Fishing report, June 22-28: Pine Flat rainbows, High Sierra trout among best action
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 and stripers still hitting, Alan Fong said. New Melones kokanee and bass on tap, Kyle Wise reported. Shaver trout action tops, Dick Nichols said. Pine Flat rainbow action good, Michael Crayne said. Wishon and Courtright trout bites continue, Kelly Brewer reported. Bass Lake trout on a tear, Michael Beighey said.
Roger’s Remarks
Roger George’s column will return.
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 3
Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait and Tackle in Lathrop reported a slow striped bass bite in the Delta/Mendota Canal, but numbers of catfish are there for the taking with cut baits, chicken livers, or nightcrawlers. With the water movement south, the striped bass have been migrating with the higher flows.
In the south aqueduct in Kern County, Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported good action for striped bass, catfish, or largemouth bass. The linesides are taken on large minnows if you can find them along with blood worms while catfish are biting Triple S Dip Bait, nightcrawlers, chicken livers, or cut baits. Largemouth bass are taken with topwater lures, Senkos, or plastics on the drop-shot. The best action occurs where moving water stops to a crawl.
Call: Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis 292-3474; Bob’s Bait Bucket in Bakersfield (661) 833-8657
Eastman Lake/Hensley Lake
Bass 2 Trout 2 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “There hasn’t been much change with Eastman remaining the best bet for bass with 3-inch paddletail swimbaits on a jig head, jerkbaits, topwater lures, or plastics on the drop-shot for largemouth bass from 2 to 4 pounds. Crappie are found in the trees in the back of the lake while trout are taken near the dam with jerkbaits. At Hensley, the bass are moving back into shallow water in the mornings and evenings, and there are a lot of carp to be taken in the shallows with dough baits.” Eastman held at 10% with Hensley also holding at 20%.
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 2 King salmon 2 Crappie 2
Don Pedro continues to produce quality kokanee, but you have to search around for them. Kyle Wise of HeadHunter Guide Service went to Don Pedro this week with Kevin Ogg, and he said, “The kokanee are not in the normal spots there, but we stayed in front of the houseboats for limits by 7:30 a.m. You have to know what you are doing there since there are cables on the moorings, but the fish are in there.”
For some reason, the trout at Don Pedro are loaded with copepods, but at nearby New Melones, the trout are copepod-free.
For bass, Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “The overall bite has been tough, but we are scoring on steep bluff walls or long tapering points with 2.8-inch Keitech swimbaits on a drop-shot at depths from 10 to 30 feet. We are seeing them on the meter and dropping down on them. There is a scattered topwater bite with Zara Spooks or Berkley Choppo 105s, both in shad patterns. The key is to look for birds working the surface.”
The lake dropped slightly to 67%.
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
Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait and Tackle in Bakersfield reported a continued tough bass bite with a 20-pound limit taking the recent American Bass Tournament. He said, “Historically, the lake would be kicking out bigger winning weights. Crappie are also slow, and you have to be in the right place at the right time with small to medium minnows or small Keitech swimbaits. Catfishing is the best thing going with Triple S Dip Bait. There are still holdover rainbow trout to be landed from the shorelines with deep water access with Power Bait or nightcrawlers while trollers are pulling shad-patterned spoons at depths to 40 feet.” There is a shad spawn in the lake, and the best lures for bass have been shad-patterned crankbaits or plastics. The Kern County Chamber of Commerce Trout Derby which will last until July 4th. Tagged fish worth $20 to $5,000 have been planted. The registration is closed. The lake held at 14%. The river at Kernville dropped from 461 to 290 cfs, with the lower Kern below the dam at First Point dropping from 463 to 393 cfs. Cormier said, “The river looks fishable right now around Kernville.” The Kern Section 4 is scheduled for a plant next week with Section 5 in the Kernville area receiving a double plant next week.
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
Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported a decent crappie bite with small to medium minnows or minijigs. The best section of the lake for crappie is near Horse Creek around the submerged brush and rockpiles. The bass bite is decent with a reaction bite in the early mornings before dropping to the bottom with ice jigs, spoons, or jigs. The lake is starting to release water, and it dropped from 61% to 59%. The Kaweah River dropped from 210 cfs to 113 cfs at Three Rivers.
Lake Success/Tule River
Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 3 Catfish 2
Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company in Springville reported decent bass action with plastics, crankbaits or topwater lures. “The water level has been stable, and the bite has been stable.” The lake held at 38%.
