Fishing report, Feb. 23-March 1: Nighttime bite at Bass Lake; Shaver producing with effort

Compiled by Dave Hurley and edited by Roger George, who guides in the greater Fresno area and holds the striper record at Millerton Lake.

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Best bets

Delta bass, stripers and sturgeon bites improve, Dan Mathisen said. New Melones bass and trout bites moving, Kyle Wise reported. Don Pedro bass hitting and McClure trout and bass active, Ryan Cook said. Aqueduct stripers still active, Michael Crayne reported.

Valley

Westside waterways

Striper 3 Catfish 2

Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The California Aqueduct has been producing largemouth bass with Robo Worms in green pumpkin/purple, lizards, or Brush Hogs along with small Keitech swimbaits on a ½-ounce jig head. Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Coyote said, “Umbrella rigs, Magnum Flukes, or spy baits are also effective for striped bass.” Bill Sterling of the Sportsman’s Warehouse in Fresno added, “I know the water is warming up, and we are seeing a number of stripers in the 16- to 20-inch range biting on anchovies or blood worms. The night bite has been solid with lipless crankbaits such as Rat-L-Traps.”

In the southern section of the aqueduct in Kern County, the striped bass bite has improved with jerkbaits, Keitech swimbaits along with anchovies, sardines, or mackerel where the moving water runs into the slow water, creating a ripple. Catfish are holding along the bottom of the aqueduct, and jumbo minnows, chicken livers, anchovies, or sardines are all working.

With the cold wintertime temperatures, 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

With minimal snowpack for these reservoirs, there is reliance on rainfall to freshen up the lake’s waters. The reservoir levels may stay low until next fall. Trout fishing from the banks showed improvement at both lakes since the double-plant at Eastman and a single plant at Hensley last week. Power Bait, nightcrawlers, or small spoons such as Kastmasters are working for the planters. The Department of Fish and Wildlife proposed eliminating the one-fish 22-inch size limit at Eastman and the two-fish 15-inch size limit at Hensley since efforts to create a trophy fishery have been unsuccessful. The possibility for a trophy bass exists at each lake, but the possibility remains slim. The recommendation is to return to the state standard of a bag limit of 5 fish with a 12-inch size limit. Eastman held at 10% with Hensley rising slightly to 16%.

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 0 King salmon 2 Crappie 2

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “The quality of spotted and largemouth bass remains solid with the best action at the mouths of spawning pockets with plastics on a Carolina-rig along with Lunker Daddy’s 3.5-inch tubes or spider jigs on a slow presentation on the bottom. Jerkbaits are also picking up a few bass. The anticipation is for an early spawn, but this week’s cold front should push the bass out into deeper water once again.” The winning weight during Saturday’s Christian Bass League tournament was 15.38 pounds with a 4.50 big fish by the team of Keith Friesen and Kirk Sakamoto. Trout trollers are scoring quality holdovers along with the occasional king salmon at depths to 35 feet for trout and up to 100 feet for salmon. The key is finding the bait. The lake rose slightly to 58%. The Fleming Meadows and Moccasin launch ramps remain open.

The 2022 daily vehicle fee is $20 with an additional $15 to launch a vessel. Annual launch passes will be $120 with an annual vehicle fee of $120 with $65 for seniors. The lake rose slightly to 56%. 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

The crappie were starting to come into the shorelines, but this week’s cold front should push them back into deeper water. Same deal for largemouth bass as the males are starting to cruise the banks in the warm afternoon sun. Deep-diving crankbaits such as Norman’s DD-22’s or Strike King’s KVD 10XD’s along with big jigs are working best for bass while crappie are found on Keitech swimbaits, Notorious Jigs, or small- to medium- minnows. The Department of Fish and Wildlife proposed eliminating the two-fish 15-inch size limit at Isabella since efforts to create a trophy fishery have been unsuccessful. The recommendation is to return to the state standard of a bag limit of 5 fish with a 12-inch size limit. Catfishing continues to be best with Triple S Dip bait, chicken livers, or cut baits coated with garlic spray. Planted trout can be found on various colors of Power Bait, Berkley Mice Tails, spoons, or spinners. Lake Isabella held at 11%. There haven’t been any recent trout plants at Buena Vista, and catfish or bass are the top species with the whiskerfish taken on cut baits with bass on plastics or jigs in the shallows. Overall, fishing action is slow. For trout, anglers have to be aware of the planting schedule as the bite slows quickly after the plant. Daily Fishing Permits at Buena Vista are $6.00/adults and $1.00/children under 15. Information on trout plants is available at (661) 868-7000 – press 1. The upper river has several upcoming trout plants with Section 4 for the next week with Section 5 receiving a double plant this week. Small spinners such as Blue Fox or plugs such as small Rapalas are working for the recently-planted rainbows along with salmon eggs, live crickets, or nightcrawlers. With the amount of snowpack, the river should remain viable for the coming months. A rainstorm could dirty the water for a few days. The river at Kernville has dropped from 329 to 304 cfs, but it has risen from 169 to 234 cfs at First Point below the dam.

