Fish report for Oct. 26, 2016

Lake Don Pedro

Don Pedro has been solid for numbers, leading Mike Gomez to state, “There are a ton of bass in the lake, but most of the fish are small. The better fish have come on plastics on the drop-shot, as they are actually moving up into the 20- to 25-foot range. The Pro Worm 124p, Pro Worm leech, new Strike King worm are the top plastics while jigs such as Berserk’s Purple Hornet or brown/purple are also effective. The 1-ounce Hopkins spoon has been producing bass, but most of the fish on the spoon have been small.” There have been few trout or king salmon trollers heading to the lake, but once the lake turns over near the end of November, the fish should rise to the surface, leading to improved action. The lake rose close to half a foot to 65 percent capacity and 765.04 feet in elevation. 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

Despite the launch ramp conditions at Lake McClure, the bass fishing has been outstanding for those willing to negotiate the long backup at Barrett’s Cove South. Don Pedro on the Tuolumne watershed continues to produce numbers of bass, but finding fish over any size is a challenge. Mike Gomez of the Bait Barn in Waterford said, “McClure is wide open right now, and there have been several spotted bass in the 2- to 4-pound range landed this week. Working the bottom with jigs or plastics on the drop-shot has been the most productive technique, and one kayaker went out and picked up a number of quality spots drop-shotting out of his small boat. If you want quality in our area, McClure is the place to go.” There is also a crappie bite with minijigs or small minnows at McClure near the Houseboats. The lake has dropped 2 feet to 734.93 feet in elevation and 35 percent of capacity. Call: A-1 Bait, 209-563-6505.

McSwain Reservoir

Trout fishing is fair with the catchable rainbows from the plant at the beginning of the month moving out from the shoreline areas into deeper water toward the Exchequer Dam up the river arm. The best action is in the early mornings or late evenings with Power Bait, inflated nightcrawlers or Kastmasters near the Brush Pile, Handicapped Docks or along the marina. Trolling is best in the river arm with Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler behind a flasher, blade/’crawler combinations or Kastmasters in blue/chrome at depths to 20 feet. Call: McSwain Marina, 209-378-2534.

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

Holdover rainbow trout continue to make a showing at New Melones, leading John Liechty of Glory Hole Sports in Angels Camp to state, “This last week we saw one of the biggest trout we have seen in years with the 5.5-pound rainbow landed by Bob James of Murphys on a brightly painted Rapala trolled as deep as 110 feet in the main lake. The trout are holding in deep water, and they are feeding heavily on shad. As water temperatures cool, the fish will start to move upward to the surface. Right now, most fishermen are not catching numbers of rainbows, but when they do hook up, they are usually rewarded with a fat rainbow in the 3- to 5-pound range. Fast-trolling speeds from 2.6 to 3.6 mph is working best, and shad patterns as well as bright colored spoons or plugs are attracting fish from a distance. Bank anglers should also start to get active, as the recent rainfall will draw the rainbows into the moving water in the feeder creeks and drainages.” For brown trout, Glory Hole encourages catch and release of this species as the Department of Fish and Game will no longer plant them in the lake. The Glory Hole Sports Fall Catfish Contest begins Nov. 1 and will run until the end of the month. The contest is limited to the first 50 entries. Liechty reported, “Some of the largest catfish will move into the shallows during and after periods of rain, as they set up and wait for creatures to be washed into the lake. Now is a good time to go out and scout some of these catfish holes. Frozen shad, mackerel and anchovies coated with Mike’s Lunker Lotion or similar catfish attractants are your best options along with soaking a huge ball of nightcrawlers.” The bass bite continues to be a bit tough, and finding actively feeding fish has become a challenge. Liechty added, “The fish have been in a fairly negative mood and not willing to chase moving baits. Dead-sticking and slow-moving baits have been working best. A drop-shot rig with a shad-patterned worm has been working when using a light weight and fish patiently. Hopefully, the recent rainfall and cooler temperatures will push the fish closer to a fall bite.” The crappie bite has slowed, but there have been a few 2-pound slabs taken around tall standing timber near deep water, as the crappie are feeding on the schools of migrating shad. Live minnows or minijigs under a slip-float rig are working. The Glory Hole launch ramp will remain on the dirt until the lake rises during the winter months. A courtesy dock will be available throughout the coming months. The draw-down of the lake has increased with a drop nearly 2 vertical feet this week to 861.61 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

