Fishing report, Oct. 13-19: Millerton spotted bass, Wishon trout 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

Delta bass and striper bites good, Alan Fong reported. Wishon trout bite holding up, Kelly Brewer said. New Melones bass and catfish hitting, Dave Hurley reported. Forebay stripers active, Bill Sterling said. Millerton pumping out spotted bass numbers, Michael Crane reported. McClure bass numbers good, Ryan Cook said.

Roger’s remarks: Plenty of challenges these days. Never give up!

Anglers have been gradually entering new territory on multiple fronts due to the pandemic, fires, drought conditions and backed-up inventory issues.

We’ve all been experiencing sticker shock at the gas pumps. Guys are now bragging to me about what kind of gas mileage they’re getting pulling their boat, rather than about their big fish! Long road trips to distant lakes? It might now be cheaper to just book a big game fishing trip to Baja.

Another factor that’s now hit all of us is choosing where to fish, hoping there’s enough water in the lake/river we’re considering to justify the effort. A lot of lakes are just basically off the radar for most anglers due to the low levels, which in turn concentrates more fishermen in the fewer smaller lakes still available. Pray for rain.

Recent fire closures exacerbated this situation. Some of the key higher-altitude lakes anglers rely on during the hot summer months were out of commission for periods of time. In addition, the heavy smoke was terrible to try to fish in.

The latest factor that few of us ever thought would be a problem is the lack of inventory that spans the whole spectrum of things an active angler depends upon. Start with the scarcity of lures, poles, downriggers, boat equipment, tackle, outboards, and the list goes on to include our vehicles. Break something and you may be out of luck replacing it quickly — or at all!

Our costs have gone up, lake choices have gone down and we may not be able to get the tackle necessary to fish in some cases. Fishing buddies need to realize that the boat owner they go with may need more help with the expenses than ever before. Offering $20 for gas may not be nearly enough these days to cover a fraction of the increased costs across the board. A boater/buddy may not say anything, but I promise you they will appreciate you helping them with the cost increase.

Yeah, we’re in a new era, but most of us have learned to navigate these new and complex issues as best we can. Never give up!

Roger George: rogergeorge8@protonmail.com, Rogergeorgeguideservice on Facebook and @StriperWars

Valley

West-side waterways

Striper 3 Catfish 3

Fishing in the California Aqueduct or the Delta-Mendota Canal is a favorite location for striped and largemouth bass for anglers from the San Joaquin Valley from Stockton to Bakersfield. Fishing the ‘ducts does not require a boat or expensive tackle, and when the water is running through the concrete river, the bait moves and the fish get active. It is a specialty niche in the various opportunities available to California’s anglers. The first Striperz Gone Wild Fall Classic Aqueduct Fishing Derby took place this past Saturday at Volta Road crossing, and Bill Sterling of the Sportsman’s Warehouse in Fresno said, “We had 174 entries in the event, and the top two winning fish in the adult division came from the aqueduct near Manning Avenue. With the cooler weather, we will continue to hold this event in the fall as excessive heat in the summer limit participation. When we held one in the summer months, we still had over 80 participants in 103-degree temperatures. Matthew Rodrigo took first in the adult division with a striped bass at 25.5 inches with Pao Wong second with 25 and Robert Diaz coming in third at 24 inches. Joey Magallenes came in first in the kid’s division at 22 inches, followed by Gael Delacerda at 21.75 and Jocelyn Gonsalves at 18.5 inches. The boils are starting in the aqueduct, and if you can find one, you can easily score a limit up to 26 inches.”

In the south aqueduct in Kern County, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported continued good action for striped bass with flukes, Whopper Ploppers, or jerkbaits such as Lucky Craft Pointers. Bait fishermen are soaking blood worms, large minnows, sardines, or anchovies for the lineside while those targeting catfish are using chicken livers or Triple S Dip Bait. Largemouth bass are getting into the act on plastics or jigs while catfishing remains best with cut baits or Triple S Dip Bait with carp 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 2

Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “A little rain falling in the watershed has perked up the bass bite at Eastman with jerkbaits for suspended fish or on the bottom with 10-inch plastic worms or lizards on a Carolina-rig on a slow presentation. Hensley remains very slow. Catfishing is the other option at both lakes with chicken livers, cut baits, or nightcrawlers from the banks near the launch ramps.” Eastman at 6% and Hensley at 8%.

