Fishing report, Dec. 8-14: Toys for Tots tournament at aqueduct; big stripers at San Luis

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 sturgeon and stripers headline the bite, Steve Mitchell said. McClure bass continue hitting, Ryan Cook reported. Southern Aqueduct striper action good, Pete Cormier said. Eastman and Hensley trout plants spurs on bite, Michael Crane reported. Don Pedro kicking out big trout, Monte Smith said. New Melones trout bite improved, Kyle Wise reported. San Luis stripers active, Dave Hurley said.

Roger’s Remarks: Planning the perfect trip

Planning a trip with an avid fishing buddy can be more involved and complex than what any non-fanatic angling person might expect.

Most fishing expeditions start out with one angler suggesting going fishing at a certain location on a specific date. Once that portal is breached, it seems things move to another level.

Angler 1: “I just looked at the moon chart and I see that the full moon is the day before our trip! I hate fishing close to a full moon, maybe we should change the date?” Angler 2: “That’s a great point, but the website says the lake level has come up a foot, it’s right at the level we caught them at last year!” A1: “Yes, I think the lake level is key to a good bite; besides, I see that there’s a high pressure system building over the region giving us a stable barometric reading during our trip.”

A2: “However, I looked at my solunar table and it’s rating our trip time as being ‘poor.’ You remember the last time we went fishing, when we ignored the predicted bite — it was terrible.“ A1: “OK, but have you checked any of the fishing reports on the bite?” A2: “The Fresno Bee report gave the lake a 3 rating, but you know how those reports go; those guys don’t really know much.” A1: “I think they just do bait shop reports so the store can sell more of what they’re pushing.” (LOL)

A1: “Don’t tell anyone, but Mort told me he’s been fishing at the lake and he’s got a special lure that’s been killing ‘em — all big ones, too!” A2: “Why didn’t you tell me that in the first place?” A1: “I wanted to keep it a surprise.”

A1: “I also found out that the water temperature is just about perfect, the bite is in the morning, and Mort told me right where the ‘secret spot’ is. The only problem is, seems some other anglers are fishing the spot, too.”

A2: “So, we’ve got a full moon, a poor solunar rating and the best spot may be getting hit hard — but you like the other factors and want to go anyway?”

A1: “I need to fish! I’m in to go if you’re going!” A2: ”Guess we need some luck!“

After the trip...

A1: “I told you the full moon would kill the bite.” A2: “I believed you and Mort; next time, I’m following the solunar table!”

A1’s wife asks him why they went fishing if they knew the full moon was bad? Good question...

At the end of the day, wanting to go fishing trumps all the rational reasons we shouldn’t go. It’s all about hope, no matter the hard facts that are shouting at us to stay home. That’s fishing. 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 Sportsman’s Warehouse in Fresno said, “The aqueduct is still producing striped bass. The water temperature is down to 56.6 degrees, and as it gets colder, the stripers will start to be more lethargic and harder to get them to chase and lures. White or shad-patterned Keitech swimbaits or flukes weighted down to reach the bottom of the aqueduct are working best. The forebay is producing as well but mostly 18- to 22-inch stripers except for a 38-inch, 20-pound striper caught and released near the pumps for the Delta-Mendota out of the forebay by Carlos Torres on his handmade painted color 130mm jerkbait. I went out on Sunday and caught quite a few on a 2-ounce P-Line Laser Minnow in white with red eyes.” Sterling also runs Striperz Gone Wild, and they will host their annual Toys for Tots Striped Bass Derby on Saturday, 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. Last year’s derby produced over 90 toys for local youth.

In the south aqueduct in Kern County, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported striped bass action has been solid with jumbo minnows, live crawdads, sardines, and anchovies along with small swimbaits such as Keitech’s in shad patterns.

