Fish report for Oct. 5, 2016

Lake Don Pedro

The trout and king salmon bite should improve in the near future, but for now, trollers are scoring far more spotted bass than rainbows. There are upcoming bass tournaments on the lake, and anglers are finding a brief window for topwater in the early morning before working the bottom with plastics on the drop-shot or dart head. Crappie fishermen are heading to the lake with minnows or minijigs to work the submerged brush. There have been a number of thefts within the houseboats and campsites, and visitors are advised to secure vehicles and valuables and watch for suspicious activity. Reports can be made directly to the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Dept. at 209-533-5815 and the Don Pedro Recreation Agency at 209-852-2396. The lake dropped slightly to 65 percent of capacity. Call: Monte Smith, 209-581-4734; Danny Layne-Fish’n Dan, 209-586-2383; Gary Vella, 209-652-7550; Bait Barn, 209-874-3011.

McClure Reservoir

The launch ramp conditions at Barrett Cove South have limited the number of fishermen heading to the lake, as a long backup is necessary to launch. Fishing under lights near the houseboats with small to medium minnows is producing rainbow trout, bass and crappie. Catfish are still an option with frozen shad, sardines or anchovies from the shorelines with muddy, sloping banks. The lake has dropped to 38 percent of capacity with water releases lowering the lake 3 feet to 741.48 feet in elevation. The McClure Point and Barrett Cove South launch ramps are open with the Barrett Cove North ramp under construction and the Horseshoe Bend ramp closed. Call: A-1 Bait, 209-563-6505.

McSwain Reservoir

The crowds arrived last weekend for the annual Merced Irrigation District’s Trout Derby. Trout dough bait, inflated nightcrawlers or Kastmasters are picking up planters near the Brush Pile, Handicapped Docks or along the marina. As the planters acclimate to the lake, trolling will pick up in the river arm with blade/’crawler combinations near the Exchequer Dam. Call: McSwain Marina, 209-378-2534.

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

Trout action is picking up, as the water is starting to cool, and Gary Burns of Take it to the Limit Guide Service reported, “New Melones is starting to show off its fall colors, especially in rainbow colors. This week, we have put ’bows in the boat in the 4- to 4.5-pound range. You have to put your time on the lake. It’s not a fast bite so don’t go out on Melones for a few hours and think you can get a limit of these big boys. All of our fish that we have put in the boat this week have been caught over deep water from the dam to the spillway 82 to 88 feet. Ex-cels and broken backs in shad colors trolled from 2.5 to over 3 mph are producing, and with the surface temperature at 72 degrees, there are rainbows around once you find the shad schools. As the surface temp drops and the ’bows start working to the surface, the bite should be getting even better.” John Liechty of Glory Hole Sporting Goods in Angels Camp added, “Night fishermen have been few, but dropping a submersible light at night will work at this time of the year. Look for areas with deep water nearby, or drift the main lake over the deep schools of shad and pull the fish up to the light. Minnows and jigging spoons work best when drifting.” The catfish bite remains strong, and Glory Hole Sporting Goods in Angels Camp will hold a Catfish Derby in November with registration at $10/angler. Three fish may be weighed in per angler during business hours at Glory Hole Sporting Goods, and there is 100 percent payback for the top three places. Liechty added, “The bass bite has been good, and most anglers are catching some chunky spotted bass. The shad are schooling in deep water, and the bass will be hunting them in wolf packs. The best bite has been in the early mornings and late in the evenings, but there are plenty of fish to be caught during the day as well. Try using reaction-type baits to locate feeding fish and then switching to a slower moving presentation to continue catching them. Topwater has been hit and miss, but it is a good idea to have one tied on. When it is calm, the fish will push bait to the surface and small topwater baits will coax them into biting. Small swimbaits and rip baits are also a good choice for finding active fish in the fall.” The Glory Hole launch ramp is on the dirt and will remain so until the lake rises during the winter months. A courtesy dock is available. The water temperature is still warm, ranging from 72 to 76 degrees, and the water clarity is clear throughout most of the lake. The draw-down of the lake has slowed, but the lake dropped slightly to 863.58 feet in elevation and 22 percent of capacity. Call: Glory Hole Sports, 209-736-4333; Monte Smith, 209-581-4734; Danny Layne-Fish’n Dan, 209-586-2383; Sierra Sport Fishing, 209-599-2023.

