Fishing report, May 11-17: Pro tips for fishing stained waters and wild weather swings

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

Best bets

Delta bass, stripers and sturgeon on the prowl, Alan Fong said. Don Pedro kokanee hitting, Monte Smith reported. New Melones kokanee and bass action very good, Kyle Wise said. San Luis Forebay stripers hungry, Bill Sterling reported. Shaver kokanee continue to draw anglers, Dick Nichols said. San Francisco salmon, halibut and shark action good, Steve Mitchell reported. Monterey kicking out early salmon limits, Allen Bushnell said. Wishon opens to good trout fishing, Dave Hurley reported.

Proposed new bag limit

The Department of Fish and Wildlife proposed eliminating the two-fish 15-inch size limit at Eastman, Hensley, Kaweah and 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.

Valley

Westside waterways

Striper 3 Catfish 2

Bill Sterling of the Sportsman’s Warehouse in Fresno said, “The aqueduct around Los Banos has slowed a bit due to a lack of water flow as the edges are already loaded with algae. Bass fishing in the canals all around Los Banos has picked up. It’s on fire. I caught a carp, four bass, and two crappie and my buddy Miguel Padilla landed a 5-pounder out on one of the canals.”

In the south aqueduct in Kern County, there hasn’t been much change as the linesides are hitting jerkbaits, Keitech swimbaits, anchovies, sardines, or mackerel. The best action is where moving water slows down to a crawl as the stripers are picking off the bait fish in the current. Catfish are taken on the bottom with live minnows, cut bait, or Triple S Dip Bait.

Call: Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis 292-3474; Bob’s Bait Bucket in Bakersfield (661) 833-8657

Eastman Lake/Hensley Lake

Bass 3 Trout 2 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2

Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The stained waters of both lakes have led to the best action on noise-making baits such as Rat-L-Traps or plastics on a brass ‘n glass along with a Tokyo-rig. The bass action at Eastman is better than at Hensley where catfish and carp take center stage. Bass fry are holding near the beds, and the bluegill are attempting to invade the fry. Bluegill imitations are working best in the shallows.” A 14-pound limit took a local tournament on Saturday night. The planted trout have either been caught, eaten by largemouth bass, or holding in the deepest water in the lake. Eastman rose slightly to 11% with Hensley holding at 21%.

Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255; Valley Rod Gun, Clovis 292-3474; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hensley Lake Hidden Dam 673-5151

Lake Don Pedro

Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 3 King salmon 2 Crappie 2

Don Pedro continues to be a solid option for kokanee, and the lake remains productive for both trout and bass. Northern California kokanee anglers have a number of choices for kokanee at the present time ranging from Whiskeytown and Shasta in the north to Shaver in the south, but with higher-than-normal gas prices, staying closer to home has become more attractive, and Central Valley and Bay Area fishermen are opting for the Mother Lode reservoirs. Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing said, “The kokanee are still scattered due to the high winds, but we continue to find them at depths from 45 to 60 feet with Pro-Troll’s Kokanee Killers behind a Mack’s or Vance’s Sling Blade. The kokanee are in very good shape, averaging from 13 to 15 inches. We also are targeting king salmon with Pro-Troll’s E-Chip Sting Kings, and we hooked and lost a big king while trolling at 75 to 80 feet. The big fish came up within 30 feet of the back of the boat before coming unbuttoned so we had a good look at it. Rainbow trout are abundant, but they are getting fuzzy with copepods.”

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “The bass bite has been a bit tougher, and we found our best action with ¼-ounce G-Money Jigs with a Lunker Daddy Creature Bait. Flukes or 2.8- to 3.8-inch swimbaits on a G- Money underspin are also effective, and the fish are all from the banks to 10 feet.” The lake rose slightly to 64%. The Fleming Meadows, Blue Oaks, and Moccasin launch ramps remain open. The annual fireworks show for the Fourth of July is canceled.

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 3 Trout 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2

Jigs, plastics on the drop-shot, or deep-diving crankbaits are working best for largemouth bass as they have moved into the shallows and holding around structure such as wood, boulders, rocky points, or spawning flats. Crappie action is fair at best, and it is a matter of finding the schools of slabs holding around submerged offshore structure. Minijigs or small to medium minnows are working best for crappie. Trout fishing has improved with the recent trout plant, and shore anglers are scoring with Berkley Mice Tails, Power Bait, or nightcrawlers. The Kern County Chamber of Commerce Trout Derby will last until July 4 th, and tagged fish worth $20 to $5,000 have been planted. The registration is closed. The lake rose slightly to 13%. The river at Kernville has risen from 527 to 787 cfs, but it is stable below the dam at 480 cfs at First Point. With the cold water, the best action on the Kern River remains in the middle of the day in the 20-Mile section as the insect will start to hatch in the afternoons. The river has been planted on a regular basis, and salmon eggs, nightcrawlers, spinners, or live crickets are working for spin casters. The lake rose slightly to 13%.

