Fishing report compiled by California Outdoors Hall of Fame member Dave Hurley and edited by Roger George, who guides in the greater Fresno area and holds the striper record at Millerton Lake.
Rankings key below: 4: Fish are jumping in the boat. 3: Good fishing. 2: Decent fishing. 1: Poor fishing. 0: Don’t bother
Unless noted, area code is 559
Top 5 Picks
Lake Don Pedro
Bass 3 Trout 2 Kokanee 3 King salmon 2 Crappie 2
The kokanee are fat and healthy at Don Pedro, and perhaps the largest kokanee of the season will draw anglers to the July 11 Kokanee Power Team Tournament. Steve Wirfs and Jeff Boyle of Salida trolled for three consecutive days, bringing 31 fish to the net including king salmon to 23 inches working the upper end of the lake near Moccasin. For bass, Aaron Jones of Central Valley Bait and Tackle in Modesto reported, “3-inch swimbaits on an underspin, 5-inch Senkos, or 5-inch plastics on the drop-shot are working at depths from the banks to 20 feet.” Hayden Lee of Angels Camp caught and released a 10.5-pound largemouth pre-fishing for last Saturday’s Angler’s Press event. The lake rose 1.5 feet to 807.38 feet in elevation. Launch updates are posted at www.donpedrolake.com. A self-inspection is required for launching. There are 9 bass tournaments remaining on the schedule in April.
Isabella/Kaweah/Success/southern California Aqueduct reports available at https://www.tackleandrod.com/weekly-fishing-report.
McClure Reservoir
Bass 3 Trout 2 King salmon 2 Kokanee 0 Crappie 2 Catfish 2
Aaron Jones reported all Mother Lode lakes are fishing similarly good as shallow water junk fishing is continuing. He said, “The weather did throw the fish for a loop but trending upward now. They are biting reaction baits decently, but topwater turned off a bit since the dip in weather. Jig/dropshot/worms are still working especially fished shallow. There are lots of fish on beds. 3-inch swimbaits on an underspin, crankbaits, finesse jigs, and 4-inch plastic worms on the drop-shot are all effective at McClure at depths from the banks to 20 feet.”
About 1120 pounds of Calaveras Trout Farm rainbows were released at McClure Point South on March 27, and there will be single plants during April and May with a double plant in June. The Reel Deal Market & Cafe at Lake McClure is now open for weekends with Barrett Cove Cafe service returning on May 23. The lake rose 3 feet to 834.40 feet in elevation. One bass tournament is scheduled in April. A trout plant occurred on Monday, April 6 at Lake Yosemite, and the park rangers are closing off the launch ramp until 11 am on planting days. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and park rangers will be on site during plants checking fishing licenses and ensuring regulations are followed.
Lake McSwain
Trout 3
The 2,240 pounds of Calaveras Trout Farm rainbows on March 27 spurred on bank action, and there are plenty of fish in the lake. Berkley’s Mice Tails, garlic-scented Power Bait, inflated nightcrawlers, or Kastmasters from the Handicapped Docks, the Brush Pile, and the peninsula near the marina are producing while trollers are scoring in the river arm above the Fence Line with Wedding Rings tipped with a piece of nightcrawler behind a dodger or Kastmasters. The lake is at 87%. Heavy planting is scheduled in the next three months with two plants in April, one in May, and 2 in June. Single plants are scheduled at Lake Yosemite in April, May, and June. will be single plants during April and May with a double plant in June. The Reel Deal Market & Cafe is now open for weekends.
Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River
Bass 3 Striped bass 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 3 Crappie 2
Tas Moua reported a strong spotted bass bite for fish in the 2- to 3-pound range with Keitech swimbaits in 2.8 to 3.8 inches, topwater lures in the evenings, jigs, or plastics on a Neko-rig at depths from 10 to 15 feet. He added, “A 22-pound striped bass was landed on a chatterbait.” The flows in the San Joaquin River at Friant rose slightly to 840 cfs despite Millerton rising 3 more feet to 557.37 feet in elevation and 82%. There are no bass tournaments scheduled in April. A trout plants is scheduled at Woodward Park this week.
Delta/Stockton
Bass 2 Striper 3 Sturgeon 3 Catfish 2 Bluegill 3
White sturgeon action defies description as Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing put on a clinic on Saturday with 31 sturgeon to the boat. Gamez said, “We found them in the Big Cut and called in the other boats. My 8-year-old grandson, Jake Matos Brasil of Escalon, was able to reel in 7 sturgeon, and there was a good mix of undersized, slot-limit, and oversized sturgeon hitting the decks.”
Sturgeon season ends June 1, and only a few captains, including Mitchell and Gamez, will be hanging around Pittsburg in the coming months. Earlier in the week, Gamez put client Jesse Cortese onto a 51.44-inch striped bass estimated at 62 pounds, and the massive fish was released after a quick measurement and photo. Striped bass have flooded into the Delta as Captain Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo Sport Fishing added, “Fishing is good, but some days are even better than others. The San Joaquin side has been full of grass, so we have been either drifting minnows or trolling on the Sacramento side for limits of stripers to 14 pounds.”
