Fish report (through June 16)

Lake Don Pedro

Kokanee, rainbow trout and king salmon remain available for trollers, but few fishermen are heading to the lake due to the small overall size of the kokanee. King salmon action is heating with Danny Layne of Fish’n Dan’s Guide Service putting Bill Hinton of Fresno and Dave Rumsey of Fresno onto a limit of king salmon to 3-plus pounds during the past week. He said, “Most of the kings came from a depth of 110 feet on a 4-inch rainbow trout Rebel.” Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing had a report of king salmon coming from Graveyard Bay on rolled shad at 85 feet. He said 85 feet “is pretty shallow for the kings at this time of year.” Kokanee are found at depths from 40 to 70 feet with Rocky Mountain Tackle’s Micro-Hoochies in pink and oranges tipped with shoepeg corn scented in various Pro-Cure scents. The absence of large minnows has bank fishermen using the available medium minnows for spotted and largemouth bass to 3 pounds. Manny Basi of the Bait Barn in Waterford said, “There is a long point along the right side of the marina, and fishermen are walking to the end of the point and casting out as far as they can with the minnows.” Tournament anglers are working the bottom with Yamamoto twin-tailed Hula Grubs in cinnamon/purple (221) or watermelon red (208), Senkos in color 301, or 4.5-inch Reaction Innovation’s Bad Shad Green or Robo Worm’s Hologram Shad in deep water to 50 feet. The lake dropped 2 feet to 699.95 feet in elevation and 40 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

Few anglers are willing to make the long walk down to the water’s edge after launching a boat in the narrow chute that is the North Barrett Cove Launch Ramp. The lake rose more than a foot to 637.81 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 plants have ceased with the closure of the Calaveras Trout Farm due to low water conditions on the Merced River. Call: McSwain Marina, (209) 378-2534.

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

New Melones is receding around 3 feet per week, and the water temperature is rising to the low 70’s. The Glory Hole Point boat launch is a two-lane dirt load with gravel leading off the end of the point. John Leitchy of Glory Hole Sporting Goods in Angels Camp said, “With a four-wheel-drive vehicle, launching and loading is not bad, and although it is not the most ideal launching conditions, it is very doable for those who would like to use the lake. The maintenance crew for New Melones has been doing a good job putting down gravel almost daily. This makes it easier to get a boat in and out of the water. Once you are on the lake, you will find plenty of water to fish and play on.” Concerns have been raised about the trees poking out of the water, but most of the trees are along the shorelines and can be seen from a distance. Leitchy said, “It is best to take a few minutes to scout out a safe route to travel before towing a tube boarder or skier.” The lake is still more than four times larger than the old lake of Melones, and the old lake was a popular destination for years and had enough water to support recreation and fishing needs. Trout fishing remains fair with the best action in the cooler waters of the main lake. The rainbows are holding at depths from 35 to 55 feet, and shad-patterned plugs or squarebilled crankbaits on a fast troll have been best for rainbows and browns. Night fishing under lights has also been effective with live minnows on a slip-float rig. Kokanee action has also been fair, but the triple-digit temperatures should improve action as the kokanee will start to school up into larger groups into deeper water. Leitchy said, “The fish are holding from 40 to 60 feet in depth, and adding vibration and scent to your lures are both keys to getting more strikes.” Bass fishing remained good with the lake loaded with 1- to 2-pound spotted bass willing to bite many different presentations. There is a small window for topwater lures in the early mornings and evenings with small poppers or walk-the-dog type lures before dropping to the bottom with Senkos or plastics on a shaky head or drop shot. Catfish continue to provide the most consistent action, as the largest whiskerfish are moving into the shallows in search of bait fish. Frozen shad soaked in various scents is the top bait, and Leitchy advised adding a sliding sinker and a glass bead to the setup to create a ticking sound. Crappie fishing remained fair with the best action on small to medium minnows near standing trees. New Melones dropped more than 2 feet to 842.3 feet in elevation and 18 percent of capacity. Tulloch rose slightly to 507.9 feet in elevation and 96 percent of capacity. 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

