FROM ALL ANGLERS

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

ROGER’S COMMENTS: I don’t think there is any better way to spend time on the water than with a couple of good buddies who have the same mind set as you do, are good team players and are humble enough to listen and try different ideas. I call it competitive cooperation, and I think it’s a healthy way to get the maximum effort, results and fun out of a fishing trip.

Having a couple of good anglers working together to figure out the bite, and then putting it all together is no accident. Good fishermen are always looking for angling solutions to problems they have’nt been able to figure out yet. I find they listen carefully to what’s said-looking for the right key to open the door –and they’re not afraid to really give the idea a fair trial. It’s amazing to me when I see a good angler trying to help another struggling fisherman with a key tip, and the guy completely discounts the gem of knowledge, saying, “Oh yeah, I do something sorta’ like that too.” That’s when you realize that the angler just doesn’t really want to change his mindset or his fishing, and isn’t really open to any new ideas or help.

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

VALLEY
New Melones Reservoir
Bass-3 Crappie-2 Catfish-2 Trout-3 Kokanee-1

Melanie Lewis of Glory Hole Sporting Goods in Angels Camp reported a few smart trout anglers with boats have had success still-fishing way upriver, rather than trolling. Bass anglers report catching plenty of trout while fishing in the creek arms and upriver with small shad imitation lures. Trout are feeding heavily on the small threadfin shad that are so plentiful in the lake right now. The rainbows are starting to move up, as the water temperature cools down. Trollers have been having success with shad-patterned lures such as Needlefish or Excel lures, and smaller Rapala Countdowns from the surface to 20 feet in depth, both in the mouths of coves and upriver. Brown trout anglers are trolling Trophy Sticks or Countdown Rapalas at depths from 20 to 40 feet near structure. Night fishing under lights is still producing limits at depths from 30 to 50 feet, but it is getting much colder in the evenings. Kokanee fishing is over until next spring with the red salmon attempting to spawn up the river arms. Bass are chasing the shad both in the coves and out over deeper water. There are numerous smaller fish with large bass difficult to come by. Anglers have been searching for shad boils and tossing top water lures once the boils are located. There is a still a good top-water bite going on at dawn and dusk with Zara Spooks, buzz baits, or Pop-Rs. Bass can also be taken on drop shot plastics in shad-imitations, Senkos in green pumpkin, watermelon or shad-colors. A few fishermen are working Hopkins Spoons or dragging brown or brown/purple jig up submerged island tops and humps.
Catfishing is slowing down with the cooler weather, as the fish move out into deeper water at this time of year.
Crappie and bluegill action continues to be slow with the best action at night under lights at depths from 10 to 30 feet around submerged trees with live small or medium minnows, or crappie jigs with jigs in red/white, black/chartreuse or purple/white in Bear, Carson or Mormon Creeks. The lake rose to 958.01 in elevation and 46% of capacity. The Angels Cove Launch Ramp is closed with the Tuttletown on the low water ramp and Glory Hole still at the mid-ramp. The lowest ramp at Glory Hole is usable until the lake hits 860 vertical feet in elevation. Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing touts nearby Lake Tulloch as a solid trout option, particularly during the week when there is a scarcity of recreational wake boarders and jet skiers. He has been pulling shad or Vance’s Slim Fins at depths from 13 to 17 feet in the main lake. The water temperature is 64 degrees, and Smith expects the bite to really take off once the lake dips below 60 degrees. Trout plants are scheduled over the next two weeks. (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-2 Bluegill-2
Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait is astonished that crappie to 2-pounds continue to be taken on small minnows or minijigs. Trout fishing has been slow with a few fish found around the river inlet. Bass fishing is decent with a top water bite in the morning before changing over to jigs, crankbaits or plastics during the daylight hours. Channel catfish are starting to move into deeper water around Boulder Gulch or around the French Gulch Marina with the fish in shallower water near the banks in the early mornings or in the evenings. The lake dropped to 2547.27 feet in elevation and 18% of capacity. In the Bakersfield area, trout plants at Hart Park, Woollomes, Truxton, the Park at River Walk Lake and Ming have given locals another species to target. Trout plants are scheduled to start at Buena Vista around the middle of November prior to their derby. 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-2 Catfish -2 Bass-2 Crappie-1
Ly Tu of Ly’s Fishing Goods in San Jose said that before the last storm there were stripers boiling on the surface of the main lake chasing shad, with anglers seeking out diving birds and tossing Zara Spooks and Pencil Poppers for fish to 26-pounds ,but the Fresno CSBA striper derby on Sat. found the fish had moved down to around 50 feet and the bite had slowed way down, probably due to the low pressure pattern. Most fish were taken from 30 to 50 feet deep on minnows, with most boats scoring only one or two fish. There were very few topwater boils.Tu said the rising water left the banks very muddy, and boaters have had to launch at Basalt instead of Dinosaur Point. Basalt launching is still on a decent surface, but 4 wheel drive is the best bet.In the Forebay, bank fishermen are using dip nets for freshwater shrimp which are used for stripers in the 22 to 24-inch range. Throw nets or seine nets are illegal to use for the shrimp. Game Wardens are giving tickets for using the illegal nets. The grass in the Forebay is lying down with the increased pumping of water in and out of the lake. The lake rose to 21% of capacity with 9456 acre-feet of water pumped from the Delta. 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 -2Catfish-2 Crappie-2
Ranger Keith Willis reported the cooler weather has helped to clear up the water, but the fish are becoming less active. Merritt Gilbert said there have been a few bass taken off of the face of the Dam and on the offshore humps at depths from 5 to 10 feet with plastic worms, minnow-imitation lures or live bait. Catfishing is best from dusk to midnight with chicken livers or anchovies. John Esteves or Chowchilla landed a 21-pound catfish on beef liver near the dam in the evening. Wax or red worms are working for panfish, once they have been located near structure. The lake rose minimally to 472.03 feet in elevation and 9% of capacity. 689-3255.

Hensley Lake
Bass-3 Trout-1 Catfish-2 Bluegill-2
Bob Scharton of Herb Bauer’s Sporting Goods reported good action for small bass on 6-inch Keeper 1058 or 4-inch Keeper 1050 in shallow water close to the banks. The water is a bit stained from the recent rains. Merritt Gilbert said a few catfish in the 1.5 to 3-pound range can be found on chicken livers or anchovies. The lake rose slightly to 477.07 feet in elevation and 21 % of capacity.. 225-1838, 292-3474, 673-5151

McSwain Reservoir
Trout-3
The McSwain Marina reported great action over the weekend’s Merced Irrigation Trout Derby over the weekend with the $3000.00 trout landed by James Marshall of Groveland. Richard Lee of Stockton picked up one of the $1000.00 fish. There were a total of 18 additional tagged fish paying $140/each. Victor Gomez of Turlock caught the big fish at 5.47-pounds for $200.00. The lake was heavily planted prior to the derby. Bank anglers are scoring with Kastmasters in split chrome, corn yellow or chartreuse Power Bait combined with a white marshmallow or Power Egg at the Brush Pile or Handicapped Docks. Trollers have been picking up limits in the early morning with green Wedding Rings tipped with a crawler behind a dodger from Gilligan’s Island to the Dam and back at depths to 20 feet (209) 378-2534.

Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River
Bass-2 Stripers-1 Shad-1 Trout-2
Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun said bass limits to 7.5-pounds can be taken on Texas-rigged plastics, or jigs with the fish moving out into deeper water at 20 to 25 feet in depth. No striper report. The lake rose to 541.93 feet in elevation and 69%. Trout plants are scheduled on the lower San Joaquin River during the next two weeks. 225-1838, 292-3474.

Pine Flat Reservoir/Kings River
Bass-2 Trout-3 King Salmon-1 Catfish-2
Merritt Gilbert reported a decent bass bite with a few spots to 3-pounds taken on top water lures in the mornings before heading to the bottom with jigs or plastics worms. The best action is in the main lake to Windy Gap around steep banks or long points. The trout bite is also continually improving with limits to 15-inches taken on Needlefish, Thomas Buoyants, Cripplures, or Humdingers from 20 to 25 feet near the Powerlines, Zebe Creek or the Deer Creek Marina to the Dam.
Both the bass and trout are chasing the shad schools, so anglers are locating the bait with their electronics and working the bait balls. The lake rose to 774.87 feet in elevation and 24% of capacity. The lower Kings below the Dam has slowed down with minimal water releases from the dam. Trout plants are scheduled on the lower Kings during the next two weeks. 225-1838, 292-3474.

Lake Kaweah, McClure Reservoir
Bass-3 Trout-2 King S-2 Kokanee-1
Manny Basi reported a continued strong bass bite with top water PopR’s in the mornings before switching to drop shotting with the Reaction Innovation worm in Bad Shad Green. He added that a small profile jig head with a Yamamoto Hula Grub in color 330 is also effective. Diana Mello of A-1 Bait in Snelling said the crappie bite in Cottonwood Creek is on the upswing, even in the daytime, with small minnows around structure. Catfishing remains good with chicken livers, crawdads or anchovies along muddy, sloping banks. There have been a few trout located around the Dam at depths to 80 feet. A-1 Bait (209) 563-6505, Fishwrangler’s Guide Service (209) 604-8222, Bub Tosh (209) 404-0053.

Lake Don Pedro
Bass-2 Trout-2 Kokanee-1 King Salmon-1
Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing reported a slowdown in the trout bite prior to and after the downpour. He was able to put his clients on to six quality rainbows to 4-pounds the day before the rains, but things turned tough later in the week with a couple of quality fish lost on their way to the boat. They were pulling Vance’s Slim Fins or the Shasta Tackle Wiggle Hootchies at depths from 55 to 70 feet for the rainbows. Smith said the water is still relatively clear despite the heavy inflow. Manny Basi of the Bait Barn reported the bass bite was also tough with a few fish to 4-pounds taken from the banks to 30 feet in depth with the S Wave mini swimbait from River2Sea or drop-shotting with the Reaction Innovation plastic worm in Bad Shad Green. Monte Smith (209) 581-4734, Danny Layne -Fishn’ Dan (209) 586-2383.

HIGH SIERRA
Bass Lake
Bass-2 Trout-2 Kokanee-1
Merritt Gilbert said the bass bite slowed down after the storm, but prior to the 7-inch downpour, anglers were scoring with reaction baits in the mornings along the outside edges before switching to Texas –rigged plastic worms, brass N’ glass or jigs at depths from 30 to 40 feet. Trout fishing continues to be slow, but things will improve close to Thanksgiving with the resumption of trout plants and cooling water temperatures. The lake dropped to 59% of capacity 642-3141, Todd Wittwer 288-8100, 642-3633, 642-3737; Mike Bieghy 642-3748.

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Kokanee-2 Trout-2 Smallmouth-2
Dick Nichol’s of Dick’s Fishing Charters reported the big storm left 8 inches of rain at Shaver Lake, slowing down fishing interest. Since the storm has passed, there have been several of the large brood trout from 3 to 5-pounds landed by bank anglers tossing Power Bait from the Edison Campground or near the Shaver Lake Marina. Nichols added that kokanee fishing has produced a few next year’s fish at various levels between 30 and 45 feet using Captain Jack’s Green Fat Bugs and Pink Super Hoochies with a tip of corn. Small Mouth Bass can be taken regularly in the rocky areas of the lake on small spinners and crickets according to Matt McCandless at Shaver Lake Sports. Shaver has risen to 69% of capacity with Huntington dropping to 57%. 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
Patrick Movey reported brown trout to 15-inches have been taken by anglers pulling Trophy Stick lures in rainbow trout along the shorelines. Anglers should check for access to Courtright. Wishon RV Park 865-5361.

OCEAN
San Francisco Bay
Halibut-2 Stripers-3 Rockfish- 4 Leopard Shark – 3 Sturgeon-2
Bob Wright, second captain of the California Dawn, reported fantastic ling cod and big rockfish action on Saturday at the Farallon Islands. They made two long drifts for 35 ling cod to 17-pounds, including a good number of fish over 10-pounds. They ended up with 130 rockfish for the 20 anglers on board composed of an excellent grade of fish. James Smith of the California Dawn had similar numbers on both days over the weekend with a few fish short of 22 limits on Saturday to go with over 20 lings, despite a good number of anglers choosing to stay inside the cabin. They had a banner day today with 26 limits of rockfish and 38 ling cod to 15-pounds. He will be working on the rockfish for the remaining two weeks of the season with trips planned from Wednesday through Sunday during the coming week. The New Seeker and New Huck Finn out of Emeryville also had great days on Saturday with a combined 35 limits of rockfish, 34 lings to 11-pounds, 4 halibut to 11-pounds and a pair to stripers to 5-pounds working the Farallon Islands and back inside the bay. On Sunday, three boats out of Emeryville put in near limits of rockfish at 660 rockies for 72 fishermen to go with 79 lings to 20-pounds and a pair of bonus halibut on their way back to the harbor. The rockfish season ends on October 31st, so interested anglers have to step up and make a commitment before the long closure until next summer. Inside the bays, Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait in San Rafael reported outstanding striper action at Buoy 5 on live shiners, most preferably from Loch Lomond. Jim Cox of the Touch of Gray put in 3 limits of bas to 16-pounds on Friday with near limits on Saturday in the same area. Cox put his 6 clients on to limits today, staying with his winning formula of location and shiners. Fraser said skiffs are pounding the bass with shiners at Red Rock with some reporting hooking a fish every drift. There have been a few sturgeon and the occasional halibut taken in the area. The striper bite on bullheads or mudsuckers along the China Camp shoreline remains consistent. Joel Sinkay of Leonard’s Bait at Port Sonoma reported good striper action in Sonoma Creek with six bass in the 12-pound range taken over the weekend. There were a couple of sturgeon also landed from the banks of Sonoma Creek. It is a telling statement that the party boats are heading outside for rockfish, instead of staying inside the bay and working halibut.

Delta/Stockton
Bass- 2 Stripers-3 Sturgeon-2
Striper action has been pretty hot in the Delta with the larger fish concentrated from the Mothball Fleet to Bay Point. Mark Delnero of Fin Addict Sport Fishing was running the Lucky Strike Too on Friday, putting Richard Suchil Jr. of Stockton on to a 42-inch/24.9-pound striper on fresh shad at the end of the outgoing tide near the Middle Grounds. Jeremy Kangas of StickEm. Sport Fishing was working the sandbar near the Mothball Fleet with bullheads with 6 clients for 9 stripers to 15-pounds and a surprise 22-pound halibut on the bullhead. Jim Smith will be bringing the Happy Hooker to Martinez this coming weekend, and the possibilities of striper action on the live sardines look very promising with the fish in the area and good tides. Benicia Bait confirmed the good striper action at the Mothball Fleet with fish to 15-pounds taken on bullheads. There also was a 53-inch sturgeon landed on a bullhead over the weekend by an angler targeting stripers. Kevin Yost of Lucky Strike Fishing put one of his clients on to a 64-inch/49.1-pound sturgeon on Saturday morning on the incoming tide near the PGE Plant in Pittsburg. Sunday brought only shakers working the same areas at depths from 35 to 57 feet. Jay Lopes of Right Hook Sport Fishing had a sturgeon trip in the Pittsburg area on Friday for some good action on ghost shrimp and grass shrimp/eel combinations. Further upriver, Jay Sorensen of Jolly Jay’s Guide Service reported non-stop action for school-sized stripers to 24-inches on fresh shad on the San Joaquin and False Rivers. Mike Gravert of Intimidator Sport Fishing has been working the North Delta with jumbo minnows for outstanding action with seven fish over 10-pounds in his last three trips. Gravert said the conditions are excellent as he is locating pockets of cold water from releases from the area rivers. Randy Pringle said that the bass are in a very lethargic pattern til conditions stabilize for a while. He suggests fishing a Persuader jig with a Chigger Craw trailer in black and blue colors off deeper water areas very slowly on the bottom. Moving the bait very slowly and not even hopping it are important to getting a bite. The reaction bite should also kick in once the conditions get stable.
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

Kaweah – Visalia Bass Club – October 17th – 1st: Mike Chavarria/Erick Schott – 9.01-pounds (Big Fish – 7.39); 2nd – Steve and Scott Thompson – 7.23; 3rd –Terry Hamlin/Brian Shishido – 6.46.

Delta –Fresno Bass Club–October 17/18th : 1st – Cliff Woods– 27.04-pounds; 2nd –Morgan Swisher – 23.30; 3rd –Dan Marshall– 22.30. Big fish – Richard DeBenedictis – 7.73-pounds

Don Pedro–Jig’s Bait and Tackle–October 17th : 1st –Gerry Johnson/Robert Mansor– 8.95-pounds; 2nd –Rick Beller/Gene Perry – 8.88; 3rd –Alex Niapas/Garrett Anderson – 7.02.

McClure October 17-Sierra Bass Club
1st Place – Ryan Huskey, 5 fish, 7.44 lbs.
2nd Place – Carlos Contreras, Sr., 5 fish, 7.06 lbs.
3rd Place – Jay Bradshaw, 5 fish, 6.75 lbs.

Big Fish – Nathan Wilbon – 2.36 lbs.

San Luis CSBA Fresno Chapter Striper Derby, Oct. 17-
1st Andy Bedell 6.9 pounds
2. Chong Yang 6.7 pounds
3. Roger George 6.4 pounds

Upcoming

October 22nd–Ken Eddy –Bass Fishing– 6:15 p.m. ––Fresno Fisherman’s Warehouse

October 29th–John Poindexter –Striped Bass Fishing– 6:15 p.m. ––Fresno Fisherman’s Warehouse

Tournaments:

October 24th – Isabella – Bakersfield Bass
Delta/Russo’s – Angler’s Choice
Santa Margarita – Golden Empire Bass Club

October 25th -Delta/Russo’s – Hook, Line and Sinker

October 31st -Pine Flat – Western Outdoors News/Kerman Bass Club

November 7th -New Melones – Future Pro Tour
Millerton – Angler’s Choice
McClure – Angler’s Choice
Nacimiento – Taft Bass Club
Lopez – San Luis Obispo Bass Ambushers
Isabella – Golden Empire
Delta/Eddo’s Boat Harbor – Modesto CSBA

Tulloch – Sonora Bass/ Manteca Bassin’ Buddies/Los Banos Bass Club

November 8th – Kaweah – Visalia Bass/Kings VIII Bass Club

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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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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: I got a phone message from a friend, Dana Kahler, who was on his way to Merced the day they started the San Joaquin River releases. He left a message telling me that as he was crossing one of the bridges downstream, he noticed that the salmon were already moving en masse towards Fresno and that he gave it at least a 3 fish rating! Funny message, but it got me thinking. If the salmon run works, It’s possible you could see a good striper run as well, with even some sturgeon making it up to Friant . Trolling Skaggs Bridge for big stripers, or soaking some shrimp for a huge sturgeon could just be part of the package I hope works. In another scenario we might have to learn how to use pitchforks again, like they did in the 1940’s for salmon, but this time it might be to ward off pesky Sea Lions, as they learn about the good “fishing” farther upstream. Imagine, “Feed the Seals” -just north of Palm and Nees, could be a real hit I can live without.

VALLEY
New Melones Reservoir
Bass-2 Crappie-2 Catfish-3 Trout-3 Kokanee-1
Melanie Lewis said bank fishing at Melones is done for the season, and won’t pick up again until mid-November. Trollers have been picking up rainbows on firetiger, red, frog, or other brightly-colored Needlefish, Excel, or Rapala‘s, without dodgers or flashers at 40-60 feet deep, in the main lake, and upriver. Night fishing for trout under a submersible light has been great. 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. 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).Lots of small bass to be caught, but bigger fish are harder to find. Bass are chasing the shad both in the coves and out over deeper water- watch for the shad boils, and you will find the bass. There is a good top-water bite going on at dawn and dusk. Throw a Zara Spook, buzz bait, or Pop-Rs. When the sun is up, throw shad-colored split-shot or drop-shot rigged 4″ worms, rip-baits, or Senkos. The red-eye bass and smaller spotted bass that are feeding in the cove areas will take just about anything you throw near the shad boils. Catfishing is still good with lots of big cats to 9 pounds showing up. Use anchovies, mackerel, sardines, chicken liver, or a ball of nightcrawlers. Using a sliding sinker weight, leave your bail open so the cats can pick the bait up and swim with it. Crappie are fair to slow. Night fishing under a light is best. Crappie can be found hanging out in submerged trees, about 10′-30′ feet deep. Bear Creek, Mormon Creek and Carson Creek are all good bets. Try fishing live small or medium minnows, or crappie jigs with jigs in red/white, black/chartreuse or purple/white.

Danny Layne said the bite at Tulloch is moving toward prime time for this impoundment on the Stanislaus River. Best target areas are the, south shore ramp to the dam, areas East and West of Black Creek, at depths of 10′ to 20′, Surface temp 68 degrees. The most productive set-ups are, rolling shad using a Pro-Troll E-chip harness, Ex-Cel lures, Cripplures or Slim Fin lures. Remember that due to water clarity you need to move your presentation to at least 75′ behind the boat, or use sideplanners for the rainbows to four 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 of Bob’s bait said that the fishing hasn’t changed much, with most anglers waiting for the water to cool some more. Bass fishing has been decent with a few bigger fish coming on shallow fished cranks and plastics. Crappie fishing is still good and Cormier said he was surprised how long the good bite has lasted this season. Catfishing has also been pretty good. Planted trout are expected later this month, but anglers are still getting a decent rainbow bite now. Water levels are way down, but there are lots of good fishing bites going on anyway, he said . Lower river area below the dam has been good for catfish, bass and trout. Aqueduct fishing for cats and stripers up to 27 inches has been pretty good since the flows have slowed. 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 the Big Lake has been very good for bigger stripers in the 32 to 34 inch range on jumbo minnows by the Trash racks. He felt the colder water conditions were the reason for the bigger fish, as well as the surface boils as the stripers feed on both the American and Threadfin shad schools. Early action on topwater plugs as well as on Rattletraps has also been productive. Forebay action has been moderate for smaller fish in the 20 inch range on grass shrimp, with most anglers working the bridge area. Lake level is at 405,000 acre feet storage, and is falling about a ½+ 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 -3 Catfish-3 Crappie-2
Ranger Keith Willis said that the lake water is getting clearer with the cooler temperatures, which slowed the bass bite, which isn’t as good as it was a couple of weeks ago. Bass are still being caught on plastic worms, and minnow look alike type lures., Donnie Young, of Legrand, caught three big bass , a 12 pounder, an 8 pounder, and a 5 pounder on a minnow type lure. He and his dad were fishing around the orange hazard buoys in the deeper part of the lake. Several other 5 pounders were also taken recently. As the water clears, bass should be in water from 0 to 25 feet. Another big catfish, between 10-15 pounds, was caught here this week from the bank on worms,. Best time to fish for catfish is dusk to early morning hours. Bluegill are hitting for anglers fishing beside the Tower using red worms under a bobber, about 4-5 feet deep. Current lake storage is 12,900 acre/feet, no inflow, no outflow, water is getting clearer with the cooler temperatures.
The lake is holding at 471.41 feet in elevation and 9% of capacity. 689-3255.

