Fish Report for Nov. 17

Lake Don Pedro

The bass bite remains tough with Walt Lee of the Kerman Bass Club reporting slow fishing for limits to 10-plus pounds for their 12 participants. Eleven of the 12 boats weighed in limits, and the best action is with drop-shot plastics in deep water, as the fish are oriented to the shad schools. Shad are balling up as the water continues to school. The lake should turn over within a few weeks, depending on the arrival of cold storms, and the rainbows and kings will migrate toward the surface. A grant for the improvement of the Fleming Meadows Launch Ramp has been approved, and construction to create a two-lane ramp should start shortly. The lake held at 673.86 feet in elevation and 32 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

Little change at this reservoir with few fishermen willing to make the long trek down to the shoreline with the lake level at 7 percent of capacity, although it only dropped slightly to 589.7 feet in elevation within the past week. Catfish are taken on frozen shad, anchovies or mackerel in the lowered pool while bass are susceptible to shad-patterned plastics such as Robo Worm’s Hologram Shad. Due to severe drought conditions, lake recreation is extremely limited at Lake McClure. The North Ramp at Barrett Cove may be used at boater’s risk by hand-launched craft, such as kayaks and canoes. The Barrett Cove South Ramp and Lake McClure ramps at Bagby, Horseshoe Bend and McClure Point remain closed until further notice; there is no access for boats into or out of Lake McClure at these locations. Call: A-1 Bait, 209-563-6505.

McSwain Reservoir

There is also little change at this afterbay of Lake McClure. The Lake McSwain Marina and launch ramp remain open, but the store is closed Monday through Wednesday. Campfires are allowed again at McSwain’s campgrounds. The annual Merced Irrigation Fall Trout Derby has been postponed until April 9-10 due to warm water conditions at the lake during the fourth year of the drought. Few fishermen have been heading to the lake with the lack of trout plants since April. The Merced River is now closed to fishing until Jan. 1 between the Crocker-Huffman Bridge to G Street in Snelling due to warm water conditions. Call: McSwain Marina, 209-378-2534.

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

New Melones bass fishing has slowed a bit in the past week as the water temperatures have become colder and fish have scattered, but John Liechty of Glory Hole Sporting Goods in Angels Camp said, “The fresh rain will help the bite. The bass bite has been ridiculous over the past few weeks, but it dropped off a bit this week for most people. The fish are still suspended at depths from 30 to 60 feet, and we have been scoring with plastics on the drop-shot, which are a must-have bait in the fall months. You must find the bass with your electronics, and in addition to drop-shotting, vertically jigging with spoons is another productive option. A slow presentation with jigs or plastics on the shaky head are solid wintertime techniques as well.” Trout fishing remained slow, and fishermen are anxiously awaiting improvement. Said Liechty, “The recent rain will help bring some fish to shallow water, making them easier to locate and catch. Some of the small drainages and creeks that lead into the lake will have an increase in flow, which will attract the smaller fish. The larger fish will soon follow.” Kokanee are moving into the river arm and dying after their attempt to spawn, and bald eagles are feeding on the carrion at the mouth of the river. Catfish are still available, but the action is starting to slow with the largest whiskerfish weighing only 4 pounds, 1 ounce this week after several months of double-digit fish were brought to the shop. With the inlets starting to bring fresh water into the lake, nightcrawlers are a good choice to fish near drainage ditches and fresh moving water. Liechty added, “These areas will naturally wash nightcrawlers into the lake, and once the fish realize this, they will wait nearby for their next easy meal.” Crappie fishing remained slow with only a few slabsides reported. The only functioning launch ramp is at Glory Hole on the gravel, and a four-wheel-drive vehicle is necessary. The lake rose slightly to 797.83 feet in elevation and 11 percent capacity this week. Tulloch held at 499.51 feet in elevation and 82 percent of capacity. November is typically the top month for trout action at Tulloch. 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 at Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “The winds and stormy weather have kept most boats off of the lake at the end of the week, but on calmer days, anglers are drifting jumbo minnows on 10-pound test using split-shot to get down in the water column. The fish are starting to rise toward the surface as the water cools. Trolling P-Line Predators or Yozuri Crystal Minnows at depths to 50 feet is a solid option as well as spooning over the bait balls with 1.75-ounce P-Line Laser Minnows or similar spoons. The key is using your electronics to locate the bait balls. Roger George of Roger George Guide Service took out Louis Furtado of Kerman, Gwen Robinson and Art Garcia for 16 released stripers to 23 inches on trolled plugs at 40 to 75 feet. “Water temps were 60 to 62 degrees and falling, but we had a decent early bite that picked back up after noon. It’s not easy fishing by any measure, but the last four trips we’ve landed/released 76 fish from 18 to 26 inches,” George said. A few fishermen continue to work the banks with blood worms or pile worms. “The lake’s level is low, but it rose slightly to 19 percent of capacity this week with imports from the Delta, including 5,711 acre-feet on Monday. With the low water levels, a four-wheel-drive tow vehicle is advised at both launch ramps. In the O’Neill Forebay, limits of small legal stripers are possible for those trolling P-Line Predator Minnows or tossing jerkbaits, swimbaits or topwater lures. The best action has been below the surface instead of topwater lures. Stripers continue to be the rule for shore fishermen tossing topwater lures as the boils are slowing due to the recent cold spell. Call: Coyote Bait and Tackle, 408-463-0711; Roger George of rogergeorgeguideservice.com, 559-905-2954.

