Fishing report, April 3-9: Delta bites for stripers, sturgeon and bass ramping, trout are hitting at New Melones and Pine Flat.

Compiled by California Outdoors Hall of Fame member Dave Hurley and edited by Roger George, who guides in the greater Fresno area and holds the striper record at Millerton Lake.

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Delta bites for stripers, sturgeon and bass ramping up, Alan Fong said. New Melones trout hitting, Kyle Wise reported. Don Pedro kicking out nice trout and bass for anglers, Monte Smith said. Pine Flat trout action good, Michael Crayne reported.

Valley

Westside waterways

Striper 2 Catfish 2

“We are looking forward to collecting around 2,000 cans of food to be split between the Merced Food Bank and a local church in Los Banos during our Spring Memorial Striped Bass Tournament this coming Saturday, April 6 with registration at Volta Road,” Bill Sterling of Striperz Gone Wild said.

The derby is for striped bass, the target-length will be announced at the start of the event. The entry fee is 10 cans of unexpired food, and there is a prize for whoever the top three people who bring the most cans. Prizes will be awarded in the Adult and Youth Divisions.

“We want to make this a family-friendly event, and we will have a bounce house on site along with a photo booth, Chris’s BBQ out of Los Banos will breakfast burritos and coffee for sale in the morning along with lunch items, and several vendors will be present,” he said. “We are hoping to attract 200 participants as we have expanded the event to include boat access in the O’Neill Forebay and San Luis Reservoir. We are dedicated to assisting needy families in Merced County, one of the highest food insecurity rates in the country. In addition, striper fishing has improved as the aqueduct continues to clear up. We are expecting a close competition with several fish near the target-length.”

In the south aqueduct in Kern County, Cope’s Rod and Tackle in Bakersfield reported aqueduct anglers are still waiting for the spring bite to fully bloom, but soaking cut sardines, chicken liver, or jumbo live minnows after check gates are working for striped bass. Catfishing is best with chicken liver, dip bait, or cut baits in the same areas. Largemouth bass action is solid with curly-tailed grubs on a drop-shot, flukes, or Senkos where the current slows down.

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 (559) 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

Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis added, “Eastman continues to receive heavy fishing pressure as the parking lot is full of trailers even in the middle of the week. If you are heading to Eastman, you better get there early to be able to park in the lot.” With last week’s double trout plant, glide baits or wake baits are working for the occasional double-digit largemouth, but the most consistent presentation is with Senkos on ‘dead stick’ or Neko-rig along with Keitechs on an underspin. The bass are staging for the upcoming spawn. Crayne added that Hensley is showing signs of life for the first time in months with bass in the 2.5- to 3-pound range on jigs as the fish have moved into the shallows. Heh said, “It is a matter of knowing where the bass are and where they are staging.”Eastman rose 2 feet to 659.32 feet in elevation and 81% of capacity of capacity with Hensley rising over three feet to 502.14 feet in elevation and 45% of capacity of capacity. Annual passes for the US Army Corps of Engineers lakes of Eastman, Hensley, New Hogan, Pine Flat, Kaweah, and Success are now available for $40 per year. They are available from the park office at the lake, the pay booth, or several gas stations or bait shops near the lake. Trout plants last week have brought in bank anglers with Power Bait, nightcrawlers, spoons, or spinners at both lakes.

Call: Eastman Lake (559) 689-3255; Valley Rod & Gun, Clovis (559) 292-3474; 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle (559) 515-6273. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hensley Lake Hidden Dam (559) 673-5151.

