Fishing report, May 24-30: ‘This should be a dynamite week of trout fishing’ at Shaver Lake

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

Aqueduct stripers hitting, Bill Sterling reported. Quality trout attracting Shaver anglers, Dick Nichols said. Don Pedro kicking out trout and bass, Monte Smith reported. McClure bass active, Ryan Cook said. Millerton producing solid bass weights, Michael Crayne reported. Bass Lake trout on the prowl, Mike Beighey said.

Roger’s remarks

Roger George’s column will return.

Valley

Westside waterways

Striper 3 Catfish 3

Bill Sterling of Striperz Gone Wild said, “There is a hot bite in the California Aqueduct for those willing to ‘bait and wait’ with anchovies. We are starting to see more stripers being caught on jerk baits, as well. The catfish bite is on fire on the Delta Mendota around Firebaugh.” Michael Crayne of Valley Rod & Gun in Clovis reported much-improved striped bass and catfishing in the aqueduct, and a 2.5-pound bluegill was landed this week. Also in the Delta Mendota Canal, Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait and Tackle in Lathrop reported solid catfishing, but he said, “There have only been small stripers in the northern section of the California Aqueduct.”

In the south aqueduct in Kern County, Cope’s Rod and Tackle in Bakersfield reported double-digit stripers just keep biting with the best action on jerkbaits, topwater lures or bait around the headgates. Cut sardines, lugworms, and jumbo live minnows are all working on a high-low rig with a heavy or flat sinker. Chicken liver, Triple S Dip Bait, or cut bait are all working for catfish. Bass anglers reported good fishing in the eddies and areas of slower moving water. Texas rigs, shad imitations, and jerkbaits all worked to fool the largemouth.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun, Clovis 292-3474; Bob’s Bait Bucket, Bakersfield (661) 833-8657

Eastman Lake/Hensley Lake

Bass 2 Trout 2 Bluegill 3 Catfish 2 Crappie 2

Michael Crayne of Valley Rod & Gun in Clovis said, “Eastman remains extremely crowded on the weekends as the parking lot fills up quickly. If you plan on going to Eastman, it is best to go during the week. It has been junk fishing as nearly everything is working including jerkbaits, frogs, or flipping and pitching in the brush. Smaller bass are found at Hensley, and there is a topwater and spinnerbait bite along with plastics on a shaky head or Texas-rig in the grass or rockpiles. Eastman held steady at 577.74 feet in elevation and 90% with Hensley also holding at 522.88 feet in elevation and 73%.

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 3 Trout 3 Kokanee 2 King salmon 2 Crappie 3

Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing said, “I have been focusing at Pedro as the past few weeks at Melones have been more of struggle, perhaps due to the rising water levels spreading out the kokanee. Plus, you have the opportunity for a king salmon at Pedro. There hasn’t been a consistent kokanee bite at Don Pedro, but the rainbow trout have been willing to bite at depths from 25 to 45 feet. The surface temperature is at 75 degrees, but it drops to 58.4 at 30 feet all the way to 54 degrees at 40 feet. As a result, most of the fish are holding in the 35- to 40-foot range. Once we find the trout, we circle back through the schools, and a bonus 6-pound king salmon came on our shallow rod. I have been running heavy chrome spoons on a fast troll for the rainbows and kings along with Paulina Peak’s Tackle for the occasional kokanee. We landed a kokanee at 45 feet in the Graveyard, but there is so much water in the lake right now, the fish are scattered. There was grass on the surface this week as the lake came up 3 feet in five days before dropping again.” Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “The bite has been the same during the past week with a good early morning topwater bite with the Berkley Choppo or Strike King Sexy Dog in shad patterns along with underspins with a ¼-ounce G-Money jig and a 3.25- to 3.75-inch Strike King Rage Swimber. We are picking up numbers of bass on flukes, but the larger grade is coming on topwater lures. Most of the bass are done spawning, and they are found from the banks to 10 feet in depth.” The lake dropped 2 feet to 780.78 in elevation and 72%.