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 has risen to 52%, and the bass are still in all stages of the spawn. Next Monday’s full moon should bring out the final push of spawning. A trout plant occurred a few weeks ago, and planters have either been eaten by bass, caught from the shorelines, or headed out to the deepest water in the river arm. The Kaweah River dropped from 668 cfs to 573 cfs at Three Rivers.

Lake Success/Tule River

Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2

The up-and-down weather conditions are pushing the bass out of the shallows.. Anglers are using big swimbaits, jigs, or plastics on either a Carolina-, Ned-, or Texas-rig. Crappie are holding at the marina with minijigs or small to medium minnows. The lake is at 36%.

In the Tule River, trout fishing for natives has slowed due to the colder weather, but natives have been caught and released on nymphs. Trout are also hitting Panther Martins. Trout fishing should pick up this week with the warmer temperatures.

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

McClure Reservoir

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

45 boats participated in the Best Bass Tournament on Saturday won by the team of Greg and Bryan Coy at 12.01 pounds. Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “There was a 9-pound largemouth landed this week on a jig, and the fish did not look like it had spawned. The bass are shallow from the banks to 20 feet as they are suspending with the rising water. There are also bass in open water busting on bait, and topwater lures such as the Berkley El Choppo or Super Spook in shad patterns are working. Jerkbaits or plastics on a Carolina-rig are also effective.” It is a matter of looking for the grebes or the herons working the bait, and the bass will be underneath.

Recent trout plants have spurred action for both trollers and bank fishermen. The lake rose to 41%, and the best ramp continues to be at Barrett Cove South.

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

McSwain Reservoir

Trout 3

Recent plants have attracted anglers to this lake, and Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait and Tackle in Lathrop said, “14,000 pounds of Lightning and rainbow trout were released into the lake over the past few weeks, and Power Bait, Panther Martin spinners, or ¼- to 3/8-ounce Kastmasters are working. The best action is in the early mornings or late afternoons from the Brush Pile, Handicapped Docks, and the peninsula around the marina with gold or blue/silver Kastmasters, garlic Power Bait, or nightcrawlers. The rainbows will work their way up the river arm in search of cooler water, trollers are scoring with blade/’crawler combinations or red Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler at depths to 20 feet near the 2nd Fence Line.” The lake is at 92%, and lake levels will remain high throughout the year.

Call: Angler’s Edge Market – (209) 226-4416; McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534

Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River

Bass 2 Striped bass 2 Shad 1 Bluegill 3 Crappie 2

Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The bass bite is decent with a topwater Madera side along with ripbaits or spinnerbaits when the wind is blowing. Striped bass to 8 pounds have been reported near Finegold, but the linesides are shy in the clear water.” The San Joaquin River rose from 1,031 cfs to 1,581 cfs at Friant, and the lake came up from 70% to 71%.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

Bass 3 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 3

Kyle Wise of HeadHunter Guide Service continues to pump out limits of kokanee with a variety of tackle including Uncle Larry’s Spinners, J-Pex lures, or Paulina Peak’s micro-spinners, all tipped with Pautske’s Fire Corn and Herring Gel at depths to 65 feet. He posted early limits on J-Pexes with Justin Ross on Mother’s Day. The kokanee are not in large schools, traveling quickly with the best action near the main lake near the island across from the spillway, Rose Island, and between the dam and spillway. Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing took 14-year-old Anthony Vierra out on his birthday on Monday for spectacular bass action with over 60 fish in 5 hours with flukes, topwater lures, or 2.8- to 3.8-inch swimbaits on a 1/8-ounce G-Money underspin. The fish are all from the banks to 15 feet, and the bite has been a lot of fun.”

Glory Hole Sports in Angels Camp reported a hot spotted bass bite with anglers reporting 30 to 50 fish days, mostly under 4 pounds, with plastics in green pumpkin/purple copper on a finesse presentation. Launch ramp access at Melones has been limited with the high and middle water ramps at Glory Hole Point closed with the concrete lower ramp at the end of Glory Hole Point remaining launchable with two courtesy docks.

Driving down to the ramp, the road is slightly bumpy, but manageable. This ramp is in the water from 940.00 to 900.00. Angels Cove boat ramp and parking lot will remain closed for the foreseeable future due to low water levels. The high and middle ramp at Tuttletown are closed with the lower concrete ramp open with courtesy docks in place until the lake reaches 900 feet in elevation. New Melones dropped slightly to 38%.

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, “Most local bass anglers were concentrating on this lake, but the action has slowed as the fish are in post-spawn. Deep-diving crankbaits or topwater lures are working along with finesse presentations in the deep water. Trolling for trout near the dam at Zebe Creek has improved, and it is a matter of finding the shad schools. Catfishing is improving, and crappie are showing up in the trees near Island Park and Deer Creek.”

In the lower Kings, it was shoulder to shoulder last week, but once the high country opened up, there is less interest in the river. Planted rainbow or brook trout are taken on Power Bait or nightcrawlers along with small Rebels or crankbaits. Finding slower water is the key as the flows are still high at 2,662 cfs at Trimmer, creating potentially dangerous conditions for waders. The lake rose from 48% to 51%.

