Fishing report, Nov. 24-30: Dick Nichols’ Shaver seasonal tips; Toys for Tots tournament

Compiled by Dave Hurley and edited by Roger George, a former Olympic-class decathlete at Fresno State (he still holds the school record). George guides in the greater Fresno area and holds the striper record at Millerton Lake. Telephone numbers are in 559 calling area unless noted.

Photo gallery

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Best bets

California Aqueduct stripers hitting, Bill Sterling reported. Don Pedro and McClure bass action good, Ryan Cook said. New Melones trout bite improved, Kyle Wise reported. Pine Flat bass biting, Michael Crane said. San Luis Forebay kicking out striper numbers, Mickey Clement reported. Delta striper, bass and sturgeon on the prowl, Alan Fong said.

Roger’s Remarks: His first time overboard

A friend asked me if I had ever fallen out of a boat while fishing, which immediately brought to mind a vivid picture of my first time overboard.

I was about 17 and on a bass trip with my dad and a buddy of his, Cal. We were on a foothill pond in our 14-foot Valco aluminum boat on a warm summer day. The boat was pretty sturdy, but we were all good-sized guys packed into a fairly small craft. Everyone needed to be careful and stay seated for it to work.

I knew I was going to have to sit in the bow where the front narrows and the space gets cramped. I had a brilliant idea to put in a small stool that would put me up higher in the front and let me cast a lot better. The stool legs fit perfectly in-between the aluminum ribs.

We had fished for about an hour when we went into a great-looking cove. Dad launched one of his famous suborbital casts of a topwater plug and Cal and I watched expectantly as my father twitched the lure. Suddenly, a huge mouth engulfed the plug and the fight was on.

I’m in the front, Cal and Dad are in the back and the 5-pound bass is going ballistic. Dad was trying to get the bass in close enough for Cal to net, but each time the fish jumped next to the boat, Cal missed it. As the battle continued, both men crowded further over the port (left) side of the boat, trying to catch the nice bass.

I’m in the front on my chair, and I begin to see that they are causing the port side to just about get down to the surface. I began telling them they are leaning over too far as I start to offset them by hanging over the starboard (right) side. Any further and we could capsize!

I’m sensing imminent disaster when they suddenly net the crashing bass and simultaneously move back to the center. I’m still hanging over the right side, desperately trying to also stay on my elevated pedestal when I realize I’m going to be leaving the boat tumbling backwards!

I’m desperately trying to grab something, but being high-centered I do a backflip over the right front side and hit the water. I was disoriented, but then my chair hit me in the head followed by my tacklebox and then my pole. Ouch! I was stunned! I hung onto the boat and somehow I held onto the chair before it sank, as well as my slowly sinking tacklebox. My good pole slowly sank into the mossy darkness like the Titanic.

Of course, Dad and Cal, being hardy farmers, thought if I was OK then the “no harm, no foul” rule applied. But the razzing about falling overboard never stopped. We still had more fishing to do!

Dad kept track of where the pole went down in about 15 feet of water in the middle of the 40-yard-wide cove and he had an idea to retrieve it. Two weeks later we went back to fish the pond but also had two 10-foot metal pole sections taped together with a hook on one end. Dad positioned the boat and I reached down to the bottom. The second try I felt something and couldn’t believe it when the tip of my pole broke the surface!

I tied on a new lure and caught several bass that afternoon.

Never give up!

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

Valley

West-side waterways

Striper 3 Catfish 2

Bill Sterling of the Sportsmen’s Warehouse in Fresno said, “The week started slow on the aqueduct as I went out from sun up to sundown Wednesday and nothing all day! But Friday came, and the boils were back and it’s been on. All along the aqueduct has been hot the last four days with early mornings being the best time with topwater and jerkbaits as the stripers are still chasing the shad. Anything shad-colored will work: flukes, paddletail swimbaits with a 3/8- to 1/2-ounce football head jig along with bone-colored topwater and Sexy Shad jerk baits. Sterling runs Striperz Gone Wild, and they will be hosting their annual Toys for Tots Striped Bass Derby on Dec. 11 at the Hilldale Bridge from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. The entry fee is an unwrapped toy, and all toys will be donated to the Los Banos Toys for Tots. There are no boundaries for the derby with prizes, awards and a raffle.

