Fish report for Feb. 1, 2017
Lake Don Pedro
Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing is ready to begin trolling for rainbow trout near the surface as the water continues to clear. King salmon are holding up the river arm in deep water, and the extra water this winter should make for a great spring bite. Bass fishing is best with plastics on the drop-shot, jigs or Brush Hogs at depths from 25-45 feet in the main lake. The lake has dropped to 89 percent and 812.24 feet in elevation with water releases balanced between inflow. Call: Monte Smith, 209-581-4734; Danny Layne-Fish’n Dan, 209-586-2383; Gary Vella, 209-652-7550.
MClure Reservoir
The lake rose to 73 percent and 823.38 feet in elevation, and the water clarity has improved slightly with the week of good weather. Bass fishing is best with jigs or plastics on the drop-shot at depths from 25-45 feet. Berserk Jigs in Brown/Purple, Green Craw or Purple Hornet along with Pro Worms in 124p, 261 LT or 300.
MSwain Reservoir
Trout plants are possible in the future, but with the last trout plant occurring in October, fishing is limited to a few planters 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. Calaveras Trout Farm is back in operation, and there is hope for biweekly plants in the upcoming months. Call: McSwain Marina, 209-378-2534.
New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch
New Melones continues to rise daily, and the recent spate of clear weather has allowed for more fishermen to access the lake. Particularly helpful has been the opening of four lanes on concrete at the Glory Hole ramp as well as the access at the Tuttletown launch via four-wheel drive. John Liechty of Glory Hole Sports in Angels Camp was very pleased with the turnout for Saturday’s Big Bass Bash, and he was doubly-happy with the results as he and his partner took first place with a two-fish weight of 10.73 pounds, including a largemouth bass at 8.22 pounds. Liecthy said, “The format is a two-fish limit consisting of a largemouth bass and a spotted bass, and this forces the teams to work various techniques to target the different species. I was able to land the big largemouth right away in the morning on a Baby Brush Hog, and there were a variety of baits that were successful, including jigs, soft plastics and the occasional swimbait fish.” Twenty-five teams participated. Bass have become unpredictable with the changing water levels, but the overall bite is good with most fishermen scoring quality spotted and largemouth bass. A weedless presentation is advised near the shoreline due to the flooded vegetation. The trout bite remains solid near the surface for trollers in the main lake pockets, creek channels and wind-protected bends, and as the fish are feeding near the surface, a long setback between 150 and 200 feet is advised with brightly painted lures that create sound and vibration. Bank fishing should improve when the rain stops, as the water clarity will improve. Trout dough bait/marshmallow or nightcrawler/marshmallow combinations will work best on light line with light hooks to float the bait above the vegetation. With the warming weather, crappie are starting to become active, and the slabs are moving into the back cove and creek channels. Small spinners or minijigs have been the top lures for the slabs. Catfishing remains slow, but soaking a ball of nightcrawlers near moving inlets may produce a quality whiskerfish. New Melones is currently at 42 percent and 942.31 feet in elevation. Call: Glory Hole Sports, 209-736-4333; Monte Smith, 209-581-4734; Danny Layne-Fish’n Dan, 209-586-2383.
