Fishing report, Oct. 27-Nov. 2: Eastman Lake ‘showing signs of life’ for bass and more

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, stripers and sturgeon hitting, Randy Pringle said. McClure and Don Pedro bass hitting, Ryan Cook reported. Delta Mendota Canal producing linesides, Josh Mesa said. New Melones bass on the prowl, Dave Hurley reported.

Valley

West-side waterways

Striper 3 Catfish 2

In the California Aqueduct, Josh Mesa of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported a strong striped bass bite for linesides from 24 to 28 inches with River2Sea Swavers or Spro 160s along with Keitech swimbaits on a scrounger head or jerkbaits.

In the south aqueduct in Kern County, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield said, “Despite the weather, the aqueduct is one of the best options in the south valley with flukes, Whopper Ploppers, or jerkbaits such as Lucky Craft Pointers for striped bass along with blood worms, large minnows, sardines, or anchovies. Catfish are taken on chicken livers or Triple S Dip Bait.

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, “Hensley has been on the back burner for most fishermen, but Eastman has been showing signs of life. Fishermen are tossing big plastic worms on a Carolina-rig like a Zoom C-Tail worm along with dragging lizards on a slow presentation. Chatterbaits or jerkbaits are also effective. The rain has helped the bass bite at Eastman as the lake was stirred up with a little bit of oxygen.” 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 3 Trout 2 Kokanee 1 King salmon 2 Crappie 2

The bass at Don Pedro are also holding around the shad, but they have been busting on the surface out into open water. Cook said, “We have been finding a good subsurface bite with 5-inch Super Flukes in white pearl or the Berkley Choppo 90 along with plastics on the drop-shot or spoons out in deeper water. The best bite has been in the shallows in open water.”

Ocsanna Seropyan, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Manteca, confirmed the action on the spoons with high sales of the Flutter spoons over the past week. Trout fishing is good for those willing to fast-troll heavy spoons through the shad schools at depths to 70 feet.

The lake held at 48%. Three lanes at the Fleming Meadows launch ramp are still in play.

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 had a huge rainstorm move through the area on Monday, but crappie fishing continues at Lake Isabella with minijigs or small minnows over offshore structure. The best bite is for catfish with Triple S Dip Bait, scented nightcrawlers, or frozen shad along with shrimp while the bass bite is fair with finesse presentations of plastics on the drop-shot or jigs.” The lake held at 9%. In the Kern River, the flows came up from 102 to 133 at Kernville in the upper river and from 124 to 173 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, “Fly fishermen are scoring both smallmouth and largemouth bass while those working plastics worms are also finding success with the bass.” 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. Few anglers are heading to Buena Vista, and bass fishing is best with reaction baits early before going to the bottom. The annual Taft Chamber of Commerce Trout Derby is back on this year, and they have secured their trout for the event, scheduled for November 20th.

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 from 11% to 9%, but the bass bite is good in the lowered reservoir on jigs, jerkbaits, or crankbaits. A few club tournaments are scheduled in the coming months. The Kaweah River jumped up from 18 to 723 cfs at Three Rivers.

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. The Tule River is blown out with the high flows.

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

McClure Reservoir

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

The spotted and largemouth bass in the Mother Lode lakes are eating as the shad schools are tightening up and the fish are preparing for the colder weather to come.

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing was on McClure, Don Pedro, and New Melones this week, and he said, “There is a good jig bite on all of the lake with G-Money jigs in green pumpkin or brown/purple on a 1/4-ounce football head dragged slowly at depths from 10 to 40 feet. New Melones was a lot of fun as we landed 13 bass on our first stip with plastics on the drop-shot or Ned-rig along with vertically jigging Hopkin’s Shorties or 4.5-inch Strike King’s Flutter spoons. The shad is schooling up, and the birds will let you know where the schools are as they are working the surface.”

Cook added, “At McClure, Eddie and Victoria took advantage of a last-minute cancellation I had and came out for their second trip in the last two weeks. They fell in love with Lake McClure last time so they wanted to go back. The bite wasn’t as good today as I had hoped, but we caught plenty and had some fun! They were chewing the jig pretty well, it’s definitely time to start throwing it. The majority of bass are holding around the 20- to 30-foot mark, and we also picked up a few on small swimbaits or spoons along main lake points. Similar to the other lakes, the shad are schooling, and the bass are feeding heavily on shad.”

