Central California fishing report: Delta bass, stripers and sturgeon bites going strong
Fishing report compiled by California Outdoors Hall of Fame member 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 bites going, Randy Pringle said. Shaver Lake trophy trout plants bring out anglers, Dick Nichols reported. Don Pedro bass, trout and king salmon hitting, Monte Smith said. Eastman still kicking out big bass, and Millerton spots hitting everything, Aaron Vang said. Kaweah and Lake Success bass bites going, Copes Tackle reported.
Rankings key below: 4: Fish are jumping in the boat. 3: Good fishing. 2: Decent fishing. 1: Poor fishing. 0: Don’t bother
Unless noted, area code is 559
Valley/Westside waterways
Striper 2 Catfish 2
Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait and Tackle in Lathrop reported the northern section of the California Aqueduct from Tracy to Patterson remains slow with a ‘catfish here or there’ with numbers of shaker stripers. Clifton Court Forebay remains fair for barely legal striped bass. Striperz Gone Wild Annual Memorial Aqueduct Tournament is scheduled for Saturday, May 17tat Volta Road near Los Banos. The entry fee is 10 cans of unexpired food to be donated to residents of Merced County. In the southern section of the aqueduct, Cope’s Rod and Tackle in Bakersfield reported cooler weather kept the spring aqueduct bite at bay for another week. Anglers reported smaller stripers on cut sardines, anchovies, or jumbo live minnows after check gates with the best action early in the mornings. Catfishing is best with Triple S Dip Bait, chicken liver, or cut baits. Plastics on the drop shot or a Texas rig along with curly tailed grubs are best for largemouth bass in the eddies before and after check gates.
Aqueduct anglers are always advised to use caution as well as wearing a PFD as the water is swift, cold, and dangerous.
A map of the 16 designated fishing locations on the California Aqueduct can be accessed through this link: https://water.ca.gov/-/media/DsWR-Website/Web-Pages/What-We-Do/Recreation/Files/230424_SWP-Fishing-Guildines-Locations_Online_FINAL.pdf
Call: Valley Rod & Gun, Clovis 292-3474; Cope’s Tackle and Rod, Bakersfield – (661) 679-6351; Bob’s Bait Bucket, Bakersfield (661) 833-8657.
Eastman Lake/Hensley Lake
Bass 3 Trout 2 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Aaron Vang of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported big fish are still biting at Eastman with 8-inch MegaBass Magdrafts, but the most consistent action has been with plastics on a shakey head or jigs. Most of the bass are in the shallows, but there are still a few holding offshore on boulders or island tops. Damian Thao, kayak fishing expert, was on the lake on Monday, and he said, “I started the day with bass at four, five and six pounds before proceeding to catch four-pound clones the rest of the day. The bite is changing, and the bite windows are off. It seems like the bite is an all-day thing now vs. hourly.”
The bass are starting to chase crankbaits. Hensley has been quiet. Eastman is at 552.51 feet in elevation and 64% of capacity with Hensley at 502.71 feet in elevation and 45% of capacity. Only one event is scheduled at Eastman through the end of April.
Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255; Valley Rod & Gun, Clovis 292-3474; 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle 515-6273. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hensley Lake Hidden Dam 673-5151.
Lake Don Pedro
Bass 3 Trout 3 Kokanee 1 King salmon 3 Crappie 2
Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing reported trolling is on the upswing as the water temperatures are on the rise and hovering around 60 degrees with a visibility of 12 feet. King salmon and larger rainbows are taken while rolling Shad at depths from 35 to 65 feet. The kokanee bite is still pretty much nonexistent with a few incidental catchers here and there. Aaron Jones of Central Valley Bait and Tackle in Modesto reported most area anglers are heading to Pedro as the bass are in the shallows and moving onto beds. Everything is working including plastics on the drop-shot or jigs are working for numbers with the larger grade found on underspins, Keitech swimbaits, or umbrella rigs. Launch updates are posted at www.donpedrolake.com. The lake rose to 80% of capacity. The lake will be very busy with 8 tournaments scheduled through the end of April.