Hensley Lake
Bass-2 Trout-1 Catfish-3 Bluegill-2 Catfish-3
Fishing for very small bass seems to be the trend right now. Bob Scharton of Herb Bauers said that several anglers worked the campground area for catfish, landing some very good fish to 9 pounds. Few reports at the low water lake holding at around 20% of capacity.
225-1838, 292-3474, 673-5151.

McSwain Reservoir
Trout-3
Diana Mello of A-1 bait said the fishing has been very good in the mornings for limits of nice rainbows. Flasher and crawler combo’s are good for trollers working the area above the Brushpile, while both boaters and shore anglers have found that Kastmasters are effective too. Shore anglers are using light green colored baits with white mixed, in for the best results. (209) 378-2534.

Delta Mendota Canal and Sloughs
Stripers-2 Catfish-2
Tung Lamngam of Clovis caught a 41 pound striper out of the Aqueduct on a Pointer 128 Lazer Shad lure, Patrick Movey said.

Millerton Lake /San Joaquin River
Bass-2 Stripers-1 Shad-1 Trout-2
Lots of small fish are the rule, with plastics like the Hologram Shad being good bets, Movey said. Overall very few bigger fish have been caught.. James Mize also said anglers are struggling to get a 6 pound limit, with shad patterned plastics and some jigs working. Lots of shad schools throughout the lake, as well as little largemouth bass cruising the shoreline. CAST for Kids had 31 boats for their event. An exception to the slow fishing, Jeremy Champ of the Fresno Bass Club found an excellent ripbait bite during the CAST event that had him and his boater landing 15 keepers out of 20 fish. Jigs had some success as well, Larry Hodge said. No stripers have been reported. 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 /Kings River
Bass-3 Trout-2 King Salmon-1 Catfish-2
Patrick Movey of Fisherman’s Warehouse said the trout fishing has been decent in front of Deer Creek for trollers working the 35 foot depth range with Excel’s, Needlefish and dodger/crawler combo’s . Limits of 14 to 16 inch fish are possible if you work at it hard. Finding the bait is the key to finding the fish. Trout are coming up shallower, making leadcore a viable trolling option now, James Mize of Valley Rod and Gun said. Bass fishing has been good for numbers of small fish on reaction baits, with some anglers getting 25 to 30+ fish per day. Plastics and buzzbaits are working. Mize said that some anglers were doing well on Senko’s, jigs and flipping the trees for some good limits to 12 pounds. Bait is everywhere along the shoreline. Catfish in the 2 to 3 pound range are taking chicken livers for a decent bite. Water level at 20% of capacity.
787-2387, 225-1838, 292-3474.

Lake Kaweah
Bass-3 Crappie-3 Trout-1 Catfish-2
Larry Kerns said that the full moon and colder weather made the fishing a little tougher, but he and a buddy still got fish in the 7 pound class. There are more smaller fish to wade through, but jigs, cranks and dropshotted plastics are the top choices. Crappie fishing is still hot, but Kerns hoped the colder weather would discourage a lot of the anglers fishing for panfish day and night. He said there were a lot of very small panfish being harvested. Lake is holding at 5% of capacity. 592-5922.

Lake Success
Bass-3 Trout-1 Catfish-2
Kerns said that the bite was almost mirroring the Kaweah bite, with cranks, jigs and dropshotting plastics all taking good numbers of nice bass. Lake at 6% capacity. 784-0215.

McClure Reservoir
Bass-3 Trout-2 King Salmon-1 Kokanee-1 Crappie-2 Catfish-2
Diana Mello at A-1 Bait said that the trout have gone deeper with anglers working the 60 foot level near the dam for limits of fish on Excels in shad or green shad colors. Crawler/dodger combos are also working. Night fishing under a light with minnows has been very good for trout. On the bass front, Mello suggested using Smelly Jelly Crawfish scent on the live crawdads as something different that has worked very well lately for anglers giving it a try. Manny Basi said that the bass bite was very good for lots of fish, with the best sizes coming from topwater plugs like the Lucky Craft, Gunfish in a chartreuse shad color. He also touted a Reaction Innovation dropshot worm in the Bad Shad Green color as a very good bait. Fish in the 2 to 3 pound range are available, but smaller bass chasing the shad schools are on a good bite-so you have to cull them to get to the bigger fish. Catfishing has slowed down. Crappie fishing has been very slow. 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
Danny Layne said the bite here remains very strong for rainbow trout to four pounds. The surface temp is 74 degrees as of last Friday morning, some bows closer to the surface, but with the majority of fish holding in the forty foot range. Best areas to target, the face of the dam, Mexican Gulch, Schoolhouse point and Graveyard Bay at depths from 35′ to 50′. It’s important to try to match the hatch, because the schools of bait (Thread Fin Shad) in the mentioned areas are not more than 3/4 of an inch long therefore using very small lures like , Midge Woblers, Triple Teasers, Small Ex-Cels, Hum-Dingers and the small Vance’s Slim Fin either naked or in tandem with a Vance’s gold Dodger or a U/V Slingblade are the best bets at trolling speeds of two plus MPH. Layne and Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing are predicting an outstanding fall. Manny Basi said the bass fishing is slower than McClure, but the Bad Shad Green dropshotted plastic was working very well at both lakes for fish holding from the bank out to 40 feet deep. A ½ oz. jighead with a watermelon red Yamamoto Hula Grub has been picking up fish too. Live minnows have been very effective for the bass, especially during a time when they are chasing shad, Basi said. Monte Smith (209) 581-4734, Danny Layne -Fishn’ Dan (209) 586-2383.

HIGH SIERRA
Bass Lake
Bass-2 Trout-2 Kokanee-1
Todd Wittwer said the kokanee season is all but over, and is concerned about what has happened to the fishery this year. Few trout anglers working the lake right now. Bass fishing has picked up, with some decent numbers of spots, up to 4 pounds. 642-3141, Todd Wittwer 288-8100, 642-3633, 642-3737; Mike Bieghy 642-3748.

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Kokanee-1 Trout-2
Trout fishing is about the only game in town, with little angler traffic and pretty cold conditions, Capt. Jack Yandell said. Yandell managed to pick up a few regular sized rainbows, but he said the bigger trophy plants were few and far between right now. Some ice and snow fell the other day, but none of it stuck, he said. Huntington is nearly impossible to launch a boat on right now, and if you did, you would probably get stuck in the mud, he added.
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
Wishon Village said the bank fishing at both lakes was slow with the colder weather, but that trollers pulling gold/red or frog colored Speedy Shiners were doing fairly well. They expect the bite to improve with the calmer weather. Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool
Brown Trout-3 Trout-3
Vermillion Resort said that the Brown’s and the rainbows are on a very good bite, with the Brown’s ranging from 14 to 18 inches, and the trout 14 to 16 inches. The Brown’s are taking almost any kind of Rapala thrown from the bank or trolled, while the trout are hitting flashers followed by any silver lure. The Brown’s are starting to move into the streams to spawn, and this last storm seemed to trigger the spawn cycle and bite. The resort will be closing on Oct. 12th. Be sure to be careful if you go up because the roads are very icy, but the pass is still open. No reports from Florence. 259-4000.

OCEAN
San Francisco Bay
Halibut-2 Stripers-3 Rockfish- 3 Leopard Shark- 3 Sturgeon-2
James Smith of the California Dawn said that the Halibut fishing had waned with the windy conditions, but that it should pick back up this week as things settle down. Striper fishing has been decent with bait such as bullheads and cutbait working off the channel at Rodeo and in Suisun Bay. Smith had a trip with 16 anglers bring back 15 halibut and 16 stripers. Sturgeon fishing off of Pittsburg has been very consistent for the last 3 weeks. Leopard sharks are pretty easy to find by the Alameda rock wall, with anglers taking good numbers. Rockfish scores have been good, and the Farallons have been kicking out some very good Lingcod numbers.

Monterey
Rockfish-3 Albacore-2 White Seabass-2
Chris Arcaleo of Chris’s landing said they were able to get out for some of the weekend and had near limits of rockfish for the effort. They are expecting good weather all week, so they should be able to get back into some good bites. With squid in the bay, he said they are catching and using them for bait. Cypress Point and Carmel have been good areas. White Seabass are in the area if you can find them, and Arcaleo said they had 5 anglers on one trip who caught 9 seabass to 57 pounds, while the next trip had 9 anglers and only one fish. Albacore season doesn’t look good , he said, since the warmer water is currently out over 60 miles right now, making the trip very expensive and difficult. Chris’ Landing (831) 375-5951, Bayside Marine (831) 475-2173, usafishing.com.

Delta/Stockton
Bass- 2 Stripers-3 Sturgeon-2
Randy Pringle said the baitfish are moving close to shore to stay in warmer water and this is attracting the bigger stripers up closer to the shoreline. Topwater lures like the IMSA Bigstik are working, but moving to a bigger type swimbait could get you a big lineside. The Optimum Double Diamond, and the Berkeley Hollow Body on an exposed hook set up using a ½ oz. jighead are working in shallow water. Fish to 20 pounds are showing up. Working the eddies right off the current are good places to find stalking stripers. Hopkins Smoothie lures in the ¾ oz. size and in blue or green sides are working for deeper fish ff ledges, he said.
Pringle said the largemouth are following the same patterns as the stripers and are getting ready to put on the feedbag. The full moon put the bite off, but it should ramp up quickly. Chigger Craws and Zappu Heads with a Berkeley oxblood worm are good choices. Bigger swimbaits could be the best bet for the larger bass, although you’ll get fewer strikes.
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

September 26 & 27,Sierra Bass Club 2-day Delta Team tournament
1st Place – Pete Hennecke, Sr & Pete Hennecke, Jr.: 14 Fish – 35.05 lbs
2nd Place – Ben Painter & Joe Roy: 14 Fish – 33.52lbs
3rd Place – Ray Woodward & Barbara Woodward: 12 Fish – 27.95lbs

Big Fish – Ben Painter – 7.98lbs

Upcoming

OCT 11th: FRESNO OPEN, MILLERTON -INFO: MARK CORRENTE 284-2768

October 9-11th: Rio Vista Bass Derby – information: bassfestival.com or (707) 374-2700

October 17: Sierra Bass Club – Lake McClure
C.S.B.A. striper Derby-San Luis Reservoir

October 18th: Don Pedro – Jig’s Bait and Tackle – info jigstackle@aol.com

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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: Hopefully the end of the hot weather will be replaced with the predicted cool down that should have some very good impact on all the Fall bites. These lower temperatures should simultaneously bring the shad schools to the top, as well as kick starting the overall feeding cycle as conditions reach more optimal levels.

VALLEY
New Melones Reservoir
Bass-2 Crappie-2 Catfish-3 Trout-3 Kokanee-2
Danny Layne of Fishn’ Dan’s Guide Service reported fine action for large rainbow trout to three-pounds trolling the channel from Shipwreck Island to the Dam and back or in the deep water from Bear Cover to the mouth of Peoria Cove at depths from 40 to 60 feet. There are large schools of threadfin shad in the south part of the lake, and shad-patterned spoons, ExCels, Vance’s Slim Fins, Triple Teasers, Wiggle Hootchies, Needlefish or rolled shad are all working. The cooling water should continue to improve the bite. For browns, Melanie Lewis of Glory Hole Sporting Goods advised trolling Rapala Countdowns or Trophy Sticks in rainbow trout or shad patterns, or rolling shad near structure at depths from 50 to 60 feet deep. Night fishing for trout under a submersible light continues to be solid with the light at depths of 20 feet and crawlers or crawler/Power Bait combinations 10 to 20 feet under the lights. No change in the bass bite which is rated fair to slow by Lewis with a good top-water bite going on at dawn and dusk with Zara Spooks, buzz baits, or Pop-Rs. When the sun is up, crawdad or shad-colored Carolina-rigged 6″ worms, rip-baits, spinnerbaits, Zoom Baby Brush Hogs, or Senkos are working along the strong mud lines that are forming on the lake right now. Catfishing is good with anchovies, night crawlers or mackerel from the banks. Crappie and bluegill action continues to be slow with the best action at night under lights at depths from 10 to 30 feet around submerged trees with live small or medium minnows, or crappie jigs with jigs in red/white, black/chartreuse or purple/white in Bear, Carson or Mormon Creeks. The lake dropped two feet to 957.77 in elevation and 46% of capacity. The Angels Cove Launch Ramp is closed with the Tuttletown on the low water ramp and Glory Hole still at the mid-ramp. The lowest ramp at Glory Hole is usable until the lake hits 860 vertical feet in elevation. (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-4 Catfish-3 Bluegill-2
Big Ed Cordell of Big Ed’s Bait and Tackle at Lake Isabella closed their doors on Sunday, but he reported crappie to 2-pounds continue to be on an excellent bite with red/white or blue/white minijigs at depths from 2 to 18 feet in Rocky Point, the North Fork Marina or at Boulder Gulch. Butch Heinze caught and released a 13.9-pound largemouth on a Senko in the trees in Stein Cove. There have been a few quality bass taken on black or brown/purple jigs, but overall the bass bite has been slow. Channel catfish to 16-pounds continue on a strong bite with frozen shad, hot dogs or mackerel in Boulder Gulch or around the French Gulch Marina with the fish in shallower water near the banks in the early mornings or in the evenings. During the day, boaters take the majority of catfish in deep water. The trout bite is very slow with the planted fish heading to deep water. If these fish survive, fall trout fishing should be outstanding. The lake dropped one vertical foot to 2549.27 feet in elevation and 20% of capacity. In the Bakersfield area, the flows are the lower Kerns continue to drop, and crappie and bass are holding in the more secluded portions of the river. Small minnows or live crawdads working for these species. Carp fishing in the local lakes is starting up again with the Powder Bait. Bluegill, catfish and the occasional largemouth are the other options at all of the local lakes. 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 of Ly’s Fishing Goods in San Jose said there are loads of undersized stripers in the Forebay with the live freshwater or saltwater grass shrimp. Local anglers either purchase their bait or catch the freshwater shrimp in the grass. Live mudsuckers are also working. There is a top water bite with Ricos or PopR’s in the morning or evening. The grass in the Forebay will die off with the cooler water temperatures, and the pumping of water in and out of the Forebay causes the grass to ly down. In the big lake, anchovy fillets are still working for stripers in the 18 to 24-inch range at depths from 60 to 80 feet near the Trash Racks. The lake dropped to has 21% of capacity with heavy water releases down the Aqueduct. Wind conditions: 800-805-4805. Ly’s Fishing Goods (408) 629-9644; Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711.

Eastman Lake
Bass-3 Trout-1 Bluegill -2Catfish-2 Crappie-2
Merritt Gilbert said there have been numerous 2 to 3-pound fish reported on baby Brush Hogs in the trees with deep water access. The fish can be as shallow as 3 feet, but they must be able to get to deep water in a hurry, or they won’t stay on these trees. Watermelon/red or green pumpkin have been the top colors. There was a 12.5 and a pair of 5-pounders reportedly taken near the Dam. Catfish can still be found with chicken livers or anchovies from dusk to midnight along the banks. The water is starting to show the effects of green algae. The lake is holding at 471.37 feet in elevation and 9% of capacity. 689-3255.

Hensley Lake
Bass-1 Trout-1 Catfish-2 Bluegill-2
Merritt Gilbert said the bass bite is tough with few reports. Catfish are the top species with chicken livers or anchovies in the deeper holes up the river arm or from the banks near the Campgrounds. The lake dropped one-half foot to 476.75 feet in elevation and 20 % of capacity. The swimming area is closed for the season due to a steep drop off caused by low lake levels. Both ramps are open, but the Buckridge – East side – of the lake closes at dark due to recent vandalism. Boaters using this launch need to be off of the lake by closing time. 225-1838, 292-3474, 673-5151.

McSwain Reservoir
Trout-3
Diana Mello of A-1 Bait in Snelling reported limit fishing at the Brush Pile or Handicapped Docks with Kastmasters in split chrome, corn yellow or chartreuse Power Bait combined with a white marshmallow or Power Egg. Trollers have been picking up limits in the early morning with green Wedding Rings tipped with a crawler behind a dodger from Gilligan’s Island to the Dam and back at depths to 30 feet. There will be numerous trout plants in the next couple of weeks in preparation for the big Merced Irrigation Trout Derby on October 17/18th. (209) 378-2534.

Delta Mendota Canal and Sloughs
Stripers-2 Catfish-2
The local aqueducts near Firebaugh remain steady for small stripers or catfish on bag anchovies. In the south Aqueduct, Pete Cormier reported the water flows have slowed down, and the lack of debris has allowed for more fishable conditions.

Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River
Bass-2 Stripers-1 Shad-1 Trout-2
Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun said the lake is dropping 6 to 7-inches per day, and as a result, the bass bite has gotten tougher. There were limits to 10.3-pound at the Clovis Mounted Patrol tournament with good action on drop shotting or dart-heading shad-patterned plastics or crank baits. The reaction bite is slow. Gilbert said the high lake levels this late in the year have allowed for an excellent spawn of largemouth bass. There are unlimited numbers of 5-inch largemouths in the lake, but their cover will disappear with the dropping water, making these fish vulnerable to predation. No striper report with zero linesides landed by any of the 43 boats during the tournament. CAST For Kids will be holding their annual event next Sat. and Larry Hodge says they need more volunteer boaters quickly, to handle the number of children signed up. Call him at 276-0712. The lake has remained steady at 539.48 feet in elevation and 67%, capacity. The lower San Joaquin has slowed, but the water is warm. Releases into the river will start on Oct. 1st. 225-1838, 292-3474.

Pine Flat Reservoir /Kings River
Bass-2 Trout-2 King salmon-1 Catfish-2
Merritt Gilbert reported a continually improving bass bite with better fishermen locating 9 and 10-pound limits. The reaction bite is starting with PopR’s or Ricos with buzzbaits working throughout the day. Shad patterned plastics or Keeper Green Weenies drop shotted from 0 to 15 feet are also working. Trout reports have been mixed with some boats finding fat fish to 15-inches. The majority of action appears to be in the main lake near the Dam, around the Power Lines and in front of Zebe Creek with shad-patterned Needlefish, ExCels, Thomas Buoyants, and Apex lures. The key, once again, has been to find the shad schools which seem to be concentrated at 25 to 30 feet in depth. The lake actually rose a ½ foot to 759.81 feet in elevation and 20% of capacity. The lower Kings below the Dam has slowed down with minimal water releases from the dam. There hasn’t been much interest in the lower river with the hot temperatures and warm water. 787-2387, 225-1838, 292-3474.

Lake Kaweah
Bass-4 Crappie-2 Trout-1 Catfish-2
Larry Kerns of the Visalia Bass Club reported a “wide open” bass bite with crankbaits, jigs, and plastic worms in shad-patterns during the day with top water lures and ripbaits in the mornings and evenings. He put in quality largemouth to 5-pounds on Sunday, but there were numerous smaller fish, including a surprise 3-pound channel catfish on a jig. The low water conditions have concentrated the baitfish, and there are shad schools throughout the lake with the bass close behind. The banks continue to be lined with anglers tossing out live minnows and crawdads for the larger fish. The reservoir dropped close to a vertical foot to 579.00 feet in elevation and 5% of capacity. 592-5922.

Lake Success
Bass-3 Trout-1 Catfish-2
Jerry Williams of the Success Bass Club reported consistent action with drop-shotting or dart-heading shad patterned plastics in shallow water. Crank baits are also working. There are shad schools throughout the lake, and the bass are keying on the baitfish. The lake dropped a vertical foot to 582.76 feet in elevation and 6% of capacity with the launch ramp becoming more difficult to access in the low water. 784-0215.

McClure Reservoir
Bass-3 Trout-2 King Salmon-2 Kokanee-1 Crappie-2
Catfish-2 Diana Mello of A-1 Bait in Snelling reported a great bass bite with shad-patterned plastics or brown/purple Bass Patrol jigs. Manny Basi of the Bait Barn said Cottonwood Creek has been the top location with heavy concentration of threadfin shad. The shad are schooling, and the bass are pushing up the baitfish. He found great fishing on Sunday with small PopR’s for spots to 2-pounds. Drop shotting with a ProGold 300 red flake 4LEE is also a good choice, as the leech pattern approximates the size and color of the shad. Live crawdads smeared with Smelly Jelly or minnows are also working near the launch ramp at Barrett’s Cove or McClure Point. Trout fishing has been slow, but one boat put in two mixed limits of king salmon and trout at depths to 100 feet on shad-patterned ExCels near the Dam. Under lights at the Houseboats is producing a few fish. The catfish bite has slowed down with a few whiskerfish found in deep water on the anchor. No crappie reported this week. The lake dropped 2021 acre-feet this week. 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-1
Danny Layne of Fishn’ Dan’s Guide Service advised targeting the waters of Fleming Bay for rainbow trout to 4-pounds at depths from 45 to 60 feet with Vance’s Slim Fins, silver Cripplures, Matrix Paddletails, ExCel’s or rolled shad in tandem with a Vance’s gold dodger or a Shasta Tackle Sling Blade. The water temperature is cooling at 76 degrees, and both Layne and Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing predict an outstanding fall. Manny Basi of the Bait Barn in Waterford said schools of shad are moving up in the water column, and the top water bite is picking up with small Vixens or Zara Spooks. During the day, the Pro Worm Pro Gold 300 small red flake on a ¼ oz. dart head or drop shot is working at depths to 24 feet. The lake is at 778.86 feet in elevation and 71% of capacity. Monte Smith (209) 581-4734, Danny Layne -Fishn’ Dan (209) 586-2383.

HIGH SIERRA
Bass Lake
Bass-2 Trout-2 Kokanee-1
Not much happening at this impoundment, and the launch ramp will be out of the water in a few weeks if the lake continues to drop at the same rate. Once launching gets difficult, most bass boaters will not risk their vessels on the ramps. Trout fishing continues to be slow, but things will improve in the next month with the resumption of trout plants and cooling water temperatures. The lake dropped to 66% of capacity after being stable at 75% throughout the summer. 642-3141, Todd Wittwer 288-8100, 642-3633, 642-3737; Mike Bieghy 642-3748.