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

Josh Mesa of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “The forebay has been the hot location over the past week as the gates at Check 12 have been opened up. Anglers are tossing Rat-L-Traps or Duo Realis jerkbaits in Neo Pearl along with casting the G-Funk umbrella rigs in the moving water. The aqueduct has kicked out linesides to 30 pounds on anchovies along with jerkbaits, Rat-L-Traps, or paddletail swimbaits.”

Bill Sterling of the Sportsman’s Warehouse in Fresno said, “The O’Neill Forebay has been on fire from a boat once you find the schools of fish. Fishermen are reporting as many as 30 striped bass up to 24 inches with the best action in the early morning on topwater lures.”

In the main lake, Roger George of Roger’s Guide Service said, “The striped bass bite has been up and down from decent to poor over the last couple months as anglers are trying to figure out why it is so far off normal. Alternating hot and then cold windy conditions on a regular basis have contributed to the linesides suspending and remaining largely inactive most of the time. I’ve had trips with over 30 released fish one week, then having to scratch out about 3 to 4 fish the next day. That seems to be the current state of the bite as another cold and windy front is forecast for next week. I guided guests Joe Alandt and his son-in-law Eric Casares of

Fresno on Wednesday, releasing 10 school-sized fish including a quality pre-spawn 8-pound striper for Alandt. We were trolling Lucky Craft Pointers in shad patterns with a white belly and black back at depths from 60 feet and deeper strata most of the time at about 2 mph. Working large areas to find the fast-moving fish seems to be the best tactic to find a willing active biting fish. The minnow anglers I talked to were having a tough time finding fish that didn’t move off as fast as they found them, leading to a tough bite for even experienced minnow anglers The wind has closed the lake quite a few days so hitting a calm window is the trick. May is always a windy month. We’re not sure why the bite has been so sporadic and the fish aren’t holding where they normally hold now. So far there are very few fish holding in Portuguese Cove, and very few anglers are even trying the cove that’s usually very productive. The fish are milting, but the changing weather seems to be delaying the normal push we see right now.” The main lake has risen to 47% while the forebay has dropped to 77%.

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

High Sierra

Bass Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 2

Mike Beighey of Bass Lake Guide Service been targeting quality trout to four pounds using Dick’s Trout Buster’s, Koke Busters and Dick’s Mountain Tubes in orange, tipped with white maggots, behind Dick’s Mountain Dodgers in gold/perch and blue/pink from the surface to 13 feet in the upper end of the lake in shallow water. The action was great until Monday when the weather turned extremely cold with a high windchill factor. The bite will pick up after this cold spell is over, and the overall bite has improved due to plants prior to the annual Bass Lake Chamber of Commerce Trout Derby this past weekend. The Grand Prize fish are worth $500 for derby entrants until June 30. With the Sheriff’s Motor Fee in place, few bass boats are heading to the lake until the weather warms up. Spotted bass are cruising the shorelines, and the spawn is happening. A webcam of the launch ramp is available at basslakeca.com. The lake rose from 72% to 77%.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool

The gates at Kaiser Pass will not reopen until Memorial Day at the earliest. Edison rose slightly to 26%, Florence rose to 23% with Mammoth Pool also rising to 84%.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake

Kokanee 3 Trout 2

Shaver guide emeritus Dick Nichols said, “Sierra Gold Tackle-maker Terry Walton of Piedra and Chris Hanson of Tollhouse teamed together Friday for double limits of hefty kokanee with Walton’s Sierra Gold spinners at 35 feet down and a setback of 50 feet. The duo finished with 10 in the boat, 4 fish were over 18 inches with the biggest 19 inches. Walton expects this year’s kokanee to be larger than ever. Earlier in the week, Craig Davidson, manager of Shaver Hardware, hit the lake for the first time this year and connected with the biggest limit of kokanee in his lifetime. Using a Dick’s Mountain Hoochie in yellow/orange tipped with his secret red sauce behind a Dick’s Mountain Dodger, he picked up his personal-best of 5 kokanee ranging from 16 to a reported 19 inches in his normal prowl between the Edison ramp and the Point at 30 feet deep.” Kayak anglers are also getting in on the Shaver kokanee action at depths of 40 feet in over 100 feet of water with various pink spinners or hoochies behind a dodger. Shaver has risen to 53%. A bit of snow fell in the region, but Huntington is clear for those willing to walk the shorelines near Rancheria Creek with spinners, nightcrawlers, or Power Bait for the opportunity for a quality brown trout to 20 inches. Shaver’s launch ramp conditions can be checked via webcam at sierramarina.com/camera.html. Huntington rose from 71% to 77%..

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

Wishon/Courtright

Trout 3

The gate at McKinley Grove Road opened last Thursday, and the lake level at Wishon is completely full. Shore anglers are scoring with various assortments of Power Bait, inflated nightcrawlers, spinners, or spoons.

Courtright has yet to open, and it should be accessible by Memorial Day due to work on the dam. Wishon RV Park and Store will open the Thursday before Memorial Day. Dinkey Creek was also planted recently. The lake is nearly filled. Information on road conditions is available at fs.usda.gov/detail/sierra/home/?cid=stelprdb5399344.

