Fishing report, April 24-30: Delta stripers and sturgeon action is good, Don Pedro trout and bass bites are on a roll and huge kokanee coming out of Shaver Lake
Compiled by California Outdoors Hall of Fame member Dave Hurley and edited by Roger George, who guides in the greater Fresno area and holds the striper record at Millerton Lake. (unless noted, area code for phone numbers is 559.)
Photo gallery
Show off your success! Share your fish photos and videos with Bee readers. Please share only jpeg images and Mp4 video files. Include “Fishing Report” in the subject line and a full caption and email to sports@fresnobee.com
Best bets
Delta stripers and sturgeon action is good, Alan Fong said. Don Pedro trout and bass bites on a roll, Monte Smith reported. Bass Lake trout on a tear, Mike Beighey said. Shaver produces a huge Kokanee, Dick Nichols reported. McClure bass action good, Dylan Vos Kinser reported.
Valley
Westside waterways
Striper 2 Catfish 2
Bill Sterling of Striperz Gone Wild reported improved action for linesides as the water is clearing up in the northern section of the California Aqueduct. The striped bass bite is starting to show signs of life. In the south aqueduct in Kern County, Cope’s Tackle and Rod in Bakersfield reported striped bass action is improving with cut sardines, anchovies, or jumbo minnows while lure tossers are scoring with Flukes, small swimbaits, or jerkbaits near moving water around the head gates. Sardines are working for the largest linesides. Catfishing is best with chicken liver, dip bait, or fresh shrimp around moving water. Senkos or finesse plastics are best for largemouth bass in the slower water.
A map of the 16 designated fishing locations on the California Aqueduct can be accessed through this link: https://water.ca.gov/-/media/DWR-Website/Web-Pages/What-We-Do/Recreation/Files/230424_SWP-Fishing-Guildines-Locations_Online_FINAL.pdf.
Call: Valley Rod & Gun, Clovis 292-3474; Cope’s Tackle and Rod, Bakersfield – (661) 679-6351; Bob’s Bait Bucket, Bakersfield (661) 833-8657
Eastman Lake/Hensley Lake
Bass 2 Trout 2 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Brandon Grimsley of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “Eastman remains the local location for big trophy largemouth bass, but the action is slowing down due to heavy pressure daily. There remains a one-hour window in the morning for swimbaits along with lipless crankbaits on a yo-yo presentation. A double trout plant occurred a month ago, but trout action is very slow. Hensley is loaded with carp in the shallows, and it is stained from the inflow as both lakes have risen considerably.”
Eastman rose one foot to 674.26 feet in elevation and 87% of capacity with Hensley rising 3 feet to 511.65 feet in elevation and 57% of capacity. There are two bass tournaments on Eastman and one on Hensley scheduled through the end of May.
Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255; Valley Rod & Gun, Clovis 292-3474; 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle 515-6273. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hensley Lake Hidden Dam 673-5151.
Lake Don Pedro
Bass 3 Trout 3 Kokanee 2 King salmon 2 Crappie 2
Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing continues to find quality rainbow trout at depths from 25 to 55 feet running kokanee gear.
“The trout go down once the sun comes up,” he said. There have been some trophy king salmon to 8 pounds landed upriver near Moccasin. 75 boats participated in the Future Pro Tour’s Top-75 Western Team event on Sunday, and 21 teams weighed in limit over 15 pounds led by a huge limit at 25.92 pounds with a big fish at 9.45 by Matt Frazier of St. Croix Rods and his partner, Anthony Souza.
Largemouth, spotted, and smallmouth bass are in all three phases of spawning, and plastics on a drop-shot or jigs along with reaction baits such as chatterbaits or crankbaits are effective at depths from 15 feet to the banks. Suspended bass are holding around the houseboats. There is daily vehicle fee of $20 and with an additional $15 for boat launch. The lake rose a half-foot to 803.36 feet in elevation and 84% of capacity. Updates on the launch ramp are available at https://www.donpedrolake.com/. 6 bass tournaments are scheduled at the lake through the end of May.
