Fish report for June 22, 2016

Lake Don Pedro

Rainbow trout, kokanee and king salmon action continues to improve at Don Pedro. Monte Smith of Gold County Sport Fishing said, “We put in two limits of kokanee to 16 inches on Thursday, losing another eight hookups. The kokanee are really fat, and you can only get half of your hand around their bellies. We found great action after 11:30 a.m. with a triple hookup at the end, and we exclusively ran kokanee gear throughout the day. The fish are found at depths from 40 to 66 feet with Uncle Larry’s spinners or Rocky Mountain Tackle’s hoochies behind a Sep’s copper dodger or Vance’s dodger.” Danny Layne of Fish’n Dan’s Guide Service said, “There is a fairly good bite off of the eastern end of the lake for king salmon to 5-plus pounds in the Woods Creek arm from the mouth to the Buoy Line upstream at depths from 90 feet and below with 4-inch watermelon Apex lures rolling shad or anchovies or with Uncle Larry’s Salmon Hoochies. Ed Brandi of Sonora landed a 4-pound, 14-ounce king at the mouth of Woods Arm. The rainbow trout are scattered in the same area at depths from 10 to 30 feet with blade/’crawler combinations while kokanee are found off of the points around Six Bit Gulch at depths of 40 feet.” For bass, it’s best to get on the water very early with reaction baits, including topwater lures, before working the bottom with plastics on the drop-shot or jigs. All three launch ramps are open with the lake at 77 percent of capacity and 790.02 feet in elevation. 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 lake is starting to release water, and it dropped slightly to 60 percent of capacity this week despite inflow from the upper Merced River. There has been no word on the status of the five gold-tagged rainbows planted a few weeks ago. These rainbows are worth $250 if caught by Dec. 31. Bass fishing is best with topwater lures in the early mornings or evenings before working the bottom with plastics or jigs. The McClure Point and Barrett Cove South launch ramps are open with the Barrett Cove North ramp under construction. The Bagby and Horseshoe Bend ramps remain closed and most likely will be closed for the rest of the season. Call: A-1 Bait, 209-563-6505.

McSwain Reservoir

Four of the five planted gold-tagged rainbows have been brought in for the $250 reward, leaving one tagged rainbow in the lake. Trout fishing is best in the early mornings or evenings after 7 p.m. with the heat affecting the bite and the fishermen during the day. Call: McSwain Marina, 209-378-2534.

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

Kokanee action remains good with the rising water level covering more vegetation and increasing the plankton population. The plankton feeds the kokanee, and they are growing rapidly and should be 18 inches in length by the end of the season. The best setup has been a Rocky Mountain Tackle or Uncle Larry’s spinners behind a large dodger, but the smaller Glitterbugs micro hoochies behind a teardrop dodger are also effective. The kokanee are scattered, and nearby Lake Pardee is a more solid option for numbers. Bass fishing is fair at New Melones with the opportunity for a trophy bass on reaction baits remaining. John Liechty of Xperience Bass Guide Service took out Nate Monroe this past week in the hunt for a trophy, and Monroe landed a 5-pound largemouth on a large topwater bait in the early morning. Liechty said, “We went out early in search of a better-than-average topwater fish, and we decided to throw topwater lures for the first few hours before switching to jigs or soft plastics once the sun came up. We made multiple stops and fished some very productive water, and it paid off with Nate landing the big largemouth.” After landing the big fish, they put another dozen fish in the boat working the bottom with jigs or plastics on the drop-shot. Liechty added, “The key to getting bites is to keep your bait on the bottom and bump into structure and cover.” Trout fishing is fair, but there are a few quality rainbows taken in the deepest portions of the main lake with shad-patterned spoons at depths from 30 to 40 feet. Night fishing under lights is starting to heat up, and boats are anchoring in 30 to 60 feet of water and dropping the light from 15 to 25 feet down. After the light attracts the baitfish and plankton, the trout will move in. Live minnows, nightcrawlers or trout dough bait are best under the lights. Some large catfish have been taken in the shallows with large pieces of shad, mackerel, anchovies or sardines on a sliding sinker rig. The best action is in the early mornings or evenings with few fishermen out during the heat of the day. The crappie bite has slowed considerably in the past few weeks. The lake is releasing water, and despite inflow from the upper Stanislaus River, the lake has dropped a foot to 885.93 feet in elevation and 27 percent of capacity after receding for the past few weeks. Glory Hole remains the only launch available on the lake with two lanes and a courtesy dock. 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.

