Fishing report, Oct. 19-25: Nearly 12-pound brown trout ‘hit like a freight train’ at Shaver
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 stripers and bass hitting, Alan Fong reported. Wishon trout active, Kelly Brewer said. Eastman and McClure bass hungry, Dave Hurley reported. Aqueduct striper fishing improved, Bill Sterling said.
Roger’s Remarks: Serve others
Sometimes our small, deliberate acts of kindness can have lasting and meaningful impacts that far exceed anything we could ever imagine.
Nearly 10 years ago I was out scouting alone at San Luis. The fishing was tough all day, but as it got later the bite picked up near the dam.
I had noticed a nice 18-foot aluminum deep V with an outboard trolling all over the area. The boat had every conceivable type of fishing equipment and the sole fisherman running it was working hard. Yet, I didn’t see him catch anything during the hour he spent not far from me. I was catching fish at will at this point as the sun wasn’t far from going down.
Turns out I am trolling east and he is going west on paths that will take us about 30-40 yards apart at the closest point. I look over at him and I notice he’s checking me out as I yell over, “How are you doing?” Seemingly disgusted, he says, “I haven’t gotten a bite! I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong?” I ask what lures he’s using – and it seems to me that his choices should be working. Something’s wrong in his setup; the fish are all over. Poor guy – not a bite, and he obviously wants to catch something but time was running out.
He makes another run going west as I’m going east, and I decide to try to help. I yell to him, “Hey, how deep are you trolling?” He yells back,”I’m at 45 feet.” He’s too shallow!
“I highly suggest that you immediately drop your downrigger ball to 65 feet – there are active fish at that depth.” We’re just across from each other and I can see he’s conflicted. He hesitates, but suddenly gets on his downriggers and changes the depth. He believed me enough to at least try. I hoped he would finally catch one.
I watched him troll away westward for about 150 yards and then he stopped. He didn’t move for 15 minutes and I was wondering what was wrong, when he turned and came back over to where I was. He drifted up with a huge smile on his face. “You’re not going to believe it!” he says when he lifts up a beautiful 20-pound striper. He asked me if I could follow him to the dock, where he could weigh the fish. He wanted me to be there.
At the dock, he told me that he was an old farmer from the west side and that he loved fishing. He had outfitted his boat as best he could so he would be able to fish during his retirement.
He looked me in the eye and told me that my helping him catch a personal-best striper on a tough day had made his decade. For a guy like this to get emotional in telling me how much it meant to him was as good a reward as I’ve ever received. Something special had happened in this man’s life, just when he needed it, and it was no small thing.
Never give up – serving and blessing others.
Roger George: rogergeorge8@protonmail.com, Rogergeorgeguideservice on Facebook and @StriperWars
Valley
Westside waterways
Striper 3 Catfish 2
The California Aqueduct and Delta Mendota Canal transport water from the south Delta to the dry South Valley and over the Transverse Range to the metropolitan areas in the Los Angeles Basin, but the water conveyance systems also transport all species of fish coming out of the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta. The aqueducts have become a place for anglers to get started in the sport due to the low cost of being able to fish from the banks along with the possibility of catching a trophy striped or largemouth bass. Within this opportunity, the local fishing group Striperz Gone Wild is providing opportunities for adult and youth anglers throughout the Central Valley. They have been very busy during the month of October – distributing 50 tackle boxes to youth at the City of Gustine Youth Derby, holding a booth at the Rio Vista Bass Derby and Festival, and organizing their 2nd annual Fall Fishing Celebration at Hilldale Road near the city of Los Banos this past weekend.
Bill Sterling is the driving force behind SGW, and he said, “We put together a free derby as a show of appreciation for our second year of existence, and we had a record 218 youth and adult participants, up from 166 in year one. We had a number of anglers camping out overnight to be ready for the 4:30 a.m. start with the weigh-in at 2 p.m. It was really windy in the morning, and we only had one 22-inch striped bass weighed in before the flood of anglers came in just before the end of the derby. Jensen Vang took the Adult Division with a 28.5-inch striper while Alan Jimenez was first in the Youth Division at 21 inches. We had a huge free raffle for both adults and youth, and every youth took home a basket of goodies from MadFish Baits. What is most important to me is watching the joy of the children when they win something at the raffle. I was particularly struck by the young man clutching his tackle box with the biggest smile on his face. You never know what you are starting when you provide the tools to get youngsters into the sport. During the fall derby, the 12-year-old girl who took home a $100 prize used it to purchase an air sprayer, and she is now painting her own lures. That’s why we do what we do! Our next event will be the Los Banos ‘Toys For Tots’ Event on Dec. 3 where the entry fee is an unwrapped toy, and we will hold a food drive for the spring derby with the entry fee canned or non-perishable goods.”
