Fish report for Aug. 31

Lake Don Pedro

Few kokanee fishermen are targeting the lake, but a few quality kokanee have been taken at depths below 100 feet with standard kokanee gear. 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. Bass fishing has slowed with a minimal reaction bite. Limited numbers are taken on plastics on the drop-shot. All three launch ramps are open with the lake dropping 1.5 feet to 771.46 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

Terry Mello at A-1 Bait in Snelling said, “The crappie bite is picking up at night under lights near the houseboats with live medium minnows. Catfish, crappie, bass and rainbow trout have all been caught under lights.” The bass bite is best with minnows or crawdads, but there is a small window for topwater lures in the early mornings. Catfishing is good with frozen shad, sardines or anchovies from the shorelines with muddy, sloping banks. The lake has dropped to 44 percent of capacity with water releases lowering the lake more than 4 feet to 758.06 feet in elevation. 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

McSwain Marina reported the remnants of the 7,500-pound plant a few weeks back have moved out into deep water, and trollers are scoring with blade/crawler combinations or chrome/blue Kastmasters near the upper dam in the colder water in the lake. Bank fishing is best in the early, early mornings, before the sun rises, with garlic trout dough bait, salmon eggs or Kastmasters from the peninsula near the Marina, Handicapped Docks or Brush Pile. Call: McSwain Marina, 209-378-2534.

New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch

With the lake dropping consistently, the Glory Hole launch ramp at New Melones should be off the two-lane concrete within the week, but the courtesy dock will remain even though launching will be only available on the dirt ramp. The kokanee season is coming to a rapid close at New Melones with only a few fishermen targeting the lake at the end of August, and those targeting kokanee are only picking up a few fish at best. The kokanee are holding in the deepest part of the lake, and they will be heading up the river arm within a few weeks. John Liechty of Glory Hole Sports in Angels Camp said, “At this time of year, swing and vibration are the keys to getting bit, and large profile lures such as Apex/hoochie combinations are best behind a large dodger. Some fishermen add more beads, a larger blade or a wiggle disc in order to increase the lure’s action.” Few trollers are targeting trout, and most are only picking up one or two. The rainbows are holding in the deepest portions of the lake, seeking cooler water at depths from 70 to 100 feet. Once again, large-profile lures are the key to getting bit along with a faster trolling speed up to 3 mph. Night fishermen are finding decent action under lights with trout dough bait, nightcrawlers or live minnows near the dam/spillway areas. The bass have pulled off the shoreline, and they are holding in deeper and cooler water in order to feed on the abundant shad schools. Liechty said, “The key is to find them when they are in a feeding mode, and the best times are in the early mornings and late afternoons with topwater lures, shad-patterned swimbaits or plastics on the drop-shot.” Catfish is the top species at the lake with frozen shad, anchovies, mackerel or sardines in the shallows with the best action in the early mornings and evenings. The crappie bite has slowed, but a few slabs can be found near structure with small minijigs, spinners or live minnows under a slip-float bobber near standing timber in the shallows. The best crappie fishing is at night under lights. The lake is releasing water on a daily basis, and the lake dropped a foot to 867.29 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

The wind has been blowing consistently in the Sacramento River-Delta, and as a result, the water has muddied up in the northern and western portions of the river. In Suisun Bay, Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait reported salmon are starting to come off the Dillon Point State Park with an average of five to six fish per day out of the 100 anglers tossing Vee-Zee or Flying C spinners from the shoreline. He said, “The salmon that are caught are good quality, ranging from 15 to 20 pounds, but there are not too many of them for the number of fishermen out there.” For striped bass, Liberty Island has been the top area in the north Delta, but the wind has churned up the shallow water, limiting the swimbait bite. Alan Fong of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento said, “It had been good out there with swimbaits and glidebaits, but the muddy water has slowed the reaction bite to a crawl.” In the Rio Vista area, Mark Wilson, striper trolling expert, reported high winds made for challenging trolling conditions on the main Sacramento during the week, but they were able to put in two limits to 4 pounds, releasing five shakers using deep and shallow lures near Decker Island. He said, “It was pretty slow for us, and the combination of wind and grass in the water made for tough conditions. Our best action came outside of Decker Island at the bottom of the tide with Yozuri Crystal Minnows or P-Line Predator Minnows in green or red head/white. I ran up to Miner Slough in search of fish, but we had our best action from the Old Dairy to Decker Island.” The wind has also affected sturgeon fishing, and Lopez at Benicia Bait said, “There hasn’t been anyone going out in Suisun Bay with these winds.” Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, said, “The winds have been treacherous in the west Delta, and the spinnerbait bite has been good with the half-ounce Persuader 4-bladed spinnerbait that looks like a school of fish. As the weather stabilizes, the bite will get back together, as it was very tough during last Saturday’s Best Bass Tournament, where at least one-third of the field blanked with the full moon and the weather change. The Persuader buzzbait in black has been effective in the morning, and I am switching to shad-patterned buzzbaits in the afternoons. There are tons of 1.5 to 2-inch shad in the San Joaquin River along with scores of small striped bass with more keepers around Prisoner’s Point. Fishing near current continues to be a key.” Dan Mathisen of Dan’s Delta Outdoors added, “During our tournament out of Big Break Marina on Saturday, Todd Fedderson landed the big fish at 9.68 pounds on a swimbait, but most of the action came by punching the weeds with creature baits. There hasn’t been a consistent pattern yet, but most tournament fishermen are switching from crawdad to shad patterns as the fall is starting to arrive.” In Discovery Bay, Mathisen said, “The cooler evenings have the bite changing, and the main river channel is producing with crankbaits such as the Strike King XD 6 or 2.5 Squarebills while punching is working along the main river points. Current is the key to getting bit, and the striped bass are also holding around current with the Optima Bad Bubba Shad swimbait the best option.” Gotcha Bait in Antioch reported a few stripers continue to come from the Antioch Fishing Pier with live mudsuckers producing the larger linesides. 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