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 3 Catfish 3 Bluegill 3

The lake rose over a foot to 2,584.66 feet in elevation and 62% as snowmelt in the upper river as water inflow remains steady at 6,841 cfs at Kernville with water releases out of the dam balanced at 7,340 cfs at First Point. Cope’s Rod and Tackle in Bakersfield reported a solid crappie bite with limit of slabs with live minnows or crappie jigs with the best action in the South Fork at depths from 10 to 20 feet. Bass action is moving in the right direction as anglers are having success in the North Fork and South Fork areas with Senkos, jigs, or reaction baits. The catfish bite continues to be solid around the lake with Triple S Dip Bait, chicken livers, live minnows, or mackerel. The trout bite has been solid with anglers reporting limit style fishing from shore. Trout have been coming on various patterns of Power Bait doused with garlic, trout jigs, spinners, or night crawlers. The Isabella Trout derby kicks off this weekend. A total of 14,000 pounds of rainbow trout was stocked prior to the May 20 opener of the 32nd annual Kern County Chamber of Commerce Trout Fishing Derby including 4,000 pounds of Mt. Lassen rainbows and at least 400 pounds of trophies. The derby runs through June 4. Registration is $40/angler with youth at $15/angler, and there are 500 tagged trout worth between $20 and $10,000 and over $55,000 in cash and prizes. Registration and information are available at kernrivervalley.com/isabellalakefishingderby. Trout fishing in both the upper and lower Kern River is limited by the high water flows over 7,000 cfs.

Call: Bob’s Bait Bucket, Bakersfield (661) 833-8657; North Fork Marina (760) 376-1812; Golden Trout Pack Station (559) 542-2816

Lake Kaweah

Bass 3 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2

The lake is rising again, coming up 9 feet this week to 622.61 in elevation and 20%. Cope’s Rod and Tackle in Bakersfield reported bass anglers reported catching between 5 and 10 fish with Senkos or plastics in green pumpkin, Baby Bass, or Aaron’s Magic on a shaky head or Carolina rig. Jigs are effective for larger females in deep water. Crappie are taken on minijigs or small live minnows over submerged structure while catfishing is best with Triple S Dip Bait. A trout plant is scheduled for this week. The Kaweah River at Three Rivers rose once again with warmer weather from 3,735 cfs.

Lake Success

Bass 3 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2

Success held at 641.69 in elevation and 73%. Cope’s Rod and Tackle in Bakersfield reported solid bass action at depths from 5 to 25 feet deep with plastics in Aaron’s Magic, green pumpkin, or Ox Blood on the drop-shot along with tubes or Senkos. Crappie are taken on minijigs, small swimbaits, and small live shiners with catfish on chicken livers, Triple S Dip Bait, or garlic-scented nightcrawlers.

Call: Sequoia Fishing Co. 539-5626, sequoiafishingcompany.com

McClure Reservoir

Bass 3 Trout 2 King salmon 0 Kokanee 0 Crappie 2 Catfish 2

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “20 to 40 bass per outing are the rule with a solid early morning topwater bite with the Berkley Choppo or Strike King Sexy Dog in shad patterns along with underspins with a ¼-ounce G-Money jig and a 3.25- to 3.75-inch Strike King Rage Swimmer. Numbers are found on flukes, but the largest grade is coming on topwater lures. The exception is when there is no wind. When the lake is still, a weightless 4.68-inch Jackal Flick Shake in green pumpkin on a wacky-rig is working. Most of the bass are holding from the banks to 20 feet in depth.” The lake rose 6 feet to 804.09 in elevation and 63%.

Call: Ryan Cook, Ryan Cook’s Guide Service (559) 691-7008

McSwain Reservoir

Trout 2

The lake continues to spill over at 106%, and the high water is expected through August with all of the snowmelt coming down the Merced River through the Exchequer Dam at upstream Lake McClure. The water clarity is limited, and trout plants are limited as they will be pushed over the spillway by the high water. Bank anglers continue to struggle for up to a fish or two per trip.

Call: Angler’s Edge Market (209) 226-4416; McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534

Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River

Bass 3 Striped bass 1 Shad 0 Bluegill 3 Crappie 2

A 22-boat tournament on Sunday produced some quality limits led by a 17.69-pound first-place limit buoyed by a 7.22-pound spotted bass by the team of Denny Bowlin and Ralph Encizo. Michael Crayne of Valley Rod & Gun in Clovis reported the best action has been around Finegold and Senkos have been the key for the larger fish. Jerkbaits are producing a smaller grade of bass. There is a good shad spawn up the river arm. Water releases down the San Joaquin have ramped up from 8,119 to 10,284 cfs at Friant. The lake has dropped to 485.39 feet in elevation and 34%. The lower San Joaquin River is closed to all water activity due to the high flows. \u0009