As far as fishing goes, Sterling said, “Striper fishing has picked up, and I would rate it a 4 out of 5 stars. The water temperature is dropping which is making the stripers very active! Topwater lures, jerk baits, or swim baits are working best, and try not to spend too much time in one spot is the secret. Unless you find the schools of stripers, keep moving to different areas.”
In the south aqueduct in Kern County, finding clear water remains the key to success along with flukes on a half-ounce jig head or swimbaits are working for striped bass along with cut baits. Catfish are inhaling chicken livers or cut baits.
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 1
Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “Eastman remains solid for largemouth bass with crankbaits, lipless crankbaits, large swimbaits, or large plastics on a Texas-rig, and a few boats are able to get into the low waters of the lake. There are only a couple of spots where the bass are hanging out since they are attracted to submerged rockpiles or wood. Small boats or kayaks are able to access Eastman with the water level at only 6%. The algae blooms remain thick at both Eastman and Hensley. A few quality bass are taken at Hensley, but they are few and far between. Hensley held at 5%.
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 1 King salmon 1 Crappie 2
There is a shallow jig bite with either a ¼- or ¾-ounce G-Money jig along big rock on the main lake amongst the schooling bass. The 4.75-inch TM Custom Flutter Spoons or ¾-ounce Hopkins Shorties are working at depths from 15 to 75 feet once you find the bait balls. The warm water temperatures are starting to cool, but the bait has yet to group up as expected at this time of year. Nor Cal Bass is holding their first Veterans Day Tournament on Nov. 19 with proceeds donated to the Veterans Hunting and Fishing Network. The lake dropped from 52% to 50%. The Fleming Meadows, Blue Oaks, and Moccasin launch ramps remain open, but the Fleming launch requires a long walk to the parking lot.
Call: Monte Smith – 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
Largemouth bass are the top species, and large plastics in the 10- to 12-inch range are working along with deep-diving crankbaits, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, or lipless crankbaits off of rock or wood. Catfish are found near French Gulch with a variety of cut or dip baits. Crappie can be found around certain submerged trees, rock, or bush at depths to 20 feet with small swimbaits or minijigs. The lake remains very low at 7%, and there is only one launch ramp available at the lake. In the lower Kern River, the smallmouth and largemouth bass bite has slowed, but the occasional fish is found on plastics or crankbaits. In the upper section far above the dam, the 20-Mile Section remains low and clear, and fly anglers are finding quality rainbows by working the deep holes. The upper river at Kernville held at 86 cfs with water releases out of the dam at First Point has dropped from 197 to 160 cfs.
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 is very low at 6% and 582.16 feet in elevation, dropping another foot this week. The bass are holding around the deepest water in the lake around submerged rock. Bass fishing should improve with the cooler weather as the shad start to school up. Jigs, plastics, or deep-diving crankbaits are the best offerings. Along with cooler temperatures, a stable water level should help the overall bite. The Kaweah River is very low at only 16 cfs at Three Rivers.
Lake Success
Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2
Success is very low at 6% of capacity and 584.01 feet in elevation. The bass are holding in the deepest water near rock or submerged wood. Plastics on a Texas-rig, deep-diving crankbaits, or Senkos are working best. Catfish are taken on cut or dip baits while carp are inhaling dough baits in the shallows.
Call: Sequoia Fishing Co. 539-5626, sequoiafishingcompany.com
McClure Reservoir
Bass 3 Trout 2 King salmon 0 Kokanee 0 Crappie 2 Catfish 2
The Christian Bass League held a 42-boat tournament with all but two teams weighing in fish. A total of 191 bass were weighed in with a 1.47-pound average. Numbers of small spotted bass are the rule with a good reaction bite in the mornings throughout the lake with squarebilled crankbaits, spinnerbaits, or topwater lures in the shallows. Once the bass move into deeper water, there is a good drop-shot bite with 6-inch Roboworms in Morning Dawn on a ⅜-ounce drop-shot weight. 4.75-inch TM Custom Lures Flutter Spoons or ¾-ounce Hopkin’s Shorties are also effective in the shad schools. Crappie continue to be taken in the coves with minijigs or small swimbaits. The lake continues to drop as it is currently at 20%. The best launch ramp remains at Barrett Cove South.
