Isabella\/Kaweah\/Success\/southern California Aqueduct reports available at https:\/\/www.tackleandrod.com\/weekly-fishing-report.<\/p>\n
McClure Reservoir<\/p>\n
Bass 3 Trout 2 King salmon 3 Kokanee 3 Crappie 2 Catfish 2<\/p>\n
Aaron Jones reported the bass are schooling up around the shad schools, and Berkley Choppo 90 topwater lures are effective for surface fish along with Senkos or jigs for the suspended fish. Steve Dedrick of Bait Bucket Bait and Tackle in Snelling reported trollers are picking up kokanee along with king salmon to 4 pounds running a variety of spoons in open water around the shad schools. Recently planted rainbows are also mixed in with the shad schools. The Reel Deal Market is now open daily from 10am – 5pm on weekdays and 10 am to 6:30pm on weekends. The Barrett Cove Caf\u00e9 is open weekends through September 7. The lake dropped nearly a foot to 845.80 feet in elevation. The only tournament in June is the Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournament on June 6.<\/p>\n
New Melones Reservoir\/Tulloch<\/p>\n
Bass 3 Trout 3 Kokanee 3<\/p>\n
Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service has been bouncing between both lakes depending upon client preference, and in spite of a downpour on Tuesday afternoon, he produced limits for his client running Papa G Jpexs and the new T-Spoon Bullet Spoon coated with Pautzke\u2019s Fire Corn and Herring scent at depths to 50 feet. Wise said, \u201cIt\u2019s not complicated right now as we are running four different lures behind gold hammered dodgers. J-Pex, Apex lures, pink spinners, and Bullet Spoons in greens, solid pink, or white\/pink are all working at speeds from 1.4 to 1.5 mph. On the J-Pex and Bullet Spoons, we are running a 15- to 18-inch leader, and the larger fish to 15.5 inches are found at 50 to 70 feet in depth with kokanee in the 12- to 14-inch range found from 40 to 50 feet. The fish are schooling up right now, and they are very aggressive.\u201d<\/p>\n
For bass, John Liechty of Xperience Fishing Guide Service reported a solid topwater bite earlier in the week during periods of inclement weather, and the bass are best found on reaction baits around mud lines, shade lines, or points when it is windy. He said, \u201cThe bass are coming into the shallows to feed on bluegill or fry, and we caught and released two largemouths at 4 pounds on Sunday, one on a glidebait and one on a spinnerbait. The fish are all very healthy.\u201d Both Glory Hole and Tuttletown open from 6:30 am to 8:00 pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Glory Hole will be the only ramp open starting at 8:00 am Monday through Thursday. All boats must be quarantined for 30 days or decontaminated at the New Melones Marina. The marina is open. There are two kokanee tournaments on the lake in June with Kokanee Power on the June 6 and the Central Valley Anglers on June 20. The lake dropped nearly 2 feet to 1035.55 feet in elevation and 76% while downstream Tulloch rose to 100%.<\/p>\n
Wishon\/Courtright<\/p>\n
Trout 3<\/p>\n
Trout plants have turned on the trout bite at both Wishon and Courtright, leaving Kelly Brewer of the Wishon Village RV Park and Store to report an excellent bite at the end of the week after slowing down earlier in the week due to inclement weather. Wedding Rings behind a flasher at 3 to 4 colors along with Rapalas or similar plugs for trollers while shore anglers are scoring with nightcrawlers, spoons, or Power Bait. Dinkey Creek will receive a trout plant this week with a plant scheduled for Courtright next week. Road conditions \u2013 Sierra National Forest 297-0706 ext. 4961 or 392-0423.<\/p>\n
Delta\/Stockton<\/p>\n
Bass 2 Striper 2 Sturgeon 3 Catfish 2 Bluegill 3<\/p>\n
Inclement weather with high winds was the story early in the week, and striped bass are moving quickly through the Delta. Captain Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo Sport Fishing worked hard on Saturday to find 6 keeper stripers drifting live bait on the San Joaquin side, and he said, \u201cWe pushed far up river toward Holland Tract, and there is a lot of algae and debris in the water, especially on the outgoing tide. They bit good on Friday, but they were tight on Saturday.\u201d Soo Hoo is wrapping up his Delta operation this week to focus on San Francisco Bay. Catch-and-release sturgeon fishing ends on June 30 until October 1, but the diamondbacks remain thick in Suisun Bay although few boats are targeting them. Senkos, punching, chatterbaits, and frogs remain the main baits for largemouth bass, but the bite remains inconsistent. A series of larger tides starts this week, and the best action is on the outside weed line on the high tide. During the summer months, San Joaquin side will be dominated by recreational boaters through the summer months.<\/p>\n
All the rest<\/p>\n
Valley\/Westside waterways<\/p>\n