Lake Don Pedro

Bass 3 Trout 3 Kokanee 2 King salmon 2 Crappie 2

Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing will be on the lake on Tuesday, and he plans are hunting around for kokanee along with searching for king salmon. Rainbow trout action has been solid for trollers pulling a variety of shad-patterned spoons at depths from the surface in the mornings down to 40 feet. Finding the bait schools is important. The king salmon and kokanee should be deeper in the water column, but if Pedro is similar to New Melones, the kokanee and trout have been mixed together at similar depths. Bass fishing continues to improve as there are fish locked onto beds with the next full moon expected to bring the bulk of the females to the beds. Spinnerbaits, ripbaits, and jerkbaits are all working as there are males already guarding fry. There is daily vehicle fee of $20 and with an additional $15 for boat launch. The lake held at 801.60 feet in elevation and 83% of capacity of capacity. Updates on the launch ramp are available at https://www.donpedrolake.com/. Eleven bass tournaments are scheduled at the lake through April 30.

Call: Monte Smith, Gold Country Sport Fishing (209) 581-4734; Central Valley Bait and Tackle (209) 312-9417.

Lake Isabella/Bakersfield area

Bass 2 Trout 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Bluegill 3

The lake rose just over a foot to 2,573.94 feet in elevation and 46% of capacity of capacity with water releases from the dam at 615 cfs at First Point. Cope’s Rod and Tackle in Bakersfield reported numerous tagged fish were landed during the 33rd Annual Kern Valley Chamber of Commerce with the largest rainbow measuring 24.75 inches. The bite was better on Saturday before tapering off the following days, and although the rainbows were scattered throughout the lake, Paradise Cove, French Gulch, Engineer’s Point, and Red’s Marina were the top locations. Power Bait, Hook Up Baits, shad-patterned minijigs or shallow-diving Berkley Flicker shad crankbaits were effective for rainbows while trollers pulling Needlefish, Tasmanian Devils, or Flicker Shad. The crappie bite is improving with the best action in the South Fork in 15 to 20 feet of water with live shiners or minijigs. The bass bite has been slow and remain out in deeper water. Whiskerfish can be found with SSS Dip Bait, mackerel, or sardines. In the upper Kern, Cope’s reported the trout action has slowed a bit since it has been several weeks since the last plant. Holdovers and natives along the 20-Mile stretch have come on salmon eggs, minijigs, spinners, or live crickets. In the lower Kern River, it’s been over a month since the last plant, but holdover trout have been coming on salmon eggs, trout jigs, GULP! pinched crawlers, garlic-scented Power Bait. Bass action is solid and can be found throughout the lower river with Get Bent Baits, Senkos, jigs, or spinners. Catfish can be found on dip baits, nightcrawlers or cut baits. The flows on upper Kern at Kernville rose from 878 to 1350 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 2 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2

The lake rose 11 feet to 639.71 feet in elevation and 31% of capacity of capacity due to water releases despite heavy inflow from the Kaweah River. Cope’s Rod and Tackle in Bakersfield reported a decent bass bite, but the best is yet to come as the fish are moving onto the beds. A wide-open bite is only days away, and a variety of finesse baits are working for spotted bass in 5 to 30 feet of water. Plastics in darker colors such as green pumpkin or brown, jigs, or deep-diving crankbaits are picking up the occasional quality bass. Crappie are found with minijigs, swimbaits, or small live minnows near structure in 10 to 20 feet of water. Catfish anglers used dip bait and garlic-scented nightcrawlers to score bites, and trout anglers fooled rainbows with dough baits, minijigs, and spoons. The Kaweah River at Three Rivers dropped slightly to 755 cfs. There are two tournaments scheduled on the lake through April 30. A trout plant is scheduled at Kaweah this week along with Del Lago Park Lake in Tulare.

Lake Success

Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2

The lake rose four feet to 632.37 feet in elevation and 54% of capacity of capacity. Cope’s Rod and Tackle in Bakersfield reported fishing is slowly improving as the largemouth bass have been moving up for the spawn. Some quality bass in the 2- to 5-pound range have been taken in 5 to 20 feet of water with jigs or plastics on a shakey head or Carolina rigs. Roboworm’s in The Peoples Worm, Tequila Sunrise, or Green Pumpkin are top patterns. Catfish anglers scored with chicken liver or dip bait, and a few crappie were reported by anglers rigging small live minnows on a slip bobber rig.

