Northern California fish report for Feb. 8, 2017

Lake Don Pedro

The lake is dropping water, and Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing said, “The trout bite generally slows down a bit when the lake recedes.” He’s ready to begin trolling for rainbow trout near the surface as the water continues to clear. Mike Gomez of the Bait Barn in Waterford said, “Bass fishing has slowed with the stained water, but anglers can expect between 10 and 12 bass per trip working the bottom with plastics or jigs. The reaction bite is non-existent.” The extra water this winter should make for a great spring bite. The lake has receded to 87 percent and 807.84 feet in elevation. Call: Monte Smith, 209-581-4734; Danny Layne-Fish’n Dan, 209-586-2383; Gary Vella, 209-652-7550.

McClure Reservoir

The lake held at 73 percent, but the cumulative effect of continuous storms has stained the water. Bass fishing has slowed, and the best action remains on the bottom with jigs or plastics on the drop-shot at depths from 25 to 45 feet.

McSwain Reservoir

Fishing is limited to a few planters with garlic trout dough bait, Power Eggs or nightcrawlers. Trout plants are still absent, but the Calaveras Trout Farm is back in operation, and there is hope for biweekly plants at the lake in the coming months. There are no DFW plants scheduled. The marina will not be installing bait tanks for live minnows, but live crawdads are still a possibility. Call: McSwain Marina, 209-378-2534.