In the south aqueduct in Kern County, striped bass action has been solid with jerkbaits, Keitech swimbaits, or with cut bait such as anchovies, sardines, or frozen shad. The best action is in the moving water near the headgates. As we move into the winter months, the concrete at the aqueduct can become frozen and very slippery. Anglers have to be extremely cautious to stay out of the cold, swift waters of the aqueduct, particularly when it is flowing heavily during these periods of heavy pumping.

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 2 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2

Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “Eastman remains the best of both lakes as bank fishermen are picking up largemouth bass to 4 pounds tossing plastics on a wacky- or Carolina-rig. The introduction of trout at both lakes has brought out the anglers, and shore fishermen are picking up the catchables on Power Bait, nightcrawlers or Kastmasters. The trout seem to have created excitement with the bass as well.” Both lakes maintained at the same level with 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

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “Bass fishing has improved as there are some spotted and largemouth bass holding in the shallows, but the majority are found from 30 to 50 feet with G-Money jigs in green pumpkin or 3.5-inch Dry Creek tubes. The bass are holding along main lake points, cuts, or steep bluff walls. A few bass are focusing on shad, and we are picking them up on spoons or plastics on the drop-shot, but we are primarily working for the crawdad-eating bass. The trout bite remains challenging for trollers as the bait fish are primarily absent in the open water.” The lake held at 50%, and the Fleming Meadows and Moccasin launch ramps remain open.

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 2 Bluegill 2

A trout plant occurred this week at Lake Isabella, and the release of catchables could start the swimbait bass bite going. Small Keitech swimbaits, underspins, spinnerbaits, or plastics on a Texas-rig in shad patterns. Catfishing remains a good option with Triple S Dip Bait along with shrimp, but the crappie bite has slowed to a crawl. The lake held at 9%. Only a few trout plants are scheduled for the urban Bakersfield lakes in the coming months with one in December, followed by another in January. The Taft Chamber of Commerce Trout Derby took place at Buena Vista on Saturday, and there will be trout holding over from the plants prior to the derby. The lower Kern River continues to kick out largemouth and smallmouth bass on small plastics, nightcrawlers, live crickets, or small minnows along with a few catfish. In the Kern River, the flows dropped to 149 at Kernville in the upper river but rose to 190 cfs at First Point on the lower river as the lake is holding steady at 9%.

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

Lake Kaweah

Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2

The lake held at 13%, and Gary Wasson of the Xtreme Bass Club said, “There is a decent bite for largemouth bass with ice jigs or jigs at 20 feet.” The Kaweah River dropped to 46 cfs at Three Rivers. A trout plant is scheduled for the week of Nov. 28 with a plant at Mooney Grove Park in Tulare this week.

Lake Success

Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2

A trout plant is scheduled for this week, and the planted rainbows could get the swimbait bite going. The Xtreme Bass Club held a tournament on Saturday, and Gary Wasson, club president, reported, “The bass have been going deep, and the bite has been super-slow.” The lake held at 11%.

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 the McClure Point launch ramp opened, but Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “I launched there on Sunday, but the ramp is very slippery, and I started sliding, having to put the truck into 4WD to get off of the ramp. The best ramp continues to be at Barrett Cove South. Bass fishing is very good for numbers, and I am using G-Money jigs with a ½- to 3/4-ounce football head for great success. In shallower water, the ½-ounce is best with the heavier jig head in deeper water. The bass are spread out from 5 to 50 feet, but the best action has been from 5 to 15 feet. 3.5-inch Dry Creek tubes or spinnerbaits are other options, and we are finding a few shad-eaters on spoons or plastics on the drop-shot in deep water at 25 to 55 feet, but there are a lot of small spots at this depth. We are finding bass throughout the lake on main lake points, cuts or steep bluff walls. It’s a simple bite for success right now.” 6,500 pounds of catchable rainbows were planted within the past few weeks with 2,500 pounds out of Barrett Cove South this week, and this will bring out the swimbait bite. The Bagby and Horseshoe Bend launch ramps are closed due to water levels.

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

McSwain Reservoir

Trout 3

Recent trout plants have led to improved action from the banks around the Brush Pile, Handicapped Docks and the peninsula near the marina with various colors of Power Bait, inflated nightcrawlers or blue/silver Kastmasters. The best trolling action remains in the river arm near the 2nd Fence Line with blade/’crawler combinations or red Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler at depths to 20 feet. Additional trout plants are needed to keep the bite going.