Two bass tournaments are scheduled on the lake through April 30.

Call: Cope’s Tackle and Rod (661) 679-6351; Sequoia Fishing Co. (559) 539-5626, sequoiafishingcompany.com

McClure Reservoir

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

Spotted and largemouth bass are moving into the shallows, but with few bass tournaments scheduled within the next few months, most bass anglers are heading for nearby Don Pedro or New Melones. Jigs, tubes, small swimbaits on an underspin, or plastics on the drop-shot are working for numbers, and the females are locking onto beds. Crappie are still holding in deep water inside submerged trees in coves with live minnows or minijigs. The lake rose 4.5 feet to 814.79 feet in elevation and 68% of capacity of capacity. Barrett’s Cove will be closed for NICA bike races from April 5-7. Only two bass tournaments are scheduled on the lake through April 30.

Call: Central Valley Bait and Tackle (209) 312-9417.

Lake McSwain

Trout 2

The Merced Irrigation District Spring Trout Derby is Saturday, April 6-7, and participation is expected to be high. The trout action had slowed down, but with the heavy plants prior to the derby, the action should be outstanding. There will be crowded conditions along the banks at the normal locations of the Brush Pile, Handicapped Docks, and marina near the peninsula. Trollers will focusing from the First and Second Fence Line into the river arm with Kastmasters in blue chrome or Ruby Red Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler.

The lake is at 92 % of capacity of capacity. Entry to the tournament is $35 in addition to a $10 vehicle and a $9 launch fee. The derby begins at 6 a.m. on Saturday and ends at noon on Sunday with $2,000 for the heaviest stringer, $2,000 for the longest trout, and $500 for the Wild Card. There is also a wild card and a custom prize in the Kid’s Division with a free raffle at noon on Sunday. Derby entrants must download the Fish Donkey app to participate. The McSwain Marina is now open weekends through May 31. It will be open for the tournament weekend, and the Real Deal Market and Café is open for breakfast and lunch for sale during the derby. Angler’s Edge Market will open at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday for the derby.

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

Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “Spotted bass are chasing shad, and once you find the bait balls, you will find the bass. The larger fish are holding around rockpiles while also moving into the shallows. Winchell’s Cove has been a solid location, and there is a reaction bite for both spotted and largemouth bass.” 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 8 feet to 554.70 feet in elevation and 79% of capacity of capacity. 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 561 cfs.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474; 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle (559) 515-6273.

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

Bass 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 2

Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service ran a trip on Easter Sunday for three anglers, and he said, “We ended up with 13 rainbows along with 3 kokanee in the 16-17-inch range. I haven’t found another kokanee to 18 inches in the past two weeks, but most of the kokanee from 16 to 17.5 inches. I continue to use the Paulina Peak Platinum Sling Flutter Bug or J-Pexes at depths from 30 to 40 feet, and the trout are holding in the same depth as the kokanee. The rainbows are healthy, but they are not as large as I would like.” For bass, Alex Niapas of Catching California Guide Service said, “The bass are both on beds and in post-spawn at New Melones and nearby Tulloch, and I landed a 5-pound largemouth off of a bed in Tulloch on a full-size Brush Hog on a Texas-rig. I was also able to put clients onto 36 crappie before noon at Tulloch using a float n’fly using a St. Croix Tournament Legend 7’10” hair jig spinning rod as the slabs are moving into the shallows to spawn.” New Melones has a daily use fee of $8 with a boat launch of $10 (day use included). The lake rose 0.5 feet to 1052.85 feet in elevation and 84% of capacity of capacity. Several bass tournaments are scheduled through April 30. There are additionally several club bass tournaments at Lake Tulloch in April.

