesome cupcakes with coffee, catching kokanee and having great camaraderie — heaven!

As we motored back to the Marina the atmosphere in the boat was one of being part of something special, the last trip in Dick’s 16-year guiding career. At the Marina entrance, there were several boats on either side of the channel. As we passed between them, the loud yells, boat horns and waving were all to commemorate the final trip of a man they loved and respected. There wasn’t a dry eye on the boat.

Never give up.

Valley

West-side waterways

Striper 3 Catfish 2

Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported the overall interest has slowed with the heat, but anglers who are braving the heat continue to work heavy underspins or Flukes on a ½-ounce jig head and slowly bouncing the lures off the bottom. Bill Sterling of the Sportsman’s Warehouse in Fresno and the Striperz Gone Wild group is hosting their second annual Fall Classic Striped Bass Derby on the aqueduct on Oct. 9. Participants must register at the Volta Bridge southwest of Los Banos between 4 a.m. and 2 p.m. to be eligible for the prizes.

In the south aqueduct in Kern County, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported excellent striped and largemouth bass fishing with flukes, jerkbaits, or topwater lures. He said, “The bite has picked up immensely.” Blood worms, are also working for both striped bass and catfish along with Triple S Dip Bait for the whiskerfish. Carp are taken on dough baits.

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

Eastman Lake/Hensley Lake

Bass 2 Trout 1 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 1

No change or relief on the horizon as the sad situation at both lakes continues, and it will remain until there is any rain. In observance of National Public Lands Day, a family-friend day will take place on Saturday, Sept. 25 with a number of outdoor projects at Hensley from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with registration beginning at 8 a.m. All ages are welcome.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255; 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

Don Pedro has been the top Mother Lode reservoir for rainbow trout, and it is also improving for the three species of bass residing in the reservoir. There are massive schools of bait fish in the lake, and all species are loading as the water is just now starting to cool down.

Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing was out this week, and he said, “The trout bite really can’t get any better than this. I took out 8-year-old Caleb Carlson of Escalon on his first fishing trip, and we put in four limits of rainbow trout with all but three of the 20 fish being from 2.5 to 3.5 pounds. The rainbows were fat and healthy, and we were down by 11:30. Around 11 a.m., the side rod at 60 feet went off, and Caleb was on the rod. The fish kept going down, and I realized that this was a big fish. He was able to bring it to the net himself, and I was almost happier about this than he was with the 6.5-pound king salmon. Since this was his first trip, he might think that this is pretty easy. The trout are loading up on shad at depths from 50 to 75 feet on shad-patterned spoons, and we found a stretch holding both shad and trout and worked it.”

Steve Wirfs of Salida took out Jeff Boyle from Bass Pro Shop in Manteca and they found kokanee to 18 inches, a few trout, and king salmon at 4 and 6 pounds. He said, “This is our last trip to Pedro for the season for kokanee, but we are thankful and blessed for all that the lake has given us this year.”

For bass, Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “I have been on Pedro for the past week, and overall, the bass bite is tough, but we have been doing well with spoons, topwater lures, jigs, or Flukes. The key is matching the lures to the small size of the shad. The bass are loading up on shad, and either the ¾-ounce Hopkins Jigging Spoon or the 4-inch Strike King’s Flutter Spoon are working. You can use a larger bait for topwater, and we are scoring with River2Sea Rovers or the Berkley Choppo 120. Jigs are working along steep bluff walls while Zoom Super Flukes are effective from the surface to 25 feet. The majority of bass are in the 1- to 2-pound range, but we have picked up a few over 3 pounds up to 4.25 pounds.”

The lake dropped to 51%, but the Blue Oaks launch ramp remained open as of last week.