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 bass were starting to make their move into the shallows, but this week’s cold front should push them back out into deeper water. Finesse fishing remains best at depths from 15 to 40 feet deep with plastics on the drop-shot or with jigs. The Department of Fish and Wildlife proposed eliminating the two-fish 15-inch size limit at Kaweah since efforts to create a trophy fishery have been unsuccessful. The recommendation is to return to the state standard of a bag limit of 5 fish with a 12-inch size limit. The lake rose to 19%. The Kaweah River dropped from 244 cfs to 195 cfs at Three Rivers with snowmelt starting to flow into the watershed. A trout plant is scheduled at Mooney Grove Park this week.

Lake Success/Tule River

Bass 3 Crappie 1 Trout 2 Catfish 2

Chuck Stokke of Sequoia Fishing Company in Springville said, “Bass anglers are doing well as the fish are in pre-spawn mode, and the females are loaded with eggs. Crappie are showing up on minijigs near the marina.” A trout plant occurred two weeks ago, and in addition to fishing for trout from the banks with Power Bait, nightcrawlers, or Kastmasters, bass fishermen are casting for the opportunity at a trophy largemouth. The Department of Fish and Wildlife proposed eliminating the two-fish 15-inch size limit at Success since efforts to create a trophy fishery have been unsuccessful. The recommendation is to return to the state standard of a bag limit of 5 fish with a 12-inch size limit. The lake rose slightly to 21%. On the Tule, Stokke said, “The river is kicking out some big trout on the Middle Fork on nightcrawlers. Fly fishing has been slow, but nymphs are scoring a few browns and rainbows.”

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

McClure Reservoir

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

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “The bass are moving into the shallows, and the best bass action has been with G-Money Jigs with Lunker Daddy twin-tail trailer or with 3.5-inch Lunker Daddy tubes.” There aren’t many bass holding in deep water now, but this week’s cold front may push them back out. There has been quite a bit of fishing pressure on the lake due to recent tournaments. Planted trout have created a solid trolling bite near the dam with Kastmasters or similar shad-patterned spoons. The area from the Houseboats south including Temperance and Cotton is now 5 mph. There are several additional tournaments in the coming months. The lake rose slightly to 28%, and the best ramp continues to be at Barrett Cove South.

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

McSwain Reservoir

Trout 2

The last heavy plant was Jan. 23 with over 3,000 pounds, and the planters have either been caught or spread out into the deeper water in the upper river arm. A few holdovers are found in the early mornings or the evenings at the Brush Pile, Handicapped Docks, and the peninsula around the marina with gold or blue/silver Kastmasters, garlic Power Bait, or nightcrawlers. Trollers continue to find the occasional rainbow in river arm near the 2nd Fence Line with blade/’crawler combinations or red Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler at depths to 20 feet. The lake held at 94%, and lake levels remain high throughout the year

Call: McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534

Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River

Bass 2 Striped bass 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 3 Crappie 1

Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “Bass tournaments have been increasingly held at the lake, and impressive limits to 15 pounds have been taken during recent events. The bass are starting to move up to the shorelines in preparation for spawning, but this week’s colder weather should push them back out. The best action remains on the bottom with plastics on a drop-shot or jigs.” With the fish in deep water, a good fizzing needle is necessary. There have been a number of vehicle break-ins in the Sky Harbor parking area.” The San Joaquin River rose slightly from 355 to 368 cfs at Friant as water releases continue. The lake dropped slightly to 51%.