Call: Ryan Cook – Ryan Cook’s Guide Service – 691-7008
McSwain Reservoir
Trout 3
There hasn’t been much change here as the holdover rainbows and Lightning trout continue to be the story with the best action in the early mornings or late afternoons with Power Bait, nightcrawlers, or Kastmasters from the normal locations of the Brush Pile, Handicapped Docks. Trollers are working the river arm to the Second Fence Line with blade/’crawler combination, Wedding Rings tipped with a piece of nightcrawler behind a dodger, or bright-patterns of spoons. The lake rose from 88% to 96% this week.
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, “Bass fishing has been slow overall with the best action in the river arm or in the main lake on the Madera side or near the dam with Keitech swimbaits, plastics on the drop-shot, or small jerkbaits around rocky structure. The bass are deep for the most part as the water temperatures remain warm. Catfishing is good near Finegold and up the river arm with chickens liver or shrimp.” The following campgrounds are closed through March 31: Fort Miller, Mono, Rocky Point, Dumna Strand, Valley Oak, and Meadows. The park hours have also changed to 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. until March 31. The San Joaquin River flows remain steady at 479 cfs at Friant.
Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474
New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch
Bass 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 3 Trout 3 Kokanee 2
The bass bite is not what we would expect in October as the water temperatures remain in the 76- to 78-degree range. There is plenty of topwater action in the early mornings, but a large portion of the lake is devoid of life. The lake hasn’t been cooling off enough, and the creek channels and main lake points should be loaded with bait right now. Rainbow trout action within the top 20 feet continues to improve as the fish are feeding heavily on the lake’s huge shad population. The shad are small in the 1.5-inch range. Catfishing is very good with chicken livers, fresh shad, or sardines, and the action should remain solid until the water cools. The lake dropped only 2.5 feet this week to 878.50 in elevation this week and 25%.
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, “There has been a decent crankbait bite, but overall, bass fishing has been slow. Crankbaits or similar reaction baits are working best near the weeds. There are some crappie found around the docks with minijigs or small swimbaits. Catfishing has been very consistent around submerged wood. The lake rose slightly to 16%, and the area around Trimmer is exposed with the river arm resembling a creek. In the lower Kings, the trout plant two weeks ago boosted action from the shorelines with Atomic Tubes or Teasers along with finesse Trout Magnets. The next trout plant is scheduled for the week of Oct. 23. The flows have dropped from 194 to 185 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 1
Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “The lake is transitioning into a fall pattern, and Spooks or similar topwater lures are working in the early mornings. The bite has been consistent until around 10 to 11 a.m., and the stripers have been ranging from 16 to 24 inches. We have a supply of Lucky Craft Pointer 128s in the shop, and trollers are picking up a few fish between the islands near the Romero Visitor Center or the mouth of Portuguese Cove. There is a good ripbait bite in the O’Neill Forebay as the boils have been starting to form.” Roger George of Roger George Guide Service continues to put anglers onto their personal-best striped bass with Bryan Foote of Clovis catching and releasing a lineside at 19 pounds and 36.5 inches for the fourth personal-best for his guests within a week. All four PBs were from 15 to 23 pounds. San Luis dropped from 28% to 26% with the O’Neill Forebay rising from 83% to 86%.
In the main lake, the dock is still in at Dinosaur Point, but the channel out to the open lake is narrow and getting shallower every day. Boaters need to be very careful to keep to the south along the southern shoreline as they come out of the mouth of Dinosaur. Cutting to the north once out of the mouth to the front of the tunnel island is becoming dangerous due to the large shallows coming out there.
Call: Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711; Roger George – rogergeorgeguideservice.com – 905-2954
High Sierra
Bass Lake
Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 0
Bass fishing will improve as the water continues to cool, and trout action will also improve with cooler weather. Crappie are found near the docks with water with small swimbaits or underspins. The docks around the Pines Resort and on the side of the meadow are holding some slabs. The lake dropped from 68% to 62%.