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 3 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2

Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “Planted trout have been the highlight at both lakes with Power Bait, nightcrawlers, or Kastmasters from the shorelines, but the planters are quickly taken out of the lakes. Some anglers are trying for trophy bass with big rainbow trout-patterned swimbaits, and there have been bass to 4 pounds landed at Eastman. Dragging Pro Worms on a dart head is the best option for numbers.” 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 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 1 King salmon 2 Crappie 1

Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing found great action for planted rainbows for three clients this week. He said, “We couldn’t find the larger fish, but the action was fast even though the trout were scattered. There was basically no boat traffic on the lake with only three other trailers in the parking lot. We worked a two to three-hundred yard stretch with shad-patterned spoons on lead core line along with Rapalas on the sideplaners, and everything caught fish. When we came into the launch in the early afternoon, there were at least 100 planters swimming around within view of the shoreline. There weren’t any bait balls found in the lake so it was a matter of working a lot of water to find them.”

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “The bass bite is tough overall as the bass are holding in deeper water from 40 to 60 feet. Shad schools have been scarce.”

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 3 Bluegill 2

Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield a few bass have been taken on umbrella rigs, ice jigs, swimbaits, or flukes on an underspin. Most people are targeting catfish with Triple S Dip Bait, shrimp, chicken livers, mackerel, or frozen shad. The trout plant two weeks ago brought out some action from the banks with Power Bait or nightcrawlers along with trollers scoring with shad-patterned spoons such as Needlefish.” Crappie have been scarce with hit or miss action. The lake held at 9%. At Buena Vista Aquatic and Recreational Center, the trout season is scheduled from November 23rd through April 10th with Daily Fishing Permits $6.00/adults and $1.00/children under 15. Information on trout plants is available at (661) 868-7000 – press 1. Cormier reported Buena Vista will be viable for the next few weeks due to the recent plant. Trout to 7 pounds have been reported on Power Bait, nightcrawlers, or Mice Tails. 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 upper Kern River is fishing well for fly anglers despite the 48-degree water, but the lower Kern has slowed with the colder water and lack of trout plants so far this season. the flows dropped slightly to 133 at Kernville in the upper river but rose to 161 cfs at First Point on the lower river.

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 3 Catfish 2

A trout plant occurred last week, and shore anglers are casting Kastmasters, Power Bait, nightcrawlers or Mice Tails from the launch ramp area. The trout plant should help bring some of the big largemouth out of their hiding places. Ice jigs along with jigs are working best for the lake’s bass at 20 feet in depth. The lake rose slightly to 14%. The Kaweah River dropped to 32 cfs at Three Rivers.

Lake Success

Bass 2 Crappie 1 Trout 3 Catfish 2

Bass fishing remains tough as the fish are holding in the deepest water in the shallow lake. Spoons, jigs or big plastic worms are the best bet. The lake is at 11%. A trout plant occurred two weeks ago, and the planters have either been landed on Power Bait or nightcrawlers, but the remaining rainbows could get the swimbait bite going. In the Tule River, The Tule River is fishing well on nightcrawlers for the larger trout with fly fishermen scoring with dry flies. However, a weather change should slow the dry fly action.

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 said, “Bass fishing remains excellent for numbers with a topwater bite in low-light conditions as action can be found from the surface to the bottom and everything in between. There is a decent ripbait bite with Lucky Craft’s Staycee’s or River2Sea Rovers, but the most consistent action is on the bottom with 5-inch Yamamoto Senkos or 6-inch Robo Worms in green pumpkin or ayu on a Neko-rig. When the wind kicks up, there is a reaction bite on main lake points, but the best fishing is found at depths from 5 to 30 feet with finesse techniques.” Bass fishermen are hoping that the recent trout plants will bring out the swimbait bite. The lake held at 20%, and the McClure Point launch ramp opened, but the ramp is very slippery necessitating 4WD to get off of the ramp. The best ramp continues to be at Barrett Cove South.

Call: Ryan Cook – Ryan Cook’s Guide Service- (559) 691-7008

McSwain Reservoir

Trout 2

The last plant was on Nov. 17 and holdover rainbows are taken 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 2

Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The bass bite is consistent for numbers of small spotted bass with plastics on the drop-shot, spoons, or jerkbaits. A 4-pound spotted bass was landed on a 4.5-inch Flutter Spoons. Striped bass have been scarce. The lake is starting to drop slightly at 61%. The river rose from 557 to 657 cfs at Friant.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

Bass 2 Crappie 2+ Catfish 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 1

Kyle Wise of HeadHunter Guide Service reported fellow guide Brent Honnel found limits of holdover rainbows to 4 pounds rolling shad in 100 to 120 feet of water along the edges of the main river channel in open water. He said, “The lake hasn’t turned over yet with the warm temperatures, and the larger trout are down deep in the shad schools.”

