Fish report for Modesto area lakes, reservoirs and rivers

Lake Don Pedro

Bass fishing is best using finesse techniques on the bottom with jigs or plastics on the drop-shot picking up a few smallmouth or largemouth bass. The reaction bite is slow, but numbers of fishermen will head to the lake this weekend for the Future Pro Tour event. King salmon and rainbow trout should make up the bulk of the action for trollers with the non-existent kokanee bite, and the best action should be taking place up the river arm near the cold water break. All three launch ramps are open with the lake dropping 2.5 feet to 773.17 feet in elevation and 68 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

Minimal change with water releases lowering the lake 4.5 feet to 762.19 feet in elevation and 45 percent of capacity. The topwater bite has slowed, and the best action is on the bottom at depths below 45 feet with plastics such as Pro Worm’s 124 on the drop-shot or Berserk’s Purple Hornet jigs. Catfishing is decent along muddy, sloping banks with anchovies, sardines or mackerel. Trout, kokanee and king salmon have been non-existent throughout the summer. The McClure Point and Barrett Cove South launch ramps are open with the Barrett Cove North ramp under construction. Call: A-1 Bait, 209-563-6505.

McSwain Reservoir

The triple-digit temperatures have kept the optimum time to a short window in the early mornings or late afternoons. The bite has slowed since the recently planted catchable rainbows are scattered into the main lake. Kastmasters in gold or chrome are still working best near the marina, the Brush Pile and the Handicapped Docks. Call: McSwain Marina, 209-378-2534.

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

The kokanee bite is slowing at New Melones, but the few fish being landed are huge, pushing 20 inches in length. John Liechty of Glory Hole Sporting Goods in Angels Camp said, “The fish are holding in deep water from 80 to 100 feet in depths, and the largest fish so far this year came in at 2.4 pounds, close to the lake record of 2.8 pounds landed by Ray Koch of Escalon in 2007. With the hot water temperatures, both the kokanee and rainbow trout have dropped to the 100-foot range with the best action in the main lake and up toward the Highway 49 Bridge. The main river channel holds the deepest water, and large blade and lures are working best since vibration is necessary at this time of year, as the fish are getting ready to attempt to spawn.” The trout bite has been fair overall, but the quality of the few fish taken has been outstanding, as the fish are loading up on shad with a number of rainbows weighing more than 3 pounds. Shad-patterned spoons such as Speedy Shiners or Needlefish in gold or copper behind a large Sling Blade have been producing. Night fishing for rainbows under lights is another good method, and live or artificial minnows are working. Bank fishermen are advised to head up the hill to the high country lakes of Spicer or Amador. Bass fishing is best during low light conditions in the early mornings, late evenings or during the night with small shad-patterned plastics on the drop-shot. Liechty said, “The shad that the bass are feeding on are extremely small, and small baits are necessary, as the bass are holding next to the shad schools. The topwater bite is slow, but there remains the possibility of a few blow-ups on the surface.” Catfish action remains solid with whiskerfish in the 4- to 10-pound range landed regularly with the best action in the mornings, evenings or during the night, as the fish move into the shallows. Frozen shad, anchovies, mackerel or sardines are working. Crappie are biting small minijigs, spinners or live minnows under a slip-float bobber near standing timber in the shallows while the slabs are also found at night under submersible nights. The lake is releasing water on a daily basis, and the lake dropped 2 feet to 868.1 feet in elevation and 23 percent of capacity. 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