Call: Monte Smith, Gold Country Sport Fishing (209) 581-4734; Central Valley Bait and Tackle (209) 312-9417.
Lake Isabella/Bakersfield area
Bass 2 Trout 2 Crappie 3 Catfish 3 Bluegill 3
The lake rose two feet to 2,571.12 feet in elevation and 43% of capacity. Cope’s reported the spring crappie bite has arrived, and the slabs are are being found in as little as one-foot of water with most in the one to five-foot zone around trees and brush. Anglers have been scoring stringers of slabs with a wide variety of minijigs in various colors or live minnows. The bass bite has been up and down, and you can find bass around the 10-foot zone with glide baits, jigs, or Senkos. The trout bite is decent with Get Bent Baits, Hook Up Baits, spinners, and Garlic doused Pinched Crawlers. In the upper Kern, Cope’s reported trout anglers are scoring with salmon eggs on a split-shot, minijigs, Gulp Pinched Crawlers, or trout worms while fly anglers have been doing well with nymphs, stripping streamers, or dry flies in the afternoon. The Upper Kern was stocked last week in sections 4, 5 and 6. In the lower Kern, trout have been caught with salmon eggs, Gulp pinched crawlers, or minijigs. The springtime bass bite is going strong in the lower Kern with jigs, worms, or small crankbaits. Catfish can be found with sardines or Triple S Dip Bait. The annual Isabella Lake Fishing Derby is scheduled for April 12-14. The flows in the upper Kern River dropped slightly to 1250 cfs at Kernville while water releases out of the lake held at 421 cfs at First Point.
Call: Cope’s Tackle and Rod (661) 679-6351; Bob’s Bait Bucket, 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 3
The lake rose 11 feet to 663.54 feet in elevation and 49% of capacity. Cope’s reported fishing has been fair to good as bass anglers worked finesse baits and wacky-rigged Senkos in the 5-to-30-foot zone for spotted bass. Cooler weather has delayed the spring bite, and rising water conditions made anglers adjust to the changing conditions. Once the lake stabilizes anglers should expect solid fishing. The crappie bite perked up with anglers finding biting schools near Horse Creek on small live minnows or minijigs. The Kaweah River is running at 789 cfs at Three Rivers.
Lake Success
Bass 3 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2
The lake rose 4½ feet to 633.88 feet in elevation and 56% of capacity. Cope’s reported a much improved fishing with anglers reporting excellent numbers of largemouth bass holding along rocky banks and in the trees. Senkos in green pumpkin, cinnamon, or Baby Bass on a wacky-rig or topspins with a Keitech trailer are working best. The crappie bite has improved with small live minnows or small swimbaits, and catfish were reliable on chicken liver or dip bait.
McClure Reservoir
Bass 3 Trout 2 King salmon 0 Kokanee 0 Crappie 2 Catfish 2
Aaron Jones of Central Valley Bait and Tackle in Modesto reported most anglers are heading to Don Pedro for a larger grade of bass, but unlimited numbers of spotted bass are in the shallows with anything you want to throw at them.
The Reel Deel Market at Barrett’s Cove is open weekends to May 18 on 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. It opens daily on May 24. The lake rose to 826.31 feet in elevation and 75% of capacity. Four club tournaments are scheduled through the end of April.
Call: Central Valley Bait and Tackle (209) 312-9417.
Lake McSwain
Trout 3
The Merced Irrigation District’s annual Spring Trout Derby was last weekend, and with the heavy pre-derby planting, some anglers found great action while others struggled. The banks were crowded, and several fish and game citations were issued the day prior to the derby for over limit. Rainbow glitter Power Bait, garlic Power Bait, Kastmasters, or inflated nightcrawlers worked best from the regular bank locations while trollers found a challenging bite in the river arm. The lake is at 88% of capacity.
Call: McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534.
Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River
Bass 3 Striped bass 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 3 Crappie 2
Aaron Vang of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported spotted bass action has been outstanding with jigs, plastics on the shakey head or drop-shot or topwater lures as the fish are moving into the shallows. 30 -fish days or more are the norm, but most of the bass are less than two pounds. The lake rose to 542.66 feet in elevation and 70% of capacity. The flows in the San Joaquin River at Friant have dropped to 729 cfs. Sycamore Island is reopened, and the park will be open 6 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily.
A large trout plant occurred in the pond last week. No tournaments are scheduled through the end of April.
Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474; 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle 515-6273.
New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch
Bass 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 2
Trout fishing is on the upswing as Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service has been scoring quick limits at depths from 60 to 80 feet with hoochies or Wee Tad’s behind a dodger. The shad have gone as deep as 120 feet, and the rainbows are gorging on the shad. Kokanee to 12½ inches are showing up for those willing to scratch out within the scattered schools. Drifting minnows in the shallows are producing unlimited numbers of spotted bass, but plastics have also been effective for numbers. With the 30-day quarantine restrictions, there are few boats on the lake.
Only the Glory Hole launch ramp is open from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. to obtain a red tag to start a 30-day quarantine period. Boats must be off the water by 4 p.m. to receive a green tag to relaunch without quarantining or decontamination. Bank fishing is allowed. Non-motorized watercraft, such as kayaks and paddleboards, may also be subject to inspection. The lake rose to 1,051.85 feet in elevation and 83% of capacity. Downstream Lake Tulloch is closed to boating due to the potential for invasive golden mussels.
Call: John Liechty, Xperience Fishing Guide Service (209) 743-9932; Kyle Wise, Headhunter Guide Service (209) 531-3966; Monte Smith (209) 581-4734.
Pine Flat Reservoir/Kings River
Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 0 King salmon 0 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Aaron Vang reported most of the bass are shallow, but there are some remaining in pre-spawn. Jerkbaits or plastics on the drop-shot are working on bluff walls but there are still some larger bass taken on 6-inch Megabass Magdrafts. Tournament weights are on the rise with a 17-pound plus limit taking Saturday’s 72-boat Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournament event. The big fish of the tournament was 6.76 pounds landed by the team of Michael Spencer, Roosevelt High School Bass Fishing Club advisor, and former Bass Fishing Club member, Steven Cha. In the lower Kings River, no trout plants are scheduled, but holdovers can be found with Roostertails, Atomic Tubes, Joe’s Flies, small spinners, or nightcrawlers.
The flows remain high at 1,659 cfs at Trimmer. The catch-and-release section is located below the Alta Weir (also known as Cobbles Weir) extending downstream to the Highway 180 bridge. This area is considered a zero limit, catch-and-release zone where only artificial lures with barbless hooks are allowed. Citations remain a common occurrence for fishing with barbed hooks or in possession of trout.
The lake rose to 891.68 feet in elevation and 68% of capacity. One bass tournament is scheduled through the end of April.
Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474; 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle 515-6273.
San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay
Striper 2 Catfish 2 Bass 2 Crappie 2
Yahir Leon of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported trollers are getting in on the act in the main lake with Arigs while bait anglers are soaking anchovies, blood worms, or pile worms near Dinosaur Point. The grade of the striped bass is larger in the main lake, but the forebay is kicking out numbers of stripers from less than the legal 18-inch size to 19 inches.
Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said that the bite has been up and down with the cooler fronts slowing the action.
”I guided Matt Swanson of Visalia on Monday in a cold north wind and the fish were totally shut down till after lunch when the front passed . We finally found some active fish in the main lake at the 70 plus depth -and got into a good bite window for about an hour before it stopped. . We released over 15 fish with a 12, 13 and a 14 pound, 10 ounce kicker on Shad colored baits. We had a few milting males in the mix too,“ George said.
The main lake continues to rise with increased exports out of the south Delta, and it is now 89% of capacity while the forebay is at 82% of capacity. The best fishing in the upper aqueduct system has been at Clifton Court Forebay.
