Fishing report, Aug. 9-Aug. 15: Catfish and stripers are active, trout and kokanee, too.
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.
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Best bets
Westside waterways catfish and stripers active, Bill Sterling said. Don Pedro kicking out trout, king salmon and Kokanee, Monte Smith reported. Pine flat bass on a good bite, Michael Crayne said. Millerton spotted bass hitting, Michael Spencer reported. New Melones still producing big Kokanee, Kyle Wise said. San Luis stripers on the prowl, Josh Mesa reported. Delta bass and striper bites going, Alan Fong said.
Valley
Westside waterways
Striper 3 Catfish 3
Bill Sterling of Striperz is a RT Gone Wild said, “The water in the aqueduct north of the O’Neill Forebay is running fast as the head gates are wide open, and you have to know how to fish the fast current with lures. I keep catching and releasing a limit of stripers with a Lucky Craft Pointer 120 in Sexy Shad along the sides of the headgates in the Gustine, Newman, Westley, and Patterson areas. South of the forebay, the moss is accumulating as boat traffic in the forebay breaks off the weeds which end up in the aqueduct. Anglers have been complaining about the amount of weeds, particularly those who are soaking bait.” Josh Mesa of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported a consistent catfish bite with chicken livers or dough baits.
Striperz Gone Wild’s Three-Year Anniversary ‘Fall Classic’ Striper Derby is 5 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 7 at the Hilldale Bridge with a BBQ, 50/50 raffle, and prizes in the adult and youth divisions.
In the south aqueduct in Kern County, the striped bass bite is strong with pile worms, cut bait, or nightcrawlers coated with garlic scent. Catfishing remains solid with Triple S Dip Bait, cut baits, or chicken livers. Largemouth bass are active around the floating mats with plastics or topwater lures.
Call: Valley Rod & Gun, Clovis 292-3474; Bob’s Bait Bucket, Bakersfield (661) 833-8657.
Eastman Lake/Hensley Lake
Bass 2 Trout 1 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Eastman and Hensley remain very tough for bass anglers as the fish are holding in the deepest water. Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The water on top is hot with the coldest water on the bottom. The schools of bait fish are heavy at Eastman, and this may be why the bite is so bad. Small algae blooms are taking place in both lakes. Hensley has been a ghost town with few anglers trying.”Eastman dropped 2 ½ feet to 554.95 feet in elevation and 66% with Hensley dropping 3 feet to 507.55 feet in elevation and 51% as water releases continue.
Call: Eastman Lake (559) 689-3255; Valley Rod & Gun, Clovis (559) 689-3255; (559) 292-3474; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hensley Lake Hidden Dam 673-5151
Lake Don Pedro
Bass 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 3 King salmon 3 Crappie 2
Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing said, “We are still catching kokanee, king salmon, and rainbow trout, and we were out on Sunday without a bite for the first few hours before we started getting hit. After missing out on the first four hook ups, my clients got into the groove with three big kokanee, three rainbows, and a 5-pound king salmon. I saw the big salmon at 45 feet, and I quickly raised up the downrigger to this depth. Before I could get it to 45 feet, the line came off the downrigger, and I grabbed the rod and started reeling before handing off the rod to young Hayden Andrews. It started taking line, and it ran out 200 feet in short order before he was able to make up ground. We saw the big fish come to the surface, and we all kept quiet until the big king was in the net. The kokanee are scattered at depths from 65 to 75 feet, and they are in a totally different area than they were a few weeks ago. The key is working along the east side of the lake where the prevailing wind is pushing up both the plankton and the bait.” For bass, John Liechty of Xperience Bass Fishing Guide Service said, “My client, Berah McSwain of Nashville, Tennessee, caught and released a 9-pound largemouth on a trout-patterned swimbait. Pedro has been the most consistent Mother Lode lake for both spotted and largemouth bass.’ Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “It’s definitely been a tougher bite here, but we are still scoring with the Megabass Vision 110 + 1 jerkbait in shad patterns, 1/4-ounce Kastmaster in blue/silver, or shad-patterned plastics on the drop-shot. The bass are all suspended, and there are large schools of small shad. The Tuolumne River arm is open as the log boom near Ward’s Ferry Bridge was removed on August 3rd giving boaters access to the entire lake. There is still some floating driftwood in the upper river. The lake dropped 1.25 feet to 823.75 feet in elevation and 96%.