Salmon continue to trickle through the Sacramento River-Delta, and the recent trend of big salmon along the Marin coastline is contributing to a larger grade of fish traveling up the river. Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle in Freeport said, “There have been some chrome-bright salmon in the 20- to 40-pound range showing up within the past week, as a new school has come through. Bank fishermen are tossing Flying C spinners. Trollers are pulling Silvertron or similar spinners while jigging with P-Line Laser Minnows or Slammer Minnows are all bringing in fish below the Freeport Bridge.” Another sign of salmon coming through the system has been on the Old Sacramento River from Isleton to Walnut Grove. Field scout Neil Simpson of Lodi reported, “There has been a good salmon bite near Walnut Grove with P-Line Laser Minnows in the 2- to 4-ounce size, and trollers are scoring with chartreuse or chartreuse/purple Silvertron spinners.” In Suisun Bay, Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait reported salmon fishing from the shorelines at the State Park and 1st Street has slowed to three to five fish per day after great action on the weekend with more than 30 salmon landed at 1st Street alone. With the big fish still coming in from outside the Golden Gate, the Benicia shoreline fishermen should get another crack at good action within two weeks. Striper fishing has been fair for small keepers from the shoreline while sturgeon fishing is best above Pittsburg at the present time. For striped bass, Liberty Island has been hit or miss with some good action on live mudsuckers reported by Tran, but Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento, said, “My nephew, Bub Fong, was in Liberty this past week, and he was lucky to hook two 5-pound stripers on glidebaits.” Tran touted Liberty Island, the Sacramento Deep Water Channel, Steamboat Slough and the Port of Sacramento as the best locations for striped bass with live mudsuckers being the top bait. Spoons, swimbaits, frozen shad or sardines are working for mostly school-sized striped bass. Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, was on the north Delta this week in search of stripers and largemouth bass. After heading into Liberty Island for minimal action, they worked the main river and the sloughs for largemouth bass with the ima Pinjack in shad patterns. He said, “The bass were just crushing the lure, and we also hooked and lost four salmon that were chasing up the crankbaits. I am prepared for battle next week, as we were working along the outside edges of the weedlines for doubles of largemouth bass, and the salmon were also swinging at the lures. The bass are holding under or outside of the weedlines, especially on the high tides. We hooked a pair of stripers on the ima Big Stick in the morning along with a few other stripers on spoons, but I am looking forward to next week, as the bite should be off of the hook with overcast conditions and a better tide allowing for a longer period of high tide. The fish should be up tight inside of the weeds on the high tide.” Mark Wilson, striper trolling expert, has been out on the Sacramento River-Delta, and he said, “It is the same as it has been with small stripers and not many of them around. On Saturday, we ended up with three keepers to 22 inches along with eight shakers, and I also landed an 8-pound salmon on a Rat-L-Trap on light tackle while trolling in the shallows in Montezuma Slough.” Sturgeon fishing continues to improve, and Cache Slough is the top location north of the Rio Vista Bridge while the Sacramento River from Sherman Island west to Bay Point is producing more and more diamondbacks. Grass shrimp has been in short supply during the past week, but local baits shops are loading up with ghost shrimp. The improved sturgeon bite has arrived just in time for the first major sturgeon tournament of the season – the Addathon Iron Man Derby out of Antioch. Striped bass have been the big story in the San Joaquin-Delta with the numbers of bass climbing. Captain Mike Gravert of Intimidator Sport Fishing out of Korth’s Pirate’s Lair said, “The striper bite remains solid both during and after last weekend’s rains, but it takes some looking around to find your keeper fish, as there seems to be ‘rats’ everywhere you stop. The spoon bite has slowed, and we were unable to find any huge schools large enough to slide down our P-Line Laser Minnows or Blade Runner spoons. The water temperature has risen slightly to over 66 degrees, and we are looking forward to cooler days in the coming week.” Dan Mathisen of Dan’s Delta Outdoors in Oakley said, “Striper fishing is on fire right now with as many 3- to 7-pound stripers as I can remember. I went out this week, and we caught and released 27 stripers at the end of the tide using a 4-inch Optimum Bad Bubba Shad solo or on an umbrella rig. The topwater bite is starting to happen, and it is a good option to throw the topwater lures such as Dan’s Delta Mizers, Trinidad Tackle’s Heart Attack wooden plug or the ima Big Stick in open water with current before switching to the Bubba Shad.” For largemouth bass, Mathisen added, “The bite is still tough, but there is a jig or drop-shot bite at depths from 6 to 12 feet with an early morning wakebait, swimbait or ripbait bite. The largemouth bass are holding in the striper schools chasing bait, and working the points in the main river is a good option, as the fish are suspending along the points. There were 30 salmon landed off of the Humphrey’s Pier one day this week, and we have been selling out of Captain Stan’s Spinners since they don’t bend due to the split ring at the base of the lure.” Field scout Neil Simpson of Lodi was on the main San Joaquin River and Frank’s Tract on Saturday, and he reported, “There were plenty of shaker stripers but no big ones. The stripers are thick on the San Joaquin, but most of the fish are undersized.” In Clifton Court Forebay, there have been a number of fishermen targeting salmon within the past week, and it is illegal to keep a salmon out of Clifton Court Forebay. Anglers poaching salmon have had their gear and vehicles impounded for illegally keeping salmon from the forebay. 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 O’Neill Forebay continues to attract most Central Valley striped bass fishermen, but the main San Luis Reservoir is also producing school-sized striped bass. The months of October and November generally bring some of the best fishing of the year, and this year has been no exception. The main reservoir has held at 25 percent of capacity with continued pumping out of the Delta – 8,289 acre-feet of Delta water was pumped into the lake Monday. In the main lake, Chris Chan of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported, “Most fishermen are focusing on striped bass around the Trash Racks and Dinosaur Point with jumbo minnows, and there are some fishermen willing to make the long walk to the shoreline in order to throw swimbaits or soak anchovies. There have been boils in the early mornings and late evenings, and topwater lures are picking up the 4- to 6-pound stripers.” Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun said, “Fishermen have been doing a combination of trolling and casting for stripers to 6.5 pounds in the main lake, and every once in awhile, someone will pick up a larger fish.” In the forebay, Chan said, “We have been selling more lures such as flukes, 4- to 5-inch shad-patterned swimbaits along with topwater lures and ripbaits. The fish have been boiling in the mornings, and the best grade of striper is coming on topwater lures. Fishermen are finding consistent limits of 4- to 6-pound linesides.” 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

