Modesto-area fish report through June 2

Lake Don Pedro

Kokanee action at Don Pedro was encouraging over the weekend as more than 100 avid fishermen converged upon the lake to try their luck during the Kokanee Power Phil Johnson Memorial Team Kokanee Derby. Gary Coe, president of Kokanee Power, stated, “Most every team weighed in a three-fish limit, and although some anglers struggled, there were teams that landed as many as 20 fish. The kokanee were the same size as those at Pardee during our last tournament, and they were in good shape with broad shoulders, clean, and without copepods.” Kevin Smith of San Mateo fished with his wife and two daughters and took the top spot with a three-fish limit, including an unusually large fish at more than 15 inches. A rainbow trout weighing more than 3 pounds took the trout side pot while the king salmon pot was won with a 3.75-pounder. The kokanee were found at depths from 35 to 65 feet, and the action transitioned deeper as the day progressed. Coe added, “If you had two downriggers at 40 and 55 feet, you would be in good shape, and the hot lures were hoochies in pink or orange, but some other fishermen were successful with green Apex lures, hootchies, or spinners.” The launch ramp is limited to one boat at a time, but during the tournament, experienced boaters were able to put in two boats at a time with assistance from park personnel. Bass fishing has been best with live jumbo minnows from the shoreline with Manny Basi of the Bait Barn in Waterford stating, “Overall, the bass bite has been fair, but there have been largemouth bass to 4 pounds taken on jumbo minnows while tournament anglers are scoring with Yamamoto twin-tailed Hula Grubs in cinnamon/purple (221) or watermelon red (208) scented with garlic at depths from 30 to 50 feet. Walt Lee of the Kerman Bass Club reported 10 teams participated in Saturday’s club tournament, eight of which weighed in limits with Cory and Ed Kerber taking first place with 13.45 pounds. The big fish weighed in during the tournament was 3.45 pounds. The lake dropped nearly a foot to 703.55 feet in elevation and 41 percent of capacity. Call: Monte Smith, (209) 581-4734; Danny Layne-Fish’n Dan, (209) 586-2383; Gary Vella, (209) 652-7550; Bait Barn, (209) 874-3011.

McClure Reservoir

Bank fishing continued to be outstanding, but few fishermen are willing to make the long walk down to the water’s edge. There are reports of a crappie bite with small to medium minnows, and the crappie are found in open water instead of holding along structure. The North Barrett Cove Launch Ramp is still operational with the lake rising 6.5 feet this week to 634.6 feet in elevation and 13 percent of capacity. Information on the launch ramp is available at (855) 222-5253.

McSwain Reservoir

Few reports from the marina, as the private trout plants from Calaveras Trout Plants have ceased with the closure of the trout farm due to low water conditions on the Merced River. A section of the Merced River is subject to an emergency closure for fishing due to low water conditions. Call: McSwain Marina, (209) 378-2534.

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

Bass fishing continued to be outstanding at New Melones along with kokanee, trout and catfish action. The lake has plenty of water, and launching off the dirt road at Glory Hole Point is not a problem with a four-wheel-drive vehicle. The launch ramp has limited the number of boats on the lake. A crew is working the launch ramp with a tractor in the early morning by spreading rock and smoothing out the area. Parking lines have also been installed. John Liechty of Xperience Guide Service said, “The spotted bass are really biting well, and the topwater bite has been excellent in the early mornings with Poppers, Whopper Ploppers or Spooks in baby bass, shad or bluegill patterns for up to 40 blowups. Some of the bass are pushing shad into the coves, and the action has been changing from the main lake into the coves. The key is to locate the shad.” Once the sun hits the water, Liechty has been switching to soft plastics. He took out Rob Betsch on a recent trip for spotted bass to 6 pounds . For kokanee, Gary Burns of Take It To the Limit Guide Service said, “The trout and kokanee fishing has been at its best this last week at depths from 42 to 51 feet with Uncle Larry’s spinners or Glitter Bug hoochies in pink. The majority of fish are in the main part of the lake from the dam to the spillway, and it is important to stay in deeper water to keep out of the submerged trees.” The Kokanee Power Team Two-Day Tournament originally scheduled for New Melones on June 13-14 has been moved to Lake Pardee in Amador County on the same dates. Trout trollers have been targeting the big brown trout, which have gone on the bite in the past two weeks. The DFW will not plant browns in the future, so they’re encouraging catch and release of this species. Catfishing is very good, as the largest whiskerfish in the lake are heading into the shallows. Liechty said, “Frozen shad is the top bait, as the fish will focus on the shad schools, and dragging a bait along the bottom is a technique on a sliding sinker with a glass bead (that) will attract more bites from the whiskerfish.” Crappie fishing is fair at best with small minnows or minijigs around submerged structure. New Melones dropped 2.5 feet to 847.15 feet in elevation and 19 percent of capacity. Tulloch rose slightly to 507.58 feet in elevation and 95 percent of capacity. Recreational boating continued to be the top feature of Tulloch, and it should remain this way during the summer months. Call: Glory Hole Sports, (209) 736-4333; Monte Smith, (209) 581-4734; Danny Layne-Fish’n Dan, (209) 586-2383; Sierra Sport Fishing, (209) 599-2023.