Call: McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534

Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River

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

The lake rose slightly to 60%. Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The best bass fishing has been toward the headwaters with plastics on the drop-shot for small spotted bass. Hematoma or green pumpkin have been the top colors for the plastic worms.. Catfishing is best at night with anchovies or chicken livers.” The river rose slightly to 225 cfs at Friant. A trout plant is scheduled for Woodward Park this week.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

Bass 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 1

The lake held at 35%, and trout fishing has been on the upswing for quality holdover rainbows or browns. Kyle Wise of HeadHunter Guide Service was out with Brent Honnell and they put client Stan Wong of Concord onto a quality brown trout that was quickly released rolling shad at depths from 90 to 105 feet. Wise said, ”I went out the next day with clients and Bryan McGinty and we found rainbows to 5 pounds with several of the recent planters rolling shad. The bite is picking up, but you have to work for them. The best action has been along the edges of the channel out in open water.” There is a reaction bite for bass on occasion, but the best option has been working the bottom with plastics on a shaky-head in the shallows along with jigs at 50 to 60 feet. The shad schools are broken up, and the water temperature is still warm at 64/65 degrees, and the shad will not be schooling up until the water cools. 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 3 Trout 3 Kokanee 0 King salmon 0 Catfish 2 Crappie 2

The lake rose slightly to 23%. Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “There are a number of small bass in the 1- to 2-pound range taken on finesse jigs along with Flutter Spoons. With tournaments coming up in the near future, most fishermen are keeping quiet. The lake is pressured right now as it is the best bass option in the area. There is a jerkbait bite here and there along with deep-diving crankbaits. Plastics on a Neko-rig or wacky-rig are another possibility. The big fish during the last tournament on the lake was only in the 3-pound range.” The lower Kings is scheduled for trout plants for the next two weeks, and bank fishing has been very good for planters with Power Bait, salmon eggs, nightcrawlers, or live crickets near Winton Park. Red/silver spinners are also effective. Fly fishermen are scoring in the catch-and-release zone at Cobbles Weir. The flows dropped from 502 to 380 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 2

San Luis Reservoir has risen from 9% of capacity to 23% within the past month due to increased pumping out of the south Delta. The added water has boosted the striped bass action in both the main lake and in the forebay. Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “Bank fishermen are focusing upon the Basalt Recreation Area with pile worms or jumbo blood worms for striped bass, and there have been linesides to 30 inches taken recently. Boats are either drifting or slow-trolling jumbo minnows.”

Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said that the bite slowed with the full moon, but he guided Bryan Foote of Fresno on Monday for a 17.5-pounder that was released. “I went again later in the week but the fish were inactive for reaction baits. Minnows appeared to be the best bet for the time with several anglers catching limits and more to 25 inches.” The Basalt #1 dock is now open.

Clements said, “The O’Neill Forebay has also been a top spot with a good morning bite with jerkbaits such as Rerange Jackal’s or 6th Sense lures. The bite is lasting longer in the day with the cooler weather.” Bill Sterling of the Sportsmen’s Warehouse in Fresno, added, “The forebay is experiencing numbers of boils, and a lot of stripers below 20 inches are being caught.” Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun touted flukes in low light conditions around the moving water at Check 13 for the best opportunity for striped bass.

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 launch ramp continues to become more difficult for larger boats as the lake is dropping. Trout fishing is the best option as a trout plant occurred two weeks ago, and shore anglers are picking up a few planters near the Sheriff’s Tower with Power Bait or nightcrawlers. Bass fishermen are speed cranking crankbaits from the banks for limited action. The Sheriff’s Motor Fee remains in effect during the winter months.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool

Kaiser Pass is open, according to a report from the Prather ranger station.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake

Kokanee 3 Trout 2

At Shaver, Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters will be back on the water a few days during the week next spring, and he said, “At this time of year, I fish Stevenson in front of the tunnel and the bay to the South Fork of Stevenson Creek, but one could troll from Black Rock over to Eagle Point with ruby red/yellow or orange Trout Busters behind a Mountain Flasher at a setback of 100 feet as the kokanee are spawning back there. Of course, I would use nightcrawlers at depths from 15 to 25 feet for trout in the same areas.”

At Huntington, Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “It’s a matter of heading toward the back of the lake and tossing red/silver or red/black spinners between the submerged tree stumps. I caught and released nine rainbows and a couple of brown trout this week. The kokanee are also in the shallows in full-spawn mode.”