Delta/Stockton

The salmon bite has been coming in fits and spurts, as the schools are moving through the Sacramento River-Delta. The big story over the past weekend was the constant wind that ran through the entire stretch of the California Delta. The Rio Vista Bass Derby is this weekend, and the main river will experience heavy fishing pressure for striped bass, sturgeon and salmon. The Freeport area has been a solid location for salmon, but the action slowed last weekend. The series of schools that moved through the area last week are now providing action for trollers in the upper Sacramento and Feather rivers. Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento, was up in Liberty Island this week, and they caught and released 100 striped bass without hooking a keeper. He said, “I got tired of unhooking all of these fish. There are shakers everywhere, but the larger bass will arrive as the water temperature cools. After struggling for legal bass, we went for largemouth bass with Brush Hogs and chatterbaits for a 20-pound limit.” Nelson Vineyard of Lodi was plugging along Liberty Island this week with just a few small bass using firetiger SpeedLures before noon, and they left once the temperature hit the high 80s. He said, “Fishing has been stellar for me the last two weeks in the Cache Slough area with the best action in the evening. My largest fish lately was an 8-pounder.” Clyde Wands, shallow trolling expert, said, “We found a better grade of fish around Collinsville during the week. We landed stripers to 13.5 pounds, and there were 10 keepers from 6 to the big fish. The stripers bit both shallow and deep with Rat-L-Traps shallow and either Yozuri Crystal Minnows or P-Line Predator Minnows on a deep troll. The big fish came on a Predator, and the firetiger was the top color pattern. In addition to the keepers, there were a dozen shakers released, as there are still a lot of small fish around. The better grade was a good sign, and maybe the larger stripers are starting to move into the Delta.” The wind limited sturgeon fishermen during the week and especially into the weekend. Grass shrimp is available in area shops, and Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait said, “Ron Reisinger of Chico was out on Sunday in deep water around Pittsburg, and he released three shaker sturgeon. Salmon fishing at the Dillon Point State Park slowed down over the weekend with only four fish reported while there were eight at 1st Street in Benicia on Saturday.” Boaters need to be aware of dredging at the Antioch Bridge, at the lower end of Decker Island and above Decker Island on the Sacramento River. The road to the Sherman Island launch ramp is pitted due to construction, making for a rough ride for boats on a trailer. Wind was the story last weekend, but the 119 teams participating in the River2Sea Open out of Russo’s Marina were able to pick up limits to 20.76 pounds on Day 1 of the event, when River2Sea products must be used exclusively. Dan Mathisen of Dan’s Delta Outdoors in Oakley said, “Striped bass are showing up around Prisoner’s Point, Bullfrog Marina, Latham – which is the back end of Mildred Island – and in Whiskey Slough. The legal stripers are in the 4- to 5-pound range, but there is the occasional large fish to 35 inches. The Strike King Red Eye shad is working for largemouth bass, and in addition to the striper bite, there is good action for salmon off of Humphrey’s Pier in Antioch with Mepp’s Flying C spinners, although it slowed down for the past four to five days. I expect the bite to improve with this new moon. Chartruese is the top color pattern for the heavy spinners.” Mark Wilson, striper trolling expert, reported the same results in the San Joaquin River off Eddo’s Marina and into Broad Slough. He said, “The best action remains at the last of the outgoing tide through the slack tide and into the beginning of the incoming tide. Once the water starts to come back in, the stripers scatter out. We landed stripers to 7 pounds this week, and the bite has been alternating from a deep troll to a shallow troll.” Steve Santucci of Steve Santucci’s Fly Fishing Guide Service reported, “Each week, new fish are moving into the Delta following schools of threadfin shad as they migrate to each end of the Delta. This is the best time to catch stripers on topwater.” The first major sturgeon derby of the year, the Addathon IronMan Derby, is coming to Antioch on Nov. 5-6. Call: Randy Pringle, 209-543-6260; Intimidator Sport Fishing, 916-806-3030; Captain Steve Mitchell – Hook’d Up Sport Fishing, 707-655-6736.

