Fishing report, Oct. 20-26: McClure bass, west-side stripers 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 stripers, bass and sturgeon bites going, Alan Fong said. Monterey Bluefin fever continues, Alan Bushnell reported. McClure bass still active, Ryan Cook said. Delta Mendota Canal and Aqueduct stripers hitting, Bill Sterling reported.

Roger’s remarks: His secret to success

Sometimes folks will ask me what I think is the secret to any success I’ve had, expecting me to tell them about a lure or special spot. However I have to confess that that those things aren’t nearly as important as having a supportive spouse.

Yes, my wife, Elaine, is my real fishing secret for a lot of serious reasons.

Having her support has been absolutely critical to my being able to fully concentrate my efforts on being the best angler/guide I can be. A spouse’s or a significant other’s encouragement is foundational to any endeavor. Our increasingly “me”-centered world blinds us to this.

Elaine and I are complementary but very different. Her gift is being social and being around people. On the rare occasions she joins me on a trip, she brings a good book and reads until I get a good bite. Why waste your time patiently fishing when you could be reeling in something?

Elaine is totally supportive, a team player, and always in the battle for the win even when she is behind the scenes. Every time I head out the door I know I’ve got someone holding the fort down while I do battle.

I don’t have to wonder if she believes in what I’m doing. Feeling free to do your best and concentrate on following your dream can’t be emphasized enough. I saw this same issue make and break Olympic-class athletes who got diverted from their goal due to unsupportive family.

Somehow the vastly different pieces of the puzzle in our relationship fit together enough to help us build a team. We succeed or fall down together, always getting stronger. These relationships are key to any real success we may attain — far more important than doing something technically right a few times. Great relationships become our true success.

Funny, but I’ll catch a good fish and then later show her the picture of it expecting some praise. Instead: “That fish looks just like the last one. Are you sure this is a different one?” It’s just a question with no negative intent and it shows me how much she trusts me.

Having two people so totally different come together pursuing one vision as a team is the miracle and beauty of it. Life is a battle and having a team/spouse you can run with in pursuing that fishing vision is the dream.

Never give up!

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

Valley

West-side waterways

Striper 3 Catfish 2

In the California Aqueduct, Bill Sterling of the Sportsman’s Warehouse in Fresno said, “The aqueduct has been very productive for the people who have the patience searching for boils in the early mornings just after the sun rises and in the evenings as the sun sets. I caught a limit over 21 inches in literally two casts during a boil this week. Stripers being caught all along the aqueduct all the way through to Manning Avenue with umbrella rigs, swimbaits, jerkbaits, and topwater Spooks in the early mornings. The Delta Mendota Canal is also giving up a number of undersized striped bass on jerkbaits. The forebay is still producing numbers of undersized stripers from kayak or boats trolling with umbrella rigs.”

In the south aqueduct in Kern County, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported a continued solid bite 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 1

Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The rain has helped the bass bite at Eastman as the lake was stirred up with a little bit of oxygen. Bass fishing has been decent off of the banks with chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, squarebilled crankbaits, or dragging a lizard on a Carolina-rig.” 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 is 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

Lake Don Pedro has been the top tournament lake in the Mother Lode with New Melones out of play during the pandemic while McClure has been limited to club tournaments and a small grade of bass.

The Wild West Bass Trails and Best Bass Tournaments held their Tournament of Champions on Pedro in October, and the winning limits barely scratched 25 pounds for two days of fishing.

Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, was the tournament director for the 157-boat Best Bass TOC, and he said, “When the water drops and the temperature changes, the bass will be holding in open water. When you find the bait, you will find the fish, and spoons and plastics on the drop-shot were the top offerings with the bass holding on the shad schools. We were able to award our first-place team of Kevin Davidson and Bryan Cox $20,000 for their limit at 22.44 pounds with the second-place team of Kolby and Kenny Warnock taking home a $7,000 check.”

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “Not much has changed at Pedro, and the bite won’t get better until the lake turns over in November. 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.”

