Fishing report, Dec. 13- 19: Don Pedro trout fishing is excellent. Pine Flat trout are hitting. Millerton bass have improved.
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
Delta striper and sturgeon action outstanding, Alan Fong reported. Don Pedro trout fishing excellent, Monte Smith said. McClure catfish and crappie are top bites, Dave Hurley reported. New Melones trout on the hunt, John Liechty said. Millerton bass improved, and Pine Flat trout hitting, Michael Crayne reported.
Valley
Westside waterways
Striper 2 Catfish 2
The Striperz Gone Wild’s 4th Annual SGW Toy Drive Tournament on Saturday was a huge success with 146 anglers donating a total of 377 unwrapped toys for needy youth within Merced County. The event had a target length of 26 ½ inches, and Earnest Chism and Richard Moua brought in fish at 26 1⁄4 inches with Chism ending up in first with the tiebreaker being weight. A total of 21 fish were caught, mostly on anchovies although some were caught on glide baits and swim baits at San Luis Reservoir. The winning fish was caught at the packed bridge on Volta Road with anchovies in front of the headquarters. Bill Sterling of Striperz Gone Wild added, “The bite was tough, and the temp at 7 a.m. was 37 degrees. Overall, a great day, and fun was had by all.”
Josh Mesa of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “The aqueduct has picked up to some degree for stripers on anchovies.” In the south aqueduct in Kern County, Cope’s Tackle and Rod in Bakersfield reported many anglers have thrown in the towel for the winter, but there are still quality striped bass to be caught. Live bait has been the best option, and anglers who know how to legally net shad, silverside minnows, or sculpin are finding excellent results. Cut baits, live worms, and jumbo live minnows have also been good bait choices. Jerk baits, tube baits, or small swimbaits are finding a decent striper bite on the back side of the check gates. Chicken liver, dip bait, or garlic nightcrawlers are best for catfish while bass fishermen are scoring a few fish with either Senkos or other finesse baits in any place with slower moving water.
Call: Valley Rod & Gun, Clovis (559) 292-3474; Cope’s Tackle and Rod, Bakersfield, (661) 679-6351; Bob’s Bait Bucket, Bakersfield (661) 833-8657.
Eastman Lake/Hensley Lake
Bass 2 Trout 2 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported, “With the recent trout plant, Eastman has been kicking out a few quality largemouth bass on swimbaits such as Huddlestons, Megabass Mag Drafts, or glide baits, but the majority of bass are small. The larger fish are stacked up in deep water around 30 feet. Plastics on the drop-shot or shakey head along with jigs are working for numbers of bass.” Crappie anglers have been focusing to the left of the launch ramp on kayaks. Hensley remains slow for bass while catfish remains the best bet with chicken livers, cut baits, or stink baits.” Eastman held at feet to 550.07 feet in elevation and 61% with Hensley rising less than a foot to 467.92 feet in elevation and 14%.
Call: Eastman Lake (559) 689-3255; Valley Rod & Gun, Clovis (559) 292-3474; 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle (559) 515-6273. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hensley Lake Hidden Dam (559) 673-5151.
Lake Don Pedro
Bass 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 2 King salmon 2 Crappie 2
Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing said, “The fishing at Don Pedro this week was outstanding as we started catching fish right away. The lake has turned over. We ran lead core rods along with side planer, and downriggers. Everything got hit, but the best set up was the lead core running my custom spoons. We fished a lot of water, but everywhere we went we caught fish, having many doubles throughout the day. At times, we had nonstop action close to shoreline and in the backs of coves. The water temperature was about 56 degrees on the surface. There’s fish hanging around the ramp at Fleming Meadows in good numbers, and some of them are even big fish too. My client had a blast catching and releasing 25 rainbows, keeping his five-fish limit. The biggest fish of the day was the last fish that we let go was at least 3.5 pounds.” Bass action continues to be slow overall, but there are signs of an improved finesse bite as the fish are holding around the shad schools at depths from 35 to 45 feet. The recent trout plants should bring out the swimbait and glide bait bite. The lake held at 796.25 feet in elevation and 80%. Updates on the launch ramp are available at https://www.donpedrolake.com/. 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 2 Trout 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Bluegill 3
The lake dropped less than a half-foot to 2,564.78 feet in elevation and 35% as the releases have remained steady at 686 cfs at First Point. Cope’s Tackle and Rod reported bass action has been fair as there are fish found shallow near rocky points and as deep in 55 to 75 feet. The shallow water fish are going for crankbaits, underspins, or plastics while the deep fish are taken on wither spoons or ice jigs. The fish that are down deep are going for spoons and ice jigs. Crappie are still showing, but most of them have been found around structure in 20 to 30 feet of water. Some larger slabs are being caught in 40-plus feet of water with minnows or minijigs. The catfish bite remains decent with chicken liver, dip baits, or cut baits. Trout can be caught with garlic scented baits, spinners, Berkley Mice Tails, or nightcrawlers while trollers are scoring with shad-patterned spoons such as Needlefish, Tasmanian Devils, or Flicker Shad on lead core line near the dam. In the 20-Mile stretch of the upper Kern River, the easy access points are producing planted rainbows with salmon eggs, trout worms, Hook up Baits, or spinners. Wild trout continue to make a showing for fly anglers in the Upper Section with nymphs. Last week, the Upper Kern was stocked in the following sections: Section 4, Powerhouse #3 to Riverside Park in Kernville; Section 5, Fairview Dam to Lazy River Lodge; and Section 6, Fairview Dam to Johnsondale Bridge. The Lower Kern, the largemouth and smallmouth bass bite is fair with the cooler water temperatures. Plastics fished in the slower current and eddies are fooling a few smallmouths. The Kern River at Kernville held at 464 cfs.