McClure is extremely low, holding at 18%. 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 2

The lake dropped slightly to 58%, and Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The bass are migrating throughout the lake. The best action is on the Madera side near Winchell’s Cove with jigs or plastics on the drop-shot in crawdad patterns. Flutter spoons, plastics on the drop-shot, or jerkbaits are working best near Finegold. The river arm will be muddy. Catfishing is best at night with anchovies or chicken livers.” The river actually dropped from 221 to 218 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 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 1

The lake dropped to 34%, and bass fishing is best over the shad schools with plastics on the drop-shot or Ned-rig along with spoons on a vertical presentation. The birds are a key to finding the shad schools. Vertically jigging spoons are also effective when the shad schools are found. 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 lake is picking up with all of the rain, and the best fishing is still taking place in the early evenings or at night. Finding the shad schools is a key, and some boats are working spoons over the shad schools similar to techniques used in other lakes.” 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 a month ago. The river flows have risen at Trimmer, and water releases may create dangerous conditions along the lower Kings. In any case, the water will be off color and very fast. 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.

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

Roger George of Roger’s Guide Service said, “The full moon and a storm front depressed the reaction bite in the slowly-falling big lake down to a slow to decent rating for now. The lake is down to 192,000 acre-feet, as low as it’s been since 2016. However, the hope of new input of water with the massive storm hitting California could change things very soon. I scouted the big lake on Wednesday, and I managed to troll up and release 10 school fish to 23 inches using Rapalas in blueback/white belly patterns over the 50-foot flats in the eastern part of the lake. The Basalt ramp and dock is closed for now due to the huge amounts of mud and silt that’s built up in that area, making launching impossible. The Dinosaur Point dock No. 3 is open, but you need to follow the old irrigation ditch out to the east for a good 800 yards or more before you can move out of it and onto the flats that get deeper as you go east. Water temperatures are falling into the 65-degree range, and the algae is still thick, lowering visibility to 2 to 3 feet in some areas.”

Josh Mesa at Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported kayakers are trolling umbrella rigs or P-Line Predators in the main lake while bank anglers continue to soak anchovies or sardines. In the O’Neill Forebay, Mesa reported fishermen are either drifting minnows or soaking the minnows from the banks in the areas without grass. The grass is starting to die off, but it is still thick.

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 rains could bring potential mud and debris flows over recent burn scar areas. Heavy precipitation may also contribute to rising streams and creeks. Bass Lake held at 62%.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool

The lakes are very low with Florence at only 2%, Edison at 8%, and Mammoth Pool at 12%. Access to the lakes is limited due to snowfall.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake

Kokanee 2 Trout 2

Shaver dropped to 42%.

At Huntington, water releases have started, and the lake dropped from 49% to 47%. Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The lake is very low, and it is a long walk to the water’s edge. I found good fishing from the shorelines for both rainbow and brown trout with Berkley Power Worms on a drop-shot rig.”

Call: 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 has closed, and the McKinley Grove Road has also closed for the season.

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

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

The weather kept the boats in the harbor, and when the boats are able to get out, it’s still all about rockfishing in the shallow reefs south of the harbor. The opening of the recreational Dungeness crab season scheduled for November 6th, but the opener is in doubt due to the presence of endangered humpback whales, and the decision to open will be announced on November 1st.

The recreational Dungeness crab opening is tentative since an assessment will be conducted this week regarding the presence of endangered humpback whales and leatherback sea turtles in various zones along the California coast. The announcement regarding the opener will be made by the Director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife on November 1st. The California coast is separated into six different zones with an overlapping Zone 7, and it is conceivable that the recreational opener may be closed in one or more zones along with the delay of the commercial season in specific zones.

Zone 1 is from the California/Oregon border to the 40/10 line south of Cape Mendocino in Humboldt County.

Zone 2 is from the 40/10 line to Point Arena

Zone 3 is from Point Arena to Pigeon Point

Zone 4 is from Pigeon Point to Point Lopez

Zone 5 is from Point Lopez to Point Concepcion

Zone 6 is from Point Concepcion to the California/Mexico border

Zone 7 overlaps several zones from 36/16.125 in Mendocino County to 36/38.314 in Monterey County

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 2 Surf perch 3 Halibut 2

Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “Monterey Bay anglers spent this week dodging the weather. Most mornings were fishable, but mid-week wind and waves kept most boats tied up at the dock. Saturday was not too bad on the water, but by Sunday conditions were like “Victory at Sea.”