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 3 Kokanee 0 King salmon 0 Catfish 2 Crappie 2

Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “Trout trolling has improved from the Power Lines to Windy Gap with shad-patterned spoons. The bass are on beds, and spinnerbaits in the shallows have been working although the fish have been scattered.” In the lower Kings, the final scheduled plant took place last week, but there may be additional plants in late April. Finding less pressured water is a key, and 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 dropped from 1980 to 1465 cfs while the lake rose 4.5 feet to 915.44 and 80% of capacity. The Kings River from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Bridge on Pine Flat Road downstream to Cobbles (Alta) Weir is open to fishing all year. The Kings River, from Cobbles (Alta) Weir downstream to the Highway 180 crossing is open to fishing all year. Only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun (559) 292-3474; 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle (559) 515-6273. Sequoia Fishing Co. (559) 539-5626.

San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay

Striper 2 Catfish 2 Bass 2 Crappie 2

Josh Mesa of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported bait fishing has been best in the main lake with anchovies or jumbo minnows for stripers in the 24- to 26-inch range. He said, “We sold out of blood and pile worms within two days this week, and most of the worms were headed for the main lake. The forebay has also been fair for school-sized striped bass with bait.”

Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said that the roller coaster weather has slowed the overall bite but experienced anglers trolling with the regular minnow lure choices, like Rapalas and Lucky Crafts are able to scratch out limits working the flats and humps at 50-60’. I guided James Vaughns and Janet Maxwell , both from the Bay Area on Thursday and we managed to release over 20 nice stripers to 23 inches in the pre frontal conditions of some rain and wind. I had to hit the fish on the head with the lures in the 50-60’ depth range since they weren’t that active in the low pressure conditions that day. “ George reported.

The main lake held at 73% of capacity with the forebay rose to 90% of capacity.

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 2 Kokanee 0

Mike Beighey of Bass Lake Guide Service said, “They are getting ready to put the boards in the spillway so the lake will start filling up. Wind and rain have kept trollers off the lake, but we should start getting better weather soon. I have heard of some kokanee coming out around the Sheriff’s Tower, so that’s a good sign. They have had a few plants of some healthy rainbow trout to 10 pounds. Before the storms came in, they were hitting good from the dam to out in front of Ducey’s Lodge with Dick’s Mountain Tubes in orange or pink tipped with a pinched crawler along with Dick’s Trout Busters in orange or pink behind Dick’s Blue Fin Mountain Dodgers. Although Sunday was very nasty weather, one troller had no problems catching trout to three pounds using pink Mountain Tubes at 15 feet deep in most areas of the lake. He reported there was a good bite. We will be out on a regular basis with more guided trips being booked.” A webcam of the launch ramp is available at https://basslakeca.com/.

Call: Mike Beighey, Bass Lake Fishing (559) 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 receded slightly to 24% of capacity with Florence at 9% of capacity while Mammoth Pool holding at 62% of capacity.

Road conditions (559) 297-0706.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake (559) 259-4000.

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake

Trout 2 Kokanee 2

Shaver guide Emeritus, Dick Nichols of Mountain Tackle said, “Unstable weather conditions kept most boat fishermen away going into the weekend. After a couple of decent days Monday through Wednesday, it was back to nasty days going into the weekend. Up until last Friday, trollers were connecting with good amounts of kokanee while the trout bite in certain areas was consistent. Both brown and rainbows have been planted heavily since last October. The kokanee are mostly found in the upper 30 feet, and I’ve found the best bite between 20 and 28 fee starting with orange Mountain Tubes, purple Mountain Koke Busters, or pink Mountain Candy behind Mountain Dodgers in that range. After mid-morning, you may want to drop to 30 feet. Our side poles have been hot for us with Dick’s Trout Busters behind Mountain Flashers at a setback of 100 feet which equates to about 20 foot deep. Of course, all tackle has scented corn on them.

A hot spot continues to be the Fisherman’s Club to Stevenson Creek. The Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project will be planting it’s 2024 allotment of 7,000 pounds of trophy-sized rainbows after the water level returns to an adequate level to successfully plant. The trophies again are out of Oregon and are an excellent strain.” With the low water levels, boats 24 feet or longer are advised not to attempt a launch with the Sierra Marina auxiliary ramp the only one available. The water continues to be low, and there are huge rocks just under the surface while passing from the ramp into open water.