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

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

The Mother Lode of salmon appears to be at the Deep Reef as Captain Jerad Davis of the Salty Lady out of Sausalito made the run back down south of Half Moon Bay on Monday for 9 limits. He said, “The conditions have totally changed once again as it was clear and cold on Friday, but the water turned over, and the brown water showed up once again. We started out running north to Duxbury, but the fish weren’t there so we all turned around for the long run back south. There was bait, birds, and lots of life once again down here along with a huge school of salmon. We put in 9 limits in quick order after not having a fish on board until noon. The Riptide out of Half Moon Bay also posted limits. It was good fishing for sure.” Out of Half Moon Bay, the Queen of Hearts out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing went out for 8 limits of rockfish and a ling on Thursday, but the weather kept the salmon boats at bay throughout the weekend. The Ankeny Street was able to make it down the coast on Saturday for 8 limits of rockfish including a cabezon along with 7 lings to 10 pounds. The spring winds continued over the past week, and although the winds have kept the big boats from heading to the salmon grounds, their overall impact will be significant as the upwelling from the northwest wind will bring up nutrient-rich waters from the bottom of the continental shelf. The krill and plankton closer to the surface will attract the bait fish, and the presence of bait fish will attract the guest of honor, the Chinook salmon. Anglers can check the status of the Pacifica 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

Salmon 3 Rockfish 3 Striper 2 White seabass 0 Crab 3 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3

Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “As in past weeks, Monterey Bay skippers had to pick their fishing days carefully. Another giant ground swell rolled through featuring waves up to ten feet in height. On top of the swell were wind waves measuring 8 to 10 feet at times generated by winds in the 15- to 30- mph range.

Particularly vexing, the stiff winds persisted into the evenings and even overnight on a few occasions. Most early mornings were fishable though boats had to be ready to run for home at a moment’s notice. Luckily the salmon are still here in force, so early limits were not unusual for the boats that ventured out super early. The commercial fleet was also pounding salmon hard. Added pressure had the effect of keeping the salmon wary, deep, and scattered.

Gotta respect bigger charter boats that take the risk and go for salmon. It is often a high expense/low reward proposition. Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching Trips from Monterey sent boats out for salmon this week, scoring up to four fish on Saturday’s trip aboard the Caroline. Chris Arcoleo said, “The commercial salmon boats put a hurt on them for a few days with as many as 100 fish, but everything has moved out right now. The wind blew so hard for so many days that the water cleared up and got cold in the 48/49-degree range. It will take a few days to rebloom and get some color, and the salmon should come back. This is pretty normal for this time of year. The commercial boats were out 7 to 10 miles off of the coast on Friday in search of a few salmon.

Whale watching has been spectacular with fin whales right outside of our wharf along with blue whales, orcas, and humpbacks. The krill has moved in, and it is deep, and the whales are incredible. We have been finding more of the fin whales over the past few years, and there are from 50 to 100 humpbacks in the bay. We are loading up with rockfish, but the local reefs are only producing a smaller grade of rockfish as it has been too rough to make it down to Sur.”

Stagnaro’s Sportfishing in Santa Cruz reported seven salmon netted on Friday with "many lost back to the sea,” according to Ken Stagnaro. In Monterey Bay, the large charter boats will mooch (drift fish) for salmon. Trolling is not really an option for the bigger boats. Too many lines in the water, too much weight is needed, and the sinker release technique gets real expensive really fast. But mooching is a super exciting technique for catching big kings. Using two- to 12-ounce banana weights with a four- to six-foot leader, moochers typically use much lighter rods and reels to great effect. The longer supple mooching rods are sensitive to the smallest salmon bite. It takes a keen eye, a deft touch, and often the patience of a saint to turn that rod tip twitch into a salmon hookup. Without the power of a moving boat behind you and using the lighter equipment, fighting salmon while mooching can be longer and tougher than a troll-caught fish with more opportunities to lose the fish due to the longer battle. While trolling, the fish basically hooks itself when making a successful grab at the bait or lure. Then it’s just a matter of slowing or stopping the boat while fighting the fish to the net. Mooching carries the added excitement and discipline of seeing the bite, setting the hook and using lighter equipment to battle the stubborn and sometimes acrobatic king salmon. The technique works best when baitfish are super concentrated into large groups or "bait balls." Hungry salmon will circle the bait balls, keeping the anchovies or sardines condensed in a defensive mass, and picking off fish from the edges of the teeming mass of bait. Using sonar, savvy skippers will try to find the best bait ball, gauge the depth of the fish then work the edges of the bait for feeding salmon. Terminal tackle regulations differ when drift-fishing for salmon. Hooks must be barbless circle hooks with a maximum of two hooks no more than five inches apart on each line. When trolling for salmon barbless still applies, but "J" hooks are allowed for bait or lures. When salmon are somewhat scattered most smaller boats will troll for better results. Because the boat can cover more territory, hookups are more likely for trollers though fishing around or through bait balls is still an obvious strategy. Using downriggers, the six-pack charter boats can troll with four to six lines out at a time. Our local six-packs are getting out most days and enjoying limit-style fishing every trip. Skipper JT Thomas of Go Fish Santa Cruz reported on Friday, "The salmon bite was ‘hot’ today. Pat and his team had early limits by 10:00 a.m. with twelve nice king salmon. JT and Greg decided to fish for crew limits. We needed three to head home. The rods went off with a quad and had to put one back.” That same day Tom Joseph on the Sara Bella found it a little tougher to get going. "It was wasn’t looking good and finally at 11:45 a.m., we found what we were looking for. Bait, whales and big fish. Three limits with the big one going 23 pounds cleaned,” Joseph reported. Rodney Armstrong from Santa Cruz Coastal Fishing Charters submitted another limit report saying, "Today we went big again. We landed 14 nice king salmon. We had about 22 hook ups. When they’re deep they’re hard to keep tight in the beginning. The fishing was insane. Birds and bait everywhere.” The big waves and high winds are keeping nearshore waters very cool.