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 3 Trout 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 3 Bluegill 2

The lake reopened last Thursday with the reopener of the national forest areas, and the American Bass Association held a 7-boat tournament on Saturday with some of the heaviest weights recorded this side of Clear Lake. The team of Mark Abler/Ray Gauerke took first at 23.58 pounds, and there were fish over 7.50 pounds weighed in by both the first and second place teams. Roy Davis, tournament director, reported crankbaits were the top producers. Jigs, plastics, or tubes are also effective with a small window for topwater early or late. Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait and Tackle in Bakersfield reported anglers are reporting crappie are found on small to medium minnows. Catfishing remains solid with Triple S Dip Bait, scented nightcrawlers, or frozen shad. The South Fork launch ramp, aka ‘Red’s’ is still in the water. The lake is at 9%. In the Kern River, the flows are very low at 95 cfs at Kernville in the upper river and 117 cfs at First Point on the lower river. The lower river is the best location, but you have to find the smallmouth or largemouth bass in the deeper pools with live minows or plastics.

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

Lake Kaweah

Bass 3 Crappie 2 Trout 1 Catfish 2

The lake dropped to 12%. Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported continued good bass action for largemouth bass over structure with plastics on the drop-shot, Senkos, jigs, or crankbaits with a small window for topwater early or late. The Kaweah River is running at 9 cfs at Three Rivers.

Lake Success/Tule River

Bass 3 Crappie 2 Trout 3 Catfish 2

Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company in Springville said, “Bass fishing is still very good as the lower water temperature has helped. There are many fishermen showing interest, and plastics or small crankbaits are working best over rocky structure and main lake points.” The lake dropped to 10%. In the Tule River, Stokke said, “I fished the river this weekend, and the trout are loving dry flies, and most especially, caddis. The Windy Fire has limited access to certain areas.”

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

McClure Reservoir

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

The lake dropped to 22%, and there has been minimal change on the bass scene with numbers taken on plastics on the drop-shot such as 4.5-inch Robo Worms Prism Shad or Hologram Shad at depths from 10 to 20 feet. Jigs with a ½-ounce jig head are also effective. Bagby, Horseshoe Bend, and McClure Point North launch ramps are closed due to water levels.

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

McSwain Reservoir

Trout 3

A plant of 1,200 pounds spurred on trout action from the banks at the Brush Pile, Handicapped Docks, or the peninsula near the Marina with Power Bait, nightcrawlers, or silver/blue Kastmasters. Merced Irrigation District’s Fall Trout Derby is 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 once again to 51% with water releases on the San Joaquin River system out of Shaver and Huntington. Overall fishing has been extremely slow, but there are bass taken on jerkbaits, 5-inch swimbaits, or plastics on the drop-shot in the coves in the main lake. The Fresno Bass Club held a tournament on Sunday with Seth Rowe taking first at 9.34 pounds with Matthew Medesk landing the big bass of the tournament with a 2.52-pound spotted bass.

There is a catfish bite with chicken livers or anchovies. The river is running 251 cfs at Friant.

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 3 Kokanee 1

Trollers are finding solid action for rainbow trout at depths from 40 to 60 feet with shad-patterned spoons with the shad schools. Finding the shad is the key to finding the rainbows. Fishing at night under lights is another option for the holdover rainbows. For bass, there is a topwater bite early or late with Poppers or Whopper Ploppers along with crankbaits or spinnerbaits. Plastics on the drop-shot are working over the submerged island tops. Catfishing is good at night with chicken livers, cut baits with scent, or nightcrawlers from the banks. There are numerous unmarked hazards throughout the lake. Boaters have to be extremely cautious with the lake very low at 36%.

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 balance inflow with outflow, and it held at 20%. Creature baits such as Missile’s D Bombs on a slow roll are working for the spotted bass near Trimmer or Sycamore in the river arm while there is a window for small topwater lures or wakebaits. In the lower Kings, a trout plant is scheduled for the end of this week, and action for planters remains strong with spinners, Power Bait, salmon eggs, or nightcrawlers in the transition from fast to slow water. Fly fishermen are scoring in the catch-and-release zone at Cobbles Weir. The flows dropped from 160 to 139 cfs at 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 is extremely low at 12%, and the overall bite is moderate with trollers working the entire lake at depths from 40 to 70 feet with plugs in white or silver/chartreuse with a black back. Shore fishermen are focusing around the Romero Visitor Center, Dinosaur Point, or the Basalt Recreation Area with topwater lures or swimbaits along with soaking jumbo or extra-large minnows. Vehicles illegally traversing the newly exposed dry lake bottom of San Luis Reservoir have caused the park to now close at sundown instead of the usual 10 p.m. closure. Both the Basalt Recreation Area and Dinosaur Point launch ramps are back in service, but a 4x4 tow vehicle is advised. In the O’Neill Forebay, Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “The grass is very heavy along the shorelines, and it is being removed from the main channel at Check 12 on a regular basis. Most anglers are targeting largemouth bass with jigs or underspins near the bridge at Highway 152 which is one of the only areas clear of weeds. Striped bass are taken on topwater lures, flukes, or swimbaits near the Rockwall for those with boat access.”