San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay

The wind has again been a factor for boaters in the main San Luis Reservoir and Forebay, and the past weekend was full of wind with a small front moving through Northern California. The main reservoir has climbed to 25 percent of capacity after dropping to 10 percent in July, and the forebay is also full of water. In the main lake, Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported, “The minnow bite is on, and many of our regulars who haven’t been in all summer long are now showing up with their large minnow buckets for the main lake. In addition to the minnow bite, there is good topwater action from the shoreline around Basalt Recreation Area right before sunset.” Roger George of Roger George Guide Service scouted the lake Friday and said there were fish boiling off Basalt in the big rollers in the morning. “There is still some early topwater action in the coves, but it usually stops when the sun hits the water. I trolled up/released 19 fish from 20 to 24 inches on a decent slow bite at 50 to 65 feet on various minnow-colored lures after the wind slowed down at noon. The fish are moving a lot in the 67-degree water, and I expect things to get better, since there was a front moving through. A friend, Dave Combs of Fresno, picked up/released a nice 17-pound striper on a trolled minnow lure after a tough fight, and he told me that the fish bit just as I was going by them. I’m also seeing anglers launching in unsafe small boats with almost no freeboard, who are overloaded and aren’t watching the wind conditions. There’s no margin for safety when the wind comes up. The fish aren’t worth drowning for,” George said. Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported hit-and-miss action in the main lake, but trollers are finding quality stripers at depths from 30 to 50 feet. In the O’Neill Forebay, Meng Xyong of the Fishaholics out of Fresno reported, “There’s a small window in the morning for a topwater bite in the shallows. The bite usually turns off mid morning, as boaters will have to troll the deepwater flats for schoolie stripers. I volunteered as a captain at the C.A.S.T. event for children with disabilities with Sam Rubio as my co-captain. Our little guys’ reaction to the catches were priceless, as we were able to put him on eight fish for our short morning on the water trolling umbrella rigs and SpeedLures.” Also in the forebay, Clements reported an early morning or late evening topwater bite with Heddon’s Swimmin’ Image or the Rebel Jumpin’ Minnow. Roger George of Roger George Guide Service and Meng Xyong will do a preregistration striper seminar at the Sportsman’s Warehouse in Fresno on Oct. 15 from 2-4 p.m. on lures, areas and techniques. George will cover downrigging San Luis Reservoir, and Xyong will do the O’Neill Forebay and California Aqueduct. Preregister at 559-261-2900 or email 238-fishing@sportsmanswarehouse.com. Call: Coyote Bait and Tackle, 408-463-0711; Roger George of rogergeorgeguideservice.com, 559-905-2954; San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay wind conditions, 800-805-4805.

