FROM ALL ANGLERS

Compiled by Dave Hurley and edited by Roger George

FISH TALK: The fish seem to be confused by the inconsistent conditions, and just as things settle down, they swing back again. Now is not the time to back off because most bites are just on the edge of breaking completely loose.

Key:
1–Poor
2-Fair
3–Good
4-Excellent Fishing

New Melones Reservoir:
Bass-3 Crappie-2 Catfish-2 Trout-2 Brown Trout-2 Kokanee-3 .

Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing found easy limits of fat, healthy kokanee ranging from 11 to nearly 13-inches at depths from 27 to 40 feet near the Spillway with pink hootchies behind a Shasta Tackle Sling Blade. He tried spinners, but the fish only wanted the pink hootchies. He anticipated these particular fish will grow to 16.5-inches by the end of the season. There are distinct groups of kokanee in the lake with at least one 17-inch fish landed so far this year. Bank trout fishing is slow, but trolling is improving at depths from 20 to 30 feet with shad or rainbow trout Countdown Rapalas, Trophy Sticks or Shasta Tackle Kazi Minnows. Rick Muzrue landed a 7.5-pound brown at a depth of 50 feet under the Highway 49 Bridge on a rolled shad with Ed Burlarley of Sierra Guide Service. Peter Hernandez caught a 6.1-pound brown on a rainbow trout patterned Trophy Stick at 60 feet in depth near the Spillway. Bass fishing is good with fish in the pre-spawn or spawning. Carolina-rigged 6-inch worms, spinnerbaits, Zoom Baby Brush Hawgs, or creature baits are all working. Dennis Lee caught and released a 13.15-pound largemouth on a greenpumpkin creature bait up the river arm.
Catfishing is improving with anchovies, sardines or mackerel. Crappie fishing is still best at night under lights around submerged trees at depths from 10 to 30 feet with either small or medium minnows or crappie jigs in Bear, Mormon or Carson Creeks. Glory Hole Sporting Good’s next weekly seminar is scheduled on Sunday, April 26th at 3:00 p.m. with Bruce Hamby of Sierra Sport Fishing on king salmon and kokanee. The lake dropped a vertical foot to 53% of capacity and 977.85 feet in elevation.

San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay:
Stripers-2 Catfish-2 Bass-2 Crappie-2

The big news was a 49-pound striper landed in the Forebay on Monday by Chang Yang of Fresno on a 5-inch white Fluke. Other than this huge fish, fishing at both the Forebay and main lake has been slow. Ly Tu at Ly’s Fishing Goods in San Jose said there were several anglers under the bridge in the Forebay over the weekend with pile worms or grass shrimp reported very slow action as the water is not moving. In the main lake, the fish have dropped in the water column with the hot weather. The lake rose five vertical feet to 454.89 feet in elevation due to increased Delta pumping. At nearby Los Banos Creek Reservoir, Bob Scharton of Herb Bauer’s reported high angler interest but a slow bass bite. Wind conditions: 800-805-4805.

Eastman Lake:
Bass-2 Trout-2 Bluegill -2 Catfish-2 Crappie-2

Ranger Keith Willis reported bass fishing is slow as evidenced by the 6.7-pound limit at the Kings River Bass Club tournament over the weekend with a big bass of 2.5-pounds. The best depths are from 8 to 13-feet. Jerry Martens landed a 6-pound largemouth pre-fishing for the weekend tournament. Trout are still being landed on night crawlers or Power Bait from the shoreline. Isolated groups of bluegill are biting red worms. The lake again rose less than a vertical foot to 19% of capacity and 493.93 feet in elevation.

Hensley Lake:
Bass-2 Trout-2 Catfish-2 Crappie-2

Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported a few crappie have been taken from the banks in the submerged trees. Night fishing for catfish with chicken livers near the launch ramp is producing a few fish from 3 to 5-pounds. Bass fishing is still slow, but a 27.5-inch fish was landed mid-week. Planted trout continue to hit Power Bait off the banks or from the six to eight boats trolling daily. The lake rose a vertical foot to 29% of capacity and 487.39 feet in elevation.

McSwain Reservoir:
Trout-3

Terry Peterson of McSwain Marina reported high angler interest over the weekend with the annual Modesto Irrigation District Derby. The winning fish was 2.75-pounds with several fish in the 1.5 to 2-pound range. The $3000 tagged fish was not landed, and it is worth $500 until July 1st for all anglers registered in the derby. Chunky Cheese Power Bait or night crawlers continue to work from the banks at the Brush Pile or Handicapped Docks. Trollers continue to work from the surface to 15 feet with blade/crawler combinations or Wedding Rings tipped with a crawler behind a dodger from Floating Restrooms to the Dam.