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 2 Kokanee 1 King salmon 2 Crappie 2

157 boats participated in the Best Bass Tournaments Tournament of Champions won by the team of Kevin Davidson and Bryan Cox with a two-day total of 22.45 pounds. The bass bite has been very tough for the past two weekends of big tournament action with winning limits in the 12-pound average. The lake is loaded with huge bait schools, and the fish are reluctant to bite. There is a decent topwater bite when the bass are busting on the surface in open water along with working the bottom with 5-inch Strike King’s Flutter Spoons or 3/4-ounce Hopkins Shorties when the fish are on the bottom on the shad schools. With the heavy boat traffic over the past two weekends, few trout trollers were on the lake, but with the plethora of shad, the coming months of cooler weather will spur on the bite. The lake dropped slightly to 49%. The fish cleaning station at Moccasin is temporarily closed.

Call: Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing (209) 581-4734; Kyle Wise – Head Hunter Guide Service – (209) 531- 3966; Ryan Cook – Ryan Cook’s Fishing - 691-7008

Lake Isabella/Bakersfield area

Bass 2 Trout 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 3 Bluegill 2

Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported they are still receiving reports of crappie in the South Fork around Red’s Marina with small to medium minnows. Bass fishing is best with crankbaits, swimbaits, jigs, or plastic worms around structure off of the shoreline. Catfishing continues to be a good option with Triple S Dip Bait, scented nightcrawlers, or frozen shad. The lake held at 9 percent. In the Kern River, the flows are very low, but they have risen from 91 to 106 cfs at Kernville in the upper river, and they have dropped from 131 to 103 cfs at First Point on the lower river. The lower river remains the best location for smallmouth or largemouth bass with live minnows or plastics. The upper Kern River is closed along the upper Kern River from the Riverkern Day Use Area north to the Johnsondale Bridge along with the Packsaddle Trail and the Cannel Meadow National Recreation Trail. The closure order will be in place until October 31st. Buena Vista is kicking out catfish or crappie with the best action at night.

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 2 Catfish 2

The lake dropped to 11%, but the bass bite is good in the lowered reservoir on jigs, jerkbaits, or crankbaits. The Kaweah River has risen to 22 cfs at Three Rivers. Smoke from the KNP Fire in Sequoia National Park and Forest is heavy in the area.

Lake Success

Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2

The lake has dropped to 9%, and the bass bite remains ‘hit or miss with the best action on jigs or crankbaits. The Windy Fire southeast of Lake Success has burned 97,554 acres, but the containment has risen from 70% to 88% within the week.

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

McClure Reservoir

Bass 3 Trout 2 King salmon 0 Kokanee 0 Crappie 2 Catfish 2

The lake held at 20%, and it is a long drive down to the Barrett Cove South Launch Ramp. Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “Bass fishing has been good for numbers as the fish are suspended from 10 to 50 feet over the bait balls. Finding the bait balls is the key, and there is a good bite upriver with Hopkin’s Shorties or a 1/4-ounce dart head with a 3-inch Kalend’s swimbait. When the bass are chasing shad on the surface, there is a fluke bite along with topwater. The best action is in the river arm, but there are bass starting to school around the main lake creeks and cuts.” 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

Merced Irrigation District’s Fall Trout Derby attracted nearly 240 anglers over the previous weekend, and the first place for largest trout went to Johnny Estrada Jr. at 21.75 inches with Ndzeu Heu taking the longest three-fish stringer at 55.25 inches. Briar Mayfield won the kid’s Wild Card chosen randomly with a 12.25-inch rainbow trout. The best action remains at the Brush Pile, the Handicapped Docks, or the peninsula near the marina with various colors of Power Bait, inflated nightcrawlers, or blue/silver Kastmasters. The best trolling is in the river arm near the 2nd Fence Line with blade/’crawler combinations or red Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler at depths to 30 feet.

Call: McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534

Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River

Bass-3 Striped bass 2 Shad 1 Bluegill 3 Crappie 1

The lake held at 59% with water releases on the San Joaquin River system out of Shaver and Huntington balanced with releases into the lower San Joaquin below the dam. Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “Bass fishing continues to improve as the spotted bass are loading up on crawdads in the shallows. Jerkbaits or crankbaits along with plastics in a crawdad pattern on the drop-shot are working for numbers on the Madera side of the lake and up the river arm from Finegold. The striped bass are pushing the shad into the banks and the mouths of coves in the evenings . Catfishing has been excellent at night with anchovies or chicken livers.”

The river held at 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 3 Crappie 2 Catfish 3 Trout 2 Kokanee 1

The water level held at 35% and the combination of stable water levels and cooling water temperatures are contributing to an improved bass bite. Similar to the other northern California lakes, it is a matter of locating the shad schools, and when the bass are busting on the surface, there is a topwater bite with Whopper Ploppers, Poppers, or Spooks. When the fish are feeding on the bottom, spy baits, or spoons on a suspended presentation along with shad-patterned plastics on the drop-shot are effective. Holdover rainbow trout are taken on open water on shad-patterned spoons on lead core or on the downrigger at depths to 60 feet. 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.

