Fish report for Jan. 4, 2017

Lake Don Pedro

After a slow rainbow trout and king salmon season during the fall months of 2015 and into the spring of 2016, the final weeks of the year have finally brought out the rainbow trout at Don Pedro. Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing trolled the lake twice in the past week with outstanding results. He said, “It was really slow last year at this time, but I think we have turned the corner and are back onto good times at Don Pedro. I went out on Wednesday to scout the lake, and we trolled four to five locations, finding willing biters in all but one location. This trip ended up with 17 rainbows caught and released before I took out my first clients on Friday. During Friday’s trip, the first two locations we tried were unproductive, so I went to one spot, and we never had to change lures, keeping 8 rainbows to 2 pounds along with releasing another 4 to 5 fish and several other hits. Everything is in the top 15 feet, and I am fast-trolling heavy spoons on leadcore so there is no need to use a downrigger. Dead-end coves and the shorelines are the productive areas, but you have to hunt them down. The water clarity is clear despite the recent inflow, but there is some grass in the water. There was another boat working the shoreline, and they trolled Rebels for 4 trout to 3 pounds and 6 spotted bass. The rainbows are in the 12- to 14-inch range with the occasional 17-incher.” A few king salmon can be found up the Tuolumne River arm, but trollers have to be cautious of the submerged trees grabbing their gear. With several bass tournaments in the upcoming months, Lakes McClure and Don Pedro are rounding into shape just in time. Mike Gomez of the Bait Barn in Waterford said, “Don Pedro is on fire with the occasional largemouth bass over 8 pounds taken on Huddleston swimbaits in rainbow trout, but you have to throw the big lure all day long for the chance at a single big bite. The most consistent technique is to work at depths from 10 to 30 feet Pro Worms in 124p or 300 along with the Berserk Purple Hornet or Brown/Purple jig. There are some quality spotted bass in the 2- to 4-pound range to be taken, and it will be interesting to see what Saturday’s storm has affected the bite.” Call: Monte Smith, 209-581-4734; Danny Layne-Fish’n Dan, 209-586-2383; Gary Vella, 209-652-7550.

McClure Reservoir

At McClure, Mike Gomez of the Bait Barn in Waterford said, “It is still a good bite with the same techniques as Don Pedro, and I found good action this week using the 6-inch Pro Worm 124p on a shakey head at depths from 25 to 40 feet. The lake has come up, and locations I was fishing a few weeks ago in 25 feet of water are now at 40 feet of water. The water clarity is still very good despite the inflow. At McClure, the launch ramps at McClure Point and Barrett Cove South are open, but the Horseshoe Bend launch ramp and Barrett Cove North ramps are closed at the present time.

McSwain Reservoir

Calaveras Trout Farm is back in operation, and there is hope for biweekly plants at the lake in the upcoming months. 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. The marina will not be installing bait tanks for live minnows, but live crawdads are still a possibility in the future. Call: McSwain Marina, 209-378-2534.

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

New Melones continues to pump out some quality rainbows, and the time for truly trophy bass is coming quickly within the next two months. The lake is coming up steadily from the recent rainstorms, and the water clarity is good throughout the majority of the lake. Gary Burns of ‘Take It To The Limit’ Guide Service said, “We trolled twice this week, and we did very well above the Highway 49 Bridge and into the main lake around the dam. Although the rainbows were only up to 14 inches, there were plenty of them to catch. Toplining Rapalas, Needlefish, and Excel spoons was the trick, and fishing this way is just a kick when you see the rod go down like it does. All different colors of lures worked at 2.8 mph, and we put limits in the boat and released quite a few more rainbows. At one point, we went into the main lake in search of larger trout, but we landed similarly sized rainbows along with spotted bass around the shad schools at a depth of 80 feet.” As the lake has turned over, shore fishing with light line and hooks using trout dough bait in various colors along with nightcrawlers are producing rainbows from the bank areas. For bass, John Liechty of Glory Hole Sports in Angels Camp said, “The winter bite is in full swing, and most anglers are catching some really nice spotted and largemouth bass as the fish are relatively active and willing to bite. Most of the fish are holding at depths from 30 to 50 feet, but some fish are moving shallow to feed and can be caught near the shoreline. The shad and trout have moved into creek channels and pockets off of the main lake, and the bass will follow the bait. A great deep water technique that will work during the cold winter months is a vertical jigging spoon. Some anglers are catching big largemouths on trout patterned swimbaits. Glory Hole Sports is holding their Big Bass Bass on January 28th with 100% payback with a two fish limit of one spotted bass and one largemouth bass with a team fee of $165. Catfishing continues to be slow during the winter months, but the occasional large whiskerfish is taken at this time of year with nightcrawlers or trout dough bait intended for rainbow trout. The recent rains have brought the lake up 4 more feet to 884.02 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