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

The national forests have been reopened, but few fishermen are heading to the lake. Recreational boating limits fishing on the weekends, but a few large kokanee to 18 inches have been taken by jigging between the Buoy Line and the dam, but overall, fishing interest remains slow. The lake dropped to 64%.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool

Florence is the best bet from the banks with Joe’s Flies or similar spinner-type lures. Edison, Florence and Mammoth Pool are all low and dropping.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake

Kokanee 2 Trout 2

The kokanee bite crashed after last week’s tournament, and those jigging spoons are finding tough action for salmon that are well on their way to turning into their spawning patterns. The lake dropped from 68% to 57%, necessitating the movement of the docks at the Shaver Lake Marina. This is most likely another reason for the slowdown in kokanee action. At Huntington, water releases have started, but the lake dropped only slightly to 75%. Trout fishing is fair at best from the banks near the mouth of Rancheria Creek with Power Bait or inflated nightcrawlers. Some anglers are tossing crankbaits for the holdovers.

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 1

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

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

Limits of rockfish are the rule out of Half Moon Bay although at least one party boat was able to make the long run north of the Golden Gate for salmon. The local salmon bite is null and void, and party and private boaters are focusing on the bottom fish, either at the shallow-water reefs from Martin’s Beach to Pescadero or out into deep water at the Deep Reef.

The Queen of Hearts out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing was out on Saturday, and they posted a typical score of 14 limits of rockfish and 4 ling cod. Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat went to the Deep Reef at the end of the week in 250 feet of water for 18 limits of rockfish to 6 pounds. The Huli Cat boxed a combined 39 limits of rockfish and 7 ling cod over the weekend.

The Riptide took double half-day trips on Saturday for a combined 28 limits on 6 lings, but they ventured north on Sunday for the very respectable score of 7 salmon to 24 pounds for a group of 6 fishermen.

At least one, and possibly two, of the large party boats will be departing Pillar Point harbor in the near future as the Huli Cat will be heading north to Fort Bragg to be rechristened the Majestic Sea Hawk while the future home of the New Captain Pete has yet to be determined.

Dungeness crab combinations are next on the horizon on the first Saturday in November, but the fate of the ability to set pots will sit in the hands of the Director of Fish and Wildlife depending up on the local population of endangered humpback whales.

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

Monterey/Santa Cruz

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

Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “Fishing in the Monterey Bay area is quite productive right now and should remain so until we get a major weather or sea condition change. The water temperatures are hovering around 62 degrees which is cool enough for salmon and bottom fish, yet warm enough to hold the bait that brings in bigger, more exotic fish to the area.

“There are some big bluefin in the bay right now. I just weighed in a 135-pound bluefin caught trolling a Rapala. I would say it is a good time to go looking on the canyon edges,” said Todd Fraser from Bayside Marine in Santa Cruz. Confirmed reports of landed bluefin still remain rare from the area. Most bluefin reports indicate big schools are inhabiting the Big Sur region although the Davenport Finger Canyons north of Santa Cruz are also a good bet as this is a historical location for bluefin catches in previous years. Santa Cruz fisherman Scott Werner managed to catch one tuna on Saturday while trolling cedar plugs way behind the boat in the Sur Canyon area. It was a relative peanut, weighing in at 36.1 pounds. On Sunday, Chris Arcoleo from Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching in Monterey said, “Tinker (Captain Harry Neece) says he saw a bunch of bluefin down at Big Sur yesterday.” So, we know the fish are definitely here, but it seems no one has broken the code yet to consistently get them on deck. If the tuna stick around and enough people try for them enough times, we’ll see the catch rate numbers go up