He said, “The Tule River is fishing well with dry flies, black Woolly Buggers and hopper patterns.” Trout plants at Balch Park Upper Campground and the Middle Fork of the Tule River are scheduled next week.
Call: Sequoia Fishing Co. 539-5626, sequoiafishingcompany.com
McClure Reservoir
Bass 2 Trout 2 King salmon 0 Kokanee 0 Crappie 2 Catfish 2
Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “There hasn’t been much change here as the bass bite remains tougher than the other Mother Lode reservoirs, but the bass continue to chase shad in the open water. ¼-ounce Kastmasters, 2.8-inch Keitech swimbaits on a ⅛-ounce G-Money Ned-rig head or a ⅛-ounce G-Money underspin are effective along with topwater lures or jigs in a light sculpin pattern.” The trout have gone deep, and the best action is for trollers pulling shad-patterned spoons near the dam. The lake dropped slightly to 43%, 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 water feature is taking center stage at the lake right now, but there are holdover rainbow trout taken by kayak anglers trolling blade/’crawler combinations in the river arm past the Second Fence Line. Shore fishermen are picking up a trout or two in the early mornings with Power Bait, Panther Martin spinners, or ¼- to ⅜-ounce Kastmasters at the Brush Pile, Handicapped Docks, and the peninsula around the marina. As the summer progresses, the rainbows will work their way up the river arm in search of cooler water. The lake rose again from 90% to 94%, but 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 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 3 Crappie 1
Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “Finesse plastics remain the top technique with plastics on the drop-shot producing small spotted bass near the north wall at Sky Harbor and on the Madera side. Largemouth bass and crappie are also possible, but striped bass action remains slow. The river arm has been very slow for spotted bass with only a few fish to 1.5 pounds landed.” The lake is in full recreational boater mode. The lake dropped slightly to 70%, and the San Joaquin River rose dropped slightly from 1,809 cfs to 1,735 cfs at Friant.
Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474
New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch
Bass 3 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 3
Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing has been primarily guiding at Don Pedro, but he made a scouting trip to New Melones this week with Tim Sellars, former longtime manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Manteca. Smith said, “We launched out of Tuttletown and went out 100 yards into the old river channel and started hooking fish. There were a number of boats north of the spillway, but we stayed away from the fleet. It wasn’t long before we had 10 kokanee and a solid 2-pound rainbow working Paulina Peak’s Platinum Flutter Bugs behind a Rocky Mountain or Paulina Peak’s Peak Performer dodger in pink at depths from 35 to 52 feet with the best action at 40 to 45 feet. The kokanee are a solid 16 inches, and they are in good shape. The trout are beautiful with no copepods.”
Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service has been on New Melones nearly daily as he is offering twilight trips. He said, “Limits have been the story every day, and it’s easy pickings as the fish are everywhere. I continue to score with the original J-Pex or Apex lures behind a Paulina Peak gold hammered dodger at depths from 40 to 60 feet. Everyone is wondering why the fish aren’t south of the dam right now since normally they would be heading toward Rose Island, but every year is different, and you have to go where the fish are.”
For bass, Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “There is a good topwater bite from noon to 2 p.m., and we are picking up our best quality at this time. Strike King’s Sexy Dog, River2Sea Rovers, double buzzbait, or Berkley Choppo 105s in shad patterns are working. There is a jig bite emerging at depths from 10 to 30 feet in main lake saddles, humps, or points with G-Money jigs on a ½-ounce football head with a Yamamoto twin-tailed trailer.” The lake dropped to 34%. The Glory Hole and Tuttletown ramps are on the low-water ramps, and they will be accessible until the lake drops below 900 feet in elevation. It dropped over 2 feet this week to 916.17.
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 3 Kokanee 0 King salmon 0 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun said, “Trout trolling has been the story here as limits of holdover rainbows have been taken on blade/’crawler combinations, orange Needlefish, or shad-patterned spoons within the shad schools. Find the shad, and you will find the holdover rainbows. Catfish is picking up with cut baits while crappie are found around the docks with small swimbaits or minijigs. Bass fishing is best with crankbaits or jerkbaits around deep structure.” The lake dropped to 60%.
In the lower Kings, the next trout plant is scheduled for the week of June 26, but holdover rainbows and brook trout are landed on Atomic Tubes, small Rebels, crankbaits, Power Bait or nightcrawlers. There have been a number of citations issued for illegally keeping trout from the catch-and-release section near Cobble’s Weir. The flows have dropped significantly from 1,907 cfs to 932 cfs at Trimmer.
Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474; Sequoia Fishing Co. 539-5626
San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay
Striper 2 Catfish 2 Bass 2 Crappie 2
Josh Mesa of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “With the absence of extra-large and jumbo minnows until the fall, most anglers are tossing Lucky Craft Pointer 100s in chartreuse shad or white along with Magnum Flukes on a scrounger head for striped bass in the main lake around Dinosaur Point.”
Roger George of Roger George Guide Service reported that the trolling and reaction bite for experienced anglers has improved with the end of the full moon. “I fished with three guests on Monday and we found the fish in the 50- to 75-foot range and taking trolled Lucky Crafts in Shad colors. We stopped fishing at around 2:30 after releasing 16 nice stripers, since they felt like they had caught enough fish, with one fish going 8 pounds. I decided to stay and do some scouting after they left and I ended up getting another 8-pounder and a good kicker fish that was over 32 inches and 13.2 pounds, both released. It’s been a tough bite the last few months but this is a nice glimmer of some normalcy!”
The O’Neill Forebay has been consistent for linesides to 28 inches with paddletail swimbait or flukes. Kayakers are trolling deep-diving jerkbaits in white or chartreuse shad while bank anglers are soaking anchovies, shad, pile worms, or blood worms. Check 12 continues to be a productive area as heavy pumping is occurring out of the main lake.
The Basalt Recreation Area launch ramp and campgrounds closed on June 1 for up to three years for renovation of the dam.
The main lake dropped to 42% with the forebay dropping slightly to 82%.
There are warning and lake closure lights on the main reservoir near the Basalt Entrance Station, Quien Sabe Point, and the Romero Visitor Center. In the O’Neill Forebay. Warning lights are located near the old Medeiros boat ramp and above South Beach. Amber lights signify caution conditions for winds or other concerns while red lights mean the lake is closed for boating and all vessels must immediately vacate the lake when the red lake closure lights are on.
Call: Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711, Roger George of rogergeorgeguideservice.com 905-2954
High Sierra
Bass Lake
Bass 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 1
Mike Beighey of Bass Lake Fishing.com, said, “Trout fishing for rainbows in the 13- to 17-inch range remains strong at depths from the surface to 28 feet with pink Dick’s Mountain hooches, orange Apex lures, or spinners behind a Dick’s Mountain dodger. The best action is in front of Miller’s Landing to the front of the Forks Resort. Kokanee remain MIA, but we have landed rainbows to 19 inches this week.” Recreational boating is heavy after 9 a.m. The Grand Prize in the Bass Lake Chamber of Commerce Trout Derby is worth $500 for derby entrants until June 30. With the Sheriff’s Motor Fee in place, few bass boats are heading to the lake, but there is a topwater bite in the mornings for post-spawn bass before hitting the bottom with Senkos on a wacky-rig. A webcam of the launch ramp is available at basslakeca.com. The lake held at 82%.
Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool
Edison dropped from 36% to 34%, Florence rose from 72% to 90% with Mammoth Pool dropping from 94% to 85%. Access to Mammoth Pool is now open as the deer migration closure ended on June 15. Portal Forebay is scheduled for a trout plant next week.
Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000
Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Kokanee 2 Trout 3
The Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project hosted nearly 100 youth up to age 15 at the Road Two Picnic Area for the 25th youth derby on June 18. Dick Nichols, Shaver guide emeritus, said, “Under the direction of SLTTP past secretary, Mike O’Connell, it was one of the best I have been involved with since I first began volunteering 17 years ago along with the late Captain Jack Yandell. The youth derby was the baby of founder Greg Marks of Auberry. Marks ran the event up until recently when declining health forced him to pass the baton to the SLTTP.”
O’Connell said, “It will always be Greg Marks’ event, and we will always be here to ensure its continuance in respect for Greg and for all the young anglers who participate in this annual event.”
In charge of the fishing competition was local doctor, Dr. Barbara Stewart, while Bob Bernier and his team prepared and served 400 hot dog lunches for the contestants and their families. Longtime SLTTP director David Dungy, the USFS rangers, and other volunteers ran some exciting games including casting, cornhole, and a craft-making table. Smokey Bear greeted the kids, the USFS rangers and California Fish and Wildlife gave demonstrations, and in the end, chairman O’Connell paid tribute to Marks, and along with Dr. Stewart, provided gift certificates to the first three places in each age group including the first fish caught. SLTTP President Dennis Beard managed the raffle, and each young angler won a raffle gift. The gift certificates for the fishing winners were provided by Turner’s Outdoors, Shaver Lake Sports, Fresno Ag Hardware and Valley Rod and Gun, and there were many additional donors who will receive recognition from the SLTTP. Nichols added, “Each entrant was called up by name and he or she could pick their raffle gift, and this is all done and primarily funded from donations and dinner proceeds from the annual SLTTP Sportsmen’s Dinner. Coupled with our growing Trout In The Classroom program, the project is giving back to future anglers to get them hooked on fishing. not drugs or gangs.” The young anglers received a great gift by the Department Fish and Wildlife through a planting of catchable-sized trout on Friday.