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%. Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun said, “The night bite remains best for quality largemouth bass with glidebaits while the daytime bite is limited to chatterbaits, tubes, or plastics on a finesse presentation.” In the lower Kings River below Pine Flat, a trout plant occurred two weeks ago. Bank fishermen are picking up the holdovers 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. There have been anglers reportedly keeping trout in the restricted section of the river. The flows are from 129 to 160 cfs at 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 1

Bill Sterling of the Sportsman’s Warehouse in Fresno said, “Right now if you have a boat or a kayak, the O’Neill Forebay is the hot spot with Jay from our shop landing over 30 stripers while fly fishing from his float tube and others are reporting from 20 to 30 linesides on topwater lures or umbrella rigs.”

Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “There are a number of smaller stripers in the forebay, and the rockwall is a good place to start since the stripers will hold up against the rocks. In the main San Luis Reservoir, trollers are either pulling umbrella rigs or Lucky Craft Pointers. We have jumbo minnows in the shop, and boaters are also drifting the minnows for limits of schoolie stripers. There is a topwater bite in the early mornings or evenings while some are soaking anchovies for limits to 25 inches. The lake is very low, and the pumps are nearly out of the water.”

Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said that the big lake bite had slowed with the recent cooling trend — but thought it might rebound with the forecast warming trend. “The water is still falling about 1/3 of a foot a day and the water temps have dropped a few degrees to about 68 degrees. The troll bite is decent but the overall reaction bite fell off this week.”

The lake has dropped further to 11%, creating more difficult conditions at the Basalt Recreational Area launch ramp, particularly on a northwest wind. Most boaters are utilizing the low water ramp at Dinosaur Point.

Call: Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711, Roger George of rogergeorgeguideservice.com 905-2954

High Sierra

Bass Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 1

The Kerman Bass Club held an 11-boat tournament on Saturday, and a total of 38 bass weighing an average of 1.57 pounds were brought to the scale. The winning limit was 9.21 pounds with a big fish of the tournament at 2.69 pounds. The lake dropped slightly to 63%. The Sheriff’s Motor Fee remains in the effect during the winter months.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool

The lakes are very low with Florence at only 2%, Edison at 8% and Mammoth Pool at 10%.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake

Kokanee 2 Trout 3

At Shaver, rain fell in the region, and the smoke has dissipated. The guides have vacated the lake for the winter months due to low water levels. The launch ramp at the Sierra Marina remains open, and the focus is on the holdover rainbows as the kokanee are all but spent and attempting to move into the creek arms near the Sierra Marina. The lake dropped from 52% to 49%.

At Huntington, Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “Trout fishing remains good at the mouth of Rancheria Creek or near the Auxiliary Dam with spinners or jerkbaits along with nightcrawlers on a drop-shot rig from the banks.” Water releases have started, but and the lake dropped from 54% to 50%.

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, “The Wishon Village RV Park and Store is closing for the season, but rainbows from 12 to 14 inches are still hitting off of the banks with Power Bait or inflated nightcrawlers.”

Jay and Delinda Irvine were at Wishon on Sunday, and Irvine said, “The trout bite was hot catching two limits of rainbows in two hours. We trolled Dicks red Koke Busters behind a gold sparkle Mountain dodger with red reflective tape on the chrome side at about 130 feet back with a 1-ounce weight at 1.9-2.1 mph. On the other side pole, we ran a Paulina Peak red/white spinner behind a red/brass dodger. The side poles were the best set ups for the day. One fish was caught on the down rigger on a broken back Rapala in a German Brown pattern at 75 feet back and 40 feet down. The Bloody Tuna garlic was the best scent to put on the worms and red corn. Red seems to be a really strong color right now at Wishon.”

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

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

Rockfishing has been the story of the past several months out of Half Moon Bay, and it seems like it will remain the story until the tentative opener of the recreational Dungeness crab season on November 6th. The announcement regarding the opening of the recreational season will occur on November 1st after a whale assessment on October 26/27th. With the Huli Cat headed north to its new home in Fort Bragg, the Queen of Hearts out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing along with the New Captain Pete will be the two large party boats offering the very popular crab combination.

The Queen of Hearts was out on Saturday with 10 anglers for limits of coastal rockfish along with a solitary ling cod while the Ankeny Street worked the coastal reefs earlier in the week for 14 limits of rockfish including two cabezon along with 12 ling cod.

The month of October is normally a slow time with anglers saving their coins for the upcoming crab/rockfish combination season, but there is no guarantee that the season will open as scheduled.

