FROM ALL ANGLERS

Compiled by Dave Hurley and edited by Roger George, a central San Joaquin Valley native and local fishing expert.

KEY: 1=poor, 2=fair, 3=good, 4=excellent fishing

ROGER’S COMMENTS: Technology has been a great boon to the pleasure and effectiveness of todays anglers, but I also find it to be personally challenging at times. First of all, I was born before 1960, so you know that lots of folks from my generation are still resisting the internet, let alone signing up on Facebook! So when someone gets on my boat who has an “active cell phone life” , my old instincts kick in and I fantasize telling them to “Please step away from the Blackberry” , at least till we’re done fishing. Bottom line: Many anglers are unconscious they’re using bad cell phone manners on the water.

VALLEY
New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch
Bass-2 Crappie-2 Catfish-3 Trout-3 Kokanee-1
Bank anglers looking for trout are not having much luck other than way upriver still-fishing, Melanie Lewis said. Trolling has been fair with shad-patterned lures such as Needlefish or Excel lures, and smaller Rapala Countdowns. Using a small grub like Sep’s trolling grubs,as a trailer behind your lure has been effective. Trollers are catching fish 30-50 feet deep, both in the main lake, and upriver. For browns, troll Rapala Countdowns or Trophy Sticks in rainbow trout or shad patterns, or roll shad, 50-60 feet deep (in the same areas, but closer to structure).
Night fishing for trout under a submersible light has been good, but it is getting pretty cold at night. Most anglers are catching limits of two-to-three pounders. Sink your light 20 feet deep and fish 30-50 feet deep with a crawler or crawler/Power Bait combo.

There are lots of small bass but bigger fish are harder to find. Bass are chasing the shad both in the coves and out over deeper water. The shad boils are where the bass are. When the sun is up, throw shad-colored split-shot or drop-shot rigged 4″ worms, rip-baits, or Senkos. There is a still a good top-water bite going on at dawn and dusk. Zara Spooks, buzz baits, or Pop-Rs are working.

Catfishing is still good with a few big fish being weighed in.
Lake Tulloch, is producing as usual for big Fall rainbow trout, Layne said. The lakes water level is stable, surface temp at 63 degrees and he is seeing plenty of bait (Thread Fin Shad) making for some very good action. Most productive areas, Green Spring arm, mouth of Black creek and off the South shore ramp. Bows are scattered from the surface down to 30′ and are falling for Slim Willies in tandem with nightcrawlers, Slim Fin, Ex-Cel or Triple Teasers lures in shad/silver colors or rolling shad or Matrix Paddle Tails. Rainbows from one to five pounds.

(209) 736-4333, Monte Smith (209) 581-4734, Danny Layne -Fishn’ Dan (209) 586 2383, Sierra Sport Fishing (209) 599-2023.

Lake Isabella/Bakersfield area
Bass-2 Trout-2 Crappie-3 Catfish-3 Bluegill-2 Stripers-2
Pete Cormier said that the striper action in the Aqueduct has picked up as the moss declines with cooler temps. Several stripers in the 15 to 20 pound class have been taken on anchovies.Catfish are also active now. Buena Vista fishing has been pretty stable with bass, catfish and perch bites fair. Isabella crappie fishing continues to be good for the slabs on minnows.Bass fishing has been fair. Catfishing may be picking up as one angler caught 40 fish from 1 to 6 pounds. Trout fishing should pick up soon with cooler water and more plants. Lower river fishing has been good for bass, and catfish.
Isabella is holding at 18% capacity.
Big Ed’s Bait and Tackle (760) 379-4170, Bob’s Bait (661) 833-8657, North Fork Marina (760) 376-1812.

San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay
Stripers-3 Catfish -2 Bass-2 Crappie-1
Ly Tu said that the fishing in the big lake was very good for boiling stripers, using mainly topwater lures, rattletraps or minnows. He said the boils are short lived, so quickly following the fish as they come up is key before they go down again. He said there was one 36 inch fish off Dinosaur. The Forebay bite has been good on grass shrimp for 22 to 24 inch fish. Catfish at hitting bait at check 12. Brett Phillips of Fresno fished the big lake boils, and used Rattletraps for 5 fish in the 24 inch range before being blown off early. He warned anglers about the Basalt ramp which is now so low, it’s dirt, and goes out shallow a long ways. Vehicles are getting stuck in the mud because they have to back down a long ways into the water to get the boat off the trailer. He recommends 4 wheel drive vehicles, especially if the lake continues to fall anymore. Lake level is at 394,000 acre feet storage, and is falling about a 1/3+ foot a day.
Wind conditions: 800-805-4805. Ly’s Fishing Goods (408) 629-9644; Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711.