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Kokanee-2 Trout-2 Smallmouth-2
Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters said the hot trout bite at Shaver cooled quite a bit this week, but limits can still be found near Scout Island, Black Rock and Stevenson Creek Bay areas with the chartreuse and orange Dick’s Trout Busters tipped with night crawler at depths from 15 to 20 feet. Fishermen will have to work very hard for a chance at limits. The Captain Jack’s green Fat Bug is also working with both lures effective behind the Shaver Lake dodger. There was a plant of 2 to 4-pound rainbows at the Edison Dock this week, so there should be some quality fish in the lake for the fall season. Captain Jack Yandell and Nichols went searching for the large trout on Monday, and Nichols caught and released a 4-pounder on one of his Trout Busters. Both anglers advise releasing the large fish to allow them to grow and firm up through the winter. Kokanee fishing is slow with only 38 fish brought to the weighin at last weekend’s Kokanee Power Derby. The Shaver Lake Marina will remain open until approximately mid-October for boat rentals and other services. The lake dropped to 68% of capacity.with releases At Huntington, Dick Gomez of Young’s Sporting Goods said the lake levels are dropping to the point of making it very difficult to put in or take out a boat. There have been kokanee taken in the shallow inlets at Rancheria Cove with Kastmasters as they are schooling for an attempt to spawn. The majority of these fish are snagged instead of hitting the lures. Huntington has dropped to 77%, and the lake is expected to drop in the near future with boaters advised to remove their crafts from the marinas due to low water for dam maintenance. 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-3
Chuck Crane of Wishon RV Park said trout fishing at Wishon has picked up in the past week with the best fishing early in the morning or from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. at depths from 5 to 7 colors on orange or copper Speedy Shiners. He has consistenly landed limits within 2 hours in the evenings on the lure. Shore fishing has been slow with a few fish found on night crawlers, Power Bait or salmon eggs. Things at Courtright are also improving with blade/crawler combinations trolled very slowly at 4 to 6 colors. Brown trout make up one or two fish in a limit. Shore fishing is slow near the Dam with Power Bait or inflated crawlers. Crane reported improved deer hunting with 9 bucks to the store over the weekend, in addition to a pair of black bear. Dinky Creek isn’t scheduled for additional plants in the coming weeks, so the few remaining fish are holding in the few local pools with crickets, salmon eggs or night crawlers. Bob Scharton of Herb Bauer’s Sporting Goods in Fresno reported continued good fly fishing on the South Fork of the Kings at Cedar Grove. He expected the action to continue through the fall. Wishon RV Park 865-5361.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool
Brown Trout-3 Trout-3
Dick Gomez of Young’s Sporting Goods continues to tout Portal Forebay as a great location for fly fishermen on tubes working the surface. Trollers at Edison are picking up brown trout to 14-inches long-lining Rapalas on the surface. Vermilion Valley Resort is holding a fall fishing special with 20% off for a three-night package Sundays through Wednesdays through October 7th. Edison is holding at 52% with the ramp in operation, Florence has dropped again to just 1% with Mammoth Pool dropping to 17%. 259-4000.

OCEAN
San Francisco Bay
Halibut-3 Stripers-3 Rockfish- 3 Leopard Shark- 2 Sturgeon-2
James Smith on the California Dawn took a lingcod special out to the south Farallons on Sunday for 20 limits of ling cod and ½ limits of rockfish. He originally was going to head up to Point Reyes, but a red tide along the coast forced Plan B which turned out to be very successful. This is only the second limit trip for ling cod reported by a party boat at the Farallons this season. Smith is tentatively planning another ling cod special on Sunday of next weekend.
Rockfishing at the Islands or up the Marin coast is producing limits with Emeryville Sport Fishing putting in 147 limits of rockfish and 34 lings to a whopping 26-pounds on Saturday. Inside the bay, the miniscule outgoing tide put a temporary hold on halibut fishing, but James Smith on the California Dawn put in an excellent score on Saturday with 16 stripers to 13-pounds and 15 halibut to 17-pounds for over 2 fish/rod for a light load of 15 anglers. They found the bass in San Pablo Bay on the outgoing tide with the halibut around Angel Island in deeper water. Jim Smith on the Happy Hooker was in the same area, and he reported numerous missed opportunities by good fishermen as they were flylining live sardines on the incoming tide in San Pablo Bay. They ended up with 10 stripers and 9 halibut, but he thought the count could have easily been twice the number of bass and halibut, as the experienced anglers were a bit premature on the hooksets. With the large sardines, you have to let the fish have time to eat the bait. He thought that next weekend would bring around some great halibut tides, as the fish are still around but with the smaller tides, they are more reluctant to bite.
Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait is looking forward to next weekend’s tides, and he gave a “guarantee” of good fishing. In the south bay, John Akina of Oyster Point Bait, Tackle and Deli said there were halibut to 29-inches coming in to the harbor from a variety of locations: including; the Berkeley Flats, Alameda Rockwall, Treasure Island, and outside the Gate. Joel Sinkay of Leonard’s Bait at Port Sonoma said there have been a few stripers taken up in the Petaluma River near the Miramonte Hole on bullheads.

Monterey
Rockfish-3 White Sea Bass-3 Albacore-3
White sea bass have been the rage in Monterey Bay with some great scores off of the Monterey Beach Hotel on live squid. Private boaters are jigging up squid off of Lover’s Point and heading over near the Yellow Buoy by the Hotel for the sea bass to 48-pounds. Sonny Arcaleo of Chris’s Landing confirmed the hot white sea bass on the live squid, as there is a thick school of squid in Monterey Bay. He added that there are still a load of jellyfish in the bay, and you are limited for fishing from the surface to 10 feet in depth to stay out of the jellies. Successful anglers are flylining the live squid for the sea bass. On the other side of the bay near Capitola, Arcaleo said the schools of white sea bass are thick, chasing the big sardine schools. The commercial sardine boats have met their quota, and the commercial season is over. On the rockfish front, Arcaleo said they are back on the chomp with good scores both down at Point Sur and local trips. They also have been jigging up the squid and using it either cut or whole for the rockfish. They run trips south to Point Sur on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturday and Sunday. Bayside Marine in Santa Cruz reported the albacore waters were calm on Sunday, and anglers were loading their boats as early as 11:00 a.m. The scores were coming from the same areas around 36′17/122′55 and 36′15/122′58.
Chris’ Landing (831) 375-5951, Bayside Marine (831) 475-2173, usafishing.com

San Luis Obispo
Rock Cod -3 Albacore-3
The albacore are offshore, and Virg’s will be running trips daily departing at 11:00 p.m. and returning between 7 and 8 on the following evening for $235/angler.They reported 264 passengers landed 113 albacore to 28-pounds, four bluefin tuna, 6 skipjacks, 13 ling cod to 7-pounds, 208 vermilion, 1027 assorted rockfish, 149 coppers, and 22 boccaccio. Top local anglers were Crystal Wall of Porterville and Brian Demarak of Bakersfield with 7-pound lings. Their next two-day trip is scheduled for October 17/18th for $205/angler. Jerry Williams went on a private boat on Sunday 30 miles straight out of Morro Bay for 12 tuna from 17 to 30-pounds, all on jigs. Patriot Sport Fishing in Avila Beach had an albacore trip out on Sunday for 20 fish to 17-pounds for 14 angler fishing 50 miles out of the port. On their rockfishing trips, they boated limits plus 10 lings to 9-pounds on one trip with an average of ½ to ¾th limits. The top local angler was Raul Espinosa of Visalia with a 7-pound ling. A 33-pound thresher shark was also taken during the week. There were a total of 12 lings landed this week. Their annual Ling Cod Contest runs from August 15th through November 15th with a $3000.00 top prize. Patriot has given out a total of 81 free trips this season for releasing a 10-pound plus ling cod. Patriot Sport Fishing. Virg’s Landing, (805)772-1 222, (800) 762-5263; Patriot Sports Fishing (805)595-4100; Port Side Marine Sports Launch (805) 595-7214.

Delta/Stockton
Bass- 3 Stripers-3 Sturgeon-2
Benicia Bait reported very good striper fishing over the weekend, despite the smallish tides. Curtis Hayes of Benicia Bait took out three friends on Sunday with bullheads at the Fleet for three limits to 15-pounds. The small outgoing tide has been producing big numbers of schoolie bass on ¾ oz. RatLTraps in silver/blue back at the State Park. Shore anglers are picking up small keepers on anchovies or pile worms. Bullheads continue to be in high demand. There was a 29-inch halibut landed in the Big Cut this week which is a very sad statement on the amount of salt water that has intruded into the Delta. There have been some large stripers in the 30-pound class taken at the Firing Line near Buoys 23 and 24 on bullheads.Captain Jay Sorensen of Jolly Jay’s Guide Service felt the wrath of triple-digit heat and small tides, only managing to land a 19.5-incher on the incoming tide in the same area off of Decker Island where he boated fish of 35 and 22-pounds the previous week. Trollers used the smaller tides to their advantage with reports of fish to 7-pounds in decent numbers on shallow-running Yozuris in 8 to 10 feet of water from Decker Island to Broad Slough. The bass are pushing bait up against the tules, and trolling near the banks is the key as the bass are ambushing the bait.
Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, caught and released unlimited number of shaker stripers on Monday on a variety of techniques, including: ¾ oz. Hopkins Smoothies in green or blue, Roadrunners, or Berkley Mullets at depths from 6 to 20 feet. He traveled far and wide from the Mokelumne River to Frank’s Tract, but he wasn’t able to find larger stripers. He predicts an outstanding fall season as the water continues to cool with this weather change. The largemouth bite is similar with large fish difficult to locate, but the weather change will turn on the crankbait and top water bite in the next few weeks. 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
Shaver – Kokanee Power Derby – September 19th – 1st: Robbie Mannon; 2nd – Fred McCallister; 3rd –Sal Costanza.

Delta/Russo’s – Future Pro Tour – September 19th – 1st: Edward and John Zinda – 22.31-pounds; 2nd – Lemaj Plaza/Ron Berg – 21.67; Wayne Hodge/Harvey Pulliam – 19.75 (Big Fish – 7.03)

Delta/Russo’s –Walmart FLW National Guard Western Division– September 23- 26th( Four-day totals); – 1st:Rusty Salewske– 75.5-pounds; 2nd – Charlie Weyer – 74.12; 3rd – Chris Zaldain – 73.5.

Upcoming
October 6th: Kokanee Power meeting – 7:00 p.m. Carrows Restaurant on Shaw Ave.
Upper Nacimiento River – Western Outdoor News

October 9-11th: Rio Vista Bass Derby – information: bassfestival.com or (707) 374-2700

October 10th: San Joaquin Delta College/Stockton – Fishing 123 by Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor. Information – thefishinginstructor.com

October 17/18th: McSwain – Merced Irrigation Tagged Trout Derby – Information (209) 378-2521.

October 18th: Don Pedro – Jig’s Bait and Tackle – info jigstackle@aol.com

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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: I got an e-mail from a Kaweah angler who is very concerned about the destruction of that fishery by loads of anglers taking huge numbers of bass and crappie out of the tiny lake, who almost light up the lake at night like a city. It got me to thinking about other lake disasters we’ve seen as well as the general state of our Valley fishing and how we got to this point.

First of all, change is never easy, and it usually takes looking truthfully at the problem before we’re willing to do the hard things necessary to turn the ship around. The definition of insanity is to continue doing the same thing, but expect a different result, which is what I believe we’re doing when the overall fishing is going downhill, but we’re doing nothing to address the reoccurring problems we face of enforcement, protection of a hard hit fishery, or the planting of fish to offset over harvesting.

VALLEY
New Melones Reservoir
Bass-2 Crappie-2 Catfish-3 Trout-3 Kokanee-1
Danny Layne of Fishin’ Dan’s Guide Service said despite a lack of fishing pressure, the trout bite is very good for trollers working the Spillway, and Shipwreck or Rose Islands with small shad-patterned spoons, ExCels, Vance’s Slim Fins, Triple Teasers, Shasta Tackle Matrix Paddle Tails or rolled shad from 40 to 60 feet for fish to 4-pounds. The surface temperatures are starting to cool, in spite of the triple-digit temperatures. Larry Williams of Murphys caught a limit or trout on crawlers/rainbow Power Bait while still-fishing from his boat upriver beyond the Parrotts Ferry Bridge. For browns, Melanie Lewis of Glory Hole Sporting Goods advised trolling 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). Joe Aksamit of Joefish Guide Service predicts the new Finnish trolling blades are going to work great for big browns, as well as kind salmon and stripers in other local lakes. Night fishing for trout under a submersible light has been great with the light at depths of 20 feet and crawlers or crawler/Power Bait combinations 10 to 20 feet under the lights. No change in the bass bite which is rated fair to slow by Lewis with a good top-water bite going on at dawn and dusk with Zara Spooks, buzz baits, or Pop-Rs. When the sun is up, crawdad or shad-colored Carolina-rigged 6″ worms, rip-baits, spinnerbaits, Zoom Baby Brush Hogs, or Senkos are working along the strong mud lines that are forming on the lake right now. Catfishing remains strong with anchovies, night crawlers or mackerel from the banks. William Heine of Arnold landed catfish of 9 and 4-pounds on frozen shad at Glory Hole Point. Dave Rose of Jackson caught a 5-pound, 10-ounce cat on shad while bank-fishing near Tuttletown Crappie and bluegill action is slow with the best action at night under lights at depths from 10 to 30 feet around submerged trees with live small or medium minnows, or crappie jigs with jigs in red/white, black/chartreuse or purple/white in Bear, Carson or Mormon Creeks. The lake dropped one foot to 959.37 in elevation and 47% of capacity. The Angels Cove Launch Ramp is closed with the Tuttletown on the low water ramp and Glory Hole still at the mid-ramp. The lowest ramp at Glory Hole is usable until the lake hits 860 vertical feet in elevation. Call 736-4333, Monte Smith (209) 581-4734, Danny Layne -Fishn’ Dan (209) 586 2383, Sierra Sport Fishing (209) 599-2023.

San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay
Stripers-3 Catfish -2 Bass-2 Crappie-1
Ly Tu of Ly’s Fishing Goods in San Jose said the past weekend’s winds kept most boats off of the main lake, but there were limits of stripers in the 18 to 24-inch range at depths from 60 to 80 feet near the Trash Racks on bag anchovies or sardines. Anchovies have been difficult for area bait shops to obtain, so sardines have been a good alternative. There were limits of stripers to 32-inches landed on live grass shrimp by bank anglers willing to take the long walk to the water at Romero Visitor Center. Live grass shrimp has been very popular in the past couple of weeks. Throw nets or seine nets are illegal to use to harvest the shrimp-only a legal handled dip net is allowed. In the Forebay, the weeds are still heavy and keeping anglers constantly cleaning their terminal tackle. The area under the Bridge is still the location of choice for the occasional small striper. Catfish are found around Check 12 with sardines or mackerel. The lake has risen with 2233 acre-feet of Sacramento River water to 22% of capacity. Wind conditions: 800-805-4805. ; Call: Ly’s Fishing Goods (408) 629-9644; Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711.

Eastman Lake
Bass-3 Trout-1 Bluegill -2 Catfish-3 Crappie-2
Very few reports from anglers despite an improved bass bite for fish in the 2 to 4-pound class on baby Brush Hogs near the Dam or in the river channel. Catfish can be found with chicken livers or anchovies from dusk to midnight along the banks. The water is starting to show the effects of green algae. The lake is holding at 471.41 feet in elevation and 9% of capacity. CF22>Call: 689-3255.

Hensley Lake
Bass-2 Trout-1 Catfish-2 Bluegill-2
Not much change with anglers reporting an improved bass bite, most likely with bottom fishing techniques of plastics or jigs. The lake is holding at 477.02 feet in elevation and 21% of capacity. The swimming area is closed for the season due to a steep drop off caused by low lake levels. Both ramps are open, but the Buckridge – East side – of the lake closes at dark due to recent vandalism. Boaters using this launch need to be off of the lake by closing time. 225-1838, 292-3474, 673-5151.

McSwain Reservoir
Trout-3
McSwain Marina reported limits have been caught daily on blade/crawler combinations on the trolling pattern from Gilligan’s Island to the Dam and back at depths to 30 feet. A 7-pound rainbow was landed on a green Wedding Ring tipped with a crawler near Gilligan’s Island. Purple Passion or chartreuse Power Bait is working from the banks near E-Loop, the Handicapped Docks or the Brush Pile. The area of the lake near the Dam will be off-limits this weekend, including the Handicapped Docks, due to the Turlock Airplane Club’s annual event. A Calaveras Trout Farm plant is scheduled for the latter portion of this week. Call: (209) 378-2534.

Delta Mendota Canal and Sloughs
Stripers-3 Catfish-2
The local aqueducts near Firebaugh remain steady for small stripers or catfish on bag anchovies. James Mize said striper rods and reels are starting to sell which is a sure sign of an improved bite in the canals or San Luis Reservoir. In the south Aqueduct, Pete Cormier reported the water flows have slowed down, and striper and catfish action is picking up with bait due to improved conditions with less debris on the water.

Millerton Lake /San Joaquin River
Bass-2 Stripers-1 Shad-1 Trout-2
James Mize of Valley Rod and Gun said you have to wade through a bunch of small fish in order to find keepers, but a 6.5 to 7-pound limit is possible with fish to 2-pounds. There is an occasional top water fish, but the most consistent action continues to be on the bottom with shad-patterned plastics or jigs from the banks to 30 feet along deep, sloping banks in the main lake. The 11th Annual Fundraiser for the Clovis Police Department Mounted Patrol is this coming weekend at the Fresno Ramp with a free tri-trip lunch for participants after the weighin. Stripers are very spread out, working the massive pin shad schools coming to the surface at dusk all over the lake. The lake is now holding at 539.66 feet in elevation and 68% of capacity due to over 314 acre-feet of inflow from upstream sources. A trout plant is scheduled this week on the lower San Joaquin River this week, and the river has slowed to very fishable conditions. Call: 225-1838, 292-3474.

Pine Flat Reservoir/Kings River
Bass-2 Trout-2 King Salmon-1 Catfish-2
James Mize of Valley Rod and Gun reported an improved bass bite with reaction baits of buzz baits, spinner baits and top water lures such as Zara Spooks working early in the morning or in the evenings. Trout fishing is hit or miss with some good scores posted on Humdingers, ExCels or Needlefish in shad-patterns on a downrigger from 40 to 50 feet in the main lake from Deer Creek to Zebe Cove to the Dam. The trout are loading up on the shad and finding the schools is essential to finding the trout. The lake is holding at 759.41 feet in elevation to 20% of capacity. The lower Kings below the Dam has slowed down with minimal water releases from the dam. A trout plant is scheduled for this week, so action should be decent with Power Bait, spinners or inflated crawlers in the slow moving water. > Call: 787-2387, 225-1838, 292-3474.

Lake Kaweah
Bass-3 Crappie-3 Trout-1 Catfish-2
Sierra Sporting Goods in Exeter reported excellent bass action in the low, stable water. Jigs, top water, plastics, and crankbaits are all working for bass to 7-pounds. Live crawdads continue to take larger bass which are unfortunately generally being kept. Crappie are biting small minnows or minijigs in the rocks or near the Houseboats as most of the trees are out of the water. Live crickets are working for both bluegill and catfish. Anglers are concerned the heavy pressure and harvest of the small lake is going to drastically affect it very soon. The reservoir dropped one-half vertical feet to 579.80 feet in elevation and 6% of capacity. Call:592-5922.

McClure Reservoir
Bass-3 Trout-2 King Salmon-2 Kokanee-1 Crappie-2 Catfish-3
Manny Basi of the Bait Barn said things are pretty much the same with shad-patterned plastics on the drop shot or ¼ oz. dart head, brown/purple jigs or Baby Brush Hogs in watermelon/red, shad-patterns or watermelon/purple working form the banks to 30 feet. Trout fishing continues to be slow with the best action under lights at night at the Houseboats. Catfishing remains strong with bag anchovies, live crawdads or minnows in Piney Creek or any major creek arm along sloping banks. The lake dropped three vertical feet this week to 759.59 feet and 44% of capacity. Call: 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
Jay Graham of the Fresno Bass Club reported a tough bite during the past weekend’s tournament with only four limits boated out of 41 boats. The reaction bite is still non-existent with best action around the submerged trees holding fish. Manny Basi of the Bait Barn in Waterford recommended shad-patterned plastics on the drop shot or dart head, as well as Baby Brush Hogs in watermelon/red fished from the banks to 30 feet in depth. Live medium and large minnows are also very effective. Danny Layne of Fishn’ Dan’s Guide Service reported continued good action for limits of trout to 3-pounds on shad-patterned Ex-Cel’s, Vance’s Slim Fin, Shasta Tackle Matrix Paddle Tails behind a Sling Blade at 2 MPH at Schoolhouse Point, Jenkins Hill, Laughlin Island and off of Copper Mountain at depths from 40 to 60 feet. A few king salmon have been found from 80 to 120 feet in depth on rolled shad. The water temperature is cooling at 76 degrees, and both Layne and Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing are predicting an outstanding fall. Call: Monte Smith (209) 581-4734, Danny Layne -Fishn’ Dan (209) 586-2383.

HIGH SIERRA
Bass Lake
Bass-2 Trout-2 Kokanee-2
Todd Wittwer of Kokanee.net Guide Service continues to search for the small pod of big fish that exists in the lake, and he anticipates the dropping water will push this group of large kokanee towards the Dam. Trout fishing is slow, but things will improve in the next month with the resumption of trout plants and cooling water temperatures. Now that the power boating season is all but over, there is renewed interest in bass fishing. Call: 642-3141, Todd Wittwer 288-8100, 642-3633, 642-3737; Mike Bieghy 642-3748.