In other “big fish” news, honors this week go to Capitola Boat and Bait mainstay, Ed Burrell. Semi-retired now, Burrell snuck up on a feeding frenzy of seabirds versus mackerel. ”There’s gotta be a bass around here somewhere,” Burrell recounted muttering. Other Capitola anglers had reported a few white sea bass here and there lately. Sure enough, after only 15 minutes of throwing a P-Line’s Laser Minnow metal jig, Burrell was rewarded with a tremendous hit, then a tremendous fight. “It took most of a half-hour to get this fish in!” he said. The white sea bass proved to weigh in at 55pounds. A tanker by anyone’s estimation.

Meanwhile halibut and rockfish fishing remained consistent and productive, with limits being the norm for rockies, and an increasing number of lings making their shallow water appearance in preparation for wintertime spawning. Arcoleo posted daily limits of rockfish for his three boats out of Monterey and added, ““It’s pretty much the same we’re heading down to Big Sur and coming home with limits every day. We got 20 lings on the boat yesterday. Every day it seems we’re getting more and more. They are moving in now.” If the tuna stick around and enough people try for them enough times, we’ll see the catch rates go up. Squid bait still doing best in the Monterey area.

Bait-wise, there’s not a whole lot of mackerel in Monterey this week, according to Arcoleo. “Squid is still the best bait right now.” Santa Cruz is hosting huge schools of mackerel just outside the harbor and from Rio Del Mar up to the West Cliff area. There’s a mix of Spanish and Pacific mackerel, either of which make great live bait for lings, halibut, or for the intrepid adventurer types that might explore the finger canyons 10 miles off Davenport for big bluefin.”

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

You think it’s all but over, but big salmon continue to tease fishermen out of the Golden Gate. Similar to the words of Michael Corleone in Godfather 3, “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!” That was the story of the salmon bite over the weekend. Saturday’s conditions were relatively calm in the morning, but a squall came through, pushing boats back into the safety of San Francisco Bay.

Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters out of Loch Lomond posted the excellent score of 6 salmon for 4 anglers on Saturday before the ‘someone turned on the fan,’ and he returned to the bay to troll California City for no additional salmon. Slate went 3 for 4 on Sunday out of five total bites, and he was in close proximity at the Duxbury Buoy to Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions out of San Francisco putting on a trolling clinic.

Koyasako said, “I had a group from the San Francisco Nisei Fishing Club on their one-day salmon derby, and we found limits of salmon to 27 pounds along with a crew fish near Bolinas Point. We had a number of other fish on as well, but these were big fish. Nearly all of the fish we landed were commercial grade with a few in the 23-inch range. The men on board ended up in first, second, and third in their derby, and they are always lucky when they are on the boat.”

Koyasako had been searching inside the bay for white seabass before heading above Duxbury for limits of rockfish, and this formula worked for three white seabass on one trip this week in shallow water outside of the Berkeley Pier, and they did hook a ghost on Saturday that came immediately unbuttoned before heading outside for rockfish before the squall drove them back into the bay to salvage the day with 7 stripers at Red Rock. He said, “These were the first bass I’ve seen in the bay in some time, and I am just glad they were there.”

The ling cod are moving into the shallows, and Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing made the long run to Fanny Shoals on Sunday for quick limits of huge vermilion, canary, and copper rockfish along with limits of ling cod to 15 pounds. He said, “It is unbelievable out there with huge rockfish on every drop.”

Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, was out on a private charter on the New El Dorado III on Saturday for a rockfish trip past Fanny Shoals to the lightly-fished Soap Bank. Opening up the depth restriction to 300 feet has created opportunities at some areas that haven’t been touched in years, and he said, “It was just an epic day of rockfishing in 260 to 280 feet of water with swimbaits. The action was just ‘lights out,’ and we were on our way back home with rockfish and ling cod limits while the other boats were just getting out as we left at 5:00 a.m. to get the jump on the bite.”

Most of the party boats have been heading to the Farallon Islands instead of further north to Fanny Shoals, and the Pacific Dream out of Berkeley posted 23 limits of both rockfish and ling cod to 26 pounds at the Islands on Sunday.