This affects the rockfish, lingcod and halibut bite. Good scores of bottom fish can still be had, though the deeper reefs are most productive. Halibut like calm seas and warmer water and are moving in very slowly so far this year due to the ongoing weather conditions. A few are caught here and there but the bulk of fish have not started their shallow water migration yet. Surfcasting can be very good right now depending on where one fishes. Higher tides are best, especially on days when the waves are big. The strong swells also rip up kelp and seagrass that can turn certain beaches unfishable. Right now, the best bet are the bigger beaches of the central Monterey Bay. Farther from the reef systems near Monterey and Santa Cruz, they remain cleaner and therefore more consistently fishable. A few stripers have been reported caught from those beaches but most the action is on barred or walleye surf perch.”

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

Golden Gate/San Francisco Bay

Salmon 3 Halibut 3 Striper 2 Leopard shark 3 Sturgeon 2

Gale force winds have been the story along the California coast for the past two weeks, and this past weekend was no exception as gusts to 30 miles per hour rose their ugly head, bringing steep wind waves throughout the coast. There doesn’t seem to be too much relief this week as the wind is expected to blow through Friday with a brief window on Monday. Although the spring winds have limited ocean action, the overall effect with pay dividends later in the season due to the massive upwelling of nutrient-rich water along the coast. There seems to be plenty of salmon for the taking, but it’s a matter of finding calmer weather.

There was a window on Saturday for Bay Area salmon boats to sneak up the Marin coast towards Duxbury Buoy, and Captain Jerad Davis of the Salty Lady out of Sausalito said, “A couple of our boats out of Sausalito were able to make it up the Marin coast, and surprisingly, the New Rayann and Hog Heaven found a combined 25 limits of salmon early in the morning and were back to the docks by 10:30 a.m. before the wind started howling again. The New Easy Rider out of Berkeley was also there, and they posted 14 limits to 22 pounds. Sunday was another story with all party boats canceling their trips, but I will be out there on Monday with a light load. These fish seem to be moving very fast as we had found ‘epic’ action along the San Mateo County coastline on Thursday above and outside the Deep Reef for limit action for king salmon. The action was awesome as we had another brief weather window out in 300 feet or more in depth around 10 miles above the Deep Reef for 11 limits of salmon to 24 pounds. We threw back an equal number of salmon under the 24-inch mark, and I don’t feel good about having to throw these fish back until May 16 th as many end up as crab feed. We went through plenty of lead, and there is definitely a lot of fish out there. It is just a matter of getting the right window. However, when we went back to the same area on Friday, everything had changed as the water turned clear from the winds. We could see our flashers at depths from 30 to 60 feet, and we tried Pedro Point, Mussel Rock, the edge of the South Bar, and the main Shipping Channel for limited action. I believe the Marin coast fish on Saturday were the same fish as they are loaded with krill, and you don’t find krill along the coast. In 2020 when the party boats were grounded by the first wave of COVID-19, private boaters found great action in May at Muir Beach, Rocky Point, and Duxbury Reef. I’m hoping for a repeat of this action.” However, they weren’t there on Monday, necessitating a U-turn south for the party boats back to the area around the Deep Reef.

Inside the bay, halibut fishing remains nothing short of spectacular as the party boats continue to average around a fish to a fish and a half per rod in the central bay. The wind has been a factor, particularly in the afternoons, but there are pockets of calmer water throughout the bay. Most boats continue to troll, but the Berkeley party boats have been able to locate a supply of live smelt and shiners. The net pens at Pier 45 in San Francisco may be loaded with live anchovies as early as this coming Saturday. Captain Steve Mitchell broke in his new 12-pack, the Malia Kai, in fine order on Saturday on its inaugural trip into the bay out of Berkeley Marina.