Striper 2 Catfish 2<\/p>\n
Tas Moua of 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle reported the striped bass bite is picking up around Manning Avenue with cut bait, jerkbaits, grass shrimp, or flukes. Z-Man\u2019s Graph ShadZ\u2019s have been particularly effective.<\/p>\n
Eastman Lake\/Hensley Lake<\/p>\n
Bass 2 Trout 2 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2<\/p>\n
Tas Moua reported one angler found a 30-pound limit working the rockpiles in deep water, bouncing from rockpile to rockpile as the larger fish have moved offshore. The bass move into the shallow water for feed on bass fry, bluegill, or crappie. Damian Thao of Fresno continues to work big baits such as the BCG10 Trout glide bait for double-digit largemouth bass. With the bluegill and crappie spawning in the shallows, they are within range of bank anglers. At Hensley, Moua reported carp, catfish, and bluegill are the top species with few bass anglers heading to the lake. There are no bass tournaments at Eastman through the end of June. Eastman dropped 1.5 feet to 509.77 feet in elevation and 29% with Hensley dropping 2 feet to 493.91 feet in elevation and 35%.<\/p>\n
Lake McSwain<\/p>\n
Trout 2<\/p>\n
Steve Dedrick reported slow bank action for planted rainbow trout as the last plant was May 5, but two plants are scheduled in June. The Splash-N-Dash Water feature dominates interest on the lake, but within days of the next plant, anglers will return to line the shorelines with Power Bait, nightcrawlers, or spoons. The lake dropped slightly to 80%. A single trout plants is scheduled at Lake Yosemite in June. The Reel Deal Market & Cafe is now open every day the Splash N\u2019Dash is operation, Mondays thru Fridays from 10 AM to park close; Saturdays from 8 AM to 7 PM; and Sundays from 9 AM to 7 PM. The Bait Bucket Bait and Tackle at the site of the former\u2019s Angler\u2019s Edge Market at 6710 Merced Falls Road in Snelling is now open. Information on the Splash N\u2019Dash is available at: https:\/\/mysplashndash.com\/.<\/p>\n
Millerton Lake\/San Joaquin River<\/p>\n
Bass 2 Striped bass 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 3 Crappie 2<\/p>\n
Tas Moau reported shore anglers are scoring with Keitech swimbaits in the 3.3 to 3.8 range on a ball head or an underspin as bass fry, bluegill, or crappie are moving into the shorelines. Moau said, \u201cI believe this is the reason for the urchin-style lures working so well since they mimic fry balls,\u201d adding, \u201cThe bass are found in the rockpiles at depths from 15 to 20 feet.\u201d The lake dropped 1.5 feet to 572.88 feet in elevation and 96%. The San Joaquin River is running at 387 cfs at Friant. There is a single bass tournament scheduled in June.<\/p>\n
Pine Flat Reservoir\/Kings River<\/p>\n
Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 0 King salmon 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2<\/p>\n
Tas Moau reported the bass bite is picking up in the back of Sycamore and Big Creek with the best action first thing in the morning or at sunset with topwater lures, jerkbaits, or swimbaits. He said, \u201cThe dam area is also producing bass from the banks, and there is a lot of shad in the lake, even some in the 3- to 5-inch range. Trout are taken under lights at night from houseboats at the Lakeview Marina.\u201d Trout trolling has been outstanding as Brian Klassen of Reedley and crew have logged in over 150 rainbows caught and released in five trips that were donated for non-profit organizations. David Geil of Sanger trolled orange Dick\u2019s Mountain Hoochies tipped with a piece of nightcrawler behind D-Mac or Orange Scale Mountain dodgers for rainbows from 13 to 16 inches. He landed 10 on the downrigger at 25 to 30 feet down, and 3 more on his side pole using Texas Tea Dick\u2019s Trout Busters with a crawler behind Dick\u2019s Mountain Flashers at a setback of 100 feet. The key is finding the shad schools. In the lower Kings River, a trout plant is scheduled for the week of June 8, but shore anglers are still finding success with Joe\u2019s Flies, Atomic Tubes, Power Bait, or nightcrawlers below Winton Park. The flows have dropped to 768 cfs below Army Weir. There are no bass tournaments on the schedule in June.<\/p>\n
San Luis Reservoir and O\u2019Neill Forebay<\/p>\n
Striper 2 Catfish 2 Bass 2 Crappie 2<\/p>\n
Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported big striped bass have been the story from the banks along the left side of Dinosaur Point for bait anglers. He said, \u201cThey have been using anchovies for linesides in the 30- to 40-inch range, and fortunately, they are releasing these fish.\u201d . Golden mussel watercraft inspections are no longer needed at San Luis and the O\u2019Neill Forebay.<\/p>\n