A few salmon per day are being caught off the Benicia shoreline at the Dillon Point State Park with Vee-Zee spinners and upriver below the Freeport Bridge by those jigging P-Line Laser Minnows or Slammer Minnows, and the action will only improve in the coming weeks and months. Striped bass are moving into the Sacramento-Delta early this year, but the majority of linesides are on the small side. The winds have limited sturgeon fishermen in Suisun Bay. Johnny Tran of New Romeo’s Bait in Freeport said, “A few salmon are coming into the shop on a daily basis by those jigging spoons below the Freeport Bridge, and the occasional salmon is landed from the shoreline on a Flying C spinner. Striped bass are moving in, and they have arrived in the Liberty Island area. Most of the bass are small, but a 40-incher was taken on a River2Sea S Waver. Striped bass are moving in, but the quality of bass is also lacking. Mark Wilson, striper trolling expert, has been working the section of the river from Clyde Shoals above the Rio Vista Bridge to the Decker Island area with deep-diving Yozuri Crystal Minnows or P-Line Predators. He said, “ We must have caught and released between 40 and 50 stripers to 6 pounds with 16 of the fish being of legal size. Greens continue to be the top lure colors, but I did land a few fish on a red head/white lure. We have been focusing around Decker Island, the West Bank and in Horseshoe Bend, but I may move further west towards Sherman Island and Broad Slough this week.” Clyde Wands, shallow trolling expert, came over to the Sacramento River and said, “We couldn’t go 20 feet without getting a hit. Everything was on the deep lures, and once again, most of the fish were less than 22 inches.” Curtis Hayes of Benicia Bait and Tackle reported a few salmon are landed daily off Dillon Point State Park, but First Street has yet to produce with the big tides and steady winds. Sturgeon fishing is on hold with few boaters willing to head out in Suisun Bay because of the high winds. Dan Mathisen of Dan’s Delta Outdoors in Oakley said, “Bass fishing has been tougher with winning weights in the 20-plus pound range during the last few tournaments with the fish transitioning to the changing conditions.” Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, reported outstanding largemouth action with the reappearance of triple-digit temperatures. There is a topwater bite in the morning with the ima Little Stickt along with the ima Squarebill crankbait along the shoreline. He said, “This is a good time to learn or try a new technique since everything is working. If you want to catch and release 100 bass ranging from three inches to 5 pounds, you can throw a Berkely Havoc Flat Dog on a Zappu head on light line such as 8-pound test Trilene. Since we are fishing around rocks, weeds and tules, the stouter fluorocarbon line works best, and as it is heavy, it stays down where the fish are holding. The bass are clearly oriented towards current, and the current provides cooler water, oxygen and attracts baitfish, so where the water is moving close to structure, the bass will be there. There is a spinnerbait bite in the early mornings in low light conditions, and shad patterns such as chartreuse/white, silver/silver or silver/white are best, as there are tons of shad in the system. I prefer the half-ounce Persuader spinnerbait with an imaged blade.” Mathisen touted anything in red for the largemouth bass, as the fish are chasing crawdads in the shallows.. Mathisen reported a good striped bass bite with frozen shad for bait fishermen along with the five-inch Optima Bubba Shad or his custom-made Chartreuse Shad Spook for stripers. Steffan Masters of Lost Anchor Bait and Tackle in Antioch and McAvoy’s Boat Harbor in Bay Point said, “The first salmon have shown up near the Humphrey’s Pier by the old Humphrey’s restaurant, and along with this, some keeper sturgeon are being landed out in front of the River View Pier. Striper fishing remains slow, but we have a supply of live grass shrimp for the first time in months.” 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

San Luis Reservoir continues to be the location for big striped bass, but only the most experienced fishermen are getting in on the action. Roger George of Roger’s Guide Service out of Fresno is one of the only guides working the lake, and he put Andy Bedell of Monterey onto a 39-inch, 24-pound striped bass on a shad-patterned plug that was subsequently released via the Seaqualizer Release Device. George said, “We have had to cover a lot of area to find the moving schools, and the key seems to be putting the lure in front of active fish. The best action has been in the flats, and although we landed three quality fish last week, including Meng Xyong’s 16- and 27-pound fish, the bite is slowing. Thankfully, the water has come up from a low of 195,000 acre-feet on July 31 to 256,000 acre-feet on August 22nd.” Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill confirmed the good action for the occasional large fish in the main lake. He said, “Anglers have been trolling along the shoreline with shad-patterned plugs, and bait fishermen are using pile worms or blood worms. We are selling out of worms early in the weekend due to the high demand. A 4x4 vehicle is advised to drive down to the shoreline, as several vehicles have been stuck lately. The Dinosaur Point launch ramp is still open, but it’s on the third ramp. We have extra-large minnows in the shop again, but the minnow bite has been slow.” A few fishermen continue to use live grass shrimp, and the best location for catching shrimp is in the O’Neill Forebay. The live bait cannot be transported to the main lake, but fishermen continue to ignore this regulation. The forebay continues to produce multiple smaller stripers with topwater lures or swimbaits, as the linesides are boiling on the surface in the early mornings and late evenings. Steve Burrows of Valley Rod and Gun touted five-inch paddletailed swimbaits such as Storm or River2Sea Rig Walkers worked over and along the weedlines as a productive technique. Meng Xyong of the Fishaholics reported, “Fishermen have been running into boils consistently while fishing the lake. Throw your favorite topwater lure, and it’ll get hammered. Most fish caught are undersized, but action has been consistent throughout the day. A boat is a must in order to reach and chase the boils.” San Luis has come up slightly from a 27-year low at 10 percent to 12 percent of capacity. Call: Coyote Bait and Tackle, 408-463-0711; Roger George of rogergeorgeguideservice.com, 559-905-2954; San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay wind conditions, 800-805-4805.

