Fishing Report for 8/12/15

Lake Don Pedro

Warm water has driven king salmon and rainbows into the depths, leading Danny Layne of Fish’n Dan’s Guide Service to say, “Think deep at Don Pedro with the surface temperature in the river channel at 83 degrees and 59.7 degrees at 100 feet in depth.” He put his clients onto five king salmon and a rainbow trout on a recent trip with nearly all fish taken at depths greater than 100 feet with Sockeye Slammers, ExCel spoons or Needlefish. Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing has the game plan of fast-trolling heavy spoons in search of rainbow trout before dropping to the bottom with rolled shad or Shasta Tackle’s Wriggle Hoochies tipped with a piece of sardine in search of king salmon. Recent overcast weather has brought rainbows closer to the surface. For kokanee, Smith said, “Don Pedro is traditionally one of the reservoirs in which the kokanee bite shuts off early, and as a result, we plan on concentrating on king salmon and rainbows.” Bass fishing is best with medium, large or extra-large minnows from the shore. The ramp at Fleming Meadows is the only launch on the lake, and it requires a skillful backup job. The lake dropped nearly 2 feet to 679.97 in elevation and 33 percent 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

The North Barrett Cove ramp is the only operational launch, as the one at South Barrett Cove is closed with the water level falling to 11 percent capacity. The North Barrett ramp requires a long walk back to the parking lot unless you arrive early, and it may be open for only a few more weeks. Launch condition updates are available at (855) 222-5253. Catfish and bass can be found near the dam in the deepest water with medium to large minnows. The lake fell 2 feet in elevation to 619.33 and 10 percent capacity. Call: A-1 Bait, (209) 563-6505; Bub Tosh, (209) 404-0053.

McSwain Reservoir

McSwain Marina is closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Spotted bass are dominating action for the few bank and boat fishermen, as the warm-water species have moved in because of releases from upstream McClure. There will be no additional trout plants this summer, and a decision on when they will resume is pending a review based on water temperatures. Call: McSwain Marina, (209) 378-2534.

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

At New Melones, catfish are the top species with John Lietchy of Glory Hole Sports in Angels Camp stating, “The catfish bite has been really good this year, and within the past week, anglers have been hauling in a handful of quality whiskerfish.” The best bet is using a combination of smell and vibration to attract the bottom feeders, and Lietchy advised using a bead below the weight and lightly shaking the rod to make the weight and bait tick. Placing Pro Cure scent on frozen bait also will create more opportunities, as the whiskerfish are roaming along the shallows in search of food. Bass action is fair, but the bite is unpredictable as the lake level continues to drop every day. Lietchy said, “The receding water will make the fish a little finicky, and many will pull offshore and suspend, making them difficult to target.” Most are being taken on the bottom with soft plastics in crawdad or shad patterns on a weedless presentation to avoid being snagged on the submerged wood. The topwater bite has slowed, and trout trollers continue to hook spotted bass in the middle of the lake in deep water. For trout and kokanee, Gary Burns of Take It To the Limit Guide Service said, “The kokanee bite has slowed, but the rainbow trout bite is solid, as after trolling for 2.5 hours without a hit for kokanee, we switched over to fast-trolling spoons at 3 mph for six rainbows to 2 pounds, losing three or four others. The dam was the best area at depths from 40-50 feet with chrome Speedy Shiners or Rapalas in Blue Steel.” Crappie action continued to be slow with a few slabsides taken under submersible lights with minijigs. A four-wheel drive is essential to place a boat into the lake, and there is no courtesy dock. The lake fell 4 feet to 14 percent capacity and 815.49 feet in elevation. Tulloch held at 507.95 and 96 percent. 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

In the main lake, the water level continues to recede significantly each week given domestic and agricultural demands. Bank fishing has been best at Dinosaur Point or Basalt Recreation Areas in order to avoid the long walk to the shore at Romero Visitor Center. Blood worms and pile worms are the top baits from the shore, and the elusive grass shrimp is an excellent option. The arrival of extra-large minnows has brought out more boaters in order to drift minnows in and around the entrance of Portuguese Cove or the trash racks. Few trollers are working plugs near the bottom over submerged humps. Electronics are a must in order to locate the striper schools. In O’Neill Forebay, white flukes on 3/16-ounce Scrounger head are the top lure for schoolie striped bass near Check 12 or the Highway 152 Bridge. Most Fresno-area striper fishermen are heading to the California Aqueduct for striped bass. Blood worms, pile worms or anchovies also are working for catfish and striped bass. There are stripers chasing bait on the surface in the early mornings or late evenings for a topwater bite with small Spooks or Duo Realis 120 jerkbaits. The main lake fell 2 percent to 23 percent capacity with a release of 5,733 acre-feet Monday. Call: Coyote Bait and Tackle, (408) 463-0711; Roger George of rogergeorgeguideservice.com, (559) 905-2954.