The Roosevelt High School Bass Fishing Club will be in action again on Sunday, March 6 for the Big Valley Region of the California High School Student Angler Federation (CAHSATT) is These tournaments are open to all valley high school students and to 7th and 8th graders IF they have a partner who is a high school student. Anglers without partners, and teams without access to a boat are encouraged to reach out. For information and to register as a High School Tournament Angler, contact Spencer (mespenc@gmail.com or 261-5296).

A trout plant occurred at Sycamore Island this last week, and Michael Crayne visited the lake this past week, saying, “There are already bass staging for a spawn in the shallows.” Sycamore Island is open Fridays through Sundays and State holidays until November 11. Seasonal hours of operation are 6:00 am to 5:30 pm January, February, March, October, and November; 6:00 am to 7:00 pm April and September, and 6:00 am to 8:30 pm May through August. Entry fees are $9.00 per vehicle and $5.00 per trailer. Snacks, drinks, and bait are available for purchase. Sycamore Island is located in Madera County near Valley Children’s Hospital at 39664 Avenue 7 1/2, Madera, CA.

The River Parkway Trust offers contactless payment for day-use passes online at www.riverparkway.org. The organization asks that guests follow current public health guidance regarding Covid-19. For more information about Sycamore Island, visit www.riverparkway.org. Or visit us on Facebook www.facebook.com/SycamoreIslandPark.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

Bass 3 Crappie 1 Catfish 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 1

Kyle Wise of HeadHunter Guide Service said, “The trout bite remains outstanding with multiple hookups of planters, but you have to cull throughout numerous rainbows to find quality. The rainbows are in the top 20 feet with J5 Rapalas or white hoochies behind a Paulina Peak gold hammered dodger. The white hoochie mirrors the lake’s abundant threadfin shad population.” Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “Bass fishing is excellent for numbers at depths from 15 to 30 feet in the river arm with the best quality found in the main lake at depths from 40 to 50 feet. 4-inch Lunker Daddy tubes in sculpin patterns, Ned-rigs on a Lunker Daddy plastic, or G-Money jigs with either a creature bait trailer or a Lunker Daddy double-tail trailer are all effective as it is finesse fishing now.” The lake held at 41%, but numerous unmarked hazards remain 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, “Neko rigs or jigs in watermelon have been the top producers for spotted bass as the fish are starting to make a tentative move into the shallows. Crappie are showing up in the trees up the river arm and also along the marina docks with various crappie set ups. Trout trollers are working the bait balls from 45 to 60 feet for an occasional holdover on shad-patterned spoons.”

In the lower Kings, Bill Sterling of the Sportsman’s Warehouse in Fresno said, “The lower Kings River saw a lot of planters caught over the week, and I think it will slow down again as many of the planters were caught. There’s still some big trout out there though.” The recent trout plant created good fishing with the best action in the late afternoons when the waters warm up slightly. Roostertails, Atomic Tubes, Trout Magnets, and Power Bait are all working in the transition from fast to slow water. The flows have dropped from 837 cfs to 713 cfs at Trimmer as snowmelt has started. The lake has also risen slightly to 31%.

A trout plant is scheduled for Avocado Lake this week.

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

San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay

Striper 2 Catfish 2 Bass 2 Crappie 1

Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Coyote said, “The main lake action has slowed down for trollers with the best opportunities for success coming by drifting jumbo minnows inside of Portuguese Cove. Bank fishermen continue to soak anchovies or sardines for limited success.”

Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said that the lake is still fishing hard in the stained low visibility water. “The fish were very suspended this week with the full moon and most trollers were just getting a few fish for 5 hours of work. Minnow and bait anglers were also having a hard time finding active biting fish in the reservoir currently holding at about 930,000 acre feet. I fished with two guests on Thursday and I had to pull out all the stops, but we managed 16 fish to 24 inches trolling Lucky Crafts at about 70 feet, with one fish here and one there, at locations all over the lake. We worked hard for every fish. Finding any schools of feeding fish right now has been tough. The continuing murky water and inactive fish has many anglers trying to figure out why it’s been this way for several weeks.“

In the O’Neill Forebay, there is a rip bait bite with Lucky Craft Pointer 128s along with similar ripbaits in 115- or 120-mm. Pile worms or blood worms have been the top baits. The main lake held at 45% this week with the O’Neill Forebay rising to 83%.