Call: Valley Rod & Gun, Clovis 292-3474

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

Bass 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 2

New Melones Reservoir has been producing the largest kokanee in the state so far this year, and there is great optimism for the upcoming June 3 Kokanee Power Team Derby. As always, the adult division will feature a 3-fish weigh-in with the junior division limited to a single fish. Although kokanee to 17.5 inches have been landed at Melones this spring, recent action has been more challenging with some scoring five-fish limits of the landlocked salmon while others are struggling. Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service was able to put his clients onto a limit of kokanee and trout on a recent trip, saying, “Fishing was tough, but we covered a great deal of water to find our 14 fish with Paulina Peak Tackle’s spinners in orange/pink behind a gold hammered dodger at depths from 15 to 50 feet. The surface temperature has climbed to 77 degrees already.” Recent reports confirm the slower action with the majority of kokanee located from 10 to 40 feet, but the trout are picking up the slack higher in the water column. Despite the recent slowdown, there is optimism for the upcoming Kokanee Power Derby at New Melones, and the registration deadline is May 28 via mail and June 1 online. Information at kokaneepower.org. As always, anglers are encouraged to complete the kokanee and king salmon survey upon leaving the water on every trip. The survey is at bit.ly/kokesandkings. The lake rose 5 feet to 1,016.08 feet in elevation this week and 68% with the start of snowmelt coming down the Stanislaus River.

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 3

Michael Crayne of Valley Rod & Gun in Clovis said, “Shad-patterned or bluegill-patterned spinnerbaits with a bit of orange are working as the bass are up on the banks. There is also a jerkbait and crankbait bite. Crappie are biting minijigs or small minnows, and trout fishing is improved as trollers are starting to run shad-patterned spoons around the shad schools.” Trimmer is very low, and there is no dock at Lakeview Resort, formerly Lombardo’s.” The lake dropped 21 feet to 806.74 in elevation and 34% over the past two weeks, but it only dropped a foot this past week. The flows on the lower Kings at Trimmer are dangerous at 17,733 cfs with the warmer weather melting the snowpack. The river is closed below the dam for any contact with the water.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun, Clovis 292-3474; Sequoia Fishing Co. 539-5626

San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay

Striper 2 Catfish 2 Bass 2 Crappie 2

Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “The lake remains extremely high at 98%, and there is a solid topwater bite with Zara Spooks or Berkley El Choppos in the cooler mornings with a slight fog layer from gray light to first light. After the topwater action, anglers are soaking anchovies, pile worms, or frozen grass shrimp for limits of school-sized striped bass. Boaters are either drifting minnows or spoons near Goosehead Point near Basalt or inside of Portuguese Cove at depths from 30 to 40 feet. Jumbo minnows are now scarce. Roger George of Roger George Guide Service reported that the stripers appear to be getting into more normal patterns, with experienced anglers catching fish on topwater early, ripbaits, trolling lures and minnows in water from 20 to 50 feet. “The water clarity is improved and the fish seem to be acting a lot more normal in their feeding and areas. Portuguese is holding fish and small coves seem to good, too. I took out three guests and in three hours we released 13 fish trolling Lucky Crafts, with a bunch of them going 22-23 inches – nothing big, but the kind of steady bite I’ve been looking for.”

In the forebay, the water is clearing up, and 5- to 7-inch flukes on a scrounger or ball head are working for schoolie stripers. Largemouth bass have moved into post-spawn.” The forebay is at 78%.

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 3 Kokanee 0

Mike Beighey of Bass Lake Fishing said, “Trout are spread throughout the lake, but we are picking up limits from the top to 25 feet and are spread out all over the lake. There’s some big holdovers to 19 inches but most are at the 13-inch range. It’s a late bite with the best action from 8 to 11 a.m. The best tackle has been Dick’s Mountain tubes in pink or Trout Busters in orange or pink behind a Dick’s Mountain Dodgers in blue and silver. Kokanee have yet to emerge.” There has been a reaction bite in the mornings with Keitech swimbaits or glide baits before switching over to plastics on a Texas- or Neko-rig by mid-morning.”A webcam of the launch ramp is at basslakeca.com. The lake has dropped slightly to 85%.