The lake dropped slightly to 48%. There is a 5 mph zone from Blue Oaks to Fleming Meadows. 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 said, “We are still getting reports of crappie on minnows or minijigs around French Gulch, and catfishing remains solid with Triple S Dip Bait, scented nightcrawlers, or frozen shad.” Bass fishing is picking up with plastics on the drop-shot, deep-diving crankbaits, or spinnerbaits. The lake held at 9%. In the Kern River, the flows are very low, but they are holding at 102 cfs at Kernville in the upper river and risen from 103 to 124 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. Cormier said, “Few anglers are working the lower river because they believe there is no water, but the fishing has been good.” 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 1 Catfish 2

The lake held at 11%, but the bass bite is good in the lowered reservoir on jigs, jerkbaits, or crankbaits. The Kaweah River dropped from 22 to 18 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 1 Trout 1 Catfish 2

The lake held at 9%, and the bass bite remains hit or miss with the best action on jigs or crankbaits.

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

McClure Reservoir

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

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing has been fishing McClure all week long in order to put youth anglers onto numbers, and he said, “We have been averaging from 20 to 40 bass per day with some quality spotted bass pushing 2.70 pounds which is great for McClure. We have been scoring with small 3- to 4-inch swimbaits on a 1/4-ounce jig head along with plastics on the drop-shot or G-Money jigs in brown/purple or green pumpkin with a twin-tail trailer. When the fish are on the surface busting shad, topwater lures or flukes are effective. The bass are can be found throughout the entire lake. It’s a really fun bite right now.”

McClure is extremely low, dropping from 20% to 18% this week. The Barrett Cove South is the only ramp at McClure.

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

McSwain Reservoir

Trout 2

The trout bite has slowed as the majority of fish from the recent plants are either heading upriver for cooler water temperatures or have been caught due to heavy fishing pressure. 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 2 Striped Bass 1 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 said, “Bass fishing is best in the river arm near Finegold with Hula Grubs or ripbaits. The striped bass are pushing shad into Winchell’s Cove in the early morning and evenings.” Catfishing is best at night with anchovies or chicken livers. The river dropped from 251 to 221 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 2 Kokanee 1

The water level held at 35%, and bass fishing is best over the shad schools as the cooling water is encouraging the bait fish to gang up into tighter groupings. When the bass are busting on the surface, there is a topwater bite with Whopper Ploppers, Poppers, or Spooks out in open water, but the best action is on the bottom with shad-patterned plastics on the drop-shot, spy baits, or spoons. Trout trollers are starting to show up, and the holdover rainbows are in good shape within the shad schools in open water. Fast-trolling heavy spoons is the most effective technique. 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 spotted bass bite is on the upswing with the cooling water temperatures, and 7- to 10-inch Berkley Power Worms have been effective as the spotted and largemouth bass are pushing the shad into the coves and along the mud lines. Trout trolling is starting to improve as the holdover rainbows are keying in on the forming shad schools.” In the lower Kings River below Pine Flat, the last trout plant occurred three weeks ago. With the shortage of rainbows in the river, bank fishing has slowed, but there are a few rainbows taken on 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 fluctuating slightly at Trimmer, and they have risen from 142 to 157 cfs over the weekend.

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 1

Roger George, the only authorized fishing guide on San Luis, said, “I fished with my guest Mike Padilla of Madera on Friday from 8:30 a.m. to almost 6 p.m. for 12 fish total. We were looking for a better fish, especially since he set his new personal-best of 24.4 pounds on a trip we did last month. It was just a fish here and, there but when Mike released a 33-inch, 12.1-pound striped bass on a Rapala, things turned around. An hour later, Padilla hooked onto a big striper that came up thrashing on top. It went 42 1/2 inches and 29 pounds on the electronic scale, a new personal-best for Padilla before we quickly put his energetic trophy back using the Seaqualizer release tool as always. You’ve got to be ready and prepared to quickly and carefully to put these big fish back or they can die quickly after coming up from the depths in the warm water. This fish was a huge landmark for me because it’s the 30th striper over 20 pounds, including stripers at 41 and 43 pounds, caught/released off my boat within the last year. With the water falling all season, it has been the toughest fishing year I’ve ever seen, but it forced me to get better and become more focused. It paid off.”

George continued, “The reaction bite in the big lake is in a transition stage right now as water temps fall into the high 60s with the cooler temps and longer nights. Trollers working the areas by the dam and over the large flats are scoring limits working the 40- to 60-foot range with Rapalas in blueback/white belly patterns. The bite has been moderate at best. There have been a few reports of guys working boils near the Romero Visitor Center for school-sized stripers. I expect the top water bite to possibly improve with the cooling temps right after the full moon this week. The water in the big lake continues to slowly fall about ¼ foot a day. The lowest level in the recent past was in 2016 when the water reached the 195,000-acre foot mark in July before coming back up. Most of the lake is 40 to 60 feet deep on the shallower western end of it, but the dam area is still showing water over 80 feet in places. The Basalt ramp is still in good shape. The algae remains heavy.”

Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill confirmed the improving troll bite as the fall weather has arrived. He said, “The bite is coming on a bit early this year, and there is good topwater action with Spooks or Pencil Poppers along with smaller swimbaits in the 4.5- to 5-inch range in the big lake. The troll bite lasts even when the sun comes up to around noon. The O’Neill Forebay is also picking up on the rockwall along the Highway 33 side as the grass is very thick on the 152 side of the lake. Live mudsuckers have been an excellent bait from the shorelines.”

Bill Sterling of the Sportsman’s Warehouse in Fresno said, “The forebay is still producing numbers of undersized stripers from kayak or boats trolling with umbrella rigs.”

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

Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “Crappie are showing up off of the docks with minijigs tipped with Crappie Nibbles, and the schools are forming with the cooler water temperatures.” Bass fishing remains slow at best, and few trout fishermen are targeting the lake. The trout bite should improve as the water temperatures continue to cool. The lake dropped slightly to 62%, and 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 2

At Shaver, rain and snow is predicted this week, and with low water levels, few boaters are on the lake. The kokanee are heading to the beach near the Sierra Marina, and they are red and ready to attempt to spawn. Trout fishing is the best option for trollers as the bank bite remains slow. The launch ramp at the Sierra Marina remains open. The lake dropped from 49% to 46%.

At Huntington, water releases have started, and the lake dropped from 50% to 49%. 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 for both holdover rainbows and brown trout.” Few anglers are heading to the lake, but with the arrival of snow, brown baggers will be dragging their aluminum boats to launch from the shoreline for an opportunity to catch and release a trophy brown trout.

Todd Wittwer – Kokanee.net Guide Service 288-8100; Dinkey Creek Inn 841-3435; Tom Oliveira – Tom Oliveira Fishing – 802-8072

Wishon/Courtright

Trout 2

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. The boat launch is accessible, and trollers are scoring with Dick’s 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. Courtright has been lowered to work on the power plant

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

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

Not much change here as rockfishing remains the best option along the reefs south of the harbor, and the situation will not change until the opening of the recreational Dungeness crab season scheduled for November 6th. The opener is in doubt due to the presence of endangered humpback whales, and the decision to open will be announced on November 1st. When the weather window opens up, boats are still running far offshore for the opportunity for a bluefin tuna, but the best bluefin action remains south of Monterey.

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

Monterey/Santa Cruz

Salmon 1 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, “High winds kept most boats off the water or at least inshore at the beginning of the week. By Thursday, conditions had improved, and the epic bluefin bite continued near Point Sur, Carmel, and the Davenport Fingers. Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine in Santa Cruz reported, “Anglers are catching tuna at the Fingers in 4000 feet of water, but the anglers who fished in the cold water on the inside did not find too many. The warm water is a little further out so go looking. There was one boat who hooked up near Carmel today and was fighting the fish for hours. The area around 36’53/122’31 and 36’54/121’25 has been producing some bluefin in the 60- to 120-pound range. The fish are still being caught from the surface to 150 feet down.” Conditions have varied during the past few weeks while this tuna bite has continued. A significant change may be coming though, and it remains to be seen how powerful the weather system turns out to be and what affect it will have big bluefin bite.