Todd Wittwer – Kokanee.net Guide Service 288-8100; Dinkey Creek Inn 841-3435; Tom Oliveira – Tom Oliveira Fishing – 802-8072; Roger George - Roger George Guide Service/Shaver Lake Sports 841-2740

Wishon/Courtright

Trout 1

The Wishon Village RV Park and Store has closed, but the road to Courtright and Wishon is open, according to a report from Prather ranger station.

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

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

While the boats out of the Golden Gate and Bodega Bay have been finding success with the hoop nets, the action is much more challenging out of Half Moon Bay for Dungeness crab on the hoops. Relief is not on the way as the temporary crab trap restriction for Fishing Zones 3 and 4 (from the Sonoma/Mendocino County line to Lopez Point in Monterey County) will remain in place until at least mid-December at the earliest the next risk assessment will be conducted is Dec. 15.

The New Captain Pete has changed hands from Captain Dennis Baxter to commercial fisherman Todd Korth, and Captain Michael Cabanas, formerly of the Huli Cat will be running the boat. Cabanas said, “Crabbing has been very tough with the hoop nets as they are loaded with small crab as we stopped counting undersized crab at 250, and we released at least 400 small crab to find 92 legal ones after 62 pulls of the hoops. Many of the hoops come up with a single or no legal crab. We set the gear and made a couple of drifts for rockfish above the MPA at Egg Rock before returning to pull the hoops. Crabbing locally is tough, and the best action is found further north. We are considering offering rockfish/crab bonus trips as opposed to crab combination trips since rockfish limits are pretty much a given, and we can realistically put together the bonus of a few crab.”

Captain Dewey Winter of the six-pack Mooch Better said, “My business is off at least 60% due to the crab trap restriction, and I am not interested in working the hoops as the crabbing has been pretty slow here. Most of my clients want crab at this time of year, but we are only running rockfish/ling cod trips right now with the possibility of the crab trap restriction being lifted by Dec. 15. Rockfishing remains very good south at the Deep Reef or off of Pescadero.”

Crab snares loaded with bait have been the top choice of gear for those working the beaches, jetties, or piers from Half Moon Bay north toward Ocean Beach, and with the Pacifica Pier remaining extremely crowded on the weekends, many anglers are opting for the beaches. Scores range from one to two legal crab to the slim possibility of a 10-crab limit.

Call: Captain Chris Chang – Ankeny Street – (650) 279-8819; Captain Bill Smith – Riptide – (650) 728-8433; Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing – Queen of Hearts – (510) 581-2628

Monterey/Santa Cruz

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

Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “There is a wide variety of sportfish to be caught in and near Monterey Bay these days. Despite two winter-like storms rolling through recently and the big groundswells that came with the weather, the fish are sticking around providing food, fun, and frolic for area anglers. Inshore fishing has remained very consistent, especially considering the time of year. Rockfish, cabezon, and lingcod can still be found on the shallower reefs of 30 to 60 feet although the herd is thinning. For those groundfish, deeper reefs from 120- to 300- feet are much more productive these days, hosting more abundant and larger fish. Halibut commonly move to deeper waters this time of year. Perhaps it’s the abundant bait on the inside, but big flatties continue to be caught from fairly shallow sandflats of 50- to 70-feet of water inside the bay and by the pocket beaches north of Santa Cruz.

“Bait is abundant both inshore and offshore at this time. On the inside, mackerel and smelt can be found almost anywhere with particular concentrations near Capitola and Aptos beaches on the north side of the bay and near Sand City or Point Pinos on the south side. In Aptos, the bait balls have attracted a good school of tanker white sea bass. Ed Burrell from Capitola Boat and Bait caught another sea bass this week that weighed in at 42 pounds. Burrell has been hooking the big croakers using P-Line’s Laser Minnows or Mega Baits for both trolling and jigging.