Call: Monte Smith, Gold Country Sport Fishing (209) 581-4734; Central Valley Bait and Tackle (209) 312-9417.
Lake Isabella/Bakersfield area
Bass 3 Trout 2 Crappie 3 Catfish 3 Bluegill 3
The lake rose to 51% of capacity in spite of water releases holding steady at 963cfs at First Point. Cope’s Tackle and Rod in Bakersfield reported an ‘on fire’ crappie bite for slabs in the 5- to 10-foot range with white minijigs or small minnows. The reaction bite for largemouth bass took off this week with 5-inch Senkos in Natural Shad along with Smoke Purple Trick Worms on a shakey head. Jerkbaits are also effective, and the best bite comes after 10:00 a.m. Trout fishing continues with shore anglers scoring with minijigs, garlic scented Powerbait, Pinched Crawlers, Roostertails, or Berkley Mice Tails while trollers are pulling lead core at 3 to 4 colors with Berkley’s Flicker Shad or spoons such as Needlefish, Kastmasters, or Tasmanian Devils in shad patterns. Catfishing is best with Triple S Dip Bait, cut mackerel, or sardines. In the upper Kern, trout plants occurred last week in Sections 3 and 4 with a double plant in Section 5, and Cope’s reported holdovers and natives have been found along the 20-Mile stretch with salmon eggs on a split-shot rig, minijigs, or spinners. Fly anglers have been doing well with nymphs, stripping streamers, or dry flies in the afternoon. In the lower Kern, trout plants occurred in all three sections inside the canyon to the dam. Holdover trout have been caught with salmon eggs, Gulp pinched crawlers, or minijigs. The largemouth and smallmouth bass bite has kicked into action with jigs, worms, or small crankbaits. Catfish can be found with cut sardines and Triple S Dip Bait. The flows on upper Kern at Kernville rose from 1529 to 2536 cfs.
Call: Cope’s Tackle and Rod (661) 679-6351; Bob’s Bait Bucket, Bakersfield (661) 833-8657; North Fork Marina (760) 376-1812; Golden Trout Pack Station (559) 542-2816.
Lake Kaweah
Bass 3 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 3
The lake rose to 55% of capacity with heavy inflow from the Kaweah River. Cope’s reported an improved bass bite in 5 to 25 feet of water with finesse plastics in shad patterns. Crappie fell for small live minnows or minijigs tipped with Crappie Nibbles over submerged brush. Catfish went after cut mackerel, chicken liver, and dip bait, but trout reports indicate slow action. The Kaweah River at Three Rivers rose from 1079 to 2064 cfs. There are no bass tournaments scheduled on the lake through May 31.
Lake Success
Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2
The lake rose to 69% of capacity. Cope’s reported fishing is heating up as bass anglers reported an improved grade of females on finesse baits in pre-spawn holding areas in the shallows. Jigs with a craw trailer or Roboworm’s the People’s Worm, Tequila Sunrise, or Green Pumpkin on either a Ned- or Carolina-rig fooled bass in 5 to 20 feet of water. Catfishing was best with chicken liver, garlic scented nightcrawlers, or Triple S bait while crappie ate small live minnows and Hookup Baits. Three bass tournaments are scheduled on the lake through May.
Call: Cope’s Tackle and Rod (661) 679-6351; Sequoia Fishing Co. 539-5626, sequoiafishingcompany.com
McClure Reservoir
Bass 3 Trout 2 King salmon 2 Kokanee 0 Crappie 2 Catfish 2
“Spotted bass fishing remains outstanding for numbers as the fish are in all three phases of the spawn,” Dylan Vos Kinser of Central Valley Bait and Tackle in Modesto said. “Plastics on a drop-shot or jigs are productive in addition to a reaction bite with chatterbaits or crankbaits. The fish are holding from 15 feet to the bank.”