The wall of muddy water has made its way throughout the Sacramento-Delta, and after over a week of cold temperatures, the sturgeon are starting to adjust to the rapid change to cold water. However, the fresh water from the Sacramento River has also brought grass, weeds, and debris into the Delta, making for challenging conditions. Striped bass action is limited to a few linesides taken on cut baits loaded with scent as the muddy water has slowed the trolling and plugging bite to a crawl. Sturgeon have clearly taken over the top spot in the Delta with scores coming out of the north from Cache Slough down to Suisun Bay. Captain Jay Lopes on the Right Hook out of Martinez Marina has been finding good action in Suisun Bay, and Captain John Badger of Barbarian Sport Fishing, also out of Martinez, has been heading into San Pablo Bay during this past week of good tides. Badger said, “My week started working the shallows with minimal action, and we went further upriver and marked a few fish. After anchoring above the fish, we fought weeds for the rest of the day, but we did put in two keepers and a few shakers.” In the upper river near Freeport, Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle in Freeport said, “The Sacramento River has dropped back to normal height, but the current is still strong. Bank anglers are using 10 to 14 ounces of weight in order to stay down, but a few sturgeon are being landed from the bank areas off of Steamboat Slough near the Hogback Boat Launch, Freeport, and Merritt’s Landing with eel/nightcrawler combinations, eel/pile worm combinations, or ghost shrimp. Coating your bait with Sturgeon Cocktail is a must in the muddy water. There are also sturgeon taken at the mouth of Steamboat Slough and in Cache Slough with the same baits. A few striped bass in the system, and the Deep Water Channel has been the top location with frozen shad or sardines loaded with garlic spray. Cut baits work much better than live bait in the cold water.” The first major sturgeon derbies of the season are scheduled on Jan. 28 with the Diamond Classic Catch and Release Derby out of Martinez Marina followed on Feb. 4-5 with the Foundation Sportsmen’s Club Original, aka ‘Super Bowl’ Sturgeon Derby out of McAvoy’s Boat Harbor in Bay Point. Information and registration is available at www.originalsturgeonderby.com. 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. Clear water has become all but impossible to find on the San Joaquin-Delta, and with the absence of clear water, anglers must adjust their techniques. The recent inflow has affected even the south Delta below Mildred Island into Discovery Bay. Randy Pringle, the fishing instructor, said, “It is hard to find clear water right now so the key is vibration and scent. I will be working the mud with big blades on spinnerbaits since you need the thump and vibration in order to attract a strike. The big blades allow you to slow down your presentation and keep it in the strike zone longer. Jigs in three-eighths or one-fourth oz. with a bigger profile such as a lizard on the back of the jig are best. You have to keep the profile compact and not long as the fish will realize the longer bait doesn’t look natural. Scent is an absolute, and I use various combinations of Pro-Cure to bring out the bite. The other key is the color of the lures with brighter colors than the water necessary such as orange. Vibration, scent, and color are essential in the muddy and cold water. The Chigger Craw or Power Bait lures are very effective with their built-in scent.” 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 main San Luis Reservoir continues to rise with the lake rising another 6 percent this past week to 62 percent as the pumping out of the South Delta continues. The rising water has created challenging conditions, but experienced fishermen are finding some limited success on schoolie-sized fish. The lake is changing in elevation every day, and previously, the stripers were located deep in the flats, but with the incoming weather system, they are relating to structure such as ledges, drop offs and points. Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “I haven’t heard anything out of either the forebay or the main lake during the past week with most of our striper fishermen heading instead to the California Aqueduct.” Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said that the rising water, changing weather patterns and passing fronts have created changing patterns each time he’s fished. “I fished 2 times in the last week and I caught and released 8, and 10 fish on the trips to 24 inches – but I had to use every trick I know to do that. Most guys I talked to were in the 1 to 3 fish per boat category. Minnows were working a week ago, but it seemed that the troll guys began doing better latter this week. The fish were holding very deep earlier, but they seem to be coming back up to more normal depths – however they aren’t easy to find as they are moving around in the unstable conditions. I would recommend trolling the 50- to 90-foot range. I think trolling is working better because it lets you cover more territory in a bigger lake and improves your chances of finding the few active and biting fish in the 53-degree water. The spoon bite has died too. A lot of fish are not biting, just sitting,” George said. Coyote Bait reported the bass have gone deep in the main lake at depths from 60 to 90 feet near the Trash Racks or the mouth of Portuguese Cove, and a few striped bass are taken on jumbo minnows with the best action in the warmer water of the afternoons. Vertically jigging spoons such as Duh! Spoons in 1.75 ounces or Rapala Ice Jigs is another option for some success. O’Neill Forebay is receiving an inflow of water from the California Aqueduct and Delta-Mendota Canal, and the incoming water is attracting active fish to areas with more current. The water clarity is stained in the forebay with all of the inflow. 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