“Offshore, the bait is mostly anchovies. There are plenty of big bait balls, enough to keep this unprecedented bluefin tuna bite going well into its second month. The bluefin are big, averaging from 40 to 150 pounds, with some coming in over the 200-pound mark. While some bluefin are still reported in the Point Sur area, most recorded catches lately have come from the Davenport Finger canyons. Slow-trolling live mackerel is the best bet for hooking one of these monsters. Anglers are getting strikes from the surface down to around 150 feet using downriggers. Deploying the bait at least 150 feet behind the boat seems to be a requirement for getting bit. This fishing is not easy. It requires long days and lots of fuel. More boats come back with a blank than come back with a bluefin. Proper equipment, deployment, and teamwork are a necessity to land one of the giant tuna, if and when you are lucky enough to get a bite. Tom Joseph on the Sara Bella (Fish On Sportfishing) is a very experienced tuna skipper and has had the fortune to land quite a few bluefin so far this season. This week Joseph reported, “One of my regulars Nathan Tramel boated a 147-pound bluefin today, his second one this year!” Tramel added, “Many thanks to Tom for providing me the opportunity to catch such a big fish. We both have learned how to communicate once a few were hooked. Catching big bluefin tuna is both a mental and physical challenge.”

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

Golden Gate/San Francisco Bay

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

Party boat captains and crew are putting in long hours from dark to dark to bring home limits to near-limits of Dungeness crab and rockfish on their combination trips. The effort to put their customers onto the best trip possible is tremendous as countless pulls are necessary to score close to the 10-crab limit that each angler is desiring and expecting.

Captain Jerad Davis of the Salty Lady, now out of Emeryville, found great success with limits during his crab-only trips this week, and he is running crab-only until Thanksgiving with crab/rockfish trips starting out of Thanksgiving Day. He said, “This is not for the light of heart as I have 30 hoops to be used, and we had to pull the hoops 4 times to put in 22 limits of crab. That’s 120 pulls, and I have yet to see a hoop come up with 10 crab. Most hoops come up with scores from 2 to 3 crab with high numbers of small undersized crustaceans. We threw back over 600 undersized crab to find 220 legal ones, and you have to add to your bait supply upon each pull, going through far more bait than normal. Our boat was out over the weekend on whale watching trips, and they thought that they saw a spout on the way in on Sunday, but the spout didn’t resurface. That was two days without seeing any whales in the area.”

The Happy Hooker and Pacific Dream have been working from dark-to-dark on a daily basis, and they put in 42 limits of crab along with 345 rockfish and 2 lings to 7 pounds for 42 fishermen on Sunday. Captain Chris Smith of the Pacific Dream said, “Our customers really want crab so we put in most of our time working for limits of Dungeness. Fishermen that concentrated on rockfish got their limits, but those who focused on catching a ling cod came up short on the rockfish. One angler was able to pick up a ling cod for the jackpot, but he tried all day long for the single ling.”

The Lovely Martha out of San Francisco ran a crab-only trip on Sunday for 22 limits while the six-pack Argo also went crab-only for limits. Out of Emeryville Sport Fishing, five boats were out on combination trips for short of limits with 850 Dungeness and rockfish for a combined 91 passengers. The pattern has been for the boats to make the long trek to the Farallons for a few drifts for rockfish prior to spending the majority of the day pulling and pulling for as many legal crab as possible.

Coastal rockfish remains slow as the coastal rockfish on the Marin coastline are susceptible to the wintertime swells. The Flash 1 out of San Francisco has been running half-day coastal rockfish trips for 1/4 to ½ limits of rockfish.

Fishing Zones 3 and 4 from the Sonoma/Mendocino County line south to Point Lopez in Monterey County will remain closed for crab traps until mid-December for both recreational and commercial fishing due to ‘high numbers of humpback whales in the Gulf of the Farallones and Monterey Bay.’ The next risk assessment will be on or before Dec. 15.

Inside the bay, the action is very slow with all species with the exception of leopard shark. Commercial halibut fishermen are finding a few flatfish off of the Berkeley Flats along with a very occasional white sea bass. Striped bass action is best in San Pablo Bay as legendary retired Captain Jim Smith continues to drift live mudsuckers for up to three limits of linesides. The lack of live anchovies is a deterrent to finding the bay’s white sea bass as they seem to prefer the anchovies over live smelt or mudsuckers.

Shark fishing in the south bay is the best bet, and Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Sport Fishing is planning on running half-day shark trips in the immediate future.