Kenji Nakagawa of Lodi has been working the flooded islands or levee breaks in the north Delta for quality stripers in the shallows tossing 6-inch Delta Wood Bombers or Deps Slide Swimmers 250. Largemouth bass have also woken up, and this week’s full moon should bring the fish to the beds as the fish are either in pre-spawn, spawn, or post-spawn mode. The bass are setting up on the flats with deep water access, and the reaction bite is starting with chatterbaits, topwater lures, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits. Senkos or plastics on various presentations are also working for numbers.
All the rest
Valley/Westside waterways
Striper 2 Catfish 2
Tas Moua of 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle reported ‘hit or miss’ striped bass action as the current remains fast, creating dirty water conditions. He said, “You have to keep moving to find the fish.” Striperz Gone Wild’s Spring Striper Tournament is Saturday, April 25 at Volta Road with an entry fee of 10 non-perishable food items to be delivered to Merced County food banks. Trophies for first through third will be presented in both the adult and youth divisions. Every participant receives a raffle ticket for prizes including a new kayak from Bass Pro Shops. Food trucks, vendors, and a bounce house will be on site at Volta Road.
Eastman Lake/Hensley Lake
Bass 2 Trout 2 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Moau reported the big bait bite is still there for anglers in the know, and no one has mastered this lake like Damian Thao of Fresno who continues to find giants tossing the Workingclass Zero Tyrant 10-inch swimbait. Moau said, “It’s a matter of working a few select spots and finding the right timing for the feed to feed. The jig bite has also improved as the bass are staging on the rockpiles in 15 to 18 feet.” Hensley has been ‘hit or miss’ for bass with a limited topwater bite along with Senkos from the bank. There are no bass tournaments at either lake through the remainder of April. Eastman rose slightly to 509.71 feet in elevation and 29% with Hensley rising less than a foot to 497.20 feet in elevation and 39%. Trout plants are scheduled at both lakes this week.
New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch
Bass 2 Kokanee 2 trout 2
New Melones continues to pick up for bass, and Aaron Jones touted 3-inch swimbaits on an underspin, 5-inch Senkos, tubes, flukes, or jerkbaits at depths from the banks to 20 feet. Kokanee are another option, but the bulk of the landlocked salmon are smaller than at nearby Don Pedro. Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service said, “We’ve been finding limits with Papa G’s J-Pex lures in pink/gold or hoochies in pink or gold tipped with Pautske’s Tuna Fire Corn behind a gold dodger at depths from 35 to 50 feet.” The marina will open in two weeks, and park hours will change to 6:00 am to 8:30 pm starting May 1. All boats must be quarantined for 30 days or decontaminated at the New Melones Marina. The decontamination unit is only available on Fridays by appointment only until May 1. New Melones dropped a foot to 1040.98 and 78% with Tulloch holding at 82%.
San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay
Striper 2 Catfish 2 Bass 2 Crappie 2
Josh Mesa of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported a solid bait bite with jumbo minnows, pile worms, or anchovies in Portuguese .. The topwater bite remains slow.
Roger George of Roger George Guide Service reported that the lake is letting out a little water now, with the level at 1,798,000 acre feet. The water temps are lower at around 64 degrees after the wind storms last week. The full moon slowed the bite as well . Algae is heavy. “ I scouted alone last Friday and picked up a fat 32 ½” , 14lber working the 60’ range in the main lake with various silver lures. I ended the day with 12 released fish in the 21-25” range . The bite is not easy. Some fish are milting now!” George said
The O’Neill Forebay has been excellent for largemouth bass in the grass with umbrella rigs, plastics on a shakey head, or jigs. Tas Moua reported a 10 to 1 ratio of shakers to keepers in the forebay, and anglers are loading up with 40 to 60 lineside per outing fishing at night. The main lake dropped slightly to 88 with the forebay rising to 93%. Los Banos Creek Reservoir is closed to public access through sometime this month.
High Sierra
Bass Lake
Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 0
Mike Beighey of ‘Fishing Bass Lake with Mike’ said, “It’s a tough bite right now, and it was very slow until after 9 am when we picked up 6 trout to 16 inches in front of the Pines Resort at depths from 8 to 15 feet with Dick’s Shaver Trout Busters tipped with crawler behind a watermelon Mountain Dodger. I expect the bite to pick up after the full moon, as the fish are there. Bank fishermen are doing better with Power Bait.” Todd Wittwer of Kokanee.net Guide Service put 6-year-old Gavin Mishima on his personal best rainbow trout at 23.5 inches and 5.24 pounds trolling an orange PPK Tomahawk spinner behind a Rocky Mountain Tackle Sunburst Moonshine dodger at 12 feet in depth. The water is warming, and bass are moving into the flats in pre-spawn and spawn mode. This week’s full moon should bring the females to the beds. A webcam is available at https://www.basslakeca.com/bass-lake-webcam-1. Three bass tournaments are scheduled in April. A CDFW trout plant is scheduled this week.
Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 2
Dick Nichols of Mountain Tackle reported, “Shaver Lake continues to provide limits to some and none to others, perhaps it is the full moon. The consensus is that it’s a late bite starting around 10 am, and not everyone is experiencing success. David Geil of Sanger and his father, David Sr of Fresno, picked up a couple limits of kokanee plus a nice trophy rainbow on orange Dick’s Mountain Hoochies behind a D-MAC Mountain Dodger and a pink Mountain Hoochie behind a watermelon Mountain Dodger all tipped with pink maggots at 20 to 25 foot deep. The next day, Jimmy Tartaglia of Reedley, Terry Walton of Piedra, and Steve Theissen of Reedley picked up a couple limits of kokanee and a 5-pound trophy trout pulling JimmyT-Zer lures behind Jimmy T-Zer Dodgers. Both parties stated that most boats they talked to had only a few or no fish. Department of Fish and Wildlife made a plant this week, and another plant is scheduled for the week of April 19. Marie Staggs of Auberry, Secretary of the Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project, landed a 6.3-pound trophy rainbow on Easter Sunday.” Check the launch ramp at http://www.sierramarina.com/webcam-weather-page.html for conditions. Shaver rose to 69 with Huntington also rising to 94% as the snowpack is rapidly melting. Online registration begins on May 1 for the June 13 Greg Marks Youth Fishing Derby. This event fills up quickly.
Wishon/Courtright:
Access to both Wishon and Courtright is closed as of December 1, but access should be open soon with the rapid snowmelt. Road conditions –297-0706. Several CDFW plants are scheduled in the local creeks, and a plant is set for Wishon the week of the 12th.
Ocean
Monterey/Santa Cruz
Rockfish 3 Halibut 2 Striper 2 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch
Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surf Casting Guide Service reported, “Rockfish season opened successfully on Wednesday and salmon season will open this coming Saturday on April 11. Halibut have been filtering into shallow water over the past month, with at least one report of halibut from the beach and more than a few flatties caught from the Capitola and Santa Cruz wharves in the past week. In the meantime, surfcasting remains fairly decent in our area with an increasing number of striped bass in the mix of varied surfperch. Offshore of Carmel, at least two bluefin tuna were hooked this week, though details are scarce. Rockfish season is really the bread and butter for our local ocean fishing scene.
Golden Gate/San Francisco Bay/Half Moon Bay
Halibut 2 Striper 3 Rockfish 3 Leopard shark 3 Sturgeon 0 Crab 0
Rockfish season opened on April 1, and the bonus is fishing is allowed at all depths in the Northern, Mendocino, San Francisco, and Central Management Areas. On top of the rockfish opener, ocean salmon season opens below Pigeon Point on Saturday, April 11, and party boats from the Bay Area have migrated south to Half Moon Bay to get in on the action. Rockfishing has been tremendous with both the Pacific Dream out of Berkeley and Sea Wolf out of Emeryville returning on Saturday with 23 limits of rockfish and 23 limits of ling cod at the Farallon Islands. There are a few minor changes in the sub-limits as within the daily bag limit of 10 rockfish: one copper, two canary rockfish are allowed in all management areas. Four vermilion/sunset rockfish are allowed while in the Northern Management section only with two vermilion/sunset rockfish in all other management areas. The daily bag limit is 2 ling cod with a minimum size of 22 inches. Salmon are another reason for celebration, and the ports of Monterey and Santa Cruz will get in on April fishing for the first time in years. As Half Moon Bay is 18 miles north of the open season line at Pigeon Point, several Bay Area boats have migrated south to get in on the action. The harvest quota below Pigeon Point is 21,000 fish with a 2 fish daily bag limit and a 24-inch minimum size. The season north of Pigeon Point is anticipated to remain closed through June 27.
Halibut trolling has started in the south bay, but striped bass are keeping the boats busy as undersized halibut have been the story.
San Luis Obispo
Rockfish 3 Surf perch 3
Boat-based rockfish season opened without a depth restriction in the Central Management Section from Pigeon Point in San Mateo County to Point Concepcion in San Luis Obispo County on Wednesday, April 1st, and the early season action was spectacular. Morro Bay Landing had two boats out on Sunday with 54 anglers for 221 assorted, 108 vermilion, 80 Boccaccio, 24 copper, and 27 ling cod to 16 pounds. On Sunday, two boats were out of Patriot Sport Fishing at Port San Luis with 52 passengers for 255 assorted, 46 vermilion, 22 Bolina, 14 Boccaccio, 4 cabezon, 2 copper, and 36 ling cod to a whopping 28 pounds.
Events:
April 24/26th – Coyote Bait in Morgan Hill – Annual Spring Sale with everything on sale with no tax for three days
Tournament Results:
Delta/Paradise Point –Nor Cal Bass – March 28th: 1st – Vince Borges/Chad Frie Goddard – 20.74; 2nd – Bub Tosh/John Heller – 20.12; 3rd – Brittin Wiggins/Nick Peterson – 18.61. Big Fish – Rowdy Reed – 7.64 pounds
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The Fresno Bee
Christopher Kirkpatrick is senior editor of The Fresno Bee and Vida en el Valle.