Call: Mike Beighey, Bass Lake Fishing 676-8133

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool

The Kaiser Pass Lakes are out of play as heavy snow fell in the region. Road conditions 297-0706. Edison is at 9%, Florence at 21% and Mammoth Pool is spilling at 101%.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake

Kokanee 1 Trout 3

Shaver guide emeritus Dick Nichols said, “The water level rose an unbelievable amount this past week to 83%. I fished Monday, and when I returned for my Wednesday trip, I had to park in the parking lot instead of on the shore.as there was little shoreline left. I think this quick rise of water is not helping the bite as there is an ample amount of insects being washed from shore. Normally, the trout will stuff themselves with the floating insect population in the lake. But that has not been true lately. In my last two trips this week, we have pulled multiple limits of trout with six being 5 to 7 pounds. The rest are yearling trout 14 to 18 inches. It’s common to pick up a couple of browns per trip. But I would not call it hot trout fishing. Instead, it’s more quality over quantity, A trout plant is scheduled this week for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. Coupled with the trophies, holdovers, and the new plant of catchables, this should be a dynamite week of trout fishing. On Wednesday, I fished with Scott Stava of Fresno and his buddy Benny Gray of Texas. The duo picked up their limits of holdover trout from 14 inches to 18 inches along with two trophies at 5.5 and 7 pounds. We also lost a couple of very large fish. This past week, the successful color is purple. In our trips, we have been using Dick’s Koke Busters or Mountain Tubes in purple behind the new, mostly purple Dick’s Captain J Mountain Dodger on a setback of 125 feet at depths from 8 to 12 feet deep. The kokanee bite remains off as the surface temperature remains between 54 to 56 degrees, plankton blooms are limited. With the lake’s rise, the floating debris has played havoc with trolling lines; however, trophy trout to 7 pounds from the recent Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project plant are a strong possibility. The Greg Mark’s Youth Derby is set for June 10 at the Edison Road 3 picnic area. Registration is at shaverlaketrophytrout.org. A webcam of the Shaver launch ramp is at sierramarina.com/webcam-weather-page.html.

Huntington has risen from 40% to 56%, and the snowbanks are finally melting. The launch ramp is still inaccessible, but Michael Crayne of Valley Rod & Gun in Clovis said, “Bank anglers have been finding small trout from the shorelines.”

Call: Todd Wittwer, Kokanee.net Guide Service 288-8100; Jerad Romero, Jrods Guide Service 392-6994; Tom Oliveira, Tom Oliveira Fishing 802-8072

Wishon/Courtright

Trout 0

The road to Wishon may be open any day now, and interested anglers should check road conditions through the High Sierra Ranger Station in Prather at 855-5355. It may be late June before access to Courtright is possible. At least one trout plant was scheduled for Wishon within the past weeks.

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

Rockfish 3 Striper 2 White seabass 0 Crab 0 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3

The deepwater rockfish opened last Monday, but the weather was the limiting factor. Rockfish are not to be taken in the open zone below Pigeon Point and transported back to Half Moon Bay through the San Francisco Groundfish Management Area until the season opens on July 16. Perch fishing from the shorelines or crabbing from the Pacifica Pier or surrounding beaches remain the highlight as the salmon closure has hit this port particularly hard. The New Captain Pete has left the harbor to target halibut inside of San Francisco Bay out of Oyster Point, and he has been scoring limits of the flatfish with some bonus striped bass.

Anglers should use the following link to access the specific location of the 50-fathom curve – https://cdfw.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=c00c82e1f32a49e99c747e2411e3439e. Note that if you are leaving from a port in a closed or partially closed GMA you may not be able to transit back with fish taken in an adjacent GMA. Per CCR T14 §27.20(b)(1)(A) and §27.20(c), when a species or species group is closed to take and/or possession in part of a GMA, that species or species group may be possessed aboard a vessel in transit through the part of the GMA that is closed if there is no fishing gear deployed in the water. However, that vessel cannot transit into another GMA if that entire GMA is closed to the take of the species or species groups that are in possession onboard the vessel, regardless of where the fish were taken or if fishing gear was deployed or not. For example, the Central GMA is open in all depths and all groundfish species may be taken and possessed in the area from May 1 through Sept. 30. From May 15 through July 15, the San Francisco GMA is open only seaward of 50 fathoms and per CCR T14 §27.35(b)(2)(B) the take and/or possession of nearshore rockfish, cabezon or greenlings is prohibited in the entire GMA. An angler may not legally take and retain nearshore rockfish, cabezon or greenlings onboard a vessel in the open Central GMA and then transit into the San Francisco GMA during this time. However, they can legally take and retain shelf and slope rockfish and lingcod in the Central GMA and then transit into the San Francisco GMA during this time. Between July 16 and Sept. 30, when both the San Francisco and Central GMAs have the same all-depth and groundfish regulations, anglers may fish and transit between GMAs.

Regulations provide an exemption for divers and shore-based anglers from the boat-based season restrictions affecting rockfish and other federally managed groundfish and allows for year-round diving and shore-based angling.