Captain Dennis Baxter of the New Captain Pete said, “The action both in the harbor and outside of the harbor has been slow, but this can change any day. The interest inside the harbor has waned within the past week. The best area for big salmon has been up north at Mussel Rock.” Baxter is running rockfish trips until the commercial Dungeness crab opener, leaving Captain Tom Mattusch on the Huli Cat as the only large boat running crab/rockfish combination trips starting Nov. 5. The Huli Cat continues to target rockfish, and Sunday’s trip brought out the school fish with Captain Michael Cabanas reporting, “The school fish were biting, but there were no whoppers to report for the day. The ocean was calm in the mornings, but the winds ramped up to around 15 knots in the afternoon. On Saturday, the Huli Cat found a larger grade of rockfish with lings to 6 pounds taken on a shrimp fly/octopus combination and vermilions to 3 pounds on shrimp flies. 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’ Fishing Trips in Monterey reported the big swell in Monterey Bay affected the rockfish bite with the Caroline posting only one-quarter limits of rockfish along with 17 ling cod for 17 anglers on Sunday with the CheckMate returning with half limits of rockfish and 24 lings for 21 fishermen. Saturday was improved for rockfish, but the ling counts were down with the Star of Monterey landing 13 lings and three-quarter limits of rockfish for 35 fishermen with the Caroline also posting three-quarter limits of rockfish and only four lings for 19 anglers. Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service reported, “Rockfish and lingcod fishing seems to have been unaffected by the early season storm. Reports indicate the schooling yellows, black and blue rockfish are still very willing to bite along local reefs outside Monterey and from Capitola to Natural Bridges in Santa Cruz. Forays to more remote locations near Big Sur or towards the San Mateo County line are sure to provide quicker limits of bigger fish. Ling cod counts in particular should be rising as their spawning season approaches and more lings arrive in the shallows. For a great fishing day, start out fishing for sand dabs from 120 to 240 feet of water. Save the big ’dabs for lunch and keep the small ones alive for ling cod bait. They are like candy for big lings. Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine reminds us that Dungeness crab season is expected to open as scheduled Nov. 5. Local anglers are holding out hope for bluefin tuna, as several of the species have been seen 5 to 6 miles offshore from Cypress Point to Point Sur. One private boat landed six bluefin in the 50-pound range while trolling large plugs on a recent outing. Speaking of tuna, everyone is invited to the 39th annual Albacore Feed, a benefit dinner for the Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project. Fresh albacore is coming from Oregon this year for the yearly dinner and raffle extravaganza. The event takes place Nov. 12 at the Castroville Recreation Center, 11621 Crane St., Castroville. Tickets cost $20 and are available at the door or via the MBSTP website www.mbstp.org. Call: Chris’ Landing, 831-375-5951; Bayside Marine, 831-475-2173.