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 (559) 691-7008.
Lake Isabella/Bakersfield area
Bass 3 Trout 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 3 Bluegill 3
The lake dropped a foot to 2,602.63 feet in elevation and 94%. With the lake reaching an elevation not seen for years, the bass action has been stellar with crankbaits, walking-style topwater lures in. the early mornings, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, or big plastic worms in the 7-to 10-inch range with the best fishing remaining in the South Fork. Trout fishing is best in the colder waters of the North Fork with bank anglers working deep water access with garlic Power Bait or spinners. Trollers are finding success with shad-patterned spoons on leadcore line. Catfishing remains best with Triple S Dip Bait, nightcrawlers, or cut baits.
The Kern River at Kernville dropped from 622 to 157 cfs while water releases out of the dam have held steady at 2969 cfs at First Point. With the high flows out of the lake, the lower Kern is challenging, but in the long run, the flows will pay dividends in both the upper and lower Kern.
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 dropped 8 feet to 688.18 feet in elevation and 81%. There is a decent topwater bite in the early mornings along rocky structure with deep water access. Plastics on a Ned-rig, drop-shot, or Texas-rig are other solid producers once the sun comes out. The lake will be dropping water rapidly within the next few months. Catfish are another option with Triple S Dip Bait or chicken livers. The Kaweah River at Three Rivers is dropping, and it came down from 1092 to 712 cfs this week.
Lake Success
Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2
The lake dropped 1.25 feet to 646.78 feet in elevation and 85%. Despite the heat, bass fishing is fair at best with a decent reaction bite with chatterbaits or crankbaits before heading to the bottom with jigs or plastics on the drop-shot or Texas-rig. Catfishing remains best with Triple S Dip Bait or cut anchovies.
Call Cope’s Tackle and Rod (661) 679-6351; Sequoia Fishing Co. 539-5626, sequoiafishingcompany.com.
McClure Reservoir
Bass 2 Trout 2 King salmon 0 Kokanee 0 Crappie 2 Catfish 3
Few bass fishermen are targeting McClure as the bite remains challenging with the absence of a larger grade of fish. Typical of the other Mother Lode lakes, small bass are the rule with a topwater bite in the mornings before a reaction bite with deep-diving shad patterned crankbaits or spinnerbaits along the mud lines. Finally, plastics on the drop-shot is best by mid-morning. Catfishing remains solid at night along sloping banks with chicken livers, nightcrawlers, or cut baits. The lake dropped 2.5 feet to 853.09 feet in elevation at 91%.
Call: Ryan Cook, Ryan Cook’s Guide Service (559) 691-7008.
McSwain Reservoir
Trout 2
The lake rose slightly from 93 to 95% with water releases down the Merced River. With the lack of trout plants since May, anglers are spending hours in the heat without a bite. There are some bass in the lake, but few are targeting the largemouths and spotted bass that have spilled over from Lake McClure. Kayaking, recreational swimming and boating dominate activity at McSwain during the summer months. Trout plants should resume in the fall months prior to the October Merced Irrigation District Trout Derby.
Call: Angler’s Edge Market (209) 226-4416; McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534.
Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River
Bass 3 Striped bass 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 3 Crappie 2
Michael Spencer, advisor for the Roosevelt High School Bass Fishing Club, said, “The club had a fun day on Sunday with everyone catching fish as we had a reward day at the lake after holding a huge clean up on Saturday. School starts next week, but the RHSBFC is not one to wait. We were part of the Mayor’s City Wide Clean Up putting a little polish on the neighborhood around Mosqueda Park, and Sunday was a day of fishing at Millerton practicing their fishing skills. Our anglers do not get on the water without our amazing boat captains, and Chase Dixon, Pierre Matthews, Daniel Lopez, and Mike Pawlowski gave their boats, their time, and their experience to the club to make it happen for our student members. The lake is way up, but everyone caught fish.” Bill Kunz of St. Croix Rods was on the lake on Sunday for a few hours.