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

High Sierra

Bass Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 0

Michael Crayne at Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “There is a nighttime bite for crappie around submerged trees or brush while trout trollers continue to hunt down the remaining holdovers with Kastmasters or similar spoons in shad patterns. The water remains cold as snowmelt has begun to creep into the lake. Bass fishing is fair at best.” With the Sheriff’s Motor Fee in place and low water levels at the public launch ramp, few bass boats are heading to the lake. A webcam of the launch ramp is available at basslakeca.com. The lake rose to 55%.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool

The gates at Kaiser Pass will not reopen until Memorial Day at the earliest. Edison is at 14%, Florence has risen to 7% with Mammoth Pool also rising to 83%.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake

Kokanee 2 Trout 2

Shaver is very low at 31%, but the snowmelt should start to fill up both lakes in the coming weeks. Kokanee and trout are the story at Shaver for boaters willing to launch in the lower lake with the Point, Stevenson, or Tunnel Creek being the top locations at depths to 35 feet. Shore anglers are picking up a few holdover trout at both Shaver and Huntington. Shaver’s launch ramp conditions can be checked via webcam at sierramarina.com/camera.html. Huntington dropped slightly to 46% with Shaver holding at 31%.

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

Wishon/Courtright

Trout 0

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

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

Striper 2 White seabass 1 Crab 2 Sand dabs 2 Surf perch 2

It’s much the same story out of Half Moon Bay with whale watching and the possibility of a crab/sand dab/Petrale sole combination trip. The winds have made for challenging conditions along the beaches for those seeking surf perch. Ed Chin of Bay Tackle in El Cerrito said, “For surf perch along the ocean beaches, the action has been inconsistent due to changes in water temperature. The perch are big in the 1- to 2-pound range, but it has been ‘hit or miss.’”

Anglers can check the status of the pier via https://www.cityofpacifica.org/depts/pw/parks/pacifica_pier.asp. There is also a live feed from a web cam available at https://www.pacificaview.net/livecam/index.php.

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

Striper 2 White seabass 1 Crab 2 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3

Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “Most six-pack outfits around Monterey Bay are taking vacations right now, waiting for April’s rockfish and (hopefully) salmon openers. The bigger charter outfits continue to send boats out most days of the week and especially on the weekends. In Monterey, Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching Trips is still going strong with catches of Petrale sole. Last week they reported up to 25 sole on one trip as well as 24 Dungeness on another. Both forays included ‘lots of sanddabs.’ Chris’s boats catch so many sand dabs they don’t even count them anymore. In Santa Cruz, Stagnaro’s Sportfishing is on the sanddab hunt as well. Owner Ken Stagnaro put it simply, saying, “Excellent dabs this weekend! Anglers on Legacy caught 425 on Saturday and 450 on Sunday. Good quality.”

An increasing number of very serious ocean anglers are turning towards surfcasting for mid-winter action. Leaving their boats on the trailer or at the dock, they instead head to their local beaches with light tackle and high hopes of landing a personal best perch. There are a variety of surf perch and sea perch available in Monterey Bay and adjacent locales. Most common are the barred surfperch. It is almost humorous that vastly experienced big-game anglers find delight in pursuing the smallest saltwater gamefish in our area, but everything is relative. After catching 10 to 15 eight-inch perch, when one suddenly gets a grab from a 15-incher, the excitement and sense of accomplishment as we fight the fish can be equal to catching a big halibut, vermilion rockfish, or salmon. Besides, they are quite tasty when cooked correctly!

On the Capitola Wharf, Capitola Bait and Bait is open for boat rentals on Saturdays and Sundays from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Reservations are advised – (831)462-2208.

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 Leopard shark 2 Sturgeon 2

The window for halibut trollers has started, and as it may be several months before live bait is available, party boats will have to be content to troll until the live anchovies show up in the bay. The best halibut action remains in the south bay, but the winds on Sunday put a damper on the ability to stay out there. Striped bass remain a mystery as longtime Bay Area fishermen are scratching their heads for the second straight year while seeking the linesides. Herring spawns have yet to show up in the East Bay, but there are very intermittent small spawns occurring along the San Francisco City piers.

Ed Chin of Bay Tackle in El Cerrito said, “Halibut trollers are going out in greater numbers, but they are coming back with scores from 0 to 2 halibut at the most, and many of the halibut are undersized. The herring spawns remain concentrated on the San Francisco City side from Mission Rock, 3rd Street, and down to Coyote Point. The spawns have yet to start in the East Bay, but they might happen within the next two weeks. There have been some big surf perch in the bay, and Pete from our shop landed one in the 3-pound range on a 4-inch swimbait. The bait in the bay has been small from 1 to 4 inches.”