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

Near-limits of rockfish continue to be the rule out of the Luis Obispo County harbors, and a bonus 80-pound soupfin shark was landed on the Patriot out of Port San Luis this week. The Patriot, Flying Fish, and Phenix out of Patriot Sport Fishing in Port San Luis took out 50 anglers on Saturday on trips ranging from ½ to all day, and they returned with a cornucopia of species with 20 vermilion, 349 assorted rockfish, 13 Boccaccio, 75 Bolina, 2 ocean whitefish, one copper, 4 canary, 5 treefish, 16 gopher, one cabezon, and 11 ling cod to 13 pounds along with the huge soupfin shark. Out of Morro Bay Landing, the Starfire, Endeavor, and Avenger took 53 anglers out on Saturday on trips ranging from 3/4th to full day for 105 vermilion, 16 copper, 406 assorted rockfish, 5 ling cod to 8 pounds, and a bonus sheephead. Out of Virg’s Landing, also in Morro Bay, the Black Pearl, Rita G, and Fiesta took out 74 anglers on Saturday for 171 vermilion, 471assorted rockfish, 20 Boccaccio, 5 copper, and 2 ling cod. 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 2 Bluegill 3 Salmon 2

With the water temperature holding in the high 50’s, the sturgeon bite has been tremendous east of Pittsburg as the brackish water line has pushed further upriver due to freshwater inflow. Debris and big logs continue to provide danger for anchored vessels, and boaters have to be prepared to either cut an anchor rope or get a log off of the rope to avoid disaster. Salmon are trickling through the system, and there are still some relatively-bright salmon landed off of the Benicia shorelines and further upriver below Freeport. The wind came up on Sunday, but the thick fog remains a concern.

Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait said, “Ron Reisinger of Chico was out on his 26-foot boat near the Mothball Fleet this week, and he hooked a big striped bass on a splittail. While he was fighting the striper, a huge log estimated at 3-feet in diameter hung up on his anchor rope, and the weight of the log in the current forced his bow down to the water line. He put the rod in a rod holder and ran up to the boat to desperately attempt to push the log off with his boat hook. He was successful in pushing off the log after some effort, but I questioned him as to why he just didn’t cut the rope. His response was that he didn’t want to lose his anchor, but I would rather lose an anchor than a life. If he was in a smaller boat, it’s clear the log would have swamped it. He was able to go back to the rod and land the big striper. I advise everyone to turn around and look to see what is coming down the river every two to three minutes during the winter months. Even if it is a mat of hyacinth, you can’t be sure that the weeds are hiding a huge log.”

Lopez added that striped bass to 38 inches have been taken off of 9th Street on a live jack smelt while a few salmon continue to be caught from the banks at 1st Street or the Dillon Point State Park on Vee-Zee or Flying C spinners.

Sturgeon fishing is back on the upswing with the diamondbacks holding higher in the river off of Sherman Island. Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing has been putting on a clinic with his new Fire Cure with early limits for three anglers on Friday, only to follow this up with two more slot fish at 51 and 58 inches on Saturday for three generations of the Dr. Cyrus Buhari family from Stockton. Young Ardi and his grandfather came through with two upper slot-limit fish on a double hook up. Mitchell said, “It was chaotic as we had two big fish on, and the other lines were getting wrapped up. I had to convince other anglers that they were not on a fish, but on a line with a fish, and we were able to sort it out with young Ardi coming up with a 51-inch keeper and Grandpa at 58 inches. I have been tinkering with my salmon roe cure for some time, and this new Fire Cure has been really producing. Dr. Buhari and his younger son were also able to reel in an undersized sturgeon, and we missed a few bites along the way. The fog has been very thick in the morning, and on Sunday, we got waked by a big tugboat that we heard, but couldn’t see in the thick fog. We were unable to prepare for the huge wake since we didn’t see it coming until the last minute. It was so thick you could barely see the bow of the boat on Sunday morning. The wind came up with gusts to 25 MPH by mid-morning, and with the smaller tides, it was hard to stay straight on the anchor.” Mitchell confirmed the danger of the submerged logs and debris as one six-pack operator has to repair damaged props after running over a log this week.

Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing has also been finding great sturgeon action above Pittsburg with multiple slot-limit fish on every trip.

Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Sport Fishing said, “I got to play deckhand for Captain Charles Kimberly out of Pittsburg on Saturday, and the sturgeon bite a lot differently in Pittsburg than they do in Martinez. You have to be right on it on those bites, and after the group missed three bites, Captain Charles set hook on the next two, resulting in slot-limit sturgeon at 45 and 48 inches. Everyone is up around Collinsville to Sherman Island right now, and they were blown off of the water on Sunday morning after trying for a few hours. They returned to the docks and declined to charge the clients for the trip.”