Back to the other fishermen on the lake this weekend most reported excellent trout fishing with slower results on kokanee. Dick Nichols, guide emeritus, said, “For us kokanee fishermen, it’s not the same, but what action we are all experiencing with the combination of the multiple plants of catchables from the Department of Fish and Wildlife along with the recent Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project’s recent plant of quality trophy sized trout out of Oregon, the lake has reestablished itself as a top trout lake.”
Pro Staff Jay and Delinda Irvine of Visalia trolled Shaver on Saturday with their nephew, Julian Francolino, and they landed 24 trout to 15 inches along with one large kokanee. Irvine said, “The bite was really good from 5:30 to 7:30 a.m. before slowing down a bit. We were scoring with Dick’s Mountain hoochies in orange or yellow behind orange, yellow, or gold Mountain Dodgers at 35 feet on the downriggers. The side poles were loaded with the weighted Dick’s dodgers in blue, purple, or green/silver on a setback of 125 feet. Julian landed a pair of trout on trolling flies at a setback of 175 feet. The trout bite was on fire.”
The previous day, the Irvines were at upstream Huntington for two limits of kokanee in windy and overcast conditions with purple/copper or purple/pink/copper action bugs behind copper dodgers on both the side poles or on the downrigger at 25 to 35 feet. They use a setback of 125 feet with a half-ounce weight on the side poles to reach this depth.
Both lakes are rising with Shaver at 64% and Huntington at 97%.
Shaver’s launch ramp conditions can be checked via webcam at sierramarina.com/camera.html.
Todd Wittwer – Kokanee.net Guide Service 288-8100; Tom Oliveira – Tom Oliveira Fishing – 802-8072
Wishon/Courtright
Trout 3
Kelly Brewer at the Wishon RV Park and Store said, “Fishing is still great at both lakes, and there was a plant of small catchable trout at both Courtright and Wishon. Experienced anglers are finding the holdovers by trolling pulling spoons, Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler behind a dodger, or Rapalas with the best action near the rockwall at Wishon while shore anglers are heading up to the inlet or at the mouth of Short Hair Creek.” The bank bite at Courtright is best from both sides of the dam, but the water levels at both lakes have been fluctuating on a day-to-day basis. Dinkey Creek is scheduled for a trout plant next week.
Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361
Ocean
Half Moon Bay
Salmon 3 Rockfish 3 Striper 2 White seabass 1 Crabs 3 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3
The salmon bite went absolutely ‘ballistic’ over the weekend with quick limits of salmon for Half Moon Bay party and private boats making the long 18-mile run below Pigeon Point where the season remains open. However, the season above Pigeon Point opens once again on Thursday, June 23rd, and Sherry Ingles of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing exclaimed, “I think the local season is just going to explode as this is the best salmon season in years out of Half Moon Bay. The plants from the Department of Fish and Wildlife along with the net pens within our harbor have really made a huge difference. Out of our harbor, the six-pack, Reel Screamer, returned with 7 limits for both customers and crew on Sunday by 9:45 a.m. There is an unbelievable amount of bait throughout the coast with great conditions off north of us at Linda Mar and as far south as below Pigeon Point. The Queen of Hearts found these fish last week, and everyone has been getting in on the action. We will be salmon fishing locally starting on Thursday, but the Queen of Hearts put in 31 salmon for 17 anglers on Saturday with plenty of opportunities for limits. They went rockfishing on Sunday for 17 limits of rockfish including 4 cabezon and 3 ling cod.”
Clara Ricabal, Western Outdoor News columnist, was on the New Captain Pete on Sunday, and she said, “They put in 12 limits by 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, but we beat that with 15 limits to 20 pounds by 9:09 a.m., and it was chaotic with fish on all over the place. We had our first fish in the box at 7:30 a.m. after the long ride south, and we went through so many baits that I threw on a red Krocodile at the end of the day for my last fish. I have never seen so many whales as they were breeching all around the boat, and you could smell their breath. There were 15 miles of whales on the way back to the harbor. I spoke with the deckhand of the Riptide in the parking lot after fishing, and he said, ‘It was nuts, and I have never seen it this crazy. I had a hard time coming down from the adrenaline of the chaos on the deck.”