Paul Jolley of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “With the absence of extra-large and jumbo minnows in Northern California bait shops, boaters are either mooching pile worms, blood worms or grass shrimp or trolling large plugs near the bottom. Most anglers are focusing on the banks near Basalt Recreation Area, Goosehead Point or the Romero Visitor Center with blood worms, pile worms or grass shrimp when available.” Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said the heat and wind affected the trolling bite. “We worked hard last Friday for eight nice stripers/released for Dwayne Bivins and two friends, with one decent fish over 30 inches. The bite windows seem to be small, and you’re going to have to find the active fish to get bit. We got blown off on Saturday when they closed the lake at 10 a.m. If you hit the wind windows OK and work hard to find fish, you have a chance for a limit.” In the O’Neill Forebay, numerous small stripers are present throughout the small shallow impoundment, and plug casters are tossing shallow-diving jerkbaits such as Lucky Craft, Strike King or white flukes in the top five feet outside the weed line for plenty of action. The weed growth continued to expand with the hot temperatures. Pile worms, blood worms or anchovies are good options from the area around Check 12. The main lake continues to steadily release water, and it dropped 2 percent this week to 50 percent of capacity with a release of 5,860 acre-feet. Call: Coyote Bait and Tackle, (408) 463-0711; Roger George of Roger George Guide Service, (559) 905-2954.

Half Moon Bay

Rockfishing remained the top draw to the San Mateo coastline, as the salmon bite has dried up for the time being. With the numbers of salmon landed in Monterey Bay over the past few weeks, there should be a late rush of salmon on their way north into San Francisco. Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat has been focusing on rockfish and crab trips with excellent results, and they put in nearly 16 limits of rockfish along with 71 Dungeness crab and a few ling cod on Sunday. He said, “We came close to six crab limits for our customers, and we will continue to keep the pots in the water through the end of the season on June 30.” The previous day, they took their first trip to the Farallon Islands for quality rockfish, including olives and yellows to 3 pounds along with big quillback and copper rockfish. He said, “I am always amazed with the quality of rockfish.” He received reports of sea lions thrashing salmon on the surface near San Gregorio, but he was in the area and didn’t witness this. The Queen of Hearts out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing has made a few runs north to the Marin coastline for salmon, but the majority of their trips have been for coastal rockfish. Rockfishing will keep most boats occupied until the salmon show up in force or longer if the salmon ignore this section of the coast. Further north in Pacifica and all along the beaches along the San Mateo coast south into Santa Cruz County, striped bass are moving up and down the coast. J.P. Gano, former deckhand of the Happy Hooker, tossed topwater lures for a limit at Rockaway Beach in Pacifica on June 14. Rockaway has been the center of activity with its easy access and parking. Topwater lures, metal jigs or hairraisers have been the best lures. Call: Happy Hooker, (510) 223-5388; Roger Thomas, Salty Lady, (415) 760-9362; Bait and Switch Sport Fishing Center, (650) 726-7133; Emeryville Sport Fishing, (510) 654-6040; Don Franklin, Soleman, (510) 703-4148.

Monterey/Santa Cruz

Chris Arcoleo of Chris’ Landing reported the salmon have returned to Moss Landing, and commercial boats are picking up as many as 45 fish. They went out Saturday on the Check Mate for six salmon for 12 anglers, and one boat had a dozen fish. The fish are holding in a tight area around the Moss Landing Buoy, and there were nearly 100 boats working the area Sunday. He said, “There are mountains of bait in the canyon, and look out for July since I think the salmon action will bust wide open.” The Check Mate went out with 12 anglers Monday for six salmon for 13 anglers. Arcoleo said, “They marked loads and loads of fish, but they weren’t willing to really bite.” They are heading out for salmon Thursday and Friday. Rockfishing remained incredible with the Star of Monterey and Check Mate heading south to Point Sur for an amazing 43 limits of quality rockfish and 43 limits of ling cod. That’s 129 lings. Call: Chris’ Landing, (831) 375-5951; Bayside Marine, (831) 475-2173; usafishing.com.

