Fish report for March 1, 2017

Lake Don Pedro

Don Pedro spilled over at the start of last week, and the lake was closed to all boating until reopening Feb. 27, according to lake news releases. The reservoir is presently releasing water through the controlled spillway to make room for the anticipated snowmelt in the coming weeks. Updated information is available at www.donpedrolake.com. Bonds Flat Road is currently closed beyond Fleming Meadows and the Blue Oaks campgrounds to ensure the safety of the public and spillway operations. Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing has been keeping a close eye on the lake and said, “The lake has been closed to all boating since February 20, but when I was last there on February 14, we found solid action for rainbows to 3 pounds and 22 inches, releasing several other fish. We were running heavy spoons on lead-core or downriggers to 20 feet, and the water clarity ranged from 6 to 8 feet with a surface temperature in the 54/55-degree range. The reservoir will be in great shape for the spring and summer, and with all reservoirs near or at capacity, no one reservoir will experience too much fishing pressure this summer. I am looking forward to a fantastic spring season.” Increased releases from Don Pedro, along with other reservoirs on the San Joaquin, has led to pressure on levees in the south Delta and the maintenance of a flash-flood warning in the San Joaquin Delta through the Carquinez Strait. The lake is releasing water as fast as possible through the spillway, but inflows of 14,500 cfs have kept the reservoir near capacity at 828.82 feet in elevation and 99 percent. Call: Monte Smith, 209-581-4734; Danny Layne-Fish’n Dan, 209-586-2383; Gary Vella, 209-652-7550.

McClure Reservoir

The lake rose to 91 percent within the week despite water releases into the Merced River. Currently, water releases are directed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as the lake has exceeded 67 percent of capacity. There is record snowmelt in the Merced River watershed, and water releases will continue to accommodate the coming snowmelt. The water is stained along the shorelines, but bass fishing is decent with Berserk jigs in brown/purple or Purple Hornet along with 5- to 6-inch Pro Worms in patterns 124p or 300 at depths from 25 to 50 feet. Boaters are advised to use caution due to floating and submerged logs and debris on the lake. The launch ramps at Barrett’s Cove South and McClure Point are open.

McSwain Reservoir

Trout plants are still lacking at the lake, but the occasional holdover rainbow from the last plant in October is taken on garlic trout dough bait, clear Gulp! Power Eggs or nightcrawlers on an 18- to 24-inch leader. There are small park-model rental cabins overlooking the lake that are currently under construction and slated to open in the coming months. The Exchequer Bike Park will be opened with a constructed cross-country bike loop. There is hope for biweekly plants at the lake in the upcoming months. Call: McSwain Marina, 209-378-2534.

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

New Melones is rising steadily, and with the anticipated snowmelt from the Stanislaus River watershed, the lake may come close to filling after holding around 20 percent for the past year. The lake is currently at 65 percent, rising 26 feet to 1,009.23 feet in elevation this week. With the closure of Don Pedro, Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing launched at New Melones for the first time in two years and said, “The water clarity was heavily stained, with visibility less than 2 feet, but my clients managed to land eight rainbow trout. I feel that we did well considering the conditions with stained water and water temperatures in the 48- to 51-degree range. We started off running spoons but quickly switched over to Vance’s Slim Willies with a threaded nightcrawler coated with Pro Cure Carp Spit. Once we switched to the Slim Willies, we started to hook up, as scent, vibration and sound is essential in the stained water. We were trolling at 1.5 mph at a depth around 7 to 8 feet. Boaters have to be very careful since many objects in the water are hard to see. We came up on one log that was at least 30 feet long, and we didn’t see it until we were very close since it only had a two-inch twig sticking up above the surface. There is a lot of grass in the water so clearing lines regularly is necessary.” Bass have moved in closer to the shoreline with the warmer water around the south-facing banks. The combination of sediment in the water and increased sun exposure are warming the water around the shorelines, and bass are getting active. The big fish should start making an appearance. With the warmer water near the shorelines, crappie are coming to life and vulnerable with minijigs or small minnows around submerged structure. Catfish are holding near the inlets with moving water. New Melones rose 32 feet to 983.88 feet in elevation and 55 percent. Call: Glory Hole Sports, 209-736-4333; Monte Smith, 209-581-4734; Danny Layne-Fish’n Dan, 209-586-2383.