Half Moon Bay

With the delay of the Dungeness crab season, rockfish and lingcod are filling the bill for the time being. A big swell and heavy winds over the weekend of Nov. 13 put lingcod off the bite, but rockfish counts remained solid for party and private boats. When the seas were calm earlier in the week, bonito were abundant for trollers working offshore. Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat took out a Becoming an Outdoor Woman charter on Nov. 14, and the distaff participants were treated to limits of rockfish off Martin’s Beach and Tunitas Creek with a number of school fish in the mix. Out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing, the Queen of Hearts scored 30 limits of rockfish in the big sea on Nov. 14 with the Riptide returning with 12 limits and a lingcod. The ling counts were limited by the nine- to 12-foot swell, which results in the groundfish hunkering down to the reefs. 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’ Landing said, “We went out on Sunday, but the wind cranked up by mid-morning, driving us back to the harbor. The group really wanted to go, so we stayed in the bay for 30 rockfish and 12 lings for 19 anglers on the Caroline. We canceled our whale watching. ... The wind forced us to put the boats inside of the marina, and we rarely do this.” Saturday’s trip on the Check Mate produced 47 lingcod, 140 rockfish and two bonito for 19 anglers while the Caroline returned with three-quarters limits of rockfish and near limits of lingcod at 58 for 21 anglers. They are filling up on the weekends, but there is plenty of room during the week. Call: Chris’ Landing, 831-375-5951; Bayside Marine, 831-475-2173.

San Francisco Bay

Captain Jim Smith of the Happy Hooker went to the Farallons on Nov. 14 for 30 limits of rockfish and 40-plus lingcod despite the big swell. They canceled on Nov. 15 due to the wind. He’s running open-load rockfish trips or potluck trips inside the bay until the Dungeness crab opener. Boats out of Emeryville Sport Fishing also went to the Farallons on Sunday with the New Huck Finn, New Seeker, New Salmon Queen, Sea Wolf and TigerFish returning with 113 limits of rockfish, 23 lingcod to 10 pounds and two bonito to 7 pounds. The California Dawn went to the Farallons on Saturday for 23 limits of lingcod and rockfish. They have been limiting on both species for the past several trips. Inside the bay, Captain Trent Slate of Shelter Cove Sport Fishing went out with a few scoops of the remaining live anchovies on Nov. 13, and they drifted for halibut on the incoming tide for not even a king fish or shark. Once the tide turned to the incoming tide, they put in six quick limits of striped bass to 8 pounds with the live bait working the San Pablo Bay rockpiles. The Final, Final, Final Loch Lomond Sturgeon Seminar will be held Jan. 13 at the Marin Rod and Gun Club at 7:15 p.m. The popular event is back by special demand, and host Keith Fraser swears this will be the final chapter in this long-standing ode to the sturgeon. Tickets are available for the event, and advance sales are expected to be brisk. Said Fraser, “The gusts were up to 40 mph this morning on the dock, but bass fishing remains outstanding when the weather is acceptable. One fly fisherman was out at the Marin Island, San Quentin and Red Rock on Saturday, and he caught and released a number of stripers, including every cast at San Quentin for shakers in the 14- to 16-inch range.” Halibut fishing has been slower, but a few fish are taken. The Loch Lomond shiner supply is critical, but live mudsuckers have been popular for bass and the occasional halibut.