A strong low-pressure system moved from the Gulf of Alaska and bringing much needed rain. Unfortunately for boaters, it also brought howling winds, huge swells, and horrendous wind waves to the area. The National Weather Service posted at 9:00 p.m. on Sunday that “Winds over the waters have reduced to 20 to 30 miles per hour with some occasional gusts up to 40 miles per hour tonight. These strong winds will generate very steep swell that result in hazardous conditions, especially for smaller vessels.” The NWS projected winds calming by Monday evening, but the rest of the story is not very reassuring. One of the largest October ground swells in memory will pay a visit, and persist to some extent for the entire week. The NWS adds, “A large west to northwest swell train with swell heights of 16 to 24 feet at 16 to 18 seconds moves in tonight. Swell heights to peak on Monday and bring hazardous conditions to the surf zone and near harbor entrances with breaking waves of 20 to 30 feet.”

Ocean fishing during the week was actually pretty good. The charter boats reported their usual limits of rockfish from both Monterey and Santa Cruz, with Chris’ Fishing Trips heading towards Point Sur, and six-pack charter Go Fish Santa Cruz finding their limits near Davenport, Ano Nuevo, or Franklin Point. An increasing number of ling cod are in the mix as those fish move in towards their winter spawning grounds. Halibut are still firmly on the menu. They are slowly moving out, so the best depths right now range from 50 to 70 feet of water. Capitola to the Pajaro area take billing for halibut catches this week, though the 70 to 120 -foot areas off North Coast beaches above Santa Cruz are doing their fall flattie thing as well. Jesse Ceja from Moss Landing went out after dark ghost-hunting and returned with a limit of very respectable white sea bass from a sandy area nearby.

The unprecedented bluefin tuna bite held up all week. Those fish are still here as of this writing. Our fingers are crossed that this major storm with wind, waves, swell, and barometric pressure won’t drive the bluefin away. The tuna hunters enjoyed steady success all week, though no 200 pounders were reported like last week. Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine reported on Tuesday saying,” The boats who went out looking for the bluefin did find a few fish. There were some bluefin caught off the Davenport Fingers slow trolling mackerel and Nomads. The anglers also did hook some fish on the down rigger about 60-100 feet down. The bluefin are still in the 70- to 150-pound range.” Fraser reported at least on tuna caught on Saturday by an angler working the same “fingers” area near Davenport.”

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 ocean salmon season ends on October 31st, but for nearly all boats working out of San Francisco Bay, the season ended a few weeks ago. The weather was less than cooperative with the arrival of a huge swell and waves outside of the Golden Gate, and over the past several days, the majority of party boats stayed inside of the bay. California City inside of the bay has yet to take off for salmon, but with the rough conditions outside of the Gate, this may be the location to try during the final week of the season.

Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions out of San Francisco cancelled his trips for the next few days due to the weather, but he found some quality halibut to 18 pounds on two half-day trips on Friday. He said, “We had four halibut for four anglers to 18 pounds on the morning trips with another 4 halibut and 3 striped bass in the afternoon. Therew was plenty of action since we released a plethora of undersized halibut. The anchovies have vacated the central and north bays, and if there are any white sea bass hanging around, they have to be in the south bay where the water is always clearer. We have no anchovies in our tanks, and our efforts to jig up some anchovies with Sabiki rigs have gone wanting. We can get live smelt, but for some reason, the white sea bass in the central bay don’t seem to feed on smelt. It may be over for white sea bass this season although we found great action into November last year.”

Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle in San Rafael said, “The weather has been just horrible the past few days, but this rain will make things much better in San Pablo Bay for sturgeon. Our harbor is like a chocolate milkshake right now, and we are hoping that the sturgeon will make their way here from their holding pattern in the Delta. They didn’t come back last year as is normal, and I didn’t go fishing for sturgeon one time last year – and I wrote the book on sturgeon fishing. Ross Peterson was out commercial fishing for halibut with live mudsuckers, and he ended up with four legal flatfish with loads of undersized halibut released. The muddy water will most likely keep the halibut action at bay for some time. Although there are no live anchovies in the bay, we have live smelt and live mudsuckers in our tanks.”

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

The weather was the story over the weekend, but all three landings ran trips on Sunday with lighter-than-normal loads. The rockfish counts were clearly down as a result of the weather. Out of Morro Bay Landing, the Avenger, and Starfire were out on Sunday with 58 fishermen for 90 vermilions, 20 Boccaccio, 240 assorted rockfish, and 3 ling cod to 10 pounds. Also out of Morro Bay, the Fiesta and Rita G were out on Sunday with 39 passengers for 21 vermilion, 275 assorted rockfish, 2 copper, and 2 ling cod. Out of Patriot Sport Fishing at Port San Luis at Avila Beach, the Patriot was out with 21 anglers for 113 Bolina and one ling cod to 6 pounds. The counts will improve significantly when the weather is cooperative. Rockfish season ends on December 31st. 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 first real storm in over a year pounded the watershed of the Sacramento-Delta, and the river system is gearing up to receive a wall of muddy water as the upper Sacramento River rises, bringing down all manner of trees, brush, mud, and even appliances off of the shorelines. The river will be full of floating and submerged trees within the week, creating hazards conditions for boaters, particularly those who insist on running at night. Boaters have to be prepared to cut off their anchor lines as a tree can swamp an anchored boat within minutes, if not seconds.