For more detailed information on the new 2023 recreational groundfish regulations visit CDFW’s 2023 Summary of Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations web page. For information on groundfish fishery science, management and other frequently asked questions, visit CDFW’s Marine Region Groundfish web page.

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 Striper 2 White seabass 0 Crab 0 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3

Deep water rockfishing out of Monterey has been outstanding with huge rockfish along with limits of ling cod to 25 pounds. Keith Semler of Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching in Monterey said, “It has just been incredible with 14 limits of chili pepper rockfish to go with 14 limits of ling cod. This is the way it has been on a daily basis. We are fishing fairly close to the harbor at the edge of the canyon at depths from 400 to 600 feet. The trips are $110/angler during the week and $120/angler on the weekends.”

Alan Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surf Casting Guide Service said, “All the hype about deep water rockfish is true! The California Department of Fish and Wildlife approved bottom fishing beyond the historical 300-foot depths for this year and the payoff is big. Since the opener, weather and sea conditions have not been the best, with significant swells rolling through. Persistent swells do not affect fishing so much in the deep waters, but daily high winds and resultant chop and wind waves can make things very uncomfortable, if not impossible. I finally got a chance to get out there this week, hopping aboard the beautiful Miss Beth from Go Fish Santa Cruz, a six-pack charter boat operating out of Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor. Skipper JT Thomas has made numerous forays to the deep this month and on Tuesday we hit one of his favorite rockpiles right on the edge of a 350 to 800 foot drop off. I was very pleased to see Michael Nelson from the Harbor staff and one of my favorite fishing companions for more than twenty years was also aboard for the day’s trip. Deep water is not that far out from the harbor, but Thomas also headed uphill, nearly to Davenport to hit his hot spot. Skies were overcast and the seas were gray. The ride out was a little rough, but anticipation of good fishing made that nuisance immaterial. After 40 minutes of cruising, we reached our goal, and set out the sea anchor to slow the wind drift. Then it was time to drop. Using two-pound weights and fairly large reels loaded with braid, results were immediate. As soon as the weights hit the bottom, all six anglers aboard the Miss Beth were getting bites. We used regular shrimp fly jigs tipped with squid strips. Winding up from 350 to 400 feet takes a while but a few techniques are helpful. Using the rail or simply putting your rod into the rod holder and crank, crank, cranking was my approach. These fish do not ned any pumping action to bring up, we are basically winching with the strength of the reel itself. A fairly tight drag setting is necessary. A few of the fish caught were very familiar like vermilion and ling cod. But the majority that were biting at that spot on Tuesday were rockfish types I’ve not seen in decades. My favorite were the chili peppers. A reddish orange rockfish, the chilis have a smooth aeronautic shape. The heads are smaller than most rockfish and the yield of meat from each fish is high. Also on the bite were green-spotted and greenstriped rockfish. The greenspots are mostly orange but have a nice spot on their cheek and speckles of green along their sides. Greenstriped are also mostly orange colored with a lateral line that has a greenish hue, and green patches along the side. All these fish were hefty, weighing from three to five pounds. Reeling two fish at a time up from 350 feet can put the hurt on your winding arm. Every single drop resulted in a bite if not a hooked fish. It was like an assembly line: drop, bite, hook, reel, lift the fish, catch your weight, rebait and drop again. It did not take long for the entire boat, to collect their limits of ten fish each, including limits for the skipper and deckhand. These deep water rockfish, especially the chili peppers, filet out cleanly, providing big filets for the fridge, freezer or frying pan. With the wind and waves at our back, the return trip to Santa Cruz Harbor was quick. I couldn’t help but reflect on this week’s foray being much like the first charter fishing trips I would take in the 1970s. Back then the advertisements called it “Deep Sea Fishing.” It has a special type of enjoyment all its own.”

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 1

“I’m running out of made-up words here as the halibut and striped bass action continues to be truly ‘refrigginmarkable ??’ Quite honestly, it is the best I’ve seen in my 30 years in this industry, “said Captain Jerad Davis of the Salty Lady out of Sausalito. Limits have been the rule, and Davis added, “Without a salmon season, it’s really no secret that there’s been a lot of pressure on this fishery. Thus far, it certainly doesn’t seem to have depleted the stocks, with limits continuing to be the rule for the charter fleet and the private boat fleet along with some epic loads of halibut going to market from the commercial boats.”