Millerton Lake /San Joaquin River:
Bass-3 Stripers-2 Shad-1 Trout-2

Bob Scharton reported a good bass bite for small spots with Keeper worms in 082R or 1048b or RoboWorms in the new Texas shad color. Merritt Gilbert said the bite is the best in the area with the average limit between 7.5 and 8-pounds with over 10-pounds necessary to win a tournament. Drop shotting can locate all of the 11/12-inch bass you can desire to pull out. The better quality fish are found on Senkos, rip baits or spinner baits. Striper fishing has been slow with a few fish found from Finegold upriver by drifting jumbo minnows. The lake continues to rise in elevation. The lake rose three vertical feet to 81% of capacity and 557.07 feet in elevation. The area below Friant Dam on the San Joaquin continues to be planted on a weekly basis, including the next three weeks. The same offerings of yellow Power Bait, Kastmasters,and Roostertails all continue to work for the planted trout at Broken Bridge and Lost Lake. Angler interest has slowed a bit on the San Joaquin.

Pine Flat Reservoir/Kings River:
Bass-2 Trout-3 King Salmon-2 Crappie-2 Catfish-2

Merritt Gilbert said trout are located throughout the lake with most trout to 14-inches found at 3 to 4 colors with Shasta Tackle Humdingers, ExCel lures, Needlefish or Rainbow Runners in Cop Car, bright orange or red or bikini pulled behind a dodger. There are fish near right side of the Dam, Deer Creek, the Power Lines, Trimmer, Sycamore and Big Creeks, LeFevre Creek or up the river arm. Some anglers are fishing with downriggers as deep as 40 feet. A few king salmon to 14-inches have been reported. Bass fishing is still fair with some large bass moving to the beds. With the upcoming tournaments, serious anglers are keeping quiet on the quality fish. The best bite continues to be in 10 to 15 feet of water with wacky-rigged Senkos in watermelon/red or 5/6-inch plastics on a shaky head. The lake rose four vertical feet to 40% of capacity and 824.41 feet in elevation. Doyal’s Store reported the higher river levels haven’t slowed either angler interest or success with several planter and three of the larger trout to 5-pounds weighed in over the weekend. Power Bait and salmon eggs are the top baits. The lower Kings below the Dam continues to receive weekly trout plants, including the next two weeks.

Lake Kaweah:
Bass-3 Crappie-3 Trout-2 Catfish-2

Larry Kerns of the Visalia Bass Club placed second in their derby over the weekend by dragging lizards or drop shotting in 18 to 20 feet of water. The bass are in post-spawn with skinny bodies and big heads. The banks are lined with anglers searching for bass or crappie in every conceivable location. Crappie fishing continues to be good in the trees around the Houseboats and the launch ramp with small minnows. Trout are heading upriver for cooler water. The lake rose seven vertical feet to 48% of capacity with an elevation of 662.79 feet.

Lake Success:
Bass-3 Trout-2 Catfish-2

Ranger Sylvia Guerrero reported continued good action for largemouth bass in the shallows along the north ramp. Drop-shotting or small grubs are pulling the fish off the beds. Crappie fishing has slowed a bit with some fish still located around brush and rockpiles adjacent to the shorelines with live minnows or minijigs. Trout fishing is slow with the warmer water temperatures, and the fish heading upriver for cooler temps. The lake rose two vertical feet to 43% of capacity and 625.77 feet in elevation. The lake has been given a variance to rise to nearly 50% or 630 feet in elevation.

McClure Reservoir:
Bass-4 Trout-3 Brook Trout-3 King Salmon-2 Kokanee-2 Crappie-2 Catfish-2

Manny Basi of the Bait Barn in Waterford reported an excellent bite for small fish, particularly with live minnows or crawdads. The larger fish are in deeper water with numbers found between 15 and 20 feet in depth. Dart-heading with ¼ oz. on a ProWorm in color 300 or Senkos in 330 – green pumpkin/purple copper flake are the top artificials. Trout fishing continues to be good from the shoreline with rainbow glitter Power Bait or chrome Kastmasters. Brook and rainbow trout bite a variety of lures long-lined a minimum of 100 feet at speeds from 1.5 to 1.85 mph up the river canyon. King salmon action continues to be inconsistent with rolled shad or lures. Crappie fishing is hit or miss with the best action with small or medium minnows or salt/pepper minijigs in Piney or Temperance Creeks and near Horseshoe Bend at depths to 40 feet. Catfishing continues to be slow. The lake rose to 43% of capacity and 755.83 feet in elevation.