Captain Steve Gutierrez of Deadliest Kast out of Oyster Point has pivoted from south bay sturgeon to halibut, and he put his clients onto three legal halibut to 27 inches on Saturday, losing another big one in the process. However, the wind had different ideas on Sunday, and Gutierrez said, “The weather played a big factor as it was blowing 25 to 30 in the south bay. We ended up with around 9 shakers that were just short of the 22-inch mark, but we had to beat it back uphill to the harbor with the high winds.” Gutierrez is using his custom trolling rigs with a Wiggle Hoochie and a herring trap rig.

Keith Nguyen of the Lost Anchovy went out on an exploratory kayak trip out of Oyster Point earlier in the week in excellent weather conditions, but the action was limited to undersized halibut running trolling gear from their pedal-operated Ocean Kayaks.

For striped bass, Chin added, “The striped bass bite is improving slowly, but most of the fish are still holding around Rodeo and Benicia. Everything is upstream, and they haven’t come down in numbers. The Napa River, Petaluma River, Marsh Ponds, and Bel Marin Keys have all be producing, but all of the action is at night with only stripers in the 12- to 15-inch range during the day. It feels like last year when you would catch a few to 18 inches one day, and then, nothing to 16 inches the following day.”

Captain Trent Slate was out plugging in San Pablo Bay on Thursday morning, and he caught and released a striped bass on his third cast. However, that was the highlight for the day as the next 97 casts came up empty.

There were reports of shore fishermen picking up striped bass at Pinole Point on Sunday, but there is increasing concern over the striped bass population based upon the very poor showing in June and July last year, the traditional time for the linesides to be holding to the rockpiles in San Francisco Bay.

Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle in San Rafael was looking forward to this week’s tides in San Pablo Bay for sturgeon, but he had a less than optimistic report of the current state of sturgeon fishing in San Pablo Bay.

Live bait should be in the pens any time from April through May, but there is concern that the anchovies will be making a late showing this year.

White sturgeon may not be taken in the portion of San Francisco Bay included within the following boundaries: A direct line between Pt. Chauncy (National Marine Fisheries Laboratory) and Pt. Richmond, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and a direct line between Pt. Lobos and Pt. Bonita between January 1st and March 15th.

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

Surf perch 3

Rockfish season will reopen again in April with a slightly different sublimit for vermilion rockfish dropping from 5 to 4 with one copper rockfish also as a sublimit. Boats are limited to nature trips, whale watching, or the occasional crab/sand dab combination trip. 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 2

The warm weather has brought the water temperature of the Sacramento-Delta into the mid-50’s, and the striped bass are showing up in numbers throughout the system. A cold front with wind is expected this week, and this could lead to some change, but the linesides are clearly on the move. Sturgeon action remains ‘hit or miss’ with some very good days followed by slower action as the diamondbacks are scattered. When the weather returns to warmer-than-normal conditions in a week or so, the striped bass won’t be shy about an early spawn.

Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait in Freeport said, “We have a cold front moving in next week, but the river is crystal clear and the stripers are showing up. Pile worms, blood worms, anchovies, or sardines coated with garlic spray. Most of the sturgeon have moved north around Knight’s Landing, but there are crappie in the sloughs with small minnows. Catfish are coming out of Lisbon Slough on chicken livers, nightcrawlers, or large minnows along with largemouth bass. You can fish for other species in Lisbon, but sturgeon are off-limits.” There is a special Yolo Bypass Flood Control System Sturgeon Closure as it is unlawful to take any sturgeon in the Yolo Bypass, the Toe Drain Canal, and the Tule Drain Canal upstream of Lisbon Weir at any time.

Also in the north Delta, after finding great action with the prototype Flutter Spoon from Blade Runner for big striped bass over 30 pounds, Alan Fong of Alan Fong Outdoors said, “The wind dirtied up the water in Liberty Island, and the bite died. Prior to the wind, we hooked some huge stripers in 2 to 3 feet of water with the Flutter Spoon, and it is something about the design of this spoon as even though it weighs over an ounce, it stops on the way down, hesitating for a few seconds before continuing to drop. This action really triggers the fish to bite. You really have to be careful inside of Liberty Island if you don’t know the layout since a Ranger bass boat took chunks out of its bottom while running over a rockpile during the weekend.”