San Francisco Bay

Salmon fishing remained inconsistent with some excellent scores and limits one day before dropping to far less than a fish per rod the following day. The majority of action has been along the Marin coast from Muir Beach north to Duxbury Buoy, but the Sausalito boats ran south of the Golden Gate on Sunday for 34 salmon to 22 pounds for 29 anglers. The bite was slow again Monday with one Sausalito party boat returning without a salmon. The rockfish and ling action remains excellent with all boats finding limits of rockfish and a ling plus per rod fishing at the islands and along the Marin Coast. The central bay continues to produce limits of striped bass along with a few halibut, and Jim Smith of the Happy Hooker out of Berkeley Marina said, “All of the party boats landed limits on Sunday.” They put in 18 limits of a larger grade of bass Saturday and Sunday working the central bay rockpiles, along with a few halibut to 16 pounds. The scores have been incredible with the California Dawn loading up with 29 limits of bass Thursday and another 35 limits of striped bass Friday. Shark fishing in the south bay remained excellent with midshipmen, sardines or squid.

Delta/Stockton

The shad have finally moved into the American River in force, and they have to pass through the Delta to make their way to the American. As a result, shad action in the Freeport area has experienced a revival this week. Salty water continues to migrate into the lower Delta with more and more species of sharks moving into the system. Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle in Freeport said, “The shad are in the American River, and the bite in our area remained very good with 1-inch shad grubs or darts. I just had one of my customers bring in 25 fresh American shad from the Freeport Bridge. Smallmouth bass are hanging around the rocks in Miner and Steamboat Sloughs as well as in the main Sacramento River. Tran touted live crawdads, crankbaits or Senkos in watermelon/red in 10 feet of water for the smallies. Catfishing has been solid in the Rio Vista area, the Sacramento Deep Water Channel and Lisbon Slough with live crawdads, chicken livers or nightcrawlers. Striped bass have been relatively scarce throughout the Sacramento River system, but the combination of either extremely hot weather or heavy winds have kept most boats off the river. In the Pittsburg area, James Nguyen of Dockside Bait in Pittsburg reported the river was whitecapping over the weekend on both tides in response to the high gusts throughout the day. Jim Pickens of the Fishermen’s Friend in Lodi said, “Not a lot of news coming from the Delta this week for striped bass with some action above Rio Vista. Most anglers are headed to the bay for stripers and halibut or the ocean for rock and lings. Anglers trolling are using Angry Eye’s, Yo-Zuri’s and Rebels. Some anglers are having success on Rat-L-Traps as well. Blade-runners are the best jigs. Most of the stripers are on the small size. Curtis Hayes at Benicia Bait reported a few anglers are trying for sturgeon at either the sandbar near the Mothball Fleet or off Ozol Pier. There are still diamondbacks in the system, and those still trying are finding success. Jack smelt are thick along the Benicia shoreline, and the shop has been receiving calls on a daily basis asking, “What type of shark did I just catch?” There have been leopard, seven gill and other unidentified shark taken from the banks off the State Park or under the Benicia/Martinez Bridge. The bay ray population in the lower Delta is also on the rise. Benicia once again has added grass shrimp to its bait arsenal, as the warm-water species are providing the best action available in the San Joaquin side of the Delta. There are resident striped bass in the system, but with the water temperatures reaching the mid-70s, most linesides are heading for the far cooler waters of San Francisco Bay or the Pacific Ocean. Largemouth bass remain hungry, and Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, has been out each day this week during the wacky weather. During the unseasonable rainstorm within the past week, his client found great action before getting off the water while soaking wet at 12:30 p.m. He said, “The bite has been a roller coaster with a great bite on the ima Little Stick rip bait in chrome or bone throughout the day. There are bluegill and green-eared perch