Eastman Lake
Bass-2 Trout-1 Bluegill -2 Catfish-3 Crappie-2
Ranger Keith Willis said the fish bite at Eastman is still mediocre, . Some bass are being caught with a 9 pounder and a 5 1/2 pound bass the big fish. Plastics fished from 5 to 10 feet deep are working as well as rip baits early.The water clarity has improved over the past two weeks due to cooler weather. Catfish are still being caught after dark. Panfish can be caught on red worms or wax worms if they are located. Lake storage is currently 12,800 acre/feet, no inflow, no outflow, water quality has improved. Green algae in the lake getting better. The lake is holding at 471.41 feet in elevation and 9% of capacity. 689-3255.

Hensley Lake
Bass-2 Trout-1 Catfish-2 Bluegill-2
Patrick Movey at Fisherman’s Warehouse said the fishing for small bass using Purple Death plastics or darterheads was decent. Overall action here maybe better than Eastman, although a shot at a bigger fish is low. 225-1838, 292-3474, 673-5151.

McSwain Reservoir
Trout-3
Trout fishing has been very good for limits by both bank anglers and trollers. Wedding rings behind chrome flashers has been a favorite for trollers. Morning has been the best time of day to get quick limits, Diana Mello at A-1 Bait said. The Trout Fishing Derby at McSwain is this weekend, with over 50 tagged fish, and one worth $3,000. Entry fees are $10 for a single angler and $25 for a family. (209) 378-2534

Millerton Lake /San Joaquin River
Bass-2 Stripers-1 Shad-1 Trout-2
Lots of little spots dominate the bite right now, with quality the big problem, Gilbert said. The latest tournament was won with 9 ½ pounds. Tons of bait holding all over the lake. No striper reports. Water levels should start falling soon as the water upstream is exhausted and the inflow falls, Gilbert opined. Lake is closing at 7 PM now. Water levels have remained stable at 351.000 acre feet and an elevation of 539.48 feet in spite of the river releases into the San Joaquin. 225-1838, 292-3474.

Pine Flat Reservoir
Bass-3 Trout-3 King Salmon-1 Catfish-2
Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun said that the bass fishing seems to have “turned the corner” with a good bite on 1 ½ to 2 pound fish taking a variety of different baits. The trout bite has been good for 13 to 15 inch fish hitting shad colored Needlefish and Thomas Buoyants at about 5 colors. Zebe Creek, the Powerlines and trolling the buoys by the dam have all been good areas. Finding the bait balls is the key to getting bit, Gilbert said. Water level at 20% of capacity
787-2387, 225-1838, 292-3474.

McClure Reservoir
Bass-3 Trout-2 King Salmon-1 Kokanee-1 Crappie-2 Catfish-2
Manny Basi said the bite has been very good for nice sized spots taking Rico’s in Hollow Shad color, the Gunfish topwater bait, Bad Shad green dropshotted plastics and on brown jigs. The best depths have been from 10 to 35 feet deep along the shoreline. Trout action is slow with most anglers going to McSwain for their fishing. Catfish are on a fair bite and taking crawdads. A-1 Bait (209) 563-6505, Fishwrangler’s Guide Service (209) 604-8222, Bub Tosh (209) 404-0053.

Lake Don Pedro
Bass-2 Trout-3 Kokanee-1 King Salmon-2
Manny Basi rated the bass bite as “good” on the Gunfish topwater bait in chartreuse shad color or the dropshotted Bad Shad green plastic baits for the most consistent action on small to medium sized fish. He also noted that minnows have been effective as well
Danny Layne said that the fishing in the “Mother Lode” continues to be bountiful with some very nice rainbows being taken at Lake Don Pedro. . Anglers should target the areas off the face of the dam, Mexican Gulch, Schoolhouse point, and into Fleming bay at depths of 35′ to 55′ with Matrix Paddle tails, Slim Fins or Ex-cel lures in small shad colors for ‘bows to four pounds. Monte Smith (209) 581-4734, Danny Layne -Fishn’ Dan (209) 586-2383.