For the first time in years, there is a viable king salmon fishery as the results of years of planting fingerlings by the Department of Fish and Wildlife is paying off. The kings are found at depths to 80 feet near the dam with Kastmasters, Apex lures, or Brad’s Cut Plugs. The lake rose 12 feet within two weeks to 831.19 feet in elevation and 77 percent. There several bass tournaments scheduled in May, and there will be far more interest for bass fishing in the coming weeks.
Call: Central Valley Bait and Tackle (209) 312-9417.
Lake McSwain
Trout 3
A trout plant was done on a recent on Friday night, and Justin Zeller organized a fishing event for the Cub Scouts from Troop 96 in Merced on Saturday morning. Calaveras Trout Farm did a special plant, and the lake closed off one bank section for the scouts. The heavy plant contributed to the success of the event with numerous rainbows landed from the Brush Pile, Handicapped Docks, and the peninsula in front of the marina with nightcrawlers, Power Bait, spinners, or Kastmasters. Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service brought his boat out to the lake, and he put several Cub Scouts onto fish, trolling in the river arm river arm near the Second Fence Line. The lake dropped slightly to 92% of capacity.
The McSwain Marina is now open weekends through May 31.
Call: Angler’s Edge Market (209) 226-4416; McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534.
Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River
Bass 2 Striped bass 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 3 Crappie 2
Brandon Grimsley of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The spotted bass bite is decent as the water is warming up. Small swimbaits on an underspin, Senkos on a wacky-rig, small jigs, or plastics on a Neko-rig are working as the bass are moving into the shallows. There are some bass on beds as all three phases of the spawn are occuring.” There are no tournaments on the lake until at least May, and most bass anglers continue to head to Eastman or Pine Flat. The lake rose 4 feet to 565.49 feet in elevation and 89 percent. Sycamore Island is open once daily from 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The flows in the San Joaquin River at Friant are steady at 540 cfs.
Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474; 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle 515-6273.
New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch
Bass 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 2
Catching kokanee to 18 inches are possible, but the schools remain scattered. One thing is for certain, the kokanee in the lake are fat and healthy. The greatest concentration of kokanee is between 30 to 42 feet, and the new Paulina Peak Skinny Platinum Flutter Bug is a hit. As the weather stabilizes, the kokanee will settle at a more consistent water column. Rainbow trout remains a sure thing, but most trollers are targeting the big kokanee. The bass are in all three phases of the spawn, and a variety of techniques are working. The second wave of the spawn is in full swing. There is a daily use fee of $8 with a boat launch of $10 (day use included). The lake rose 3 feet to 1056.19 feet in elevation and 85 percent. There are six bass tournaments scheduled at Melones and 9 at Lake Tulloch through the end of May. Tulloch hosted both the Sierra Bass and Fresno Bass Club events over the weekend, and Bill Kunz of St. Croix Rods posted an impressive limit at 19.05 pounds with a big fish at 7.05 on Sunday.
Call: John Liechty, Xperience Fishing Guide Service (209) 743-9932; Kyle Wise, Headhunter Guide Service (209) 531-3966; Alex Niapas, Catching California Guide Service (209) 728-4225; Monte Smith (209) 581-4734.
Pine Flat Reservoir/Kings River
Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 0 King salmon 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
“The bass bite is consistent as the fish are moving up onto hard bottom,” said Brandon Grimsley of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis. “A variety of techniques are available, and plastics on a Texas-rig or drop-shot along with the occasional umbrella rig are producing. Forward Facing Sonar has been a gamechanger, and boats are using the new Hover Strolling Technique.”