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 2
The lake dropped 13 feet to 599.53 feet in elevation and 9%. Cope’s Tackle and Rod in Bakersfield reported plastics on the drop-shot, shaky heads, or Ned rig along with jigs in 15 to 30 feet of water are producing from two to five fish working submerged rock piles, underwater humps, or ledges. Catfish anglers are scoring with cut mackerel, sardines, or dip baits for a few fish, and crappie action is best with small live minnows in 15 to 40 feet of water around submerged brush or wood. The flows in the Kaweah River are steady at 123 cfs.
Lake Success
Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2
The lake rose 21/2 feet this week to 599.53 feet in elevation and 14%. Cope’s Tackle and Rod in Bakersfield reported fair bass action as the fish are holding deep. Spider jigs, finesse baits, or spoons along with 4-inch Roboworms in Oxblood or Aaron’s Magic on the drop-shot, Ned rig, or Texas-rig are working best Anglers also used their electronics to locate small schools of bass as deep as 50 feet. Dropping blade baits, tail spinners, or Krocodiles are also working. Catfish picked up cut baits or chicken liver in deeper water, and crappie were reported near the marina by kayak anglers using small swimbaits or minijigs.
Call: Cope’s Tackle and Rod (661) 679-6351; Sequoia Fishing Co. (559) 539-5626, sequoiafishingcompany.com.
McClure Reservoir
Bass 2 Trout 2 King salmon 0 Kokanee 0 Crappie 3 Catfish 3
There are several tournaments during the month of January, and the hope is the bass bite will improve as they are still suspending around around main lake points or creek channels at depths from 20 to 60 feet, and shad-patterned spoons are working best along with small shad-patterned swimbaits on an underspin or drop-shot. Finding the grebes working the bait balls is a key to finding the bass. 2500 pounds of rainbow trout was planted at Barrett’s Cove South this week, and the planters should spur on the swimbait bite for bass fishermen along with the shoreline action for trout anglers. Crappie continue to school up in the in the submerged trees in coves with minijigs. Catfishing remains solid at night along sloping banks with chicken livers, nightcrawlers, or cut baits. The lake dropped slightly to 806.64 feet in elevation and 64 percent.
Call: Ryan Cook, Ryan Cook’s Guide Service (559) 691-7008.
McSwain Reservoir
Trout 2
Some 2,500 pounds of planted rainbow trout were released into the lake this week, and the action from the normal locations of the Brush Pile, the Handicapped Docks, or the peninsula near the marina has picked up with Power Bait, nightcrawlers, or spoons as expected. Holdover rainbows can be found in the river arm near the Second Fence Line with Wedding Rings or spinners.
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 2 Crappie 2
Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The bass bite has been solid with fish to 4 pounds reported. The spotted bass are hitting plastics on a Ned-rig, Neko-rig, or drop-shot on a finesse presentation along with deep-diving jerkbaits or crankbaits.” The lake rose 7.5 feet to 493.87 feet in elevation and 38 percent. Sycamore Island is currently closed for a winter break. The park will reopen Jan. 12. The flows in the San Joaquin River at Friant rose from 202 to 383 cfs.
Call: Valley Rod & Gun (559) 292-3474; Fresno Bait and Tackle (559) 515-6273.