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Kokanee-2 Trout-3 Smallmouth-3
Captain Jack Yandell reported continued outstanding trout fishing between Tunnel and Stevenson Creeks at depths to 20 feet on his Super Fat Bugs in perch or orange behind a Shaver Lake Dodger. Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters continues to boat limits of rainbows to 15-inchs on his Dick’s Trout Busters spinners tipped with a crawler behind a Captain Jack’s Shaver Lake Dodger. Dick Gomez of Young’s Sporting Goods also is enjoying great trout action on blade/crawler combinations. Saturday’s Kokanee Power Tournament was a struggle for most with the 15th place finisher weighing in a single fish. There were only 35 fish brought to the weighin with the majority of fish scraped off of the bottom at the ledge near Black Rock. The Shaver Lake Marina will remain open until approximately mid-October for boat rentals and other services. The lake rose to 70% of capacity with releases from Huntington. At Huntington, Dick Gomez of Young’s Sporting Goods reported the lake levels are on their way down, but limits of trout can be found on blade/crawler combinations, Wedding Rings tipped with a crawler or small spoons in the main channel. Kokanee fishing is all but over for the season after a fantastic year. Huntington has dropped to 87%, and the lake is expected to drop in the near future with boaters advised to remove their crafts from the Huntington marinas due to low water for dam maintenance.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
Chuck Crane of Wishon RV Park said trout fishing at Wishon has really gotten slow with the best action early in the morning or from dusk to dark on night crawlers behind a large flasher at depths from 4 to 7 colors. He said, “You have to work hard to get a limit”. Speedy Shiners continue to pick up a fish or two. Shore fishing is fair at Short Hair Creek or the Helms Creek Parking Lot with orange Power Bait. Courtright has also slowed down with the lake dropping and getting low. Blade/crawler combinations, Thomas Buoyants or Needlefish in various colors are working at 4 to 6 colors. Shore fishing is slow with the best action at the Dam on inflated crawlers or Power Bait. There is minimal pressure at Courtright. Dinky Creek isn’t scheduled for additional plants in the coming weeks, so the few remaining fish are holding in the few local pools with crickets, salmon eggs or night crawlers. Crane said there was only a pair of bucks brought in for pictures over the weekend despite heavy hunter interest. Call Wishon RV Park 865-5361.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool
Brown Trout-2 Trout-3
Dick Gomez of Young’s Sporting Goods touts the Portal Forebay as a great location for fly fishermen on tubes working the surface. There was little fishing interest at the Kaiser Pass lakes due to increased vehicle traffic with the deer opener. Vermilion Valley Resort is holding a fall fishing special with 20% off for a three-night package Sundays through Wednesdays through October 7th. Edison is holding at 52% with the ramp in operation, Florence has dropped again to just 3% with Mammoth Pool dropping to 22%. Call: 259-4000.

OCEAN
San Francisco Bay
Halibut-3 Stripers-3 Rockfish- 3 Leopard Shark-2 Sturgeon-2
Rockfishing remains a solid option up the Marin coast or at the Farallon Islands. This week’s great weather conditions should make for an easy run to the Islands. Emeryville Sport Fishing sent out six boats to the Farallons or up the Marin coast on Saturday for 840 rockfish for 95 anglers, plus 25 lings to 12-pounds, 9 halibut to 13-pounds and a lonely 8-pound striper. Inside the bay, halibut fishing is still happening with party boats averaging a fish or more per rod. Jim Smith of the Happy Hooker stayed close to the harbor on Saturday, putting in 30 fish for 27 anglers with 8 stripers to 16-pounds included in this total. He said the majority of bass were in the 6 to 8-poun d range, but there were two or three pushing 16-pounds. There were also halibut to 16-pounds on board. James Smith on the California Dawn put in over a fish a rod on Saturday with 21 halibut to 14-pounds and 10 stripers for 25 anglers working similar areas in the Berkeley Flats. The striper counts have moved up in the past couple of days, perhaps due to the increased water movement. James took out 12 anglers on Sunday in the Berkeley Flats for over a fish a rod at 12 halibut to 10-pounds and 5 stripers to 8-pounds.
John Akina at Oyster Point Bait, Tackle and Deli said there was a 30-inch halibut taken off of the pier on Sunday morning with another large fish lost. The white sea bass action at the Alameda Rockwall has slowed down, most likely to the boat pressure pushing off the fish during the weekend. Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait reported solid halibut action with Jim Cox on the Touch of Gray boated 5 halibut, 2 leopard shark and a 27-pound white sea bass on Saturday, and he had 4 halibut and another white sea bass on Sunday morning. The Predator out of Loch Lomond picked up 8 limits of stripers on mudsuckers or bullheads on Saturday near Buoy 4, which is within 10 minutes of the harbor. Bait fishing along the China Camp shoreline with bullheads remains excellent. Chris Seabourne at C Biscuits in Vallejo reported continued good striper action up the Napa River at the Dumps, Meadows, White Slough, Duxman Slough and South Slough with bullheads.

Monterey
Rockfish-3 Albacore-2
Todd Arcaleo of Chris’s Landing in Monterey said they had a local rockfishing out today for 10 limits. They were able to jig up fresh squid which they used to land the rockfish. They went to Point Sur yesterday for limits of quality rockfish. With this week’s good weather forecast, and the tuna grounds within reach, they plan on getting some live bait together for an albacore trip. Private boats out of Monterey reported took up to 26 fish 61 degree at 36/53 and 122/54 or from 36/54 to 122/49. The ride home was on the bumpy side. With the weather coming down, expect to see some great scores this week.Ly Tu reported fair fishing for small perch and the occasional striped bass off of the Santa Cruz County beaches. Call (831) 375-5951, Bayside Marine (831) 475-2173, usafishing.com.

San Luis Obispo
Rock Cod -3 Albacore-3
The albacore have arrived and Virg’s will be running trips daily departing at 11:00 p.m. and returning between 7 and 8 on the following evening for $235/angler. The Princess put in 66 longfins and a pair of skipjack on Saturday. An earlier crew trip on the Fiesta resulted in 51 albacore to 23-pounds near the Donut with half the fish on live bait. Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay reported 352 anglers landed 185 albacore to 28-pounds, 1 42-pound bluefin tuna, 2 skipjacks, 11 ling cod to 8-pounds, 429 vermilion, 1874 assorted rockfish, 58 coppers, 13 boccaccio and 22 bolina. Top local anglers were Sal Ortiz of Porterville and William Bolincue of Bakersfield with 8-pound lings, and Joe Newsome of Porterville with a 6-pound vermilion. Patriot Sport Fishing in Avila Beach is getting albacore fever with their first trip scheduled this coming Sunday, September 27th. They continue to average from one-half to full limits of assorted rockfish and bolina with up to 12 ling cod to 19.5-pounds during the current week. There were a total of 29 lings landed this week. Their annual Ling Cod Contest runs from August 15th through November 15th with a $3000.00 top prize. Patriot has given out a total of 78 free trips this season for releasing a 10-pound plus ling cod. Patriot Sport Fishing Call Virg’s Landing, (805)772-1 222, (800) 762-5263; Patriot Sports Fishing (805)595-4100; Port Side Marine Sports Launch (805) 595-7214.

OTHERS
Lake Nacimiento/San Antonio/Santa Margarita/Lopez
Bass-3 Stripers-2 Catfish-2
Matt Short at Jim’s Pro Bass and Tackle in Paso Robles said Lopez has been the top area lake with top water action in the morning, and buzzbaits working throughout the day. Quality bass to 6-pounds have been common with some large limits taken. Santa Margarita is full of weeds, and the frog bite hasn’t materialized this year. Both lakes are dropping. San Antonio has dropped to the 3rd Ramp, and despite the plentiful bait fish, the shad haven’t been seen boiling on the surface. Shad are found in the Marina and back in Bee Rock Cove near the Dam. Catfishing has been a constant at this lake. At Nacimiento, spinnerbait or plastics in shallow water have been the top techniques with the best action in the afternoons. San Antonio has held at 721.50 feet in elevation and 32% of capacity with Nacimiento dropping two vertical feet to 709.15 feet and 13% of capacity. Call: (805) 238-1056 ext. 3, (805) 472-2818; Central Coast Bass Fishing.com (805) 466-6557.

Delta/Stockton
Bass- 2 Stripers-3 Sturgeon-2
There have been some large stripers moving into the Delta, particularly on this week’s big incoming tide. B and S Bait at McAvoy’s Harbor at Bay Point reported fish of 40, 38, 36, 32 and multiple linesides in the 20’s at the Firing Line or straight out from the harbor in the main Sacramento River on bullheads or fresh shad.
Jay Sorensen of Jolly Jay’s Guide Service was soaking butterflied shad doubled on an 8/0 hook on the incoming tide on September 18th with Richard Rogers of Fresno for a huge limit of stripers at 35 and 22-pounds. There are still reports of excellent striper fishing on the small bullheads rigged in the tail with a circle hook for fish to 3 to 9-pounds at Seal Island and the Middle Grounds. Allison Shawnego at Hap’s Bait in Rio Vista said bait fishing has been tops for stripers off of Decker Island or in Steamboat Slough due to the larger tides. The troll bite has slowed temporarily with the larger tide movement. The annual seminar for the Rio Vista Striped Bass Derby is this coming Saturday, September 26th at Hap’s. The schedule is as follows: 9:00 – Sturgeon Fishing with Barry Canevero, 10:30 – Clyde Wands, Shallow water trolling for stripers/smallmouth bass12:00 – Bait fishing for stripers on balance beams by Barry Canevero, 1:30 – Mark Wilson of Mark Wilson’s Sport Fishing – striper trolling, 3:00 – Captain’s Round Table. Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, reported the largemouth bite is mediocre to fair with his clients landing a limit at 21-pounds on Monday, including fish to 6-pounds. The bread and butter continue to be the Zappu head on a Berkley Power Worm, Chigger Craws or Persuader E-chip jigs worked slowly on the outside weed lines at high tide. The higher tides have allowed the bass to move up into the rip rap and weeds, and there have been some quality fish landed on top water lures of the IMA Rumba or Big Stick. There are large numbers of smaller fish hitting the lures. The stripers on the San Joaquin have scattered with the larger tides, hot water temperatures and no wind early in the week.
Call: 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

Don Pedro – Fresno Bass Club- September 19th – 1st: Scott Smith – 9.49-pounds (Big Fish – 2.88); 2nd – Ken Eddy – 7.79; 3rd – Cliff Woods – 7.31.

Upcoming

October 3rd: Delta/Brannan Island – Central Valley Anglers Fall Striper Shootout – Information:
(209) 369-0204.
Delta – Crockett Striped Bass Club
Delta/B and W Resort – Fresno Bass Club
McClure – Sierra Bass Club
Don Pedro – Future Pro Tour
Kaweah – Visalia Bass Club
Folsom – Kings River Bass Club
Upper Nacimiento River – Western Outdoor News

October 9-11: Rio Vista Bass Derby – information: bassfestival.com or (707) 374-2700.
October 18th: Don Pedro – Jig’s Bait and Tackle – info jigstackle@aol.com.

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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

ROGERS COMMENTS: Good anglers are usually pretty noise conscious, but successful local tournament angler Mike Matthews felt that many anglers don’t really appreciate how far and effectively sound travels through water. Dumping the trolling motor into the water, dropping stuff in the boat, even when it’s carpeted, and little things like slamming the lid on a cooler, were all things he felt anglers did unconsciously that alerted the fish. Pick out some anglers fishing around 100 to 200 yards away from you on a moderately still day and just sit quietly and listen to all the seemingly small noises that carry very well across a lot of water-and realize the fish “hear it” better than you do.

VALLEY
New Melones Reservoir
Bass-2 Crappie-2 Catfish-3 Trout-3 Kokanee-2
Danny Layne of Fishn’ Dan’s Guide Service reported the rainbow bite for fish to 4-pounds has turned on with rolled shad, orange Needlefish, shad-patterned ExCels or Slim Fins behind a 6-inch Sling Blade at depths from 40 to 60 feet off of Shipwreck Island to the Dam and back. Melanie Lewis of Glory Hole Sporting Goods reported catfishing is still good with anchovies, mackerel, sardines, chicken liver, or a ball of night crawlers. James Millazzo of Placerville landed a 6.25-pound whiskerfish on Berkely Blood Nuggets by the Marina. Kokanee season is over after a terrific year for numbers of fish. Trout fishing from the banks is over until the lake turns over at the end of November, but night fishing under lights with night crawlers or crawler/Power Bait combinations continues to produce rainbows to 4-pounds. No change in the bass bite which is rated fair to slow by Lewis with a good top-water bite going on at dawn and dusk with Zara Spooks, buzz baits, or Pop-Rs. When the sun is up, crawdad or shad-colored Carolina-rigged 6″ worms, rip-baits, spinnerbaits, Zoom Baby Brush Hogs, or Senkos are working along the strong mud lines that are forming on the lake right now. Crappie and bluegill action is slow with the best action at night under lights at depths from 10 to 30 feet around submerged trees with live small or medium minnows, or crappie jigs with jigs in red/white, black/chartreuse or purple/white in Bear, Carson or Mormon Creeks. The lake dropped two feet to 960.64 in elevation and 47% of capacity. The Angels Cove Launch Ramp is closed with the Tuttletown on the low water ramp and Glory Hole still at the mid-ramp. The lowest ramp at Glory Hole is usable until the lake hits 860 vertical feet in elevation. A trout plant is scheduled for nearby Tulloch this week. Call: (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-4 Catfish-3 Bluegill-2
Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait Bucket in Bakersfield is amazed by the continued excellent crappie bite with some groups pulling out 40 to 50 crappie to 1.5-pounds. Successful anglers are fishing with minnows in the older submerged trees, dropping the minnow to the bottom and then cranking up 10 to 15 feet off of the bottom. There are still trout holding in the inlet near the Cemetery with inflated night crawlers or Power Bait. DFG plants are scheduled for the next three weeks. Bluegill fishing is decent with red, wax or meal worms near structure. The bass bite is strictly a finesse bit with dropshotting plastics or jigs, as the crankbait bite has slowed. The lake dropped one vertical foot to 2550.48 feet in elevation and 21% of capacity. In the Bakersfield area, the flows are the lower Kerns have dropped, and catfish or bass continue to be caught from Gordon’s Ferry to the Dam. Carp fishing in the local lakes is starting up again with the Powder Bait. Bluegill and catfish are the other options at all of the local lakes. Call: 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 of Ly’s Fishing Goods in San Jose said stripers are willing to bite, but the overall size of the fish in the main lake has been small, ranging from 22 to 25-inches. A few linesides to 10-pounds have been located, but these are few and far between. The best bite has been on mooched grass shrimp, frozen shad or anchovies at depths from 60 to 80 feet near the Trash Racks. There is a resurgence of the top water bite on Rebel Jumbo Minnows, Little Neck Poppers, Zara Spooks or Pencil Poppers. The Forebay continues to be slow except when the water is being pumped in near the Dam due to the abundance of weeds in the water. There are loads of fishermen working under the Bridge in the evenings for the occasional small striper. A few catfish have been biting mackerel or clams near Check 12. The lake has risen with 2072 acre-feet of Sacramento River water to 21% of capacity. Wind conditions: 800-805-4805. ; Call: Ly’s Fishing Goods (408) 629-9644; Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711.

Eastman Lake
Bass-3 Trout-1 Bluegill -2 Catfish-3 Crappie-2
Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported an improved bass bite for fish in the 2 to 4-pound class on baby Brush Hogs near the Dam or in the river channel. Ranger Keith Willis confirmed the improved bite, adding that live bait has been also been effective. Catfish are hitting chicken livers or anchovies from dusk to midnight along the banks. Panfishing has been slow. The water is starting to show the effects of green algae, but the reduced water visibility may be the reason for the improved bass bite. The lake is holding at 471.57 feet in elevation and 9% of capacity. Call: 689-3255.

Hensley Lake
Bass-3 Trout-1 Catfish-2 Bluegill-2
Merritt Gilbert reported an improved bass bite for fish in the 1.5 to 2-pound range, but all of the successful fishermen are keeping quiet on techniques due to an upcoming tournament. Most likely, fish are being found on the bottom with dropshotting or dart heading plastics or jigs. The lake is holding at 477.09 feet in elevation and 21% of capacity. The swimming area is closed for the season due to a steep drop off caused by low lake levels. Both ramps are open, but the Buckridge – East side – of the lake closes at dark due to recent vandalism. Boaters using this launch need to be off of the lake by closing time. 225-1838, 292-3474, 673-5151.

McSwain Reservoir
Trout-3
Diana Mello of A-1 Bait in Snelling said trout fishing from the banks has been steady at the Brush Pile or Handicapped Docks with Sunrise or white Power Eggs. Rainbow Power Bait is also effective in the channel from the Exchequer Dam. The lake was stocked last week in anticipation of the Mariposa Lions Club Trout Derby this coming Saturday. Bank anglers continue to have the advantage over trollers, but a few fish are taken on the regular blade/crawler combinations or Wedding Rings tipped with a crawler in the trolling pattern from the 2nd Fence Line to the Dam at depths to 30 feet. CF22> Call: (209) 378-2534.

Delta Mendota Canal and Sloughs
Stripers-2 Catfish-2
Patrick Movey of the Fisherman’s Warehouse in Fresno said they have been selling bag anchovies to anglers targeting small stripers at the Aqueduct. The opening of squirrel hunting season has limited the number of anglers who normally target the Aqueduct, but a few catfish are still biting chicken livers or anchovies. In the south Aqueduct, Pete Cormier reported an inconsistent striper bite due to the amount of debris floating on the surface of the channels. Once the water slows down at around 11:00 a.m., fishermen report better fishing conditions with anchovies.

Millerton Lake
Bass-2 Stripers-2 Shad-1
Merritt Gilbert reported a 6.5 pound limit is pretty typical as most catches are in the barely-legal or undersized range. With the upcoming Clovis Patrol Mounted Patrol tournament this weekend, there have been a few limits to 8-pounds reported, but anglers are reluctant to release techniques. Shad-patterned plastics on the dart-head or drop shot along deep, sloping banks at depths from 15 to 30 feet are still the top options. The reaction bite remains slow. Anglers targeting stripers have had very little success, although lots of shad schools are near the top. The lake is now holding at 539.52 feet in elevation and 68% of capacity due to over 1000 acre-feet of inflow from upstream sources. A trout plant is scheduled this week on the lower San Joaquin River this week, and the river is slowing down to very fishable conditions. Call: 225-1838, 292-3474.

Pine Flat Reservoir/Kings River
Bass-3 Trout-2 King Salmon-1 Catfish-2
Both Patrick Movey and Merritt Gilbert reported an improved bass bite with 6-inch plastics in shad or dark colors with good action during both the evenings and daytimes. One fishermen reported “the best action in years”. The trout bite has slowed for most with a few finding rainbows around the shad schools. The key has been to troll above the bait schools with Humdingers, ExCels or Needlefish in shad-patterns on a downrigger. Lead core has to be dropped to 5 to 7 colors in order to reach the fish. Throughout the main lake from Deer Creek to Zebe Cove to the Dam at depths from 45 to 50 feet are still the top areas. The lake dropped 2 vertical feet to 759.61 feet in elevation to 20% of capacity. The lower Kings below the Dam is running high from the water releases, but a trout plant is scheduled for this week. The water releases are expected to stop after September 8th. Call: 787-2387, 225-1838, 292-3474.

Lake Kaweah
Bass-4 Crappie-3 Trout-1 Catfish-2
Larry Kerns of the Visalia Bass Club reported “knocking the socks off of them” with up to 50 fish to 5-pounds on crankbaits. Sierra Sporting Goods in Exeter reported huge bass of 15 and 7-pounds were landed this week on live crawdads or plastics. They have been selling out of crawdads every weekend, and small minnows are hard to keep in the shop with the continued good crappie bite at the Houseboats or in the submerged trees in the creek inlet behind the Motel along the jetty. The stable and cooling water have led to the terrific action. The reservoir dropped two vertical feet to 580.60 feet in elevation and 6% of capacity. Call: 592-5922.

McClure Reservoir
Bass-4 Trout-2 King Salmon-2 Kokanee-1 Crappie-2 Catfish-3
Mike Van Guilder Jr. of Fishwrangler’s Bass Guide Service reported an excellent bass bite on PopR’s or Rico’s throughout the day. Crankbaits bounced off of the rocks at depths to 18 feet. He has also been catching trout on ripbaits while targeting bass. Diana Mello of A-1 Bait in Snelling reported Horseshoe Bend, Cottonwood Creek, McClure Point and Barrett’s Cove have all been producing bass on a variety of techniques: RatLTraps, Senkos, Shad Raps and live minnows or crawdads are all working. Manny Basi of the Bait Barn touted brown/purple jigs, Senkos in color 330 or shad patterned plastics on the drop-shot or dart-head from the banks to 30 feet in depth. Trout fishing is slow with the best action under lights at night at the Houseboats. Catfishing remains good with bag anchovies, live crawdads or minnows in Piney Creek or any major creek arm along sloping banks. The lake dropped four vertical feet this week to 762.84 feet and 45% of capacity. < Call A-1 Bait (209) 563-6505, Fishwrangler’s Guide Service (209) 604-8222, Bub Tosh (209) 404-0053.

Lake Don Pedro
Bass-2 Trout-4 Kokanee-1 King Salmon-4
Both Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing and Danny Layne of Fishn’ Dan’s Guide Service reported fantastic action for both rainbows and kings. Smith found rainbows to 3-pounds pulling white Shasta Tackle PeeWee or Wiggle Hootchies behind a Sling Blade at depths from 52 to 63 feet. The fish were higher in the water column last week, but they have dropped deeper this week. They also landed a king in the same region. Smith reported marking loads of fish at the 100 foot depth range, but these fish aren’t ready to bite yet. Layne has been working Schoolhouse Point and in open water off Jenkins Hill and Fleming Bay with shad-patterned Ex-Cel’s, Vance’s Slim Fin, Cripplure or a silver/black J-5 Rapala. Manny Basi of the Bait Barn in Waterford said the bass bite is picking up with 1/4th oz. dart-head or dropshotting shad-patterned plastics or dragging watermelon/red Baby Brush Hogs at depths to 50 feet on the top of submerged islands. The reaction bite is still lacking. Call Monte Smith (209) 581-4734, Danny Layne -Fishn’ Dan (209) 586-2383, Bait Barn (209) 874-301.

HIGH SIERRA
Bass Lake
Bass-2 Trout-2 Kokanee-2
Todd Wittwer of Kokanee.net Guide Service reported kokanee action is still extremely slow with only a few fish taken throughout the week. He has been working to find the tiny school of huge fish that is swimming in the lake. Merritt Gilbert said there is renewed interest in the lake with anglers expected to target rainbows and spotted bass in the next couple of weeks with the seasonal elimination of the motor fee. The lake is holding at 73% of capacity. Call: 642-3141, Todd Wittwer 288-8100, 642-3633, 642-3737; Mike Bieghy 642-3748.