San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay

After Alvin Vang’s near state-record striped bass of 66 pounds, 12 ounces two weeks ago on a white Super Fluke from the bank of the Romero Visitor Center in the main San Luis Reservoir, the interest in tossing lures from the shoreline has increased considerably. Although the large fish are few and far between, a few big stripers, topped by a 44-pounder, have been taken from the shoreline, too. Some anglers are concerned about the number of big spawning fish being taken home from the shore lately. Jason Coslovich of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “Most fishermen are picking up limits of striped bass, and the majority of boaters are drifting jumbo minnows throughout the lake, and the key is to locate the schools as the fish are scattered.” There have been fewer trollers finding success, but Roger George of Roger’s Guide Service teamed up with Andy Bedell, and they caught and released more than 25 stripers using the new Seaqualizer release tool in the 21- to 24-inch range with one big fish at 31 inches and 10.4 pounds on lures. “We’ve got it down to a science using the Seaqualizer to quickly put fish back now, and more anglers are using them, especially on the bigger ones. We started slow but ended up doing well – after covering a lot of ground – and finally finding the active fish at 80 feet. Most guys had just one or two fish,” said George, who trolls large plugs on downriggers in various locations throughout the lake. The main lake continues to release water for irrigation and domestic purposes at a fairly slow rate so far. Numbers of striped bass are found in the O’Neill Forebay with small swimbaits in white or chartreuse, but locating keepers is a challenge. Bank fishermen are primarily holding up along Check 12 with blood worms, pile worms or sardines. The main lake continues to steadily release water, and it dropped 3 percent this week to 53 percent of capacity. Call: Coyote Bait and Tackle, (408) 463-0711; Roger George of Roger George Guide Service, (559) 905-2954.

Monterey/Santa Cruz

Chris Arcoleo of Chris’ Landing reported “wide-open” rockfishing with the Checkmate returning with 21 limits of rockfish and 54 ling cod Saturday fishing the local reefs while Sunday’s trip resulted in 19 limits of rockfish, including eight cabezon and 18 lings. Ling cod are climbing on, and the Checkmate had 60 lings in the box by 10 a.m. Friday. The Caroline also went local Sunday for 16 limits of rockfish, including two cabezon and 16 lings, while Saturday’s trip resulted in 15 limits of rockfish and 39 ling cod. The salmon are deep at 300 feet in Monterey Bay, and the commercial fishermen are struggling with the sea lions who are taking as many as 50 percent of the hooked salmon. Striped bass are still abundant from the beaches north and south of Monterey, and there were 20 fish landed from the wharf one evening. The schools of bass are huge, averaging between 400 and 500 fish, and although most of the stripers are undersized, there are linesides to 7 pounds in the schools. Arcoleo has plenty of room throughout the week, but they are filled next Saturday. Call: Chris’ Landing, (831) 375-5951; Bayside Marine, (831) 475-2173; usafishing.com.