There have even been salmon landed off of the Pacifica Pier for the first time in years, but the season will not open off of the pier until Thursday. Individuals have been reported to be taking salmon out of season and running off of the pier with the fish hidden under a coat or in a bag.
Crabbing remains open until June 30th, and the pier continues to kick out limits to near-limits of Dungeness crab with snares or hoop nets.
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 Halibut 2 Striper 1 White seabass 2 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3
Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “We thought we were done with the high winds and huge wind waves on the Monterey Bay waters, but no such luck. As Chris Arcoleo from Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching Trips in Monterey said, “So far this year the weather has just been beating us.” This week, winds were stiff enough to keep Chris’s boats from heading south where the big rockfish lurk. Though the grade of fish was slightly smaller than their longer-ranging voyages towards Carmel and Point Sur, they posted their usual limits of rockfish for every trip. On a happy note, a new school of king salmon has entered the bay to feast on the super-abundance of anchovies. Arcoleo dispatched two salmon trips this week and scored big-time.
Saturday’s trip aboard the Caroline netted 15 kings for the ten anglers aboard, while the Check Mate scored 27 for 20 anglers on Friday. “Oh yeah, there’s a lot of salmon right now,” Arcoleo reported. “And they are big ones. We should have come home with 50 fish, that’s how many we’re losing. These big fish are just breaking lines or popping off like crazy.” Launching from Monterey, Chris’s is finding the fish fairly close by, near the Soldier’s Club and on up to Moss Landing. “We just find a bait ball to mooch around, then move on to the next bait ball.” Arcoleo predicts good salmon fishing for the remainder of this week citing the abundance of bait in the area.
Charters from Santa Cruz had a similar story to tell. JT Thomas from Go Fish Santa Cruz said, “After being tied to the dock for the past four days we finally got to GO FISH. We fished the Monterey Bay for king salmon and caught early limits up to 22 pounds.” Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine tracks the private boat reports closely. He gave us is take on the week saying, “The salmon bite picked up today on the west side of the Soquel Hole. There were a few boats who caught their limits in 200 to 250 feet of water. The majority of the action was on Krippled Anchovies down 100 to150 feet. The anglers fishing near Soldier’s Club reported limits in the morning. The salmon are back in the bay and in the 10- to 30-pound range. Despite the recurrence of winds this week, water temperatures remain warm enough for halibut to remain nestled in closer to shore. The most productive depths for live bait anglers or bounce-ball trollers are in 40 to 70 feet of water, but there’s a marked increase of shallow water catches as well. Surfcasters reported catching small halibut from the broad Main Beach in Santa Cruz as well as inside the kelp line near Capitola. Matt Mitchell from Santa Cruz pulled in a nice legal fish paddling his Stand Up Paddleboard this week, hunting along the kelp beds of the West Cliff area. Both the Capitola Wharf and Santa Cruz Wharf have seen numerous halibut come over the rails caught by dedicated pier anglers.”
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
The three-week temporary closure in the ocean salmon season ends Thursday, June 23rd, and there is great anticipation for the reopener as the boats left them biting on the Marin coast at the end of the first part of the season on May 31st. Most of the boats will be trolling, but Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters out of Loch Lomond will try and mooch to see what happens on the reopener. Slate is the Bay Area’s specialist on mooching, also known as drifting, for salmon.
The normal salmon boats that have been targeting halibut and striped bass in the bay will return to salmon until the season’s end on October 31st, and this will relieve some pressure inside of San Francisco Bay.
With the minus tides affecting the halibut action this weekend, more boats made it outside the Gate for rockfish. Captain Jerad Davis on the Salty Lady out of Sausalito said, “With a questionable forecast, we opted to head up the coast above Duxbury rather than the islands, and were pleasantly surprised by great conditions this morning. Unfortunately, that didn’t last as the wind came up and conditions quickly turned quite nautical. Fortunately, the rockfish and ling cod action was crazy good for coastal fishing. When the wind chased us off around 10:30 a.m., we had 22 Lingcod up to 15 pounds for our 14 customers, and we were just 30 fish shy of limits on the rockfish. There was plenty of time left in the day so we fished a couple spots a little closer to home in protected waters outside and just inside the Golden Gate, and we filled out rockfish limits for all.”