He said, “Heading outside the harbor, I saw lots of bait on the meter in the shallows, and I know that when you find bait from top to bottom, the halibut will be there. Before I could get the fourth rod out, we were already hooked up. We were in the middle of a ‘wide open’ bite when I had to conduct an interview with Sep Hendrickson on the California Sportsmen’s Radio Show, and I had to jump down from the flybridge to help out bring in the fish. The other boats were passing us up when they saw the nets flying, and within a few minutes, we were joined by the California Dawn 1 and the Happy Hooker. After landing a dozen halibut out of 16 hook ups, big 6-foot soupfin sharks moved in, and they started wrapping up our lines. We actually brought one to the surface before it broke off. I was told that the Malia Kai was a ‘fishy’ boat, but now I believe it.”

Captain Chris Smith of the Pacific Dream out of Berkeley found solid action for 30 halibut to 26 pounds on Sunday for 24 anglers after posting 20 halibut and a striped bass for 20 anglers on Saturday on their sister boat, the Happy Hooker. On Thursday, the Pacific Dream was the highlighter of the fleet with 24 limits of halibut by drifting live shiners, smelt, and even anchovies. The legendary Captain Jim Smith was on board, and he said, “I got tired of landing halibut with my sixth legal fish after releasing a dozen shakers so I brought out my Sabiki rig and started bringing up anchovies four at a time. The live bait made all of the difference.” One big highlight of the week was the arrival of the refurbished and renovated California Dawn II at Berkeley. Captain Jim Smith said, “I went on the boat today, and it is so beautiful, it is unbelievable.The galley is amazing, and this boat didn’t look as good as it does now when it was new.” However, after experiencing great action on the Pacific Dream on his son Chris’s boat on Thursday, he was shut down on son James’s boat, the Cal Dawn II on Sunday. However, the boat ended up with a fish per rod with 26 halibut and two striped bass for 26 anglers. Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions out of San Francisco said, “There are halibut in the central bay, San Pablo Bay, and in the south bay, and the highest concentration of shakers has been in the south bay. We put in 14 halibut for five anglers on a half-day trip on Sunday with most of the fish taken with the rest of the fleet at Southhampton. Most boats are working from Southhampton to the Berkeley Flats, but we also found some halibut near Red Rock. Hopefully, live bait will be available soon, but I expect the halibut counts to drop once the live bait is available. Trolling covers more ground, and with the biomass of halibut in the bay, it is working spectacularly. There has been bait flipping on the surface throughout the bay so it’s only a matter of the bait boat being able to operate. We had a great trip on Thursday as a group from Germany limited out in the central bay. I am most interested to see if we can round up some white sea bass once live bait is available.”

Shark fishing in the south bay remains tremendous, and Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Fishing out of San Francisco said, “Both the Flash I and Flash II are back in the water, and the Flash I was out both days over the weekend. After loading up on leopard shark near Hunter’s Point on Saturday morning, they drifted some frozen anchovies for two keeper halibut along with seven other short fish released. They loaded up on shark on Sunday morning, but the ride back to the harbor was a bit of an adventure with the wind. Fortunately, the Flash I can take the weather. We are both running starting on Wednesday, and the new bait boat took a shakedown trip this week so there could be bait in the receivers by this weekend.

Call: Captain Trent Slate Bite Me Charters (415) 307-8582; Captain Jerad Davis, Salty Lady (415) 760-9362; Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing (707) 655-6736; Happy Hooker (510) 223-5388

San Luis Obispo

Rockfish 3 Salmon 2 Surf perch 3

The wind also affected this section of the coast, but the boats out of Morro Bay found limits for their passengers on their limited trips over the weekend. The Avenger out of Morro Bay Landing was out with 9 passengers on a ¾-day trip on Saturday for limits consisting of 30 vermilion, 37 assorted rockfish, 18 Boccaccio to 7 pounds, two ling cod and a rock sole. Maria Hinisosa of Bakersfield landed the jackpot Boccaccio. Also out of Morro Bay, the Black Pearl and Fiesta were out on Saturday with anglers for 4/5 th limits composed of 21 vermilion, 269 assorted rockfish, and a ling cod. Port San Luis was slower with the Flying Fish last being out on Friday with 15 anglers for 1 vermilion, 4 Bolina, 37 assorted rockfish, and a ling cod for less than 3 fish per rod. Webcams of many of the coastal locations are available at https://805webcams.com/.

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

Others

Delta/Stockton

Bass 3 Striper 3 Sturgeon 3 Catfish 3 Bluegill 3

The northwest wind remains raging throughout northern California, and the Sacramento-Delta has not been able to catch a break from the gale force wind for the past two weeks. With the high winds and the overall exposure on the Sacramento side of the Delta, most fishermen are opting for the slightly-calmer waters on the San Joaquin Once the winds die down, the striped bass bite should be back on with a vengeance as the linesides are still coming and going up the river arm. Low water conditions in the upper Sacramento River have created a quick turnaround for spawning striped bass, and the downstreamers are heading back to the cooler waters of the San Francisco Bay.

Alan Fong of Alan Fong’s Outdoors braved the wind early in the week for spectacular action for largemouth bass with chatterbaits. He said, “We were filming for our YouTube station with videographer Denise Loo and Warren Trumbly, and we found great action with chatterbaits. As is the usual case, Denise landed the largest bass, but she also lost two big ones. When the wind is down, the striped bass bite is crazy north of the Rio Vista Bridge with Fish Traps in shad patterns or with Blade Runner’s new 4.5- inch Flutter Spoons as you can cast them farther. The stripers are coming back downstream rapidly as we were only able to find two 24-inch linesides earlier in the week near Tisdale on the Sacramento River.”