Boat inspections at San Luis Reservoir, O’Neill Forebay, and Los Banos Creek Reservoir in Merced County are required when exiting these lakes to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. At O’Neill Forebay, golden mussels were recently detected. Boats leaving these San Luis Recreation Area lakes will not be granted a clean boat tag.
After boating in waterways, always remember to clean, drain, and dry to help stop the spread of aquatic invasive species. To check the real time wind conditions on the lake use windfinder.com/forecast/san_luis_reservoir.
Call: Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711, Roger George, rogergeorgeguideservice.com (559) 905-2954
High Sierra
Bass Lake
Bass 3 Trout 3 Kokanee 0
Chris Counts of Fresno was out with a friend over the weekend, and they scored limits of rainbow trout to 21 inches continue to be found for trollers at depths from 6 to 18 feet in front of the Forks Resort with Dick’s Trout Busters or pink/orange Wiggle Hoochies tipped Pautske’s Fire Corn behind a Sunrise Mountain Dodger. Aaron Vang of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported bass are eating everything at depth from the banks to 10 feet. The public launch is doable, but the dock is still out of the water. A live webcam is available at https://www.basslakeca.com/bass-lake-webcam-1.
Call: Mike Beighey, Bass Lake Fishing 676-8133.
Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool
Kaiser Pass Road is closed to vehicle traffic with only snowmobile access available. Edison dropped to 26% of capacity, Florence rose slightly to 13% of capacity, and Mammoth Pool also rose slightly to 68% of capacity.
Road conditions are available at the High Sierra Ranger Station – 855-5355 or https://www.fs.usda.gov/sierra.
Road conditions 297-0706.
Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000.
Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Bass 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 2
Shaver Lake guide emeritus, Dick Nichols, reported, “With the word spreading about the big Shaver Lake Trophy Trout plant on March 24th, a flotilla of boat fishermen converged onto Shaver over the weekend; however, it was a mixture of reports from zero fish in the boat to multiple limits of mixed fish. Brian Klassen and Kyle Allen of Reedley hit the lake Sunday and picked up three limits of trout, and six were trophies from three- to-seven pounds. Klassen fished the Black Rock area with little luck before moving over to the Point where they found their fish. They also picked up and released two second-year 10-inch kokanee. The best depths seem to be 10 to 20 feet deep with a pink spinner hoochie or a Dick’s Stevenson green/orange Trout Buster behind a Rocky Mountain dodger. The brown trout bite has been fairly steady over the past month, and along with the remaining holdover golden trout, recently planted catchables, and trophy rainbows, there is plenty of fish in the lake. It seems the trout move daily, so it’s important to not give up by moving to a different location, changing colors and depths until you locate them.The marinas open mid-month. Both ramps are open, and the weather should be very good for a while.” Kokanee are scattered, but a few trollers have scratched out limits of the landlocked salmon at depths from 25 to 32 feet. Check the Sierra Marina webcam at http://www.sierramarina.com/webcam-weather-page.html for conditions. At Huntington, fishing interest is left to the most dedicated brown trout trollers. Shaver rose to 74% of capacity with Huntington holding at 35% of capacity.
Call: Paul Brown 300-4001; Tom Oliveira, Tom Oliveira Fishing 802-8072; Todd Wittwer, Kokanee.net Guide Service 288-8100.
Wishon/Courtright
Trout 0
McKinley Grove Road is closed, limiting access to both reservoirs. McKinley Grove Road will remain closed until the regularly scheduled reopening on Memorial Day weekend, depending upon weather.
Road conditions: Sierra National Forest Ranger Station 297-0706.
Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361.