The bite was still going strong on Sunday. Conditions were decent with some gusty winds in the afternoon that became more of a nuisance towards evening. Monterey Bay Charters’ Tom Dolan on the Mega-Bite had two clients aboard intent on catching bluefin tuna while the fish are here. Client Chris Loops from Palo Alto is one of Dolan’s regulars and had even set up a home workout gym to prep for a big tuna fight. And on this day, he was rewarded. It wasn’t easy though, according to Dolan. “We set out to go for tuna knowing odds were way against us. It took an hour at dawn to catch some live mackerel at Soquel Point before heading up the coast towards the Weather Buoy. We got to 24 miles, then searched for three hours.” Dolan recounted. “When are we gonna drop in?” the client asked. “Soon as I see something that makes sense,” Dolan replied. Dolan recounted they saw no jumpers or breezers but did spot a gigantic pod of feeding dolphins in the area. Finally, he saw one blip on the sonar, dropped the gear, pulled a half circle, and they were quickly rewarded with a hookup. Loops and his buddy Bredon Gertz worked together for the exhausting fight. When the tuna finally entered the final “deep circle of death” phase of the fight, Gertz was able to bring it boat side. Dolan was quite pleased with the day’s outcome saying, “Took two gaffs to get it over the rail. It was like textbook the way it happened.” For this fish Dolan and deckhand Kai Goad employed a 5’6” United Composites roller rod, 100# Dacron line topped with an 80-pound Seagar fluorocarbon leader on an Avet Pro EX 50 Big Game reel. A 5/0 ringed Gorilla hook completed the setup. Dolan trolled three lines on a downrigger at 20, 50, and 100 feet. The fish hit on the 50-foot bait. All baits were at minimum of 150 feet behind the boat on the slow troll.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization (NOAA) forecast indicates rain every day this week from Tuesday October 19 through Tuesday October 26. It looks like a real winter storm that includes a west swell increasing in size through the week up to nine feet at 10 seconds by Sunday. This might be the swan song for local bluefin fishing. The system looks like the beginning of a winter season pattern with weather and waves generated from the Gulf of Alaska. If the winter-like pattern persists it will affect all our normal inshore species as well as the tuna with a premature movement out to deeper waters where the fish disperse. Though we are grateful for the possibility of significant rainfall during the destructive drought we are enduring, it would be almost tragic to see the historical big tuna bite end after these few weeks of mayhem, madness and for some the ultimate triumph of landing a triple-digit tuna in our own backyard.

JT Thomas, skipper for Go Fish Santa Cruz, has been accommodating customer desires for rockfish and lingcod all week. Thomas is finding best success up the coast near Franklin Point and the Ano Nuevo area. “We’ve been steadily whacking them up by Franklin,” Thomas reported. “On Sunday the fish were slow to bite though. It took us nearly till noon to get our limits. I could see the fish fuzzed up on the scope, but we couldn’t get any takers till I moved up to the third reef where big blacks were completely cooperative. We got 50 blacks of the large variety on our first drift and topped off for limits on our second.” Thomas reminds us that the week of rain might not affect the bluefin bite at all, we will have to wait and see. In a significant observation, Thomas also recounted his contact Sunday evening with a commercial buddy still fishing near Davenport. Apparently bluefin will bite in the rain. It was already raining hard at that time up the coast towards Davenport. The buddy had three tuna on the boat and was still fishing. For the upcoming week, Thomas expects to deal with conditions on a day-to day basis. “I’m going tomorrow, Wind looks good for the morning,” he said.

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

The weather was uncooperative at the start of last week, keeping party boats glued either to the coastline or inside of the bay, and the first storm of the season will provide a similar start to this week. Rockfishing at Fanny Shoals and above towards the closed zone at Cordell Banks remains tremendous, but few boats will be willing to make the long run to these fertile grounds if, and when, the recreational Dungeness crab season opens on November 6th.

Captain Chris Smith of the Pacific Dream out of Berkeley Marina was at Fanny Shoals on Sunday for 22 limits of rockfish to 8 pounds and ling cod to 16 pounds. He said, “The fish aren’t coming as easy as we have been used to over the past few weeks, but they are quality rockfish. We have been stopping and loading up on sand dabs for the lings while the larger rockfish will also hit a sand dab fishing at depths from 230 to 280 feet. My son, Jonathon, ran the boat on Saturday for 25 limits of rockfish and 26 ling cod so the action has been tremendous and worth the long run. Once the Dungeness crab season begins, we will not be able to make this long of a run and still have time to pull crab pots so the Farallons will most likely be the destination of choice depending upon weather.”

The California Dawn and New El Dorado III have been alternating between the various newly-opened waters above Fanny Shoals in the Soap Banks, and they have also been getting in on the spectacular action with 40 limits of rockfish and ling cod to 22 pounds on Saturday. Captain James Smith said, “We have been exploring different rocky structure in order to rotate the pressure to the area.”

Salmon fishing has slowed to a near-crawl despite a few more weeks in the season ending on October 31st, and the salmon seem not to have received the word that the season remains open. When party boats out of Sausalito who are hard core salmon chasers start targeting coastal rockfish, you know the bite is slow.

Coastal rockfish limits remain the rule as Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions out of San Francisco has been running up the coast above Duxbury for limit while Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Fishing is working the reefs below Duxbury.