Half Moon Bay

Captain Dennis Baxter of the New Captain Pete went south to a honey hole north of Ano Nuevo, and they limited out with big rockfish, including large vermilion rockfish along with huge ling cod at 27 and 32 pounds. He said, “The water temperatures have warmed up a bit, and the school fish are finally biting. Locally, salmon have been very slow, both inside the harbor and in the bay. The net pen fish have yet to arrive in the harbor in numbers, although a few salmon have been spotted inside of the marina. Halibut are starting to show up along the coast near the end of Kelly Avenue and the Half Moon Bay State Park with fresh dead squid on a live bait rig, and commercial fishermen have landed as many as nine fish in a day. The bite isn’t red hot, but it is worth the time to make a few drifts after loading up on rockfish and lings. My next open salmon trip is Saturday, September 4, as I will be focusing upon rockfish in the coming weeks along with bird- and whale-watching trips.” Commercial squid boats are still hanging around the stretch of Martin’s Beach to San Gregorio, and there is a steady trickle of huge white sea bass in the 40- to 60-pound range taken by anglers who are trying to keep the bite to themselves. 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 at Chris’ Sport Fishing in Monterey reported a great rockfish bite with 23 limits along with 35 lings on the Caroline, with the Star of Monterey returning with three-quarter limits of rockfish along with 30 lings for 19 anglers. Saturday brought out an impressive score on the Star of Monterey with 52 ling cod and three-quarter limits of rockfish for 29 anglers. Fresh squid remains the trick for the lings on a live bait rig. They have room throughout the week on their rockfish/ling cod trips. Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing reported, “White sea bass and halibut are definite possibilities lately. Using fresh squid works wonders, and jigging up live squid is even better. These prestige fish are still mostly in deeper water, from 60 to 90 feet.” In Santa Cruz, the SC3 Buoy, Mile Buoy and Lighthouse Point have seen good catches of halibut and white sea bass. Todd Fraser of Bayside Marine reported, “There have been a few halibut caught up the coast near Davenport. Some nice halibut and sea bass (were) caught on squid near Capitola and Rio del Mar.” Go Fish Santa Cruz Charters is finding non-stop action on nearby reefs off West Cliff and near Wilder’s Ranch. Miss Beth Skipper Jim Rubin says, “The bite remains hot. We caught three nice ling cod and have to report we lost five at the boat. There were limits of quality rock cod consisting of yellows, blues, blacks and vermilion. There were whale sightings all morning, which means there is a lot of bait in the bay.” Call: Chris’ Landing, 831-375-5951; Bayside Marine, 831-475-2173.

San Francisco Bay

Captain Bob Wright of the Happy Hooker said, “It was flat calm outside of the Gate, and we took advantage by making the trip north to Point Reyes and ended up with 18 lings along with 25 limits of rockfish, and there were at least four vermilions in the 5- to 6-pound range. The Sea Wolf, Tiger Fish and C Gull II out of Emeryville Sport Fishing also found limits Saturday for 66 anglers along with 86 ling cod to 17 pounds. Monday’s scores were more of the same with a combined 24 limits of rockfish and 39 ling cod to 16 pounds for two Emeryville boats. For salmon, the bite broke out Monday with the six-pack, the Captain Hook out of Berkeley Marina posting five limits of big fish. The two Sausalito boats were up in Drake’s Bay for 36 salmon to 26 pounds for 29 anglers, with most of the salmon in the 15- to 26-pound range. The scores had been far less than a fish per rod over the weekend before Monday, and this follows the same pattern of the summer. A few slow days followed by a day or two of terrific action, as it is a matter of timing when the schools are moving through. The salmon are moving quickly toward the Golden Gate, and they have moved into the shallows to feed on anchovies. The Sundance out of Emeryville put in nine of these salmon for six fishermen. Inside the bay, the big tides over the past week were a limiting factor for striped bass and halibut, and most party boats have been heading outside the Gate. The California Dawn finished Shark Week with limits of seven-gill sharks and releasing another eight, four of which weighed more than 100 pounds along with three leopards and four soupfin. Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle in San Rafael touted the shark bite in the south bay and has been selling plenty of midshipmen for the leopards since this bait is a guarantee for the larger grade of sharks.

This story was originally published August 23, 2016 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Fish report for Modesto area lakes, reservoirs and rivers."