Captain Chris Smith of the Pacific Dream out of Berkeley Marina added his superlatives of his own, stating, “Fishing is absolutely phenomenal as it has been total pandemonium when the either the halibut or stripers start to bite. This is the best fishing season in history, and it is 100% amazing. We ended up with 76 halibut for 25 anglers for three-fish limits plus a crew fish along with two-fish limits of striped bass. After finding the halibut in the south bay, we found a large school of stripers, and after I threw out some live bait, it was chaos as anglers were hooked up all around the boat. Within minutes, there were fish all over the decks, and we had our 50 linesides. On our last halibut drift, we threw in 25, and we could have had 50 I am certain. We are being conscience not to take home crew fish not to go completely overboard on the numbers of fish.”

Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Sport Fishing out of San Francisco added, “I’ve been in this for over 30 years, and I have never seen halibut fishing like this. We had a 4-man charter on Sunday, and we stayed local near the Oakland Estuary for 12 halibut and three bass on a half-day trip.” It was the same for Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters out of Loch Lomond Marina as he put his passengers onto quick limits of halibut and bass near the Bay Bridge. He said, “San Pablo Bay has been muddy from the big tides and the high winds, and this is the only limiting factor since I know the fish have to be in the north bay.”

Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing out of Berkeley also got in on the action on Sunday with three-fish limits of halibut and two-fish limits of striped bass.

For now, the majority of action remains in the south bay from Oyster Point south to the San Bruno Shoals on the peninsula side and from the Alameda Rockwall towards the Oakland Airport on the bay side. The colder than normal water outside the Golden Gate seems to be the main factor in the halibut flooding into the bay, and they aren’t alone, as the anchovy schools are thick throughout the bay.

With the ocean salmon closed, leading to much greater than normal pressure on the California halibut population in the bay, the California Fish and Game Commission adopted the recommendation of the Department of Fish and Wildlife to temporarily change the daily bag limit from three fish to two fish. All gear and size limits remain untouched. Captain Davis summed up the sentiments of the party boat captains, saying, “I for one support this action by CDFW, and I know I’m not alone. Our salmon disaster doesn’t have to turn into a halibut disaster, and a proactive approach makes a lot of sense to me.”

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

Rockfish season is now open in this section of the coast at all depths through Sept. 30. The Fiesta out of Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay was out on ½-day trips on Saturday with 17 passengers for near-limits of rockfish consisting of 68 vermilion, 48 assorted rockfish, and 20 Boccaccio. Also out of Morro Bay, the Avenger, Starfire, and Endeavor were out on Sunday on trips ranging from ½-day, ¾- and full day with a combined 57 anglers for limits of rockfish consisting of 228 vermilion, 235 assorted rockfish, and 97 Boccaccio to go with 16 ling cod to 16 pounds. Felix Villafana landed the jackpot 16-pound ling on the Endeavor on a full-day trip at Ragged Point. Out of Patriot Sport Fishing in Port San Luis, the Patriot, Flying Fish, and Phenix were out on Sunday on trips ranging from ½- to ¾-day with a combined 43 passengers for 19 vermilion, 23 copper, 10 Boccaccio, 6 Bolina, 257 assorted rockfish, four Petrale soul, and 4 ling cod for a total of 323 fish.

From Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, the take of shelf and slope rockfish and lingcod is open seaward of the 50-fathom line. Take is prohibited shoreward of the 50 fathom RCA line. Boats out of Morro Bay and Port San Luis are filling up for the opening week. Webcams of many of the coastal locations are available at 805webcams.com.

Call: Virg’s Landing (800) 762-5263; Patriot Sport Fishing (805) 595-4100; Morro Bay Landing

Others

Delta/Stockton

Bass 2 Striper 3 Sturgeon 2 Catfish 3 Bluegill 3

Striped bass remain the top species throughout the California Delta as they continue to use the estuary as a conveyor belt from San Francisco Bay to the upper river in order to spawn. The linesides are moving in both directions, and the only limiting factor has been the wind combined with large tides an high flows coming from both the upper and lower watershed. Largemouth bass are still in a bit of a funk due to the cold water along with the increased predation in the beds by marauding sea lions. The marine mammals find easy prey for bedding bass in the shallows, and they have been observed scooping up largemouth bass throughout the system. Normally, a five-fish limit over 20 pounds wouldn’t raise eyebrows at this time of year, but 88 of the top sticks on the West Coast only put together a single limit over 20 pounds during the three-day Wild West Bass Trails Pro/Am out of Russo’s Marina. The tournament was taken with a three-day 15-fish limit of 49.21 pounds by Hunter Schlander – just over a 3-pound average. Sturgeon are still holding in Suisun Bay, but many of these fish are either in the upper slot-limit range or oversized with many females loaded with eggs, Few anglers are targeting sturgeon, but they are still there for the taking. The recent Sturgeon Information Meeting by the Department of Fish and Wildlife indicates a rapid decline in the white sturgeon population due to many factors, and it is time to consider releasing large slot-limit female fish.

Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing out of Lauritzen’s Yacht Harbor in Oakley said, “There is still a good striped bass bite, but you have to search around different spots at different times of the tide. There are a number of smaller striped bass in certain areas, and we went through 60 baits on smaller fish by 9:30 a.m. on Sunday. After running through 5 dozen minnows, we switched over to spoons, and fortunately the stripers were biting. I prefer to use Colt Sniper spoons since they sink faster along with spoons similar to Mega Baits up to 2 ounces. My actual preference is to go light from 1- to 1.5-ounces, and I always pinch down the bark on a single 3/0 or 4/0 Siwash hook as it is much easier to release bass with a barbless hook When you are on a hot spoon bite, a treble hook will not only damage more fish, they leave the possibility of a long delay in getting the hook out of the fish along with getting stuck yourself. The bass are found from the banks to 30 feet in depth, and there are plenty of stripers out there. We didn’t find any milking males on Sunday, but we found an increased number of females. Live bait will be more and more difficult to come by as the shops are already running out of jumbo minnows. With the high water, the action should last for at least another month.”

Alan Fong of Alan Fong’s Outdoors continues to spend time in the north Delta, and he said, “The bass bite wasn’t as good this week as it has been, and we only were able to put together an 18-pound limit. Tossing Senkos into the shallows has been the key.”

Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, said, “The striped bass bite is ‘off the chain,’ but you have to be on the shoals on the San Joaquin at the right tide when the baitfish are being pushed up over the shoals. If you check it out on a certain tide, and there is nothing there, come back on the next tide as the stripers might be there.” He has been tossing Optimum’s Bad Bubba Shad swimbait at depths from 8 to 20 feet along with spooning with P-Line’s Laser Minnows. For largemouth bass, Pringle said, “We are finding a good ima Squarebill bite on the high tide in the shallows, and we are picking up a few bass in the 3- to 5-pound range with the majority averaging around a pound. The topwater bite has been limited to smaller fish. The water temperature has a range of 4 to 5 degrees during the day, and the bass don’t like the fluctuating water temperatures. Once the water temperature stabilizes, the bass bite will be on.”

Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoorsman in Stockton added, “Even though it is time to spawn, the water is still very cold with all of the inflow, and it isn’t spawning water. Everything is popping right now with American shad in the Mokelumne River near Woodbridge and striped bass on the San Joaquin. There used to be a huge population of American shad in the San Joaquin River, and with the high water, the small population heading into the Mokelumne is making a showing. Decades ago, we were able to get all of the shad we wanted by ‘bump’ netting them with small wire nets.”

Sea lion predation on the bedding largemouth bass is becoming more and more of a concern, and Dave King of Nor Cal Bass reported numbers of sea lions working through the beds on the San Joaquin side of the river. Increased predation is another stressor on the fish species in the Delta, and this situation requires more and more study for a possible solution. Sea lions have always migrated into the Delta, but those with decades of experience in the estuary indicate the population of the marine mammals has increased significantly over the past years. The removal of weed growth has allowed the sea lions to see hard bottom areas along the shorelines with ease, and they are mopping up the spawning largemouths.

In the south San Joaquin River below the Mossdale Bridge, Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait and Tackle in Lathrop said, “The river remains very high, and most of our bank fishermen are heading further north toward Stockton. Fishing with live minnows has been hit or miss right now, and anglers are either heading to the bay or the Mother Lode lakes.”

For sturgeon, few six-pack captains remain in Pittsburg, but the diamondbacks haven’t received the memo as they remain from Rio Vista to the Carquinez Bridge with the greatest population west of Pittsburg. Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing continues to find good action for slot-limit fish out of Pittsburg, and he is offering sturgeon specials on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday for $1,000 for six anglers.