He said, “I ran into a few decent ones.” Michael Crayne of Valley Rod & Gun in Clovis reported a solid jig bite in the main lake and upriver near Finegold. He added, “There is a decent topwater bite in the early morning, but there haven’t been any stripers reported recently.” Water releases down the San Joaquin have dropped slightly from 525 to 457 cfs at Friant. The San Joaquin River from Friant Dam to the Merced County line is open for recreational use. Sycamore Park is open seven days per week. Bass action in the Trout Pond has been strong with a variety of techniques including plastics or crankbaits. The boat launch, parking area, and fishing pier are now fully open, dry, and accessible. The lake dropped 6 feet to 571.95 feet in elevation and 94%.
Call: Valley Rod & Gun (559) 292-3474.
New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch
Bass 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 3
Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service reported big kokanee continue to come at depths from 40 to 50 feet with Apex lures behind a gold Indiana dodger along with T-Bone’s Tackle’s Turtle lure. He said, “This lure is similar to a big J-Pex, and we crushed them this week.” Richard Kowski of Brown’s Valley reported landing a 20.75-inch kokanee weighing 3.2 pounds this week. There have been kokanee over 20 inches and 3 pounds reported this week.
“I start every day by throwing topwater lures such as Whopper Ploppers or Spooks, and if we get six blow ups, that is a high point as the topwater bite has been basically non-existent,” John Liechty of Xperience Fishing Guide Service said. “The most consistent bite has been with plastics on the drop-shot or shakey head along with spinnerbaits or crankbaits along the mud line when the boat traffic picks up. Small Keitech swimbaits are also working, and the average fish are in the 1.5- to 2-pound range. The largemouth bass are all skinny with no weight at all, and the lake has totally flipped as this is the most difficult I have seen it since I started fishing here in 2006. There are lots of fry consisting of baby bass, but the shad schools are not in the shallows. They may be in deep water, but we aren’t seeing them. Last May, I had 30 days of chasing boils.” Water releases have started, and the lake has dropped 2 feet to 1054.10 feet in elevation and 84%.
Call: John Liechty, Xperience Fishing Guide Service (209) 743-9932; Ryan Cook, Ryan Cook’s Guide Service (559) 691-7008; Kyle Wise, Headhunter Guide Service (209) 531-3966; Monte Smith (209) 581-4734.
Pine Flat Reservoir/Kings River
Bass 3 Trout 2 Kokanee 0 King salmon 0 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
The lake dropped 4 feet to 943.09 feet in elevation and 95%. The lake has been fishing very well for bass with many area bass anglers focusing on Pine Flat. Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “Anglers are scoring with Flutter Spoons, deep-diving crankbaits, umbrella rigs, jigs, and plastics on the drop-shot. There is a good topwater bite in the early mornings with some good action around the main launch ramp at Deer Creek and along all of the small points near the marina.” The lake is releasing water, and the restroom is now completely out of the water as it was inundated only a few weeks ago. Parking a trailer remains a challenge with the high water. The flows on the lower Kings at Trimmer have dropped from 5359 to 3298 cfs. Spotted bass have moved into the lower Kings from over the spillway, and bass fishing has been solid in the recently-opened waters of the river.
Call: Valley Rod & Gun (559) 292-3474; Sequoia Fishing Co. (559) 539-5626.
San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay
Striper 3 Catfish 2 Bass 2 Crappie 2
The lake is releasing water, and it has dropped from 92 to 90 %. Josh Mesa of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “Anchovies form the banks continue to produce limits of schoolie striped bass in the 20- to 26-inch range with larger fish to 32 inches a possibility. Most of the action has been around the pumps with moving water, particularly around Check 12. There is a topwater bite with Super Spooks as well as a jerkbait bite with Duo Realis 120’s. The Duo’s have been hard to keep in stock.
Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said that the overall bite for boaters has picked up since the full moon began waning. “ I took out three anglers from San Jose on Saturday and we hit it right for once trolling Lucky Crafts in Portuguese Cove at 50-70-feet.
