Fishing report, June 29-July 6: Hot bite at Shaver helps make a wish come true
Compiled by Dave Hurley and edited by Roger George, who guides in the greater Fresno area and holds the striper record at Millerton Lake.
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Best bets
New Melones kokanee, trout and bass bites solid, Monte Smith reported. Delta bass hitting, Dave Hurley said. Shaver kokanee kicking out limits, Dick Nichols reported. Wishon and Courtright continue troutfest, Kelly Brewer said. Pine Flat trout the deal, Michael Crayne reported. Bass Lake trout bite good, Mike Beighey said.
Roger’s Remarks: The secret to success is closer than you think
I’ve seen many anglers try to improve their skills without putting in the work by copying another angler’s secret technique, lure, area or tactics. It’s a trap that anglers can fall into rather than becoming better step by step and focusing on their own skills.
To be clear and honest, it’s ridiculous to not keep an eye out on what others are doing; I am always looking for clues to success. But when that becomes the tactic you depend on to improve, you’ve crossed over into a mental place where all you’re doing is worrying about what others are doing and wondering what you’re missing. It’s a place where you never really learn much because your focus is on finding out what’s working for others. For some anglers that means seeking an edge by hook or by crook. I’ve had another boat no more than 30 yards away with an unabashed angler using binoculars trying to figure out what lures I’m using. Not subtle! Why not ask nicely? I would have helped him, but also shared that my lure choices are not my secret to success.
As an athlete my coach told me that it was critical that I completely focused on what I was doing. When you start looking at how well others are doing, you start comparing yourself to them and quit focusing on doing your best. The other person becomes the governor of your motor and you are no longer being internally true or efficient. All your senses and brainpower are not working to improve your performance and you are no longer learning.
In contrast, a learning mode is doing your best to make the most of each experience, allowing you to gain more insight and knowledge that’s internalized. Each experience and lesson learned builds mental toughness, confidence in what you know and an increased ability to analyze new challenges and situations.
Trying to copy success doesn’t usually lead to becoming your best, and it certainly doesn’t emphasize being your best, doing your best or learning how to maximize your individual strengths.
Stay in your lane, run your race and lean through the finish tape. Be an original. Work hard, stay focused, stay in a learning mode, ask questions of those you respect, be the best you, and never give up!
Roger George: rogergeorge8@protonmail.com, Rogergeorgeguideservice on Facebook and @StriperWars
Proposed new bag limit
The Department of Fish and Wildlife proposed eliminating the two-fish 15-inch size limit at Eastman, Hensley, Kaweah and Success since efforts to create a trophy fishery have been unsuccessful. The recommendation is to return to the state standard of a bag limit of 5 fish with a 12-inch size limit.
Valley
Westside waterways
Striper 3 Catfish 3
In the California Aqueduct, Bill Sterling of the Sportsmen’s Warehouse in Fresno said, “Fishing up in the Los Banos area around Hilldale Road has been picking up with the best action in the early mornings or late afternoons. I went on Wednesday morning and landed two keepers by 5:30 a.m. with frozen anchovies. The stripers are averaging from 18 to 22 inches. Anything north of Check 12 has been tough, and although the Delta-Mendota Canal is kicking out stripers, most of them are undersized. Largemouth bass are still being caught up to 8 pounds with topwater lures working best early morning and evenings. It has been getting too hot to fish in the afternoons.”
Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait and Tackle in Lathrop reported most area fishermen are heading to the California Aqueduct for numbers of small catfish with anchovies or pile worms, and a few striped bass have been showing up. Josh Mesa of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill confirmed the solid catfish bite in the aqueduct with cut baits for whiskerfish to 8 pounds.
In the south aqueduct in Kern County, striped bass, catfish, or largemouth bass are taken on large minnows along with blood worms while catfish are biting Triple S Dip Bait, nightcrawlers, chicken livers, or cut baits. Largemouth bass are taken with topwater lures, Senkos, or plastics on the drop-shot. The best action occurs where moving water stops to a crawl.
Call: Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis 292-3474; Bob’s Bait Bucket in Bakersfield (661) 833-8657
Eastman Lake/Hensley Lake
Bass 2 Trout 2 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “A few holdover rainbow trout are taken near the water tower as they are holding in the coldest waters of the lake. Bass fishing is best with an early morning or late afternoon topwater bite along with throwing crankbaits or jerkbaits in the submerged trees. Hensley is best for carp with dough baits in the shallows or for pan fish in the submerged structure.” Eastman held at 10% with Hensley also holding at 20%.
Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255; Valley Rod Gun, Clovis 292-3474; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hensley Lake Hidden Dam 673-5151
Lake Don Pedro
Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 2 King salmon 2 Crappie 2
Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing reported the best bass action has been coming on ⅜-ounce G-Money jigs in brown/purple with a brown/green twin tailed trailer with the skirt cut down at depths from 5 to 30 feet on main lake points. When the wind is blowing, the Berkley Choppo or Strike King’s Sexy Dog topwater baits are working.
Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing has added New Melones to his list of reservoirs for kokanee as the Don Pedro bite has become challenging as the schools are scattered throughout the lake. Additionally, the majority of rainbow trout are loaded with copepods while the trout at Melones are clean.
The lake dropped slightly to 66%. The Fleming Meadows, Blue Oaks, and Moccasin launch ramps remain open, but the Fleming launch requires a long walk to the parking lot. The annual July 4 fireworks show is canceled.
Call: Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing (209) 581-4734; Kyle Wise – Head Hunter Guide Service – (209) 531- 3966; Ryan Cook – Ryan Cook’s Fishing – 691-7008
Lake Isabella/Bakersfield area
Bass 2 Trout 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2
The threadfin shad have had a successful spawn in the low waters of the lake, and shad-patterned medium- to deep-diving crankbaits are working along with 7- to 10-inch plastics in shad patterns. Crappie fishing remains slow as you have to be in the right place at the right time with small to medium minnows or small Keitech swimbaits. Catfishing remains the best thing going with Triple S Dip Bait. There are still holdover rainbow trout to be landed from the shorelines with deep water access with Power Bait or nightcrawlers while trollers are pulling shad-patterned spoons at depths to 40 feet.” There is a shad spawn in the lake, and the best lures for bass have been shad-patterned crankbaits or plstics. The Kern County Chamber of Commerce Trout Derby which will last until July 4th. Tagged fish worth $20 to $5,000 have been planted. The registration is closed. The lake dropped slightly to 13%. The river at Kernville dropped slightly from 290 to 268 cfs, but water releases out of the dam have pushed the flows at First Point from 393 to 508 cfs. The Kern Section 4 is scheduled for a plant this week with Section 5 in the Kernville area receiving a double plant this week.
Call: Bob’s Bait Bucket in Bakersfield (661) 833-8657; North Fork Marina (760) 376-1812; Golden Trout Pack Station (559) 542-2816
Lake Kaweah
Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2
The crappie bite is decent with small to medium minnows or minijigs around the submerged wood, brush, or rockpiles near Horse Creek. The bass bite is challenging in the dropping water conditions, but there is a reaction bite in the early mornings before dropping to the bottom with ice jigs, spoons, or jigs. The lake is starting to release water, and it dropped from 59% to 53%. The Kaweah River dropped from 113 cfs to 95 cfs at Three Rivers.
Lake Success/Tule River
Bass 3 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2
Chuck Stokke of the Sequoia Fishing Company in Springville said, “The morning and evening bass bite is good with plastics, topwater lures, crankbaits, or jigs around points and around submerged trees.” The lake dropped slightly to 37%. He added, “The Tule River is fishing excellent with stimulators, hoppers, and ant patterns. The natives are also hitting black Woolly Buggers aggressively.” Trout plants at Balch Park Upper Campground and the Middle Fork of the Tule River are scheduled this week.
Call: Sequoia Fishing Co. 539-5626, sequoiafishingcompany.com
McClure Reservoir
Bass 2 Trout 2 King salmon 0 Kokanee 0 Crappie 2 Catfish 2
Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “There still hasn’t been much change, but the bass bite has been tougher than at the other Mother Lode reservoirs. ¼-ounce Kastmasters, 2.8-inch Keitech swimbaits on a ⅛-ounce G-Money Ned-rig head or a ⅛-ounce G-Money underspin are effective along with topwater lures or jigs in a light sculpin pattern.” The trout have gone deep, and the best action is for trollers pulling shad-patterned spoons near the dam. The lake dropped from 43% to 41%, and the best ramp continues to be at Barrett Cove South.
Call: Ryan Cook – Ryan Cook’s Guide Service – 691-7008
McSwain Reservoir
Trout 2
The water feature is taking center stage at the lake, but holdover rainbow trout are found in the deepest and coolest waters in the river arm with blade/’crawler combinations or ruby red Wedding Rings tipped with a piece of nightcrawler behind a dodger. Shore fishing is scoring a trout or two in the early mornings with Power Bait, Panther Martin spinners, or ¼ to ⅜-ounce Kastmasters at the Brush Pile, Handicapped Docks, and the peninsula around the marina. As the summer progresses, the rainbows will work their way up the river arm in search of cooler water. The lake dropped from 94% to 89%, but lake levels will remain high throughout the year.
Call: Angler’s Edge Market – (209) 226-4416; McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534
Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River
Bass 2 Striped bass 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 3 Crappie 2
Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “Now that the Father’s Day Bass 101 tournament has passed, there hasn’t been much incentive to fish the lake. Most fishing is taking place from the shorelines with anchovies or chicken livers.” The lake dropped from 70% to 68%, and the San Joaquin River dropped from 1,735 cfs to 1,146 cfs at Friant.
Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474
New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch
Bass 3 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 3
Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing reported great kokanee action at depths from 45 to 65 feet with Paulina Peak’s Flutter Bugs or hootches behind a Peak Performer dodger for limits of kokanee to 18.25 inches by 9 a.m. He said, “The schools are starting to move south, and they are moving from the open water towards structure. We had 15 kokanee and three clean rainbows on a midweek trip by 10 a.m., and the action has been great.”
Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service continues to score quick limits on every trip, and he has been loading up with Apex lures behind a Paulina Peak gold hammered dodger. He said, “I switched from the J-Pex to an Apex as you can troll faster at 1.5 mph, and the fish are getting more aggressive. We have been targeting the south end of the lake near structure, and the larger fish are found at depths to 85 feet. We are also running twilight trips and have limited out on every evening trip.”
The Kokanee Power Derby will arrive at the lake on Saturday, July 9.
For bass, Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “Melones has been fun, and you can catch them any way possible. We have been scoring with topwater lures such as the Berkley Choppo or the Strike King’s Sexy Dog along with flukes, Jigs such as the ⅜- to ¼-ounce G-Money in brown/purple with a twin tail trailer in green/brown are working along with a 5-inch custom Lunker Daddy straight worm in green pumpkin/red flake on a weedless Ned head. The Lucky Craft Staycee 90 ripbait is also working.” The lake dropped to 33%, and numerous unmarked hazards remain. The Glory Hole and Tuttletown ramps are on the low water ramps, and they will be accessible until the lake drops below 900 feet in elevation. It dropped over 4 feet this week to 912.97.
Call: Glory Hole Sports (209) 736-4333; Monte Smith (209) 581-4734; John Liechty Xperience Fishing Guide Service (209) 743-9932
Pine Flat Reservoir/Kings River
Bass 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 0 King salmon 0 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun said, “Trout trolling continues to be the best thing going with limits taken around the shad schools with hoochies, shad-imitation spoons, or blade/’crawler combinations. There is a topwater bite for bass in the river arm in the early mornings, and when the water is moving from releases, jerkbaits are effective. Crappie are found near Deer Creek and in the trees near Lake Park with minijigs or small swimbaits. Find the shad, and you will find the holdover rainbows. Catfish is picking up with cut baits while crappie are found around the docks with small swimbaits or minijigs.” The lake dropped from 60% to 54%.
In the lower Kings, a trout plant occurred last week, and holdover rainbows and brook trout are landed on Atomic Tubes, small Rebels, crankbaits, Power Bait or nightcrawlers. There have been a number of citations issued for illegally keeping trout from the catch-and-release section near Cobble’s Weir. The flows have dropped from 932 cfs to 849 cfs at Trimmer.
Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474; Sequoia Fishing Co. 539-5626
San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay
Striper 2 Catfish 2 Bass 2 Crappie 2
Since the closing of the Basalt Recreational Area on June 1 along with persistent winds, fewer boats have been launching at the main San Luis Reservoir. However, despite dropping water levels for releases into the California Aqueduct for agricultural and domestic uses, the reservoir is showing signs of life for trollers.
Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said, “The big lake bite is slowly improving after the recent storm for trollers and reaction anglers. The lake is falling about a ¼- to ½-foot per day, and the algae is pretty stirred up into the water due to the heavy windstorms lately, but the fish are getting more active as things warm up. We are still catching milting males so a lot of the fish are still trying to spawn. I went on a scouting trip on Thursday with Sonny Johansen of Clovis, and we put in a hard day of 10 hours of fishing in the heat, but we found a pattern trolling Lucky Crafts at 50 to 60 feet over flats showing scattered schools of stripers that produced over 20 nice stripers to 27 inches with several in the 7- to 8-pound range. The wind came up in the afternoon, and we kept trolling when I got a hard hit that began peeling line like it was nothing. We knew it was big, but the heavy wind kept pushing us away from the surging fish. It was 42 inches and 28.2 pounds – a fish with a huge girth. We quickly released it on the Seaqualizer after a picture. It’s not easy fishing, and the wind is continuing to be a major issue each afternoon. Finding the fish is still the key problem as they move around each day. The main lake seems to be the best bet, and we’re not seeing much in Portuguese Cove yet. The bite windows can turn on and off very quickly with the wind changes. The water temperatures are in the high 60s in the morning and rise into the 70s in the heat. I expect things to keep improving with the steady heat. The Basalt ramp and road are closed, and anglers need to go to Dinosaur Point to launch.”
Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis noted fishing at night from the banks with cut bait or tossing big jerkbaits.
There are warning and lake closure lights on the main reservoir near the Basalt Entrance Station, Quien Sabe Point, and the Romero Visitor Center. In the O’Neill Forebay. Warning lights are located near the old Medeiros boat ramp and above South Beach. Amber lights signify caution conditions for winds or other concerns while red lights mean the lake is closed for boating and all vessels must immediately vacate the lake when the red lake closure lights are on.