The Hover Strolling finesse tactic has been slowly spreading for more than a year now, but it’s really gaining traction. With the advent of forward-facing sonar, you can see fish all over and still have a hard time getting them to bite. With the hover strolling rig, you can present a light-weight soft plastic lure to a suspended bass, or one on the bottom, and work the bait slowly while keeping it at the same level. Other baits, like spy baits, jerkbaits and finesse swimbaits, can all be kept on a level course through the water column as well, but they must be reeled at a constant speed or aggressively worked to achieve this. This is where the hover strolling technique comes in. Using this method, a soft plastic lure can be twitched back and forth slowly, at the same position in the water column as the fish. Think walking a weightless Fluke along the surface in terms of action but being able to do this several feet below the surface. Trout trolling is best upriver above Trimmer and the king salmon have gone deep. There were three limits over 15 pounds during Saturday’s Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments.
In the lower Kings, the final scheduled plant took place a month ago, but there may be additional plants in the coming months. A few holdover rainbows are taken near the bridge below the dam. Atomic Tubes, spinners, nightcrawlers, or Power Bait continue to be effective for a few fish per rod. The flows on the lower Kings at Trimmer have risen to 1980 cfs while the lake rose to 918.42 and 82 percent.
Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474; 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle 515-6273. Sequoia Fishing Co. 539-5626
San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay
Striper 2 Catfish 2 Bass 2 Crappie 2
In the main lake, bank anglers are soaking jumbo minnows near Dinosaur Point while trollers are searching for the schools.
Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said he did a scouting trip on Sunday -concerned that the coming full moon might negatively impact the bite. “ I fished with a buddy and the early bite was slow but we found some fish over several points that got active around noon. The bright calm hot conditions drove the fish down below 50’ , but once we found some biting active fish we ended up releasing over 30 stripers topped by a nice 27” 8 lb fish on a shad pattern lure. Lucky Crafts , Rapalas, and Smithwicks were all working on fish averaging 21-22 inches.
The fish are getting fatter and many males are milting .If you’re not experienced- it’s a tough bite right now . Pumps have been on and off . The Park is moving the Check- in kiosk up to the very top of the Dinosaur Pt. road this week - right by the first gate at the entrance.”
In the O’Neill Forebay, the largemouth bass bite has been excellent for fish to 6 pounds plastics on a Ned-rig or shakey head in the grass along the Highway 152 side of the impoundment. The main lake and forebay both dropped to 72 and 84% of capacity, respectively. To check the wind conditions on the lake - use windfinder.com/forecast/san_luis_reservoir.
Call: Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711, Roger George, rogergeorgeguideservice.com. (559) 905-2954.
High Sierra
Bass Lake
Bass 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 1
Mike Beighey of Bass Lake Guide Service said, “Trout trolling is outstanding from the Sheriff’s Tower and in front of the Forks from the surface to 18 feet with orange Dick’s Mountain tubes or pink Trout Busters tipped with a piece of nightcrawler behind a Dick’s Mountain Captain J or Rocky Mountain Tackle’s Blue Ice dodgers. I took my grandson Kristian and his friend Quinn out on Saturday, and they caught and released over 20 trout. A variety of lures are effective including blue Radical Glow Tubes tipped with a nightcrawler, orange Wiggle Hoochies, or watermelon Apex lures. Kokanee remain scarce, but there are some marks around 30 feet that are promising.” There have been some huge largemouth bass landed recently including a 12-pound trophy. The annual Bass Lake Chamber of Commerce Trout Derby will take place May 4/5 with $55,000 of tagged trout of which $25,000 is dedicated to three grand prizes. Information: https://www.basslakechamber.com/fishing-derby. The lake is starting to rise once again. There are 5 bass tournaments scheduled on the lake through the end of May.
Call: Mike Beighey, Bass Lake Fishing 676-8133.
Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool
The gate to Kaiser Pass Road remains closed through most likely Memorial Day Weekend. The Kaiser Pass lakes are starting to release water with fewer anglers heading over the pass to fish the small impoundments. Edison rose to 24% of capacity, Florence rose to 12% of capacity while Mammoth Pool rose from 62 to 74% of capacity.
Road conditions 297-0706.
Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000.
Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Trout 2 Kokanee 2
An 18.5 inch kokanee caught in April is a big kokanee, and the first kokanee of this size was recently caught in Shaver Lake.
“Southern California Edison will be increasing the water level, and the lake should rise eigth feet this month,” Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters and Mountain Tackle said. “History indicates that rising water has an adverse effect on fishing with the drawing of insects from the shoreline and the vegetation found in the water. The lake should be at a level where Shaver Marina will be completely in place, perhaps at months end or the first of May. Currently, a row of docks is connected to shore. Some resident boats will move in. The Sierra Marina is readying for its upcoming opener. When rental boats are available, the kokanee can still be caught in the upper 30 feet of water and can be reached with weighted flashers. This past week showed ups and downs with kokanee. The trout bite, especially browns, improved.”
The Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project will be planting it’s 2024 allotment of 7,000 pounds of trophy-sized rainbows within the next few months.
Call: Todd Wittwer, Kokanee.net Guide Service 288-8100; Jerad Romero, Jrods Guide Service 392-6994; Tom Oliveira, Tom Oliveira Fishing 802-8072
Wishon/Courtright
Trout 0
The gate to McKinley Grove Road closed on Dec. 1, limiting access to the high elevation lakes. The road is anticipated to be reopened in late April.
Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361.
Ocean
Half Moon Bay
Rockfish 2 Striper 2 Halibut 2 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3 cab 3
Ocean salmon season is officially closed for 2024, and the only games in town are the possibility of bluefin tuna, Dungeness crab, and the promise of shallow water rockfishing in just over a week. Bluefin tuna remain scarce as the weather has been less than cooperative, and although rockfish trips deeper than 50 fathoms opened on April 1, nearly all boats are waiting for the season to open in waters less than 20 fathoms from May through September. 10-crab limits remain a possibility, but the crab are turning soft. Only hoops or snares are allowed until the Dungeness season ends on June 30. The City of Pacifica Pier is open, and snares are the best option for crab.
Call: Captain Melynda Dodds, New Captain Pete (512) 825- 8225; Captain Chris Chang, Ankeny Street (650) 279-8819; Captain Bill Smith, Riptide (650) 728-8433; Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing, Queen of Hearts (510) 581-2628.
Monterey/Santa Cruz
Rockfish 3 Halibut 2 Striper 2 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3
Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surf Casting Guide Service said, “Despite the loss of a salmon season for both commercial and recreational anglers this year, we are seeing an increase in saltwater action and healthy harvest from the Monterey Bay region. Halibut catches are on the increase, including legal flatties caught from the Santa Cruz Wharf out to around 80 feet of water. The beaches that ring our beautiful bay are coming alive with good numbers of big barred surf perch caught by the surfcasters, and a growing number of striped bass biting on sandcrabs or striper lures.”
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has approved the rockfish, lingcod, and greenling (RCG) regulations for the 2024 fishing season, finally. Deepwater rockfish takes top spot in the area, with limits being common and quality very high for vermilion, chilippepper and yellow rockfish. Launching from Monterey Harbor, Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching is working those deepwater spots outside State lines.
Chris Arcoleo reported rockfish limits for every trip aboard the Check Mate and the Caroline this week. A check in with the office at Chris’ revealed that the rockfish were a good mix of chilipeppers and yellows with daily limits of vermilion (two per angler per day). On Wednesday, the Check Mate also posted ling cod limits for the boat.
The big charter boats are heading around the corner of Point Pinos fishing the rocky bottoms near Carmel and even Big Sur when conditions permit. Moss Landing private boaters are in a funk due to the salmon season closure.
No reported catches since those near the Farallons earlier in the month though. Santa Cruz anglers and charters are concentrating on deepwater rockfish for now. Stagnaro’s Sportfishing reports limits of rockfish on all trips aboard the Legacy and Velocity. Anglers going out with Stagnaro picked up the occasional lingcod and up to 24 Petrale sole per trip. The six pack boats launching from Santa Cruz are busy.