Most sturgeon six-packs have vacated the Delta, and this is a good thing due to the heavy pressure on the diamondbacks over the winter and spring months. Captain Zack Medinas of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures out of Pittsburg continues to run catch-and-release trips, and he reported solid action on his last trip with 3 slot-limit fish, an oversized, and 5 shakers released for his two-person crew. He said, “We never had to count shakers before, but we are including them in our counts to demonstrate that the overall action has been slipping. The bite should be ‘lights out’ at this time of year. We will be moving our operation to San Francisco within a few weeks.” The arrest of the recent sturgeon poaching ring only emphasizes the pressure on the species, and there has been two suspicious vessels setting up in concert with each other in the shallows in Suisun Bay as if they are setting up nets.

The more protected waters of the San Joaquin-Delta have provided limited shelter from the high winds plaguing the Sacramento side, but the shelter is truly limited. Striped bass action remains best along the western side of the San Joaquin from the mouth of Three-Mile Slough to Prisoner’s Point as the exposed waters around the Antioch Bridge have proven too challenging with the wind. The annual smolt plants have begun out of Eddo’s Boat Harbor, but the linesides have been found further upstream.

The incoming tide has been the time to fish as the forces of the outgoing tide against the northwest wind has been brutal with huge rollers throughout the river. Even the incoming tide has been a struggle. Scott Marran of Yuba City was out with his wife, Gracie, this week, and he said, “There was a smolt dump sometime after 8:00 a.m. at Eddo’s this morning, but it had no bearing on the bite as we found our fish further upriver when the tide got right. Gracie got at nice one at 14 pounds along with a bunch of quality stripers taken on the jumbo minnows on the outgoing tide. It’s funny how these stripers eat!”

Captain James Netzel of Tight Lines Guide Service will be wrapping up his Delta operation prior to Memorial Day, but he has found consistent action for limits of striped bass on deep-diving Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows. He said, “Daniel Jimenez of Manteca caught and released a post-spawn female weighing in at 30 pounds, and it was in the same spot that we foul-hooked the sturgeon last week. I thought, ‘Oh no, here we go again with a long fight in the middle of a hot bit, but when we got some head shakes, we knew it was a big striper. We kept it in the net before bringing it up for 2 to 3 quick pictures before release. The wind wasn’t too bad, but we were at slack tide. Once the outgo started, it was a rough ride back to the dock in Rio Vista. We landed on the fish right away at the Santa Clara Shoals, and it made for a quick trip. The boat traffic was clearly down during the weekend due to the wind.”

Captain Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo Sport Fishing said, “We lost a couple of days due to the wind, and it was blowing hard on Saturday morning, even on the incoming tide. We got it done in quick order drifting live extra-large minnows, but the spoon bite has been challenging. Bait is getting hard to obtain, and the extra-larges are like larges. With the lack of live bait, we will be wrapping up around Memorial Day before moving to Emeryville to run the Kingfish for the summer.”

Despite heavy winds and dirty water. Bob Sparre of Bob Sparre’s Guide Service continues to take limits of mid-sized fish caught trolling and jigging on the San Joaquin side.

The Wild West Bass Trails Team event attracted 112 boats to the Big Break Marina on Saturday, and the weigh in was changed to an earlier time at 1:30 p.m. due to the 20 mph winds. The team of Tanner Spohn and Joey Price took first at 28.72 pounds with a big fish at 7.26 pounds, but the weights dropped precipitously after the top teams. Clara Ricabal, Western Outdoor News columist, fished the event with her WWBT partner, Todd Langston, and she said, “It was brutal out there with the 20 mph winds and a small craft advisory, and the opening to Big Break is exposed. We were taking waves over the bow on the way in. We were able to find two quality bass to 4.35 pounds along with a legal striper tossing spinnerbaits in the wind, but we couldn’t fill out our limit.”

Johnny Wang of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton said, “It’s all about the wind right now, and few, if any, boaters were out this week.” The water temperature is holding around 65 degrees, and there are still bass in all stages of spawning. The largemouth bass backed off with the cold fronts moving the barometer up and down, and the bite varies from day-to-day. There have been a few topwater fish early in the morning, but the best bet remains with a finesse presentation with Senkos in black/blue or punching the weeds with large creature baits. There is plenty of vegetation on the San Joaquin side of the Delta in order to punch. The bass on the beds are seeing all types of gear so throwing something different is advised.

The 10 th Costa Bass-N-Fly is only a month away on June 9 th /10 th out of Sugar Barge RV Resort and Marina on Bethel Island, and the two-day even will feature prizes, awards, and swag from the top gear companies. The event hasn’t been held in two years due to the pandemic. This is a fly- fishing only event for largemouth, smallmouth, or spotted bass with a daily weigh in at 2:00 p.m. before fun-filled afternoons. Registration is available at http://bass-n-fly.com/registration-page/.