Ocean
Half Moon Bay
Rockfish 2 Striper 2 Halibut 2 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3
The next step in the determination of the 2025 ocean salmon season will occur during the Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC) meetings in San Jose, on April 9 -15. The Council will adopt final regulatory measures for analysis by the Salmon Technical Team, and the final adoption of recommendations to the National Marine Fisheries Service will also occur and is tentatively scheduled for April 15. The Council-Adopted Management Measures and Environmental Assessment Part 3 for 2025 Ocean Salmon Fishery Regulations will be available online in late April at https://www.pcouncil.org/. Next, the California Fish and Game Commission will receive an update on ocean salmon sport fishery regulations in effect during their meeting on April 16-17. The three alternatives developed in March from the PFMC range from the most liberal at: 4 four-day seasons from June 5-8, July 3-6, July 31-Aug. 3, and Aug. 28-31 with the additional possibility of Sept.1- Oct. 15.
In season action may be taken to close open days when total harvest is approaching a statewide harvest guideline for Chinook salmon, to three four-day seasons with the same harvest restrictions.
At least one large party boat made the run to deep water over the weekend, and the Queen of Hearts returned with 24 limits of rockfish and a ling cod. Captain Melynda Dodds of the New Captain Pete took her last crab-only trip of the year over the weekend, and she is stacking out to focus on bay halibut and striped bass until the nearshore rockfish season starts May 1 through September 30. Rock crab and rockfish are possible from the North or South Jetty with surf perch from the beaches.
Call: Captain Melynda Dodds, New Captain Pete (512) 825- 8225; Captain Chris Chang, Ankeny Street (650) 279-8819.
Monterey/Santa Cruz
Rockfish 3 Halibut 2 Striper 2 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3
From the beaches, Yahir Leon of Coyote Bait and Tackle reported continued solid perch fishing with two-inch Lucky 13 grubs in motor oil/red flake on a Carolina-rig. Small striped bass are also biting the grubs along the beaches near Watsonville.
“The 2025 rockfish season opener could be described as “anti-climactic,” Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surf Casting Guide Service said.
Weather and sea conditions effectively kept all the boats inside at the docks on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. The roving rainstorms from last week may be over, but some mixed up weather conditions still remain. NOAA had a small craft advisory posted through Thursday night. The big swell is dropping but waves were still metering at 6-7 foot as of noon on Thursday. Winds were light in the early mornings. Wind was from the south, which always makes things a bit messy on the bay, especially over a west or northwest swell. Winds rose to nearly 20 knots by afternoon on Thursday. Because the open fishing area this month is restricted to waters beyond the 300-foot line, that means boats are much farther offshore away from the protected embrace of the Monterey Bay. Typically, when conditions are uncomfortable on the inside, they are often downright nasty on the outside.Saturday’s conditions were much more on the comfortable side of things. Waves were reported as be five feet from the west, and winds were a gentle three knots offshore in the early morning, before switching to west winds and building up to around 15 knots in the afternoon. We saw most of the charter operations fishing by Saturday as well as a flotilla of private boats from our harbors and visitors with their trailer boats. Monterey and Moss Landing Harbors are free and clear for entrance and exits. Santa Cruz Harbor is still dredging at the jetty entrance, with shoaling warning still in place. The current entrance sounding at Santa Cruz indicates a stable channel dead center of the jaws with 12- to 20-foot depths as of April 2.
Chris’ Sportfishing in Monterey sent out both the Caroline and Check Mate on Thursday and reported pretty good deepwater rock fishing. They counted limits of up to 200 rockfish, double-digit lings and a high count of 15 Petrale sole for their efforts. Neighboring J&M Sportfishing on old Fisherman’s Wharf ran short four-hour trips and still managed limits of rockfish for the Kahuna on Sunday along with lingcod counts up to 12. On the north side of the bay, Stagnaro’s Sportfishing counted 184 rockfish for their initial trip of the year.
Call: Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching (831) 375-5951; Allen Bushnell, Santa Cruz Kayak and Surf Casting (831) 251-9732.
Golden Gate/San Francisco Bay
Halibut 3 Striper 3 Rockfish 3 Leopard shark 3 Sturgeon 3
Deep water rockfishing more than 50 fathoms actually opened on April 1, but the party boats out of Half Moon Bay, San Francisco Bay, Bodega Bay, and Fort Bragg had to wait until the weekend to find weather conditions to make the trek. When the ocean lay down over the weekend, it was more than worth the wait.