Roger George of Roger George Guide Service reported that the trolling and shore casting bites have been slow-especially since the lake was closed for 3 days due to the high winds. \u201c The combination of high winds, falling water and lots of spawning behavior \u2013 along with a full moon – has slowed the reaction bite significantly. It\u2019s been tough fishing with the weather all over the place \u2013 but it looks like a more normal pattern is coming in the next week or so .\u201d George said.<\/p>\n
The O\u2019Neill Forebay continues to produce unlimited numbers of undersized striped bass with chartreuse\/white spinnerbaits or chatterbaits around Check 12. Clements said, \u201cThe bite has been consistent as the fish have yet to move into the summer pattern.\u201d Around 1 in 10 stripers are pushing the legal 18-inch minimum. Tas Moua reported anglers continue to wade out with River2Sea\u2019s Rig Walkers or topwater lures for numbers of undersized stripers. The main lake dropped from 77 to 74% with the forebay rising slightly to 84%. Los Banos Creek Reservoir should open on Monday, June 1.<\/p>\n
High Sierra<\/p>\n
Bass Lake<\/p>\n
Bass 3 Trout 2 Kokanee 1<\/p>\n
Recreational boating has taken over the lake as it does every summer, but early in the mornings or evenings, the bass bite remains strong around the docks and at depths to 15 feet with weedless presentations on a Texas-rig, Senkos, flukes, plastics on a drop-shot, or urchin-style lures. Mike Beighey of Bass Lake Fishing Tours reported a good rainbow trout bite prior to the storms, and he anticipates the action returning after a few days of clear weather. He said, \u201cThere are plenty of quality trout in the lake, but there are also many in the 12-inch range so you will have to release the smaller fish if you want to keep a limit of larger trout. The best trolling is between Miller\u2019s Landing and the Forks Resort at depths to 20 feet using Dick\u2019s Mountain Trout Tusters in orange or pink or green tipped with scented corn behind Dick\u2019s Mountain Dodgers. Orange or pink Apexs, Wiggle Hoochies, or small green or light pink squid are also effective. It looks like it is going to be a good season with the trout stacked up already, but it\u2019s too soon to tell about the kokanee as it had been three tough years without the landlocked salmon despite heavy plants of 50,000 fish annually. The lake used to be the number one kokanee fishery in the central Sierras. Wake boarders stir up the lake, and this is affecting vegetation growth. The buoys are placed to close inside the dam area where the kokanee usually are in Sky Harbour allowing recreational boat traffic to be too heavy. The 10K Derby fish remains out there, worth $500 for derby participants if caught by June 30. A webcam is available at https:\/\/www.basslakeca.com\/bass-lake-webcam-1. No future bass tournaments are schedule through the end of June.<\/p>\n
Shaver Lake\/Huntington Lake<\/p>\n
Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 2<\/p>\n
Dick Nichols of Mountain Tackle said, \u201cThe recent inclement weather at Shaver Lake, characterized by cloudy skies, rain, and wind, has continued to impede fishing activities, but despite these challenges, some experienced trollers have successfully caught a couple of limits of kokanee and a few brown trout which have been present in the area for the past few weeks. Paul Brown of \u2018Fishin\u2019 With Paul\u2019 Guide Service took out Ryan McKellar from Madera and Ian Justus from Royal Oaks for two limits of quality kokanee along with a brown trout using Little Captain\u2019s Tackle or Dick\u2019s Mountain Tackle in pinks or orange at depths ranging from 14 to 25 feet. The lake has crested, and it is anticipated that fishing action will improve as the weather warms up in June.\u201d Small trout and kokanee remain the story at Huntington Lake with small spoons behind dodger. The June 13 Greg Marks Youth Fishing Derby at Shaver is full, but there is a waitlist at https:\/\/shaverlaketrophytroutproject.org\/. Shaver is at 96 with Huntington is at 97%.<\/p>\n
Ocean<\/p>\n
Monterey\/Santa Cruz<\/p>\n
Rockfish 3 Salmon 2 Halibut 2 Striper 2 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch<\/p>\n
Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surf Casting Guide Service reported, \u201cSaltwater fishing remains steady in the Monterey Bay region, hampered only by some high winds and a big swell that hit the coast this week. Salmon, rockfish, lingcod, halibut and bonito were all on the menu for local anglers.<\/p>\n