Half Moon Bay

The salmon finally are showing up out of Pillar Point, and Captain Dennis Baxter of the New Captain Pete reported, “The salmon showed up at Buoy No. 1 South late last week, and private boats managed to pull out limits throughout the day.” The six-pack Mooch Better put in six limits of salmon Thursday, and four were in the 18-pound class. The halibut bite has been consistent outside the reef; commercial halibut fishermen are coming in with an average of 2-6 fish per day. Baxter said, “If you have some squid left after loading up on limits of rockfish, it is a solid bet to make a few drifts outside of the reef. There is plenty of fresh squid to jig up in the area, as the squid boats have moved north to Bodega Bay in order to find a larger grade of market squid, as the grade near Half Moon Bay is too small for commercial use.” A few white sea bass have been reported within the squid schools, and there are boats trying on a daily basis. Baxter put in limits of rockfish and ling cod Thursday north off Montara; he has an open-load rockfish trip Sunday. He added, “We will stay with the rockfish unless the salmon bite absolutely erupts.” Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat took rockfish research trips early in the past week to the closed zone off Ano Nuevo. They caught, tagged and released ling cod to 36.5 inches along with a variety of quality rockfish. Out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing, the Queen of Hearts and Riptide are working the southern reefs for limits of rockfish and healthy ling cod counts. Farther north near Pacifica, the stripers keep coming out of the Pacifica area with shore fishermen picking up limits within an hour tossing 8-inch topwater plugs off Linda Mar Beach. 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’ Fishing Trips in Monterey reported excellent rockfishing with the Check Mate returning with 21 limits of rockfish and 23 lings fishing south near Twin Rocks on Monday. The scores have remained consistent with limits of rockfish and healthy ling cod counts to more than a fish per rod. They have limited room throughout the week and this Sunday. Call: Chris’ Landing, (831) 375-5951; Bayside Marine, (831) 475-2173; usafishing.com.

San Francisco Bay

Salmon action off the Marin coast continues to be great one day followed by a few days of slower action. The bite slowed Monday with the Sundance out of Emeryville Sport Fishing putting in four salmon to 20 pounds for six anglers after posting limits for much of the past two weeks. Two Sausalito boats combined for 13 salmon to 27 pounds for 25 anglers. Rockfishing is the best bet, with the Happy Hooker out of Berkeley traveling up the Marin coast Saturday for 32 limits of rockfish and 33 ling cod before returning to the bay for 22 striped bass. The Marin coast and Farallon Islands have been the top two locations for rockfish. Inside the bay, Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle in San Rafael said, “The bass are moving into San Pablo Bay, and there are a combination of undersized and keeper stripers to 8 pounds off of Red Rock, the Marin Islands, and the Brothers with Loch Lomond shiners or worm-tailed jigs. The bass bite slowed a bit, but it has picked up again with three of our customers taking out two dozen shiners for 20 bass to 8 pounds caught and released at Red Rock.”