Despite the closure of salmon season, conditions have been favorable enough to get out for deepwater rockfish. Santa Cruz Coastal Fishing and Go Fish Santa Cruz Charters are making easy limits on all trips and returning to port with an impressive array of canaries, yellows, vermilion and chilipepper rockfish. Halibut as large as 30 pounds are biting best from the southern portion of the bay near Monterey and Pacific Grove. Best depths in that area were reported as 80-120 feet of water. Near Santa Cruz, the flatties are slowly filtering in from the winter deep, with local catches reported from 50-80 feet mostly.
Call: Chris’ Landing (831) 375-5951; Allen Bushnell, Santa Cruz Kayak and Surf Casting (831) 251-9732
Golden Gate/San Francisco Bay
Halibut 3 Striper 3 Rockfish 3 Leopard shark 2 Sturgeon 2
The availability of live bait is perhaps a few weeks away, but the halibut and the striped bass don’t seem to mind as they are gobbling up frozen herring or anchovies on the troll. The halibut bite broke out in a big way at the end of the week with multiple party and private boats loading up with two-fish halibut limits. The flatfish are spread throughout the entire bay as boats are congregating both in the south bay from the Oakland Airport over to the Peninsula side along with up north in San Pablo Bay. With the great action, there isn’t a need to wait for live bait, but many anglers remain reluctant as charter boats are offering more incentives to put people on the decks. Captain Chris Smith of the Pacific Dream out of Berkeley Marina put in 16 limits of halibut along with 3 crew fish and 4 striped bass on Saturday, and both the Pacific Dream and Happy Hooker are offering a special rate for children 12 and under at $130/angler on weekdays -$70 off a regular trip in addition to some special Sunday trips at half-price. His brother, Captain James Smith of the California Dawn II said, “The California Dawn I and II combined for 44 limits of halibut to 17 pounds on Saturday to go with 20 striped bass to 10 pounds. He said, “It’s been lights out fishing as the water is gin clear, and the bay is like a big lake. We came off those massive tides, and the halibut are showing themselves. Everyone is finding plenty of action along the rails. We had limits for a full boat five days in a row, and there are a lot of shakers. We have released at least 100 undersized halibut on one trip which is a great sign for the future. We have also found striped bass boiling on the surface, and we tore through a big pile of them. Everything is on pace, and we have been having an absolute ball this week.”
Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing, also out of Berkeley, had five clients on his six-pack, Top Gun, on Saturday, and he said, “The fish bit great with limits of halibut on Saturday, and we had the 15-pack Malia Kai out with 13 anglers on Sunday for near limits of halibut with 21. It was a slower pick on Sunday, but there are halibut spread all over the bay. One of the keys to success is finding the bait, and we found some bait in the north bay late in the day.”
Captain Ron Koyasako and second captain, Hunter Nguyen, of Nautilus Excursions out of San Francisco have been finding great halibut action, both on their charter trips along with commercial fishing ventures. It’s been good fishing for certain.” Although live bait may be a few weeks from fruition, the action inside of San Francisco Bay couldn’t be better. There is lots of bait in the bay, but the limiting factor has been a few technical difficulties with the bait boat. Shallow water rockfishing starts May 1, and more boats will be willing to head outside of the Golden Gate once the shallow water season starts.
Call: Captain Ron Koyasako, Nautilus Excursions (916) 704-4169; Captain Jerad Davis, Salty Lady (415) 760-9362; Captain Steve Mitchell, Hook’d Up Sport Fishing (707) 655-6736; Happy Hooker (510) 223-5388
San Luis Obispo
Surf perch 3
The Rita G out of Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay will take their first rockfishing trips of the season starting this Saturday and Sunday. Out of Morro Bay Landing, the Avenger, Endeavor, and Starfire will start rockfishing this Wednesday, April 24. Boats from Morro Bay Landing and Patriot Sport Fishing in Port San Luis will start their first rockfish trips on May 1. Rockfishing is allowed at any depth in May before being limited to less than 50 fathoms for the remainder of the season. Webcams of many of the coastal locations are available at https://805webcams.com/.