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake:
Kokanee-2 Trout-3

Captain Jack Yandell reported kokanee fishing slowed way down with most boats struggling for between one to three kokanee. He fished a couple of hours on Monday for one fish on a pink Super Hootchie without a dodger. He said the fish are scattered in depth from 25 to 50 feet in a variety of locations throughout the lake. The lake’s quick rise in the past few weeks may account for the slowdown. There are loads of small rainbow trout in the 8 to 10-inch range near Tunnel Creek. A trout plant is scheduled for this week. Merritt Gilbert said one angler dragged an aluminum boat into Huntington for a few rainbows and browns to 14-inches. Launching a boat is problematic as the lake needs to rise 15 feet before it touches the launch ramp. A 4×4 is necessary. Shaver has dropped slightly to 77% of capacity with Huntington holding at 49% of capacity.

Edison/FlorenceMammoth Pool:
Trout-4

Bob Scharton reported continued great rainbow trout bite at Mammoth Pool with anything thrown off of the banks with Thomas Buoyants, Kastmasters or Panther Martins for fish averaging 12 to 14-inchs and as large as 19-inches. There is only one weekend left to access Mammoth Pool as the lake is closed May 1st to June 16th for the annual deer migration. The Vermilion Valley Resort at Lake Edison is taking reservations for their early season quad fishing trips which run from mid-April through mid-May. Edison has risen to 20%, Florence is holding at 2% with Mammoth Pool rising to 100%. Kaiser Pass should be open by the Memorial Day weekend.

Tournament Results:

Kaweah –Visalia Bass Club–April18th: 1st –Kevin Rhea/Darin Fagundes– 16.87 (Big Fish – 8.76); 2nd –Dave Simpson/Larry Kerns – 16.64; 3rd – Isaac and Josh Adams–10.63.

Nacimiento–WON Bass – Central Coast –April18th: 1st –Jared Litner/Nick Salvucchi– 9.70 (Big Fish – 3.29); 2nd –Jason Newby/Mike Stiles – 8.90; 3rd –Carlos and Jacob Vasquez –8.33.

Don Pedro–Fresno Bass Club–April19th: 1st –Cliff Woods– 8.86; 2nd –John Schuler– 8.26(tiebreaker); 3rd – Nick Correa –8.26. Big Fish – Todd Hayes – 6.68.

San Luis –Fresno Chapter – California Striped Bass Association Striper Derby–April 18th: 1st –Roger George– 7.0-pounds; 2nd –Roger Kier – 6-pounds/11-ounces; 3rd –Guy Bobbitt–5-pounds/11-ounces.

Delta/Brannan Island –Stingem.net Two-day Striper Derby–April18/19th: 1st –Diane Hicks– 10-pounds; 2nd –Bob Hicks– 6-pounds; 3rd –Joey Gamez Jr.–5-pounds.

Upcoming:

April 23rd –Jared Johnson/Rocky Mountain Tackle Company–Trout/king salmon/kokanee fishing– 6:15 p.m. ––Fresno Fisherman’s Warehouse

April 30th –Roger George – Millerton Lake Striper Fishing–– 6:15 p.m. ––Fresno Fisherman’s Warehouse

April 25th – Diawa Days at all Fishermen’s Warehouse locations – No Sales
Tax on purchases.
Don Pedro/Fleming Meadows – 100% Bass
Millerton – Western Outdoor News Bass
Isabella – American Bass
Bass Lake – Sierra Bass
Hensley – Fresno Sheet Metal Workers

April 25th/26th – Don Pedro/Fleming Meadows – Taft Bass Club
New Melones –West Coast Bass

April 26th McClure – Mike Van Guilder Sr./Berserk Baits Memorial Bass Tournament. Information (209) 756-8197.
Pine Flat – California Bass Federation
Delta/Russo’s – Western Outdoor News Bass

May 2nd Bass – Bass Lake Chamber of Commerce Trout Derby
Delta/Russo’s – Angler’s Choice
McClure – Northern California Bass Federation

May 2nd/3rd Delta/Eddo’s Boat Harbor – Modesto Chapter – California Striped Bass Association

May 9th Lopez – Kern County Bassmasters
Bass – Kerman Bass Club
Eastman – Visalia Bass Club
Don Pedro – Bakersfield Bass Club
New Melones – Angler’s Choice
Tulloch – Angler’s Choice
Pine Flat – American Bass
Lopez – Taft Bass Club

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