Scott Marran of Yuba City was out in the north Delta drifting live minnows with his wife, Gracie, and they kept two limits to 5.5 pounds out of 22 fish landed. Marran said, “The jumbo minnows were really nice from Yuba City Tackle, and of course, the two largest fish came unbuttoned.”

Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait reported good striped bass action from the shorelines with blood worms, pile worms, or grass shrimp.

Captain Zack Medinas of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures took out John and Jeri Vanzetti of Stockton for a double hookup on sturgeon in Suisun Bay on salmon roe.

Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing said, “We were out by Snag Island on Sunday, and the fish were biting on the outgoing tide. We missed a number of bites, and lost a slot-limit fish during the fight, but there were plenty of opportunities. It was the same story on Saturday with a couple of undersized sturgeon along with more missed bites. We put in a slot-limit sturgeon on Friday to go with another short sturgeon. The fish are spread out, and you have to take advantage of when you get a bite. I am out all throughout the coming week, and we are looking forward to getting dialed in.” Mitchell got dialed in on Monday working around Seal Island, and he put his catch-and-release crew onto three oversized sturgeon at 63, 63.5, and 63.75 inches along with a shaker. Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing went to the spot first on Monday, and he found a batch of biting fish, ending up with three limits of sturgeon for his three passengers.

Matt Smart of Martinez was out with Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions on Saturday, and he was rewarded with a slot-limit sturgeon while the captain came up at 60.75 inches prior to release. It was a different day on Sunday with the wind blowing from 16 to 20 knots, and despite heading into the sloughs to avoid the wind, Koyasako said, “We found plenty of grass in the protected water with only one bite for the day. The wind and the incoming tide in open water made for a very tough day.”

The largemouth bass bite has improved considerably over the past few weeks, and the region experienced a rare break with only two smaller tournaments in the south and central Delta over the weekend. Fresh striped bass are showing up, and as the water temperatures continues to rise, more linesides will come rushing in.

Dan Mathisen of Dan Mathisen Outdoors held his second team tournament out of Holland Riverside Marina on Saturday, and the team of Jon Rodgers and Gus Sterud took first with a limit at 20.52 pounds. Mathisen said, “They found a few fish in a small area practicing a couple of weeks ago, and they had them going pretty good with around 12 pounds by 8:00 a.m. The two continued to grind away flipping and pitching black/blue Senkos before switching to chatterbaits later in the day in the same black/blue pattern, upgrading with the big fish of the tournament at 7.91 pounds. The water clarity is pretty amazing for February, and the water cleans up within two tide cycles after a big wind. It was blowing on Thursday, but the water cleared up by Friday. They started shallow in the mornings before moving out to the outside weed line when the tide dropped out.” Mathisen’s next team tournament is on March 19th.

Jason Schalck, tournament director for the Delta circuit for the American Bass Association, said, “We drew 17 boats out of Big Break on Sunday with three teams weighing in over 22 pounds with the winning limit at 24.40 pounds with a big fish at 7.26 by the team of Hulen Johnson and Obedie Williams. Flipping was the top technique with the big fish taken on chatterbaits.”

Kenji Nakagawa of Lodi was out along the levees in the central Delta tossing a BGC glidebait in trout pattern, and he caught and released a 6.2-pound largemouth.

On the San Joaquin River, Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing went scouting for an hour this week using bait that had cured in his live well, and he said, “I checked out some new areas, and there are fresh fish moving in. I am encouraged with the females moving in, and things are looking very good for the coming weeks. The water color is excellent with a temperature at 54 degrees. If the stripers start biting early, we are good to go. I don’t want to just take people on a boat ride, and I’m not willing to take out clients until I think the bite will keep us busy.”

Johnny Wang of Turner’s Sporting Goods in Stockton also had good news about stripers in the south Delta, saying, “There are stripers at Union Point on the San Joaquin, the Duck Pond, Mildred Island, and in Tracy. There are table-sized blotches of hyacinth in the San Joaquin, but you can move around through them. The brooder minnows are still hanging around Eight Mile Road west of Stockton, and largemouth bass are working over the big minnows.”