Captain Chris Smith of the Pacific Dream out of Berkeley made a few drifts inside the bay for 8 halibut before heading to Duxbury Reef for rockfish and ling cod during the week. Smith said, “Dennis Palmer of Rodeo put on a clinic with a limit of halibut, a limit of rockfish, and contributed to the ling cod limits with five lings. Larry, ‘The Legend’ Nelson of Oakland was fishing adjacent to Palmer, and he blamed Palmer for taking his spot for his great score. The Legend did land the jackpot ling cod along with a limit of rockfish, but his skills seemed a bit rusty. Rockfishing was excellent the following day with limits by 10:30 a.m., but the bite ground to a halt on Saturday as I traveled as far north as Arch Rock in search of willing biters. The conditions changed overnight, and the rockfish were unwilling to bite like they had the previous two trips.”
San Francisco Bay turned muddy over the weekend as a result of the huge minus tides, and the incredible halibut action predictably slowed down as a result. Even with the big tides, the California Dawn II out of Berkeley scoring 24 limits of halibut on Thursday with the Lovely Martha and Bass Tub out of San Francisco combining for 22 limits of the flatfish. However, the bite ground to just over a fish per rod in the mud by Sunday as the cumulative effect of minus tides changed conditions in the bay. Halibut have a small stomach and have to feed frequently, but as sight predators, they rely on clear water to find their prey. Minus tides result in muddy water, and the halibut scores plummet in response. In fact, some of the legendary captains in the bay will either turn the wheel over to a second captain or not book trips during the largest minus tides.
Captain’s Chris and Jonathan Smith of Happy Hooker Sport Fishing were the high boat on Sunday with 86 halibut to 14 pounds and 19 striped bass to 8 pounds for a combined 45 anglers on the Pacific Dream and the Happy Hooker. Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions out of San Francisco scratched out 17 halibut and five bass on Saturday, followed by 6 halibut and limits of striped bass for 4 anglers on Sunday. He said, “The bay is muddy, but we were able to find the striped bass on the rocks in San Pablo Bay. The halibut started to bite when the tide slowed down between 1:00 and 1:30 p.m.” Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing posted a solid score of 34 halibut for 14 anglers on Saturday drifting live bait at the Barges, but he started at the Barges on Sunday, only to find the best action in the Berkeley Flats for 20 halibut for 16 anglers enjoying a Father’s Day Special. Mitchell said, “They had bit well in the morning on Saturday, and they were biting throughout the day in the Flats. There are halibut all over the place from Alcatraz to Angel Island to Southampton Shoals to Treasure Island and the Berkeley Flats. This week’s tides are much improved for halibut, but there is great interest in the salmon reopener starting on Thursday.”
Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing out of Berkeley continues to primarily run shark trips, and he found limits of soupfin and seven-gill shark on Father’s Day working the deep water near the Golden Gate Bridge after loading up with leopard shark and a few halibut on Saturday.
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
Rockfishing is best on longer day trips, but only the Fiesta out of Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay took a long-range trip over the weekend with 16 anglers taking 11 ling cod, 64 vermilion, 41 assorted, 40 Boccaccio, and 15 canary rockfish for limits of rockfish. The Black Pearl and Rita G out of Virg’s stayed closer to the harbor with 49 anglers on Sunday for 256 assorted rockfish, 4 vermilion, and a ling cod for around half-limits. Out of Morro Bay Landing, the Avenger took a morning and afternoon half-day trip on Sunday with the Starfire on a 3/4th-day trip with a total 77 passengers for 70 vermilion, 10 Boccaccio, 331 assorted rockfish, and a single ling cod to 7 pounds. Diego Piccione of Hanford scored the jackpot ling. Out of Port San Luis, the Phenix and Flying Fish went out on Sunday on half-day trips with 66 fishermen for 12 vermilion, 354 assorted rockfish, 15 Bolina, and a ling cod. Webcams of many of the coastal locations are available at https://805webcams.com/.
Call: Virg’s Landing (800) 762-5263; Patriot Sport Fishing (805) 595-4100; Morro Bay Landing
Others
Delta/Stockton
Bass 3 Striper 3 Sturgeon 2 Catfish 3 Bluegill 3
We are fully in the fishing doldrums of the summer in the Sacramento-Delta as recreational boaters have taken over while the majority of fishing is taking place on the San Joaquin side for warm water species of largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, or catfish. The water temperature is in the 71-degree range, but there are still striped and largemouth bass loading up on crawdads in the shallows in the north Delta. The Brannan Island State Recreation Area is open on weekends-only from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. until September 1st. A new concessionaire is being recruited for fulltime duty. Only the launch ramp and nearby day-use area is open as the other parts of the park remain closed.