The lake held at 36%, and since the lake has yet to turn over, the smaller recently-planted rainbows are found from the surface to 50 feet in the main lake with shad-patterned spoons while the larger holdover rainbows are holding deep from 100 to 120 feet along the edges of the channel by rolling shad. Swimbaits have produced largemouth bass over 10 pounds, but these are few and far between. The best bass fishing is with plastics on a Ned- or Neko-rig, jigs, or tubes at depths from 5 to 20 feet along steep rocky banks with bigger rock. 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

Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The bass bite is improving although the pressure remains high with most local tournaments being held at this lake. Jigs with a Hula Grub trailer, Senkos, and jerkbaits are producing small spotted bass, and the best action has been in the coves near Island Park. A trout plant occurred last week, and this should help the bank bite at Deer Creek.” The lake held at 23%. The lower Kings has been solid for planters with Power Bait, salmon eggs, nightcrawlers, or live crickets near bridge by Winton Park. Brook trout have been stocked, and the pool after the rapids has been a good location. Fly fishermen are scoring in the catch-and-release zone at Cobbles Weir. The flows dropped from 300 to 265 cfs at Trimmer.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474; Sequoia Fishing Co. 539-5626

San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay

Striper 3 Catfish 2 Bass 2 Crappie 1

San Luis Reservoir has stabilized at 24% after heavy pumping from the south Delta brought the lake up from 9% a few weeks ago. The pumps suck in the striped bass as small fish, and they grow to record size over time due to the abundant feed in the water conveyance system, also pumped in from the Delta. The main reservoir is scheduled for a change beginning in February 2022 with the extended closure of the Basalt Campground and Day Use Area due to a Safety of Dams Project. The closure may last 10 years as the project is lengthy and extensive.

Trophy striped bass are still being caught and released by trollers, and the latest to get on the board is Norm Rodriguez of San Jose with a 44-inch lineside estimated at 36 pounds prior to release. Rodriguez said, “We were trolling a chartreuse Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow at 25 to 30 feet with a setback of 100 feet when the big fish hit, and I was able to bring it to the net within 5 minutes with my new Lamiglas Red Line rod and Abu Garcia 5500 LC reel after clamping down on the drag..”

Roger George of Roger’s Guide Service also got in on the big-fish action with his 33rd striped bass over 20 pounds caught and released within the past year. He said, “I recently took out Sonny Johansen of Clovis, and he landed his second large striped bass at 37.5 inches and 20.25 pounds after catching and releasing his personal-best at 30.1 pounds a few weeks ago. It was tough fishing, but Sonny was looking for another big fish, and we finally found it.”

Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “The O’Neill Forebay continues to be very good for stripers with a solid topwater and swimbait bite. Frozen shad is also working well, but we are selling numbers of River2Sea Swavers for the forebay. There is a good night bite there as well. In the main lake, drifting jumbo minnows is a good technique along with jigging Blade Runner spoons ranging from 3/4th- to 1.75-ounces. Many fishermen are also purchasing the Blade Runner Spintrix white jig heads in ½- to ¾-th oz. for flukes or small Keitech swimbaits.”

Call: Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711, Roger George of rogergeorgeguideservice.com (559) 905-2954

High Sierra

Bass Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 1

Trout fishing remains the top option due to a plant a few weeks back, but overall, the action is slow for other than planters with Power Bait or nightcrawlers near the Sheriff’s Tower or for trollers pulling blade/’crawler combinations. Bass fishermen are speed cranking crankbaits from the banks for limited action. The Sheriff’s Motor Fee remains in the effect during the winter months. The launch ramp continues to become more difficult for larger boats as the lake is dropping.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool

The gates at Kaiser Pass were scheduled to close on Dec. 1.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake

Kokanee 1 Trout 2

At Huntington, small boats are able to be launched from the shorelines, and the best trout action is for rainbow trout with green/orange spinners from the surface to 10 feet. The best shore action remains between the stumps in the back of the lake toward Camp Kern with spinners. Shaver remains very slow for trout, but the best action remains in the back of the lake in Stevenson Bay.