Rockfishing ended Dec. 31, and the party boats will be limited to sand dab/crab or whale and bird watching trips for the next few months. The Huli Cat will continue to run sand dab/crab, crab-only, or whale watching trips until the anticipated salmon opener in April. Captain Roger Thomas of the Salty Lady has brought his vessel down to Pillar Point for the winter months, and they will be running three-hour whale watching trips until the ocean salmon opener. There have been sightings of a white whale estimated at 30 feet in length outside of Half Moon Bay over the past few weeks. 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’s Landing in Monterey reported outstanding ling cod action at the end of the current season. The crab counts remain extremely low at 1 to 2 per anglers, and this port has never taken off on the crab front this year. The Check Mate has been using live mackerel for 13 limits of ling cod along with one-fourth limits of rockfish while the Caroline posted 25 lings, 44 Dungeness crab, and one-fourth limits of rockfish for 18 anglers. Arcoleo said, “There have been several big female lings in the 20-pound range, and one angler released a huge 35-pounder after taking a weight.” Chris’s is running sand dab/crab trips through the winter months. Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service reported, “Ocean swells are still kicking up lots of old seaweed and seagrass, which hampers surfcasting efforts. Usually within a day or two, the weeds subside and the water cleans up. Perch fishing in general has been a little slower these past couple weeks, but we expect things to pick up as we move into the real “season” for perch, from January through April. Jeff Goyert reminds us to add the Santa Cruz Flyfishers Annual Fund Raising Dinner to our calendars. Scheduled for January 21, this will be a “‪wild-caught salmon dinner catered by Jozseph Schultz of ‘India Joze’ fame,” says Goyert. The dinner is being held at Peace United Church of Christ, 900 High St., Santa Cruz. Tickets will be available at the door starting at 5 p.m.; $40 for adults, $25 for kids 12 and under. For more information, visit the club website at www.santacruzflyfishermen.org. Call: Chris’ Landing, 831-375-5951; Bayside Marine, 831-475-2173.

San Francisco Bay

We are in the doldrums as far as ocean fishing is concerned, and the next few months will be limited to sand dabs and crab, and with the crab counts down, the sand dab trips will be harder to fill. Bodega Bay remains the top location for crab counts with an available sand dab population. Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle reported a few sturgeon were landed on the party boats Soleman and Fury over the weekend, but the cold and windy conditions along with the holiday kept most fishermen from heading out into San Pablo Bay. Loch Lomond is loaded with quality ghost shrimp, frozen herring, eel, and all frozen baits, and with the current commercial crab strike, Loch Lomond still has some live crab swimming around in the tanks for those desiring live Dungeness as the commercial crabbers from Morro Bay to Westport, Washington are currently on strike over the major distributer lowering the price of crab to $2.75/pound from $3/pound.

This story was originally published January 3, 2017 at 3:28 PM with the headline "Fish report for Jan. 4, 2017."