Fish report for Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016

Lake Don Pedro

Don Pedro is waking up after months of slow activity, leading Mike Gomez of the Bait Barn in Waterford to say, “The same baits are working at Don Pedro as at McClure, but Don Pedro is producing a larger grade of bass with a couple of 8-pounders taken on swimbaits during the week. Our biggest sales at the Bait Barn have been Pro Worm 300, Berserk jigs, Berserk shakey-head plastics or the Yamamoto twin tail Hula Grub in patterns 297 or 300.” With several upcoming tournaments at Don Pedro and McClure in January, both lakes are hosting more fishermen. Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The Fresno Bass Club has a tournament at McClure, and we have fishermen from our area heading up north to both Pedro and McClure. There have been a couple of big largemouth bass in the 8-pound range taken on swimbaits at Pedro during the week, but limits in the 10- to 11-pound range are more the norm.” Don Pedro rose 3 feet to 784.25 feet in elevation and 74 percent. Call: Monte Smith, 209-581-4734; Danny Layne-Fish’n Dan, 209-586-2383; Gary Vella, 209-652-7550.

McClure Reservoir

Lake McClure continues to rise, up to 758.3 feet in elevation and 44 percent. Spotted bass fishing remains excellent, and the lake is getting quite a bit more play since it currently has an adequate supply of water for the first time in several years. Mike Gomez of the Bait Barn in Waterford reported a wide-open spotted bass bite with Robo Worms in 124p or 300 in either leach or 4-inch at depths from 25 to 40 feet. Jigs such as the Berserk Purple Hornet or Brown Craw are also effective, but the reaction bite is very slow. The spotted bass are loading up on shad which are oriented to the bottom with the colder water temperatures. He said, “The lake is coming up, and although it has a slight stain to it, it is nothing to affect fishing.” The launch ramps at McClure Point and Barrett Cove South are open, but the Horseshoe Bend and Barrett Cove North ramps are closed at the present time. Call: Bait Barn, 209-874-3011.

McSwain Reservoir

The marina is installing bait tanks in order to sell live minnows and crawdads in the near future. The last trout plant was Oct. 14, and fishing is limited to a few planters taken from the peninsula near the Marina, the Handicapped Docks or the Brush Pile with garlic trout dough bait, Power Eggs or nightcrawlers. Call: McSwain Marina, 209-378-2534.

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

The water temperature in New Melones continues to cool, ranging between 52 and 55 degrees, bringing more rainbow trout toward the surface. The water clarity is clear throughout the majority of the lake with some slightly stained areas along with floating debris. John Liechty of Glory Hole Sports in Angels Camp said, “The lake has finally turned over, and the surface temperature is cold enough for the rainbows to be holding on top. In many areas of the lake, you can find planted and holdover trout cruising and feeding on the surface, especially in the protected pockets and creek channels. Trollers are finding success by either top-lining or using leadcore, and letting out at least 150 to 200 feet of line is essential. Kastmasters, Little Cleo’s, Krocodiles, Hot Ticket Spoons or floating Rapalas are working. Bank fishermen are starting to pick up a few limits with trout dough bait, marshmallows or nightcrawlers on light hooks with light line near Glory Hole Point or the Highway 49 Bridge.” Bass are in a winter mode, but there are plenty of 2- to 4-pound spotted bass for the taking, as they have been gorging themselves for months. Liechty said, “Most of the bass are holding out in deeper water from 35 to 55 feet, and bottom-bouncing baits such as plastics on the shakey head, dart head or jigs from one-half to three-quarters of an ounce are great choices. Vertically spooning is another option, and the spoon bite has been good throughout the fall months and it will get better as the water continues to cool.” Glory Hole Sports is holding its Big Bass Bash on Jan. 28 with 100 percent payback with a two-fish limit of one spotted bass and one largemouth bass with a team fee of $165. Catfishing has slowed with the cold water, but the occasional large whiskerfish is taken at this time of year with nightcrawlers or trout dough bait intended for rainbow trout. Crappie fishing is also slow. The recent rains have brought the lake up 4.5 feet to 880.89 feet in elevation and 26 percent. Call: Glory Hole Sports, 209-736-4333; Monte Smith, 209-581-4734; Danny Layne-Fish’n Dan, 209-586-2383.