A webcam of the Shaver launch ramp is at sierramarina.com/webcam-weather-page.html and for Huntington at http://www.shaverlakewebcams.info/huntington.html. Shaver held at 43 with Huntington rising to 52% of capacity.

Call: Todd Wittwer, Kokanee.net Guide Service (559) 288-8100; Jerad Romero, Jrods Guide Service (559) 392-6994; Tom Oliveira, Tom Oliveira Fishing (559) 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 April. .Call: Wishon RV Park (559) 865-5361.

Ocean

Half Moon Bay

Striper 2 Halibut 2 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3

California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced changes to the Dungeness crab fisheries to go into effect at 6 p.m. April 8 to minimize the impact on endangered humpback whales. The commercial Dungeness crab fishery in Fishing Zones 3, 4, 5 and 6 (Sonoma/Mendocino county line to the U.S./Mexico border) will be closed, at which time the commercial take and possession of Dungeness crab from those waters is prohibited. A recreational crab trap prohibition is being implemented in Fishing Zones 3, 4 and 5 (Sonoma/Mendocino county line to Point Conception).

Recreational crabbers can still use hoop nets and crab snares for Dungeness crab until the close of the season in Zones 3 and 4 on June 30. The weather did not allow for those seeking bluefin tuna last week, but there is a weather window on Tuesday and Wednesday with private boats expected to head out. Rockfish trips deeper than 50 fathoms opened on Monday, April 1, but only a few will be willing to make the 20-plus mile run to deep water. For example, the New Captain Pete remains in San Francisco Bay at Oyster Point, and they won’t move to Half Moon Bay until shallow water rockfishing starts in May. Once the season opens in waters less than 20 fathoms from May through September, the rockfish season will start in earnest out of this port. The City of Pacifica Pier is open, and crab anglers continue to soak anchovies, squid, or sardines in snares.

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

Chris Arcoleo of Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching Trips in Monterey said, “We took our first deep water rockfish trip on Monday, and we were fishing in federal water three miles offshore off of Point Sur at depths over 50 fathoms for 20 limits of big rockfish consisting of vermilion, canary, yellows, and widows along with 4 ling cod. Our passengers came through with 2-fish sub limits of vermilion along with 400 horse mackerel. It was excellent fishing. We are rockfishing every day this week except for Thursday. The bluefin have been jumping around our boats on whale watching trips, and these big fish definitely create excitement in the harbor.”

Josh Mesa of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported excellent perch fishing with motor oil/red flake grubs on a Carolina rig while striped bass to 28 inches have been landed at Sunset Beach with Zoom Flukes on a jig head or Duo Realis jerkbaits.

Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surf Casting Guide Service said, “We’re getting closer to rockfish season opening up soon, and have a pretty solid idea of what it’s going to look like once it does. Salmon season is still unannounced officially, though there are indications the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will allow a few three or four-day windows for salmon fishing through the spring and summer. But the latest “revised proposed regulations” from that agency are available online. For this year, the Central management area that stretches from Pigeon Point south to Point Conception is being split at the 36-degree latitude line near Point Lopez, below Point Sur.

The northern portion of Big Sur, Carmel, Monterey Bay and the North Coast areas of Santa Cruz County will feature the following regs for this years’ rockfish season. April will be open to rockfishing beyond the 50-fathom line only (300 feet). From May through September rockfishing will only be allowed in the nearshore area, inside 20 fathoms (120 feet). October we can fish outside of 50 fathoms only, November inside of 20 fathoms only and December we can fish the outside again, but not inshore. Bag limits are changing as well, with the likely limits of only two vermilion rockfish per day within your ten-fish limit. Halibut will keep the same minimum size of 22 inches for retention but will limit out at two fish per day instead of three fish as we’ve been used to for years.