“Right off the bat Frank Castillo hooked a huge fish that measured 42 ½-inch and weighed 29.1 pounds, a huge new personal best. Not much later his buddy, Angel Nava also connected with a big fish that was 36 ½-inch and went 17.2 pounds, another big personal best.”The third angler in the party also got his personal best with a 28-inch fish. It’s very unusual to have all three anglers score new personal bests on the same trip - especially with those sizes in the mix, George said. All the fish were released using the Seaqualizer release tool.
“In the forebay, the weeds are getting thick, and largemouth bass are chasing bait amongst the weeds along the shorelines. There is a topwater bite for bass along with plastics on the outside weed line,” he added The forebay is at 81%.
To check the 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 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 0
Mike Beighey of Bass Lake Fishing said, “The lake is on one day and slow the next. The best trout action in front of Miller’s Landing to in front of the Forks at holdover rainbows to 19 inches with Apex lures behind a blue Rocky Mountain Signature Dodgers or Dick’s Mountain Dodger along orange Dick’s Mountain tubes. There is lots of boat traffic, but this doesn’t bother the bite. The trout are at the surface in the morning before dropping down when the boats take off after 8 a.m. The kokanee remain MIA.” Boat traffic will continue to be heavy until school opens once again in southern California. The heat has slowed the bass bite. A webcam of the launch ramp is available at https://basslakeca.com/.
Call: Mike Beighey, Bass Lake Fishing 676-8133.
Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool
The Kaiser Pass lakes are rising, and trout fishing has been solid at both Edison and Florence Lake. Edison has is kicking out multiple browns and rainbows for troller with the high water level. All the lakes are nearly filled with Edison at 95, Florence at 84, and Mammoth Pool at 99%. Road conditions 297-0706.
Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake (559) 259-4000.
Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Kokanee 2 Trout 2
Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters, Shaver’s Guide Emeritus, said, Shaver action slowed as the week progressed as prior to the weekend. Trout are the predominant catch since the Department of Fish and Wildlife planted them last week. The plants, along with the holdovers, provided anglers with fair to excellent results. But as the days passed, the fish spread about the lake and there were less of them. The kokanee bite remains somewhat off.
Nichols fished on Thursday with Dr. Barbara Stewart who is known in the mountains and foothills as Doc Barb.
He said Stewart picked up over two limits of mixed fish, keeping only kokanee to 16 inches, carefully releasing the smaller fish and trout.
Her best tackle came on pink or orange Mountain Tubes tipped with scented corn behind her namesake dodger, the Doc Barb Mountain Dodgers that she designed.
On the side poles were purple Dick’s Koke Busters or Dick’s Scout Trout Busters tipped with a piece of crawler behind weighted Mountain Flashers at a setback of 120 feet.
“We found trout to be in the 20-to-35-foot level, and the kokanee at 33-to-45 foot depth. The trout are scattered, and the kokanee that were biting seem to hang in front of Shaver Marina and the Point. On my Friday fishing trip with four relatives, we experienced a very slow early morning bite. By 8 a.m., we were hammering trout at the mouth of Dorabella Cove. We managed to keep a dozen yearling 14-to-15-inch rainbows and released the smaller fresh plants.
“We used the same tackle as the day before. Sadly, we never had a known kokanee hook up. I think many koke fishermen are experiencing the slower koke bite. Most of the reports from Huntington trollers have been a good trout bite mixed with a few kokes. The kokanee are smaller than normal, the trout are recent plants. Basically, similar type tackle and bait are the favorites.”
A webcam of the Shaver launch ramp is at sierramarina.com/webcam-weather-page.html and for Huntington at http://www.shaverlakewebcams.info/huntington.html. Shaver at 94 and Huntington at 97%.
Call: Todd Wittwer, Kokanee.net Guide Service 288-8100; Jerad Romero, Jrods Guide Service (559) 392-6994; Tom Oliveira, Tom Oliveira Fishing (559) 802-8072
Wishon/Courtright
Trout 2
Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “Courtright remains slow, but there are trout taken deep in the back of the reservoir by trollers pulling blade/’crawler combinations, spoons, or Rapalas. There have been more browns than normal landed this year.” The trout action at Wishon has been fair, but with the triple-digit heat in the valley, the lake has been crowded, particularly on the weekends. The last plant was two weeks ago.