Delta/Stockton

The Sacramento River Delta has moved into full summer mode with the arrival of triple-digit temperatures. Smallmouth bass are providing the best action in the rocky structure in the northern Delta while a few legal striped bass are landed on bait. Sturgeon fishing is limited to a few anglers since most Delta anglers are finding other venues for action. Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait and Tackle in Freeport reported, “There are a few straggling shad in the Delta, but most of the shad are up in the American River. Stripers are still in the Delta, but most of them are undersized. Smallmouth fishing is solid in the sloughs and along the rocky banks in the Sacramento River and Old Sacramento River, and deep-diving crankbaits in crawdad patterns, Senkos or plastics on the drop-shot around 10 feet in depth are working as well as Spro lipless crankbait in shad patterns.” Further downstream, Do Doung of Dockside Bait in Pittsburg reported large stripers in excess of 20 pounds have been taken in Broad Slough with live splittail or Sacramento pike, but these are few and far between. In Suisun Bay, sturgeon fishing is extremely slow with very few fishermen out trying. Largemouth bass are the focus in the San Joaquin Delta, and the Future Pro Tour was the latest event on the Delta with Dan’s Delta Outdoors Father’s Day event out of Big Break Marina on Sunday. Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, reported the slow tides and winds created adjustments in technique this week with the necessity to slow down on the presentation. With the winds, the half-ounce Persuader spinnerbait in chartreuse/white is working along with the ima Squarebill crankbait in shad or bluegill patterns. The ima Rock N’Vibe in red/black or blue back with a chartreuse body is working as the crawdads are getting darker in color. The Heli P propbait or the ima Little Stick are a good choice when it is windy, but you have to slow down. Numbers of bass can be taken by flipping the Flat Dog or Chigger Craw. He said, “You have to work it slow and stay in the strike zone.” Alan Fong of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento reported good action for largemouth bass with spinnerbaits or chatterbaits in the wind. He said, “We landed largemouth bass to 9.75 pounds on a three-eighths-ounce chartreuse/white spinnerbait. ... With this week’s triple-digit temperatures, the bass will be hunkered down under the weeds.” Dan Mathisen of Dan’s Delta Outdoors reported Marc Young and Dave Newton took first prize at their Father’s Day tournament with a five-fish limit at 25.24 pounds with a 7.75-pound big fish. Brandon Gallegos at H and R Bait in Stockton reported striped bass fishing has slowed in the Stockton area, but largemouth bass off the Tracy Oasis is very good with nightcrawlers rigged like a Senko. He said, “Many fishermen are rigging the live worm Texas style and then jigging it up and down along the weedlines.” Squarebill crankbaits or lipless crankbaits are also working, as the bass are feeding heavily on crawdads. Call: Randy Pringle, 209-543-6260; Intimidator Sport Fishing, 916-806-3030; Captain Steve Mitchell – Hook’d Up Sport Fishing, 707-655-6736.

San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay

The wind has been the limiting factor within the past week. During windows of calm winds, trollers are running minnow plugs deep for fair striper action. Bank fishermen are soaking pile worms, blood worms or anchovies from Goosehead or Dinosaur Points. A shortage of jumbo minnows in local shops has kept anglers from drifting the live bait. Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said he fished Saturday and caught several schoolie stripers to 27 inches, topped by a fat 34- 1/2 inch 14-pounder he released. “The fish are suspending most of the day, especially with the full moon, so you have to be on the water when the bite window opens up. I got the fish at around 75 feet on a lure. The water is falling very rapidly, and we may see minimum pool fairly soon in spite of the great water year. The Basalt ramp is now on the dirt facing to the west so you might want to use four-wheel drive from now on as the ramp falls. The Dinosaur ramp is OK so far,” he said. The Forebay continues to be the top striper location in the Central Valley with cut baits, pile worms or blood worms working off the main channel at Check 12. Boaters are finding good action with Speed Lures 110 SP, flukes, No Limit Custom Lures or Lucky Craft Pointers in shallow water when the wind is blowing. The wind has created dangerous conditions on the lake with at least one small boat capsizing. The reservoir continues to recede and is currently at 23 percent of capacity. Call: Coyote Bait and Tackle, 408-463-0711; Roger George of rogergeorgeguideservice.com, 559-905-2954.

