Fishing report for week of Jan. 30: Eastman bass bite continues strong

Compiled by Dave Hurley and edited by Roger George, a former Olympic-class decathlete at Fresno State and striper record-holder at Millerton Lake and who now guides in the greater Fresno area. Telephone numbers are in 559 calling area unless noted.

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Eastman bass bite continues strong, Steve Newman said. New Melones bass fishing good, Mike Gomez reported. Pine Flat bass and trout hitting, Steve Newman said. San Luis stripers steady, Dave Hurley reported. Delta sturgeon and bass bites good, Randy Pringle said.

Trout fishing remains slow with few anglers heading to the lake at the present time, but there is hope with Gary Vella of Vella’s Fishing Adventures heading to the lake this week. There are several bass tournaments in the coming month with the Kerman Bass Club on Feb. 3, New Jen Tournaments on Feb. 10, Best Bass Tournaments on Feb. 17, River Rats on Feb. 24, and Wild West Bass Trails on March 2. Bass fishing remains fair at best with the bait holding in deep water. The lake rose to 83 percent this week.

Call: Monte Smith 209-581-4734; Gary Vella 209-652-7550

There are several bass tournaments scheduled on the lake during the month of February including the New Jen Tournaments on Feb. 3, California Bass Federation on Feb. 4, Best Bass Tournaments and the Sonora Bass Club on Feb. 10 and the Fresno and Kings VIII Bass Clubs on Feb. 11. Mike Gomez of the Bait Barn and Berserk Baits said, “The bass bite continues to be slow, and the limits in the 12- to 13-pound range that are winning the tournaments are less than to be expected in a normal year. The bass are still holding in deeper water with finesse techniques working best.” The lake held 66 percent.

The McSwain Marina reported slow trout action as the last plant occurred on Jan. 4. A trout plant is anticipated prior to mid-February, but with the overall lack of planting in the past year, trout anglers are picking up a few fish at best per outing. Anglers should check the marina for upcoming trout plants. The marina and café are open on Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Call: McSwain Marina 209-378-2534

The trout continue to move into the shorelines leading to new techniques for trollers who have been focusing in deeper water for the past several months. Bass fishing has been outstanding with the fish suspending in deep water in the crystal-clear waters of the main lake.

Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing said, “I am going to change my techniques for the next trip and leave the leadcore lines as a secondary option. I plan on running close to the shorelines and in the shallows with a variety of lures on big planer boards. I will be on the lake this week in search of more of the big rainbows.”

For bass, Mike Gomez of Berserk Baits and the Bait Barn in Waterford was on the lake on Sunday, and he reported outstanding action with the Berserk brown/purple or Purple Hornet jigs for bass ranging from 1.75 to 4 pounds. He said, “The bass are hitting the lures on the drop as they are suspended. The water is crystal-clear in the main lake, and I can’t tell how deep the fish are located since they are hitting it on the drop.”

The window for big bass on reaction baits will open once the water clouds up a bit. In a normal year, February and March are the best times for the big spotted and largemouth bass on swimbaits.

The lake held at 83 percent.

Call: Glory Hole Sports 209-736-4333; Monte Smith 209-581-4734; John Liechty Xperience Fishing Guide Service 209-743-9932

San Luis Reservoir continues to be the hot spot for striped bass in the Central Valley, and fishermen from the Fresno and San Jose areas are bypassing the California Aqueduct and the O’Neill Forebay to work the big lake. The troll bite seems to be improving as the topwater action has slowed with the fish dropping in the water column.

Steve Newman of Valley Rod & Gun, “We have been selling a bunch of 7-inch Magnum Flukes in white or white ice, and anglers are using them on a ½- to ¾-ounce jig head, ripping them off of the main lake points. Ripbaits that run from 5 to 6 feet deep are also working as the topwater bite has slowed. The stripers are chasing bait in the coves, and many boaters are trolling to find the schools, and if they are high in the water column, stopping and throwing ripbaits or swimbaits.”

Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said that he took out Mike Strminska of Fresno, Jeff Schmiederer of Madera and Delta striper guide and Captain Steve Sorensen last week with Schmiederer landing a new PB 23-pounder and Sorensen a 20-pound striper. Sorensen fought another big fish for 5 minutes he felt was bigger than his 20-pounder before the hook pulled out. “I made a video of us releasing both fish using the Seaqualizer and San Luis may be using it on their site for anglers to see how to do it. We finished off the day with another 10-12 fish to 25 inches,” George said.

Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “Jumbo minnows are still working, and we have been able to meet the high demand for the live bait. The topwater bite has died, and trollers are using the new Lucky Craft 125XD in shad patterns. The Lucky Craft Pointer 128s have been hard to obtain, but they are expected to arrive in February or March.”

Most are avoiding O’Neill Forebay due to the better quality of lineside available at the big lake. Small stripers are taken on pile worms, blood worms, or chicken livers, but the majority of stripers are undersized. Catching a legal limit is a challenge. The stripers have gone into deeper water, and the reaction bite has slowed.

Roger George, Roger George Guide Service will be starting an on-the-water, hands-on Downrigging 101 for Stripers class in about two weeks on San Luis Reservoir. Classes will be 5-6 hours and limited to 3-4 anglers.

The lake has risen to 85 percent with increased pumping out of the south Delta.

Call: Coyote Bait and Tackle 408-463-0711, Roger George of rogergeorgeguideservice.com, 905-2954

Delta/Martinez Marina: 12th annual Diamond Classic “Catch and Release” Sturgeon Derby Jan. 20 – 1, Tim Bowman, $4,025; 2, Matt Johnson, $2,875; 3, Scott Morris, $2,300.

Feb. 3-4: Foundation Sportsmen’s Club Original Sturgeon (aka Super Bowl) Derby, McAvoy’s Boat Harbor, www.theoriginalsturgeonderby.com

Feb. 3: Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Delta Bass Busters; Delta/Russo’s Marina – American Bass Association; New Melones – California Team Trail; Tulloch – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies; Don Pedro – Kerman Bass Club; McClure – New Jen Bass Tournaments; Lopez – American Bass Association

Feb. 4: McClure – California Bass Federation; Pine Flat – Bass 101; Kaweah – New Jen Bass Tournaments

Feb. 8: Herb Bauer’s Sporting Goods, 6 p.m. – Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters and Todd Wittwer of Kokanee.net Guider Service on Shaver Lake trout and kokanee techniques

Feb. 10: Delta/Tracy Oasis – Tracy Oasis; Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Angler’s Press; Delta/Russo’s Marina – Delta Bass Club; New Melones – California Bass Federation; Don Pedro – New Jen Bass Tournaments; McClure – Best Bass Tournaments/Sonora Bass Club; Millerton – Kern County Bassmasters; Nacimiento – Best Bass Tournaments

Feb. 11: McClure – Fresno Bass Club/Kings VIII Bass Club; Millerton – American Bass Association; Kaweah – Central Valley Kayak Fishing

Feb. 17: Delta/Big Break – Dan’s Delta Outdoors; New Melones – Angler’s Press; Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournaments/Merced Bass Club; McClure – Kerman Bass Club/Christian Bass League; Pine Flat – Sierra Bass Club/Bakersfield Bass Club

Feb. 18: New Melones – Riverbank Bass Anglers; Pine Flat – Bass 101

Feb. 24: Delta/Russo’s Marina – New Jen Bass Tournament; Delta/Tracy Oasis – Tracy Oasis; New Melones – Contra Costa Bass Club; Don Pedro – River Rats/Gilroy Bass Club; Pine Flat – Golden Empire Bass Club/Cen Cal Bass Elite Tournaments; Lopez – San Luis Obispo County Bass Ambushers

Feb. 25: Delta/B and W Resort – California Bass Federation; McClure – Kings River Bass Club; Pine Flat – American Bass Association; Kaweah – Success Bass Club

March 10: Sand Crab Classic Surf Perch Derby in Santa Cruz limited to first 300 entrants, theletsgofishingradioshow.com

This story was originally published January 30, 2018 at 5:02 PM with the headline "Fishing report for week of Jan. 30: Eastman bass bite continues strong."