Call: Wishon RV Park (559) 865-5361
Ocean
Half Moon Bay
Rockfish 3 Striper 2 Bluefin tuna 2 Halibut 2 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3
There is finally a weather window after over 30 days of offshore wind, and boats will be heading out mid-week to see what is out there. There is tremendous excitement about bluefin, and both private and party boats will be chasing the big fish. Most boats will be trolling Nomad Design’s Mad Macs, and a trip on a party boat ranging from $500 to $600 with a limited load.
Coastal rockfishing remains excellent with Capt. Michael Cabanas of the New Capt. Pete saying, “Our coastal shallow water rockcod trips continue to produce some nice quality rock cod and lingcod with limits of mostly bottom dwellers, Our last trip produced 10 limits of rockfish.” Earlier in the week, Cabanas took out volunteers and staff from the California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program to the Marine Protected Area cells within Ano Nuevo for a total of 384 fish from a season-high 18 different species! Memorable catches from the day included a California halibut and three tag recaptures from three different species!” Rockfishing is open at any depth until Dec. 31.
Call: Capt. Michael Cabanas, New Capt. Pete (510) 677-7054; Capt. Chris Chang, Ankeny Street (650) 279-8819; Capt. Bill Smith, Riptide (650) 728-8433; Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing, Queen of Hearts (510) 581-2628
Monterey/Santa Cruz
Rockfish 3 Halibut 2 Striper 2 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3
Rockfishing remains outstanding out of Monterey Bay with the Check Mate out of Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching in Monterey checking in with 22 limits of rockfish and 28 lingcod to over 20 pounds on Monday. The weather window for bluefin tuna will open by mid-week, and the boats are icing up.
Call: Chris’ Landing (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 2 Sturgeon 2
Boats are gearing up for the mid-week weather window, and Capt. Jerad Davis of Salty Lady Sportfishing out of Sausalito has accumulated his heavy tackle and is ready to go for one of the best prices at about $500 per angler. Capt. James Smith of the California Dawn 2 has a waiting list for the ideal opportunity to use his new sonar unit to hunt tuna on an overnight trip. This will be the first northern California vessel to attempt the same techniques used in southern California waters. His trips are limited to 12 anglers on his spacious boat with its huge cabin. If, and when Smith finds success, others are sure to follow his lead.
With the weather finally calming down, rockfishing will open up once again at the Farallon Islands along with deep water locations like Fanny Shoals and the Rittenburg Banks. Coastal rockfish action remains outstanding with party boats finding limits of rockfish and limits of ling cod on a routine basis. Halibut continue to be found outside the Golden Gate on either the North Bar or along the coastal beaches.
This week’s vastly improved weather will allow for more drifts on the North Bar.
Capt. Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions had a banner day on Monday on a half-day trip with limits of quality halibut and 7 big striped bass up to the 12-pound range for a group of four anglers. Captain Jonathon Smith of the Happy Hooker out of Berkeley put in 10 halibut in the bay during the morning on Saturday before running outside in challenging weather conditions for 14 limits of rockfish and 15 lingcod. The sister ship, the Pacific Dream, is taking a Phenix Rods coastal combination trips on Tuesday with an AXIS Rod for the jackpot winner while the Happy Hooker will be on a halibut trip. The next Phenix Rods trips on the Pacific Dream, hosted by Fresno-native Vince Borges, is Sept. 8 and Oct. 14. Western Outdoor News has a open load charter trip on Oct. 13 on the California Dawn 2 with plenty of swag from the magazine. Captain James Smith of the California Dawn 2 continues to put on stellar coastal combination trips with 20 limits of lingcod, 18 halibut to 22 pounds, and 3/4 limits of rockfish.
Coastal combination trips will continue through October depending upon weather and the diminishing presence of halibut, but another combination window opens on the first Saturday in November with the arrival of recreational Dungeness crab season for crab/rockfish combinations.