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Smallmouth-3
Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters reported great rainbow trout action with former Los Angeles Dodgers General Manager and baseball author Fred Claire and his wife Sheryl catching three limits of rainbows, releasing five fish on Dick’s Trout Busters spinners tipped with a crawler behind a Captain Jack’s Shaver Lake Dodger. Kokanee fishing continues to be very slow with most fishermen giving up and settling for trout. Nichols reminds fishermen using downriggers to be aware of submerged rocks and the uneven bottom as the lake continues to drop. The Shaver Lake Marina will remain open until approximately mid-October for boat rentals and other services. The lake dropped to 63% of capacity. At Huntington, Dick Gomez of Young’s Sporting Goods reported the lake levels still have not been lowered as anticipated, and with the cooler water temperatures, the trout are moving closer to the surface. Limits of trout can be found on blade/crawler combinations, Wedding Rings tipped with a crawler or small spoons. Kokanee fishing is very slow. Huntington has dropped to 95%, and the lake is expected to drop in the near future with boaters advised to remove their crafts from the marinas due to low water for dam maintenance. Cal l 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
Chuck Crane of Wishon RV Park said trout fishing at Wishon has slowed down considerably with the best action from daylight to 11:00 a.m. on night crawlers behind a Sling Blade at depths from 3 to 5 colors. Needlefish or Speedy Shiners in various colors have been the top lures. Shore fishing has also been slow with the best fishing in Short Hair Creek with assorted Power Bait. Courtright is still kicking out fish, but you have to get on the water early with blade/crawler combinations at 3 to 4 colors. A few fishermen are long-lining Rapalas in the early morning. Shore fishing is fair at the Dam or launch ramp with Power Bait. There isn’t much angling pressure at Courtright. Dinky Creek isn’t scheduled for additional plants in the coming weeks, so the remaining fish are holding in the few local pools with crickets, salmon eggs or night crawlers. Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool
Brown Trout-2 Trout-2
Dick Gomez of Young’s Sporting Goods said Edison continues to kick out a few trout on Rapalas or blade/crawler combinations. Vermilion Valley Resort is holding a fall fishing special with 20% off for a three-night package Sundays through Wednesdays through October 7th. Edison has dropped to 52% with the ramp in operation, Florence has dropped again to 18% with Mammoth Pool dropping to 32%. Call: 259-4000.

OCEAN
San Francisco Bay
Halibut-3 Stripers-3 Rockfish- 3 Leopard Shark – 3 Sturgeon-2
This has been a most unusual week with numerous white sea bass and a single barracuda landed inside of San Francisco Bay. The sea bass have been following the sardine schools, and the barracuda is a sign of warm water temperatures sliding up the coast. Rockfishing is still consistent at the Islands with Emeryville Sport Fishing sending three boats to the Farallons on Saturday for a combined 69 limits of rockfish and a few lings to 10-pounds. The halibut bite in the central bay remained steady through the weekend with a fish or better per rod in all of the central locations. Bob Wright, second captain of the Happy Hooker, put in 12 halibut to 22-pounds and a 10-pound bass on Saturday for a light load of 11 anglers. He was working the Berkeley Flats and Treasure Island. James Smith on the California Dawn had another excellent day today with 22 halibut to 25-pounds and a striper for 20 anglers with the live sardines in the central bay locations of the Flats, Angel Island and Treasure Island. The Captain Hook and Talisman took out a combined 28 fishermen on Saturday for 21 halibut to 15-pounds while staying in the bay. John Akina of Oyster Point Bait, Tackle and Deli in South San Francisco said Saturday was a banner day for white sea bass off of the Alameda Rockwall with several fish brought back to the harbor. Most fishermen are heading from Oyster Point over to the Rockwall or the Berkeley Flats for both halibut and the white sea bass. Locally, a few halibut have been landed by the Green Building in Brisbane or Candlestick Point. Joel Sinkay of Leonard’s Bait in Port Sonoma said there has been an excellent striper bite in the Horseshoe on the Napa River with live mudsuckers while anchoring along the breaks in the levees during the last 1.5 hours of the incoming tide. These anglers are flylining the mudsuckers because they have been unable to jig up any splittail. There have been a few stripers taken on live bullheads in Sonoma Creek, the Napa River and also up in the Petaluma River near the Miramonte Hole.

Lake Nacimiento/San Antonio/Santa Margarita/Lopez
Bass-2 White Bass-2 Stripers-2 Catfish-2 Crappie- 1
Will Hesch of Central Coast Bass Fishing said action has been slow on Nacimiento with a 7-pound limit taking the weekend’s Ambushers Tournament of Champions. A few spotted bass have been taken on cranks, jigs or dropshotting with the bite dying after 9:30 a.m. The lake is extremely shallow, and boaters are hitting the bottom in the main lake as the depth drops from 60 to 2 feet quickly. There have been some sunken boats popping up back in the river and Heritage Cove. There haven’t been any reports from Lopez, as fishermen are clamming up due to an upcoming tournament. Both Monterey County lakes are still dropping with San Antonio falling a foot to 721.50 feet in elevation and 32% of capacity with Nacimiento dropping five vertical feet to 711.90 feet and 14% of capacity. Call: (805) 238-1056 ext. 3, (805) 472-2818; Central Coast Bass Fishing.com (805) 466-6557.

Delta/Stockton
Bass- 3 Stripers-3 Sturgeon-2
Pam Hayes at Benicia Bait reported good striper action along the shoreline with particularly good fishing at 1st Street which is normal for this time of year. Bullheads have been the top bait, although the size of the bullheads remain small. There have been several strange fish lurking around the area with the high salinity content in this part of the Delta. Bat rays, sand sharks, kingfish or leopard sharks have all been reported. More fishermen are targeting sturgeon at the Fleet, and a 63-incher was weighed in today from Buoy 4 in mid-Fleet on grass shrimp. Allison Shawnego at Hap’s Bait in Rio Vista said there are numerous bait stealing undersized stripers in the area, and they are going through fresh shad, blood and pile worms, or grass shrimp. Trolling remains best at the Old Dairy and both sides of Decker Island and in the back sloughs. Captain Mike Gravert of Intimidator Sport Fishing reported very tough fishing on his last two trips into the north Delta with a couple of no fish days. He went out on Saturday morning in the back sloughs, but with the low tide, the fish will not move into these shallower areas. A night trolling trip earlier in the week was similarly unproductive. The fish will be back in short order, but they seem to have moved for the time being. The 62nd Annual Rio Vista Bass Derby will take place on October 9th, 10th and 11th with a $30 entry fee until September 26th where it increases to $35.00. Information (707) 374-2700 or bassfestival.com. Hap’s Bait will be hosting the annual Rio Vista Bass Derby seminar on Saturday, September 26th with Mark Wilson, Clyde Wands, Cal Kellogg of the Fishsniffer Magazine and Captain Barry Canevaro of Fishhookers Guide Service featured speakers. Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, reported largemouth action is not wide open, but he had been experiencing his best action with finesse techniques of the Zappu head on a Berkley Power Worm, Chigger Crawsor Persuader jigs on the outside weed lines in the afternoon’s high tide. He has been starting with top water lures of the Persuader PopNWalker, IMA Big Stick or 4-inch Berkley Hollow Belly swimbait in the early mornings. He was switched to the smaller swimbait to match the size of the bait fish. The Strike King 4 S crankbait in red craw is also working, but you have to make numerous casts to be successful. On the striper front, Pringle has been working the Hopkins ¾ oz.Smoothies in greens or blues when they find the fish at depths from 8 to 25 feet. He has been tossing the Hollow Bellies on the tops of flats along moving water for stripers to 9-pounds, and also working the largest PopNWalker near the shorelines in the mornings. The fish have scattered throughout the San Joaquin and Old River systems. Mike Van Guilder Jr. has been flipping Berserk jigs in brown colors with a Berserk Baby Brawler trailer in the small cuts of tules. He has been working the jig motionless. He added that the Lunker Punker 6-inch wood has been effective early in the mornings for stripers to 15-pounds and largemouths all day on the inside or outside of the weedlines and in bays of tules. He landed an 11 and 7-pound lineside on a Delta Shiner Lunker Punker, and Carlos Carbajal boated a 9-pound bucketmouth on a Berserk jig and a 5-pounder on a trout-patterned Lunker Punker.
Call:; 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 PINEFLAT SEPTEMBER 5TH NITE

1 TIM TURNER / CHET ELIA (5 FISH) 12.71
2 MARK CORRENTE / JIHN ALBIDREZ (5 FISH) 11.50
3 TOM LOYA / KEVIN BURG (5 FISH) 9.77

Upcoming

September 17th –Ricky Noel Mitchell–Kayak Fishing for Bass – 6:15 p.m. ––Fresno Fisherman’s Warehouse

September 17th –Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor – 6:00 p.m. ––Manteca Fisherman’s Warehouse

September 24th –Jerad Johnson, Rocky Mountain Tackle Company– Kokanee Fishing– 6:15 p.m.
Fresno Fisherman’s Warehouse

September 19th – Pine Flat– Visalia Bass /Wasco Bass
Isabella – Bakersfield Bass
New Melones – Future Pro Tour
Delta/Russo’s – Future Pro Tour
Delta/Ladd’s – FLW Outdoors

September 20th – Millerton – Clovis Police Mounted Patrol Annual Fundraiser
McSwain – Mariposa Lions Club Trout Derby
Kayak Fishing for Bass Lake Trout/Kokanee
Information – Eric Kaai – Fisherman’s Warehouse 225-1838
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Kings River Bass Club

September 23-26 – Delta/Russo’s – FLW Outdoors

September 26th – McClure – Future Pro Tour
Delta/Ladd’s – Sierra Bass Club
McSwain – 18th Annual Float/Fly Tournament
Hap’s Bait/Rio Vista – Striper Seminar for the Rio Vista
Bass Derby – Information (707)

October 3rd – Delta/Brannan Island – Central Valley Anglers Fall Striper Shootout – Information (209) 369-0204.

October 9-11 – Rio Vista Bass Derby – information: bassfestival.com or (707) 374-2700

October 18th – Don Pedro – Jig’s Bait and Tackle – info jigstackle@aol.com

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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

ROGERS COMMENTS: Many anglers may not have heard about the new bait rage at San Luis for stripers, freshwater grass shrimp. The small shrimp run about an inch long and live in the shallow water and grasses near the shoreline, and many anglers are now harvesting the shrimp at the lake to use as bait, impaling several of the little crustaceans on a small hook to fish with on the bottom. Several tickets have been given at the reservoir concerning the shrimp, but after talking to the Game Wardens they said that using grass shrimp harvested at the lake is okay, but that anglers have been using illegal netting techniques to get the shrimp. It is okay to use a legal handled dip net to harvest the shrimp, but you cannot use a seine net or a throw net of any kind to get the shrimp. The shrimp seem to be a recent phenomenon at San Luis, but many anglers have caught fish full of the little shrimp they are feeding on. There are no known commercial places to buy the shrimp from-so harvesting them along the shoreline is the only method to get them, and it has to be where you are fishing.

VALLEY
New Melones Reservoir
Bass-2 Crappie-2 Catfish-3 Trout-2 Kokanee-2
Melanie Lewis of Glory Hole Sporting Goods reported “red hot” catfishing with anchovies, mackerel, sardines, chicken liver, or a ball of night crawlers. David Warne of Sonora came within 3-pounds of the lake record with a 33.25-pound whiskerfish near Peoria Flat. Crawdads at Glory Hole Point have also produced catfish to over 13-pounds. Kokanee season is essentially over with very few salmon taken. The only technique working is to bounce with downrigger balls at depths from 80 to 120 feet near the Spillway or in the major creek arms. Glitterbug micro-hootchies in orange or pink, R and K pink hootchies or pink, orange or blue Apex lures are the best bets with crawdad scented corn. Trout fishing from the banks is over until the lake turns over at the end of November, but night fishing under lights with night crawlers or crawler/Power Bait combinations has produced rainbows to 4-pounds. The best technique is to drop your light 20 feet deep and fish at depths of 30 to 50 feet near the Dam. Very little change in the bass bite which is rated fair by Lewis with a good top-water bite going on at dawn and dusk with Zara Spooks, buzz baits, or Pop-Rs. When the sun is up, crawdad or shad-colored Carolina-rigged 6″ worms, rip-baits, spinnerbaits, Zoom Baby Brush Hogs, or Senkos are working along the strong mud lines that are forming on the lake right now. Crappie and bluegill action is best at night under lights at depths from 10 to 30 feet around submerged trees with live small or medium minnows, or crappie jigs with jigs in red/white, black/chartreuse or purple/white in Bear, Carson or Mormon Creeks. Glory Hole Sports has cancelled the remainder of their scheduled seminar series for the summer. The lake dropped a vertical foot and one-half to 962.06 in elevation and 47% of capacity. The Angels Cove Launch Ramp is closed with the Tuttletown on the low water ramp and Glory Hole still at the mid-ramp. The lowest ramp at Glory Hole is usable until the lake hits 860 vertical feet in elevation. Call: (209) 736-4333, Monte Smith (209) 581-4734, Danny Layne -Fishn’ Dan (209) 586 2383, Sierra Sport Fishing (209) 599-2023.

San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay
Stripers-3 Catfish -2 Bass-2 Crappie-1
Ly Tu of Ly’s Fishing Goods in San Jose said the Forebay is slow except when the water is being pumped in, particularly near the Dam. The water movement pushes down the grass, allowing the stripers to chase baitfish near the surface. Otherwise, action has been limited by the increasing amount of weeds in the shallow lake. Catfishing has been fair in the Forebay under the Bridge or towards Check 12 with frozen shad, clams or anchovies. In the main lake, frozen anchovy fillets are still working near the Trash Racks at depths from 40 to 80 feet for stripers to 25-inches. The majority of fish are in the 18 to 24-inch range. The lake has risen with 5127 acre-feet of Sacramento River water to 21% of capacity. Wind conditions: 800-805-4805. ; Call Ly’s Fishing Goods (408) 629-9644; Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711.

Eastman Lake
Bass-2 Trout-1 Bluegill -2 Catfish-2 Crappie-2
Ranger Keith Willis reported an improved bass bite with several fish to 4-pounds taken on live minnows or crawdads. He added that the bass are fat and healthy from gorging on the abundant baitfish. Richard Mesa of Madera has landed 10 and 9-pound largemouths in the past week. Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said bottomfishing techniques such as dragging Texas-rigged worms in dark colors are working for a larger grade of bass to 4-pounds. Most anglers continue to start around 15 feet in depth and working down to 30 feet. Catfishing remains decent from the banks or up the river arm has been fair with anchovies or stink baits. The lake is holding at 471.70 feet in elevation and 9% of capacity. Call 689-3255.

Hensley Lake
Bass-1 Trout-1 Catfish-2 Bluegill-2
Patrick Movey of the Fisherman’s Warehouse in Fresno reported receiving mixed reports with up to 65 small fish taken off of the bottom with dropshotting or dart heading plastics or brown/purple jigs. The lake is holding at 477.19 feet in elevation and 21% of capacity. The swimming area is closed for the season due to a steep drop off caused by low lake levels. Both ramps are open, but the Buckridge – East side – of the lake closes at dark due to recent vandalism. Boaters using this launch need to be off of the lake by closing time. 225-1838, 292-3474, 673-5151.

McSwain Reservoir
Trout-3
Diana Mello of A-1 Bait in Snelling said the recent trout plants have ramped up action from the banks for limits at the Brush Pile or Handicapped Docks with chartreuse Power Bait. Bank anglers continue to have the advantage over trollers, but the planters are found with blade/crawlers or Wedding Rings tipped with a crawler normal pattern from the 2nd Fence Line to the Dam at depths to 30 feet. Call (209) 378-2534.

Delta Mendota Canal and Sloughs
Stripers-2 Catfish-2
Merritt Gilbert said they are still selling bag anchovies for small stripers or catfish in the Aqueduct or the Delta/Mendota. Patrick Movey reported a good crappie and bluegill bite in Mendota Slough with wax worms, minijigs or live minnows for palm-sized fish.

Millerton Lake
Bass-2 Stripers-1
Merritt Gilbert reported a 6.5 to 7-pound limit of bass is possible with the majority of fish found on the bottom with shad-patterned plastics on the dart-head or drop shot along deep, sloping banks at depths from 15 to 30 feet. The reaction bite remains is still slow. Most fishermen have been waiting for Labor Day signaling the end of the summer and recreational boating before returning to the lake. There are still no striper reports. The lake is now holding at 539.91 feet in elevation and 68% of capacity due to over 1000 acre-feet of inflow from upstream sources. A trout plant is scheduled this week on the lower San Joaquin River this week, and the river is slowing down to very fishable conditions. The group of regulars continue to work corn yellow Power Bait near the Broken Bridge for planted fish. Call 225-1838, 292-3474.

Pine Flat Reservoir
Bass-1 Trout-2 King Salmon-1 Catfish-2
Patrick Movey reported some excellent trout fishing for the few boaters working the main lake from Deer Creek to Zebe Cove to the Dam at depths from 45 to 50 feet with ExCels, Needlefish or Humdingers in shad-patterns. The fish are up to 14-inches, but they will be putting on weight quickly with the large balls of shad circling the lake. Merritt Gilbert said bass fishing is best at night with the best action on the bottom with Brush Hogs, Reaction Innovation Sweet Beavers, 6-inch worms or jigs at depths from 15 to 25 feet. The lake dropped only 2 vertical feet to 762.21 feet in elevation to 21% of capacity. The lower Kings below the Dam is running high from the water releases, but a trout plant is scheduled for this week. The water releases are expected to stop after September 8th. Bob Scharton of Herb Bauer’s Sporting Goods scouted the river this week, but he saw numerous squawfish instead of trout. Call: 787-2387, 225-1838, 292-3474.

Lake Kaweah
Bass-4 Crappie-2 Trout-1 Catfish-2
Sierra Sporting Goods in Exeter reported a “wide open” bass bite with fish to 15-pounds caught this week on brown/purple jigs, top water lures, swimbaits, dark-colored plastics or crankbaits. The low and finally stable lake levels have turned on the bite. Crappie continue to hit minijigs or small minnows under lights at night from the Houseboats in the Marina. A few catfish are biting chicken livers, anchovies or live crawdads in the evenings. The reservoir dropped two vertical feet to 582.69 feet in elevation and 6% of capacity. Call: 592-5922.

Lake Success
Bass-2 Trout-1 Catfish-2
Jerry Williams of the Success Bass Club reported slower bass fishing this week, perhaps due to the full moon. During their weekend tournament, small fish were numerous on shad-colored plastics on the dart-head or drop-shot, but larger fish were difficult to locate. The lake is low, holding at 586.09 feet in elevation and 8% of capacity. Call: 784-0215.

McClure Reservoir
Bass-3 Trout-2 King salmon-2 Kokanee-1 Crappie-2 Catfish-3
Diana Mello of A-1 Bait in Snelling live minnows or crawdads are producing unlimited numbers of fish in Cottonwood Creek, McClure Point or Barretts Cove. Manny Basi of the Bait Barn said the bass bite is “awesome” with the grade of fish improving to the occasional 7-pounds. Brown/purple jigs, 5-inch Senkos in color 330, dart heading or drop shotting shad colored plastics from the banks to 30 feet in depth are all picking up fish. The top water bite has slowed. Trout fishing is slow with the best action under lights at night at the Houseboats. Catfishing remains outstanding with bag anchovies, live crawdads or minnows in Piney Creek or any major creek arm along sloping banks. The lake dropped 2440 acre-feet this week to 766.81 feet and 47% of capacity. Call: A-1 Bait (209) 563-6505, Fishwrangler’s Guide Service (209) 604-8222, Bub Tosh (209) 404-0053.

Lake Don Pedro
Bass-2 Trout-2 Kokanee-1 King Salmon-1
Danny Layne of Fishn’Dan’s Guide Service reported the water surface temperatures is cooling to 77 degrees, and the threadfin shad are rising to the surface, bringing rainbows to 4-pounds and king salmon from 2 to 6-pounds with them. Finding the bait balls is the key, and Layne is running his presentations just under the bait balls for good action. He has been targeting depths from 35 to 65 feet for rainbows near the Dam, Schoolhouse Point, Big Oak Island, Jenkins Hill and Blank Peak with the salmon at depths from 80 to 120 feet. Small ExCel spoons in shad-patterns, Vance’s Slim Fins and a silver-hammered Triple Teaser behind a 6-inch Sling Blade are the top presentations run in excess of 2 mph. For targeting kings, roll brined or scented shad or anchovies. Manny Basi of the Bait Barn in Waterford said 1/4th oz. dart-head or ½ oz. Revenge Jigs in watermelon red with a 4-inch watermelon/red Hula Grub trailer or brown/purple jigs on a low profile head are all working. He advised targeting submerged island tops in 50 feet of water and working back towards the banks to 30 feet in depth. The top water bite is slow. > Call Monte Smith (209) 581-4734, Danny Layne -Fishn’ Dan (209) 586-2383.

HIGH SIERRA
Bass Lake
Bass-2 Trout-2 Kokanee-2
Todd Wittwer of Kokanee.net Guide Service has concentrated on finding a few large kokanee scraping the bottom. There are very few kokanee in the lake, but there have been some large fish with a 19.5-inch female and 18.5-pound male in the past week. Jigging has been most productive, but the blue Radical Glow Tube behind a Hyperglo pink/blue dodger or double pink hootchie behind a Hyperplaid dodger has been best on the troll at depths from 35 to 42 feet. Rainbows are found in front of Miller’s to Fawn Point and the Sheriff’s Tower at depths from 23 to 28 feet with night crawlers behind a Vance’s nickel or copper dodger. Wittwer has ceased his guide service for the season due to the unprecedented slow kokanee action, but he continues to hunt for the large fish. Bass fishing should improve after the boat traffic ends within the next couple of weeks. The lake has dropped slightly to 73% of capacity. Call: 642-3141, Todd Wittwer 288-8100, 642-3633, 642-3737; Mike Bieghy 642-3748.