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 3 Rockfish 3 Striper 2 White seabass 2 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3

Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “Weather conditions are holding, and the big bluefin bite of 2021 is still on! If anything, it is getting better as local anglers take advantage and learn from their mistakes. This week saw constant and consistent reports of boats finding, hooking, and landing multiple tuna from a widespread area. The key spots are located off of Point Sur or near the Finger Canyons 10 miles west of Davenport. In the Sur area, the giant tuna are as close as 6 miles from the beach! At the Fingers, the distance offshore is more like 10 to 12 miles. Both locations take some travel time from port, but so far, no one is complaining. There are temperature breaks out there, but they key factor seems to be getting to the canyon edges and just looking for feeding fish, jumpers, and breezers.

Last week we were calling this bite “epic.” We are moving rapidly towards “historical” status. Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine is a noted tuna hunter in our area. On Saturday he said, “This is all time fishing here in Santa Cruz. The anglers are using 60- to 80-pound Seaguar and live bait hooks on the mackerel. There have been some fish caught trolling Rapalas, Nomads, or Cedar Plugs as well. Numerous fish have been caught and lost. There was even a 145-pound Opah caught on a mackerel near Davenport today.” Friday’s weather was a bit more uncomfortable, but tuna anglers were able to get offshore and score, according to Fraser. “Bluefin were caught today at the Davenport Fingers and down near Big Sur. The fish are here and they are in the 70- to 180-pound class. The key is to find the water temperature break and look for the bluefin. The wind was not bad in the morning but it did blow 15 in the afternoon,” he reported. NOAA weather forecasts look good for the coming week. If it holds, we should continue to enjoy this amazing fishery.

Captain Steve Gutierrez took out a crew on a venture last week, and he started off at Big Sur, only to find no boats plying the region. He searched around and looked for the warm water break, and they were rewarded after a four-mile run with a hook up on a huge bluefin estimated at 170 pounds on an ‘old school’ Rapala with a metal bill. After a 40-minute fight, Gutierrez took control for the final half-hour to bring the huge fish to the gaff.

Inshore, things are holding steady for regular fall-type fishing. In Capitola the rockfishing is still great. Lingcod catches are on the rise for fish from 6 to 20 pounds on local reefs. A few white sea bass are biting for anglers fishing near the Cement Ship. Halibut remain active in the Capitola area from 30 out to 80 feet of water. There are still a few undersized flatties in the mix, but most are keepers ranging from nine pounds up to the mid-twenties. Both the lings and halibut are biting like crazy on live bait. There’s plenty of bait to jig in the area including Spanish and Pacific mackerel, jack smelt, kingfish, and anchovies. Anglers are finding success trolling lures or bait with a three-way rig or drifting with a short-leader three-ways and Carolina rigs. This time of year, fishing for big halibut is usually best up the coast. The sandy areas between rocky points of Three-Mile and Four-Mile Beaches are classic spots for fall halibut fishing. The bull kelp in that area grows out to 70-foot depths. Anglers trolling or using live bait find big flatties just beyond the kelp beds out to 90-to 100-feet of water.”

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

Golden Gate/San Francisco Bay

Salmon 2 White sea bass 3 Halibut 3 Striper 2 Rockfish 3 Leopard shark 3 Sturgeon 2

Similar to the arrival of bluefin tuna off of the northern California coast, the appearance of white sea bass, aka ‘ghosts’ in San Francisco Bay raises angler’s eyebrows and creates tremendous excitement. The exotic species are a bonus for northern California fishermen who are clamoring for the opportunity to check one off of the bucket list.

The Blue Angels held their annual air show over the Bay Area this past weekend, and the bay was littered with all sorts of passenger vessels observing the show. However, even the Blue Anglers couldn’t upstage the arrival of the white sea bass.

Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions out of San Francisco is known as ‘The Ghost Whisperer’ for good reason, and he found spectacular action on Friday with 9 white sea bass out of 12 hookups for his clients. He followed this up with six more on Saturday on a solo journey with his 19-year-old deckhand, Hunter Nguyen when his charter rescheduled. Koyasako said, “These fish have some fight, and they are running hard before succumbing to the gaff by laying alongside the boat. They are fighting all the way through the boat with some long runs, and they are wrapping themselves in the rocks and on others anchors. Hunter ended up losing four when we were on our trip, and I had some fun with him showing him how an experienced fishermen uses technique instead of brute strength to bring in these fish. The action slowed down on Sunday as the sea bass weren’t schooled up like they were on Friday and Saturday, but then again, there was tremendous boat pressure in the bay over the weekend.” The months of October and November provide the best opportunity to hook into one of the hard-fighting sea bass.

Not to be outdone, Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters took Matt Smart on a redemption tour on Saturday to erase the memory of last November when all fishermen on the boat landed sea bass while he came up empty. Smart more than redeemed himself with a three-fish white sea bass limit to 35 pounds, but Slate landed the big fish at 40 pounds. He said, “This fish took off on the surface on a 100-yard run, and while I was fighting the sea bass, the Blue Angels did a fly-over. It doesn’t get much better than this.”