Delta/Stockton

The salmon bite remains exceedingly slow with warm and muddy water pushing the fish through the Delta as quickly as possible. The fish are blowing through the Delta in search of the coolest water above the Red Bluff Diversion Dam on the Sacramento River, the Thermolito Outlet on the Feather, and the Nimbus Dam on the American River. Johnny Tran at New Romeo’s Bait in Freeport reported few salmon have been taken in the upper Delta with the hot water. The best bet has been for smallmouth bass in Steamboat and Miner Sloughs or in the Old Sacramento River near Walnut Grove around rocky structure with live crawdads, crankbaits or wacky-rigged Senkos. In Suisun Bay, Pam Hayes at Benicia Bait reported salmon fishing remained slow with only a single salmon reported off Dillon Point State Park. The water has been muddy with the minus tides over the weekend. Striped bass are hitting the Vee-Zee or Flying C spinners, and there was a 28-inch striper taken off Glen Cove on grass shrimp. There are still jack smelt along the shore. More and more bank fishermen are starting to come out to try for salmon, but the results have been underwhelming. Jim Pickens of the Fishermen’s Friend in Lodi confirmed the slow salmon bite, stating, “The salmon bite hasn’t taken off with only a few reported being taken in the Benicia area. Striper action has picked up the last couple weeks on the Sacramento side with some local shallow trolling anglers picking up linesides to 13 pounds from Sherman Island up past Rio Vista to the Sacramento Deep Water Channel.” James Nguyen of Dockside Bait reported high winds have been keeping most boats off the water, but the top location in the area for stripers in the 5- to 7-pound range has been Sherman Lake with live minnows, frozen shad or live mudsuckers. Clyde Wands, shallow trolling expert, was back on the Delta during the week, and he reported good action for striped bass in the Collinsville area with shallow and deep-diving plugs. He said, “We caught and released a dozen stripers, and they were all cookie-cutters in the 6- to 7.5-pound range, and the hot lure was the P-Line Angry Eye Minnows in red head/chartreuse in the shallows.” Steve Santucci of Steve Santucci’s Fly Fishing Guide Service confirmed the solid striper bite in the west Delta, stating, “Striper fishing is really good in the west Delta if you are lucky and pick a day that is wind friendly. The largemouth and smallmouth action is also good, and you can catch them on the surface, shallow and deep. The wind should start to lay down as we get into September, and hopefully, we will get a combination of overcast days laced with some early precipitation.” For panfish, the Delta Loop is still the top location on the Sacramento side of the Delta, and wax worms and jumbo red worms are the top baits for bluegill and red ear perch. Largemouth bass action is as good as it can be with the combination of smaller tides and overcast days with humidity. Striped bass also are starting to move into the San Joaquin River, and despite the vast amount of undersized linesides, more and more keepers are starting to make an appearance. Fresh shad has returned to local bait shops, and the grade is getting progressively larger. For largemouth bass, Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, reported, “The action is the most amazing bite we have experienced in some time, and the overcast conditions are allowing the use of topwater lures throughout the day. The slower tides over the past week have also contributed to the improved topwater action, and we have been scoring bass to 8 pounds tossing the ima Helly P prop bait or the ima Little Stick topwater lure in between segregated weed patches that serve as runways for ambush spots for the fish.” He advised using a reel with a gear ratio of 7:1, 8:1 or 9:1 to keep up with the speed of the bass on the retrieve. “It is difficult to set the hook when the fish are chasing the lure back to the boat with a 5:4 or 6:4 gear ratio, and the key is to keep the lure in the strike zone by moving it, let it sit, and move it again,” Pringle said. The bass are loading up on crawdads, shad or bluegill, and once the stripers start busting bait along the surface, Pringle advised tossing lures against the banks since the largemouth bass will be hugging the rocks, picking up the shad chased in by the stripers. Numbers of bass can be taken by pitching Chigger Craws in black/red or the Havoc Flat Dog in green pumpkin/gold flake near the banks. The key is to pitch the lures to the bank and walk it back to the boat. Pringle was the tournament director for the Snag Proof Open last weekend, and more than 200 boats participated. He said, “The wind blew hard both days, and it blew particularly hard on Sunday, creating conditions less than ideal for frog fishing. Temperatures in the 100-103 range with no wind are optimal for tossing frogs, but we still managed a winning weight over 25 pounds and the tournament went off without a hitch at Russo’s Marina.” Jim Pickens of the Fishermen’s Friend confirmed the excellent largemouth bass bite on the San Joaquin, reporting that Lodi angler Rick Long landed several largemouths in the 4- to 5-pound range with his largest at 13.7 using Senkos or Fat Baby Craws. Striped bass are showing up, and Brandon Gallegos of H and R Bait in Stockton reported good action in Empire Cut near Whiskey Slough with linesides to 14 pounds brought to the shop within the week. Live bluegill are producing the largest fish, but fresh shad is a solid option. H and R is receiving several pounds of shad on a daily basis, with the quality getting better and better. Bluegill are abundant throughout the south Delta with wax worms or jumbo red worms working in a variety of locations, including Bacon Island Road, Whiskey Slough, Eight Mile Road, Big Break and along Inland Drive. Doug Chapman of Gotcha Bait in Antioch reported more keeper striped bass are being taken from the Antioch Fishing Pier on a daily basis with fresh or frozen shad, live mudsuckers or frozen sardines. Boaters are drifting live mudsuckers or extra-large minnows in Broad Slough for limits of stripers. Bluegill is best in Holland Tract with wax worms or jumbo red worms. Kenji Nagakawa of Lodi, pro-staffer for Delta Wood Bombers, continues to catch and release quality linesides on the San Joaquin, tossing the custom hand-made topwater lures during low light conditions. 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 August 11, 2015 at 6:26 PM with the headline "Fishing Report for 8/12/15."