Inside the bay, Flash Sport Fishing out of San Francisco continues to find excellent action for leopard shark while Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing ended his saltwater season in style with big leopard, soup fin, and seven gill shark on Sunday. Gamez said, “We went out with a bang, and we are starting out sturgeon season this week out of Pittsburg Marina.” Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle in San Rafael said, “One of our Shiner Patrol members was out in a typhoon on Friday night from the levee with Loch Lomond shiners for 4 stripers from 20 to 24 inches. It was cold and windy out there with whitecaps, but the fish were biting.”

Call: Captain Trent Slate Bite Me Charters (415) 307-8582; Captain Jerad Davis, Salty Lady (415) 760-9362; Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing (707) 655-6736; Happy Hooker (510) 223-5388

San Luis Obispo

Rockfish 3 Salmon 2 Surf perch 2

Near-limits of rockfish continue to be the story out of the San Luis Obispo County ports with the party boats taking a variety of trips from ½-day to long-range. Similar to every other week of the season, the longer you travel from the harbor, the better the quality of rockfish. Out of Patriot Sport Fishing at Port San Luis at Avila Beach, the Patriot and Flying Fish were out on Sunday on trips of varying lengths with 41 fishermen for 34 vermilion, 5 copper, 4 Bolina, 301 assorted rockfish, and one ling to 7 pounds for a total of 345 fish. Out of Morro Bay, the Fiesta was out on a long-range with the Rita G on a half-day, and their combined 41 passengers on Sunday came home with 115vermilion, 185 assorted rockfish, 35 copper, 30 Boccaccio, and 15 canary rockfish. Also out of Morro Bay Landing, the Avenger, Starfire, and Endeavor were out on Sunday with 71 anglers for 186 vermilion, 55 copper, 55 Boccaccio to 10 pounds, 275 assorted rockfish, and 4 ling cod. 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 2 Salmon 2

The salmon are on their way in increasing numbers, but slowing down hasn’t really been in their vocabulary so far as the salmon are blasting through the Delta on their way to the cooler waters of the upper Sacramento River. It is uncertain with the low water conditions if they will slow down anytime soon, but there will be numbers of big fish on their way to attempt to spawn once their reach the coolest water in the system. Striped bass highlight both side of the Delta, and the linesides are flooding in from Collinsville north to Liberty Island. Sturgeon six pack operators are back in the Delta next week, working out of Pittsburg or Martinez Marinas.

In the north Delta, Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle in Freeport said, “A few salmon are coming below the Freeport Bridge for those jigging Slammer Minnows or casting Flying C’s from the banks. Striped bass are taken by drifting mudsuckers or jumbo minnows in the Sacramento Deep Water Channel or in Liberty Island. Bluegill are everywhere in the sloughs with wax worms or red worms. The next eight weeks is the time for salmon, and you have to work hard for them right now as they aren’t jumping in the boat.”

Also in the north Delta, Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento, said, “I took my reel repair guy, Sterling, out with me, and we were spooning stripers in 6 to 8 feet in Cache Slough. We had two over 12 pounds, and Sterling landed his personal-best at 12 pounds. We then targeted largemouth bass with chatterbaits or Keitech swimbaits for bass to 4.75 pounds. The bass are loading up on crawdads, and every bass has whiskers sticking out of their mouths. The wind has been the limiting factor as it has been rough out there when the wind is blowing.”

Kenji Nagakawa of Phenix Rods has been working the late afternoon hours towards sunset in the north Delta, and he found good action for quality stripers on a BGC glidebait.

Dave Houston of Livermore said, “The water temperature dropped to 68 degrees, but besides that the bite was about the same as Tuesday. We fished all the way into Montezuma Slough to Antioch, and we caught one shallow on a Rat-L-Trap and the rest deep on Yo-Zuri’s in both white/chartreuse. We caught seven keepers to 12 lbs. and a large salmon. We kept our three limits and releases the 12 pounder and salmon. Usually, the best fighting stripers are in that 8-lb. range, and for some reason the larger ones pull hard, but they give up easy. A recent 12 pounder was extremely hot and pulled hard in every direction as I tried to circle and it took more than 15 minutes to net.”

Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing out of Lauritzen’s Yacht Harbor has been working on both the Sacramento and San Joaquin side of the Delta depending upon the conditions. He said, “We have been finding limits of quality linesides on every trip, but the wind has limited us to the incoming tide on the Sacramento side. We have been drifting live bait for the most part.”

Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait and Tackle reported a few salmon have been landed at the State Park, but there have been only a few fishermen throwing spinners off of 1st Street in Benicia. The striped bass bite is excellent, and ‘Bank fishermen are tearing them up off of the State Park.”

Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors went north with Captain Joey Gamez this week on a fun trip to seek out striped bass, and he said, “We went through at least 30 stripers with 20 being keepers to 10 pounds on topwater lures. Swimjigs in golden shiner patterns continue to be very effective, and Gamez finally switched over to this pattern after finding slow action on a white/chartreuse swimjigs while I was catching fish. The stripers and largemouth bass are feeding on the golden shiners or baby bass, and the greenish gold color of the lure matches the pattern of both baitfish species.”

Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing will be back in Pittsburg for sturgeon this week while Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing is only a week away with his first sturgeon trips starting on October 1st.

The 73rd Annual Rio Vista Bass Derby is just a few weeks away on October 8th through 10th. After a hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the derby is back bigger and better with a $3000 first place prize for the target-length striped bass competition. Information on the derby is available at www:bassfestival.org.

The San Joaquin-Delta is starting to produce striped bass in greater numbers, and there is the opportunity for trollers, drifting live bait, casting topwater lures, or soaking fresh shad for the linesides. Largemouth bass numbers are there for the taking, and swimjigs with a ‘The Deal’ trailer along with ima Squarebill crankbaits are producing.

The 1st Annual ‘Kiss My Bass’ charity tournament for the Stockton Boy’s and Girl’s Club scheduled for last Saturday has been postponed until November, but there is a tournament of champions this coming weekend out of Holland Riverside Marina in the south Delta.

Dan Mathisen of Dan Mathisen Outdoors said, “We have invited 17 teams for our tournament of champions this weekend, and we are expecting a good showing, I was striper fishing with Optimum’s Bad Bubba Shad swimbaits this week for 38 linesides on a half-day trip between Pittsburg and Antioch along the tules. A number of the stripers were in the 18- to 24-inch range with the big fish at 9 pounds. The stripers were a mixture of new fish with the telltale purple line along with resident or fish that have been in the system for some timeI have heard of salmon being taken off of Humphrey’s Pier in Antioch, but when we passed the pier, there were no anglers there.”

Due to the excessive permit requests by one circuit for 2022 along with the inadequate rules established by the Department of Fish and Wildlife, Mathisen currently has only received 2 permits for the following year as he lost every random draw to the circuit with permit applications from more than one person representing the organization. Fortunately, the Department appears committed to rectifying this situation for the 2023 year. The current permit schedule for 2022 has not been released.

Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, said, “The striped bass bite is very good in Frank’s Tract, Old River, and in Discovery Bay for those casting lures, drifting live bait, or sitting on the anchor with fresh shad. The stripers haven’t reached Middle River yet as they have made it as far east as Prisoner’s Point.”

Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, has been starting out targeting striped bass in the mornings before switching over to largemouth bass, and he said, “I learned something this week as I rigged my client up with 20-pound test Big Game mono while I had 65-pound Spider Wire on our ima Big Sticks. He was consistently hooking striped bass as we were working the flats on the west end of the San Joaquin River while I was getting hit, but they weren’t sticking. In order to throw these lures, you need a stiff rod to get the fish out of the weeds and also to make the lure walk on the surface. The only stretch factor is the line, and in order to hook the stripers, you needed the stretch that mono provides. The line was on the only factor in this equation that allowed for stretch, and once I rigged up with Big Game, I was getting to set the hook as well. The stripers are in the flats and pushing up bait in the tules in less than 3 feet of water, and we were working in areas where the shad was flipping out of the water. The Optimum Bad Bubba Shad swimbait was also effective. After landing a number of stripers, we switched over to largemouth bass with swimjigs with the new Berkley ‘The Deal’ trailer which has max scent along with ima Squarebill crankbait in bluegill or shad. The bluegill pattern outproduced the shad pattern as the bass are feeding on bluegill or baby bass.”