New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch
Bass 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 1
John Liechty of Xperience Bass Fishing Guide Service took first place during Saturday’s American Bass Tournament, and he said, “My partner, Rob Betsch and I weighed in 11.49 pounds with a big fish at 2.70, but this was a few pounds shy of what I thought would be the winning weight. I was anticipating a few fish in the 3- to 4-pound range, but the big fish have been very shy. There have been some larger fish landed recently as my client picked up a 4.5-pound bass along with some largemouth bass to 5 pounds. We started off with swimbaits, but the spots are difficult to hook on a swimbait as I think they try and stun the bait before turning it around to come in headfirst. Most of the bass are found at depths from 35 to 45 feet as it has been cold in the mornings. There are some fish coming into as the shallows during the afternoon hours as the day warms up. The best action has been with a finesse presentation of plastics on the drop-shot or wacky-rig with a heavy nail weight.” Trout trolling continues to be outstanding with shad-patterned spoons around the shad schools, and there are rainbows moving into the shorelines as the lake turns over.
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 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 0 King salmon 0 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The bass bite continues to be slow as most interest has been for trout for trollers pulling shad-patterned Needlefish or Kastmasters at depths from 20 to 40 feet in the main creek and river channels from the Power Lines to Windy Gap. In the early mornings, the rainbows are closer to the surface around 20 feet. There have been few reports of crappie.” The flows on the lower Kings at Trimmer are excellent at 408 cfs, and trout action remains solid with spinners, Atomic Tubes, Power Bait, or nightcrawlers below the dam. The lake rose just over one fee to 869.06 feet in elevation and 5 percent.
Call: Valley Rod & Gun (559) 292-3474; 559, Fresno Bait and Tackle (559)515-6273. Sequoia Fishing Co. (559) 539-5626.
San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay
Striper 2 Catfish 2 Bass 2 Crappie 2
Josh Mesa of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “The big lake continues to produce schoolie stripers with minnows on a Carolina-rig or blood worms. Boaters are trolling broken-back Rebels, P-Line’s Predator Minnows, or Lucky Crafts, but the topwater bite has been slow. We are still selling Berkley Choppo’s or Evergreen’s Shower Blows, but the topwater bite hasn’t been crazy.
Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said that the troll bite has been going from slow to fair at times.” I’m finding that the bite windows are not that long and that the fish are not that active so far. I guided William Jacobs and Cody Roberts of Fresno on Saturday- and we released 10 fish to 22” in 4 hours trolling Rapalas and Lucky Craft lures in minnow colors at 40-60’ in Portuguese Cove. I had to use all my best stuff to get the fish, and everyone we talked to was only getting a few small fish at best. The forecast rain for next week may be just what we need to break this slow bite cycle.”
The action in the O’Neill Forebay has been strong for stripers from 24- to 26-inches using 7-inch glide baits, or paddletail swimbaits. Both largemouth and striped bass are found in and around the grass.” Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis confirmed the solid forebay action with white flukes, 4-to 5-inch swimbaits, or walking baits. He said, “Bank anglers are limited to jerkbaits, but boaters are able to use an array of different lures.” The main lake dropped to 57%.
To check the wind conditions on the lake - use windfinder.com/forecast/san_luis_reservoir.
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
Bass Lake has been quiet, but the recent trout plant should bring out some larger spotted and largemouth bass to be vulnerable to trout-patterned swimbaits. A few planted rainbows are taken off of the banks at the Sheriff’s Tower, but the best trout action is by trollers pulling spoons, spinners, or Wedding Rings from the surface to 20 feet. A webcam of the launch ramp is available at https://basslakeca.com/. Call: Mike Beighey, Bass Lake Fishing (559) 676-8133.
Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool
The gate to Kaiser Pass Road closed on November 15. The Kaiser Pass lakes are starting to release water with fewer anglers heading over the pass to fish the small impoundments. Edison held at 30 with Florence at 25%. Mammoth Pool is at 57%.
Road conditions (559) 297-0706.
Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake (559) 259-4000.
Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Trout 2 Kokanee 2
Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters and Tackle said, “”With few reports coming in on Shaver Lake fishing, I joined Dave McGlothlin of Clovis for a weekday fishing trip. Fishing at 25-foot deep, we found a good bite of yearling trout and kokanee from the island to Stevenson Bay.