Call: Mike Beighey, Bass Lake Fishing 676-8133
Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool
Edison is very low, but as the water cools, the remaining trout in the lake should be ready to bite in preparation for the coming winter.
Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000
Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Kokanee 2 Trout 2
Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun has been searching for a trophy brown trout all of his life, saying, “I have been trying for this fish since I was a young boy, and it finally happened on Sunday with an 11.88-pound brown on a jerkbait off of a boat at Shaver Lake. We were fishing in a small cove for smallmouth bass, and I had previously landed a personal-best smallmouth on a jerkbait. We were just ready to leave before I made a couple of more casts, and on my second cast, I let it sit and gave it a twitch, and it was hit like a freight train. I thought I was onto a big bass, but after the first run of pulling line, my G-Loomis rod was formed in a U-turn, and after the third run, I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to revive this fish. I am a catch and release guy, and after we got the big brown to the boat, we tried several times to release the fish. Of course, this was the fish I was looking for a long time, but I was left with mixed feelings as we couldn’t get it to swim away. I will have the fish mounted as an 11.88-pound brown trout is a fish of a lifetime and the one I have been looking for.” Both the Shaver Marina and Sierra Marin moved their docks out to deep water last week as the lake continues to drop 2 feet per day. Boats will be limited to small aluminums or kayaks as trolling is the only game in town until the water cools enough to bring the rainbows and browns closer to shore. It is difficult to launch a boat at Huntington, but some are launching small aluminums from the shorelines in search of the lake’s trophy brown trout.
Todd Wittwer – Kokanee.net Guide Service – 288-8100; Jerad Romero – Jrods Guide Service – 392-6994; Tom Oliveira – Tom Oliveira Fishing – 802-8072
Wishon/Courtright
Trout 3
Kelly Brewer of the Wishon Village RV Park and Store said, “Fishing is great at Wishon as bank fishing is great, but trolling is even better. Courtright is really low.” Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis added, “Trollers are findings some decent holdovers to 16 inches near the mouth of the river.” The Wishon RV Park and Store has closed for the winter.
Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361
Ocean
Half Moon Bay
Rockfish 3 Striper 2 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3
It’s all about rockfish out of this port with limits the rule south of the harbor with the best action in the open zones north of the Pigeon Point Lighthouse to Pescadero. Bluefin tuna have been taken five miles north of the Weather Buoy, and the tuna fever is high. The Pacific Pier will be loaded with anglers within two week starting Nov. 5 with the opener of the recreational Dungeness crab season.
Call: Captain Michael Cabanas – New Captain Pete (510) 677-7054; Captain Chris Chang – Ankeny Street – (650) 279-8819; Captain Bill Smith – Riptide – (650) 728-8433; Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing – Queen of Hearts – (510) 581-2628.
Monterey/Santa Cruz
Bluefin tuna 2 Rockfish 3 Striper 1 White seabass 2 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3
Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surf Casting Guide Service said, “Fishing for rock cod remains very much a sure thing for boats all around Monterey Bay. Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching Trips from Monterey continues to post full limits of rockfish for all their forays. Ling cod counts are going up as we near the spawning season. Other Monterey anglers are going for sand dabs, Petrale sole, or halibut on the flat sandy areas from Pacific Grove to Sand City at depths of 70 to 150 feet of water. On the north side of the bay out of Santa Cruz, Stagnaro’s Sportfishing reports near limits on all trips, up to 250 cod, plus a few lings. Rodney Armstrong from Santa Cruz Coastal Charters headed north on Saturday and reported, “Today we went up the coast for rock fish and lingcod. We had all the limits of rock fish, two nice lingcod, and a nice halibut. We could not shake the short ling cod as they were everywhere today. We also had a couple halibut come off the hook.”
Bluefin tuna are still in the area, but the bite has been very picky. “There are some boats who catch one or two and there are others with none. It seems like the tuna bite is hit and miss, but the tuna are big. There are fish in the 100- to 200- pound range,” says Bayside Marine owner Todd Fraser. Things heated up over the weekend, which might be just a result of more boats out there on the hunt. On Saturday Fraser added, “The tuna were on the bite today in the afternoon today near the Davenport Fingers. There were some fish caught in the morning trolling Nomad’s Madmacs or drifting mackerel. There is a boat claiming that they are seeing albacore at 36’54/122’14. The bluefin seem to be getting bigger and anglers are breaking fish off.” Sunday’s report indicated a large group of bluefin are actively feeding on big balls of anchovies with a good number of big bonita in the mix.”