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

New Melones remains solid for a variety of species as it rises to levels unheard of for the last several years. The lake has risen to 44 percent of capacity after languishing under 20 percent for the past year. The increased water level has allowed for all four lanes to be on the concrete at Glory Hole Point and the reopening of the Tuttletown launch ramp for the first time since 2014. The bass bite has been unpredictable with the rising water level, but John Liechty of Glory Hole Sports in Angels Camp said, “The fish can be found at several different depths throughout the day with the best fishing in 15 to 50 feet of water. With the cold water temperatures, a slow presentation is best, and most fishermen are catching bass using baits that can be dragged slowly across the bottom. Arkie head jigs are a good choice, and they will pull through grass better than football jigs, and either Texas or Carolina rigs are producing. Some fishermen are finding giant bass throwing swimbaits all day for the one big bite. I landed an 8.22-pound largemouth on a Baby Brush Hog first thing in the morning during our recent tournament.” Mike Gomez of the Bait Barn in Waterford fished the lake Saturday and said, “It took a while before I figured out the pattern, but once I did, I caught and released between 15 and 20 fish, including a 5-pound spotted bass using a Berserk Purple Hornet jig on a slow presentation. The best action came at depths from 25 to 55 feet.” Trout fishing has improved in the cooler temperatures with bank fishermen scoring off Glory Hole Point and near the Highway 49 Bridge with trout dough bait or nightcrawler/marshmallow combinations. Liechty said, “With the water stained, it is best to use a bait with a strong scent. Trollers are finding action in many different parts of the lake with the rainbows holding near the surface. A long setback of between 150 to 200 feet is necessary, and running plugs or spoons in bright colors such as firetiger, orange or chartreuse are working best.” The crappie bite is showing signs of life around the flooded brush and vegetation with small spinners or minijigs. Catfishing is slow in the cold water, but a few whiskerfish can be located near moving water at the inlets with a ball of nightcrawlers. New Melones is currently at 44 percent and 951.39 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 33rd annual Foundation Sportsman’s Club Original Sturgeon Derby was impacted by inclement weather and wind over the weekend after experiencing tremendous weather during the 2016 event. Most participants stayed above the Carquinez Bridge in order to fish throughout the night since anchoring at night in San Pablo Bay is illegal. Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait said, “The winning fish on Sunday came in with 10 minutes to spare before the 1:00 finale, and this fish was only one-quarter of an inch off of the target length. There were lots of big fish landed, and the ones that came out of San Pablo Bay were loaded with mud shrimp as the Department of Fish and Wildlife researchers were present at the measuring table and inspecting the fish and their stomach contents.” Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing out of Pittsburg was out during the full event and said, “We had three bites and three hook-ups during the 30 hours with Jason Johnson of Vallejo releasing a 62-inch oversized, Clifford Terrell of Vallejo releasing a 49-inch slot-limit fish, and I released the baby of the group at 15 inches. There was a lot of trash coming down the river, and we had to constantly clear our lines and the anchor rope.” In addition to the salmon roe, Mitchell advised having a piece of eel on your hook at all times since it will stay on when the other baits fall off, and combinations of eel/pile worms, eel/ghost shrimp, eel/nightcrawlers or eel/roe can all be productive. Once the eel soaks for a bit, Mitchell will inject some Pro Cure Herring Oil, Lamprey Eel or Pile Worm scent into the bait. Andy Doudna, organizer of the Addathon Ironman Sturgeon Derby, said, “This was the hardest fishing I have seen in quite a while, and I had a hard time finding sturgeon on the chomp. There were sturgeon landed at the Mothball Fleet, Roe and Ryer Island, the Big Cut and Sherman Island that I know of, but the bite was tough for most anglers with only a few fish feeding here and there. The best baits were salmon roe, lamprey eel and ghost shrimp for the most part, as the water temperature was in the 50- to 51-degree range. There was little grass on the surface, but there are some very large deadheads and trash on the surface, making for the necessity to keep your eyes on the water while running around.” The next major sturgeon derby on the Delta will be the spring version of the Addathon Ironman Sturgeon Derby out of Pittsburg in March. The Original Sturgeon Derby was the focus last weekend, and although most participants do not target the San Joaquin River, anglers in the south and east Delta have been heading to Suisun Bay for sturgeon as opposed to targeting striped bass in local waters. The river is starting to clear to some degree, but the overall visibility is limited. Alan Fong of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento said, “One fishermen was able to put together a limit over 20 pounds throwing dark-patterned spinnerbaits in White Slough. The water temperature is warmer at 55 degrees, and the visibility isn’t too bad at 2 feet. He only landed six largemouth bass, but they were all big fish.” Dan Mathisen of Dan’s Delta Outdoors in Oakley said, “It is sturgeon derby weekend, and we have been selling lots of cured ghost shrimp along with pickled and bloody eel for sturgeon fishermen. The Delta is starting to clear up and the water temperatures are stabilizing. There have been some largemouth bass taken on chatterbaits, and I expect the bass bite to go wide open within a few weeks. The best action at the current time has been on south facing banks with jigs on a slow presentation, as the water temperature in the south Delta has been in the 51.5- to 53-degree range with the warmest water in the late afternoon.” Gotcha Bait in Antioch reported most fishermen are heading to Suisun Bay, but the Antioch Fishing Pier is the top local spot for striped bass to 22 inches with sardine fillets or live mudsuckers. There is some clearing in the south Delta, and the debris is starting to dissipate. 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 is nearly filled, currently at 87 percent, and is expected to rise to full capacity by the end of March. This rise is remarkable, as the lake was less than 10 percent as recently as August 2016. The federal government’s U.S. Bureau of Reclamation portion is expected to fill the lake by late March, as the heavy water exports continue from the south Delta. As more and more shore area of the lake is being inundated, the striped bass are scattering out into uncharteted waters in search of new food sources. With the Delta heavily stained, Steve Santucci of Steve Santucci’s Fly Fishing Guide Service has been fishing at San Luis Reservoir for striped bass and said, “The lake is shaping up nicely, as it is about 25 feet from maximum elevation. We ended up catching some nice schoolie striped bass on large flies.” Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said the fish are scattered and holding relatively shallow right now due to a thermocline. “The water temp is holding at about 50 degrees, and the water is moderately clear in the rising lake, but a strong thermocline at 50 feet has caused the fishing to go shallower than usual,” George said. “There is some success with casting lures and trolling, but it’s changing from day to day with the passing storms. The regular patterns should return when the lake reaches near the top. Anglers need to also remember that they have to have compliant 2-stroke engines now and go through the Quagga boat inspection if they don’t have a Quagga band attached.” Bank fishermen are finding the best action as Alex Tran of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported sales of jumbo minnows are currently down while blood and pile worms are on the increase. He said, “When the blood and pile worms are selling, you know that most fishermen are heading to the banks.” Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “There has been some action at the main lake, as one of our customers came in with three striped bass weighing a total of 15 pounds while trolling and casting Speedlures.” In the O’Neill Forebay, the cold and muddy water has limited the reaction bite, but blood worms and pile worms have been effective near Check 12, particularly when the water is moving.” 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. Second Captain Michael Cabanas of the Huli Cat went out Saturday on a sand dab/crab combination trip, and they put together some of both species with the sand dabs taken on Sabiki rigs tipped with squid. 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. The annual Mavericks Big Wave Surf Contest was canceled, as the competition’s organizers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Jan. 31. The event has been a big draw for passengers on party boats in order to view the competition, and without the event, party boats will have far less to look forward to until salmon season opens in April. The Mavericks event has been held every year since 1999 at Pillar Point, when the surf is breaking at 25 feet or greater at the Mavericks Reef north of the harbor. Party boats will be limited to nature trips and whale watching. The Huli Cat, Captain Roger Thomas of the Salty Lady and Captain Dennis Baxter of the New Captain Pete and Queen of Hearts will run whale-watching and nature trips. 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, “We are running sand dab/Dungeness crab combination trips when the weather cooperates and there is enough interest, and we recorded 360 sand dabs plus 72 Dungeness crab for nine anglers on the Check Mate on one trip while the Caroline enjoyed similar success, bringing home 500 sand dabs and 52 dungies for the 10 anglers aboard.” The 13th annual Sand Crab Classic is coming to Santa Cruz and the adjacent coastline March 11, and entries are limited to 300 with a registration deadline of Feb. 12. Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service reported, “On the Santa Cruz side of the bay, things are much slower. The Santa Cruz harbor entrance remains shoaled. Harbor officials remind boaters to exercise extreme caution when attempting to transit the harbor mouth.” Last week, Harbormaster Latisha Marshall advised, “Be aware of the tides and know how much water your boat drafts.” Current entrance soundings indicate only a narrow channel with a depth of 6 to 10 feet on the far east side of the harbor mouth is navigable, and there are very shallow sand bars immediately outside the harbor as well. In the good-news column, we’ve had a few more striped bass reported caught from beaches close to the Salinas and Pajaro river mouths. Most of these beach stripers are sub-legal size but still a blast to catch. Call: Chris’ Landing, 831-375-5951; Bayside Marine, 831-475-2173.