Delta/Stockton

Fog arrived with a vengeance last weekend, and the morning hours made for cautious boating until the fog cleared. King salmon are still moving through the Delta, and a few of the anadromous species are still found below the Freeport Bridge or along the Benicia shorelines. Striper fishing remains very good in the upper Delta and near Collinsville while the recent rains should help the start to sturgeon season. Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait in Freeport said, “Salmon are still happening, and the fish are averaging from 10 to 15 pounds with some chrome while most are dark. The best action has been from the shoreline with Flying C spinners. The Mokelumne River has really been heating up with boats trolling with Silvertron spinners and also jigging with spoons near the grain silos.” Benicia Bait reported chrome bright salmon are still coming off First Street in Benicia with Flying C or Vee-Zee spinners, and this area has been far more productive than the Dillon Point State Park at the present time. Sturgeon fishing is clearly on the upswing with several keepers showing up from above Pittsburg west to the Mothball Fleet during the middle of the week. Captain Jason Russey of Longfin Sport Fishing said, “It is officially sturgeon season, and our boat is back in the Delta at Martinez.” He caught and released an oversized at 67 inches along with five shakers to go with a legal sturgeon at 57 inches fishing above Pittsburg. However, sturgeon fishing slowed upon the arrival of the storm last weekend. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has completed its annual sturgeon tagging program, catching and releasing nearly 400 in Bay Area waters. Many tags are eligible for a reward if returned to CDFW by anglers. The tagging operation is used to help manage California’s green and white sturgeon populations. CDFW offers monetary rewards for the return of certain marked tags. The tags are smaller than a dime and located behind the rear dorsal fin. Anglers who return a tag will also receive a certificate of appreciation. Additional information and the form for returning tags can be found on the CDFW website. For striped bass, Alan Fong of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento reported very good action during the middle of the week in the north Delta near Liberty Island with 7-inch Kincannon Glide Baits in the clear water. He said, “You have to find them, and the water is very clear, so wind or overcast conditions make for the best period of time for stripers.” They have been catching and releasing stripers to 15 pounds, but the action slowed Nov. 13 for the larger fish. The major portion of maintenance on Highway 12 at the Mokelumne River Bridge was completed during the first two weekends of closure, and the highway is once again open with delays expected on the weekends at this section of the road. Maintenance at the Three Mile Slough Bridge on Highway 160 has the bridge down to one lane until July with significant delays from the bridge to the base of the Antioch Bridge. Water hyacinth has clogged all boat ramps in the Stockton area with Ladd’s Marina, Louis Park and the Morelli Boat Launch loaded with the aquatic vegetation. The section from the Interstate 5 Bridge to Weber Point in Stockton is choked with hyacinth, and freezing temperatures are necessary to cause the weeds to die off and sink. As a result, east Delta boaters are heading further west to launch, and the Lazy M Marina and River’s End have become more popular in the past few weeks. Chris Lauritzen of Lauritzen’s Yacht Harbor in Oakley said, “Even with the cooler water temperature, the rivers are still very fishable for the coming weeks until we get a storm that will muddy the rivers. It was reported to me this week that all of the sheet piling at the rock dam in False River is now out. As of this past Tuesday, there was still one crane barge in False River at the dam site. As far as I am concerned, False River is open to all boat traffic. Currently, the Dredge #8 is on the San Joaquin River between markers 21 and 23 at Jersey Island. The discharge line travels north from the dredge to Sherman Island. There are plenty of floating markers to show you what direction the discharge pipe line is traveling. The lever man on the dredge tries to keep the discharge pipe on the river bottom. If the discharge pipe floats, that is not a good thing. The dredge can be contacted on VHF radio channel 79a for passing instruction if you are unsure what to do. The fog comes in by 7 a.m. and is gone by 8:30 or 9. If you did not know about the dredge and the discharge pipeline, you might be surprised in the fog.” For largemouth bass, Alan Fong of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento reported the best bass action on Missle’s D-Bombs or Senkos in green pumpkin in the moving water among the floating mats of vegetation. The Delta Cross Channel Gates were reopened Nov. 13 following a 24-hour closure but may be closed on short notice for fishery protection. Information on the current status of the gates is available at the Army Corps of Engineers Central Valley Operations office at 916-979-2194 or 916-979-2683. 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 November 17, 2015 at 5:37 PM with the headline "Fish Report for Nov. 17."