Todd Wittwer – Kokanee.net Guide Service 288-8100; Tom Oliveira – Tom Oliveira Fishing – 802-8072

Wishon/Courtright

Trout 1

The gate at McKinley Grove Road was closed on Dec. 1.. Information is available at fs.usda.gov/detail/sierra/home/?cid=stelprdb5399344

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

Perhaps no port is hoping more that the crab trap restriction will be lifted for the final days of the rockfish season than Half Moon Bay as this port has been particularly affected by the restriction. While the Bodega Bay boats can work shallow water, and the Bay Area boats can find some sandy bottom holding Dungeness crab, for whatever the reason whether it be bottom or a lack of biomass, the hoop nets have been far less effective here.

Captain Michael Cabanas of the New Captain Pete said, “There were some crab found just north of the MPA near Pedro Point in 60 to 90 feet of water on the hoops, but you still have to make a number of pulls. Our traps are not effective in rough water are the largest Promar hoops were bought out quickly in the weeks prior to the opener, and it has been tough to keep the crab in the hoops when there is a swell. We found good action on a rockfish-only trip at the Deep Reef and at Pescadero on Thursday for 13 limits of rockfish with a number of bottom-grabbers at the Deep Reef along with a yellowtail at 5 pounds and a big cabezon at 9 pounds landed at Pescadero, but when we went back the next day, the fish weren’t biting in the same locations and the crab were a bust. Rockfish-only or rockfish/crab bonus trips are the best option right now, and it is a matter of ‘mowing the lawn’ by drifting over the shale bottom south of the harbor for school fish consisting of yellows and blues. When you reach the hard shale bottom, you can pick up some bottom grabbers along with a few lings.”

Captain Chris Chang of the Ankeny Street was out on Sunday for 132 rockfish, 2 cabezon to 8 pounds, 25 ling cod to 17 pounds, and a 10-pound halibut. That’s a tremendous ling cod count, and the anglers on board must have been focusing on lings instead of working for rockfish limits.

There hasn’t been much change at the Pacifica Pier as crowds working hoop nets or tossing snares are the rule, and the weekends are particularly crowded. 10-crab limits are rare, but a few Dungeness are possible for most fishermen. The local beaches are also crowded with snare fishermen.

Call: Captain Michael Cabanas – New Captain Pete (510) 677-7054; 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 tuna2 Rockfish 3 Striper 2 White seabass 2 Crab 2 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3

Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “The story this week for Monterey Bay anglers ran the gamut from little ones up to big ones. Very big ones! Our epic bluefin tuna bite seemed to be dissipating last week. Scores were going down and fish were harder to find. The weather didn’t help either with a fairly significant swell and a few very windy afternoons on the tuna grounds some 10 to 20 miles offshore. Undaunted, obsessive tuna hunters from Santa Cruz, Moss Landing, and Monterey as well as trailer boats from all over Northern California pushed out of the harbors early, searching for the jumpers, breezers, or big sonar marks that might mean tuna.

And find them they did. The best success story received was on Friday. Anthony Martinez Jr. from Carmel Highlands reported, “My dad Anthony Martinez and Arthur Melgoza went out without me and got two before 11:00 a.m. today!” Melgoza runs the six-pack charter Reel Nasty Sportfishing out of Moss Landing Harbor and has been one of the highliners during this Monterey Bay bluefin bite. Martinez Jr. filled in some details regarding Friday’s foray saying they were fishing 30 miles south west of Monterey Bay. The winning tactic for the back-to-back bluefins was fly-lining live mackerel 300 feet behind the boat on a slow troll. The first tuna weighed in at 80 pounds with the second at 120. Both were reeled in on a Seeker rail rod using a Makaira 50 with an 80-pound leader. While many anglers have tried for bluefin this year, few have it dialed in like Melgoza and company. Junior summed it up saying, “We’ve got 13 bluefin so far. It’s been super wild!” And, it’s not over yet.