Alan Fong of Alan Fong’s Outdoors reported striped bass remain in the shallow, grassy areas of the submerged islands in the north Delta, and they are loading up on crawdads. Z-Man’s Jackhammer crankbaits in Red Craw continue to work for the linesides along with quality largemouth bass.”
With the lack of extra-large and jumbo minnows in area bait shops, live bait drifting is not an option with the exception of a limited supply of mudsuckers. There are striped bass moving downstream still, and the banks around the Dillon Point State Park continue to produce the occasional lineside on pile worms or blood worms.
Sturgeon fishing has slowed to a crawl, but the diamondbacks remain in the Delta. However, they deserve a break after a season of heavy fishing pressure removing numerous slot-limit fish from the system. With the drought conditions in the upper Sacramento, the spawn is in danger, and once again, the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Fish and Game Commission should be reviewing the annual white sturgeon limit along with the slot limit size due to intense pressure on the species.
Largemouth bass remain the top species in the San Joaquin-Delta, and the season for frogs or punching the weeds has begun in full force.
Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, said, “I was on the Delta three times this week, and we put in 43 largemouth bass with a 21-pound limit on one trip. The Berkley Choppo 110 has been producing as it is an easy bait to throw. It is a matter of chugging the lure on the retrieve and letting it pause. The tides were huge this week with big swings, and the water movement was tremendous. On the high, high tide, you have to salute the Berkely General fished weightless with slow movement, and a key when it is windy is to drop the rod tip to the water. Dropping the tip to the water will eliminate the bow in the line, and you can move the bait left or right without slack. We also picked up a few striped bass to 22 inches on the Choppo in the main river channel, and the linesides are spitting up crawdads. One striped bass spit out a wriggling crawdad, and we released both the fish and the crawdad back to the water to lvie again. We had 96 boats during Saturday’s Best Best Tournament Mother Lode Division event out of Russo’s Marina, and we followed this up with another 57 boats during Sunday’s Father’s Day Central Division event. The key during these high tides is all positional. There were several boats that didn’t weight in, and I think it behooves a tournament angler that is unfamiliar with the Delta to hire a guide as it’s not easy for beginners or those new to the Delta to compete. I believe the tournament angles will save money in the long run since a quarter to a third of the field has been blanking.”
Dave King, tournament director for NorCal Bass, said, “We had 32 boats out of Ladd’s Marina in Stockton on Saturday, and the overall bite was kind of tough. The difference for the winning team of Kent Simpson and Chris Perez was their big fish at 9.10 pounds on a Scum Frog. Three of the four top teams had at least one big fish from 7.55 to 9.10 pounds/ Catching fish wasn’t a problem as we went through numerous smaller bass throughout the day. I threw a topwater Popr and other reaction baits such as spinnerbaits, but the bite didn’t start until 7:30 a.m., mostly likely since it was cold and windy in the early morning.”
Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, was out bass fishing with plastics on the main channel from Ladd’s Marina to Windmill Cove, and he said, “Catching smaller fish on plastics isn’t a problem as the bass are holding close to the rocks and the tules. The water is 71/72 degrees right now, but there are striped bass for those drifting bluegill around Eight Mile Road, White Slough to the main channel, Disappointment Slough, Union Point, the Duck Pond, and Prisoner’s Point. With the water temperature, I don’t know why they are still here, but there have been linesides to 30 inches reported.”
Dan Mathisen of Dan Mathisen Outdoors said, “The frog bite is starting to go, and I prefer the Snag Proof in black/blue or Tweety Bird right now, but the Pro-Z frog in Scooby Doo is another good option. There is a lot of swallows around right now, and these frogs mimic the small birds. Other than the frog fishermen, everyone else is punching the weeds or the edges of the primrose.” Mathisen’s next event out of Holland Riverside Marina is July 23rd.
In the extreme south Delta, Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait and Tackle in Lathrop reported slow action for striped bass below the Mossdale Bridge. He said, “The occasional keeper is taken on blood worms, but there are mostly undersized striped bass right now on sardines, pile worms, or blood worms. I was out three times with only one keeper at 27 inches, but there are plenty of catfish. We won’t have fresh shad for another three weeks, but we receive calls on a daily basis for fresh shad.”