San Francisco Bay

Salmon action slowed considerably Saturday and Sunday with the Sausalito boats combining both days for a total of 12 salmon to 27 pounds for 42 fishermen. The winds ramped up Saturday to 15 knots, but Sunday’s weather was flat calm up the Marin coastline. Rockfishing remains a solid option, and Captain Jim Smith of the Happy Hooker went to the Farallon Islands with 25 fishermen for limits of rockfish and 12 ling cod. He said, “We had a large group of children on the boat today, and the big rockfish bit, even on the high spots. There was zero drift in the flat calm conditions, but the rockfish bite is wide open. Saturday was a much different story, and we stayed along the Marin coastline in the rough conditions with a big swell, settling for half limits of rockfish and nine ling cod.” Out of Emeryville Sport Fishing, the New Huck Finn, Tigerfish and Sea Wolf found great ling cod fishing at the Farallons with a combined 728 rockfish along with 101 lings to 15 pounds for 77 fishermen Sunday. The big ling of the day was landed on the Outer Limits out of Sausalito at 26 pounds as part of 34 lings and 26 limits of rockfish at the Farallons. Dungeness crab season starts Nov. 5, and Bay Area six-packs are featuring crab/rockfish combinations at $200 per fisherman. Captain Trent Slate of Shelter Cove Sport Fishing is taking the combination trips at $200 with crab-only at $100/angler. Inside the bay, the weather has been windy, leading to far less interest in fishing. There have been fits and spurts of salmon landed at the top of the tide at California City, and a new batch of big fish should be arriving this week. Small striped bass are plentiful, and Captain Trent Slate and local striper expert Tommy Glaser went plugging off Red Rock and the Marin Islands for more than 100 striped bass with only a half-dozen of legal size to 5 pounds. Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle in San Rafael said, “One fly fisherman was working Red Rock over the weekend, and he caught and released 70 bass without landing a legal fish.” Incredibly, a few halibut continue to come out of San Francisco Bay despite November on the horizon.

This story was originally published October 25, 2016 at 4:33 PM with the headline "Fish report for Oct. 26, 2016."