The best and most consistent action was in front of the Fisherman’s Club to the south fork of Stevenson Creek. With consistent action at 25 feet deep, we caught and released nearly 3 limits of mostly kokanee from 11 to 14 inches and yearling rainbows to 16 inches. The mid-morning was best with calm water and beautiful weather. The hot color was purple or blue/silver. Fishing with Dicks Mountain Candy, Mountain Tubes, Mountain Koke Busters, or Mountain Hoochies behind Dick’s Mountain Dodgers in Doc Barb, Captain J and Sunrise picked up all the fish. An added attraction as we approached the Sierra Marina dock was shore fishermen were catching large trout that had been planted that morning by DF&W. The plant was approximately 500 brooder trout of good size. You can expect the brooders to move out to the dam area quickly. On Sunday, brothers, Rick and Rob Scheidt of Clovis, played with the freshly planted brooders before heading back to Stevenson Bay to pick up eight kokanee using Dick’s Mountain Koke Busters in purple behind Dick’s Mountain Dodgers at 25 feet. The Shaver Marina is closed, but the Sierra Marina launch ramp is open. 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. Huntington remains very slow for both rainbow trout and kokanee. Shaver has dropped to 74 with Huntington dropping to 52%.
Call: Todd Wittwer, Kokanee.net Guide Service (559)288-8100, Jerad Romero, Jrods Guide Service (559) 392-6994, Tom Oliveira, Tom Oliveira Fishing (559) 802-8072.
Wishon/Courtright
Trout 0
The gate to McKinley Grove Road closed on Dec. 1, limiting access to the high elevation lakes. The road is anticipated to be reopened in April 2024. Call: Wishon RV Park (559) 865-5361.
Ocean
Half Moon Bay
Rockfish 3 Striper 2 Halibut 2 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3 crabs 3
Out of Half Moon Bay, Captain Michael Cabanas of the New Captain Pete continues to run crab-only trips, and they are limiting out on every trip. Cabanas said, “Crabbing continues to be as easy as it can get. We had another day of quick 10 Dungeness limits for 18 anglers and crew.” The New Captain Pete is under new ownership as Captain Melynda Dodds of California Guide Service has obtained the vessel, but Cabanas will continue to run the boat during crab season on crab-only trips. Rockfishing is limited due to the necessary to travel at least 20 miles to find structure deeper than 50 fathoms. Snares continue to work from the Pacifica Pier and the beaches along the San Mateo and San Francisco County coastline, but the pier is extremely crowded, particularly on the weekends.
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
Rockfish 3 Halibut 2 Striper 2 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3 crabs 3
For Dungeness crab, currently only hoops or snares are allowed in Zone 4 from Point Arena on the Sonoma/Mendocino County line to Point Lopez south of Monterey.
From the beaches, the surf perch are getting larger from 10 to 16 inches with motor oil/ red flake grubs from Honey Badger, Sierra Slammers, or Lucky 13. Josh Mesa of Coyote Bait in Morgan Hill said, “The Mekeni Baitz Carlo’s Perch Candy which is motor oil/copper flake has been particularly effective lately.”
Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak and Surf Casting Guide Service said, “The 20th Annual Sand Crab Classic Perch Derby will open for online entries during the first week of January. March 9 is the Derby date. Anglers can surf cast anywhere they choose but must be present prior to 1 p.m. for weigh-in at the Santa Cruz Portuguese Hall, where the festivities take place. Started in 2003 by Captain Mike Baxter and myself of The Let’s Go Fishing Radio Show, the wintertime derby was conceived as “something to do when there’s nothing to do,” according to Baxter. All proceed from the Sand Crab Classic are donated to the Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project, a 501C3 volunteer organization that continues hatchery and advocacy operations supporting native runs of steelhead and salmon on the Central Coast. The Derby features a great number of raffle and silent auction items, BBQ lunch plus trophies and prizes for winning entries in both Barred Surf Perch and Sea Perch categories. Ultimately, the Sand Crab Classic is an enjoyable day of fishing with family and friends, and extremely popular.” The online registration has been filling up within 24 hours so interested anglers need to pay attention to https://sandcrabclassic.com/.
Rockfish trips have been dependent upon interest as whale watching has been extremely popular with the number of humpback whales in Monterey Bay. Limits of rockfish and a healthy lingcod count remains the rule out of Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching in Monterey fishing deep water either in the canyon or south at Point Sur.
Call: Chris’ Landing (831) 375-5951; Allen Bushnell, Santa Cruz Kayak and Surf Casting (831) 251-9732.