HIGH SIERRA
Bass Lake
Bass-2 Trout-2 Kokanee-1
Tood Wittwer said that his season is over, but that some trout action should be continuing to produce the regular sized fish on trout setups. Few other reports as anglers move to more productive waters
642-3141, Todd Wittwer 288-8100, 642-3633, 642-3737; Mike Bieghy 642-3748.

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Kokanee-1 Trout-3
Thanks to the D.F.G. plant two weeks ago of brood Trout 2-4 pounds each, Shaver Lake anglers are scoring on the big Bow’s while the normal smaller plants are slow to bite.
Guide Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charter’ caught and released nearly 2 limits of Trout including a 3 pounder and 4 pounder on charteuse and orange Dick’s Trout Busters with a tip of crawler behind blades at 15 feet deep. “The bite was somewhat slow but rewarding with the big fish. I saw another boat with a nice stringer of 2-3 pounders, but the normal 12-15 inch fish were scarce”. The best action was from Black Rock to Stevensen Creek..
Captain Jack Yandell fishing with his grandson Kellen McLaughlin caught and released 9 Trout including a 3 pounder caught by Kellen in the Tunnel Creek area at 25 feet deep on a Captain Jack’s Perch colored Fat Bug.
While trollers are experiencing hit and miss fishing, bank fishermen are doing very good scoring many of the 2-4 pound planted brood stock. According to Dick Gomez of Young’s Sporting Goods he has weighed several fish to 4 pounds over the last few weeks. He says the brooders are hanging near the shore in the Edison Campground and Shaver Lake Marina Area, and are hitting any color of Power Bait
One 4 pounder was caught and released by Matt McCandless of Shaver Lake Sports on a Rapala lure off the shore near the Dam.
The weather has been in the low 70’s with surface water temperatures at 61-62 degrees. 841-2522, 841-2740, Dinkey Creek Inn 841-3435, Rancheria Marina 893-3234, Young’s Sporting Goods 841-8271, Dick’s Fishing Charters 841-5331.

Wishon/Courtright
Trout-2
With the cold weather there have been few reports from anglers. Fishing should be fair, if you can stand the cold conditions.
Wishon RV Park 865-5361.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool
Vermillion Resort is now closed for season. 259-4000.

OCEAN
San Francisco Bay
Halibut-2 Stripers-2 Rockfish- 3 Leopard Shark – 2 Sturgeon-2
John Akina of Oyster Point said that the fishing has been slow the last few days. They have picked up a few stripers and halibut ,fishing the Bay after getting rockcod limits. Akina said the rockcod season will close Oct. 31. Emeryville Sportfishing reported very good scores of limits on rockfish as well as good numbers of lingcod to 22 pounds on trips for 5 of their boats to the Farallon Islands. Bad weather is hampering the fishing.

Delta/Stockton
Bass- 3 Stripers-2 Sturgeon-3
Randy Pringle said the striper fishing is on the verge of breaking out. Overcast days have brought out the top water bite. Lots of 4 to 8 pound fish taking Pop “N” Walkers, while bigger stripers are going for the Big Stik and medium sized Double Diamond swim bait. Water temps are in the 65 degree range, with the fish filtering into the San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers. The Sacramento has had a better bite due to cooler water temps, he said. Bass fishing is very good with fish taking almost any bait in your box. The bass are moving into the shallow back waters and warmer temps, and out of the moving current areas. Lots of good sized fish, but the bigger ones are still scattered out
Kevin Yost said they got 30 sturgeon this week , making for some great fishing,. This current storm system should put an early influx of fresh water into the system, further cooling the water temperatures and fueling a possible wide open bite very soon. Randy Pringle (209) 543-6260; Kevin Yost, Lucky Strike Fishing (707) 301-8050, Mark Wilson Sport Fishing (916) 682-1630, Fin Addict Sport Fishing (209) 367-4665, Jolly Jay’s Guide Service (209) 478-6645.

Tournament Results
Fresno open October 11th (Millerton)
1st Denny/Dawane Bowlin 5 fish 9.62
2nd Danny woods/ James Mize 5 fish 9.22
3rd Tim Turner/Chet Elia 5 fish 8.77
4th Mark Corrente/John Albidrez 7.92
Mike Davis/Raymond Padilla big fish 2.41

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