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Kokanee-2 Trout-3 Smallmouth-3
Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters reported an outstanding trout bite with limits the rule in the 14 to 16-inch range on his homemade chartreuse bead spinners tipped with a crawler behind the new Captain Jack’s Shaver Lake Special Dodgers. He has been locating the trout from 15 to 35 feet in depth from Road @ Point over to Boy Scout Island and Black Rock. He touts the excellent fall trout bite which is a well-kept secret. Smallmouth fishing remains strong with 8-year old Jordan McCandless bagging an 18-inch/2-pound smallie on a live cricket in the rocks near Tunnel Creek. Captain Jack Yandell is still unimpressed with the kokanee bite with slow and even slower conditions over the past week. One factor has been the heavy boat traffic over the holiday weekend. The only fish found are hugging the bottom which should make for challenging conditions during Kokanee Power’s tournament scheduled for September 26th. The lake dropped to 68% of capacity. At Huntington, Dick Gomez of Young’s Sporting Goods reported kokanee action is limited to a fish or two with limits of trout taken on blade/crawler combinations, Wedding Rings tipped with a crawler or small spoons. The cooler temperatures are bringing the fish closer to the surface. Bank fishing is also good with night crawlers or salmon eggs from Rancheria or the Auxiliary Dam. Huntington is holding at 99%, but the lake is expected to drop dramatically after September 8th with boaters advised to remove their crafts from the marinas due to low water for dam maintenance. Cal l: 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-3
Chuck Crane of Wishon RV Park reported continued good trout fishing with limits to 15-inches taken on night crawlers two feet behind a Sling Blade, Speedy Shiners or Needlefish at 4 to 6 colors. A slow troll has been the most productive with the best action in the early morning. Shore fishing is slow with the best fishing in Short Hair Creek or the Dam with various colors or Power Bait or inflated crawlers. The lake levels are holding at Wishon, but the water is trickling out of Courtright. At Courtright, getting on the lake early is the key for limits of rainbows with blade/crawler combinations, Thomas Buoyants, Needlefish or Speedy Shiners from 3 to 5 colors. Shore fishing is only fair with rainbow Power Bait or salmon eggs near the Dam or launch areas. Dick Gomez at Young’s Sporting Goods said Dinky Creek was excellent over the holiday weekend, as the DFG spread the plants out into the pools holding water. Crickets, salmon eggs or night crawlers are all working. Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool
Brown Trout-2 Trout-3
Dick Gomez continues to tout Portal Forebay with nymphs by fly anglers and tubers for limits of rainbows. Edison is also putting out fish to 14-inches for trollers in the deeper sections of the lake. Vermilion Valley Resort is holding a fall fishing special with 20% off for a three-night package Sundays through Wednesdays through October 7th. Edison has dropped to 55% with the ramp fully operational, Florence has dropped again to 25% with Mammoth Pool dropping to 32%. Call: 259-4000

OCEAN
San Francisco Bay
Halibut-2 Stripers-2 Rockfish- 4 Leopard Shark-2 Sturgeon-2
Rockfish limits are the rule with the Emeryville Sport Fishing boats putting in 60 limits of rockfish, 20 lings to 18-pounds and a pair of halibut to 23-pounds on Saturday, and another 36 limits of rockfish, 23 lings to 14-pounds and five halibut to 12-pounds on their way back into the bay on Sunday. Inside the bay, the halibut bite came back with a vengeance on Saturday, with Bob Wright, second captain of the Happy Hooker out of Berkeley locating bait just outside the harbor on the Berkeley Flats. Before the day was through, they put in 8 limits of halibut to 22-pounds and a couple of white sea bass in the 40 to 60-pound range breaking off or spooling anglers on the trip. Live sardines have been the key bait. Captain James Smith on the California Dawn was in the same area on Saturday for near limits with 40 halibut and 3 bass for 15 fishermen. The counts dropped back down on Sunday to near a fish a rod due to the high winds and muddy water. Captain Mark Delnero of Fin Addict Sport Fishing was on the Lucky Strike on Sunday in the Berkeley Flats with 6 anglers fishing live sardines for 3 halibut and 3 leopard sharks. The Emeryville boats had similar scores with 21 anglers on three craft boating 48 halibut to 15-pounds and 3 bass to 7-pounds on Satuday before the Captain Hook and the Sundance resorting to 11 halibut to 14-pounds, 2 bass to 5-pounds and an 8-pound leopard shark. Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait in San Rafael reported great striper fishing in San Pablo Bay with bullheads from the China Camp shoreline, and Fraser wonders why boaters aren’t anchoring from the Shellbacks to the Hamilton Flats for the bass. Joel Sinkay of Leonard’s Bait at Port Sonoma said the Miramonte Hole up the Petaluma River or Napa Slough have been productive for stripers with mudsuckers and the small bullheads.

OTHERS
Lake Nacimiento/San Antonio/Santa Margarita/Lopez
Bass-3 White Bass-2 Stripers-4 Catfish-2 Crappie- 1
Will Hesch of Central Coast Bass Fishing reported an excellent striper bite at San Antonio on top water lures. One angler reported landing 7 fish from 7 to in excess of 15-pounds. Smallmouth bass have been taken on Silver Buddy lures at depths from 30 to 35 feet, but you have to be prepared with a lure retriever or you will lose tackle. Nacimiento has picked up again with great action in the evenings through midnight with chartreuse spinnerbaits near structure in water from 6-inches to 5 feet. There have been fish to 3-pounds taken in this manner. Both Monterey County lakes are still dropping with San Antonio falling a foot to 722.90 feet in elevation and 33% of capacity with Nacimiento dropping two vertical feet to 716.95 feet and 16% of capacity. Call:(805) 238-1056 ext. 3, (805) 472-2818; Central Coast Bass Fishing.com (805) 466-6557.

Delta/Stockton
Bass-3 Stripers-3 Sturgeon-2
Benicia Bait reported continued excellent bank fishing from the Benicia shorelines with small bullheads for stripers to 15-pounds. Stripers in the 28-inch range have come from 1st Street, under the Bridge and at the State Park. Dockside Bait in Pittsburg reported small stripers to 8-pounds biting bullheads and shad in Honker Bay, Chain Island and Broad Slough. There are loads of the small stripers in the system. Jeff Boyle of the Bass Pro Shops in Manteca went striper trolling on Saturday, but the winds kept him off of the main Sacramento River. They had to hide behind Decker Island or over on the San Joaquin, but the combination of wind and larger tides turned the water muddy. They ended up with 9 small stripers for the day. He tried to get out on the main river, but they were turned back by the whitecaps and waves coming over the bow. Mark Wilson of Mark Wilson’s Sport Fishing had a similar report with the wind, larger tides and full moon all factors in the schools of fish scattering. He has found the majority of the small stripers near Decker Island on deep-running Yozuris with the best action at the change of the tides. The river has been inundated with grass and debris with the wind and tides.
Sylvia Viera of Viera’s Riverside Bait in Isleton reported few stripers have been taken on the troll from Long Island to Walnut Grove. Hap’s Bait will be hosting the annual Rio Vista Bass Derby seminar on Saturday, September 26th with Mark Wilson, Clyde Wands, Cal Kellogg of the Fishsniffer Magazine and Captain Barry Canevaro of Fishhookers Guide Service featured speakers. Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, also found the large schools of stripers in the San Joaquin and Old Rivers dissipating rapidly, particularly towards the end of the week. He has been experiencing great action with PopNWalkers on the surface, the Berkley Hollow Belly or Double Diamond swimbaits or spooning with the 3/4th oz. Hopkins Smoothies in greens or blues at depths in shallow water. There are thousands of stripers from 2-pounds to 12-inches in the system. The cooler water temperatures have forced the bait fish into the shallows, and he has been working Persuader E-chip jigs in black/blue, Berkley Power Worms on a Zappu Head or the Chigger Craw at depths from 5 to 15-feet on the outside edges of the weedlines. The larger fish have been taking advantage of the full moon to feed at night. Call; 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

Success –Success Bass Club–September 6th : 1st –Bishop Hilliard–10.76-pounds; 2nd –Joe Byes – 10.57; 3rd – Willie Thompkins– 9.86.

Upcoming

September 10th –Dan Busby–Casting for Bass – 6:15 p.m. ––Fresno Fisherman’s Warehouse

September 17th –Ricky Noel Mitchell–Kayak Fishing for Bass – 6:15 p.m. ––Fresno Fisherman’s Warehouse

September 17th Don Pedro – Cal Bass Weeknights

September 19th Isabella – Bakersfield Bass
New Melones – Future Pro Tour
Pine Flat – Wasco Bass Club
Delta/Russo’s – Future Pro Tour
Delta/Ladd’s – FLW Outdoors

September 20th Kayak Fishing for Bass Lake Trout/Kokanee
Information – Eric Kaai – Fisherman’s Warehouse: 225-1838

September 23-26th Delta/Russo’s – FLW Outdoors

September 26th McClure – Future Pro Tour
Delta/Ladd’s – Sierra Bass Club
McSwain – 18th Annual Float/Fly Tournament
Hap’s Bait/Rio Vista – Striper Seminar for the Rio Vista
Bass Derby – Information (707)

October 3rd Delta/Brannan Island – Central Valley Anglers Fall Striper Shootout – Information (209) 369-0204.

October 18th Don Pedro – Jig’s Bait and Tackle – info jigstackle@aol.com

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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

ROGERS COMMENTS: Mashing down the barb on the hook, whether it’s a single bait hook or a treble lure hook, is what some anglers have been doing for many years to protect both the fish and themselves. Years ago, I started using mashed down barbless bait hooks for minnow fishing at San Luis for stripers. I found I could easily back the hook out no matter how deep down the throat they had swallowed the bait, and I never felt I ever lost any fish due to it. I also think it really makes a big difference in the survivability of the released fish, since you usually don’t have to wrestle it down and pry out the hook from its mouth or stomach. I believe using barbless hooks is one of the best solutions I’ve seen for protecting both the fish and the angler, and I believe you’ll actually lose very few fish if you try it.

VALLEY
New Melones Reservoir
Bass-2 Crappie-2 Catfish-3 Trout-2 Kokanee-2
Catfish provide the most consistent action in the lake with anchovies, mackerel, sardines, chicken liver, or a ball of night crawlers. Action along the muddy, sloping banks in Angels Cove, Glory Hole Point or the Marina is steady. The kokanee season is rapidly coming to a close with the fish developing hooked-jaws and losing their scales. The bite has been very slow with a few fish taken off the bottom by trollers bouncing with downrigger balls at depths from 80 to 120 feet near the Spillway or in the major creek arms. Glitterbug micro-hootchies in orange or pink, R and K pink hootchies or pink, orange or blue Apex lures are the best bets. Melanie Lewis of Glory Hole Sporting Goods in Angels Camp recommended that all lures should be trolled behind dodgers in chrome, pink, gold or chartreuse and tipped with Shoepeg corn soaked in garlic, anise, or Kokanee Special. Crawdad scent may also entice a strike. Trout fishing from the banks is over until the lake turns over at the end of November, but night fishing under lights with night crawlers or crawler/Power Bait combinations has produced rainbows to 4-pounds. The best technique is to drop your light 20 feet deep and fish at depths of 30 to 50 feet. Tom Dutril of Dutril’s Fishing Charters has been finding quality trout under his Hydra-Glow light near the Dam. Trolling for trout continues to be slow with a few rainbows at 40 to 50 feet in the main lake or upriver with bright colored lures. The bass bite continues to be fair with a good top-water bite going on at dawn and dusk with Zara Spooks, buzz baits, or Pop-Rs. When the sun is up, crawdad or shad-colored Carolina-rigged 6″ worms, rip-baits, spinnerbaits, Zoom Baby Brush Hogs, or Senkos are working along the strong mud lines that are forming on the lake right now. It is best to target main lake points and fish the edge of the mud line and on the shaded side of coves and against steep drop-offs and cliff faces during the heat of the day, as well. Night fishing with a dark colored Power Worm is also working. Crappie and bluegill action is best at night under lights at depths from 10 to 30 feet around submerged trees with live small or medium minnows, or crappie jigs with jigs in red/white, black/chartreuse or purple/white in Bear, Carson or Mormon Creeks. Glory Hole Sports has cancelled the remainder of their scheduled seminar series for the summer. The lake dropped a vertical foot and one-half to 963.55 in elevation and 48% of capacity. The Angels Cove Launch Ramp is closed with the Tuttletown on the low water ramp and Glory Hole still at the mid-ramp. The lowest ramp at Glory Hole is usable until the lake hits 860 vertical feet in elevation. Call: (209) 736-4333, Monte Smith (209) 581-4734, Danny Layne -Fishn’ Dan (209) 586 2383, Sierra Sport Fishing (209) 599-2023.

San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay
Stripers-3 Catfish -2 Bass-2 Crappie-1
Ly Tu of Ly’s Fishing Goods in San Jose said there has been good action in the Forebay under the Bridge or towards Check 12 with frozen shad for stripers to 28-inches. One group landed five stripers in the 27 to 28-inch range. Tu said the fishing pressure at the Bridge remains heavy. In the main lake, frozen anchovy fillets are still working near the Trash Racks at depths from 40 to 80 feet for stripers to 27-inches. There haven’t been many fishermen tossing plugs from the shorelines. Many of the area striper fishermen are heading to the Delta near Decker or Sherman Island with blood worms. The lake has risen with 2002 acre-feet of Delta water to 19% of capacity. Wind conditions: 800-805-4805. Call: Ly’s Fishing Goods (408) 629-9644; Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711.

Eastman Lake
Bass-2 Trout-1 Bluegill -2 Catfish-2 Crappie-3
Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported Texas-rigged worms in dark colors such as junebug, greenpumpkin/chartreuse tail, or Witch’s T are working in the off-color water on a bead/slip sinker rig for fish to 2-pounds. Most anglers are starting at depths of 15 feet and working down to 30 feet. An 8-pound limit is possible. Ranger Keith Willis said Frank Herlitz of Merced landed a dozen bass to 6-pounds on Monday on green Brush Hogs in shallow water near the orange hazard buoys. He said the fish were fat from gorging on the small bait fish. Patrick Movey of Fisherman’s Warehouse in Fresno said there is a good crappie bite with small minnows of minijigs at depths of 25 feet in the submerged trees. Bass anglers are also landing the palm-sized crappie when fishing plastics. He added that there is a small window for bass on top water lures in low light conditions. Catfishing remains decent from the banks or up the river arm has been fair with anchovies or stink baits. The lake is holding at 471.84 feet in elevation and 9% of capacity. Call: 689-3255.

Hensley Lake
Bass-2 Trout-1 Catfish-4 Bluegill-2
Bob Scharton of Herb Bauer’s Sporting Goods in Fresno reported an excellent catfish bite from the banks towards the back of the lake with cut anchovies smeared with Smelly Jelly. Merritt Gilbert confirmed catfish to 7-pounds have been taken, particularly from boats working the deep holes upriver. Bass fishing continues to be very slow with the low lake levels and high surface temperatures. The lake is holding at 477.33 feet in elevation and 21% of capacity. The swimming area is closed for the season due to a steep drop off caused by low lake levels. Both ramps are open, but the Buckridge – East side – of the lake closes at dark due to recent vandalism. Boaters using this launch need to be off of the lake by closing time. 225-1838, 292-3474, 673-5151

McSwain Reservoir
Trout-3
Diana Mello of A-1 Bait in Snelling reported bank anglers have the advantage over trollers this week with Power Eggs in Bubble Gum combined with a white egg. The white colors are also working in the Power Bait at the normal areas of the Brush Pile or the Handicapped Docks. Trolling has been a bit slower in the normal pattern from the .2nd Fence Line to the Dam with blade/crawlers, Wedding Rings tipped with a crawler or blue/chrome Kastmasters. Call: (209) 378-2534.

Delta Mendota Canal and Sloughs
Stripers-3 Catfish-2 Crappie-3
Merritt Gilbert said schoolie stripers to 24-inches are hitting silver/black or silver/blue RatLTraps or white flukes in the Aqueduct with anchovies or pile worms also working. Catfish are hitting clams or cut anchovies. Patrick Movey added a good crappie bite in Mendota Slough with minijigs or live minnows, especially around the bridge pilings. Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait Bucket picked up 4.5-pound striper in the south Aqueduct on a swimbait this week. With one day remaining, the 4.25-pound striper appears to be the largest fish weighed in during the August Striper Tournament.

Millerton Lake /San Joaquin River
Bass-2 Stripers-2 Shad-1 Trout-2
Merritt Gilbert reported a fair bass bite for small fish with shad-patterned plastics on the dart-head or drop shot along deep, sloping banks at depths from 15 to 30 feet. You can pick up a quick limit of small keepers drop shotting or jigging up the river arm. The reaction bite remains very slow with most anglers scoring with finesse techniques along the bottom. There are still no striper reports with the prime time for striper fishing being over for the year. Boat traffic is starting to decrease with fishermen avoiding the lake due to the fee increase to $17 to launch. The lake is now holding at 539.58 feet in elevation and 68% of capacity. Several rock towers lurk just below the surface above Temperance. A trout plant is scheduled for the lower San Joaquin River this week, and the river is slowing down to very fishable conditions.Call:225-1838, 292-3474.

Pine Flat Reservoir/Kings River
Bass-2 Trout-3 King Salmon-1 Catfish-2
Patrick Movey said some good quality trout to 16-inches have been taken on ExCels or Humdingers in shad-patterns or Needlefish in red dot frog can be found at depths to 35 feet near Zebe Creek or the Dam. The fish are schooled up, but you have to work to find the schools. There haven’t been many trout fishermen with most still heading up the hill. Bass fishing is still very slow with the best area anglers struggling for 5 legal fish to 6-pounds. Bottomfishing with plastics or jigging in 30 to 40 feet of water is still the only way to go. The lake dropped 8 vertical feet to 764.42 feet in elevation to 21% of capacity. The lower Kings below the Dam is running high from the water releases, but a trout plant is scheduled for this week. The water releases are expected to stop after September 8th. Call: 787-2387, 225-1838, 292-3474.

Lake Kaweah
Bass-3 Crappie-2 Trout-1 Catfish-2
Sierra Sporting Goods in Exeter reported bass to 9.5-pounds have been landed on live crawdads in the past week near the first boat launch. Tournament anglers are working jigs or crank baits in crawdad imitation patterns such as the Norman Chili Bowl near the Floating Restrooms. The crappie bite is consistent under lights at night from the Houseboats in the Marina with small minnows. Catfishing is decent in the evenings with chicken livers, anchovies or live crawdads. The reservoir dropped two vertical feet to 584.69 feet in elevation and 6% of capacity. CF22> Call: 592-5922.

Lake Success
Bass-3 Trout-1 Catfish-2
Larry Kerns of the Visalia Bass Club had a great time on Sunday with bass to 4-pounds picked up on crank baits or drop shotting at depths of 8 to 9 feet along ledges. He was off the water by 11:00 a.m. with a 12-pound limit. There are numerous 13/14-inch bass ready to bite anything. The lake is very low, dropping another foot to 586.80 feet in elevation and 8% of capacity. Call: 784-0215.

McClure Reservoir
Bass-3 Trout-2 King Salmon-2 Kokanee-2 Crappie-2 Catfish-4
Diana Mello of A-1 Bait in Snelling said the creek arms are holding bass to 6-pounds with dropshotting Keeper worms in 1001bt or 1059r, brown/purple football-head jigs, and 5-inch Senkos color 330. There is also a reaction bite in the morning with spinnerbaits or top water lures such as PopR’s, Manny Basi of the Bait Barn in Waterford liked the bite in shaded areas with Staycee 90’s in Ghost Minnow or Chartreuse Shad. Bank fishermen continue to pound the bass with live crawdads or minnows from Barrett’s Cove or McClure Point at depths from the bank to 15 feet. Trout fishing has slowed with a few fish found near the Dam at depths to 35 feet on blade/crawler combinations, Wedding Rings tipped with a crawler or shad-imitation spoons. There is an occasional king salmon to 2.5-pounds taken on rolled shad at depths of 110 feet near the Dam with a few kokanee holding around the salmon at 65 feet in the same areas. Crappie fishing is best under lights at the Houseboats with small minnows or minijigs at depths to 35 feet. Catfishing remains excellent with bag anchovies, live crawdads or minnows in Piney Creek or any major creek arm along sloping banks. The lake dropped 2135 acre-feet this week to less than 50% of capacity. Call: A-1 Bait (209) 563-6505, Fishwrangler’s Guide Service (209) 604-8222, Bub Tosh (209) 404-0053.

Lake Don Pedro
Bass-2 Trout-2 Kokanee-1 King Salmon-2
Manny Basi reported the bass bite is still tough with finesse techniques from the banks to 40 feet the only thing going. Light line with 1/4th oz. dart-head or ½ oz. Revenge Jigs with a watermelon/red Hula Grub trailer are your best chance for fish. King salmon action continues to be slow with few anglers targeting the elusive fish. Trout fishing has begun a rebound with small spoons around Jenkins Hill. Call Monte Smith (209) 581-4734, Danny Layne -Fishn’ Dan (209) 586-2383, Bait Barn (209) 874-301.

HIGH SIERRA
Bass Lake
Bass-2 Trout-2 Kokanee-2
Labor Day weekend will mark the last summer blow-out for the year, and there is hope that fishing will improve after the boat traffic dies and the water starts to cool down. Merritt Gilbert said a few trout have been located at seven colors with the usual offerings. Kokanee are limited to the occasional fish jigged off of the bottom in the main lake. Bass fishing is limited to a few 1.5-pound spotted bass on plastics or crank baits. Once the motor fee requirement is lifted after this weekend, bass fishermen should return to the lake. The lake is still holding at 74% of capacity. Call 642-3141, Todd Wittwer 288-8100, 642-3633, 642-3737; Mike Bieghy 642-3748.

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Kokanee-2 Trout-3 Smallmouth-3
Captain Jack Yandell said kokanee fishing remains very slow, but he verified a 19.25-inch kokanee scraped off of the bottom during the current week. The fish are holding tight to the bottom at depths from 95 to 100 feet in the main lake channel. He has only been able to pick up a solo kokanee on his last two trips with the Green Fat Bug the only thing able to induce a strike. Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters reported excellent trout fishing with his homemade chartreuse bead spinners with a tip of crawler at 15 to 25 feet in the Stevenson Creek area. The trout are holding between Tunnel and Stevenson Creeks. The lake dropped to 70% of capacity. Note: Sheldon Sandstrom of Sierra Marina said that boaters were mistakenly concerned about removing their boats from Shaver and that the lake level is holding at a very good level for the ramps, and there is no reason to be concerned. Over at Huntington, Dick Gomez of Young’s Sporting Goods reported kokanee fishing is still slow, as he wasn’t able to locate the schools. Trout fishing remains good with possible limits on blade/crawler combinations, Wedding Rings tipped with a crawler or small spoons. Huntington is holding 98%, but the lake is expected to drop dramatically after September 8th with boaters advised to remove their crafts from the marinas due to low water for dam maintenance. Note: Boaters at Shaver do not have to worry about removing their boats. Both lakes are slated for trout plants this week. Cal l 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-3
Chuck Crane of Wishon RV Park said trout fishing remains good at both lakes with the best bite happening for trollers in the early morning or late afternoon until dark. At Wishon, trollers are pulling night crawlers two feet behind a Sling Blade at 3 to 5 colors for the best action with Needlefish in various colors or Speedy Shiners in red/gold being the top lures. Shore fishing is fair with various colors or Power Bait or inflated crawlers near Short Hair Creek. Up higher at Courtright, limits of rainbows can be found on flat-lining Rapalas or dragging blade/crawler combinations at depths from 3 to 5 colors. Shore fishing is also fair with orange or rainbow Power Bait or salmon eggs near the Dam. Dick Gomez at Young’s Sporting Goods said Dinky Creek wasn’t planted last week, but a plant is anticipated before the holiday weekend. The fish congregate in three or four pools near the campgrounds, and they are easy pickings on crickets, salmon eggs or night crawlers. CallWishon RV Park 865-5361.