Golden Gate/San Francisco Bay
Halibut 2 Striper 3 Rockfish 3 Leopard shark 2 Sturgeon 2 Crab 3
Great weather over the weekend has led to tremendous rockfish and Dungeness crab action. The California Dawn II out of Berkeley Marina returned with 27 limits of Dungeness and rockfish on Monday after the CD1 and CDII combined for 101 limits of crab and rockfish on Saturday and Sunday. The Happy Hooker out of Berkeley has also been posting limits of both while the Salty Lady out of Sausalito opted for a crab-only during the week when the weather was uncooperative for the long run to water deeper than 50 fathoms. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is seeking public review of a proposed 20-fathom Rockfish Conservation Area (RCA) boundary line. The proposed line will allow commercial and recreational groundfish fishing in shallow waters, providing access to most nearshore rockfish while also minimizing catch and release of quillback rockfish, which may not be retained in California as of 2023.The Draft Groundfish Management Boundaries web page provides access to a zoomable map with the proposed 20-fathom RCA boundary line, and instructions on how to provide comments. The comment period is open until 11:59 p.m. Saturday Dec. 23, 2023. This will allow kayakers access to the shallow water grounds which have been closed since Sept. 1.
The temporary crab trap restriction from the Sonoma/Mendocino County line to Lopez Point, Monterey County, (Fishing Zones 3 and 4) is continuing until lifted by the CDFW Director due to the presence of humpback whales in the area and the potential for entanglement from recreational crab trap gear. Recreational crabbers may still take Dungeness crab by other methods including by hand, hoop nets, and crab snares statewide during the temporary crab trap restriction. Accompanying the trap restrictions, a Fleet Advisory for the recreational crab fisheries has been issued statewide. Avoid setting gear in areas where whales are present, and follow the best practices for crabbing described in the Best Practices Guide.
Recreational crabbers using crab traps in Fishing Zones 1, 2, 5, and 6 must have a Recreational Crab Trap Validation. Validations are required even when under the age of 16, and when fishing from shore, pier, or other manmade structures. Validations are also required for passengers on party boats using crab traps to harvest crab. The northern California commercial Dungeness crab season remains delayed statewide due to high numbers of humpback whales and a recent confirmed entanglement of a leatherback sea turtle. CDFW anticipates the next risk assessment will take place on or around Dec. 21. That risk assessment is expected to inform a potential commercial fishery opener and further modifications of the recreational trap restriction. At the present time, party and private boaters have unfettered access to the crab grounds.
There is less than a month before the rockfish season closes on Dec. 31, and crab-only trips will slow to a crawl when the Dungeness start clutching by February. If you want to have some fresh crab now, you must go out on a private or party boat until the opening of the commercial season. Striped bass continue to hold out in the bay, and limits of striped bass have been commonplace. The annual central bay sturgeon closure will start on Jan. 1 through March 15. During this time period, white sturgeon may not be taken in the following described area between Jan. 1 and March 15.
That portion of San Francisco Bay included within the following boundaries: A direct line between Pt. Chauncy (National Marine Fisheries Laboratory) and Pt. Richmond, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and a direct line between Pt. Lobos and Pt. Bonita.
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
The boat-based nearshore rockfish season above Point Conception ended on September 1, forcing boats out of Morro Bay to either fish nearshore below Point Conception or deep water of 50 fathoms or more. Rockfishing continues to be the only game in town for the boats out of Morro Bay and Point San Luis at Avila Beach. Limits to near-limits of rockfish are the rule, and the best action occurs on the longer trips further from the harbors. Patriot Sport Fishing at Port San Luis will offer Dungeness crab/rockfish combination trips on occasion. Webcams of many of the coastal locations are available at https://805webcams.com/. The rockfish season in this section of coast is open seaward of 50 fathoms through Dec. 31 in both the Central Management Area above Point Conception and in the Southern Management Area below Point Conception.
Call: Virg’s Landing (800) 762-5263; Patriot Sport Fishing (805) 595-4100; Morro Bay Landing.
Others
Delta/Stockton
Bass 2 Striper 3 Sturgeon 3 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2
The striped bass and sturgeon bite remain outstanding in the California Delta, and the numbers of both species have been impressive for experienced anglers. The best action for both striped bass and sturgeon remains from Rio Vista downstream toward the Carquinez Bridge. Sturgeon action has been ‘lights out’ with as many as 20 fish brought to the boat on cured salmon roe. With the current slot-limit from 42 to 48 inches, fewer fish are being kept, but there are several undersized and oversized sturgeon. The regulations for the remainder of 2023 limit anglers to one sturgeon tag, and if you have already tagged out a legal sturgeon in 2023, you are only able to catch-and-release. Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing out of Pittsburg continues to find tremendous action near the Pittsburg PGE Plant, but there are fish spread out from Pittsburg to Benicia in several locations. Sturgeon should be migrating toward San Pablo Bay as the herring spawns are expected to start by early January, but this has been occurring less and less over the past few years.