There is hope that the sturgeon holding off of Pittsburg for the past year will finally be motivated to move either upstream to the upper river or downstream to San Pablo Bay. The sturgeon have been ‘sitting ducks’ for over a year, and the toll on the population has been intense with the fish concentrated in a small region. Many fishermen are starting to understand the importance of catch-and-release for the white sturgeon, and before the storm arrived in force on Friday night, Chris Chandler of Yuba City caught and released his first-ever sturgeon outside of Pittsburg with Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing. Mitchell said, “We caught and released an upper slot level sturgeon along with a shaker. We also had another slot-limit fish that came off at the boat along with 10 missed solid bites. Chandler landed his first-ever sturgeon, and he released it for my offer of a free trip. I have a new cure on salmon roe, and it’s working – I’m pretty excited about it as they wouldn’t touch our eel today.”

Captain Zack Medinas of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures has left San Francisco Bay to start his sturgeon catch-and-release trips out of Pittsburg Marina, and he said, “We had our first trip of the season this weekend, and these guys did amazing with eight sturgeon to the boat including one oversized, three slot-limit fish, and four shakers released. Fishing is excellent, and with this recent storm and runoff, the action should go wide open.”

In the north Delta, Alan Fong, manager of the Fisherman’s Warehouse in Sacramento, went looking for crappie with 4-pound test in the upper sloughs, but instead of hooking a crappie, he found himself in the midst of a spirited fight with a huge carp that swallowed his crappie jig. Fong was able to put Denise Loo onto her personal-best largemouth bass flipping in the tules, but the action was much slower than the previous week in which he put together a 25-pound limit.”

Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors was out in the north Delta a few times this week, and I think the weather is going to help the bite although it already pretty good. My client landed 12 striped bass and 40 bass on a variety of baits including swimjigs with a Reaction Innovation’s Skinny Dipper in green or golden shiner along with rip baits. My client snagged a shiner, and I showed him how it matches the color of the trailers that we are using perfectly. The bass are holding on the flats now, and the grass is dying down with the colder water temperatures. The water temps have dropped to the 59/60- degree range.”

Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, took out Mo and Jeff from the Bay Area prior to the storms to cast topwater lures and swimbaits along the West Bank towards Collinsville, and he said, “We had a ball during the last of the outgo with the ima Little Stick in sardine pattern along with the 5-inch Bad Bubba Shad swimbait on a ½-ounce jig head. It rained throughout the day, but the bite was on for stripers to 7 pounds with most linesides in the 3- to 5-pound range. It was fish after fish on every cast, and the best action occurred in the pockets with water moving out of the tules over the flats After landing numbers of stripers, we switched over to crankbaits for largemouth bass, but we continued to hook striped bass.”

Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait said, “The wind came up this afternoon, but the salmon numbers are increasing off of 1st Street with at least three salmon per day. The sea lions are still out there, and sometimes a half of a salmon are left on the line. Vee-Zee and Flying C spinners are working for the salmon. There have been some big striped bass coming near Chain Island with splittail. We have grass shrimp, pile worms, and tiny bullheads in the shop.”

With all of the fresh water flow coming down the Sacramento River, the Delta Cross Channel Gates will be in active mode. Information on the gate operation is available via 916-979-2194 or www.usbr.gov/mp/cov.

The Apex Cup held a three-day event over the weekend out of B and W Resort on the Mokelumne River, but the weather conditions resulted in the postponement of the final day. Standing for the first two days with the final day to be made up are the top ten in numerical order - Austin Wilson, Luke Johns, Ken Mah Juan Acosta, John Pearl, Nick Cloutier, Travis Huckaby, Zack Thompson, Joe Uribe Jr., and Bill O’ Shinn

The San Joaquin-Delta has been running warm for the past several months, and with all of the grass and debris in the river system, it desperately needed a good flushing. The arrival of the ‘Bomb Cyclone’ may provide the flushing the entire system has needed for the past several years. In the coming week, there will be debris floating and underneath the surface throughout the system, and boaters have to be extremely cautious, particularly at night or if the heavy fog arrives.

Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing out of Laurtizen’s Yacht Harbor in Oakley continues to find great striped bass action drifting live bait in the San Joaquin system. He said, “It was blowing hard on Friday morning, and we cancelled around 8:00 a.m., but I went out and scouted once the winds backed off, and the fish were biting. Almost everywhere we ended up, the fish were there, and I didn’t even get to where I wanted to go. There is a lot of debris in the water, but we were still able to drift live bait. I cancelled Monday and Tuesday due to the wind and rain, but I plan on being back out on Wednesday. The striped bass have been here.”

Traditionally, when the wall of mud arrives in the San Joaquin system, the striped bass will head into the sloughs where the water will be slightly clearer and warmer. The south Delta inside of Discovery Bay and the Stockton Turning Basin are regular haunts for linesides when the river turns muddy.

Dan Mathisen of Dan’s Delta Outdoors reported a continued solid striped bass bite near the Antioch Bridge with Optimum’s Bad Bubba Shad swimbaits along with Sneaky Pete glide baits or ima Glide Flukes, but the muddy water will slow down the action until the water clears up once again.”

There are salmon getting lost into the San Joaquin River system, and all salmon in the San Joaquin must be released. The San Joaquin hosted a tremendous run of salmon prior to the construction of Friant Dam, resulting in the closure of the commercial take of salmon in the Delta in 1958. Recreational take has been closed for years.

The muddy water will also scatter the fresh shad, and frozen shad will most likely be the best available bait until the water clears, if it is able to clear again before it becomes too cold for the shad to be taken near the surface.

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 bass bite continues to be challenging with a short window for topwater prior to working the bottom with spoons for both spotted and the possibility of a white bass. Plastics on the drop-shot are another solid technique. The shad schools are forming, and the bass are oriented to the shad. The lake dropped to 10%, and boaters have to be extremely cautious with the unmarked hazards throughout the lake. With the recent inflow, the lake should rise, but there will be floating and submerged debris in the water column. A webcam of the lake is available at https://805webcams.com/lake-nacimiento-live-webcam/.At Lopez, bass fishermen are finding fair action although the largemouth bass are beginning to form into schools. Spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, or crankbaits are the best options for a reaction bite while working the bottom with jigs, plastics on the drop-shot, or Senkos is the most consistent technique for numbers. With the baitfish schooling, spoons are another strong possibility. 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. 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 bite remains slow as the lake is going through a transition. Working the bottom with plastics on a Texas-rig or jigs along with tossing deep-diving crankbaits in crawdad patterns off of lake points are the best options. 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, the lake continues to hold at 7%, but the launch ramp remains in the water. Bass fishing has improved as the water has cooled, and plastics on the drop-shot, Rat-L-Traps or LV500’s, or deep-diving crankbaits are picking up some quality largemouths to 4 pounds. Catfishing is best with Triple S Dip Bait, frozen shad, chicken livers, or cut baits 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 Tulloch – Sierra Bass Club – October 16: 1st – Chris Flamming – 7.48 pounds; 2nd – Ron Orbaker – 13.96 pounds; 3rd- Ryan Reynolds– 4.18. Brianna Chase – Big Fish – 3.03 pounds.

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

October 29-31

Delta/Contra Costa – Wild West Bass Trails

October 30

Don Pedro – Gold Country Bass Tour

Success – Xtreme Bass Club

November 5th-7th:

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Wild West Bass Trails

November 6th –

Camanche – El Dorado Bass

New Hogan – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies

Don Pedro – Kerman Bass Club/Sonora Bass Anglers/American Bass Association

McClure – Sierra Bass Club

Pine Flat –Bass 101

Nacimiento – Golden Empire Bass Club

November 7th –

Don Pedro – Modesto Ambassadors

Pine Flat – Kings River Bass Club

November 13th – 15th –

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Wild West Bass Trails

November 13/14th –

McClure – Wild West Bass Trails

Pine Flat – California Bass Nation

Nacimiento – Bakersfield Bass Club

November 13th-

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Best Bass Tournaments

Tulloch – Christian Bass League

November 14th –

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – NorCal High School Bass/Nor Cal Bass

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

Camanche – Gold Country Bass Tour

McClure – Fresno Bass Club

Kaweah – Kings III Bass Club

November 20th –

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Western Outdoor News/Stanislaus County Sheriff’s

Camanche – Yak-A-Bass

New Melones – Slay Nation Tournaments

Pine Flat – Xtreme Bass Club

November 21st –

New Melones – Riverbank Bass Anglers

Roger’s remarks

Roger George’s column will return.

Solunar table

q=quarter moon

This story was originally published October 26, 2021 at 8:35 AM.