Tragedy was narrowly averted on Friday when a small center console boat overturned on the tuna grounds while fighting one of these behemoth bluefin. Tow Boat US Santa Cruz operator Monte Ash explained the number of factors that resulted in a capsize, saying, “A small boat plus a heavy load of equipment and ice plus six to eight-foot wind-blown chop while winding down on a big tuna close to the boat. Add one big wave over the transom and that’ll do it!” Ash and crew successfully located the boat, righted it, and returned it to port the next day. Tow Boat US Santa Cruz elaborated on the recovery saying, “Luckily, the two anglers aboard were plucked out of the water within minutes by other nearby fishermen. We had to wait for first light this morning to mount a search for the overturned vessel. Once the search pattern was established, our crew located the vessel within 30 minutes, approximately 20 miles west of Santa Cruz Harbor. Working in open ocean just on the edge of the continental shelf, Captain Ash bravely swam around and under the boat to rig for parbuckling. A quick and powerful down swell pull resulted in a righted, but still water-logged vessel in tow. The remaining two-and a half-hour tow was enough to drain more water and stabilized the skiff for an uneventful harbor entrance. This is a prime example of how quickly conditions can deteriorate into an emergency situation. These guys had less than 30 seconds to call for help before their boat flipped out from beneath them.” No, they didn’t get the bluefin, and this is a perfect example why boaters and anglers always need put safety first. Know the limits of your equipment in regards to conditions, and wear your PFD with a hand-held VHF radio secured to your person.”
Call: Chris’ Landing (831) 375-5951; Allen Bushnell – Santa Cruz Kayak and Surf Casting – (831) 251-9732
Golden Gate/San Francisco Bay
Salmon 2 Halibut 2 Striper 2 Rockfish 3 Leopard shark 2 White sea bass 2 Sturgeon 2 Crab 3
Salmon season is open until Oct. 31, but most boats heading outside the Gate are going to the Farallons for easy limits of rockfish and a healthy ling cod count. Salmon have been few and far between, but they are still out there on the Marin coast. Recreational Dungeness crab season is set to start on Nov. 5, most likely with hoop nets in this section of the coast.
Inside the bay, the halibut and striped bass bite has improved with limits of stripers to 10 pounds taken off of the San Pablo Bay rockpiles along with inside of Kiel Cove. Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters in Loch Lomond posted five limits of striped bass and a halibut on Saturday while Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions out of San Francisco continues to find schools of white sea bass, picking up an occasional ghost along with solid scores of rockfish, halibut, and striped bass. Halibut remain in small pods between the Barges and the Bay Bridge along with on both side of Alcatraz Island. White sea bass should start getting active soon, and Bay Area anglers are chomping at the bit.
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
It’s all about rockfishing out of the San Luis Obispo ports as albacore seem to be a distant memory. Out of Patriot Sport Fishing in Port San Luis, the Patriot, Flying Fish, and Phenix were out on Sunday on trips ranging from ½- to 3/4-day trips with a combined 54 anglers for 11 vermilion, 28 Bolina, 11 Boccaccio, and 369 assorted rockfish for a total of 419 fish. Out of Morro Bay Landing, the Avenger, Endeavor, and Starfire went on trips on Sunday ranging from ½- to 3/4-day to full day with a combined 62 anglers for 163 vermilion, 130 Boccaccio, 20 Bolina, 246 assorted rockfish, and 10 ling cod to 14 pounds for a total of 569 fish. Out of Virg’s Landing, the Fiesta, Rita G, and Patriot were out on Saturday on trips ranging from ½- to ¾-th day with 71 anglers for 42 vermilion, 13 Boccaccio, 405 assorted, 2 rock sole, and a ling cod. Webcams of many of the coastal locations are available at 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 Salmon 2
The Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta continues to pump out numbers of striped bass along with solid fishing for largemouth bass and sturgeon, but salmon have been missing in action since the July 16 opener. The second of large derbies concluded this past weekend with the 5th Annual City of Pittsburg event, and the next major event will be the Diamond Classic Catch and Release Sturgeon Derby out of Martinez Marina in late January. One local bait shop is holding a largest striped bass derby in early November, but with the precarious state of trophy striped bass, these derbies have mostly gone the way of the dinosaur as ethical organizations such as the Rio Vista Bass Derby and Festival have opted for a target-length derby for years.