Delta/Stockton

Another day of heavy rain hit the Delta region just before Christmas weekend, followed by two days of weather in the low 30s, creating difficult conditions for anglers in the Sacramento Delta. The water in the north Delta is muddy, and it’s cold throughout the river system. With the rapid change in water temperature, the sturgeon are acclimating to the plummeting temps, but diamondbacks remain the top species in the Sacramento Delta. The next series of tides looks promising, and Captain John Badger of Barbarian Sport Fishing out of Martinez Marina said, “Next week looks pretty good tide wise with a big morning incoming tide followed by a large afternoon outgoing tide, and the only limiting factors are possibly the wind and cold water. I plan on staying upriver, but San Pablo Bay is also an option. This is really the most difficult time of the year to catch a sturgeon, and it is because of our efforts that we have been putting fish on the deck because we look around and fish hard. Imagine 100 to 200 casts per outing on nine rods, going and going through 7 pounds of salmon roe and two lamprey eel, depending upon how much time we have spent looking around. Run and gun is our new technique, as the key is covering ground and finding feeders.” Badger put Tim Pruitt of Suisun City, Grover Crump of Stockton and Al Baker onto keeper sturgeon to 49 inches on a pre-Christmas trip in upper Suisun Bay near the Horseshoe. Cold water has been the limiting factor, and Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’Up Sport Fishing out of Pittsburg was out looking for feeding fish Saturday. He said, “The weather is great today after Thursday’s heavy rainstorm, and we have been sitting on fish all day long. We started in the Big Cut with tons of fish on the meter, but they just wouldn’t go so we came back to the Horseshoe above the Mothball Fleet to fish the shallow water. There are several sturgeon in the Horseshoe as well, and they should be acclimated to the cold water by now, but they just don’t want to bite. The temperature dropped so fast to less than 50 degrees, and it was 49 degrees in the morning before warming up slightly to 50 degrees by mid-day. The sturgeon are here’ it is just a matter of finding fish willing to feed.” Captain Jay Lopes of Right Hook Sport Fishing out of Martinez has been finding success working the same areas above the Mothball Fleet, but he said, “Overall, the action has slowed due to the big influx of fresh water and the 48/49-degree water temperatures. We were able to put in a total of legal sturgeon over three trips with several shakers, and with all of this rain, sturgeon fishing should be great after the first of the year.” Pam Hayes of Benicia Bait and Tackle said, “There have been several bank fishermen picking up just legal striped bass from the Benicia shorelines, and there have even been some flounder landed. For sturgeon, the best areas have been from the Horseshoe into the Fleet and also in the Big Cut. The best location on the small tides has been deep water in the Big Cut while on the smaller tides, the shallow water in the 10-foot range at the Horseshoe has been the most productive location. Our shrimp boat, the Hailey Haze, should be ready to get back to work in a few weeks, and we hope to have a steady supply of live grass shrimp after the first of the year.” Dan Mathisen of Dan’s Delta Outdoors in Oakley said, “They are catching sturgeon in the Sacramento River from the Red Barn down to Collinville, and with the major push of hyacinth out of the upper river, boaters have been going into the sloughs or cuts such as Winter Cut and getting off of the main river. Bloody Eel or Pickled Eel with nightcrawlers are working best for the diamondbacks.” In the upper river, striped bass fishing is limited to live bait such as mudsuckers or golden shiners or frozen bait loaded with scent, as the river is high and muddy. It’s clearly a wintertime striped bass bite, and the linesides will only pull down the bait and hold it without running, as their metabolism has slowed considerably. The Sacramento Deep Water Channel and the main river near the Sherman Island Power Lines in deep water to 34 feet are good locations for linesides on the anchor. There are still reports of individuals illegally transporting kingfish or jack smelt from San Francisco Bay into the Delta in search of huge striped bass in the Sacramento River. At this time of year, with heavy flows on the river bringing down trees and stumps, boaters need to be particularly cautious while anchoring at night. Having a knife available to cut the anchor line is essential, as a big log can cause a boat to capsize within minutes. It’s possible to find clear water in the San Joaquin Delta, but to catch striped or largemouth bass, you have to adjust your presentation to match the conditions. The water temperatures have dropped considerably, and the Florida-strain largemouth bass in the Delta do not prefer the colder water. Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, said, “The largemouth bass are not jumping in the boat with the cold water temperatures, and it is important to slow down and adjust your techniques. The major thoroughfares on the San Joaquin are muddy, and the cleanest water is found in the sloughs. Neither the striped bass nor largemouth bass like muddy water, and you have to slow things down to a crawl as well as loading up your lures with scent. Downsizing your lines to 8- to 10-pound test is essential, and the lighter line allows for using lighter weights on the finesse presentations. At this time of year, I also prefer using a spinning rod since it is easier to slow down the presentation on spinning rod as compared to a baitcaster. Brush Hog or Havoc Flat Dogs on a Texas-rig is a good option, and I dab some Pro-Cure in either anise or crayfish on the lure every three or four casts in the cold water. Some people prefer shad scent, and it is best to use whatever scent you believe in. There is also a good ripbait bite with the ima Flit 120 in either olive herring or American shad using 12-pound Trilene 100 percent fluorocarbon line, as the heavier line stays longer in the water column. Making multiple casts to the same area is important, as the fish may not want to strike the first few times the lure is presented. It is important to stay between 3 and 8 feet in depth as well as not to get too upset if you don’t get bit at first. The water temperature changes from the morning to the afternoon hours, and the same areas that weren’t producing in the morning may become productive once the water warms up. It is also a good time to look for baitfish, and some key signs are watching for working birds or surface movement. There were loads of birds working in the Stockton Turning Basin, but most of the striped bass in the Port of Stockton have been undersized.” Dan Mathisen of Dan’s Delta Outdoors in Oakley said, “The largemouth bass bite is tough, and the fish are scattered from deep water to the shallows. Slowly dragging jigs is the best option, and a few fish are taken on Alabama rigs; however, the bite is slow with Poppa D only landing three largemouth bass despite going out three times this week. The water temperature has warmed up slightly to the low 50s, and there are some stripers in the Discovery Bay to Tracy part of the Delta.” Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento, said, “I found clear water in Mildred Island and southwest of this area, but the 47-degree water slowed down the largemouth bass bite. I only landed four small bass using Alabama rigs. The water in the main San Joaquin from the mouth of the Mokelumne toward Antioch is dirty with stained water coming out of the Cosumnes and Mokelumne rivers. The stripers have disappeared, but they should find the clear water in the south Delta soon.” The cold water has slowed the bluegill and red ear perch bite off Whiskey Slough, Bacon Island Road, Eight Mile Road and Discovery Bay, but a few panfish still can be taken with jumbo red worms on the drop-shot. 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 high flows in the Sacramento River are leading to increased pumping into San Luis Reservoir, and the main lake has risen to 59 percent. Fishing pressure has slowed with the holiday season, rainstorms and freezing temperatures, but striped bass are there for the taking. Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported the best action occurring in Portuguese Cove or near the Buoys along the Trash Racks by drifting jumbo minnows or vertically jigging spoons such as Duh! Spoons in 1.75 ounces or Rapala Ice Jigs. The best bite is in the morning hours. Trolling Alabama-style rigs with small shad-patterned swimbaits at depths to 100 feet along the deep flats is another productive technique along with swimbaits or jerkbaits such as Lucky Craft Pointer 128s. Roger George of Roger’s Guide Service trolled minnow plugs at depths from 50 to 80 feet during the week for 14 striped bass to 10 pounds caught and released. He said, “It was a tough bite with most fishermen only finding one or two striped bass, and the minnow bite was slow.” Bait fishermen are soaking frozen shad, anchovies or chicken livers as the water levels have risen to the point that a long walk to the shoreline is unnecessary. Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported most local fishermen are targeting the O’Neill Forebay with drifting minnows or spoons. Coyote Bait reported an early morning bite with Zara Spooks, jerkbaits or live jumbo minnows, but the bite dies into the afternoon hours. Bank fishermen are scoring with jumbo minnows, pile worms or blood worms at Check 12, particularly when the water is being pumped into the reservoir. 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 Michael Cabanas of the Huli Cat went on a cod/crab combination trip out of the harbor before Friday’s bad-weather day, and they put in quality copper and other hard heads along with crab. The Huli Cat is running combination trips through Saturday. On the party boat front, the Huli Cat is the only large boat running crab/rockfish combinations, and he has found decent action for Dungeness off Montara at depths to 180 feet. Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat will continue to run the combination trips until the rockfish closure Dec. 31, when they will switch to sand dab/crab, crab-only, whale-watching, and bird-watching trips until the ocean salmon season opens in the spring. Call: Happy Hooker, 510-223-5388; Captain Roger Thomas, Salty Lady, 415-760-9362; Emeryville Sport Fishing, 510-654-6040.