Half Moon Bay

Salmon have moved into the harbor, and local fishermen are casting interesting concoctions for the opportunity at a quality fish, but the most consistent action for party boats remains coastal rockfish. Dennis Baxter of the New Captain Pete said, “The fish bit good outside of the harbor on Thursday morning, and it was a morning bite. There are fish in the harbor, and not just in the one location near the restrooms. It is still possible to fish from the shoreline, and as long as fishermen keep the area clean, the harbormaster may keep it open. It is legal to fish near Barbara’s Fish Trap, but fishing is not allowed near the launch ramp, although there are salmon there. It has been slow outside of the harbor the past few days, but the salmon will pop up once again.” Sherri Ingles of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing said, “There are salmon in the harbor, but catching them is another thing as fishermen are hooking them and losing them to a sea lion after the hookup. Corkies with a Mad River worm or floating Power Bait on an egg sinker or split-shot are working best.” Rockfishing remains the top bet, and the Queen of Hearts returned with 16 limits of rockfish, including three cabezon to go with 17 lings to 12 pounds. Ingles added, “Day in, day out, rockfish are our go-to species with experienced fishermen picking up ling cod. For salmon, private boaters continue to work toward the South Buoy for scores from one to four salmon. There isn’t enough there to keep our boats working the area.” Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat has been conducting rockfish research trips inside and outside the closed zones near Fanny Shoals over the past week, and he said, “Our biologist has been amazed at the number and size of blue rockfish in the area, and they are also different year classes. There are plenty of lings both inside and outside of the area, and in some locations, you are catching more lings than rockfish.” Earlier in the week, second captain Michael Cabanas of the Huli Cat took a charter of military veterans out for solid action for rockfish and lings to 10 pounds. The Huli Cat is taking reservations for the opening of Dungeness crab season, which is only five weeks away. The recreational rock crab season is currently closed north of Pigeon Point in San Mateo County due to high levels of domoic acid. Call: Happy Hooker, 510-223-5388; Captain Roger Thomas, Salty Lady, 415-760-9362; Emeryville Sport Fishing, 510-654-6040.

Monterey/Santa Cruz

Keith Semler of Chris’ Sport Fishing said, “Rockfishing remains very good for up to limits of rockfish along with around two ling cod per angler. The squid schools have been moving in and out of the bay, but on Sunday, we had to use sand dabs for the lings.” Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting said a muscular south swell rolled through last week, putting fish off the bite in the shallower spots. The waves popped up, then faded within a couple days with minimal effect. Winds stayed down for the most part and a couple days were especially pleasant with low winds, abundant sunshine and all-day fishing. The bigger surf had an additional benefit of stirring up the beaches and getting some big currents and riptides going. This greatly improved conditions for surfcasters with a number of big scores of barred surf perch and an uptick in striped bass reports. The perch can be almost anywhere along the Monterey Bay. If one spot does not produce, move on to the next. Some stripers are still being caught from beaches in the cities of Monterey and Santa Cruz, but the main concentration and the bigger fish seem to be congregating more toward the middle shorelines of the bay, especially closer to the Pajaro and Salinas river mouths. Halibut are getting harder to find, but diligent anglers are still picking them up in 60-100 feet of water, near the Mile Buoy in Santa Cruz as well as up the coast near Three-Mile Beach and Davenport, according to Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine. Monterey halibut reports are scarce, but the 70- to 90-foot depths were producing best lately, near the “Hotel” and Red Bell Buoy areas. White seabass are even more rare, though a few were caught near Pajaro this week. Call: Chris’ Landing, 831-375-5951; Bayside Marine, 831-475-2173.

San Francisco Bay

The salmon bite was ranging around a fish per rod for party boats working from Duxbury to Double Point despite the 10- to 20-knot winds during the week, but the bite dropped off precipitously over the weekend with the counts plummeting to far less than a fish per rod. Salmon fishing in the area ends Oct. 30. Rockfishing remains outstanding with boats scoring limits of rockfish and healthy ling cod counts at the Farallon Islands. Captain Jim Smith of the Happy Hooker has plenty of room for the first two weeks of the sport Dungeness crab season, and the combination trips are going for $130/angler with crab-only trips Tuesdays and Wednesdays for $90. The 10-crab limit has been a big incentive for fishermen to head out on a party boat. In the bay, Captain James Smith of the California Dawn took one of his limited-load big shark trips during the week, and the action was spectacular with early limits of seven-gill, cow and leopard shark. The Blue Angels are coming this weekend, and Captain Trent Slate out of Loch Lomond Marina will take out combination fishing and Blue Angel watching trips Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

This story was originally published October 4, 2016 at 7:05 PM with the headline "Fish report for Oct. 5, 2016."