Delta/Stockton

The Sacramento Delta is starting to drop slightly, but the water remains high and muddy. Few launch ramps in the north Delta were open, but Hogback, Arrowhead and Brannan Island have been consistently accessible. The municipal ramp in Rio Vista is still under water, and Sandy Beach is silted in. Boaters need to check launch ramp conditions before heading out on a trip into the Delta. Despite a weekend of clear weather, water releases remain high from the upstream reservoirs. Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait in Freeport said, “The Sacramento River is still high, but it is dropping a bit. Launch ramps are hard to find, but there are a few stripers starting to show up in the Sacramento Deep Water Channel with jumbo minnows or swimbaits. A 50-inch sturgeon was landed on Saturday in Prospect Slough on an eel/pile worm combination, but most sturgeon fishermen are heading into Suisun Bay, as the shallows of Honker Bay have been on fire.” With the high water and launch ramp challenges, the lower Delta remains the top location for sturgeon, but the diamondbacks went off the bite over the weekend. Chris Smith of Captain Hook Sport Fishing out of Martinez landed a legal sturgeon Saturday on the incoming tide near Benicia. Captain Jay Lopes of Right Hook Sport Fishing rebounded from a tough day Saturday to put a 52-inch slot limit sturgeon in the boat near Benicia on Sunday. The Addathon Iron Man Sturgeon Derby is scheduled for March 11-12 out of Pittsburg Harbor. The San Joaquin Delta has been inundated with water releases from upstream Don Pedro and nearly every other reservoir on the watershed other than New Melones, and the San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services expanded a boat closure in the south Delta last weekend. The original closure restricted boating on the San Joaquin River between the Stanislaus County line and Burns Cutoff, Paradise Cut from the San Joaquin River to Old River, and on Old River from the San Joaquin to Middle River, but the closure was expanded to include waters surrounding Bacon, Woodward, Lower Jones, Victoria and Roberts islands. Levees in the south Delta have been pushed to the max from water releases, resulting in a levee breach on the San Joaquin southwest of Manteca last week. In the Stockton area, Ladd’s Marina and the Morelli launch ramp remain open, but anglers need to be aware of the restricted waters. Waders are a necessity when launching or retrieving your vessel at high tide from either location. In the east Delta, Alan Fong of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento has continued to launch in challenging conditions out of Honker Cut to work the sloughs but said, “It is getting pretty muddy out there, and the 20-mph winds have cooled the water to 52 degrees so we only caught 10 bass with the big fish at 7.5 pounds flipping Missile’s D-Bombs or Sweet Beavers. Finding decent water is going to be a challenge.” Dan Mathisen of Dan’s Delta Outdoors in Oakley said, “The sun has come out after a week of rain and wind, and I can’t believe how many anglers are starting to troll. We have been selling a number of chartreuse and green plugs this past week. As water temps reach mid-50s, the black bass bite in Discovery Bay is rolling, as evidenced by the 28.5-pound limit winning the weekend’s tournament out of Russo’s Marina. Most anglers are sticking with jigs and slow-rolling blades searching ledges near sparse tule flats. Others looking to beat the clear conditions are starting to crank Red-Eye Shad and Big Poppa’s. In Frank’s Tract, the bass bite is picking up at a consistent pace with Black Blue Fizzles, Swim Jigs and FatSack jigs along with spinnerbaits.” Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, will be back on the Delta after this weekend’s Fred Hall Show in Southern California, and he’s looking forward to terrific largemouth bass action as the river drops, warms and clears. He has chosen to stay off the river even before the recreational boat closures due to safety concerns for his clients. 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 risen to 97 percent, and with the increased flows in the San Joaquin Delta, water exports will continue with the reservoir expected to fill in early March. Striped bass are starting to get active for plug casters, trollers and bait fishermen. Jesus Reyes Silva of Hollister’s JKings Lures said, “We have been scoring schoolie fish with my custom 130 mm jerkbaits in various color patterns. I landed 15 stripers, trolling at depths from 30 to 55 feet along the west side of the lake. The fish look like they are starting to spawn.” Roger George of Roger’s Guide Service in Fresno took out Jeff DeYoung of Fresno on Friday for his new personal-best striped bass at 16.6 pounds and 37 inches trolling minnow plugs. Said George, “This was DeYoung’s largest striper ever by 5 pounds, and we released the lineside via a Seaquilizer. Funny, we actually went out just looking for a new PB for him, and the first fish we hooked was the big one. Luck is a good thing! Now Jeff wants a 20-pound plus fish! Our numbers were pretty good, but we had to work. The bite has been sporadic, going between good and poor, depending on the day.” Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported Dinosaur Point has been the top location for bank fishermen soaking blood worms or jumbo minnows. Kayakers have been launching and trolling in the area around the launch ramp, and most anglers in the San Jose area have been heading to San Luis with the high water plaguing the area reservoirs. The O’Neill Forebay remains slow due to muddy water, but the majority of fishermen are working the moving water around Check 12 with blood worms, pile worms, sardines or jumbo minnows. 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