Alan Fong of Alan Fong Outdoors continues to find outstanding action for striped bass around Collinsville with 1 3/4-ounce Blade Runner Duh! Spoons or on 5-inch pearl white swimbaits on the new Blade Runner ½-ounce Striper Special jighead. Fong has been averaging around 50 fish per day with the better grade of striper on swimbaits in the shallows. Spooning is producing stripers from 10 inches to 8 pounds. He added, “The crappie bite is turning on in the north Delta around Snodgrass Slough or Liberty Island, but they should also be in the Mokelumne River at either Hog or Sycamore Slough.”
Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo Sport Fishing continues to drift live mudsuckers or bluegill for limits of quality stripers. He said, “The best action has been further downstream from Broad Slough toward the Benicia/Martinez Bridge, and there are so many fish in the system right now. However, it is a matter of finding the right tide when the fish are willing to bite.” Soo Hoo also went sturgeon fishing out of Pittsburg on Sunday, and they caught and released 11 diamondbacks including his son Darren’s personal best at over 7 feet. He said, “It took Darren 45 minutes to get it to the boat for release, and after almost getting spooled, we released anchor and chased it down.”
Bass fishing has been good for numbers but finding largemouth bass of any size has been a challenge. The water temperature is dropping from 50 to 55 degrees, and the bass are starting to get lethargic. Jerkbaits, plastics on the drop-shot or chatterbaits are working at depths from 4 to 8 feet for numbers of small fish. The south Delta remains stained, but the water clarity is improving with the lack of rain; however, there are a lot of floating hyacinth in the south Delta.
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.
Events:
Dec. 16
Manteca Moose Lodge – fundraiser dinner and silent auction for the San Joaquin BassMasters – dinner $15 from 5 to 7 p.m.
Jan. 18-21 – International Sportsman’s Exposition – Cal Expo/Sacramento – information: www:sportsexpos.com.
Tournament results
Dec. 9
New Melones – American Bass Association
1st – John Liechty/Robert Betsch – 11.49 (Big Fish – 2.70); 2nd – Dean Korbeliek/Hayden Lee – 11.00; 3rd – Alex Niapas – 10.87.
California Aqueduct/Volta Road – Striperz Gone Wild Holiday Tournament Adult Division (Target Length 26 ½ inches, tiebreaker weight)
1st - Earnest Chism 26 ¼ inches; 2nd – Richard Moua- 26 ¼ inches; 3rd Victor Bullock. 25 3/4 inches.
California Aqueduct/Volta Road – Striperz Gone Wild Holiday Tournament Youth Division (Target Length 26 ½ inches, tiebreaker weight)–
1st – Nasiah - 23 inches; 2nd – Jay Jay Lewis – 20.20 inches.
Upcoming tournaments
Dec. 16
Delta/Holland Riverside Marina – Crappie Closet Christmas Shootout Crappie tournament
Pine Flat – Sierra Bass Club
Dec. 17
McClure – Fresno Bass Club
Eastman – Sierra Bass Club
Dec. 30
Pine Flat – Fresno Hmong New Year Tournament, information: Kong Moua (559) 470-3332.
Jan. 1
Pine Flat – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments
Nacimiento – American Bass Association/805 Bass Addicts
Jan. 6
New Melones – Sonora Bass Anglers
McClure – 17/90 Bass Club
Millerton – Kerman Bass Club
Jan. 7
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – American Bass Association
Millerton – Bass 101
Jan. 13
McClure – Christian Bass League
Nacimiento – Golden Empire Bass Club
Jan. 14
Don Pedro – Riverbank Bass Anglers
Jan. 20
New Melones – Contra Costa Bass Club
McClure – Sierra Bass Club/Tri-Valley Bass Masters
Jan. 21
Millerton – Fresno Bass Club
Pine Flat – Kings River Bass Club
Jan. 27
McClure – Best Bass Tournaments
Millerton – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments
Nacimiento – Best Bass Tournaments
Jan. 28
Millerton – California Bass Federation
For more go to fresnobee.com/fishing.