Monterey/Santa Cruz

Chris Arcoleo of Chris’ Fishing Trips in Monterey reported outstanding ling cod counts with live sand dabs on board during the last weeks of the rockfish season. Crab counts remain in the three- to five-crab range as 10-crab limits have been elusive throughout the season. The Check Mate returned with limits of ling cod on a recent trip. Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service reported, “On the Santa Cruz side of the bay, reports were much the same.” Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine reported, “Rock fishing was great today up near Franklin Point and Ano Nuevo. Anglers caught limits of quality rockfish and lingcod. The wind stayed down all day on the local waters, and there was only a small chop at Franklin Point.” Only a few boats are launching from the Capitola Wharf. Ed Burrell from Capitola Boat and Bait did record good catches for one of the wharf regulars, Glen Larson. Using swimbaits, Larson caught his limit of lingcod and retained about a half-limit of larger bolina rockfish.” Rockfish season ends Dec. 31.” Call: Chris’ Landing, 831-375-5951; Bayside Marine, 831-475-2173.

San Francisco Bay

Not much happening over the weekend with the holiday and rough ocean conditions, but the party boats should resume this week, although the crab counts have dropped dramatically. The rockfish season ends Dec. 31, and most party boats will take the occasional trip for sturgeon and striped bass within San Pablo or the south bay. Inside the bay, Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle reported a few party boats out of the harbor found bass and sturgeon in the bay, and it was “pretty good with the slow tides, but I expect it to get really good after Christmas. Crab sales have been through the roof, and with the water muddy in San Pablo Bay and the better tides, it should be great this week for sturgeon.”

This story was originally published December 27, 2016 at 4:17 PM with the headline "Fish report for Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016."