Inside of the bay, Koyasako was able to jig up enough live bait with Sabiki rigs since the bait receiver in San Francisco is no closed after selling out the remaining bait in the pens to a few select party boats. Koyasako has been finding a few white sea bass when the conditions are right, but on Sunday, the winds off of Angel Island were howling so he headed to Red Rock to put his clients onto limits of striped bass to 7 pounds. He said, “We would have had the fish boiling if we had thrown live bait, and I love to see them boiling on the surface, but live bait is too valuable right now. We had a few larger fish on the hook, and they were peeling off line before heading into the rocks.”

Between rockfishing along the coast, Talmadge has been taking half-day trips for shark inside of the bay for leopard shark, and he said, “There are plenty of sharks hanging around, even in San Pablo Bay.”

With the closure of the live bait receivers, Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle in San Rafael, one of the Bay Area’s longest standing bait shops, is one of the only sources for live smelt, shiners, or mudsuckers.

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 1 Surf perch 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 73 fishermen for 255 vermilions, 80 copper, 40 Boccaccio, 305 assorted rockfish, and 6 ling cod to 14 pounds. The Endeavor and Avenger took longer trips, and their fishermen came in with a 5-fish sublimit of vermilion rockfish. Also out of Morro Bay, the Fiesta, Rita G, and Black Pearl were out on Sunday with 74 passengers for near-limits of rockfish with 209 vermilion, 420 assorted rockfish, 20 copper, 30 Boccaccio, 25 canary, and 7 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 75 fishermen returning to the docks with 48 vermilions, 9 copper, 9 Boccaccio, 50 Bolina, 548 assorted rockfish, one ocean whitefish, 5 treefish, 35 gopher rockfish, and 7 lings to 6 pounds. All ports are taking trips ranging from ½ day to long range. Webcams of many of the coastal locations are available at https://805webcams.com/.

Call: Virg’s Landing (800) 762-5263; Patriot Sport Fishing (805) 595-4100; Morro Bay Landing

Others

Delta/Stockton

Bass 3 Striper 3 Sturgeon 3 Catfish 3 Bluegill 3 Salmon 2

The week started off with high winds throughout the Sacramento and San Joaquin-Delta, but the weekend arrived with the flags laying still before the first storm of the season arrived on Sunday night. Salmon continue to move through the Sacramento-Delta, but heavy grass from the larger tides gummed up the machine in the Old Sacramento River from the mouth towards the Isleton Bridge. Striped bass trollers are finding difficult action with those drifting live bait are finding greater success. The coming rain may finally create conditions to move the sturgeon from their very comfortable nest in deep water off of Pittsburg, but it remains to be seen. Sturgeon six-packs continue to score heavily in the area, but many of the six-pack operators are now opting to keep only a few slot fish per boat to be distributed throughout all fishermen as captains are recognizing the fragility of the species of white sturgeon.

Alan Fong, manager of the Fisherman’s Warehouse in Sacramento, was in the north Delta early in the week during the period of high winds, and he said, “The wind made it nearly impossible to replicate the 24-pound largemouth limit of last week, and I think I will be leaving the stripers alone for a few weeks as the crappie are starting to school up. The water has dropped 4 to 5 degrees, and the bite has improved considerably. My brother took his wife, Ev, out this week, and they scored plenty of slabs on small swimbaits.”

Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors was out with Martin and Logan Dieck of Palo Alto in the north Delta, and Logan was using 5-pound monofilament on a special reel in order to toss a ripbait as he is part of a Bass Finesse System. With the light line, young Logan hooked a 10-pound salmon on a ripbait intended for largemouth bass.

Salmon fishing remains slow in the Old Sacramento River from the mouth towards Walnut Grove, and the big tides at the end of the week brought out all sorts of grass into the water. Trollers were getting loaded up with floating aquarium grass, hydrilla, and ‘witch’s hair’ in all levels of the water column, only being able to troll for 50 feet before having to reel in and clear their lines. The water is clearer the further upstream you travel, and the smaller tides by the end of the week should limit the amount of moving grass.

Sturgeon fishing is a much better option with Captain Steve Mitchell scoring three limits out of 4 slot-limit sturgeon landed on Saturday morning on the outgoing tide on salmon roe or lamprey eel. Mitchell said, “We had a father, daughter, and brother-in-law out on their first-ever sturgeon trip, and they might think that this is easy as they loaded up on their first trip. The bite was slower during the day on Friday with one legal fish landed by Wayne Mitchum of Colusa during our day trip, but Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing and I took a night trip that same day, and we found some excellent late-night action. We cancelled on Sunday due to the wind, and the incoming storm should bring some fresh water into the system.”