Call: Capt. Ron Koyasako, Nautilus Excursions (916) 704-4169; Capt. Jerad Davis, Salty Lady (415) 760-9362; Capt. Steve Mitchell, Hook’d Up Sport Fishing (707) 655-6736; Happy Hooker (510) 223-5388
San Luis Obispo
Rockfish 3 Surf perch 3
Rockfish season is now open all depths through Sept. 30. The Black Pearl out of Virg’s Landing was on a 1.5-day trip ending Monday with 22 anglers for 18 lingcod, 176 vermilion, 170 assorted, 79 Boccaccio, 6 rock sole, and 2 halibut while the Fiesta was on a 3/4th-day trip on Monday with 20 passengers for 60 vermilion, 60 assorted, and 20 Boccaccio for near-limits. Out of Morro Bay Landing, the Avenger was on a 3/4th-day trip on Monday with 13 anglers for limits consisting of 100 assorted, 20 vermilion, and 10 Boccaccio. Out of Patriot Sport Fishing in Port San Luis, the Patriot was out on Monday with 18 anglers for 153 assorted rockfish, 7 vermilion, 1 lingcod, and one rock sole. 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 2 Bluegill 3
The big news out of the California Delta is the upcoming Fish and Game Commission Meeting to take place in the San Jose area on Oct. 11th as the Department of Fish and Wildlife will present recommendations based upon research, the recent angler survey, and the collaboration of a select committee on sturgeon including department biologists, representatives of the recreational party boat community, and recreational sturgeon fishermen. One possibility is a pause on the take of white sturgeon during the 2024 calendar year, creating the opportunity to allow the sturgeon population to be adequately studied prior to developing additional regulations for 2025. Despite information floating around the internet that a catch-and-release fishery-only is proposed starting in 2024, the department employees and committee members continue to evaluate information and work through internal discussions. A final recommendation has not been determined, but closer to September, the recommendation will be publicly noticed to provide stakeholders to attend and provide the opportunity to voice their opinions prior to the Oct. 11 meeting. The proposed 2025 regulation changes would reflect a harvest rate of 4%, down from the 8 to over 20% harvest rate estimated over the past several years.
Interested sturgeon anglers should put this meeting date on their calendars now, but in the meantime, anglers have until August 15th to complete the white sturgeon survey from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife at https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Fishes/Sturgeon along with educating themselves on the issue at the same website.
Alan Fong of Alan Fong Outdoors continues to throw chatterbaits in the flats north of the Rio Vista Bridge for outstanding action for both largemouth bass and striped bass at depths from 2 to 4 feet. The key is finding moving water over the tops of the flats.
Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, was the tournament director for the weekend’s Snag Proof Open.
“We were fortunate to host 142 teams not counting our juniors, and the anglers at the top of the leader board did well,” he said. “In the past, we had three-fish limits to 17 pounds during the Snag Proof, but this is a very different year. The water is still high and herbicide spraying continues throughout many areas of the California Delta. Anglers are concerned about the amount of spraying affecting the bass. About 60% of the field found good bites, but the other 40% struggled. There were bass blowing up on the frogs, but they weren’t eating it. One team of experienced anglers in their 70’s didn’t have a fish on a frog for two days, so they decided just to fun fish with spinnerbaits and crankbaits while dropping out of the tournament. They landed a 7-pound largemouth on crankbait and had a great time. Fishing with a frog can be feast or famine, and you might throw it a hundred times without a hit, and you still have to be ready to set the hook right away when they do take it. It is very easy to miss a bite on a frog. We were very happy with our field, and thanks to American Bait Works, we were able to send home our juniors loaded up with tackle.”
The Delta Cross Channel Gates at Walnut Grove have been opened, but they may be closed from time to time on a short-term basis. Updated information on the status of the gate is available through this link - https://www.usbr.gov/mp/cvo/vungvari/dcc_chng.pdf.