The limiting factor for white sea bass will be the availability of live bait as four or five of the larger party boats bought out the remaining scoops of live bait from the San Francisco bait receiver over the weekend.

In many areas, white sea bass are taken on fresh-dead squid, but in the bay, live anchovies have been a top bait. If a boat doesn’t have live bait, they will have to make bait with a cast net or a Sabiki rig. Both Slate and Koyasako are confident in their ability to locate enough bait to keep these trips going.

Also inside the bay, there is a resurgence for both halibut and striped bass, and the Happy Hooker out of Berkeley posted the very impressive score of 19 halibut for 13 anglers on Thursday. This is the best score in several months as the bay has been the ‘Dead Sea’ since the opening of salmon season. There will be quite a bit more interest in the bay in the coming months.

Ed Chin at Bay Tackle in El Cerrito said, “Stripers are coming back, and over the past seven days, we have been finding good action from the East Bay shorelines with Berkley curly-tailed grubs, Yum Money Minnows, or Storm’s Largo shad in white/chartreuse. Before this past week, we would find fish for a couple of days before they would disappear, but it has been finally been consistent.”

The ocean salmon season last until October 31st, but salmon fishing remains on the rollercoaster ride with good days followed by slow days, and it’s been mostly slow days over the past week. It is a clear sign that the salmon season has winded down when Captain Christian Cunningham on the Chasin’ Crustacean out of Fort Baker opted for 6 limits of rockfish and 5 ling cod on Sunday. He is normally the highliner of the six-pack salmon fleet, and he put his clients onto five limits in the middle of the week. The Outer Limits and New Rayann out of Sausalito struggled for a combined 9 salmon to a whopping 41 pounds for 28 anglers on Sunday. With the resurgent bite along Ten Mile Beach above Point Reyes, there should be another spurt of ocean salmon before the season is over.

Rockfishing remains solid for limits of a smaller grade of fish and light ling cod counts on the coastal reefs, but by far, the best action takes place at the Farallon Island out to Fanny Shoals and the newly-opened grounds at the Soap Bank. The weather has not been cooperative for this long run, and it won’t be for the start of this week.

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 SurfpPerch – 3

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 Morro Bay Landing, the Endeavor, Avenger, and Starfire were out on Sunday with 74 fishermen for 205 vermilion, 60 copper, 55 Boccaccio, 355 assorted rockfish, one rock sole, and 7 ling cod to 13 pounds. Also out of Morro Bay, the Fiesta, Rita G, and Black Pearl were out on Sunday with 67 passengers for near-limits of rockfish with 135 vermilion, 319 assorted rockfish, 20 copper, 5 Boccaccio, 1 cabezon, and 5 ling cod. Out of Patriot Sport Fishing at Port San Luis at Avila Beach, the Patriot, Phenix, and Flying Fish also returned with near-limits of rockfish on Sunday with a combined 50 fishermen returning to the docks with 33 vermilion, 5 copper, 8 Boccaccio, 65 Bolina, 308 assorted rockfish, one cabezon, 6 ocean whitefish, 2 sheephead, and 4 ling cod to 15 pounds. All ports are taking trips ranging from ½ day to long range.

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 Rio Vista Bass Derby took precedence in the Delta over the past weekend, and thanks to the efforts of the California Striped Bass Association – Isleton Chapter, the measuring and weighing of striped bass, sturgeon, and salmon went off without a hitch. The derby was back after a one-year hiatus, and it originally started in 1933, but it stopped for a few years before being revived in 1949 when it became the official Rio Vista Bass Derby. It was started by two newspapermen, Phil Rose of Redwood City and Harry Proctor of Oakland. The striped bass target length was 25 inches with the sturgeon target at 51 inches. Carlton King took first in the adult striped bass division right on the mark at 25 inches with Ronald Brewer coming in second at 24.80 inches followed as close as possible by Robert Williams at 24.79 inches. Steve Nicholas took the sturgeon division at 50.76 inches, followed by Robert Macciochini and Rich Fleming at 49.92 and 49.38 inches, respectively. In the salmon division, only three fish were brought to the scale with Donald Jeffries in first at 23.7 pounds and perennial top placer, Marty Morfey of Lodi, in second at 20.2 pounds. The kid’s division striped bass target-length was 24 inches, and Reed Chavez came closest to this mark at 23.80 pounds, followed by Darren Soo Hoo, son of Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing, at 23.78 inches.