Salmon remain scarce with Pam Hayes of Benicia Bait and Tackle saying, “It’s been really slow over the past week. A few weeks ago, they were picking up 2 or 3 fish per day from the banks at the Dillon Point State Park or 1st Street in Benicia, but it is fortunate to hear about a fish or two now. Striped bass has been solid from the banks with grass shrimp, ghost shrimp, pile worms, or blood worms, but the worms have been hard to obtain recently. Bullheads have been really hard to get as well, and it is most likely due to all of the salty water in our area.”
Further north out of Freeport, Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle said, “Salmon fishing has been on and off, but mostly off with a few fish taken by tossing spinners from the banks or jigging. Most guys are flossing in the upper American, but there have been a number of citations issued for leader length.”
Striped bass fishing remains solid in both the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. Justin Leonard of Out Cast Guide Service was in the Broad Slough area on Sunday, and he said, “We scored limits to 13 pounds with most legal fish in the 20- to 24-inch range running deep-diving lures. The action was hot in the early morning and steady throughout the day. We marked a lot of fish, but not all of them were willing to bite.”
Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing was also out on Sunday, and he said, “Fishing is really good right now as we are finding limits drifting jumbo minnows or mudsuckers on the Sacramento side of the Delta.”
In the north Delta, Alan Fong of Alan Fong’s Outdoors landed a surprise 20-pound salmon while testing out a new jig head for largemouth bass. He said, “As salmon head up into our rivers to spawn some of them get lost and end up in back sloughs in the Delta. For 47 years I have been fishing the Delta system and can remember the days I’ve seen these salmon in the sloughs. I think they get disoriented and can’t find their way to the hatchery. I’ve hooked them while bass fishing on crank baits, rip baits and even swimbaits. With no net, Denise Loo and I had to work extra hard to get this one in the boat. We went looking for some crappie and found a few, but the water temperature is still too high at 72 degrees, and the crappie haven’t moved in yet. Once the temperatures get into the mid-60’s, the slabs will get active. We managed to catch some good ones but they were far and few in-between.”
Sturgeon fishing is picking up steam in Suisun Bay as Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing out of Pittsburg Marina has been scoring on every trip with his cured ‘Fire Cure’ salmon roe. The majority of the six-pack captains are berthed in Pittsburg due to the sturgeon kegging up around the brackish water line further east into the Delta.
Brannan Island State Park as the state employees will continue to staff the part on weekends through the month of October. The launch ramp and limited day use areas are open from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and there is a new concessionaire in negotiations with the state that may start to operate as early as Nov. 1. There is no set date at this time, but this is a possibility.
In the San Joaquin River, Vince Borges of Vince Borge’s Outdoors fished a small club tournament on Sunday, and he took first place with a 21-pound limit including an 8 pounder. He said, “Overall the bite was tough, and the bass were just pushing around the frog on the surface and not really blowing up on it. Punching the weeds was the top technique with some smaller fish taken on the Reaction Innovation’s Skinny Dipper. The bite turned on Friday for us in the north Delta with probably 30 striped bass and 30 to 40 largemouth bass with the linesides in the decent keeper range of 4 to 10 pounds. Everything came on swim jigs or glide baits, and the topwater bite was dead in the cold and windy conditions.”
Dave King of Nor Cal Bass said, “We had 29 boats on Saturday out of Ladd’s, and the team of Austin and John Landon took first at 26.79 pounds with a kicker at 8.77 pounds. The weights dropped dramatically after that with second at 22.55, third at 18.59, and fourth at 14.21. Everyone caught numbers of fish, but the bass over 13 inches were scarce. After having 3 to 4 blowups on a Spook, I switched over to red Rat-L-Trap for over 20 bass to 3 pounds. Punching the weeds was the top technique.”
Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, said, “Everything is going on right now, particularly drifting bluegill for striped bass in the east and south Delta. Whites Slough, Mildred Island, Discovery Bay, Union Point, and Empire Cut are all good areas for drifting the live gills.”