In the north Delta, Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle in Freeport said, “Salmon is still going on from the banks and for those trolling Brad’s Cut Plugs or Silvertron spinners. The numbers aren’t great, but the quality is excellent with 20- to 30-pound chrome salmon. Striped bass fishing is best by drifting live mudsuckers or jumbo minnows in the Deep Water Channel, Liberty Island, and Miner Slough. The bluegill are everywhere, but they have gone deep, and you have to use a drop-shot rig with wax worms or red worms to get them. A few sturgeon have been taken from Clarkburg to Freeport or in the Deep Water Channel with ghost shrimp or pile worms.”

Alan Fong, manager of the Fisherman’s Warehouse in Sacramento, said, “I have completed installing all of the new electronics on my boat with the Ghost Trolling Motor, the Lowrance HDS-12 LIVE with Active Imaging, and Live Target Sonar, and I added the 3-in-1 transducer. I couldn’t believe the clarity of the picture with the new technology, and I would see 60 feet on either side of the boat in Prospect Slough. We found a good bass bite with swimjigs, and I flipped another 25 fish for a limit close to 30 pounds. My largest bass went 7.73 pounds while Warren Trumbly of Elk Grove proved once again that it’s better to be lucky than good as he picked up an 11.33-pound largemouth on a chatterbait. He pulled out the chatterbait and cast it into open water near a bridge piling and landed a striped bass. On one of his next casts, the big bass hit. It’s time in the Delta right now with the water temperature at 58 degrees and 18 inches of visibility.”

The California Striped Bass Association – Isleton Chapter’s Sturgeon Derby out of Pittsburg Marina on Saturday was a success with 49 anglers attempting to locate a 56.5-inch target length sturgeon. Kevin Eck came in closest to the target, and they paid the top five anglers with one of the winners releasing his fish.

Salmon action on the Old Sacramento remains very spotty as Dave Scatena of Stockton launched out of Rio Vista this week and went upriver into the Old Sacramento River towards Isleton. He said, “The water was a little cloudy with little grass and no hyacinth. There was a bothersome fur bag, but there were no runs, no hits, and no errors experienced in putting together this report. All in all, it was a great day without fish as we had the river to ourselves with very calm conditions with no wind and a water temperature at 57.4 degrees.”

The Delta Cross Channel Gates are in active mode. Information on the gate operation is available via 916-979-2194 or www.usbr.gov/mp/cov.

The domination of the Delta continues for Stockton-native Ken Mah as he has taken three tournaments within the past two week with two of the tournaments on the Delta including the three-day Wild West Pro/Am Championships in early November. Mah paired with Tray Williams for a first-place limit of 26.58 pounds on Saturday during the Western Outdoor News fundraiser tournament for the Stockton Boy’s and Girl’s Club out of Ladd’s Marina in Stockton.

Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors fished with his son Josh in a two-day small club tournament of champions out of Ladd’s over the weekend, and he said, “The water temperature is perfect at 58 degrees, and we caught fish all day long with either swimjigs or rip baits. We picked up a few nice ones on the VBO swimjigs along with some punching during the tournament for a 16-pound plus limit for second-place on day one. He said, “We caught a lot of fish with many in the 3- to 3.5-inch range, but the bite was tough for some with only 5 teams weighing in limits with some returning with 4 fish.”

Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, was targeting striped bass in the San Joaquin system with the ima Big Stick and the Little Stick, and he said, “We had 7 or 8 blow ups that just missed the bait, and we couldn’t get anything to stick on the topwater lures so we worked the muddy flats with the Optimum Bad Bubba Shad on a ½-ounce jig head. One of the keys is to twitch your wrist on the retrieve to make the bait lunge three to 4 inches, and it give the illusion that the bait is injured. You just can’t throw out a lure and reel it back in. The bite has been best when it is overcast, and I don’t know why the bass weren’t eating the topwater lures. The best action has been on the incoming tide as the outgoing tide has been weak, perhaps with heavy pumping affecting the tidal movement in the south and central Delta.”

Dan Mathisen of Dan Mathisen’s Outdoors said, “The water temperature is stable, but the striped bass bite has been shutting off when the sun comes out. It was overcast on Monday, and I caught and released 23 stripers, but the action slowed down to 6 bites by the end of the week when the bluebird skies came out. Once the sun comes out, the bite dies. I have been working in the central Delta from Eddo’s back to Stockton with either the Bad Bubba Shad or G-Ratt’s Sneaky Pete glide bait. The glide bait works well when there is water coming off of an island. There were fewer terns diving on the main river this past week. Largemouth bass action remains best with swimjigs over the grass, and you can pick up smaller bass in the 1.5- to 2-pound range by either punching or plastics on the drop-shot.”

Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing out of Lauritzen’s Yacht Harbor in Oakley continues to find limits of school-sized striped bass by drifting live minnows above the Antioch Bridge. He said, “The key is to be patient with the minnows. We put in four limits of chunky linesides on Sunday as the water continues to clear up. I plan on going out with my son, Darren, this week to start throwing swimbaits with the clear water.”

Johnny Wang, manager of the Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, was spooning striped bass left and right over the flats adjacent to the Stockton Golf and County Club during the week, and he reported continued great action for largemouth bass, striped bass, and crappie off of Eight Mile Road, saying, “The big brooder minnows are there, and fishermen are picking up the minnows and drifting for both species of bass. Crappie fishing is best with small to medium minnows along with minijigs in structure. Fly fishermen are scoring in Discovery Bay and in the Old River, but I think you could work the flats near the golf course for schoolie stripers.”

Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait and Tackle in Lathrop said, “The river is very low south of the Mossdale Bridge, and it was muddy and low near Turtle Beach. Most of our fishermen are heading towards the big water near Rio Vista, Sherman Island, or Brannan Island. Fresh shad has been hard to come by for the past week, and my shadder has been working every night for limited success from Wimpy’s Marina on the Mokelumne all the way south to the Old River. The full moon has been making it harder to find the shad along with the low water levels.

The temporary emergency drought barrier in False River to slow the movement of saltwater into the central Delta and prevent the contamination of water supplies continues to be installed although it was scheduled to be removed in 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 1 Striper 0 Catfish 3 Crappie 2 Bluegill 3 Trout 2

At Nacimiento, plastics on a variety of presentations are the top technique for numbers while small spoons over the shad schools are also effective at depths to 40 feet. Crappie are found on occasion near structure with minjigs. The lake held at 10%, and there are islands and sandbars showing up throughout the lake. Boaters have to be extremely cautious. The launch ramp remains open, but this could change if the lake continues to drop. A webcam of the lake is available at https://805webcams.com/lake-nacimiento-live-webcam/. At Lopez, bass fishing continues to be a grind with the occasional quality largemouth bass taken on reaction baits early in the morning. Spinnerbaits or crankbaits are the top reaction baits while spoons are also effective when schools of baitfish are found. The most consistent action is on the bottom with plastics on the drop-shot, jigs, or Senkos. Red worms or jumbo red worms are working for red ear perch or bluegill from the banks. 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 with the best action on the bottom with plastics on the drop-shot, jigs, or Senkos, but the occasional fish is taken on crankbaits near structure. Catfishing is a good option with mackerel coated with garlic scent. The whiskerfish are loading up on the heavily-scented baits.A webcam of the lake is available at https://805webcams.com/santa-margarita-lake-webcam-california/ At San Antonio, the lake has dropped to 6%, and the launch ramp is getting pretty thin. Bass fishing has improved with reaction baits such as spinnerbaits, crankbaits, or chatterbaits in the shallows while plastics on the drop-shot, jigs, or Senkos are most effective for numbers. Bluegill or red ear perch are taken from the banks with worms while crappie have been ‘hit or miss’ with minijigs near structure. Launching boat is a challenge due to the low water conditions, and there are hazards throughout the lake.

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

Events

Tournament results

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Western Outdoor News Fundraiser for the Stockton Boy’s and Girl’s Club – November 20th: 1st – Ken Mah/Tray Williams – 26.58 pounds; 2nd – Tuan Nguyen/Jason Austin – 18.39; 3rd- Logan Huntze/Colby Huntze– 17.92.

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

December 4th-

New Melones – Santa Clara Bass Busters

McClure – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies

December 5th –

Don Pedro – Riverbank Bass Anglers

McClure – Fresno Bass Club

December 11th –

Delta/Big Break – Bass N’Tubes

New Melones – Sonora Bass Anglers/Folsom Bass Busters

Pine Flat – Kerman Bass Club

Nacimiento – American Bass Association

December 12th –

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

Tulloch – American Bass Association

McClure – Modesto Ambassadors

Pine Flat – Sierra Bass Club/Kings VIII Bass Club

January 1, 2022 –

Pine Flat – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

Kaweah – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

Solunar table

q=quarter moon