Call: Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711, Roger George of rogergeorgeguideservice.com 905-2954
High Sierra
Bass Lake
Bass 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 1
Mike Beighey of Bass Lake Fishing Guide Service said, “The kokanee are still MIA, but with the water warming up, there is optimism that the kokanee will show up in the deep end of the lake near the dam. We are loading up on rainbows with pink or orange Dick’s Mountain Hoochies or Rocky Mountain Tackle’s Wiggle Hoochies tipped with maggots and/or a small piece of nightcrawler behind a Dick’s Mountain Dodger. The best trolling is right in front of Miller’s Landing or in front of the Forks Resort.” For bass, Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported a decent reaction bite along with plastics on a shaky head or drop-shot. The Grand Prize in the Bass Lake Chamber of Commerce Trout Derby is worth $500 for derby entrants until June 30. A webcam of the launch ramp is available at basslakeca.com. The lake held at 82%.
Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool
Portal Forebay is scheduled for a trout plant this week. Edison, Florence, and Mammoth Pool are releasing water.
Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000
Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Kokanee 3 Trout 3
Shaver Lake has been the southern epicenter for kokanee fishermen this season with fish in excess of 19 inches, and although the planted rainbow trout have taken over as the primary species within the past few weeks, there are still enough big kokanee in the lake to make a young man’s wishes come true. Todd Wittwer of Kokanee.net Guide Service took out 15-year-old Isaas Fang of Claremont on a Make A Wish Foundation Trip, and Isaac was rewarded with two days of great action including a bonus trip for his 7-year-old brother, Timmy.
Wittwer said, “The trip was originally planned in February, but Isaac had to wait until June. He was given a choice by the foundation, and he chose fishing at Shaver Lake. I had been involved with the foundation in previous years, and this trip really made me realize how important it is to participate in programs such as this. Isaac had a major tumor above his knee, and a recent fall shattered his leg as the bone cancer had devastated the bone structure. He currently has a prosthetic leg, but he didn’t let this stop him from reeling in a couple of limits of kokanee from 16.5 to 19.5 inches. We were trolling in the normal locations around Black Rock and the Point with minimal action, looking for the big fish when the breeze came up. I figured that the big fish would have moved towards the Sierra Marina, and I was right as we were done by 10:15 a.m. with 10 kokanee using a pink Radical Glow Tube behind a Dick’s Mountain Dodger, Rocky Mountain’s Tackle double glow or pearl squids behind a Dick’s gold/orange dodger. The big kokanee are hot, ripping off 50 feet of line within seconds. We came back to the dock as the foundation put up Isaac’s family at the Shaver Lake Cottages, and we picked up his little brother. Putting on blade/’crawler combinations, Timmy was able to catch and release an unlimited number of the small, planted rainbows. Timmy said, ‘I really like fishing,’ leading to Isaac to say, ‘That’s exactly why I wanted him to come with us.’”
Shaver guide emeritus, Dick Nichols, was out on Monday with an old friend named Paul who is a wounded warrior along with his wife and another couple, and they started later in the morning but were able to land 31 fish, mostly trout to 15 inches with his Dick’s Stevenson Trout Buster tipped with a nightcrawler on the rear hook and corn on the inside hook behind a Rainbow or Perch Mountain dodger at a setback of 125 feet. Nichols said, “We landed mostly trout, and although they are spread throughout the lake, we concentrated on Black Rock.”
Shaver has been solid for rainbows. Dick’s Pro Staffer Jay Irvine of Visalia organized a weekend get-together named Golfishpoker which was a combination of a golf tournament, an evening poker game, and a fishing trip to the lake. On Saturday morning, the group split up into three boats and caught and kept about 45 fish caught on Dick’s Mountain Tackle pink Koke Busters, TMV orange and green spinners, Dick’s Stevenson Trout Busters, Paulina pink hoochies, all behind Dick’s Mountain Dodgers in rainbow and orange/gold between 5:30 and 7:30 a.m. around Black Rock and the Islands. The event will become annual.
Shaver’s launch ramp conditions can be checked via webcam at sierramarina.com/camera.html.
Todd Wittwer – Kokanee.net Guide Service 288-8100; Tom Oliveira – Tom Oliveira Fishing – 802-8072
Wishon/Courtright
Trout 3
Kelly Brewer at the Wishon RV Park and Store said, “Both lakes are producing limits of trout for trollers while bank fishing has slowed down a bit. Limits are possible from the banks. Courtright is my go-to place as the trout are nice, big, and full-bodied.” Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis has also been fishing Courtright, and he advises moving as far away from the dam as possible in order to locate better action. Wishon has been extremely crowded from the banks. As is normal, Power Bait, nightcrawlers, or spoons are working best from the shorelines. Dinkey Creek is scheduled for a trout plant this week.
Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361
Ocean
Half Moon Bay
Salmon 3 Rockfish 3 Striper 2 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3
“It’s what we felt was coming,” said Sherry Ingles of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing, continuing with, “When I got to the shop on Sunday morning at 5:00 a.m., the parking lot at the launch ramp was filled, and there were 50 trailers lined up along Highway 1. This is just like the old days, and at least one private boat that started trolling at 6:00 a.m. posted limits within 10 minutes. Our boats, the Queen of Hearts and six-pack Reel Screamer, have been limiting every day, and to show what an amazing season this has been so far, we have already landed over 100 salmon more than we landed the entire season last year, and we still have until October 31st to add to this total. This shouldn’t change for some time as there is a big spot of fish out there. Limits every day have been the rule for the past several days, and these have been some big fish to over 20 pounds.”
Captain Michael Cabanas of the New Captain Pete has also been getting in on the act with limits every trip including 21 limits on Sunday. Captain Tom Mattusch, formerly of Half Moon Bay’s Huli Cat, said, “I received a call from Dave Ressa who chartered the Mooch Better for a birthday trip with friends. There was an opening, was I interested? If you haven’t heard of the epic salmon bite going on now, get out from under your rock! I knew Dewey, just met Pablo his Skipper/Deckhand. The question came up, like any fishing trip - out to Deep Reef or down to Pigeon Point where the terrific bite has been. Yesterday’s word was Deep Reef, however there are jelly and some small fish. Pigeon took a while to get located, boats did well on a good grade of fish. Captain Dew and Dave opted for the Deep Reef bite, and we were not disappointed. There were lots of jelly; however, it was workable, especially with the grade of fish we were catching at 32 to 45 feet on the wire with bait on homemade wire hooks with no junk. As a reminder for newer folks, ‘junk’ refers to lures. Several fish got away, still, we had limits for passengers and crew by 11:30 a.m., then went rockfishing at the Deep Reef. Since salmon were on board, we crimped the barbs on the shrimp flies, and didn’t use bait. The fish were marking well on the meter, and we gave it around 40 minutes for nary a rockfish bite. I’m thinking the water is still a little too cold. 4 out of 16 salmon were fin clipped, and the heads headed to the research station. For the record, 4 downriggers, Mooch Better has good gear, not necessary to bring your own. Captain Dew and Pablo initially ran 6 rods, 2 with sinker release and a 1-lb. weigh ‘way back’. With the action we were having, the two ‘waybacks’ were unnecessary. A number of City boats were down as well, the Lovely Martha, Hog Heaven and others. Locally, Riptide, Queen of Hearts were in on the action with early limits as well.”
The rockfish are biting when you have time to get into them as the Riptide posted 11 limits and 10 lings on Saturday with the Ankeny Street returning with 15 limits and a ling. Pick your species of choice and hang on right now out of Half Moon Bay.
Call: Captain Michael Cabanas – New Captain Pete (510) 677-7054; Captain Chris Chang – Ankeny Street – (650) 279-8819; Captain Bill Smith – Riptide – (650) 728-8433; Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing – Queen of Hearts – (510) 581-2628
Monterey/Santa Cruz
Salmon 3 Rockfish 3 Striper 1 White seabass 2 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3
Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service said, “– It’s angler’s choice all around Monterey Bay these days. All species are present and well accounted for. Anglers are enjoying bountiful catches of rockfish and lingcod, big barred surf perch, halibut big and small and consistent counts of high-grade king salmon. The only thing missing is tuna at this point. With all the bait in the bay and water temperatures warming, we may see the return of bluefin catches soon. Windy days are still a factor along the bay. When is it going to end? We are waiting for definitive summertime conditions to settle in, with calm foggy mornings gradually transitioning to 5 to 15 knot winds in the afternoons. All too often over the past three months it has blown all night, leaving the ocean a mess in the mornings.
Charter boat reports show skippers are still willing to chase king salmon. The bite is up and down, but overall, very consistent. Even the big boats from Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching Trips in Monterey are scheduling regular salmon mooching trips. This week the Caroline and Check Mate posted bountiful scores averaging around a fish and a half per rod. Many if not most of the kings are of the larger variety weighing18-30 pounds each. Rockfish trips from Chris’s continue to post full limits of cod with an occasional ling in the mix.
Smaller six-pack boats working out of Santa Cruz can take their pick of prey, depending on yesterday’s bite and today’s weather. Go Fish Santa Cruz sent the beautiful Miss Beth out for salmon, rockfish, or dedicated halibut trips in the space of this week. Halibut are plentiful, but many are short, so back in the drink they go. Still, nearly every client aboard the flatty hunting forays are going home with at least one delicious California halibut. Their rockfishing trips are netting limits, and the two salmon forays from this week provided crew limits up to 27 pounds for the Miss Beth. Tom Dolan on the Mega-Bite went for salmon on Tuesday and reported, “Perfect weather and flat calm water today. The fall run salmon are here and there’s a lot of big fish coming up the coast now. Today our biggest was 25 pounds and the smallest was 18. Jackie, Pooja and Kim pulled them in like pros!” Rodney Armstrong from Santa Cruz Coastal hit it big on the rock fish in and around Santa Cruz. On Friday, Armstrong said, “Today was a red hot rock fish bite. We had five limits of rock fish and one 15-pound lingcod. Then we went and drifted for halibut. We landed three halibut but just one was a keeper.”
Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine is always good for the general overview around the bay. Fraser reported on Saturday saying, “The salmon fishing was good on the east edge of the Soquel Hole today. The anglers had good action 40 to 100 feet down. There was bait boiling on the surface and some anglers had quick limits trolling Krippled Anchovies 40 feet down. The anglers near Mulligan Hill found some nice fish and limits as well. The halibut are still biting near Capitola. The rock fishing was good near Davenport. The weather was calm all morning.
Meanwhile, surfcasters are finding more, and bigger barred surf perch every day. Whether from the ‘in town’ beaches or the broad stretches of mid-bay, the bite can be fast and furious. There are tons of small perch biting voraciously but most outings also feature big-shouldered bruisers in the 13-to 15-inch range. Many of these perch are gravid females. Conscientious surfcasters prefer to release the pregnant perch quickly. Shock and hormones generated during the fight can cause them to expel their young prematurely. Learn how to identify male vs. female and remember every one of those babies, if spewed out in your cooler on your drive home will count against your total catch for the day. You can bring home one fish and get home with an illegal bag limit. Plus, those babies are important to keep the species strong and robust not only for next year but also future generations.”
Call: Chris’ Landing (831) 375-5951; Allen Bushnell – Santa Cruz Kayak and Surf Casting (831) 251-9732
Golden Gate/San Francisco Bay
Salmon 3 Halibut 3 Striper 2 Rockfish 3 Leopard shark 3 Sturgeon 2
To say that fishing is spectacular outside of the Golden Gate right now is an understatement of all understatements it has become the norm to make it back to the docks with limits of either salmon, rockfish, and big halibut. The bulk of the salmon action continues to take place off of the San Mateo coastline from the Deep Reef south to Pigeon Point, and the large party boats needing multiple limits have been heading south for incredible action. The small six-packs have been able to find up to limits of salmon off of the Marin coastline by either trolling and mooching. The North Bar has been the location for halibut, and even the large party boats have been able to return with up to 25 limits of halibut to a whopping 44 pounds. Rockfish and ling cod action has been solid up the Marin coast for the first time in a few years while party boats are still willing to make the long trek to the Farallon Islands.
One very encouraging sign was the limits of big salmon taken just north of the North Bar on the salmon reopener by Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters out of Loch Lomond Marina took out Justin Anderson of El Dorado Hills and his crew for limits of salmon to 25 pounds. He said, “We had 11 in the box and were looking for the final fish when we had a four-way hook up, releasing three fish to bring in the notorious ‘devil’ fish. It is a great sign that we were able to find enough of a concentration of salmon to mooch as you need them schooled. We had 9 salmon on Friday mooching before the group wanted to call it a day, but the conditions changed on Saturday with the bait disappearing. I returned to trolling on Sunday since it was important to cover more water. Sunday was the day that we could have mooched as the conditions changed again. We put in four limits plus one for the skipper with all salmon in the teens.”
Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions out of San Francisco also went north on the reopener, and he trolled up 6 limits of salmon prior to working over the North Bar for ten big halibut. He went rockfishing on Saturday at Duxbury for limits of rockfish, ten ling cod, and a king salmon prior to hitting the bar again for 10 halibut. Koyasako said, “I had 10 people on board so we weren’t able to troll for salmon, but we were using circle hooks in the event of hooking a salmon. The circle hooks work very good for rockfish if you let the fish suck it down.”
Large party boats such as the Salty Lady out of Sausalito have been running south to the Deep Reef, and Captain Jerad Davis reported ‘lights out’ trolling action with a combined 38 limits of salmon between Thursday and Friday. He said, “With a larger load, it has been important to head south where the bulk of the fish are, but we are looking forward to them moving closer to the Golden Gate. There are so many whales, bait, and bird life for a 15 mile stretch from the line at Pigeon Point to well above the Deep Reef.”
Halibut fishing was absolutely spectacular with the entire fleet congregated on the North Bar from Thursday through Saturday, but as the tides backed off, the action started to slow down. Limits were the story on Thursday and Friday, but Saturday’s scores dipped to a still-impressive fish and a half per rod. The quality of halibut on the bar are much larger than most found inside the bay with a solid 12-pound average.
Inside the bay, halibut action remains solid in the central bay as Captain Chris Smith of the Pacific Dream was the only boat in the bay on Sunday, and they were able to put in over 2 fish per rod with 38 halibut and 6 striped bass for 17 anglers. He said, “The start of the day was slow, and I wondered if I made the right move by staying in the bay, but we picked away at them with two or three fish every drift. There were some good-sized halibut in the mix as well.”