San Francisco Bay

Captain Chris Smith of Captain Hook Sport Fishing was out on his six-pack, The Defiant, and had a stellar day Saturday with two keepers at 50 and 43 inches along with eight shakers and an oversized sturgeon with three stripers to boot. He said, “It was a great day of sturgeon fishing with Ron Watzke of Tracy landing and releasing a big oversized estimated at 78 inches along with a 50-inch keeper while Jonathan Anderson lost a slot fish in the propeller before landing a 43-inch slot fish.” Smith was fishing in the back of San Pablo Bay in the shallows. Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle in San Rafael reported there was a big run on mud shrimp before the sturgeon derby, and he hopes to have more live mud shrimp in the shop by Monday afternoon. He said, “There was one angler on Thursday who had never landed a sturgeon before, and he bought a dozen ghost shrimp since he had 1.5 hours before he had to go to work. I suggested that he go off of the levee at the marina, and he found beginner’s luck with a 43-inch sturgeon on his first cast. He came back 45 minutes later with the sturgeon and 11 ghost shrimp left. He went back out on Friday ... and he landed another 43-incher in the same spot on his second cast. I believe the majority of sturgeon are dining on herring down bay, but they will be back soon.” There was a massive herring spawn in the south bay near Coyote Point on Friday, and fishermen were out in force with their cast nets. With the herring showing up in the south bay, the sturgeon are sure to be there as well. A reminder that 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 February 7, 2017 at 4:39 PM with the headline "Northern California fish report for Feb. 8, 2017."