Half Moon Bay

Captain Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat went salmon fishing off Pacifica on Saturday, and Allen Carter landed a 14-pound salmon. There was a little action between Pedro Point and Pacifica over the weekend, but it wasn’t enough to draw the Sausalito fleet south of the Gate. On Saturday, Second Captain Michael Cabanas took a rockfish trip out of Pillar Point for ling cod to 12 pounds along with boccaccios to 7 pounds using a live bait rig and a frozen herring. Further north, striped bass have been marauding baitfish along the shorelines, and shore fishermen have been concentrating on Linda Mar and Rockway Beaches in Pacifica. The Dungeness crab season ends June 30. Call: Happy Hooker, 510-223-5388; Captain Roger Thomas, Salty Lady, 415-760-9362; Emeryville Sport Fishing, 510-654-6040.

Monterey/Santa Cruz

Todd Arcoleo of Chris’ Landing in Monterey reported half limits of rockfish and 23 limits of ling cod on the Check Mate with 19 limits of lings along with half limits of rockfish on the Caroline. They have been able to jig up live squid for the bigger rockfish and lings. They have plenty of room on the rockfish trips throughout the week. Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing said, “Weather and sea conditions along the Monterey Bay are finally starting to cooperate with avid anglers on both sides of the Bay. Winds have been moderate and the swell has dropped, making fishing more comfortable and more productive.” Salmon fishing remains hit or miss on the bay. Salmon schools are scattered, with the most consistent area for success being the Soquel Hole. According to Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine, a few kings were caught near Natural Bridges this week in 220 feet of water as well. All the salmon are being caught by anglers fishing deep. It’s been a long wait, but California halibut are finally beginning to show in the near shore areas. Flat sandy areas close to structure is the best bet for these flatfish. Reports came in from Capitola, the Mile Buoy area, Lighthouse Point and the West Cliff kelp region in Santa Cruz for halibut. Monterey anglers have found a few of the big flatfish near “the Hotel” at the end of Del Monte Beach. Just north of Moss Landing, the Pajaro Pipeline area has kicked out a number of halibut in the past few weeks as well as an occasional white sea bass. Call: Chris’ Landing, 831-375-5951; Bayside Marine, 831-475-2173.

San Francisco Bay

Golden Gate: The salmon bite slowed again with the boats having difficulty locating the fish after the past week of rough weather. Working north of the Gate, three Sausalito boats took out 49 anglers for 13 salmon to 24 pounds before returning to the bay for nine stripers to 10 pounds. It wasn’t much better Monday with the New Rayann returning with five salmon to 24 pounds for 14 anglers. The ocean was reported to be calm, and it’s a matter of time before the boats find the fish. The New Seeker out of Emeryville also found slow salmon action with three salmon and a striped bass for seven anglers. The New Huck Finn and Sea Wolf out of Emeryville Sport Fishing focused on rockfish with a combined 57 limits and 130 ling cod to 23 pounds. The Tigerfish out of Emeryville tried a combination trip with eight striped bass to 8 pounds, half limits of rockfish and three ling cod. Captain Jim Smith of the Happy Hooker went south of the Golden Gate to Pedro Point for rockfish at 11 a.m. after putting in nine striped bass and a couple of halibut in the bay. He said, “We limited out with some quality black rockfish and assorted varieties, but there was only one ling cod. My group had difficulty staying out of the rocks in the bay while drifting for striped bass, so we made a bold move late in the morning.” He’s running open load potluck trips throughout the week. Inside the bay, Captain James Smith of the California Dawn continues to remove striped bass from the Bay/Delta system on a daily basis. Working the rockpiles with a large grade of anchovies hand-selected from J and P Bait in San Francisco, Smith put his clients onto an amazing array of striped bass, halibut and even a solitary leopard shark on Father’s Day. Captain Chris Smith on the Captain Hook also got in on the striper action, picking up a few halibut Sunday. Perhaps he also got some of the special bait in his tanks. The stripers were definitely keying on the larger bait, and if you didn’t have the big grade of anchovies, your scores were diminished.

This story was originally published June 21, 2016 at 5:32 PM with the headline "Fish report for June 22, 2016."