The halibut have migrated to the central bay hot spots of Alcatraz Island, Southampton Shoals, Angel Island, and the Barges. There are some striped bass in the bay, but the bulk of the linesides still haven’t shown up on the rockpiles in any appreciable numbers. Shark fishing remains a constant for leopard shark while the big seven-gill, cow, and soupfin shark are landed in the deep water near the Golden Gate. Some of the six-packs running the big shark trips are releasing anything over 100 pounds while others are keeping huge fish. There is question as to whether this fishery can sustain the pressure.
Call: Captain Trent Slate Bite Me Charters (415) 307-8582; Captain Jerad Davis, Salty Lady (415) 760-9362; Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing (707) 655-6736; Happy Hooker (510) 223-5388
San Luis Obispo
Rockfish 3 Salmon 2 Surf perch 3
Rockfishing remains best the farther away from the harbor the boats will travel, and the Fiesta out of Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay went on a 12-hour long-range trip on Saturday with 17 anglers for limits of rockfish composed of 65 vermilion, 85 assorted rockfish, and 20 Boccaccio to go with a pair of ling cod. Out of Morro Bay Landing, the Avenger, Endeavor, and Starfire were out on Sunday on trips ranging from ½ to ¾-day, and their 58 passengers returned with 380 assorted rockfish, 136 vermilion, 24 Boccaccio, and 2 ling cod. Out of Port San Luis, the Phenix, Patriot and Flying Fish went out on Sunday on half-day trips with 77 anglers for 30 vermilion, 515 assorted rockfish, 2 Boccaccio, 4 Bolina, 2 cabezon, 5 halibut, and a ling cod for a total of 559 fish. 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 2 Sturgeon 2 Catfish 3 Bluegill 3
The water temperatures are rising in the Sacramento-Delta, and they are rapidly climbing into the 70-plus degree range, but there are still striped bass holding in the Sacramento River system. We don’t know why they are still in the river system instead of the cooler waters of San Francisco Bay, but fishermen are finding them in a couple of different locations. In the north Delta inside of Liberty Island, the linesides are loading up on crawdads, and chatterbaits such as Z-Man’s Jackhammer crankbaits in Red Craw are pulling them out of the grass. Trollers are getting in on the act both north of the Rio Vista Bridge and along the West Bank with either deep-diving Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows or shallow-diving plugs. The water has cleared considerably during the past week due to the smaller tides. The Brannan Island State Recreation Area is open on weekends-only from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. until September 1st. A new concessionaire is being recruited for fulltime duty. Only the launch ramp and nearby day-use area is open as the other parts of the park remain closed.
Sturgeon fishing has slowed to a crawl as few fishermen are targeting the species due to heavy interest in halibut in San Francisco Bay and salmon outside of the Golden Gate. With the lack of extra-large and jumbo minnows in area bait shops, live bait drifting is not an option with the exception of a limited supply of mudsuckers. There are striped bass moving downstream still, and the banks around the Dillon Point State Park continue to produce the occasional lineside on pile worms or blood worms.
The triple-digit temperatures in the Central Valley are just what the doctor ordered to drive the largemouth bass under cover and bring out the punch and frog bite. A tournament held out of Big Break on Saturday drew 75 boats with the winning limit at 27.00 pounds including a 9.54-pound kicker byt the team of Clint Groenwald and Obedie Williams. There were only three limits over 20 pounds weighed in with a total of 13 fish from 5 to 9 pounds.
There is a topwater bite with the Berkley Choppo 110 on the high tide along with frogs or buzzbaits. There are numerous small bass in the main channel but finding the larger quality bass has been a challenge. Punching the weeds in heavy cover is another option as Sweet Beavers or similar creature baits are working with enough weight to get through the heavy cover.
Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoors in Stockton, said, “We don’t know why the striped bass are still around in the 70-degree waters of the San Joaquin, but anglers drifting live bluegill continue to land linesides bass around Eight Mile Road, White Slough to the main channel, Disappointment Slough, Union Point, the Duck Pond, and Prisoner’s Point. Trollers have also been working the main channel in Stockton from the Stockton Golf and Country Club past the Old River for success for small keepers. Bass fishing remains very good with plastics worked along the banks around the tules or rocks.”
In the extreme south Delta, Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait and Tackle in Lathrop reported continued slow action for striped bass below the Mossdale Bridge, but there are fishermen drifting bluegill in the main channel for striped bass. Pile worms, blood worms, or sardines are picking up mostly undersized stripers in the San Joaquin, but catfishing remains solid for a small grade of channel catfish. Nguyen said, “We are getting calls very day for fresh shad, but our shadder hasn’t been finding much going on as the hyacinth remains very thick in the San Joaquin. We hope to have fresh shad sometime in the coming month.”