Out of Bodega Bay, Captain Rick Powers of Bodega Bay Sport Fishing was out on both Saturday and Sunday for the 23-mile trek to Rittenburg Bank for a combined 52 limits of huge vermilion, canary, and Boccaccio rockfish along with 64 ling cod to 25 pounds.
“It was flat, glassy calm out there, and it looks like we have a few more days before the weather comes up again mid-week,” Powers said. “There is some very good news on the horizon with the possibility of a section of Cordell Banks being open during the next deep-water window during the month of October. The opening will not be the entire section of the banks, but there is a good portion of solid fish-holding ground there. This hasn’t been open for over 25 years, and for those who have the memories of the ‘good old days’ of Cordell, it will be phenomenal.”
Inside the bay, near limits of halibut, all the leopard shark you can handle, striped bass on the chew, sturgeon making a strong showing, and white sea bass milling around in the harbors at the Berkeley and Emeryville Marinas. After a sketchy opener to the halibut season, the California Dawn 2 out of Berkeley had been approaching a fish to over a fish per rod on the flatfish on Friday and Saturday before posting near limits with 28 halibut to 15 pounds and seven striped bass for 16 anglers on Sunday.
Captain James Smith has been working shallow water in the south bay. One very interesting phenomenon has been the appearance of big white sea bass inside the marinas, and at least five have been caught within the harbor. The white sea bass have been schooling inside the harbor, and it is quite possible that the fish are attempting to spawn.
Call: Captain Ron Koyasako, Nautilus Excursions (916) 704-4169; Captain Jerad Davis, Salty Lady (415) 760-9362; Captain Steve Mitchell, Hook’d Up Sport Fishing (707) 655-6736; Happy Hooker (510) 223-5388.
San Luis Obispo
Rockfish 3 Surf perch 3
Finally something to fish for, and with the rockfish season open at all depths from April 1-June 30, boats from all three San Luis Obispo County ports were out over the weekend. Out of Patriot Sport Fishing at Port San Luis, one boat took out 18 anglers for 117 assorted rockfish, 18 vermilion, 12 copper, 11 Boccaccio, and 15 ling cod to 7 pounds. Morro Bay Landing was busy on Saturday with all three boats out with a combined 85 passengers for 360 assorted rockfish, 160 vermilion, 160 Boccaccio, 10 copper, 34 ling cod to 10 pounds, and 3 Petrale sole. Out of Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay, two boats were out on Saturday with 46 customers for 276 assorted rockfish, 37 vermilion, 13 ling cod, and one cabezon.
Call: Virg’s Landing (800) 762-5263; Patriot Sport Fishing (805) 595-4100; Morro Bay Landing
Others
Delta/Stockton
Bass 3 Striper 3 Sturgeon 3 Catfish 2 Bluegill 3
Although most sturgeon six-pack captains have migrated to the bay, sturgeon fishing remains outstanding in Suisun Bay with as many as a dozen fish brought to the boat on an average trip. Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing had a two-person charter on Sunday, and they brought nine diamondbacks to the boat.
Minor regulation changes for white sturgeon will be presented to the Fish and Game Commission over the next few months. The Department of Fish and Wildlife, in response to the petition to list white sturgeon as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) has ramped up studies with several charter boat captains involved in long-line studies along with the additional charter boats having the ability to PIT tag sturgeon. PIT tags, or Passive Integrated Transponders, are small, battery-free microchips used to identify individual fish used in fisheries studies to track fish movement, survival, and growth.
Striped bass trolling has improved from Rio Vista to Collinsville, but the best action remains on the San Joaquin side. There is still a bait bite on the Sacramento side, but once the water clears, the striped bass bite should be lights out. Many of the larger fish have already headed upriver to spawn on this next full moon with the high water. As the water’s warm, largemouth bass will be moving into the flats in pre-spawn mode.
On the San Joaquin side, striped bass continue to be the story with trollers scoring with either deep or shallow diving Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows, P-Line’s Predator Minnows, or Rebels from the mouth of the Mokelumne River upstream to the Antioch Bridge.