Soo Hoo said, “Fishing was excellent during the derby, and our boat caught over 100 stripers every day with an average of 40 linesides per person. It certainly wasn’t as easy as I had thought to get to the 25-inch targe as I was either just over or under throughout the three-day event. There are so many 23/24-inch fish out there, and if you are a ½-inch over or under, there is no way that you will place. Normally with clients we will drift live bait, but because we were looking for numbers for the derby, we were plugging.”

Kenji Nakagawa of Lodi was geared up for the derby after finding quality stripers the previous week, and he said, “It was an epic weekend for us as we took the kayaks to the far reaches of the West Delta and found what we were searching for. The late-night glide bait was lit with multiple fish over 10 pounds smashing the glides in the dark. Chapin Fowler, also of Lodi, broke his personal-best twice in two weeks, and he caught and released a hawg pushing 30 pounds on a Deps 250. I was also able to land a potential new PB fish at 45 inches on a prototype Bgc Swimbaits 7-inch Shad glidebait that I’ve been testing for a few months. This bait is so versatile, it can be fished in super shallow water and does not blow out no matter how fast the retrieve.”

88-year-old Clyde Wands, an inspiration for all of us if there was ever one, did not fish the Rio Vista Derby for the first time in decades. He said, “At 88 years old, I can’t fish three days in a row now.” It was only a few years ago that the winning fish came while fishing with him by Andy Doudna. Wands added, “It was a slow day on Tuesday with the wind driving us into Montezuma Slough. We only came up with three keepers to 3 pounds. It has been tough all week long for us, but I hope that things will improve by the weekend for the derby.”

Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento, pulled out a 24-pound largemouth bass limit in the far north Delta flipping while accompanied by Warren Trumbly, who true to form, landed a 10-pound chrome salmon on a spinnerbait after losing a 7-pound largemouth on the previous cast. Fong said, “The water temperature dropped 4 to 5 degrees, and the flip bite just turned on as the bass are loading up on crawdads. I am targeting depths from one to three feet with current with a 1-ounce pegged tungsten weight and a 5/0 Gamakatsu Wide Gap Hook. I was consistently scoring while flipping, and it is a matter of using the correct technique. Denise Loo was with us, and I went to the back of the boat to share what was making the difference for me, and she started to get bit on most casts. Denise is encouraging me to put together a YouTube Channel on various fishing techniques, and I am seriously considering it.”

Below Rio Vista, the bait bite on the anchor remains consistent for linesides near Collinsville.

Salmon are showing up in greater numbers in the Delta, and Dave Scatena of Stockton took his two grandsons, Jack – 8, and Leonardo -5, out this week, and the boys reeled in a 13.9-pound buck on a Silvertron spinner above the Rio Vista Bridge.

Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait reported an average of 2 to 4 salmon have been landed on a daily basis off of both 1st Street and at the Dillon Point State Park with Vee-Zee or Flying C spinners. There are at least 80 people at 1st Street on the weekends with over 100 at the park so the catch ratio has room for improvement. Striped bass fishing has also improved, and they are catching them on spinners as well.”

The sturgeon remain in the same place outside of the Pittsburg Marina, and they haven’t moved for over a year. The bite has been excellent most days, but it is not guaranteed. After scoring three early limits plus a crew fish on Saturday morning for Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing out of Pittsburg, he stayed out very late on the water to pick up a single sturgeon on Sunday. The bite on Friday was also slow as the wind came in from the southwest. Saturday was a different story with 4 slot fish and two shakers along with another good one lost at the side of the boat. Mitchell said, “The sturgeon are here, and it is just a matter of whether they are willing to bite or not.”

Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing confirmed the tough bite on Sunday, saying, “The best tides have been in the middle of the night, and we had a great night trip on Saturday night for my son’s bachelor party. The sturgeon are stacked up from the Pittsburg Pumphouse upriver to Sherman Island, and the boat pressure was intense over the weekend. I moved upriver to get away from the pressure, and three boats followed me up there. Eel has been a top bait along with salmon roe, but the eel has been producing very well.”

Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Sport Fishing is also operating out of Pittsburg as Captain Charles Kimberly has moved the Flash I to the Delta for sturgeon while the Flash II remains in San Francisco for bay and coastal fishing.

Despite warm temperatures during the daytime, the nights are cooling off, and this bodes well for largemouth and striped bass anglers in the San Joaquin-Delta. The water temperatures have moved into the high 60’s, and they are starting to approach the cooler temperatures preferred by the striped bass.

Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors and Phenix Rods was on the Delta three times this week, and he said, “It was tough for striped bass, but we were catching and releasing at least 60 striped bass per day on swimjigs or the Yo-Zuri squarebilled crankbait in Delta Red Craw. I normally prefer to throw reaction baits, but I put a client onto a drop-shot rig with a 6.5-inch purple/brown Reaction Innovation’s Flirt on a 5/16th-ounce tungsten weight, and she went to town, landing between 20 and 30 bass with two of the three stripers that we landed. The tungsten weights are more than worth the additional cost as the lead absorbs while the tungsten metal deflects, giving you a far better feel. You notice a big difference.”