The generally warm water and pleasant conditions have also kept tremendous amounts of baitfish in the nearshore areas all around the bay. There are tons of mackerel, jacksmelt, and anchovies schooling close to shore, readily available to be jigged and used as live bait. Anglers searching for halibut might find the best luck working the West Cliff area of Santa Cruz or the North Coast beaches. The halibut are most likely located a little bit deeper right now as their general movement is out to sea this time of year. Seventy to 80 feet of water is a good place to drop live bait or bounce-ball search for big flatties. In Monterey, the area near Sand City and up coast towards the Soldier’s Club would be a good gamble for halibut as well. Rockfish are moving deeper. The shallow reefs are still holding some fish, but these are mostly smaller schoolies. For big bruiser bottom fish, the deep reefs towards Big Sur or north of the Bay near Ano Nuevo are going to bring about the best results.

Striped bass really haven’t shown up yet for the surfcasters of Monterey Bay. Barred surf perch, on the other hand, are plentiful and biting well. This year’s crop of youngsters is getting bigger, and lots of fish in the 10-inch range are biting on GULP! sandworms, swimming grubs, or live sand crabs. The bigger perch will also latch onto thrown jigs, like the 15-inch hog surf perch caught by Brandon Whittingham at a beach in Santa Cruz this week on Battlestar 115.”

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

It’s a long day, but at the end of the day leaving with a sack of 10-crab and limits to near-limits of rockfish is worth the effort and the price of admission ranging from $225 to $300 on Bay Area party boats. Crab prices are through the roof with one local supermarket advertising whole cooked 2.25-pound crab for $33.73/apiece, and frozen is no comparison to fresh cooked crab.

Captain Jerad Davis of the Salty Lady, now out of Emeryville, is one of the more reasonably-priced trips at $225/angler, and he has been dialing in on crab limits along with scores ranging from 3/4th limits to limits of rockfish. He said, “Our whale watching season is over, and we are running rockfish/crab combination trips on the weekends now. We are getting more dialed in on the hoops with 97 crab out of the first 31 pulls, and it is nice to only have to pull the hoops three time instead of 4 or 5.” Three pulls still require running up 92 hoops on a continuous loop. All of the boats are making the long run to the Farallons for a few drifts of rockfish before working the hoops. They put in 25 limits of rockfish and 220 limits of crab on Saturday.

Captains Chris Smith of the Pacific Dream and his son, Captain Jonathon Smith of the Happy Hooker, had a spectacular weekend with a combined 101 limits of both rockfish and Dungeness along with a solitary 12-pound ling cod on Saturday’s and Sunday’s trips. During the week, the Pacific Dream was out for 19 limits of Dungeness including three crew limits along with 16 limits of rockfish including 2 cabezon to 10 pounds and two lings to 15 pounds.

If it is only crab that you desire as the length of day might seem too much, a crab-only trip may be more to your liking, and several boats are running these trips. Captain Craig Hanson of the Argo out of San Francisco returned with 6 limits of crab over the weekend while the Lovely Martha and Bass Tub, also out of San Francisco, brought back up to 23 limits of crab.

Coastal rockfishing has produced from 3/4th to full limits with Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Sport Fishing saying, “I was out on Sunday on the Flash II out of the City, and we ran up to the Towers where Captain David had limits on Saturday for 3/4th limits of rockfish. I ran the exact same tracks as the previous day, but we had to work hard to scratch out the near limits. We found some action east of Duxbury on some deep pinnacles loaded with schools of fish and finished the day working over Muir Beach and Tennessee Cove. Bonita Cove was a bust.”

The bay remains very slow as the Lovely Martha out of San Francisco stayed inside the bay during the week with 8 anglers as their load must have been too small to make an ocean trip viable, and they ended up with 2 striped bass, a halibut, and a leopard shark.