Call: Virg’s Landing (800) 762-5263; Patriot Sport Fishing (805) 595-4100; Morro Bay Landing
Others
Delta/Stockton
Bass 3 Striper 3 Sturgeon 3 Catfish 2 Bluegill 3
It just keeps getting better and better in the California Delta as the water continues to clear and warm up in response to the first extended stretch of warm weather. Striped bass continue to migrate through both sides of the Delta as there are linesides lining up from south San Francisco Bay to above Colusa on the Sacramento River. Largemouth bass are in all phases of the spawn, and a variety of techniques are effective.
Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing out of Lauritzen’s Yacht Harbor in Oakley has been trolling or drifting live bait for striped bass, and he said, “Every day is different. We have had to fight the wind on a few days, but the fishing has been wide open at times. Sunday was beautiful, and the fishing was wide open as we were able to find pockets of fish. Live bait did the trick as we ended up releasing several legal fish. The schools are a mixed grade, and we have released several double-digit stripers in the past four days. We couldn’t find them in the shallows so we went out into deep water, and there they were. It made for easy pickings.”
For largemouth bass, Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors reported excellent largemouth action flipping or punching the Yamamoto Cowboy as the spawners are moving up. He said, “There are a lot of beds, and I have either been punching the Cowboy with a 1.25-ounce tungsten weight or flipping with a ½-ounce tungsten. Chatterbaits are also effective, and I had an estimated 10- to 12-pound largemouth break off on a chatterbait, and the big fish jumped three times to try and throw the lure to remind me that I didn’t change my line. We are catching them in clear water and in dirty water with two feet in clarity. The males have been on the beds, and it is ready to crack wide open now as there are a lot of fish moving around.”
Alan Fong of Alan Fong Outdoors has been targeting both largemouth and striped bass on his consulting trips.
He said, “We are working the shallows in less than 2 feet of water with swimbaits for stripers to 7 pounds, and the largemouth bass are fully in pre-spawn. Stripers are everywhere in the Delta system from the Carquinez Straits to above Colusa. Many trollers are pulling either deep- or shallow-diving plugs with a white Trick Worm, but you can bait fish or cast for the stripers. Shad are on their way, but I think it will be another 2 to 3 weeks before they fully arrive.”
Sturgeon remain in Suisun Bay, but few six packs remain in Pittsburg. However, Captain Zach Medinas of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures caught and released the fish of a lifetime this past week with an estimated 10-foot sturgeon on cured salmon roe. After a 35-minute fight, the sturgeon finally came to the side of the boat, but it was too heavy to budge any part of the fish out of the water other than part of the head. The California Fish and Game Commission extended the emergency white sturgeon regulations for another 90 days pending approval of new regulations. This veteran’s organization will hold their own event specifically for veterans on May 4 out of Brannan Island State Park.
Call: Randy Pringle (209) 543-6260; Captain Steve Mitchell, Hook’d Up Sport Fishing (707) 655-6736; Vince Borges, Vince Borges Outdoors (209) 918-0828. Soo Hoo Sport Fishing (925) 899-4045.
Events
Tournament results
April 20
Delta/Russo’s Marina
1st –John Clark/Marcel Murray – 30.70 pounds; 2nd – Terry Odom/Christian Ostrander – 30.23; 3rd- Miles Kaneko/Jared de Framery – 27.21.
Tulloch –Sierra Bass Club
1st – Michael Jarrell/Athon Andronico – 14.28 pounds (Big Fish – 5.64 – Andronico); 2nd – Dan Folia/Traci Lucchesi – 12.03; 3rd – Darrell Barnett/Russ Owens – 10.42.