Chris Ditter of Head Rush Guide Service reported, “Fishing is still really good on the San Joaquin, and limits have been coming in daily. However, expect the fish to be moving upstream with the possibility of some slower days.” Boat traffic has increased, and although the action has improved on the Sacramento side, most trollers remain on the San Joaquin.
Dave King, director of last week’s two-day ‘Bass and Badges’ law enforcement tournament, found a good bite in the east Delta, also around tules with Senkos in watermelon/red flake.
With the golden mussel restrictions in the lakes, the Delta tournament scene is busy throughout the next few months. In the south San Joaquin River around Lathrop, Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait and Tackle reported the current remains strong, and it takes five to six ounces to stay down.
“There are some good stripers coming in, but there are a lot of shaker striped bass.,” he said. “Drifting minnows upstream past Turtle Beach has been a more consistent technique for legal striped bass.”
Call: Steve Mitchell, Hook’d Up Sport Fishing (707) 655-6736; Vince Borges, Vince Borges Outdoors (209) 918-0828. Soo Hoo Sport Fishing (925) 899-4045.
Events
Tournament results
April 3-4
Delta/B and W Resort – Badges and Bass
1st – Phil Tilbury/Aaron Sapp – 38.90 pounds; 2nd – Joey Letsinger/Eric Mays – 38.13; 3rd – Pete Bizini/Mike Moreno – 38.06.
April 5
Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournaments Central Region
1st – Ryan and Russell Whitehead – 18.80 pounds (Big Fish – 7.03); 2nd – Travis and Tristen Matthews – 18.52; 3rd – Tony Horner/Jorge Alvarez – 16.35.
Pine Flat – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments
1st – Nick Sanches/Jordan Poytress – 17.92 pounds; 2nd – Brandon Turner/Seth McLain – 14.66; 3rd – Craig Gong/Ryan Reynolds – 14.59. Big Fish – 6.76 – Michael Spencer/Steven Cha.
April 6
Pine Flat – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments High School Division
1st –Reid Hammond – 8.95 pounds (Big Fish – 3.05) 2nd – Austin Burns – 8.22; 3rd – Coleton Rader – 7.81.
Pine Flat – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments Youth Division
1st –Brysen Smith – 7.84 pounds (Big Fish – 2.37) 2nd – Kyler Rader – 7.08; 3rd – Alexander Saevang – 6.76.
Upcoming tournaments (dates and locations subject to change)
Note – tournaments scheduled for New Melones, Camanche, Tulloch, or Pardee are subject to change and will not be listed
April 8
Don Pedro – Mid Valley Agricultural Services
April 12-13
Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournaments
McClure – Fresno Bass Club
April 12-14
Isabella – Kern River Valley Chamber of Commerce Trout Derby
April 12
Delta/Russo’s Marina – Best Bass Tournaments Golden Mussel Event
Don Pedro – All American Bass Club/California Bass Federation
McClure – Kerman Bass Club
Eastman – SMART Local 104
San Antonio – American Bass Association
April 13
Delta/Russo’s Marina – The Bass Hole Inc.
Bass Lake – Kings VIII Bass Club
April 18
Don Pedro – E and J Gallo Winery
April 19
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Nor Cal Bass
Don Pedro – Angler’s Press
Pine Flat – Central Valley Kayak Fishing
Bass Lake – Sierra Bass Club
Success – Bass 101
Lopez – Best Bass Tournaments
April 26-27
Don Pedro – Bakersfield Bass Club
Santa Margarita – Golden Empire Bass Club
April 26
Delta/B and W Marina – Central Valley Anglers Striper Derby
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – 17/90 Bass Club
McClure – MCFFA Local 1289
Bass Lake – Kerman Bass Club
April 27
Bass Lake – Kings River Bass Club
For more go to fresnobee.com/fishing.
This story was originally published April 8, 2025 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Central California fishing report: Delta bass, stripers and sturgeon bites going strong."