Call: Randy Pringle (209) 543-6260; Captain Steve Mitchell – Hook’d Up Sport Fishing – (707) 655-6736; Vince Borges – Vince Borges Outdoors (209) 918-0828
Lake Nacimiento/San Antonio/Santa Margarita/Lopez
Bass 3 White bass 2 Striper 0 Catfish 3 Crappie 2 Bluegill 2 Trout 0
At Nacimiento, bass action is solid with a topwater bite in the mornings and evenings with River2Sea Whopper Ploppers as well as similar walking-style baits, and Rat-L-Traps along with underspins or squarebilled crankbaits are also working for the best grade of spotted bass. Plastics on the drop-shot are producing numbers of spotted with an occasional largemouth bass while white bass are taken on the troll with white Kastmasters or Roostertails. With the hot temperatures, the white bass have been boiling on the surface more frequently, and small shad-imitation topwater lures are effective. The lake dropped to 23%. Recreational boating is taking over on the weekends. A webcam of the lake is available at https://805webcams.com/lake-nacimiento-live-webcam/. At Lopez, the closure of the public launch ramp due to low water levels has hampered the ability to get out on the water, but bass fishing is decent for those working the shoreline along with those renting boats from the marina. There is an early topwater bite along with reaction baits such as Rat-L-Traps, squarebilled crankbaits, or chatter baits. Numbers are taken off of the bottom with plastics on a drop-shot or dragging a jig at depths to 15 feet. Bluegill and red ear perch are biting jumbo red worms, meal worms, or wax worms. Crappie fishing is slow, but there is an occasional slab found on live bait or minijigs. Anglers can view a live webcam of the lake at https://805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam/.
At Santa Margarita, the bass bite is a challenge, but a few quality largemouth bass are taken on reaction baits or topwater lures in the early mornings. It has been a grind to put together a limit of bass. The recent plants of rainbow trout are creating smiles for those working the shorelines with Power Bait, nightcrawlers, or spoons with deep water access along with trollers pulling a variety of brightly colored spoons. Catfish are taken on mackerel soaked in garlic spray while meal worms, jumbo red worms, or mini crawlers are working for bluegill or red ear perch
A webcam of the lake is available at https://805webcams.com/santa-margarita-lake-webcam-california/. At San Antonio, with the low water levels and triple-digit temperatures, catfishing in the cooler evenings is the best think happening with cut baits scented with garlic. Crappie have been scarce, but a few slabs have been coming in on minijigs. Bass fishing has slowed considerably with few anglers trying. Carp are throughout the shallows and easy to catch on doughbaits. The launch ramp is open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on weekends and from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Fridays. The lake held at 11%.
Call: Lake Nacimiento Marina (805) 238-3256; Lopez Lake Marina (805) 489-1006; Santa Margarita Marina Store (805) 438-1522; Lake San Antonio Marina (805) 472-2313
Reminder: consuming white bass, black bass, crappie, catfish, or carp are subject to safe eating guidelines due to excessive mercury.
Events
Tournament results
Don Pedro – Sierra Bass Club – June 18th: 1st – Eddie Espinoza – 6.50 pounds; 2nd – Mitch Mitcheltree – 6.00; 3rd – Danny Lopez – 5.60 (Big Fish – 2.94)
Delta/Big Break Marina – June 25th: 1st –Clint Groenwold/Obedie Williams – 27.00 pounds (Big Fish – 9.54); 2nd – Logan and Colby Huntze – 23.05; 3rd –Gregory and Greg Woods – 21.81.
Lake Pardee – Central Valley Anglers Kokanee/Trout Derby (4 kokanee weigh in) – June 25th: 1st – Jack Schultz/Al Milan – 2.55 pounds; 2nd – Jack, Gina, Grace, and Adam Naves – 2.45; 3rd – Brian Thomas, Nathan Kelch, and Alex Thomas – 2.40.
Lake Pardee – Central Valley Anglers Kokanee/Trout Derby (Big Trout Division) – June 25th: 1st – Mike and Brandi Clark – 5.00 pounds; 2nd – Jim Fox, Jim Bennion, and Glenn Greenwell – 4.50; 3rd – Jack, Gina, Grace, and Adam Naves – 2.70.
Upcoming Tournaments (subject to change)
July 9th/10th –
Pine Flat – Bass 101
Isabella – Golden Empire Bass Club
July 9th –
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Nor Cal Bass
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies
New Melones – Valley Backlashers
New Melones – Kokanee Power Team Tournament
McClure – American Bass Association
Pine Flat – Kings River Bass Club
July 13th –
Nacimiento – San Luis Obispo Bass Ambushers
July 16th/17th –
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Kern County Bass Masters
Don Pedro – Fresno Bass Club
July 16th –
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Gold County Bass Tour
Pine Flat – Bakersfield Bass Club
Kaweah – Sierra Bass Club/Kings VIII Bass Club
Santa Margarita – Best Bass Tournaments
July 17th –
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Nor Cal High School Bass
July 23rd –
Delta/Holland Riverside Marina – Dan Mathisen Outdoors
Delta/Big Break Marina – Bass N’ Tubes
July 24th –
Delta/Big Break – Bass N’ Tubes
July 30th/31st –
Delta/Russo’s Marina – Anglers Press
July 30th –
New Melones – Oro Madre Bass Angler