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, plastics on the drop-shot along with jigs are working best at depth to 30 feet, and there has been some action under the shad schools with ice jigs or spoons in deep water. The warmer afternoons have been the most productive time for bass. The white bass are starting to gather near the mouths of the creek and river arms as they are pushing the shad schools into the banks. The lake held at 29%, but it has risen over 50 feet since the end of October. There is floating debris throughout the lake, and navigation requires extreme caution. A webcam of the lake is available at https://805webcams.com/lake-nacimiento-live-webcam/. At Lopez, jigs or reaction baits are producing quality while numbers are taken on plastics on the drop-shot, Texas-rigs, or Ned-rig along with slow-dragging Brush Hogs at depths to 20 feet. The lake remains low at 30%, and launching a boat requires some patience. A trout plant occurred a couple of weeks back, and big swimbaits or glidebaits may produce a trophy largemouth. 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, 3000 pounds of rainbows consisting of 4200 fish were released into the lake this week, and in addition to trout fishing from the shorelines with Kastmasters, Power Bait, or nightcrawlers, large trout-patterned swimbaits will produce the opportunity for a trophy largemouth bass. The best numbers for bass remain on jigs or plastics on the drop-shot. The water temperatures remain cold in the low- to mid- 50-degree range. Shad schools are thick in the main river channel, and the bass are loading up on the shad schools. Catfishing is fair with mackerel soaked in garlic spray, but there is the intermittent decent whiskerfish landed from the shorelines. A webcam of the lake is available at https://805webcams.com/santa-margarita-lake-webcam-california/. The lake is at 64%. At San Antonio, the water continues to clear, but bass fishing remains slow. The best action has been for crappie with small swimbaits or minijigs as the catfish bite has also slowed. The lake remains at 11%.

Call: Lake Nacimiento Marina (805) 238-3256; Lopez Lake Marina (805) 489-1006; Santa Margarita Marina Store (805) 438-1522; Lake San Antonio Marina (805) 472-2313

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

Events

Tournament results

Pine Flat –Bakersfield Bass Club – February 12th: 1st – Dereke and Chance Gerecke – 12.37 pounds (Big Fish – 3.42); 2nd – Ed Rodriguez/Lance Macniven– 10.36; 3rd – Mason McAbee/Daniel Taylor – 10.15.

Delta/Holland Riverside Marina – Dan Mathisen Outdoors – February 19th: 1st –Jon Rodgers/Neil ‘Gus’ Sterud – 20.52 pounds (Big Fish – 7.91); 2nd – Marc Young/Dave Newton – 14.53; 3rd – Gary Mullins/Joey Skym – 12.09.

Lake Amador –NorCal Bass – February 19th: 1st –Jeremy and Ian Maynard – 16.52 pounds (Big Fish – 4.87); 2nd – Bill Vernon/Jason Hopper – 12.23; 3rd –Curt Rohrbach/Greg Dornback – 8.81.

Don Pedro – Christian Bass League – February 19th: 1st –Keith Friesen/Kirk Sakamoto – 15.38 pounds (Big Fish – 4.50); 2nd – Steve Riggs/Steve Chappell – 13.80; 3rd – Aaron and Aiden Cole – 12.58.

Santa Margarita – American Bass Association – February 19th: 1st – Greg and Mike Higgins – 18.55 pounds; 2nd – Darrin Bishop/Kevin Melford – 17.64 (Big Fish – 6.44); 3rd –Louis Fernades/Patrick Touey– 15.69.

Delta/Big Break – American Bass Association – February 20th: 1st – Hulen Johnson/Obedie Williams – 24.40 pounds (Big Fish – 7.26); 2nd – Steve Tragoutsis/Stuart Bodwin – 22.74; 3rd – Casey Dunn/Clayton Eslick – 22.57.

Upcoming tournaments (subject to change)

Feb. 26

McClure – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

Kaweah – Sierra Bass Club

Feb. 27

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – California Bass Federation

Lake Camanche – Nor Cal High School Bass Fishing

March 6

Millerton - Big Valley Region of the California High School Student Angler Federation (CAHSATT)

April 3

Pine Flat - Big Valley Region of the California High School Student Angler Federation (CAHSATT)

April 24

Delta - Big Valley Region of the California High School Student Angler Federation (CAHSATT)

June 5

Delta – Major League Fishing California High School State Championship

Roger’s remarks

Roger George’s column will return.

This story was originally published February 22, 2022 at 7:52 AM.