Sand dab/Dungeness crab or crab-only trips are still on the slate, but the combination of limited interest and steady storms along the coast have led to the trips being few and far between. The Huli Cat is the only large party boat running the combination trips, and they will also operate crab-only or whale-watching trips until the anticipated salmon opener in April. Party boats are 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 the Queen of Hearts will run whale-watching and nature trips. The bottom fish season will open April 1 south of Pigeon Point and April 15 in local waters while the ocean salmon opener and seasonal restrictions have yet to be announced. 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 said, “We ran trips on Friday and Saturday, but there wasn’t enough interest to run a trip on Sunday. The counts have been good with 360 sand dabs and 35 Dungeness crab for nine anglers on the Check Mate on Friday with 600 sand dabs and 48 crab on Saturday for 12 anglers on the same boat. We will be running the combination trips on Wednesday through Sunday of the current week.” The 13th annual Sand Crab Classic is coming to Santa Cruz and the adjacent coastline on March 11. Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surfcasting Guide Service reported, “The rivers are muddy, the ocean is lumpy, the winds are howling and the surf is still massive at most spots. Sounds about perfect for surfcasting adventures. Care must be taken to find and choose the right spot at the right time and tide. With the massive amount of water moving via wave action and side-shore or rip currents, combined with some drastic dunes and troughs near the shorebreak, extra care is necessary to stay out of trouble. Even knee-deep whitewater can knock an angler off their feet. Remember, never turn your back on the ocean. Watch the waves outside to know what is heading your way. And, check behind yourself occasionally. If there is a log or boulder on the beach you can end up tripping as you backpedal up the beach incline. Surf perch reports have been sketchy. A few fish were reported caught near Seacliff and Rio Del Mar, mostly in the ones and twos.” Open ocean fishing was pretty much shut down all week due to conditions. In Santa Cruz, boats are not going out due to continued shoaling at the harbor entrance. Dredge equipment problems and relentless surf conditions continue to slow the dredging process. We continue to suffer from an average depth of only 3 feet across the mouth of harbor. There is also a broad shallow area to the east of the harbor jetties, where the approach channel is normally located.” Call: Chris’ Landing, 831-375-5951; Bayside Marine, 831-475-2173.

San Francisco Bay

Sturgeon action came to a screeching halt over the weekend in San Pablo Bay, perhaps due to the drop in water temperature, but it looks like this week is bringing promise for sturgeon fishermen. Captain Trent Slate of Shelter Cove Sport Fishing was scratching his head over the action Friday and Saturday with no bites Friday and only a shaker sturgeon Saturday despite staying out until dark. He said, “There are several theories why the bite was slow, but the cold water must have something to do with this.” Chris Smith of the Captain Hook was in San Pablo Bay on Sunday, and he had a similar experience as his father, as they didn’t hook a fish while the Lovely Martha out of San Francisco landed four sturgeon near them. He said, “The debris was thick, but it was mostly tules that would hit the rod and bounce off. Sturgeon fishing should be very good in the coming months, and I will be staying down in Martinez until mid-April or later since I don’t think live bait will be available in the bay until late May at the earliest with all of this fresh water.” John Badger of Barbarian Sport Fishing out of Martinez is optimistic about the coming week and said, “Wednesday, March 1, looks like a great day for San Pablo Bay with only wind speeds at only 4 mph predicted.” Reminder :Sturgeon may not be taken in the following described area through 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 28, 2017 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Fish report for March 1, 2017."