O’Neill Forebay has been the location for striper fishermen from the Central Valley and south bay areas, and linesides to 10 pounds have been landed out of the small impoundment. The wind has been the limiting factor, and there have been times when the caution lights have been on, keeping boats off the water. Tossing jerkbaits or topwater lures is the top technique, and many boaters are becoming proficient on working the surface. Meng Xyong of the Fishaholics reported, “Fishermen continue to capitalize on the boils in the middle of the lake. Many are throwing SpeedLures 110MD jerkbaits and topwater lures into the feeding frenzy. Catching 20-plus fish in one outing seems to be the norm for many anglers. Smaller water craft, tubers and kayakers should use caution when venturing too far from shore. The wind and waves are unpredictable and can easily overpower or capsize your vessel.” Xyong’s brother, Nick Xjool of Fresno, creator of SpeedLures, put the first double-digit striper at 10.5 pounds in the box Sunday using a Purple Urkle SpeedLure. Andrew Yeh of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “There is still a lot of grass along the banks in the Forebay, but boaters are able to avoid the grass and work along the edges of the weeds. Topwater lures along with swimbaits are working for stripers to 5 pounds.” In the main lake, increased pumping from the Delta has raised the reservoir from a low of 10 percent to the current 14 percent, but a 4x4 vehicle is advised to drive down to the shoreline. Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said the wind has been a real problem in the big lake. “We finally got out on Saturday for a couple hours for a few fish before they closed the lake. The cooling temps and heavy winds put the fish off, with many suspended and inactive. Rising water also threw the fish off, but we’re very happy they are putting in water again. The bite should explode soon,” George said. Anglers continue to find quality striped bass on live grass shrimp transported to the big lake from the Forebay. Extra-large and jumbo minnows are back in area bait shops, and the minnow drifters should be back on the lake as the water rises and cools. 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 found salmon in front of the harbor on Saturday’s open load, and the action proved good for these fishermen. The salmon are fat and healthy and loaded with anchovies. Commercial salmon fishermen have been working the depths in 240 feet of water near the Deep Reef, but these fish are difficult for the private boater to reach. Ling cod fishing has been heating up near Pescadero, and large lings are biting in addition to limits of school rockfish. 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’ Sport Fishing in Monterey reported continued outstanding rockfish and ling cod action close to the harbor with the Check Mate scoring limits of lings along with three-quarter limits of rockfish for a small charter of eight Sunday. The Caroline posted three-quarter limits of rockfish and 15 lings for limits of ling cod for 29 anglers. They continue to jig up fresh squid in the morning, and Arcoleo said, “The squid is really big and fat, so they must have stayed offshore during the El Nino current, as they have come in with great size.” They are sold out next weekend during the holiday, but there is plenty of room throughout the coming week for rockfish/ling cod trips. On the Santa Cruz side of the bay, white sea bass have been taken on occasion near Capitola, and there have been flurries of bonito to 12 pounds between Aptos and Moss Landing. Call: Chris’ Landing, 831-375-5951; Bayside Marine, 831-475-2173.

San Francisco Bay

The weather was flat calm outside the Gate on Sunday, and Captain Bob Wright of the Happy Hooker went north to Point Reyes for 21 limits of rockfish along with 41 ling cod. They hit a small pinnacle in 60 feet of water at the end of the day for the jackpot ling on the last drift. This rock produced a 32-pound ling on Friday’s trip. Salmon fishing remains pretty good with three Sausalito boats returning with just under a fish per rod Sunday, bringing home 50 salmon to 26 pounds for 61 anglers while three boats out of Emeryville scored 37 salmon to 22 pounds for 30 anglers. The boats have been working from south of the main shipping channel to Double Point in the flat, calm conditions. The salmon are big and fighting hard, and Captain Trent Slate went commercial fishing Friday for 100 pounds of salmon condensed into five fish. Private boats are finding limits of a quality grade from 12 to 20 pounds at depths of 45 feet with green Rotary Salmon Killers and anchovies. There are tons of anchovies along the coastline, and the salmon are loading up for their final move home. Rockfishing remains outstanding with a combined 85 limits and 132 lings to 17 pounds for the Sea Wolf, New Salmon Queen and New Huck Finn out of Emeryville Sport Fishing. Inside the bay, few party boats are working, but Captain Tom Zizzo of the Wild Wave out of San Francisco found great action for halibut in the central bay Saturday with a dozen of the flat fish. Live anchovies did the trick.

This story was originally published August 30, 2016 at 4:05 PM with the headline "Fish report for Aug. 31."