Species that cannot be taken or retained this year include quillback rockfish, bronzespotted rockfish, cowcod and yelloweye rockfish. In addition, all boats must have a descender device onboard that allows for rapid release of rockfish at the depth they were taken. This will reduce the mortality rates for rockfish suffering barotrauma. The devices can be home made and are readily available at your local tackle shop.The CDFW also is adopting a new license app for mobile devices. Many anglers keep a photo of their fishing license on their phone but must rely on the good will of the particular warden as to acceptance. The regulation is codified now, using the License App. The announcement stated, ”The new application allows residents and nonresidents to display sport fishing licenses and validations on their mobile phones and other mobile devices in lieu of a physical license. Users can download the application on their mobile devices through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store or by accessing the direct download links from CDFW’s License App web page.”

Call: Chris’ Landing (831) 375-5951; Allen Bushnell, Santa Cruz Kayak and Surf Casting (831) 251-9732

Golden Gate/San Francisco Bay

Halibut 2 Striper 2 Leopard shark 2 Sturgeon 2

What a difference a couple of days makes in San Francisco Bay. Larger or smaller tides along with water clarity create varying conditions, and the action for striped slowed down on Saturday with the California Dawn scratching out a fish per rod with 10 stripers and 7 halibut while the Happy Hooker returned with 5 lineside and 7 halibut. This is contrasted with the 18 limits of striped bass and 5 halibut on the California Dawn and 11 limits of striped bass and 2 halibut on the Happy Hooker only two days previously. The water is expected to clear this week, and the striped bass action should return. Most striper action remains in San Pablo Bay while the south bay is the top location for halibut. Captain Melynda Dodds of the New Captain Pete said, “We are starting to see a larger grade of striper in the bay.” The next bluefin window is Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, and Tanker City Fishing and the Codfather out of Alameda will head out to replace their earlier success.

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

Boats from Morro Bay Landing and Patriot Sport Fishing in Port San Luis will contine to run whale watching and nature trips until taking their first rockfish trips scheduled May 1. Rockfishing is allows at any depth in April and 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

Striped bass action has exploded on both the San Joaquin and Sacramento River as trollers and casters are finding excellent action for a larger grade of lineside. Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing out of Lauritzen’s Yacht Harbor in Oakley said, “We found a solid grade of stripers on Saturday, releasing a 13-pound female along with numbers of stripers in the 8- to 10-pound range. This was the first time where I have seen so many females moving in. The females are loaded with eggs, and the males are all milting. We were on both the San Joaquin and the Sacramento, and there was more grass and debris in some areas on the San Joaquin. We trolled and drifted some live bait for our success. Sunday’s trip was just as solid.”

Alan Fong of Alan Fong Outdoors was in the north Delta near Liberty Island over the weekend, but earlier in the week, he found improving bass action on the central Delta on the San Joaquin River. Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, said, “We found a good bite with bladed jigs or swimbaits, and one important thing to remember is this past full moon was the first wave of spawn while the 2nd and 3rd waves of spawn will bring more opportunity. With the first spawn, there won’t be fish guarding fry, but within the next 10 days to 2 weeks, there will be bass guarding fry along with more females locked on beds. The next three weeks should be phenomenal as the topwater bite will take off as the bass will be attacking baits. Keeping a lure in the strike zone is the key, and Poppers, prop baits like the Heli P, or slow-walking baits that stay in the strike zone will be effective, The ima Little Stick with the ‘whoosh, whoosh, and let it sit’ presentation is another great option for attacking bass. The water clarity is improving, and this time of year, it is important to focus on east/west sloughs as the warmest water will be found on their northern banks. We have a tournament out of Russo’s Marina this coming Saturday, and I am expecting some great weights as overcast conditions are predicted. When it is overcast, the bass will not be tight to structure, and they will be less wary than during clear conditions.”

Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoorsmen in Stockton, found great trolling action on the San Joaquin River near Eddo’s Marina with both deep- and shallow-diving lures. He added, “There are stripers in the Mokelumne River as well.”

Fresno-native Vince Borges of Vince Borges Outdoors said, “I finally made it home from all the industry travel to hit the Delta, and Chad Frie and I hit it hard. We probably had 10 bass over 4.5 pounds on the way to a limit pushing 30 pounds. I caught fish up to 6.5 pounds on the @billlewisfishing 2.5 ATV Squarebill, flipped fish up to 6 pounds on the @yamamoto_fishing Cowboy, and chattered up some fish up to 7.5 pounds on the chatterbait with a @big_bite_baits Yo Mama trailer.”

The six-pack sturgeon captains out of Pittsburg will be migrating to San Francisco Bay, but sturgeon fishing in Suisun Bay remains phenomenal. Captain Steve Mitchell found great action on his last trip with a total of three oversized and several shorts. He said, “There were fish there all day long, but they finally decided to bite at the start of the incoming tide at the end of the day.” Mitchell will start his bay trips for striped bass, halibut, and shark by the weekend.

The 3rd Annual California Striped Bass Association- Isleton Chapter Barry Canevaro Memorial Striper Derby will be this coming Saturday, April 6 at the Rio Vista Boat Ramp. This event is a fundraiser for Rec4Vets, a veteran’s fishing organization. The Hammerdown Striped Bass Derby is April 13 out of B and W Resort and this is also a fund raiser for Rec4Vets. 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:

April 6

Roosevelt High School Bass Fishing Club Spring Fishing Tackle Faire at The Boat Shoppe, 2125 Ventura Ave Fresno from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Tournament results

March 30

Bass Lake – California Bass Federation Boater Division

1st: Eddie Hinojosa – 15.60 pounds; 2nd – Tim Wells Sr. – 13.22; 3rd – Tyler Wells – 12.42. Clayton Cope - Big Fish- 4.40 pounds.

Bass Lake – California Bass Federation Co-Angler Division

1st: Mike Gaston – 11.72 pounds (Big Fish – 4.77); 2nd – Ron Orbaker – 11.70; 3rd –A.J. Hodgerney – 8.02.

Upcoming tournaments (dates and locations subject to change)

April 4-6

Kaweah – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

April 6-7

New Melones – California Bass Federation

Tulloch – Kings River Bass Club

Success – Lahu Bass Club

April 6

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Nor Cal Bass/Manteca Bassin’ Buddies

Delta/Rio Vista - 3rd Annual California Striped Bass Association- Isleton Chapter Barry Canevaro Memorial Striper Derby

Delta/Russo’s Marina – Best Bass Tournaments

California Aqueduct - Striperz Gone Wild Spring Memorial Striped Bass Tournament

Pardee – Sonora Bass Anglers/17-90 Bass Club

Tulloch – Kerman Bass Club

Santa Margarita- San Luis Obispo Bass Ambushers

April 7

Pardee – California Bass Federation

April 12, 19, 26

Tulloch – Friday Night Tournament

April 13-14

Tulloch – Yak A’ Bass

April 13

Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournaments

McClure – California Bass Federation

Eastman – Central Valley Kayak Fishing/Bass 559 Kayak

Lopez – American Bass Association

April 14

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – California Bass Federation

Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournaments

McClure – Stanislaus County Employees

Bass Lake – Kings VIII Bass Club

Kaweah – Bass 101

April 16

Don Pedro – Mid Valley Agriculture

April 20/21st –

Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Kern County Bass Masters/Riverbank Bass Anglers

Pine Flat – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

Santa Margarita – Golden Empire Bass Club

April 20

Tulloch – Sierra Bass Club

Don Pedro – Angler’s Press

Eastman – Sheet Metal Worker’s Local 104

Lopez – Best Bass Tournaments

April 21

Delta/B and W Resort – Best Bass Tournaments

Tulloch – Fresno Bass Club

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

For more go to fresnobee.com/fishing.