Getting out early in the mornings was a key to success for many this week, before the winds kicked up. We had a number of nights where the wind blew, leaving a good chop on the water for sunrise. Still, the fishing could be productive especially for the salmon anglers and those targeting deep reef rockfish offshore. The deeper waters are the place to find bonito as well. Reports indicate the bonito are biting like crazy in areas from 150-300 feet of depth, though they are caught on the surface or down less than 30 feet. Salmon anglers are finding fish much higher in the water column as well. Many of the salmon limits reported this week came from boats trolling with their downriggers only 20 or 30 feet down. Mooching (drifting bait using lighter gear) might be a good alternative right now, especially if the salmon start grouping up closer to the surface. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife In-season Recreational Tracking charts only 3125 salmon caught in our area against the Harvest Guideline of 21,800 fish located through August 31. Looks like we\u2019ll be salmon fishing for some time yet, which is good news indeed. Rockfishing has been better from the deeper reefs. This may be because of recent strong groundswells that have a tendency to roil nearshore waters. Same goes for halibut. Prior to last week many halibut were reported caught from the shallower waters of 30 to 40 feet. Surfcasters were beginning to pick up the occasional flatty from beaches as well, especially the protected coves and corners near Capitola. A good number of flatties were reported from local fishing piers also, both in Monterey at Fishermen\u2019s Wharf #2 and also northern Monterey Bay at the Capitola and Santa Cruz Municipal Wharves. We\u2019ll see those shallow water halibut back in a jiffy once this swell dies down, and the heavy wind action subsides. Surfcasters within the Bay report a steady increase of striped bass taking a variety of lures and bait. The Bay\u2019s river mouth areas have produced the most numerous reports, though any broad sandy beach with structure can host feeding schools of stripers at any given time. Sunrise and sunset are good times to fish for the bass and nighttime has been the best as the stripers move in to feed in the darkness. Smaller stickbaits in the 110 to 115 sizes seem to be doing best with sardine pattern and white lures being most productive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Golden Gate\/San Francisco Bay\/Half Moon Bay<\/p>\n
Halibut 2 Striper 3 Rockfish 3 Leopard shark 2<\/p>\n
Striped bass remain the staple in San Francisco Bay as halibut over the 22-inch minimum size continue their hiatus with the return of larger tides.<\/p>\n
Striped bass limits or near limits were the story over the weekend with Captain James Smith of California Dawn Sport Fishing reporting three linesides shy of 35 limits on Sunday along with a solitary halibut. Smith said, \u201cThe striped bass have really been a blessing, particularly on these larger tides. We put in 22 limits on Friday by 9:00 am along with halibut to 22 pounds. The smaller tides really make a difference, and we were averaging between 15 and 20 halibut earlier in the week. There are three or four large schools of stripers in the bay spread out from the Golden Gate to San Pablo Bay, and we are finding the best grade along the edge of the channel for linesides in the 10- to 12-pound range.<\/p>\n
The stripers are a mixed grade depending upon what school you are on. The water outside the Golden Gate has cooled off, and we should have halibut moving into the bay.\u201d Also, reporting in with limits on Sunday was Captain Chris Smith of the Pacific Dream with 20 limits of striped bass, five additional crew linesides, and a single halibut. Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters out of Paradise Cove found a steady pick for five limits to 9 pounds with the best action at South Hampton Shoals. Slate said, \u201cWe didn\u2019t hook a single halibut, not even and undersized, and this was surprising.\u201d Rockfishing outside the Gate is best at the Farallon Island, but when the ocean is rough, boats such as the Sea Wolf out of Emeryville returning with 24 limits and 13 ling cod up the Marin coastline on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Out of Half Moon Bay, the Coastside Fishing Club Chinook Salmon Smolt Release with the first 90,000 of 270,000 smolts to be held in their pens to acclimate prior to release. These fish return to the harbor after three years of survival in the ocean.<\/p>\n
San Luis Obispo<\/p>\n
Rockfish 3 Surf perch 3<\/p>\n
Limits were the story out of Morro Bay Landing on Sunday with two boats with a combined 35 anglers returning with 284 assorted, 47 vermilion, 10 Boccaccio, 9 copper, and 29 ling cod to 16 pounds. Out of Patriot Sport Fishing, two boats were out on Saturday with a combined 36 passengers for 198 assorted, 13 vermilion, 10 copper, 6 Bolina, and 20 ling cod to 8 pounds.<\/p>\n
Events:<\/p>\n
Tournament Results:<\/p>\n
Kaweah – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments \u2013 May 30th: 1st \u2013 Jaime Marquez\/Buzz Carrillo \u2013 18.07 pounds (Big Fish \u2013 5.20); 2nd \u2013 David Coy\/Dave Simpson \u2013 13.81; 3rd \u2013 Chad and Cross Cloyd \u2013 12.66.<\/p>\n