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool
Brown Trout-2 Trout-3
Dick Gomez said limits are possible at Edison, but few anglers are heading to the lake, instead stopping at the Portal Forebay for limits of rainbows from the shore or from float tubes. Nymphs have been a particularly deadly fly pattern at the Forebay. A trout plant is scheduled for this week at the Portal Forebay. Edison has dropped slightly to 60% with the ramp fully operational, Florence has risen to 31% with Mammoth Pool dropping to 44%. Call 259-4000.

OCEAN
San Francisco Bay
Halibut-3 Stripers-2 Rockfish- 4 Leopard Shark-3 Sturgeon-2
Rockfish limits are the rule at the Farallons with the Emeryville boats making the run out despite the big swell and winds over the weekend. They boated 59 limits of rockfish and 12 lings to 12-pounds on Saturday to go with another 46 limits of rockfish to go with 4 lings to 8-pounds before putting in 10 halibut to 12-poundson Sunday. They are taking an albacore trip on the New Salmon Queen on Thursday and again on Labor Day, weather permitting. Inside the bay, the Emeryville boats had pretty decent scores considering the lack of water movement and the amount of pressure put on the halibut during the second consecutive season without salmon fishing. Their boats took out 44 anglers today for 30 halibut to 19-pounds and a pair of stripers to 8-pounds to go with 23 halibut to 19-pounds with another pair of bass to 10-pounds yesterday for 34 anglers working both the bay and the coastlines. John Akina of Oyster Point Bait, Tackle and Deli said there were 13 halibut taken by trollers on tray or bag anchovies in the area from Brisbane to Candlestick Point today. The live bait drifting bite has been slow, perhaps due to the miniscule tides. He expected a good week as the tides become larger. The pier has been loaded up with sharks and rays, including a 57.5-inch seven-gill shark on Sunday. Joel Sinkay of Leonard’s Bait at Port Sonoma said bullhead sales have been brisk which is a sure sign of decent action from the China Camp, Sonoma Creek or Port Sonoma shorelines.

Delta/Stockton
Bass- 3 Stripers-3 Sturgeon-2
Benicia Bait sold out of bullheads on Sunday, and this shop generally has a great supply of bait. This speaks volumes about the number of anglers working the Fleet from boats and along the shorelines from 1st Street to the State Park for stripers. There haven’t been any sturgeon weighed in lately, most likely due to the anemic tides. Dockside Bait in Pittsburg said stripers from 5 to 7-pounds have been biting bullheads or mudsuckers in the shallow water of Honker Bay. He weighed in huge sturgeon at 87-pounds and 64-inches yesterday taken on grass shrimp in 40 feet of water near the PGE Plant. This fish was loaded with eggs with a stomach stretched to capacity. Sylvia Viera of Viera’s Riverside Bait near Isleton said striper fishing has been fair in the Old Sacramento River with trollers highlighting the majority of the catches.Mike Gravert of Intimidator Sport Fishing has been trolling or drifting minnows in the north Delta for limits of school-sized stripers. One of his clients hooked an absolute hog on Saturday morning before the rainbow trout Yozuri came back with a quarter-size scale on one of the 4X Owner trebles. This fish ran off a couple hundred feet of line before coming unbuttoned, most likely by wedging the first and second hooks in their powerful gill plates. Mark Wilson of Mark Wilson’s Sport Fishing reported 40 fish days with the majority keepers to 24-inches are taken on shallow or deep running lures from Upper Sherman Island to the Rio Vista Bridge. All of the trolling patterns are holding fish with double and triple hookups occurring every trip. He has been working shallow running lures until the current starts moving where he will switch to deeper water. The schools are moving quickly and dispersing, only to form again in the same location later in the day. Hap’s Bait will be hosting the annual Rio Vista Bass Derby seminar on Saturday, September 26th with Mark Wilson, Clyde Wands, Cal Kellogg of the Fishsniffer Magazine and Captain Barry Canevaro of Fishhookers Guide Service featured speakers. Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, has been enjoying action with the large schools of small stripers to 9-pounds in the San Joaquin or Old Rivers with 3/4th oz. Hopkins Smoothies in greens or blues at depths from 8 to 25 feet. The Double Diamond and Berkley Hollow Belly swimbaits are also working with the Double Diamond best in faster current. On the largemouth front, Pringle released a 30-pound limit this week working the outside weedlines with Berkley Power Worms on a Zappu Head or the IMA Shaker crank bait. The top water bite has been slow with the cooling water temperatures in the mornings. Pringle will present a seminar this Thursday evening at 6:15 p.m. at the Fresno Fisherman’s Warehouse. Call; 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
Pine Flat/Eastman –Sierra Bass Club Two-Day Tournament – August 15/16th : 1st –Marty Hooton/Don Hodges– 13.60 –pounds; 2nd –TJ Alvarez/Craig Gong– 13.48 (Big Fish – 3.26); 3rd –Randy Rowe/Eric Rivera– 12.48.

Isabella –Western Outdoor News Summer Series– August 22: 1st –Jim Dobbs/Bob Grayson– 25.60 –pounds; 2nd –Roger Cummings/Don Hendrix– 20.87 (Big Fish – 9.46); 3rd –Pug Ferreira/Steven Pool– 18.14.

Upcoming
September 10th: Dan Busby– Fly Fishing – 6:15 p.m. ––Fresno Fisherman’s Warehouse

September 17th: Don Pedro – Cal Bass Weeknights

September 19th: Isabella – Bakersfield Bass
New Melones – Future Pro Tour
Pine Flat – Wasco Bass Club
Delta/Russo’s – Future Pro Tour
Delta/Ladd’s – FLW Outdoors

September 23rd-26th: Delta/Russo’s – FLW Outdoors

September 26th: McClure – Future Pro Tour
Delta/Ladd’s – Sierra Bass Club
McSwain – 18th Annual Float/Fly Tournament
Hap’s Bait/Rio Vista – Striper Seminar for the Rio Vista
Bass Derby – Information (707)

October 3rd: Delta/Brannan Island – Central Valley Anglers Fall Striper Shootout

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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: A good buddy and I were fishing from shore at Millerton in the evening a few years ago, when he hooked a nice 10 pound striper that he played up to the shoreline Out of the dark, he suddenly said he needed some help- now! I ran over in the dim light and saw blood running down the stripers side as he carefully held it in the water, when he informed me all the blood I saw belonged to him! Turns out he had reached out to lip the fish before it was played out, and as the fish thrashed around, one 2/0 hook had gone deep into his right thumb. Unfortunately the hook on the other end of the lure was still connected to the fighting fish he was desperately trying to calm down. I grabbed and quickly unhooked the frenetic fish, letting it go, but by now, the barb was completely buried. I tried for ½ hour to get the big hook out, but after trying every trick I knew, as well as trying to pull it out with all my strength, after he had asked me to try, convinced me the long trek to the emergency room was where we were going next. We tried cutting off as much of the lure as we could before heading to St Agnes Hospital, but I found out big stainless hooks are almost impossible to cut off with regular sidecutters, especially when you have someone attached to it. We got out of the emergency room after midnite, and the doctor told me that it had been about the hardest hook to remove he had ever done. In fact, he said they had a collection of removed hooks to commemorate all the angler extractions they had performed over the years. As a special momento of our unforgettable fishing trip, my buddy gave me the small clear medical jar the doctor had given him -containing the tip of the big stainless steel hook he had removed from his thumb!

VALLEY
New Melones Reservoir
Bass-2 Crappie-2 Catfish-4 Trout-2 Kokanee-2
Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing said the kokanee bite has dramatically turned slow with the fish as deep as 120 feet. Melanie Lewis of Glory Hole Sporting Goods reported they are developing hooked-jaws and losing their scales, as they prepare for their attempt to spawn. The best action has been in the main lake with Glitterbug Micro Hootchies in orange or pink, R and K pink hootches and Apex in pink, orange or blue. Crawdad scent has been effective in enticing strikes. Trout fishing from the banks is over until the lake turns over, but fishing under lights with night crawlers has produced rainbows to 3-pounds. Trolling for trout continues to be slow. The bass bite is fair with a good top-water bite going on at dawn and dusk with Zara Spooks, buzz baits, or Pop-Rs. When the sun is up, crawdad or shad-colored Carolina-rigged 6″ worms, rip-baits, spinnerbaits, Zoom Baby Brush Hogs, or Senkos are working along the strong mud lines that are forming on the lake right now. It is best to target main lake points and fish the edge of the mud line and on the shaded side of coves and against steep drop-offs and cliff faces during the heat of the day, as well. Night fishing with a dark colored Power Worm right now is also a good way to target bass. Catfishing continues to be excellent with fish to 6-pounds on anchovies, mackerel, sardines, chicken liver, or a ball of nightcrawlers. Crappie and bluegill action is best at night under lights at depths from 10 to 30 feet around submerged trees with live small or medium minnows, or crappie jigs with jigs in red/white, black/chartreuse or purple/white in Bear, Carson or Mormon Creeks. Glory Hole will be holding a seminar on August 30th at 3:00 p.m. with Ed Burlarley of Sierra Guide Service talking about “Catching the Elusive Brown”. The lake dropped to 966.89 feet in elevation and 49% of capacity. The Angels Cove Launch Ramp is closed with the Tuttletown on the low water ramp and Glory Hole at the mid-ramp.
Call (209) 736-4333, Monte Smith (209) 581-4734, Danny Layne -Fishn’ Dan (209) 586 2383, Sierra Sport Fishing (209) 599-2023.

San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay
Stripers-3 Catfish -2
Bass-2 Crappie-2 Ly Tu of Ly’s Fishing Goods in San Jose reported quick limits of stripers to 26-inches on mooched anchovies in the front of the Dam and the Trash Racks at depths from 60 to 80 feet. The lake levels are coming up slowly with increased pumping from the Delta. In the Forebay, the water is moving quickly as a result of the pumping, and the movement flattens down the grass, allowing bait to hide under the weeds. As a result, fishing is much slower. A few stripers of barely-legal size are landed on grass shrimp or anchovies. Catfish are hitting clams or cut baits near the Forebay Dam. Wind conditions: 800-805-4805. ; Call: Ly’s Fishing Goods (408) 629-9644; Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711.

Eastman Lake
Bass-2 Trout-2 Bluegill -2 Catfish-2 Crappie-2
Bob Scharton of Herb Bauer’s Sporting Goods said a few quality bass to 3.5-pounds have been landed on Keeper 1082 worms at 10 to 15 feet. The surface water temperature is high with a greenish tinge to the lake. Catfishing from the banks or up the river arm has been fair with chicken livers or anchovies. The lake dropped a vertical foot to 472.12 feet in elevation and 9% of capacity and is expected to stabilize at this low level. Call: 689-3255.

Hensley Lake
Bas s-2 Trout-2 Catfish-3 Crappie-2
Overall, bass fishing is slow with the low lake levels and high surface temperatures. Catfish provide the best action from the banks upriver at the Campgrounds or in the deep holes in the river arm with chicken livers or anchovies. The lake is holding at 477.44 feet in elevation and 21% of capacity. The swimming area is closed for the season due to a steep drop off caused by low lake levels. Both ramps are open, but the Buckridge – East side – of the lake closes at dark due to recent vandalism. Boaters using this launch need to be off of the lake by closing time. Call:225-1838, 292-3474, 673-5151

McSwain Reservoir
Trout-3
McSwain Marina said the recent trout plants have turned up the bite with chartreuse Power Bait from the Brush Pile or the Handicapped Docks. Trolling has been the slower of the two options, but things are starting to improve with chrome/blue Kastmasters or green Wedding Rings tipped with a crawler from the Dam to the 2nd Fence Line. A Calaveras trout plant is scheduled for the latter portion of this week. Call: (209) 378-2534.

Delta Mendota Canal and Sloughs
Stripers-3 Catfish-3
James Mize of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported most area anglers are heading to Mendota Slough for stripers or catfish with anchovies. Flukes in white on a ½ oz. jighead and Lucky Craft 128’s in American Shad or Ghost Minnow are working for the small linesides in the moving water. Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait Bucket said the off and on water flows have confused anglers, leaving one to drop a 1-pound weight to stay on the bottom. There is a good deal of moss and debris flowing down with the rapidly moving water. A 4.25-pound lineside still leads the August Striper Derby.

Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River
Bass-2 Stripers-2 Shad-2 Trout-2
There hasn’t been much fishing pressure on this lake with high boat traffic, high temperatures and rapidly dropping water. Based on the normal patterns, small bass should be holding along deep, sloping banks with shad-patterned plastics. No striper reports. Boat traffic is still high, but this should slow down after this weekend with school back in session. The lake dropped 6 vertical feet to 543.07 feet in elevation and 70% of capacity. Upriver rocks becoming dangerous. As a result of water releases, river levels are high, making lures more effective for a reaction strike from the planted trout than Power Bait or night crawlers. Call: 225-1838, 292-3474.

Pine Flat Reservoir
Bass-2 Trout-2 Catfish-2
Bass fishing continues to be difficult as evidenced by the winning weights at the club tournaments over the weekend. There were two limits weighed in during the 31 boat Fresno Bass Club Tournament on Sunday. The lake has been dropping over a foot per day which always slows down the bass bite. Patrick Movey said deep diving crankbaits or dart-headed plastics fished near submerged trees have pulled out the best fish. On the trout scene, Bob Scharton said there are good-sized shad schools in the lake, and trout fishermen are trolling at depths to 30 feet with Cop Car Needlefish, ExCel spoons, Shasta Tackle Matrix Paddletails or 1.5-inch Berkley Grubs in shad colors for some decent fish. Finding the shad balls is still the key to success. An estimated 20-pound catfish was taken on anchovies. The lake has another 11 vertical feet to 784.48 feet in elevation to 27% of capacity. The lower Kings below the Dam is running high from the water releases. Call: 787-2387, 225-1838, 292-3474.

McClure Reservoir
Bass-3 Trout-3 King Salmon-2 Kokanee-2 Crappie-2 Catfish-4
Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing took a couple of recent trips to the Spillway and Dam area with some decent action on king salmon to 2.5-pounds. On his first trip, Smith put in 6 kings, 2 rainbows and 3 kokanee to 17-inches at depths on dropper lines at 40 to 50 feet with the kings down from 85 to 120 feet. On his second trip, the bite was tougher with 6 kings in the deep water on rolled shad. Manny Basi at the Bait Barn in Waterford reported a strong spotted bass bite with shad-pattern plastics on the drop-shot or dart head, brown jigs with a short skirt cut to the base of the hook or Senkos in color 330 from the banks to 40 feet in Temperance Creek or up in the River Narrows. Top water PopR’s are working early or late. Diana Mello of A-1 Bait in Snelling said live minnows or crawdads have been hot for bass from the banks to 15 feet in depth. The Keeper 1082 plastic has been a top seller. Catfishing is excellent with anchovies or live crawdads in Piney Creek or any major creek arm along sloping banks. Crappie fishing has been slow with a few fish taken from the Houseboats. The lake has dropped four vertical feet to 779.58 feet in elevation and 52% of capacity. Call: A-1 Bait (209) 563-6505, Fishwrangler’s Guide Service (209) 604-8222, Bub Tosh (209) 404-0053.

Lake Don Pedro
Bass-3 Trout-2 Kokanee-2 King Salmon-2
Manny Basi said bass fishing is hot with live minnows from the banks near the Marina or near Moccasin. Tournament anglers are using shad-patterned plastics on a dart-head or drop shot at depths to 40 feet. The reaction bite is still very slow. A few kokanee are possible at depths to 110 feet, but for all intents and purposes, the kokanee season is over. Bruce Hamby of Sierra Sport Fishing has been working the lake on a regular basis, leading one to believe that there may be a quietly kept secret on the king salmon front. The lake is at 789.99 feet in elevation and 77% of capacity. Call: Monte Smith (209) 581-4734, Danny Layne -Fishn’ Dan (209) 586-2383, Bait Barn (209) 874-301.

HIGH SIERRA
Bass Lake
Bass-2 Trout-3 Kokanee-2
Todd Wittwer of Kokanee.net Guide Service said kokanee are still a mystery with one fish to 17-inches landed this week with his best day at 4 kokanee on a trip. Overall, the lack of adult kokanee in the lake is unprecedented, and a cause for concern. The best action has been for holdover trout with the blue RGT behind a Blue Ice dodger or the watermelon Radical Glow Tube behind the 5.5-inch watermelon dodger at depths from 25 to 35 feet. He found a few kokanee near the Dam for the first time this week. The rainbow trout have been feeding heavily on snails along the bottom of the lake. Boat traffic is expected to continue to be heavy until Labor Day with less traffic during the week with the start of school. James Mize said a few bass anglers are picking up small fish at night, as fishing during the day is next to impossible with the boat traffic. The lake is holding at 74% of capacity. Call: 642-3141, Todd Wittwer 288-8100, 642-3633, 642-3737; Mike Bieghy 642-3748.

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Kokanee-2 Trout-3 Smallmouth-4
Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters reported trout fishing improved late in the week with limits of trout from 13 to 15-inches located at 15 feet in depth near the Point, Boy Scout Island or Blackrock with homemade chartreuse/orange spinners tipped with a night crawler. The best bite is in the early morning before the jet skiers take over the lake. Captain Jack Yandell said kokanee fishing continues to be a struggle with a few fish found at 55 to 60 feet with the green Fat Bug behind a silver/green Jumbo Jack blade. The kokanee should start spawning in the next couple of weeks, and the bite should improve significantly. Smallmouth bass are found in the rocks between Shaver Lake Marina and Bikini Cove with live crickets or spinners. Dick Gomez of Young’s Sporting Goods said the trout and kokanee bite at Huntington has slowed down with up to 2 to 3 decent fish per trip on kokanee gear at depths to 35 feet. The bank trout bite in Rancheria Creek has been excellent with various colors of Power Bait. Huntington is still at 99% with Shaver dropping to 79%. Cal l: 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
Patrick Movey said Wishon continues to be slow with up to four fish a rod landed on rainbow Power Bait from the shorelines. Trollers are running from 5 to 7 colors with silver/blue Thomas Buoyants for a few fish. Courtright is the best high country option with blade/crawler combinations or red/gold Thomas Buoyants at 4 to 8 colors. Shore fishing is fair with night crawlers or Power Bait. Bob Scharton continues to receive good reports from the South Fork of the Kings River near Cedar Grove with fly fishermen working attractor patterns, stimulator or tubes. Dick Gomez at Young’s Sporting Goods reported planters in the pools in Dinkey Creek are providing good action with crickets, salmon eggs or night crawlers. This is a great place to take a kid fishing. Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool
Brown Trout-2 Trout-2
Local angler Dale Parrish reported mixed limits of browns and rainbows are possible at Edison, but fishermen have to be patient and work hard. The browns are at depths from 40 to 60 feet with Rapalas behind a Hyperplaid dodger with rainbows holding from 25 to 40 feet with the red/white Assassin spinner. Edison is holding at 68% with the ramp fully operational, Florence dropping to 38% with Mammoth Pool dropping to 59%. Call: 259-4000.

OCEAN
San Francisco Bay
Halibut-2 Stripers-2 Rockfish- 3 Leopard Shark – 3 Albacore-2 Sturgeon-2
Rough ocean conditions limited ocean action until the weekend, but better weather allowed The New Huck Finn and Super Fish out of Emeryville to go to the Farallons on Sunday for 25 limits of rockfish to go with a great ling count at 23 to 14-pounds. They are scheduling rockfish/ling cod trips throughout the week with an open load albacore trip on Wednesday. The weather is expected to cooperate all week, and boats are heading out for albacore from all ports. Bob Wright, second captain of the Happy Hooker, put in some of the largest halibut of the season outside the Golden Gate on Sunday with 11 fish ranging from 38 to 14-pounds with fish of 33, 31, 27 and 25-pounds in the box. The slower tides and heavy boat traffic put a hurt on the halibut counts over the weekend, but the larger tides should keep the halibut counts on the upward swing for the next couple of day with a larger window for picking the bass off of the rockpiles. Kevin Yost of Lucky Strike Fishing put in halibut to 28-pounds and 6 leopard sharks to 25-pounds on the weekend with the sharks picking up the large anchovies on the drift with the small tides. Off the San Pablo Bay shoreline, stripers to 10-pounds are hitting live bullheads on their way up into the river system.

Delta/Stockton
Bass-3 Stripers-3 Sturgeon-2
The stripers are clearly on their move up into the Delta with the first real wave of small fish starting through the system. Despite the presence of great striper fishing on the beaches this summer, and spurts of stripers at Mel’s Reef and the rockpiles and the recent fish moving into the Delta, based upon recent data from Department of Fish and Game Biologist Marty Gingras of the Stockton Office, the striped bass population is declining in California and Oregon with the lowest catch during the spring tagging. According to this report, the adult striped bass abundance in California hasn’t declined like young striped bass abundance, but the adult population includes a much smaller percentage of older fish currently compared to the pre-1970’s. The adult population will continue to decline, making catch and release a priority. Mark Wilson of Mark Wilson’s Sport Fishing put in 188 legal fish in 4 days of trolling both deep and shallow lures, primarily below the Rio Vista Bridge. He had been working deep, but he found fish in shallow water at the latter part of the week. The majority of the fish are just legal up to 8-pounds, but they are willing to strike. On one trip, they had 17 double hookups. The smaller tides have been a key in getting the fish to move up into the system, as well as providing clean water for trolling. Jeff Boyle of the Bass Pro Shop in Manteca reported fantastic action on both sides of Decker Island, both on the deep and shallow troll. The best action was at the change and on the incoming tide. They were even able to spoon up a bunch of schoolies on 1 oz, Megabait spoons in green or chartreuse. Jay Sorensen of Jolly Jay’s Guide Service boated a pair of 14-pound/34-inch fish on the incoming tide off of Decker Island on fresh shad on Sunday. The Hook, Line and Sinker in Oakley reported a good striper bite in the mornings and evenings on top water lures such as Zara Spooks or shad or rainbow-trout wake baits. Schools of stripers have been seen busting the surface in
Discovery Bay, Russo’s Marina and Sugar Barge chasing bluegill or threadfin shad. Further upriver, Dockside Bait in Pittsburg said things have been very slow over the weekend with small, bait-stealing stripers keeping sturgeon anglers from being able to keep the bait on the bottom long enough for a diamondback. Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, found a large school of stripers in the 3 to 5-pound range in the upper Delta on Monday, and they hit the linesides chasing bluegill and shad with the IMA Flit rip bait in shad patterns, the IMA Rhumba or Big Stick. For largemouth bass, Pringle advised using the Persuader E-chip jig in black/red or blue/red or the Berkeley Heavyweight worm in earth tones or June Bug. Once the wind makes a ripple on the surface of the water, the Persuader Double Buzzer buzzbait in chartreuse/white is a must. Call:; 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

Pine Flat –Kings River Bass Club– August 15: 1st –Cesar Gonzalez– 8.18-pounds (Big Fish – 5.87); 2nd –Larry Marshall– 5.24 -pounds; 3rd –Jerry Martens– 5.17.