Call: Randy Pringle (209) 543-6260; Captain Steve Mitchell – Hook’d Up Sport Fishing – (707) 655-6736; Vince Borges – Vince Borges Outdoors (209) 918-0828
Lake Nacimiento/San Antonio/Santa Margarita/Lopez
Bass 3 White bass 3 Striper 0 Catfish 3 Crappie 2 Bluegill 2 Trout 2
At Nacimiento, spotted and white bass action remains solid with a good topwater bite with River2Sea Whopper Ploppers or similar walking baits. Rat-L-Traps, underspins, or squarebill crankbaits are also working for the best quality of spotted bass. Working the bottom with ice jigs, spoons, or jigs is starting to pick up for spots and the occasional largemouth. Boils are more frequent on the surface as both the white and spotted bass are busting shad. Trollers are finding a subsurface bite with white Kastmasters or Roostertails along with casting small swimbaits or plugs into the boils. Crappie action is fair at best, but the slabs are huge at up to 2 pounds. The lake dropped to 24%. Recreational boating is taking over on the weekends. A webcam of the lake is available at https://805webcams.com/lake-nacimiento-live-webcam/. At Lopez, the closure of the public launch ramp has affected fishing pressure, but those renting boats or kayaking are finding some decent largemouths with topwater lures early in the morning before working the bottom with plastics or jigs. Bluegill or red ear perch are found around structure with red worms, jumbo red worms, or meal worms. Anglers can view a live webcam of the lake at https://805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam/.
At Santa Margarita, recent trout plants have led to decent action for shore anglers with deep water access soaking Power Bait or nightcrawlers. The marina has been a productive area. Bass fishing is improving with topwater lures in the mornings or evenings along with working the bottom with plastics or jigs. The shad are showing up in numbers around structure, particularly the docks, and bass, catfish, and crappie are filling up on the shad. Catfishing is best in the evenings with mackerel or other cut baits soaked in garlic. A webcam of the lake is available at https://805webcams.com/santa-margarita-lake-webcam-california/. At San Antonio, there hasn’t been much change with catfish remaining the top species with mackerel soaked in garlic. Crappie action is limited to a few slabs here or there around structure. The bass bite is slow at best. Carp are throughout the shallows and easy to catch on doughbaits. 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
Lake Isabella – American Bass Association – June 11th: 1st – Alex Theodorou/Clifford Burgoni – 21.02 pounds (Big Fish – 8.14); 2nd –Delynn and Steve Davies – 19.86; 3rd – Randy McAbee/Clark Small– 12.59.
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Nor Cal Bass – June 18th: 1st – Kent Simpson/Chris Perez – 19.10 pounds (Big Fish – 9.10); 2nd –Dave Romaur – 18.45; 3rd – Vincent Mina/Alex Sanchez – 17.10.
Delta/Russo’s Marina – Best Bass Tournaments/Mother Lode Region – June 18th: 1st – Kevin Moore/Jamie Lima– 23.17 pounds (Big Fish – 5.72); 2nd –Yoham and Jerry Chang – 21.01; 3rd –Dale Shirley – 19.94.
Delta/Russo’s Marina – Best Bass Tournaments/Central Region– June 18th: 1st – Bob Dettling/Austin Millang– 20.49 pounds (Big Fish – 6.94); 2nd –Billy Hume/Ted Perry – 19.74; 3rd – Zach Richard/Chad Bross – 18.34.
Upcoming Tournaments (subject to change)
June 25th –
Lake Pardee- Central Valley Anglers Kokanee Derby
Isabella – Golden Empire Bass Club
July 9th/10th –
Pine Flat – Bass 101
Isabella – Golden Empire Bass Club
July 9th –
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Nor Cal Bass
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies
New Melones – Valley Backlashers
New Melones – Kokanee Power Team Tournament
McClure – American Bass Association
Pine Flat – Kings River Bass Club
July 13th –
Nacimiento – San Luis Obispo Bass Ambushers
July 16th/17th –
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Kern County Bass Masters
Don Pedro – Fresno Bass Club
July 16th –
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Gold County Bass Tour
Pine Flat – Bakersfield Bass Club
Kaweah – Sierra Bass Club/Kings VIII Bass Club
Santa Margarita – Best Bass Tournaments
July 17th –
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Nor Cal High School Bass
July 23rd –
Delta/Holland Riverside Marina – Dan Mathisen Outdoors
Delta/Big Break Marina – Bass N’ Tubes
July 24th –
Delta/Big Break – Bass N’ Tubes
July 30th/31st –
Delta/Russo’s Marina – Anglers Press
July 30th –
New Melones – Oro Madre Bass Angler
This story was originally published June 21, 2022 at 7:00 AM.