In the south Delta, Omega Nguyen of MegaBait and Tackle in Lathrop said, “The best time for striper fishing in our area is at night with shad, pile worms, or blood worms for linesides from 5 to 8 pounds. During the daytime, a number of shakers are around with anchovies or sardines. We have been loading up with fresh shad, receiving over 100 pounds on a regular basis, freezing as many as 50 pounds daily.”

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 0

At Nacimiento, the lake dropped slightly to 12%, and there are a number of unmarked hazards and obstructions throughout the shallow lake. There is a topwater window early or late along with a reaction bite with chatterbaits or crankbaits. Plastics on a slow presentation at depths to 20 feet are also effective for numbers. The shad are starting to ball up and move into the shallows with the cooler nighttime temperatures, and shad patterned lures are most effective. White bass continue to bust shad on the surface on occasion, but the best opportunity for the whites is to cast or slow-troll white Kastmasters or Roostertails for the subsurface bite. The red ear and bluegill bite remains excellent with red worms, jumbo red worms, or wax worms. A webcam of the lake is available at http://www.lakenacimientolive.com/. At Lopez, the launch ramp may or may not be accessible, and it is best to contact the marina at (805) 489-1006 for the latest launch ramp status. Bass action is happening for both numbers and size with a window for topwater in the early mornings or late afternoons into the evenings before dropping to the bottom with jigs. Spinnerbaits or crankbaits are also effective. Red ear perch are taken on wax worms or meal worms in shady areas to 15 feet in depth. A webcam of the lake is available at http://805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam/. At Santa Margarita, largemouth bass are generally uncooperative, and fishermen have to work hard to land a legal limit. There are weeds choking the shorelines, and a weedless presentation on Brush Hogs, Senkos, or plastics is advised. Where the water is clear, crankbaits have been a good option. Bluegill are taken on red worms or meal worms in shady locations or adjacent to submerged structure while catfishing. At San Antonio, the lake is holding at 7%, and there is minimal change over the past several weeks with the best action for catfish with Triple S Dip Baits in Bloody Formula or chuck mackerel. A few large crappie have been taken on minijigs near structure. Carp are omnipresent in the shallows, and they are more than willing to bite dough baits such as Wussy 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

Clear Lake – Tournament of Champions – September 17/19 (3 limits): 1st – Chris Dabbs/Patrick Zapponi– 70.05 pounds; 2nd – Brad Amodeo/Mark Crutcher – 62.06 pounds; 3rd- Leng Yang/Xue Yang – 61.81.

Lake Tulloch – Bass Nation Non-Boater Division – September 18/19 (2 limits): 1st – Timmy Wells – 26.66 pounds; 2nd – Cory Kerber – 22.70 pounds; 3rd- Wyatt Debusk – 22.08.

Lake Tulloch – Bass Nation Non-Boater Division – September 18/19 (2 limits): 1st – Tas Moua – 15.37 pounds; 2nd – Wyatt Moore – 11.85 pounds; 3rd- David Childress – 10.61.

Don Pedro – Christian Bass League – September 18: 1st – Bob and Jake Etchevery – 12.10 pounds; 2nd – Steve Riggs/Steve Chappell – 11.20 pounds; 3rd- Michael Soriano/Phillip Aramburu – 10.40.

Isabella – American Bass Association – September 18: 1st – Mark Abler/Ray Gauerke– 23.58 pounds; 2nd – Randy McAbee Sr./Clark Small – 19.15 pounds (Big Fish – 7.89); 3rd- Bryan Jordan/Greg Bridges– 12.20.

Millerton – Fresno Bass Club – September 19: 1st – Seth Rowe – 9.34 pounds; 2nd –Bib Jones– 8.43 pounds; 3rd-Jimmy Arnold– 7.90. Big Fish – Matthew Medesk – 2.52-pound spotted bass.

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

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