Captain Charles Kimberly is running the Flash I out of Pittsburg Marina, and he took his first sturgeon trip on Saturday for spectacular results. Steve Talmadge of Flash Sport Fishing said, “It was a great trip with four limits of sturgeon by 8:30 a.m., but we only harvested two sturgeon as we have been talking to our anglers to share the catch instead of harvesting every legal fish. The majority of people are amenable to this as there is plenty of meat to go around.”

Private boater Robert Nash of Stockton found sturgeon success on Sunday above Sherman Island on the north side of the shipping lane with a 48-inch diamondback on fresh ghost shrimp. He said, “I was out with on my friend, Freddy Hidalgo’s boat, and we anchored in his honey hole. A huge ship passed close by, and it knocked us off anchor. Shortly after resetting, I was able to set hook on a short, quick bite. The sturgeon took off on a few spirited runs and burst out of the water. When we got it to the boat, Freddy put the net on the fish, but the net broke and the fish was free again with both the line and weight through the hoop of the net. Miraculously, the sturgeon was still on, and we were able to pull the rod through the hole in the net. The battle was still on, and the sturgeon took a few more runs before Freddy was able to tie the net back up. We were able to successfully bring the sturgeon on board, and I named him Steve the Sturgeon after my father.”

For striped bass, Dave Houston said, “The only thing that has changed in the last few weeks is the water temperature has dropped a lot. Trolling is still very tough and we never caught more than one keeper in each spot that we tried. Every fish came on rainbow trout deep diving Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows. We fished Broad Slough, Montezuma Slough, and the main Sacramento. Hopefully with the cooler water temperature it will draw more fish in as I am heading out with the trolling master, Clyde Wands, on Tuesday.”

The numbers of salmon keep climbing on a daily basis from the Benicia shorelines, but a pack of marauding sea lions has been keeping many of the hooked fish from making it to the banks. Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait said, “5 salmon were landed off of 1st Street on Sunday, and there were 8 hooked on Saturday with 4 sacrificed to the sea lions. The marine mammals plucked off 3 of the hooked fish on Friday. There are four sea lions out there, and they are just pouncing on any fish once it is hooked. Dillon Point has also been producing, but the best action has been at 1st Street with Vee-Zee or Flying C spinners. Striped bass in the 20- to 23-inch range are also coming off of the shorelines. We have bullheads in the shop now, and they are in high demand for the coming colder months.”

Cooling water temperatures are contributing to a vastly-improved striped bass bite in the San Joaquin-Delta, and anglers are enjoying a variety of techniques for the lineside. Scent is becoming a must to entice strikes from largemouth bass as the cooler water is requiring a change in tactics.

Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing out of Laurtizen’s Yacht Harbor in Oakley has been experiencing tremendous striped bass action in the San Joaquin by drifting live minnows, and he said, “We ran two trips on Sunday for a total of 12 limits of linesides. The bite was a bit slower on Saturday as the temperature change went from hot towards much colder daytime temperatures. There was a lot of junk in the water, but it disappeared on Sunday. We have been finding striped bass on every stop, and there have been several doubles and triple hook ups.”

Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors and Phenix Rods was in the south Delta on Sunday, and he put his clients onto a total of 43 largemouth bass and six striped bass on a variety of reaction baits. He said, “The fall bite is on.”

Dan Mathisen of Dan’s Delta Outdoors was able to receive his desired tournament dates for 2022 out of Holland Riverside Marina, and he said, “There is a very good striped bass bite from Sherman Island to Pittsburg with Optimum’s Bad Bubba Shad swimbaits along with Sneaky Pete glide baits or ima Glide Flukes. The majority of stripers are in the 20 to 24-inch range, but there have been larger fish to 12 pounds.”

Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, was casting ripbaits in the Stockton Turning Basin for multiple hook ups. He said, “It’s a matter of following the birds as the terns are in their working on the shad schools on the surface. There are a number of undersized stripers, but it is lots of fun. The ripbaits are working best as the linesides are just below the surface at 5 feet.” Wang added that trollers are working shallow-running Rat-L-Traps for stripers to 6 pounds around King Island in the east Delta.

Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, will be on the Delta throughout the coming week as his tournament season is over for the year, and he said, “With the water cooling down along with being very clear, it is important to utilize scent as another weapon. Berkley’s Max Scent products in earth tones such as green pumpkin, dinghy red, or light gold flake are working along with creature baits like the Pit Boss with Power Bait. Finding current moving through cuts is a key right now for largemouths.”

In the south Delta, Omega Nguyen of MegaBait and Tackle in Lathrop reported an improved striped bass bite with topwater lures such as Pencil Poppers in the early morning before 7:00 a.m. south of the Mossdale Bridge. He said, “One-ounce Pencil Poppers are working, and fishermen are casting into the boils. The stripers are starting to feed on shad, and we have been receiving up to 95 pounds of fresh shad on a daily basis, Pile worms, blood worms, and anchovies are also effective, but shad has been the best bait right now. Crappie are showing up with small to medium minnows or minijigs along Eight Mile Road east of Stockton. These aren’t large slabs with palm-sized crappie the rule.”

Salmon have been arriving in the San Joaquin River below the Antioch Bridge in numbers as they are attempting to return from the ocean to spawn. Bass fishermen have been inadvertently hooking the salmon on crankbaits or ripbaits, but salmon in the San Joaquin must be immediately released as no take of salmon is allowed in the watershed.

The Purple Hearts Anglers will hold their annual Salmon Derby along with a striped bass side point out of Brannan Island State Park this coming 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 2

At Nacimiento, the window for topwater has been closing earlier than over the past few months, and the best action is found on small spoons worked over the shad schools. Plastics on the drop-shot are another option with both spotted and white bass focusing on the shad. The red ear and bluegill bite remains excellent with red worms, jumbo red worms, or wax worms. The lake held at 11%, and boaters have to be extremely cautious with the unmarked hazards throughout the lake. A webcam of the lake is available at https://805webcams.com/lake-nacimiento-live-webcam/.At Lopez, the lake is very low, but the launch ramp remains open. However, launching is a challenge, and boaters have to be cautious with many hazards throughout the lake with the low water levels. Bass fishing is fair at best with the spinnerbaits in the shallows along with plastics on the drop-shot, jigs, or Senkos as the bass are starting to school up into tighter groupings. Meal worms or red worms are effective for the lake’s bluegill or red ear perch for some quality panfish. 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, bass fishing is on the upswing, but it remains hard work in order to post a limit. Crankbaits or flukes are the top reaction baits while Senkos, or creature baits such as Brush Hogs or Berkley’s Pit Boss with Max Scent are working on a slow presentation on the bottom. 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. A webcam of the lake is available at https://805webcams.com/santa-margarita-lake-webcam-california/ At San Antonio, despite low lake levels at 7%, the launch ramp is still accessible although it opens on Fridays at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Largemouth bass fishing has improved considerably with plastics on the drop-shot, Rat-L-Traps, or squarebilled crankbaits. For panfish, crappie remain the best bet with nightcrawlers or minijigs while the catfish bite is solid with Triple S Dip Bait in Bloody Formula or mackerel coated with garlic.

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

Events

Tournament results

Lake Mead– WON Bass U.S. Open Pro Division – October 13-14: 1st – Roy Hawk – 21.74 pounds; 2nd –Cliff King – 21.03 pounds; 3rd- Gunnar Stanton – 20.27.

Lake Mead– WON Bass U.S. Open AAA Division – October 13-: 1st –David Shearrer – 23.43 pounds; 2nd – Ken Hromada – 19.71 pounds; 3rd-Brandon Bowers – 19.50.

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Nor-Cal Bass Club – October 16th: 1st – Greg Carr/Barry Durham – 17.13 pounds; 2nd – Juan Romero/Will Luz – 13.96 pounds; 3rd- Sonny Mancuso– 13.75.

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Hook, Line, and Sinker – October 17th: 1st – C. Ewing/B. Temby – 18.23 pounds; 2nd – J. Garrett/T. Vaughn – 17.68 pounds; 3rd- L. Fraser/N. Fraser – 16.80 (Big Fish – 5.76).

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

October 22-24

Delta/B and W Resort – Wild West Bass Trails

October 24

Pardee – Lodi High School Bass Team

Don Pedro – Angler’s Press

October 29-31

Delta/Contra Costa – Wild West Bass Trails

October 30

Don Pedro – Gold Country Bass Tour

Success – Xtreme Bass Club

Solunar table

f = full moon > = peak activity