Don Pedro – Future Pro Tour Top-75 Western Team
1st – Matt Frazier/Anthony Souza – 25.92 pounds (Big Fish – 9.45); 2nd – Matt and Dan Abella – 18.70; 3rd – Bretten Johnson/Jack Preston – 18.48.
Don Pedro – Future Pro Tour Top-75 Western Team Youth Division
1st – Murdco McGinnis – 13.30 pounds (Big Fish – 3.70); 2nd –Ian Ludwig – 12.47; 3rd – Ian Stewart – 11.68.
Don Pedro – Future Pro Tour Top-75 Western Team Kid’s Division
1st –Maddison ‘Maddie’ Caddick – 13.91 pounds (Big Fish – 5.97); 2nd –Lucas Dicon = 12.71; 3rd – Easton Himmel – 12.42.
Pine Flat – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments Open
1st – Joe and Mike Ploharz – 15.42 pounds; 2nd – Chad Cloyd/Brian Suttles – 15.39; 3rd – Casey Case/Justin Ryan – 15.46.
April 20-21
Santa Margarita – Golden Empire Bass Club (10 Fish limits)
1st –Nathan Towes/David Childress – 31.75 pounds; 2nd – Mike and Rick Gohr – 30.95; 3rd – Larry and Mike Merlo – 27.70. Big Fish – 4.90 pounds – tie between Wyatt Minor and Daven Ebenhoe.
April 21
Lopez – Best Bass Tournaments
1st – Brian Duncan/Danny Smith – 18.67 pounds; 2nd – Troy Normile/Brayden Kahler – 17.45 (Big Fish – 5.84); 3rd – Tim and T.J. Sharpe – 16.42.
Tulloch –Fresno Bass Club
1st – Bill Kunz– 19.15 pounds (Big Fish – 7.05); 2nd – Ken Eddy – 13.11; 3rd – Cory Kerber – 13.01.
Pine Flat – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments High School Division
1st – Reid Hammond – 10.01 pounds; 2nd – Austin Burns – 9.11 (Big Fish – 3.34); 3rd – Nathan Hinojosa – 8.65.
Upcoming tournaments (dates and locations subject to change)
April 27
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Valley Backlashers
Delta/B and W Resort– Central Valley Anglers Spring Striper Derby Don Pedro – Yak A’ Bass/Bakersfield Bass Club
Bass Lake – Kerman Bass Club
Success – United States Army Corps of Engineers
Isabella – American Bass Association
April 28
Bass Lake – Kings River Bass Club
May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Wednesday Night Shootout
May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
Tulloch – Friday Night Shootout
May 4
Delta/Russo’s Marina – Basshole Inc.
McClure – McFFA Local 1289
Success – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments
Nacimiento – Central Coast Bass Fishing
Santa Margarita – 805 Bass Addicts
May 4-5
Bass Lake – Bass Lake Chamber of Commerce Trout Derby
May 5
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – American Bass Association
Hensley – Kings VIII Bass Club
May 11
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Nor Cal Bass
Delta/Big Break – American Bass Association
McClure – Best Bass Tournaments
Bass Lake – Bass 101
Isabella – American Bass Association
May 12
McClure – Best Bass Tournaments
May 18
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Bass Anglers of Northern California
Delta/Russo’s Marina – Sierra Bass Club/Santa Clara BassBusters
New Melones – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments/Gilroy Bassmasters/Contra Costa Bass Club
Don Pedro – TriValley Bassmasters/Folsom Bass Team
McClure – Yak ‘A Bass
Success – Golden Empire Bass Club
San Antonio – Best Bass Tournaments
Nacimiento – San Luis Obispo Bass Ambushers
Lopez – Kern County Bassmasters
May 19
Don Pedro – Stanislaus County Employees
Tulloch – Modesto Ambassadors
Bass Lake – Fresno Bass Club
Eastman – Kings River Bass Club
Pine Flat – Bass 559
May 25
McClure – Kerman Bass Club
Lopez – Bakersfield Bass Club
For more go to fresnobee.com/fishing.