Dan Mathisen of Dan’s Delta Outdoors reported a solid buzzbait bite against the banks along with chatterbaits, and he said, “There are loads of small striped bass from the Antioch Fishing Pier to Pittsburg, and Optimum’s Bad Bubba Shad swimbait or River 2Sea Swavers are working. Humphrey’s Pier in Antioch has been a popular location for those tossing Flying C’s off of the pier for the opportunity for a salmon.” After being blocked on the majority of 2022 dates by another circuit for his Dan Mathisen Outdoor Series out of Holland Riverside Marina, it appears that he will be issued his requested permits for next year.

Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, said, “The troll bite has picked up in the San Joaquin from the shoals upriver towards the mouth of Old River. Those drifting live bluegill in Mildred or around Frank’s Tract are also doing well, and I have heard of a huge school of striped bass on the Washington Cut side of the False River rockwall.”

In the south Delta, Omega Nguyen of MegaBait and Tackle in Lathrop said, “The start of last week was really good for striped bass below the Mossdale Bridge, but the bite has slowed down the past few days as the shad have disappeared. Our shadder is searching from Turtle Beach to Walnut Grove without the success he had over the past week. I received only 70 pounds on Thursday, 50 pounds on Wednesday, and no fresh shad on Friday. Fortunately, I have been freezing pounds and pounds of the shad. Most of our fishermen are heading to the big water near Rio Vista or off of Sherman Island instead of the south San Joaquin.”

The Purple Hearts Anglers will hold their annual Salmon Derby along with a striped bass side point out of Brannan Island State Park on Saturday, October 23rd. Disabled veterans from throughout the region are invited along with the normal participation from the Yountville Veterans Home. Volunteer boats and captains are needed for the event along with helping with the BBQ, If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Darren Butler at darren@purpleheartanglers.org. If you are interested in participating, please contact Randy Houston at randy@purpleheartanglers.org.

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 barrier will remain through November.

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 02

At Nacimiento, there hasn’t been much change with a small window for topwater early in the mornings or at dusk. Vertically jigging spoons are working best for the spotted bass over the shad schools. Plastics on a drop-shot are the other effective technique. White bass are also being taken on spoons as they are feeding on the shad as well. The red ear and bluegill bite remains excellent with red worms, jumbo red worms, or wax worms. The lake has dropped to 11 percent, and boaters have to be extremely cautious with the unmarked hazards throughout the lake. A webcam of the lake is available at http://www.lakenacimientolive.com/. At Lopez, anglers are experiencing fair bass fishing with the best action on spinnerbaits in the shallows along with plastics on the drop-shot, Senkos, or jigs. Meal worms or red worms are effective for the lake’s bluegill or red ear perch for some quality panfish. The launch ramp is still accessible, but it is best to contact the marina at (805) 489-1006 for the latest launch ramp status as it could change any time. A webcam of the lake is available at http://805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam/. At Santa Margarita, the bass action is improving, but it’s still a grind out there. Crankbaits or flukes are the top reaction lures along with finesse plastics dragged slowly on the bottom. Brush Hogs or Senkos are another option for finesse presentations. The weeds are thick throughout the shoreline areas, but the cooler weather should be slowing down their growth. Catfish are taken on cut mackerel soaked in garlic while bluegill or red ear perch are found with wax worms or meal worms near shady areas around trees or docks. At San Antonio, crappie remain the best bet with nightcrawlers or minijigs while the catfish bite is fair at best with Triple S Dip Bait in Bloody Formula or mackerel coated with garlic. Bass remain slow with the occasional fish 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. The lake held at 7 percent.

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

Events

Tournament results

Rio Vista Bass Derby – Adult Striped Bass Division (25-inch target length)– October 8/10th: 1st –Carleton King – 25 inches; 2nd – Ronald Brewer – 24.80; 3rd- Robert Williams – 24.79.

Rio Vista Bass Derby – Adult Sturgeon Division (51-inch target length)– October 8/10th: 1st –Steve Nicholas – 50.79 inches; 2nd – Robert Macciocchi – 49.92; 3rd- Rich Fleming – 49.38.

Rio Vista Bass Derby – Adult Salmon Division (Heaviest Fish)– October 8/10th: 1st –Don Jefferies – 23.7 pounds; 2nd – Marty Morfey – 20.2; 3rd- Mark Cole – 10.7 pounds.

Rio Vista Bass Derby – Youth Striped Bass Division – October 8/10th: 1st –Reed Chaney – 23.80 inches; 2nd – Darren Soo Hoo – 23.76; 3rd- Leo Cheng – 22.86.