Delta/Stockton
The first of two large sturgeon derbies occurred last weekend with the 11th annual Diamond Classic Catch and Release Sturgeon Derby out of Martinez Marina. Derby organizer Captain Steve Talmadge of Flash Fishing said, “The derby was a great success, and it keeps getting better and better. Once again, I was encouraged by the number of children participating in the kids program. My weigh masters were kept very busy during the derby, as they had 86 dispatches to fish with 40 legal slot fish and six over-sized fish caught and released. There were also many missed fish. One-hundred thirty-one kids participated in the derby, and they caught fish and all were entered into a drawing for prizes that included two custom rods and an Avet reel. There were children that didn’t catch fish, but due to the support of the derby’s sponsors, every kid went home with a prize. The Pier Crew spent the day teaching and helping the kids fishing on the pier. A total of $9,700 was distributed to the seven top places. I want to thank all the fishermen that participated, releasing all the fish. The Sacramento River is starting to drop and clear, but many launches in the north Delta are still out of commission due to the high water.” Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle in Freeport said, “I went out on Saturday and the bite was tough, as there was so much current running down the river. Bank fishermen are using 12 to 14 ounces of weight in order to stay down, and it was very challenging to keep on the bottom.” Most fishermen were focusing on Suisun Bay and the sloughs during the weekend’s Diamond Classic. The 33rd Original ‘aka Super Bowl’ Sturgeon Derby is Feb. 4-5 at noon at the Foundation Sportsman’s Club at McAvoy’s Boat Harbor in Bay Point. Information is available at www.originalsturgeonderby.com. All participants must sign up at McAvoy’s Boat Harbor, and the entire boat crew must be entered on one entry form at the same time. In the San Joaquin River, the largemouth bass bite was slightly better last weekend, rebounding from the single 13-inch fish taking a tournament the previous weekend. Clear water is hard to find, but 17 anglers in the American Bass Association out of Russo’s Marina landed 15 largemouth bass to 6.23 pounds with a total weight of 41.37 pounds Saturday. Dan Mathisen of Dan’s Delta Outdoors in Oakley said, “It was an improvement for bass fishermen this week, but the action is still tough. Discovery Bay is clearing up, and it is warming up in the low 50s. I expect the bass bite to bust wide open in the coming weeks, and the weather fronts on the horizon shouldn’t make much of a difference. There have been a few striped bass taken on either Alabama rigs or swimbaits.” Steve Santucci of Steve Santucci’s Fly Fishing Guide Service said, “The Delta is very high and slightly off color in most areas, so I have been heading to San Luis Reservoir for striped bass before returning to the Delta when conditions improve.” 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
San Luis Reservoir has jumped up to 82 percent due to increased water exports out of the South Delta during this period of heavy inflow, and the main lake is on its way to full capacity for the first time since 2011 after dropping below 10 percent last August. Water exports are arriving from the state and federal pumping projects, and the state’s portion will be filled by early February with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s portion to be filled by the conclusion of March. The rapid rise of the main lake hasn’t translated into better fishing yet with Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill saying, “The lake level is high, and the fish are scattered. It is this time of year when the striper bite is usually slow, and our sales of jumbo minnows indicate that either action or interest is down. For those drifting minnows, the mouth of Portuguese Cove or in front of the Trash Racks remain the best areas.” Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said the bite has been slow due to the rising water. “I fished with Fresno State Athletic Director Jim Bartko and his CFO, Terry Donovan, Monday, and we had a very tough bite. The fish were inactive and suspended and just weren’t biting much. The water was off color and full of grass and floating wood, so trolling is tough in the coves where the stuff is more concentrated. It may turn around very quickly once the water stabilizes, hopefully at the top,” George said. Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “Fishermen have been purchasing KeiTech swimbaits and Duo Realis jerkbaits for the main lake, but I haven’t received any reports of success.” 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
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. Further north in Pacifica, Rob Chaney of the Rusty Hook reported striped bass are starting to show up along the beaches, and there has been good action near Mori’s Point as well as at Linda Mar with metal spoons. He said, “I don’t know if it has been a fluke, but the stripers have been the happening thing over the past few days. Crabbing remains solid from the pier with snares.” 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 said, “Last Thursday was the first day we have gone out for sand dab/Dungeness crab in the last 10 days, and the results weren’t very good with 17 sand dabs and 30 crab for 10 anglers. The swell was huge at between 15 and 20 feet, and the sand dabs don’t bite when there is a big swell. During our last trips, we slaughtered the sand dabs and even had limits of crab on one trip, but Tinker on the Check Mate was only able to locate 11 of 16 pots with the big swell. ... We will be running the combination trips depending upon both interest and the weather.” The 13th annual Sand Crab Classic is coming to Santa Cruz and the adjacent coastline March 11, and the entries are limited to 300 participants with a registration deadline of Feb. 12. Just more than 100 places remain. Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service reported, “It is shaping up to be a historical winter with the succession of big-wave events, especially this last storm that included the largest swell ever recorded from a Monterey Bay buoy (34 feet). The constant waves have a drastic affect on beach sand, especially combined with silt deposited in the ocean from gushing local creeks and streams. The Santa Cruz Harbor entrance is extremely shallow right now. The daily depth-sounding report Wednesday showed zero to one foot across mouth of harbor, except for a small strip on the eastern edge measured at 8-10 feet in depth. Complicating harbor access is a sandbar just outside the jetties only three to six feet deep, effectively shutting the entrance. Minus tides in the afternoons over the weekend will make the harbor entrance dangerous. Harbor officials advise the boat launch ramp remains open, but boaters should proceed with extreme caution. The dredge is working at full capacity and could have a navigable channel established within a week, two at the most. More big waves might slow that process. The National Weather Service forecast for Friday predicts a “west swell 11 to 15 feet with swell periods of 18 to 20 seconds” and “local breakers in excess of 20 feet.” Monterey and Moss Landing Harbors remain fully open, though both locations had to deal with minor problems created by the surge effect last week’s waves created. Slip renters at all the Monterey Bay harbors would be well advised to double-check their moorings and lines as this wave train continues. As the conditions suggest, fishing is rather slow right now. Charter boats have remained at the dock for the past week. Big perch are here, and the occasional striped bass should be no surprise. This week, the beaches closer to the center of Monterey Bay were the best bet. Big sandbars have built up far from the beach, and there are plenty of trenches and holes to explore within easy casting distance. Reports from the beaches below Rio Del Mar included limits of barred surfperch and at least one legal striped bass. The two-inch “camo” sandworms are still the bait of choice for perch, and stripers will grab them as well. Tie a 24- to 48-inch leader with a #2 or #4 hook below a sliding egg sinker and use a slow steady retrieve to find the fish. Once you find the spot where fish are biting, you can cast more precisely. Another alternative is throwing smaller-sized Krokodiles or KastMasters. Stripers go after shiny hardware, and the bigger perch will hit them as well. So far this winter, we have received a rainfall total measuring about 160 percent of an average season to date. And there’s more to come. These rainstorms also bring high winds, high tides and big waves, all of which we can expect this coming weekend. These severe conditions make it unadvisable and sometimes impossible to fish the open ocean, beaches or local streams and creeks.” Call: Chris’ Landing, 831-375-5951; Bayside Marine, 831-475-2173.
San Francisco Bay
Sturgeon fishing was significantly slower Sunday with most captains struggling for the occasional bite after great days Friday and Saturday. The big news was the arrival of live mud shrimp from the northwest at Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle on Saturday morning. Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond said, “We dispatched to the airport at 4 a.m., and the word got out with fishermen coming from as far as Placerville, Martinez and Antioch for the mud shrimp, and I have never seen mud shrimp as nice as these. Mud shrimp are truly the filet mignon for sturgeon.” There have been up to 11 sturgeon hooked off the pier on recent days. Fraser added, “There has been a massive herring spawn in Tiburon and Belvedere, and I suspect the sturgies are dining on the herring in the area. It usually takes a week for them to return after a big spawn. I went out on Thursday to the Shellbanks, and we hooked four sturgeon, landing three with two in the slot along with two keeper bass. All fish were released to fight another day.” Fraser has plenty of ghost shrimp in the shop, and he’s hoping to have another shot of mud shrimp for this weekend’s Super Bowl Sturgeon Derby. Captain Jim Smith of the Happy Hooker out of Berkeley had a banner day Saturday fishing in the shallows in the back of San Pablo Bay. His clients put in three keepers along with nine shakers and two striped bass. Smith said, “We were using ghost shrimp, and they bit on both tides.” He has a trip next Saturday, but he’s ready to go during the week. Captain Trent Slate of Shelter Cove Sport Fishing out of Loch Lomond Marina had a good day Friday with a shaker and a 52-inch keeper landed by Matt Smart of Vallejo on ghost shrimp on the outgoing tide. Captain John Badger of Barbarian Sport Fishing put in work Friday with legal sturgeon in the flats of San Pablo Bay. Reminder, sturgeon may not be taken in the following described area between Jan. 1 and March 15: That portion of San Francisco Bay included within the following boundaries – a direct line between Point Chauncey (National Marine Fisheries Laboratory) and Point Richmond, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and a direct line between Point Lobos and Point Bonita.
This story was originally published January 31, 2017 at 4:34 PM with the headline "Fish report for Feb. 1, 2017."