Talmadge said, “This has been the most bizarre year I have experienced in over 40 years of fishing the bay as the striped bass never came in during the summer months. I don’t blame this on the drought as there have been other drought years where the stripers always came in. It’s a mystery where the stripers went, but they could have blown out into the ocean and disappeared. The only thing that is viable is leopard shark in San Pablo Bay, and you normally don’t see sharks up there at this time of year, but with the lack of fresh water, it’s a different year.

Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle in San Rafael said, “We do have a decent striped bass bite, and sturgeon is fair at best. They are seeing some sturgeon jumping at the Pumphouse, but there aren’t many people out fishing despite the incredible weather. Most stripers are in the 21/22-ich range and they are taken on the anchor with live mudsuckers, smelt, or bullheads. We have brought in 400 live crab from Eureka and Crescent City, and the crab are literally dancing out of the tanks into the local homes.”

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 Surf perch 3

Near-limits of rockfish continue to be the rule out of the San Luis Obispo County harbors. The Patriot, Flying Fish, and Phenix out of Patriot Sport Fishing in Port San Luis were out on trips ranging from ½-day, full day, and 12-hour on Sunday with 40 fishermen for 32 vermilion, 14 copper, one Boccaccio, 258 assorted rockfish, 47 Bolina, one cabezon, and 17 ling cod to 12 pounds. Out of Morro Bay Landing, the Starfire, Endeavor, and Avenger took 52 anglers out on Sunday on trips ranging from ½- to 3/4th day for 171 vermilion, 140 copper, 209 assorted rockfish, and 8 ling cod to 15 pounds. Out of Virg’s Landing, also in Morro Bay, the Black Pearl and Rita G took out 54 anglers on Sunday for 94 vermilion, 209 assorted rockfish, 11 Boccaccio, 20 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 2 Striper 3 Sturgeon 3 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2 Salmon 2

The sturgeon action in the Sacramento-Delta has been epic at times and scratchy at others, perhaps due to the effect of the King Tides that arrived over the weekend. The diamondbacks are there, but there are times when they are reluctant to bite. Striped bass are also finicky with the best results coming by drifting live bait or soaking cut bait in the main river channel. The salmon run is all but over, and the action has slowed to a crawl from the Benicia and Freeport shorelines. Crappie are schooling in the north Delta, and those with excellent electronics and experience are finding as many as 100 slabs in the sloughs.

Fog continues to be an issue in both the Sacramento and San Joaquin sides of the Delta, and the huge tides have lifted all sorts of debris off of the shorelines, making for challenging conditions for boaters in low-light conditions. 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.

Sturgeon fishing remains very good as Captain Steve Mitchell keeps on rolling with his new ‘Fire Cure.’ The action slowed on Sunday, but they were able to release three oversized sturgeon along with losing another possibly foul-hooked oversized. Kyle Wise of HeadHunter Guide Service was out with Mitchell, and he said, “It was a tough bite as the fish were unwilling to feed. There were sturgeon everywhere from out in front of Pittsburg, downstream to Roe/Ryer Island, in the Big and Little Cut, and up near Sherman Island, but everyone struggled on Sunday. We were all sitting on fish, but they didn’t want to bite.” On a mid-week trip, Mitchell’s group ended up with one slot-limit fish, losing two other slot-limit sturgeon along with an oversized that broke off, and released two big oversized. He said, “These were fresh fish in the system, and they must have come right out of the ocean as they all had sea lice on them. The sturgeon seem to in a number of different locations. There are still fish around Chain Island, but they are also in many other locations.”

Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing has been finding similar action out of Pittsburg. All of the six-packs are operating out of Pittsburg with the exception of Barbarian Sport Fishing which remains in Martinez. Barbarian has been doing some good work further upriver as well as the sturgeon are spreading out. Gamez found incredible action on Friday’s night trip with six slot-limit sturgeon within 3 hours. Wise was on Ryan Tripp’s boat which was anchored next to Gamez during the night trip, and he said, “Joey was in the slot, and he was putting on an absolute clinic while we were struggling to get bite. It’s a matter of being in the right channel when the fish are coming through.”

Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Sport Fishing reported the Flash I out of Martinez released 3 shaker sturgeon on Saturday as the bite has been up and down. He said, “The Diamond Classic Catch and Release Sturgeon Derby may or may not be held this January. Olivia Ortega of the Martinez Marina is attempting to coordinate the event, but with the restrictions on indoor activity due to COVID-19, we might not be able to hold the seminar. The raffle at the seminar is the funding source for the event as it is 100% payout.”

Captain Zack Medinas of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures said, “We have been averaging around 4/5 sturgeon per day with a few slot-limit fish in the mix. It seems like there are a lot less slot-limit sturgeon around these days as we are catching a number of oversized and undersize sturgeon. I’m optimistic, but the years of drought will have an impact on the numbers of successful sturgeon spawns. We have been able to get out around 3 times per week right now.”

Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, spent a morning on the anchor with frozen shad off of Collinsville for two limits of striped bass by 12:30 p.m. Later in the week, it was foggy so he stayed close to the Rio Vista Bridge, jigging P-Line’s Laser Minnows and drifting live mudsuckers near the bridge pilings for limits of school-sized stripers. He said, “Spoons in dark purple/black and chartreuse were both equally effective along with the mudsuckers.”

The water cleared up to some degree earlier in the week, and Craig Newton of Will Fish Tackle in Auburn reported Ron Retzlaff and his crew trolled the West Bank for a total of 8 keeper stripers in the 6- to 8-pound range.

Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait reported anglers from McAvoy’s Boat Harbor in Bay Point have ben running over to the tules across the river and drifting live mudsuckers for quick limits of striped bass in the 10-to 12-pound range in the shallows. The larger tides will push both striped bass and sturgeon into shallower water to avoid the heavy current. He said, “One of the Foundation Sportsmen’s Club members was out there with a single shad on his hook, and he caught and released a massive 55-inch striped bass in the shallows. I saw the picture of the fish, and it was huge.” More and more fishermen are opting to release large striped bass over 10 pounds and especially the far rarer linesides over 20 pounds to preserve the gene pool of the big fish. Although there are still huge striped bass in the system, the overall size of the fish has clearly diminished within the past decade.

Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento, has been working on his YouTube Channel at Alan Fong Outdoors, and he was out filming his crappie episode this week. He said, “We caught over 100 slabs, and the Lowrance Live Scan makes all of the difference. I was out with Denise Loo and Warren Trumbly, and we were using small 1-inch Strike King’s Bobby Garland straight-tail crappie lures on a 1/16th-ounce jig head. We were in the grass so were using the rig on a bobber to keep it out of the grass. Denise and Warren are also tipping the hook with Crappie Nibbles, but it is a matter of feeling the bite. My brother and sister-in-law were in Liberty Island, and they also landed over 100 crappie. This episode is available on my YouTube Channel with an emphasis on using your electronics, rigging for the slabs, and even cooking the crappie.”

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 effect of the huge King Tides and dredging in the main San Joaquin River near Stockton have pushed the action into the clearer waters of the sloughs. The water temperature remains unseasonably high in the mid-50’s as during a normal year, water temperatures in the low 50’s into the high 40’s will slow the metabolism of both striped and largemouth bass, creating a migration into the slightly clearer and warmer waters of the south Delta sloughs.

For largemouth and striped bass, Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors was on the Delta at the beginning of the week, and he said, “The bite has been pretty much the same as we have been landing about a dozen striped bass to 8 pounds and around a dozen largemouth bass per trip. You have to do a lot of running around right now as there haven’t been any big schools of either species. We have been able to pick up two or three stripers on one spot before moving on, and all of them have been keepers to 8 pounds. We haven’t been on the schools of smaller stripers. The VBO swimjigs that looks like a golden shiner has been picking up the larger linesides as it looks like a natural bait. The Bad Bubba Shad swimbait on a ½-ounce jig head or a ½-ounce underspin are both effective as well. Largemouth bass are in the 3-pound range with the best bite on finesse techniques as the reaction bite remains slow. The water temperature remains in the 56/57-degree range, and it doesn’t vary more than 1.5 degrees during the day. We have been staying in the Central Delta after launching out of Ladd’s Marina, and it is important to find the clear water off of the main channel. The dredging in the main channel has limited visibility to around a foot, but you can find 3-feet of visibility off of the main channel. The pipes have been pulled off of the entrance to the sloughs, and it is a matter of idling through the dredging zone between the two buoys.”

Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, said, “It’s been the same concept on the San Joaquin of working the ledges of the flats with the Optimum Bad Bubba Shad on a ½-ounce jig head by dragging the bottom. The key once again is to twitch your wrist on the retrieve to create the illusion that the bait is injured. These are all stripers in the 2- to 5-pound range. When we find schools in the saddles between the flats, we are jigging with P-Line’s Laser Minnows. There is a topwater bite with the ima Little Stick in sardine in low light conditions, and the overcast skies have been perfect for this presentation. For largemouth bass, there has been some decent action on the ima Flit 120 in Olive Herring or similar patterns. I have been sticking around the San Joaquin near the mouth of the Mokelumne after launching out of B and W Resort, but I am wanting to check out the action in the north Delta near Liberty Island.”

Dan Mathisen of Dan Mathisen’s Outdoors said, “The fog and big tides have made it difficult to find the striped bass, and our best action has been with the Optimum Bad Bubba Shad swimbait in the sloughs. The main river has been muddy with dredging on the San Joaquin, and I plan on heading over to the Old and Middle Rivers to look for clearer waters.”

Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, said, “Fishing has been good all over as the waters off of Eight Mile and Guard Roads west of Stockton have been solid for stripers for those drifting live bluegill. The south Delta near Bullfrog Landing and Bacon Island is another good location, but the Port of Stockton has slowed as the bait has moved out. The egrets that were lining the shorelines have been absent.”

Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing out of Lauritzen’s Yacht Harbor in Oakley was out on Saturday, and he said, “It has been slow for us drifting jumbo minnows although we have been grinding out limits. The big tides may have a lot to do with this, and we are running into big numbers of undersized stripers. We have been running all over on the San Joaquin and Sacramento side to find biting fish. We are finding stripers, but they have been reluctant to bite even though the water temperature remains relatively warm for this time of year at 55 degrees.”

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 2 Striper 0 Catfish 2 Crappie 2 Bluegill 3 Trout 2

At Nacimiento, plastics on the bottom at depths to 30 feet are the best with a variety of techniques including drop-shot, Neko-rig, dart head, split-shot, and shakey head. The spoon bite is happening as well, but the key is finding the shad schools. Crappie fishing has been ‘hit and miss’ with the best action within submerged structure. A webcam of the lake is available at https://805webcams.com/lake-nacimiento-live-webcam/. At Lopez, the bass bite is also ‘hit or miss’ with mostly slow action. The best action remains on the bottom with plastics or jigs with some reaction bite in the early mornings. Bluegill and red ear perch are available, but you have to search around for them in the deeper water. 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 is slow with more fishermen coming in with a few bass with the best action on the bottom with jigs or plastics on the drop-shot or Texas-rig. There is somewhat of a reaction bite on crankbaits. Bluegill are taken on mealworms or redworms while a few crappie are found on minijigs. There is a catfish bite on mackerel scented with garlic. A webcam of the lake is available at https://805webcams.com/santa-margarita-lake-webcam-california/. At San Antonio, launching is still a possibility despite the lake very low at 6%. Bass fishing remains slow with the best available action for catfish with mackerel scented with garlic or similar strong scents. Bluegill are found on red worms or meal worms.

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

Events

Tournament results

McClure – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies – December 4 – 1st: Bill and William Vernon – 14.85 (Big Fish – 3.40); 2nd – Joe Overley – 11.15; 3rd – Joe Winchell/Cole Taylor – 10.25.

Events

January 20-23

International Sportsmen’s Exposition – Cal Expo Sacramento – information – sportsexpos.com

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

December 11

Delta/Big Break – Bass N’Tubes

New Melones – Sonora Bass Anglers/Folsom Bass Busters

Pine Flat – Kerman Bass Club

Nacimiento – American Bass Association

December 12

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

Pine Flat – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

Kaweah – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

Solunar table

q=quarter moon

This story was originally published December 7, 2021 at 7:56 AM.