Isabella – American Bass Association– August 15: 1st –Steven and Brett Davies– 27.17 -pounds (Big Fish – 11.63); 2nd –Randy McAbee Sr. and Jr. – 27.12 -pounds; 3rd –Jim and Carl Dobbs – 15.71.

Pine Flat – Fresno Bass Club – August 16th : 1st –Morgan Swisher– 8.20-pounds ; 2nd –Cliff Woods– 6.17-pounds; 3rd –Todd Hayes– 3.44( Big Fish – 2.44).

Upcoming

August 27th –Terry Walton–Custom Rod Building– 6:15 p.m. ––Fresno Fisherman’s Warehouse
September 3rd –Randy Pringle, The Fishing Instructor – Bass Fishing – 6:15 p.m. ––Fresno Fisherman’s Warehouse

8/29 Nacimiento – Jim’s Pro Bass
Lopez – Taft Bass

9/5 Pine Flat – Fresno Bass

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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

ROGERS COMMENTS: Catfishing is rapidly improving as the summer doldrums continue to stifle most bites. Some big bass action in the south valley is another surprising development at the low level lakes, with a few real monsters showing up mostly on live bait.

New Melones Reservoir
Bass-2 Crappie-2 Catfish-4 Trout-2 Kokanee-2 .
Melanie Lewis of Glory Hole Sporting Goods reported kokanee are starting to develop hooked-jaws and lose their scales, but aren’t showing much color yet. The bite was tough during the past week with most anglers having a hard time finding limits unless they spend quite a bit of time trolling. The bite has been best for those anglers who are on the water at dawn, and who bottom-bounce (let your downrigger ball bounce along the bottom). The main lake seems to be the most popular place for trollers, but we are hearing a few reports of action picking up upriver above the Highway 49 Stevenot Bridge, and at the mouth of Carson Cove. Kokanee are as deep as 80-120 feet deep- deeper in the hottest part of the day. Glitterbugs micro hootchies in orange or pink, R & K pink Hootchies, and Apex in pink, orange or blue colors are all working. Blue, especially, has been showing more action lately. You may want to try adding a bit of Bang crawdad scent- when kokanee get close to spawning, the scent of crawdad will sometimes incite a bite, since crawdads eat their eggs. Jo Sanders of Murphys landed a 3-pound, 11-ounce rainbow that she caught (along with three other nice rainbows) while night-fishing with a crawler/Power Bait combo 80 feet deep near the spillway. Trollers at Melones are mainly catching kokanee right now, but we are seeing nice rainbows in mixed trout/kokanee limits. Most have been caught on kokanee rigs. As a rule, trout are 10 feet shallower than kokanee in the main lake and upriver, and are hitting brightly colored lures. 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). The bass bite is fair with a good top-water bite going on at dawn and dusk with Zara Spooks, buzz baits, or Pop-Rs. When the sun is up, crawdad or shad-colored Carolina-rigged 6″ worms, rip-baits, spinnerbaits, Zoom Baby Brush Hog, or Senkos are working along the strong mud lines that are forming on the lake right now. It is best to target main lake points and fish the edge of the mud line and on the shaded side of coves and against steep drop-offs and cliff faces during the heat of the day, as well. Night fishing with a dark colored Power Worm right now is also a good way to target bass. Catfishing is excellent with anchovies, mackerel, sardines, chicken liver, or a ball of nightcrawlers. Crappie and bluegill action is best at night under lights at depths from 10 to 30 feet around submerged trees with live small or medium minnows, or crappie jigs with jigs in red/white, black/chartreuse or purple/white in Bear, Carson or Mormon Creeks. Glory Hole will be holding a seminar on August 16th at 3:00 p.m. with Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, talking about top water lures for bass. The lake dropped three feet to 968.85 feet in elevation and 50% of capacity. The Angels Cove Launch Ramp is closed with the Tuttletown on the low water ramp and Glory Hole at the mid-ramp.
(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-3 Trout-3 Crappie-3 Catfish-4 Bluegill-3
Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield said the bass bite is much slower than in the past couple of summers, but a 22-pound limit was top weight in the weekend’s Western Outdoor News tournament. 12 and 10-inch worms, including the Deadly Duo Purple Pepper, have been effective; in addition to deep-diving crank baits. Catfishing is excellent with frozen shad, shrimp or clams for fish to 7-pounds throughout the lake. The large Alpers trout have been creating a stir in the cooler water locations near the Cemetery or the Edison Canal with rainbow Power Bait, night crawlers or salmon eggs. A DFG trout plant is scheduled for this week. The plants are taking place at the upper end of the lake near the golf course to allow the fish to move up the river. Crappie fishing is still strong at depths to 30 feet in submerged trees. The lake dropped three vertical feet to 2558.84 feet in elevation and 28% of capacity. In the Bakersfield area, blue gill and the occasional bass continue to be the top species at the small, local lakes. An 8-pound largemouth was taken out of the lower Kern River on a night crawler. Call: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-2 Catfish -2 Bass-2 Crappie-2
Ly Tu of Ly’s Fishing Goods in San Jose said a 46-inch/42-pound striped bass was landed at Check 12 on a pile worm. This angler worked hard for this fish, remaining at the spot the majority of the day with no bites before hooking this fish in the evening. A huge 40-inch catfish was also taken off the shoreline after biting an anchovy. In the main lake, mooched anchovies are still working at depths from 60 to 80 feet for small keepers to 24-inches. Anglers are reluctant to walk the long distance through the mud to reach the water with the lake extremely low, particularly with slow top water action. Anglers are working the Forebay under the bridge for stripers to 26-inches. The hot weather is encouraging fishermen to continue to seek stripers at the area beaches. Wind conditions: 800-805-4805. Call: Ly’s Fishing Goods (408) 629-9644; Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711;

Eastman Lake
Bass-2 Trout-2 Bluegill -2 Catfish-3 Crappie-2
Ranger Keith Willis said overall fishing action is slow with the best bite for catfish to 18-pounds on night crawlers or chicken livers. A few small bass can be found at depths from 10 to 15 feet with dark-colored plastics or deep-diving crankbaits. The lake is loaded with baitfish, and the bass are chasing the bait. The Mid-Valley Bass Club held an open night tournament on Saturday night with a winning 10 fish limit of 22-pounds, including fish at 7.5, 6 and 5-pounds. Jeff Hobbs of the club landed two 6-pounders in the past week. Willis said the water quality is fair. The lake dropped four vertical feet to 473.34 feet in elevation and 9% of capacity. Call: 689-3255

Hensley Lake
Bas s-2 Trout-2 Catfish-2 Crappie-2
Patrick Movey of the Fisherman’s Warehouse in Fresno reported a few bass are possible on dark-colored plastics or deep-diving cranks with the best action at night. Catfishing remains decent from the banks upriver at the Campgrounds or in the deep holes in the river arm with chicken livers or anchovies. The lake dropped a vertical foot to 477.68 feet in elevation and 21% of capacity. Call: 225-1838, 292-3474, 673-5151

McSwain Reservoir
Trout-3
Diana Mello of A-1 Bait in Snelling reported a good early morning bite for limits on chrome or chrome/blue Kastmasters from the banks. Trollers have to work hard for limits at depths to 30 feet with Kastmasters or green Wedding Rings tipped with a crawler from the Dam to the 2nd Fence Line with chrome Ford Fenders trailed by a night crawler. A DFG trout plant is scheduled for the latter portion of this week. Call:(209) 378-2534

Delta Mendota Canal and Sloughs
Stripers-2 Catfish-2
Patrick Movey said local anglers have been tossing white flukes, Lucky Craft 128’s in American Shad or Ghost Minnow for undersized stripers to barely legal fish in the moving water. Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait Bucket said the water is running hard in the south aqueduct, and debris is floating down with the flows. Striper action remains good with anchovies, Gitzits or RatLTraps. Their August Striper Tournament is still led by a 4.25-pound fish.

Millerton Lake
Bass-2 Stripers-2 Shad-2 Trout-2
Patrick Movey said there is an early morning reaction bite with top water or spinnerbaits, but you don’t have much time to fish before the Armada of recreational craft hits the lake. The majority of fish are still in the 11/12-inch range. Striper action slow, as fish reposition themselves in deeper water as levels fall. The lake dropped another 7 vertical feet to 549.77 feet in elevation and 75% of capacity. Upriver area getting dangerous with underwater towers lurking in several areas. A trout plant is scheduled on the lower San Joaquin River this week, but the water levels are high, making lures more effective for a reaction strike than Power Bait or night crawlers.Call:225-1838, 292-3474.

Pine Flat Reservoir /Kings River
Bass-2 Trout-2 King Salmon-1 Crappie-2 Catfish-2
Patrick Movey said trout action continues to be decent, but successful fishermen have been tight-lipped on their depth and location. The clues lead one to believe the best bite is near Deer Creek with slow action up the river arm. Cop Car Needlefish or other shad-patterned lures are the top producers. Finding the shad balls are the key to success. Judging by the Fresno Bass Club night tournament results, finding 1.5 to 2-pound bass is difficult with the best action on black plastics or spinnerbaits. The lake has fallen another 11 vertical feet to 795.43 feet in elevation to 30% of capacity. The lower Kings below the Dam is running high from the water releases, but it is scheduled to receive a trout plant this week. Call: 787-2387, 225-1838, 292-3474.

Lake Kaweah
Bass-3 Crappie-3 Trout-1 Catfish-2
Sierra Sport Fishing reported several trophy bass from 6 to 16-pounds were landed this week, highlighted by a pair of bucketmouths at 16 and 12-pounds on live crawdads by a fishermen targeting catfish. Sergio Cano of Woodlake also caught a 12-pounder on live crawdads. Crappie fishing remains solid with some nice fish in the 2.5-pound range at the end of the pier on small minnows. The Visalia Bass Club tournament sported 16 limits out of the 41 teams with a total of 121 fish to over 7-pounds. The reservoir dropped 15 vertical feet to 612.27 feet in elevation and 16% of capacity. Call: 592-5922.

Lake Success
Bass-3 Trout-1 Catfish-2
Jerry Williams of the Success Bass Club said some quality fish to 5-pounds have been landed on both shad and crawdad plastics at depths from the banks to 20 feet on the drop shot or dart head. There is an early top water bite. The lake dropped another 4 feet to 589.83 feet in elevation and 9% of capacity. As the lake continues to drop to minimum pool, bass fishing should continue to improve. Call: 784-0215.

McClure Reservoir
Bass-4 Trout-3 King Salmon-2 Kokanee-2 Crappie-2 Catfish-4
Manny Basi at the Bait Barn in Waterford said spotted bass fishing is “On Fire” with PopR’s in the morning with shad-patterned worms on the dart head, drop shot or Carolina-rig at depths from the banks to 20 feet working after the sun hits the water. Small profile jig head on a brown/purple jig with a brown/purple Yamamoto twin-tail trailer are also working. Diana Mello said the Keeper 1048 or Robo Worm Purple Punisher are the top selling plastics with live minnows or crawdads working from the banks at Barrett’s Cove or McClure Point. Trout limits have been possible in the early morning at depths from 30 to 40 feet with green Wedding Rings tipped with a crawler behind a dodger or shad-patterned lures at the Dam or up the river arm. Night fishermen are using live minnows at night near the Houseboats at 25 to 30 feet in depth for trout and the occasional crappie. Anglers are also drifting in the coves and tossing chrome/blue Kastmasters in the early mornings. Kokanee action is slow with a few fish landed near the Dam at 60 to 80 feet with the occasional king salmon found below the kokanee schools from 95 to 100 feet with rolled shad. Few anglers are targeting these species. Catfishing is excellent in Piney or Barrett’s Cove with anchovies or live minnows along steep, sloping drop offs. The lake has dropped five vertical feet to 783.92 feet in elevation and 54% of capacity. Call: A-1 Bait (209) 563-6505, Fishwrangler’s Guide Service (209) 604-8222, Bub Tosh (209) 404-0053.

Lake Don Pedro
Bass-3 Trout-2 Kokanee-2 King Salmon-2
Manny Basi said bass fishing is best with watermelon red Brush Hogs dragged along the bottom at depths from the banks to 40 feet. Brown/purple jigs followed by a brown/purple trailer on a small profile jig head is also working. Drop shotting, dart heading or Carolina-rigging shad-colored worms are also a good technique. Live minnows and crawdads are also productive. No trout, salmon or kokanee reports. Call: Monte Smith (209) 581-4734, Danny Layne -Fishn’ Dan (209) 586-2383, Bait Barn (209) 874-301.

HIGH SIERRA
Bass Lake
Bass-2 Trout-2 Kokanee-2
Todd Wittwer of Kokanee.net Guide Service said things really haven’t changed much this week with the exception that there were no large kokanee taken this week. He said, “It is primarily a rainbow lake right now, although we keep picking up a few smaller kokanee”. He continues to average about a dozen trout hookups daily with a few kokanee in the 14/15-inch range taken. The best action has been on the watermelon Radical Glow Tube behind the 5.5-inch watermelon dodger, the pink/chartreuse UV Assassin spinner behind a pink/chartreuse split-tape dodger, the solid green Assassin Spinner or pink RGT tube behind a Tiger Pink dodger at depths from 25 to 35 feet. There are very few fish down by the Dam. Boat traffic is expected to continue to be heavy until Labor Day. A result of the motor fee and high recreational boat traffic is a slowdown in the number of bass fishermen on the lake. The lake dropped slightly to 74% of capacity. Call: 642-3141, Todd Wittwer 288-8100, 642-3633, 642-3737; Mike Bieghy 642-3748.

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Kokanee-2 Trout-3 Smallmouth-4
Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters reported a cooldown in both trout and kokanee action in the past few days. He has been averaging over 18 fish per trip this summer, and he was unable to approach this number on his last few trips. The combination of a full moon, cool weather and a receding lake could be the cause for this drop in action. Mixed kokanee/trout limits are possible for an all-day venture. He touts the best kokanee action on Captain Jack’s Green Bug tipped with corn with homemade Wedding Rings for trout. Small mouth bass action continues to be hot with Matt McCandless of Shaver Lake Sports sending bankies to Bikini Cove, and the rocks near the Sierra Marina. Boaters should work the rocks at Scout Island or in Stevenson Creek. Crickets and small spinners on light tackle work best for the smallies. The repairs on the Dam have been postponed until the winter of 2010/11 which will require dropping the lake severely. At Huntington, Dick Gomez of Young’s Sporting Goods said things have slowed down, but there are still decent schools in the lake which appear to be moving towards the creek inlet. Competition with sailboats is still a concern on the weekends, so the best action and conditions take place during the week. Russ Doylan of Fresno had a surprise this past week while trolling in the middle of the lake off of dam # 3 at noon with 4 ½ colors of leaded line out pulling a Shasta Tackle UV Hum Dinger green Tiger behind a Shasta Tackle silver and red Sling Blade. On the hook of the Hum Dinger was a combination of a worm, rainbow Power Bait and a single kernel of white corn. Something big hit his lure and in a few seconds took out about 1 ½ colors of line on the way to almost spooling the reel and breaking the 8-pound leader. A big Brown hookup certainly is the suspicion for such a display of power. Both lakes are scheduled for DFG trout plants this week. Huntington is still at 99% with Shaver dropping to 83%. Cal l: 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
Chuck Crane of Wishon RV Park said action at Wishon is very slow with regulars to the lake struggling for a couple of fish even after trolling all day long. The most effective lure has been the Thomas Buoyant in silver/blue at 5 to 7 colors. Shore fishing is also slow with the best action at the inlet in Short Hair Creek with orange or Captain America Power Bait. Courtright is also slow with limits possible for trollers working all day. Blade/crawler combinations at 4 to 8 colors or Speedy Shiners from 3 to 6 colors have been the best. Shore fishing is very slow with night crawlers or Power Bait. Bob Scharton continues to receive good reports from the South Fork of the Kings River with fly fishermen working attractor patterns, stimulator or tubes. Dick Gomez at Young’s Sporting Goods reported good action in Dinkey Creek for planted trout in the pools. The fish are heading straight to the deeper water, and they are providing good action on crickets, salmon eggs or night crawlers. Trout plants are scheduled at Dinkey and local creeks this week. Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool
Brown Trout-2 Trout-2
Trout action at the high country lakes continues to be fair with Edison holding at 68% with the ramp fully operational, Florence dropping to 47% with Mammoth Pool dropping to 65%. Call: 259-4000.

OCEAN
San Francisco Bay
Halibut-3 Stripers-3 Rockfish-3 Leopard Shark -2 Sturgeon-2
The winds ramped up a bit over the weekend, and rockfish counts diminished with the rougher offshore conditions at the Farallons. The Captain Hook and the New Super Fish out of Emeryville combined for 232 rockfish for 30 anglers to go with a dozen lings to 12-pounds after five of their boats posted scores 135 limits of rockfish and 23 lings to 12-pounds on Saturday. Inside the bay, the tides dropped down a bit and as a result, the striper counts dropped from Fridays limit fishing. Jim Smith on the Happy Hooker boated 27 limits on Friday, 42 fish on Saturday, and 20 bass to 16-pounds on Sunday. The combination of the smaller tides and heavy boat traffic depressed the scores of linesides. Smith’s halibut count has been steady with 17 fish on Saturday and 16 Sunday to 25-pounds with four of the fish weighing in at over 20-pounds. The halibut counts will improve throughout the week with the smaller tides. Kevin Yost of Lucky Strike Fishing got in on the striper action on Friday with 6 limits and 3 halibut to 12-pounds in the central bay. Alcatraz, Angel Island and Crissy Field have been the best locations for the flatties with all of the rockpiles holding bass. John Akina at Oyster Point Bait, Tackle and Deli reported overall slow action in the south bay with loads of sharks and rays landed off of the pier. In San Pablo Bay, Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait in San Rafael reported private and party boats averaged a fish a rod on Sunday with things slowing down a bit. Further upstream, Chris Seabourne at C Biscuits in Vallejo said the striper bite up the Napa River has really started to take off near the 37 Bridge with fish to 32-inches taken on bullheads, grass shrimp or anchovies. There have also been a few sturgeon picked up in the Napa, but most guys are concentrating on stripers. The linesides are also in Sonoma Creek, and they have been caught from the banks on bullheads.

Monterey
Rockfish-3 Albacore-2 Stripers-3
Todd Arcaleo of Chris’s Landing in Monterey said an unusual south wind came up Monday afternoon, keeping their afternoon whale watch boat at port. Rockfishing continues to be solid on their ventures down to Point Sur for quality bottom fish with the occasional ling cod. Local trips to Cypress Point or Carmel Bay are producing limits, but the grade of fish is smaller. They continue to head south to Point Sur throughout the week whenever a minimum of 20 anglers are on the books, and the weather cooperates. Ly Tu said stripers continue to be taken from New Brighton south of Sunset Beach with lures or bait. The overall bite has slowed, but baitfish schools are still moving with the currents. Finding diving birds is the key. The Little Neck Popper is the hot lure, and Tu will have a shipment in on August 13th. These lures haven’t been staying on the pegs more than a day after hitting the shops. Bayside Marina in Santa Cruz reported there were a few boats out on Sunday at 36′22/122′42 for albacore with one boat hooking four fish and landing three. Inshore, a mixed swell and wind slowed down action with a few rockfish taken at the Lighthouse.
Call Chris’ Landing (831) 375-5951, Bayside Marine (831) 475-2173, usafishing.com

Delta/Stockton
Bass-3 Stripers-2 Sturgeon-2
Stripers continue to move in to the river systems in small, exploratory groups, perhaps due to high water releases upstream from the American, Feather and Sacramento River. Bank action in Benicia has improved for fish to 32-inches on small bullheads or anchovies along the Dillon Point State Park or 9th Street. Dockside Bait in Pittsburg said the overall quality of bass is improving with a 15-pound striper and a few in the 8-pound range found on grass shrimp or bullheads. Unfortunately, grass shrimp was in short supply over the weekend in the east Delta. Fresh shad continues to be difficult to obtain with only a few bait shops consistently supplying a generally small grade of bait. Trollers are starting to find stripers on the main Sacramento River at the West Bank or up in the Old Sacramento near Isleton or Steamboat Slough. The San Joaquin River near Lights 33A to 38 is giving up a few stripers to 6-pounds on red/chartreuse Rebels, particularly on the incoming tide. Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, said Monday’s hot weather turned on the top water bite with Poppn’ Furbet the Frog along the weedlines and the weeds. The IMA prototype Big Stick top water lure and the IMA Rhumba , a small profile top water wobbling lure, are also working. The fish are dropping deeper in the afternoons, and the Chigger Craw in green pumpkin or brown or Persuader E-chip jig in black/red or brown are working along the outside weed lines. When the wind breaks up the surface of the water, the Persuader Double Buzzer buzzbait is effective, as the fish come to the surface to chase bait fish in the oxygenated water. Call:; 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

Kaweah–Visalia Bass Club– August 8: 1st – James Beasley/Gary Wasson – 15.79-pounds (Big Fish – 7.24); 2nd – Noe and Joshua Sanchez – 11.93-pounds; 3rd –Jeff Sr and Jeff Jr. DeMacabalin– 11.15.

Success –Success Bass Club– August 8th: 1st – Randy Weldon– 11.06-pounds (Big Fish – 5.69); 2nd –Dave Davis– 9.00-pounds; 3rd –Jerry Williams – 8.85.

Isabella–Western Outdoor News – August 8th – 1st –Jim Dobbs/Bob Grayson – 22.04-pounds; 2nd – Jason Newby/Mike Stiles – 14.77 -pounds(Big Fish – 7.47); 3rd –Leo and Mark Abler– 13.06.

Pine Flat–Fresno Bass Club– August 9th – (10 fish limits): 1st –Mark Corrente/Jim Snow– 15.43-pounds (Big Fish – 2.21); 2nd –Ralph Encizo/Jeff Mathews– 9.79-pounds; 3rd –Tim Turner/Chet Elia– 9.35.

Upcoming

August 20th ––Larry Hodge –Take a Kid Fishing–– 6:15 p.m. ––Fresno Fisherman’s Warehouse

8/29 Nacimiento – Jim’s Pro Bass
Lopez – Taft Bass

9/5 Pine Flat – Fresno Bass

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