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 2

At Nacimiento, the lake remains high at 94%. Cope’s Rod and Tackle in Bakersfield reported topwater lures such as River2Sea’s Whopper Ploppers or walking-style baits are working in the mornings before heading to the bottom with finesse baits at depths from 5 to 25 feet. Plastics in Shad, Aaron’s Magic, or Ox Blood on the drop-shot, Neko-rig, or darter head are working for spotted bass while white bass are hitting topwater lures in the backs of coves. Spoons are also effective for the whites as well. Catfish are taken on Triple S Dip bait or chicken livers, and crappie are hitting minijigs tipped with Crappie Nibbles along with small live minnows.A webcam of the lake is at 805webcams.com/lake-nacimiento-live-webcam. Lopez Lake remains high and spilling at 100.1%. The flooded brush is scattering the bass as there are numerous new food sources. Plastics on a variety of presentations or Senkos are working from the bank to 10 feet in the grass. Trout plants will continue through the summer months, and this will help both trout fishermen along with bass anglers willing to throw big swimbaits. Anglers can view a live webcam of the lake at 805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam. Santa Margarita is full at 100%, and bass fishing has been fair at best on reaction lures with the best technique being plastics on a variety of presentations or Senkos near the shorelines. A webcam of the lake is available at 805webcams.com/santa-margarita-lake-webcam-california. At San Antonio, the lake is holding at 70%, and it is starting to clear up. Once the lake clears, fishing could be as good as it has been in recent memory for bass, catfish, and crappie.

Reminder: consuming white bass, black bass, crappie, catfish, or carp are subject to safe eating guidelines due to excessive mercury.

Events

May 27 – Fishermen’s Expo at Modesto Toyota from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fishing pond for youth, seminars and product giveaways

Tournament Results

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Wild West Bass Trails Pro/Am Pro Division– May 19-21: 1st – Hunter Schandler – 49.21 pounds; 2nd – Clint Groenewold – 48.99; 3rd – Rodney Brinser – 46.99.

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Wild West Bass Trails Pro/Am Amateur Division– May 19-21: 1st – Brian Fesler – 36.05 pounds; 2nd – Kirk Marshall – 29.83; 3rd – Trevor Coslovich – 29.69.

Lake Tulloch – Nor Cal Bass - May 20: 1st – Matt Frazier/Anthony Souza – 27.75; 2nd – Bill Vernon/Jason Hopper – 27.53(Big Fish – 8.34); 3rd – Kyle and John Gentry – 15.50.

Millerton – New Jen Bass Tournaments – May 21: 1st – Denny Bowlin/Ralph Encizo – 17.69(Big Fish – 7.22); 3rd – George Rosales/Ray Grammar- 13.37; 3rd – Adam Belmon/Steve McGill – 13.25.

Upcoming Tournaments (Dates and locations subject to change)

May 27

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Nor Cal Bass Club

June 2

Delta/Big Break Marina – Bass N’ Fly

June 3-4

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Best Bass Tournaments

Delta/B and W Resort – California Bass Nation

Don Pedro – Modesto Ambassadors

June 3

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Nor Cal Bass

New Melones – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

New Melones – Kokanee Power Team Tournament

Don Pedro – 17/90 Bass Club

Eastman – Kerman Bass Club

Kaweah – Bakersfield Bass Club

Santa Margarita – Best Bass Tournaments

June 7

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Bertolli Disposal

June 10-11

Delta/B and W Resort – Fresno Bass Club

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Angler’s Press

New Melones – California Bass Federation

Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournaments

Pine Flat – Kings River Bass Club

June 10

Delta/B and W Resort – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies

New Hogan – Nor Cal Bass

McClure – Sierra Bass Club

Shaver Lake – Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project Youth Derby

Isabella – Kern County Bass Masters

Santa Margarita – San Luis Obispo County Bass Ambushers

June 11

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Kings VIII Bass Club

New Melones – Modesto Ambassadors/Slay Nation Kayak Tournament

June 14

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Bertolli Disposal

June 15

Salt Springs – Slay Nation Kayak Tournament

June 17

New Melones – American Bass Association

Don Pedro – Wild West Bass Trails

Kaweah – Central Valley Kayak Fishing

Isabella – Golden Empire Bass Club

Santa Margarita – 805 Bass Addicts

June 21

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Bertolli Disposal

June 23-24

Delta/Big Break Marina – Yak A’ Bass

June 23

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Stanislaus County Sheriff’s

June 24

Pardee- Central Valley Angler’s Kokanee Tournament

Don Pedro – Valley Backlashers

Isabella – American Bass Association

June 28

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Bertolli Disposal

July 1-2

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Best Bass Tournaments

Pine Flat – Bass 101

July 1

Tulloch – 17/90 Bass Clu

Nacimiento – San Luis Obispo Bass Ambassadors