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Christian Bass League – October 9th: 1st – Tracy and Ray Patton – 17.68 pounds (Big Fish – 7.22); 2nd –AJ Azevedo/Angelo Quierolo – 14.14; 3rd- Todd Hager/Perry Youngman – 12.94.

Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournaments Tournament of Champions –– October 9/10th – 1st: Kevin Davidson/Bryan Cox – 22.44 pounds; 2nd – Kolby and Kenny Warnock – 22.37; 3rd – Mark McCord/Mike Caddick – 22.26.

California Aqueduct/Volta Road – Striperz Gone Wild 1st Annual Fall Classic Striper Derby Adult Division –– October 9th – 1st: Matthew Rodrigo – 25.5 inches; 2nd – Pao Wong – 25 inches; 3rd – Robert Diaz – 24 inches.

California Aqueduct/Volta Road – Striperz Gone Wild 1st Annual Fall Classic Striper Derby Kid’s Division –– October 9th – 1st: Joey Magellenes– 22 inches; 2nd – Gael Delacerda – 21.75 inches; 3rd – Jocelyn Gonsalves – 18.5 inches.

Bass Lake – Kerman Bass Club – October 9th: 1st – Mitch Melikian – 9.21 pounds; 2nd – Mike Beltran – 8.60 pounds; 3rd- Ted Hanson – 7.93 (Big Fish – 2.69 pounds).

Rio Vista Bass Derby – Adult Striped Bass Division (25-inch target length)– October 8/10th: 1st –Carleton King – 25 inches; 2nd – Ronald Brewer – 24.80; 3rd- Robert Williams – 24.79.

Rio Vista Bass Derby – Adult Sturgeon Division (51-inch target length)– October 8/10th: 1st –Steve Nicholas – 50.79 inches; 2nd – Robert Macciocchi – 49.92; 3rd- Rich Fleming – 49.38.

Rio Vista Bass Derby – Adult Salmon Division (Heaviest Fish)– October 8/10th: 1st –Don Jefferies – 23.7 pounds; 2nd – Marty Morfey – 20.2; 3rd- Mark Cole – 10.7 pounds.

Rio Vista Bass Derby – Youth Striped Bass Division – October 8/10th: 1st –Reed Chaney – 23.80 inches; 2nd – Darren Soo Hoo – 23.76; 3rd- Leo Cheng – 22.86.

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Christian Bass League – October 9th: 1st – Tracy and Ray Patton – 17.68 pounds (Big Fish – 7.22); 2nd –AJ Azevedo/Angelo Quierolo – 14.14; 3rd- Todd Hager/Perry Youngman – 12.94.

Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournaments Tournament of Champions –– October 9/10th – 1st: Kevin Davidson/Bryan Cox – 22.44 pounds; 2nd – Kolby and Kenny Warnock – 22.37; 3rd – Mark McCord/Mike Caddick – 22.26.

California Aqueduct/Volta Road – Striperz Gone Wild 1st Annual Fall Classic Striper Derby Adult Division –– October 9th – 1st: Matthew Rodrigo – 25.5 inches; 2nd – Pao Wong – 25 inches; 3rd – Robert Diaz – 24 inches.

California Aqueduct/Volta Road – Striperz Gone Wild 1st Annual Fall Classic Striper Derby Kid’s Division –– October 9th – 1st: Joey Magellenes– 22 inches; 2nd – Gael Delacerda – 21.75 inches; 3rd – Jocelyn Gonsalves – 18.5 inches.

Bass Lake – Kerman Bass Club – October 9th: 1st – Mitch Melikian – 9.21 pounds; 2nd – Mike Beltran – 8.60 pounds; 3rd- Ted Hanson – 7.93 (Big Fish – 2.69 pounds).

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

October 16th/17th –

Camanche – Riverbank Bass Anglers

Nacimiento – San Luis Obispo Bass Ambushers

October 16th –

Delta/B and W Resort – Angler’s Press/Fresno Bass Club

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Nor Cal Bass/17-90 Bass Club

New Melones – Outlaw Bass Team Tournament

Tulloch – Sierra Bass Club

Don Pedro – Stanislaus County Sheriff’s

Success – Kern County Bassmasters

Nacimiento – Bakersfield Bass Club

October 17th –

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

Tulloch – Nor Cal High School Bass

October 22nd – 24th-

Delta/B and W Resort – Wild West Bass Trails

October 24th –

Pardee – Lodi High School Bass Team

Don Pedro – Angler’s Press

October 29th – 31st –

Delta/Contra Costa – Wild West Bass Trails

October 30th –

Don Pedro – Gold Country Bass Tour

Success – Xtreme Bass Club