Call: Randy Pringle (209) 543-6260; Capt. 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, water releases have started, and although the lake is historically full, it has dropped to 78%. Spotted bass action is fair, but by far, the best action is in the early mornings before the heat and heavy recreational boating drives anglers off the water. Keitech swimbaits, plastics on the drop-shot or Ned-rig along with grubs and tubes are working. White bass are boiling on occasion, and white Kastmasters or white grubs are the key for the whites. Catfishing is best with Triple S Dip Bait, anchovies, or fresh shrimp. A webcam of the lake is available at https://805webcams.com/lake-nacimiento-live-webcam/. Lopez Lake dropped slightly to 98.6%, but it is basically still full. There is a finesse bite with big plastic worms, lizards, or Brush Hogs in crawdad-imitation patterns around the flooded vegetation. Anglers can view a live webcam of the lake at https://805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam/.
At Santa Margarita, area with flooded vegetation is the key for largemouth bass, and chatterbaits, Senkos on a wacky-rig, or walking-style topwater lures are working best. While Lopez has a good finesse bite, the reaction bite at Santa Margarita has been outstanding with topwater lures, chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, or jerkbaits around the heavy vegetation. The lake is releasing water, and it dropped slightly to 94.3%. A webcam of the lake is available at https://805webcams.com/santa-margarita-lake-webcam-california. At San Antonio, the lake helped at 68%. Catfishing remains best with chicken liver, mackerel soaked in garlic scent, or Triple S Dip Baits. With the high water, the bass remain a challenge as they are spread out throughout the lake. Finding the shad schools are the key, and shad imitation lures are most effective.
Reminder: consuming white bass, black bass, crappie, catfish, or carp are subject to safe eating guidelines due to excessive mercury.
Events
Striperz Gone Wild Three-Year Anniversary ‘Fall Classic’ Striper Derby - 5 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 7 at the Hilldale Bridge with a BBQ, 50/50 raffle, and prizes in the adult and youth divisions.
Tournament results
Aug. 5-6
Delta/Russo’s Marina – Snag Proof Open Pro Division (Six Fish total)
1st – Austin Wilson/Kirby Wallace – 25.64; 2nd – Hung Ho/Mui Loung –– 21.41 (Big Fish – 9.58); 3rd –– Tyler and J.D. Madden – 21.33.
Delta/Russo’s Marina – Snag Proof Open Amateur Division (Six Fish total)
1st – Mario Blackwell/Lewis Spalling – 19.79 (Big Fish – 6.85); 2nd – Charles Cornelison/Sheldon Bisbee –– 19.20; 3rd –– Larry Lubner Sr./Larry Lubner Jr. – 18.54.
Aug. 5
New Melones – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies Night Tournament
1st – Bill Vernon/Brian Mackey – 9.15; 2nd – Fred and Jim Ruiz –– 6.75; 3rd ––Jason and Jake Hopper – 6.45.
Upcoming tournaments (dates and locations subject to change)
Aug. 9
Delta/Ladd’s Bertolli Disposal Wednesday Night Shoot Out
Aug. 9-10
Tulloch – Grumpy Old Men
Aug. 12
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Bass Anglers of Northern California/Tri Valley Bassmasters
New Hogan – Outlaw Bass Club
Isabella – Golden Empire Bass Club
Lopez – Kern County Bassmasters
Aug. 13
Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournaments/Modesto Ambassadors
Aug. 16
Delta/Ladd’s Bertolli Disposal Wednesday Night Shoot Out
Aug. 16-17
Tulloch – Grumpy Old Men
Aug. 19-20
Millerton – Fresno Bass Club
Aug. 19
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Nor Call Bass
Bass Lake – Sierra Bass Club
Isabella – American Bass Club
Santa Margarita – 805 Bass Addicts
Aug. 20
Delta/Russo’s - Angler’s Press
Pardee – Gold Country Bass Tour
Aug. 23
Delta/Ladd’s Bertolli Disposal Wednesday Night Shoot Out
Aug. 26-27
Millerton – Bass 101
Aug. 26
Delta/Big Break – Bass N’ Tubes
Santa Margarita – 805 Bass Addicts
Aug. 27
New Melones – Riverbank Bass Anglers
Aug. 30
Delta/Ladd’s Bertolli Disposal Wednesday Night Shoot Out
For more go to fresnobee.com/fishing.