Delta/Stockton

Shad fishing continued to occupy most of the interest in the northern stretches of the Sacramento side of the Delta, but striped bass are also moving rapidly through the river. Salty water conditions in Suisun Bay are attracting saltwater species into the Delta with leopard shark, bat rays and jack smelt becoming a staple from the Benicia shoreline. Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle in Freeport said, “Shad action is still good around Freeport with shad darts or small jigs loaded with shad grubs in champagne, red or chartreuse.” A few fishermen are drop-shotting with a double hook rig loaded with grubs over a 1- to 2-ounce weight. Alan Fong of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento confirmed the solid shad bite from Clarksburg to Freeport with one-inch grubs in champagne or chartreuse. Most shad fishermen are heading north to the Feather, but there is a solid bite in the north Delta. Smallmouth bass are holding around the rocky shorelines, and Tran touted drifting large minnows for the smallies while catfishing is best in the Deep Water Channel with chicken liver or nightcrawlers. For striped bass, Tran reported fair action with sardines loaded with garlic scent while Clyde Wands, shallow trolling expert, has been working above the Rio Vista Bridge, and he said, “Just when I think it is over, we keep finding fish.” They found good action during the week with 11 keepers to 18 pounds, releasing the big fish that hit a shallow-running Yozuri. They kept three for the table, including a 10-pound male that was not spawned out. All the action came on either Yozuri Crystal Minnows or P-Line Angry Eye Minnows in the shallows. Wands took out James Netzel of Tight Lines Guide Service earlier in the week for three stripers to 6 pounds. He added, “It is nothing great, but the bite is definitely worth coming out here.” Christian Lauritzen of Lauritzen’s Yacht Harbor in Oakley reported, “Bob Wright of Bob Wright’s Guide Service went fishing several times last week and was able to catch a few stripers to 10 pounds drifting live bluegill in Sherman Lake. Paul Wong of Antioch went out fishing one day last week and was able to chase a few stripers around as well. Paul prefers to use a RatLTRap or spoons, but he was observed drifting live minnows.” Jim Pickens of the Fishermen’s Friend in Lodi said, “Anglers are still catching male striped bass that are milking and females with eggs. The best action continued to be from Lights 42 to 48 on the Sacramento Deep Water Channel with Angry Eye’s, Yo-Zuri’s or Rebels while some are finding success on Rat-L-Traps.” In the main Sacramento River near Pittsburg, James Nguyen of Dockside Bait said, “The wind made its presence known over the weekend, particularly on Saturday, and there have been few boats out. A few fishermen have been able to drift live minnows in Broad Slough for schoolie stripers.” Few anglers are targeting sturgeon. The wind has also plagued Suisun Bay, where the majority of action remained from the shoreline. Pam Hayes at Benicia Bait and Tackle touted the action under the Benicia/Martinez Bridge with pile worms, and there have been leopard shark landed under the bridge on squid. Bat rays are showing up near the Dillon Point State Park, and a legal halibut was caught off the 1st Street Pier in Benicia. Saltwater is rapidly moving eastward into the Delta, and the lower flows during the summer will only increase the amount of salty water encroaching on the river system. A few mostly smolt releases are anticipated in the Carquinez Straits, and RatLTraps are still the top lure for stripers from the shoreline. The wind has muddied the water along the shoreline, slowing the action. Benicia Bait had a limited supply of grass shrimp in the shop after being without for several weeks and is preparing for the salmon opener on July 16 by tying its Vee-Zee spinners. Sturgeon fishing has been very slow, but a few boaters have been able to time their window on the incoming tide to avoid the wind for diamondbacks from the top of the Mothball Fleet into Montezuma Slough. Largemouth bass remained the top targeted species in the San Joaquin River, as the fish are closing their spawning season and starting to put on the feed bag. Striper fishing is fair at best while bluegill, red ear perch and catfish are taking over in the sloughs. The saltwater barrier in False River is nearly complete, and the barrier will remain in the river until November. No boat traffic is allowed in False River during this time. Alan Fong of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento continued to bass fish on the San Joaquin River on a weekly basis, and he reported good topwater action with Whopper Ploppers, Zara Spooks or Kincannon topwater lures. He said, “The fish are all spawned out, and they are starting to feed.” Senkos are another option, and the larger bass are moving into the current. Bass guide and tackle manufacturer Jason Kincannon has put clients onto largemouths in excess of 10 pounds tossing large swimbaits or glidebaits into the moving current. The San Joaquin River system is clear, and the water temperature has risen to 68 degrees. Jim Pickens of the Fishermen’s Friend in Lodi confirmed the solid largemouth bite, stating, “Largemouth fishing continues to be good on the San Joaquin side, and Disappointment, White, Potato Slough, and Frank’s Tract are producing good action on bass to 4 pounds with Senkos, jerkbaits or spinnerbaits in the wind.” For striped bass, Brandon Gallegos of H and R Bait in Stockton said, “There are a few decent fish taken out of Whiskey Slough near Empire Cut, and I went out this weekend with a partner for stripers at 5, 6.5 and 8 pounds on live bluegill in Potato Slough. We had lots of action all day long, as the water was clear with good tide movement. If you tossed RatLTraps, I think you would also get into some fish.” Kenji Nakagawa, pro staffer for Delta Wood Bombers, has been locating quality stripers in the evenings on the San Joaquin, catching and releasing bass at 31 and 20 pounds tossing the Wood Bombers. Christian Lauritzen of Lauritzen’s Yacht Harbor in Oakley said, “There has been a big debate among many of my contemporaries about whether or not there is still a run of stripers coming up the Delta to spawn or not, especially when there are so many stripers in the bay being caught as reported by party boats in the bay this past week. The answer is yes, there are still stripers in the Delta to catch, but you do not want to wait very long because in a week or two those spawning stripers could be gone and back to the bay.” In the Antioch area, Doug Chapman of Gotcha Bait reported windy conditions have limited the number of anglers, but there are still stripers to 36 inches taken off the Antioch Fishing Pier with live mudsuckers. Bluegill and red ear perch are found in Discovery Bay, Eight Mile Road, the Tracy Oasis or Bacon Island Road with jumbo red worms or wax worms. There have been few crappie reports, but catfishing is picking up with mackerel, sardines or fresh clams. H and R Bait has been receiving up to 50 pounds of fresh shad per day, as the bait fish are finally showing up in the Stockton Turning Basin. H and R Bait also is one of the only shops with fresh clams. Construction on the temporary rock barrier on False River is nearly complete, and boaters have to reroute through Fishermen’s Cut to reach the main San Joaquin River from Bethel Island, as False River is closed to boat traffic. Call: Randy Pringle, (209) 543-6260; Captain Stan Koenigsberger – Quetzal Adventures, (925) 570-5303; Intimidator Sport Fishing, (916) 806-3030.

This story was originally published June 2, 2015 at 10:45 PM with the headline "Modesto-area fish report through June 2."