Dan Mathisen of Dan Mathisen’s Outdoors said, “I’m staying safe with the wind making for difficult conditions, and I hope the wind lays down before our upcoming tournament out of Holland Riverside Marina on May 21 st.“ In the south Delta, Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait and Tackle in Lathrop said, “Minnows continue to be the hot seller, but we are getting calls for fresh shad every day. There are a few shops in Stockton with a limited supply of fresh shad, but it will be a few weeks for our shadder to find the bait fish. The striped bass bite in the south San Joaquin below the Mossdale Bridge has slowed down.”

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 3 White bass 2 Striper 0 Catfish 3 Crappie 2 Bluegill 2 Trout 3

At Nacimiento, the spotted bass bite is solid as the fish are chasing shad throughout the lake. The best action has come on reaction baits such as jerkbaits, topwater lures, chatterbaits, or crankbaits, either lipless or squarebill. Finding the shad schools is a key along with working shallow flats at depths to 8 feet. A few white bass are also working the shad schools along with crappie. The crappie bite is slow overall, but the size of the slabs is impressive at up to 2 pounds. White bass are taken by trolling white Kastmasters or Roostertails, and they are boiling on occasion at the mouths of coves. The lake dropped slightly to 26%. A webcam of the lake is available at https://805webcams.com/lake-nacimiento-live-webcam/.

At Lopez, the bass bite is good for limits to 15 pounds with plastics on various presentations, jigs, or spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, or jerkbaits. Trout fishing remains good with trollers scoring with bright-colored spoons from the surface to 20 feet while shore anglers are scoring with Power Bait, nightcrawlers, spoons, or spinners with deep water access. Bluegill and redear perch are located with meal worms or red worms. The launch ramp access is becoming questionable, and it is best to contact the marina at (805) 489-1006 for the latest launch ramp status as it could change any time. The lake level continues to drop slightly, and it is currently at 28.3%. A webcam of the lake is available at http://805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam/.

At Santa Margarita, the Best Bass Tournaments Coastal Region winning limit was an impressive 16-plus pounds, and there is a good reaction bite with crankbaits, either lipless or squarebilled along with spinnerbaits in the windy conditions. Catfish are landed on cut baits such as sardines or mackerel soaked in garlic. Trout plants have brought out shore anglers soaking Power Bait or nightcrawlers while trollers are pulling small crankbaits or spoons. Bluegill or redear perch are taken on meal worms in the shallows. A webcam of the lake is available at https://805webcams.com/santa-margarita-lake- webcam-california/. The lake continues to drop to 60.9%. At San Antonio, the bass bite has improved, and there have been largemouths to 3 pounds reported in the past two weeks on big jigs or reaction baits. Crappie has been very good with minijigs from either a boat or from shore with deep water access, and catfish are taken on mackerel soaked in garlic scent. Carp are in the shallows, and dough baits are working. The launch ramp is open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on weekends and from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Fridays. The lake held 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

Delta/Big Break Marina –- Wild West Bass Trails Teams - May 7 th : 1 st – Tanner Spohn/Joey Price – 28.72 pounds (Big Fish – 7.26); 2 nd – Xavier Green/Alec Woods – 27.23; 3 rd –Earl Dalton/Michael Coleman – 26.28.

McClure –- Best Bass Tournaments Central Region - May 7 th : 1 st – Greg and Bryan Coy – 12.01 pounds; 2 nd – Dan and Joseph Cranston – 11.62 (Big Fish – 5.14); 3 rd –Hung Ho/Eva Luong – 11.48.

Santa Margarita –- Best Bass Tournaments Coastal Region - May 7 th : 1 st –Dustin Barker/Bobby Doss – 16.14 pounds; 2 nd –Harry Delore/Brad Austin – 15.92: 3 rd – Jeramie Dyer/Chase Austin – 12.46 (Big Fish – 4.02).

Upcoming Tournaments (subject to change)

May 13/14 –

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Bass Pro Shops

May 14/15 –

Success – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

May 14 –

Camanche – Angler’s Press

Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournaments

Pine Flat – Kern County Bass Masters

Santa Margarita – Golden Empire Bass Club

May 15 –

Delta/B and W Resort – California Bass Federation

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Kings River Bass Club/Bass Pro Shop

Tulloch – Gold Country Bass Tour

May 20 –

Delta – Stanislaus County

May 21/22 –

Clear Lake – Fresno Bass Club

Delta/Big Break Marina – Sierra Bass Clu

May 21 –

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Yak-A-Bass

Delta/Russo’s – Best Bass Tournaments

Delta/Holland Riverside Marina – Dan Mathisen Outdoors

Isabella – American Bass Association

Lopez – San Luis Obispo Bass Ambushers

May 22 –

Delta/Big Break Marina – American Bass Association

New Melones – Modesto Ambassadors

May 23 -

New Melones – NorCal Bass

May 28 –

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – NorCal Bass

May 29 –

New Melones – California Bass Federation

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 May 10, 2022 at 8:39 AM.