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 2 White bass 2 Striper 0 Catfish 3 Crappie 2 Bluegill 2 Trout 2
At Nacimiento, there hasn’t been much change as the white bass remain inactive with the exception of some action in the early mornings with shad-imitation spinners or spoons on the troll. Spotted bass along with the intermittent largemouth bass are also found with shad-imitation lures as the fish are keying on the lake’s shad. Spoons near bait balls are the top technique, and it is important to locate the bait with your electronics before dropping down. The grebes are another key to the shad as they are on the surface, diving for the bait fish. Bluegill and red ear perch continue to be taken on red worms, jumbo red worms, or meal worms. The lake held at 18%. A webcam of the lake is available at 805webcams.com/lake-nacimiento-live-webcam. At Lopez, the fact that the dock remains out of the water hasn’t been a huge problem as float tubers, kayakers, or rental boaters are finding solid bass action for quality over quantity with plastics on the drop-shot, Ned-rig, or Texas-rig on the bottom. There is a reaction bite in the mornings with topwater lures or lipless crankbaits while Senkos or underspins are also effective. Rental boats are available at the marina, and kayakers are able to launch from the shoreline as the launch ramp is out of the water. The lake dropped to 23% of capacity. Anglers can view a live webcam of the lake at 805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam. At Santa Margarita, there is a solid reaction bite with deep-diving crankbaits, lipless crankbaits, swimbaits, spinnerbaits, or underspins early in the mornings or late in the afternoons before working the bottom at depths to 20 feet with plastics or jigs. Catfishing is taken off with some large whiskerfish to nearly 30 pounds landed on cut baits soaked in garlic. Mackerel has been a particularly effective cut bait. Bluegill and crappie are found around structure in the Narrows and around White Oak. The lake dropped to 50.7% of capacity. A webcam of the lake is available at 805webcams.com/santa-margarita-lake-webcam-california. At San Antonio, catfish remain the best option with cut baits, in particular, mackerel coated with garlic scent. Crappie are found around offshore structure with minijigs or small swimbaits, and carp are sucking up dough bait. Bass fishing fair at best with jigs worked on a slow presentation on the bottom being the best presentation. The launch ramp is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends and from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Fridays. The lake held at 10%.
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 - Fresno Bass Club – October 15/16: 1st – Bill Kunz – 22.20 pounds; 2nd – A.J. Duncan – 18.68 (Big Fish - 5.94 pounds); 3rd – Lazaro Calderon – 18.67.
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Nor Cal Club – October 15: 1st – Austin and John Landon– 26.79 pounds (Big Fish – 8.77); 2nd – Christian Ostrander/Ish Monroe – 222.59; 3rd – Dan Castellano Jr./Mitch Tarrar – 18.59.
McClure – Christian Bass League– October 15: 1st – Danny Peluso/Caleb Siegal – 10.40 pounds (Big Fish – 3.96); 2nd – Tony Horner/Jorge Alvarez – 10.20; 3rd –Kirk Sakamoto/Keith Freisen – 9.94.
California Aqueduct/Hilldale Road –Striperz Gone Wild Fall Classic Adult Division – October 15: 1st – Jensen Vang – 28.5 inches; 2nd – Kim Rodrigo – 25 inches; 3rd –Kao Saephanh – 23.5 inches.
California Aqueduct/Hilldale Road –Striperz Gone Wild Fall Classic Youth Division – October 15: 1st – Alan Jimenez – 21 inches; 2nd – Dulce Rodriguez – 19.5 inches; 3rd – Niko Blanco – 19 inches.
Upcoming Tournaments (subject to change)
October 22nd/23rd –
Delta/Holland Riverside Marina – Dan Mathisen Outdoors Tournament of Champions
Camanche – Riverbank Bass Anglers
October 22nd-
Tulloch – Slay Nation/Sierra Bass Club
Don Pedro – Angler’s Press
October 23rd –
Millerton – Big Valley High School Bass Tournaments
October 30th –
Delta/Big Break Marina – East County Student Anglers
This story was originally published October 18, 2022 at 6:51 AM with the headline "Fishing report, Oct. 19-25: Nearly 12-pound brown trout ‘hit like a freight train’ at Shaver."