throughout the system preying on the bass fry, and the bass are very active in chasing the ripbait imitating the panfish. The floating Flit with a chartreuse bill has been the best pattern, as you can twitch it along the tops of the weeds, and the fish are just attacking the lure.” The ima Pinjack crankbait in a perch green color has also been effective as well as the Havoc Flat Dog on a one-eighth-ounce Zappu Head as the wind has been minimal. They have been averaging 30 to 40 bass to 4 pounds. Pringle continued, “As the weather continues to heat up, the frog bite will take off, and if anyone wants to get out and catch fish ranging from 6 inches to 6 pounds, now is the time.” There are a ton of baby stripers in the system, and they landed a legal 20-incher on the Flit while targeting bass. The small stripers are busting bait in the early mornings in Potato Slough. The water clarity is good in the mid-Delta, but it becomes off color the farther west you travel. Alan Fong of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento has been fishing in the upper Delta in the Mokelumne River system to get out of the wind, and he’s scoring quality bass with white spinnerbaits imitating the abundant shad. Jim Pickens of the Fishermen’s Friend in Lodi confirmed the solid largemouth bass action on the San Joaquin side with local bass expert Rick Long catching and releasing largemouths at 10.3 and 8 pounds this week. He touted Senkos, frogs squarebill crankbaits, drop-shot plastics or punching the weeds in Disappointment, White, Fourteen Mile and Potato sloughs. Chris Lauritzen of Lauritzen’s Yacht Harbor in Oakley said, “As this year wears on, you will be hearing a lot more about the removal rock barrier in False River. As you recall, the removable barrier is supposed to keep the salt water from getting into the Franks Tract area of the Delta, which in turn will allow the salt to move south in Old River to where the state and federal water project have their intake points. This past Sunday, it warmed up to 107 degrees here at the harbor. The water temperature on the east side (upstream side) of the rock barrier in False River warmed up 8 degrees from the previous week due to the hot weather. The water temperature range the week before at False River was 65.68-68.32 degrees. This past Sunday, the range was 68.85-75.51 degrees due to one really hot day and the fact there is very little water movement above the rock barrier and no cool winds at night to cool the surface water temperature. Another impact of the rock barrier is that during that time of the month when there are pretty high tides, the ferry operator for the Victory II ferry that goes between Jersey Island, Bradford Island and Webb Tract is having a hard time making landings on Bradford. The reason I mention any of this is that many of you fish or anchor in False River. That may not be so easy anymore with the increased water flows during 6-foot tides or better. One thing is for sure, you are going to have to put out a lot more scope on your anchor when you do anchor out in False River. We have had very little fishing action the past few weeks here at the harbor.” In the Stockton area, Brandon Gallegos of H and R Bait reported stripers in the 6- to 18-pound range have been taken in Whiskey Slough near Empire Cut with live bluegill. The panfish have been thick in Whiskey Slough, Bacon Island Road, the Tracy Oasis and the second bridge at Eight Mile Road with regular red worms or wax worms. The lack of minnows in the shops has slowed interest in crappie fishing. Catfishing has been strong with G and S Cheese Bait off Woodsbro Road, Inland Drive, Brookside Road and at Eight Mile Road near Herman and Helen’s. Fresh shad remain absent from area bait shops as the bait fish are either deep with the hot temperatures or have not arrived in force in the Port of Stockton. Near Antioch, Doug Chapman of Gotcha Bait reported an improved striped bass bite from the Antioch Fishing Pier with linesides to 36 inches taken on live mudsuckers during the past week. He said, “Live mudsuckers have been bringing in the larger fish with mostly shakers on sardines.” They have plenty of live mudsuckers in the shop, but minnows in large, extra-large and jumbo sizes may not be available for up to two months. 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 16, 2015 at 10:46 PM with the headline "Fish report (through June 16)."