Fishing report for week of Dec. 19-25 | Bass Lake trout come out of hiding | Fresno Bee

Compiled by Dave Hurley and edited by Roger George, a former Olympic-class decathlete at Fresno State and striper record-holder at Millerton Lake and who now guides in the greater Fresno area. Telephone numbers are in 559 calling area unless noted.

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Delta bass, striper and sturgeon bites going, Randy Pringle said. Bass Lake trout come out of hiding, Steve Newman reported. Southern Aqueduct stripers on a tear, Pete Cormier reported. McClure kicking out good bass numbers, Ryan Cook reported. San Luis stripers working, Mickey Clements said. Pine Flat and Millerton producing bass, Steve Newman said. Shaver kokanee bite holding on, Dick Nichols reported.

Key

1-Try dynamite

2-Have to work hard

3-Limits possible

4-Fish jumpin’ in boat

The northern section of the aqueduct remains slow overall despite the moving water. A security guard has attempted to limit access to sections of the aqueduct, and anglers need to be aware of accessible locations for fishing. The southern section of the California Aqueduct has been outstanding for both striped bass and catfish with Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield saying, “The aqueduct continues to be excellent, and with the lack of trout plants in our area, many fishermen are heading to the aqueduct near the Buena Vista golf course along with the other access areas. Tube baits and live jumbo minnows are working for the linesides, and we just sold several dozen jumbo minnows for the aqueduct. One fisherman reported catching and releasing 70 undersized stripers on nightcrawlers, and this reminds me of the way it used to be years ago when 100 fish days were not uncommon. Catfishing is also good with Triple S dip bait, sardines, or anchovies.”

Call: Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis 292-3474; Bob’s Bait Bucket 661-833-8657

The Central Valley Kayak Fishing held a tournament on the lake on Sunday, and there has been tremendous pressure on the lake over the past few weeks. The best action for largemouth bass is either on the islands or in the saddles between islands with big jigs, plastics on a Neko-rig or swimbaits on a slow presentation. Kayak fishermen are targeting the longest fish as they are evaluated by length instead of weight, and slow dragging a big jig or swimbait will produce the largest fish. The big fish of the tournament was taken by Garrett Cain at 23.25 inches with Tas Moau taking first place with a four-fish limit measuring 72.50 inches. Participants in the derby contributed a pallet full of canned food for the Fresno Rescue Mission. The lake held at 41 percent.

Call: Six Star Tackle Box 673-5688; Eastman Lake 689-3255

Minimal action at this lake, and the jig bite that was forming a few weeks ago has dried up. A few small bass are taken on 5-inch Senkos or 6-inch Zoom Trick worms with a 16th or 32nd ounce nail weight. The lake held at 16 percent.

Call: Valley Rod Gun, Clovis 292-3474; Six Star Tackle Box 673-5688; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hensley Lake Hidden Dam 673-5151

Sunday was a different day at Don Pedro as the solid trout bite slowed down considerably while the bass bite was also a grind in deeper water.

Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing said, “Trout action is good for those running shad-patterned spoons on leadcore line near the surface. The shad schools are forming, and the trout and king salmon action is just gearing up for an excellent long line bite.

For largemouth and spotted bass, Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Guide Service said, “I went out this week with Robert Mansour, and he threw big lures all day long for only a few followers with no takers. I worked a tube bait or a jig and landed plenty of bass to 3 pounds, but the fish are still very deep at 50 to 80 feet. The bait is everywhere at both lakes, and the shad schools are finally starting to school up. I expect that both Don Pedro and McClure will break wide open for big fish within the next two weeks.”

Don Pedro held at 70 percent.

Call: Monte Smith 209-581-4734; Gary Vella 209-652-7550

Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield said, “Catfish have been the top species at Isabella with Triple S dip bait in Blood Formula, chicken livers, minnows, or nightcrawlers.” The lake held at 12 percent. Lake Ming is the only local lake scheduled for trout plants, and the lake is scheduled to receive the first of two 500-pound plants of 2 fish per pound this week. The trout will be fished out within the first few days of the plant. Hart Park, River Walk, Truxtun, and Woollomes lakes do not have annual allotments. The trout action at Buena Vista has been hit or miss, depending upon when the fish are released into the lake with plants scheduled every other week. Regular plants in the upper Kern River above Lake Isabella have been productive for rainbows with live crickets, salmon eggs, Roostertails, Panther Martins, or nightcrawlers.

Call: Bob’s Bait Bucket 661-833-8657; North Fork Marina 760-376-1812

The lake has risen to 10 percent, and there are several tournaments scheduled for the lake early in 2019 starting with the Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournament on New Year’s Day. Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait in Bakersfield reported good action for those working small spoons or plastics on a drop-shot rig in deep water using a slow presentation. He said, “Barely moving the baits the best technique.” Finding the shad school is a key in the small pool of water.

Call: Sierra Sporting Goods 592-5212

Chuck Stokke of Sequoia Fishing Company in Springville reported slow bass action with the most productive techniques remaining plastics on the drop-shot, Senkos, jigs or crankbaits in deep water. The lake held at 12 percent. Stokke added, “The Tule River is very stained, and fishing for trout is a waste of time. The good news is that the lake is receiving water from the Tule.” Stokke is giving fly casting lessons at the Pierpoint Café the second Sunday of the month at 10 a.m. The lessons are free and all equipment is provided.

Call: Sequoia Fishing Co. 539-5626, sequoiafishingcompany.com

Lake McClure is known as a number’s lake for spotted bass, but there were some huge largemouth bass taken during Saturday’s Merced Bass Club event on big swimbaits. The spotted bass are moving up shallower, and the bite has slowed down a bit for size, but the numbers of spots to 3 pounds remain a possibility.

Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Guide Service fished the Merced Club event for fourth place, and he said, “It has gotten a bit tougher as the numbers are still good, but the overall size is down. There are plenty of quality fish, and they are moving up from between 5 to 35 feet on either jigs or plastics on the drop-shot along with the occasional spinnerbait fish. The bass are finally switching over to crawdads, and I am tying custom jigs to match the crawdad patterns.”

The winning team of Alex Niapas and Jason Remmers put in a big fish at 10.10 pounds, but their other 4 fish averaged around 1.5 pounds. Nick Sanches of Fresno posted the 2nd big fish at 9.78 pounds as part of a 2nd place limit with his brother Ron at 15.78. There were 26 teams, and 20 weighed in limits. Big swimbaits were reported to be used for the big fish.

The lake dropped to 55 percent.

The trout bite is best within days of the plants, and the lake is scheduled to be planted around two times per month. Roostertails, Kastmasters, green trout dough bait, or Mice Tails are working from the peninsula near the Marina, the Brush Pile, or the Handicapped Docks shortly after the plants. After a few days, the bite slows down. Trollers are working in the clearer water in the river arm above the 2nd Fence Line.

Call: McSwain Marina 209-378-2534

The spotted bass bite at Millerton Reservoir is very strong for numbers of spots with a big fish going to 2.5 pounds. Finesse techniques are working best in the colder water temperatures, and the bass are holding in specific areas.

Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The lake has been very good for numbers as I was there for four hours one morning during the week, and we easily landed two limits with the best five going around 9 pounds. An 8- to 10-pound limit is possible with a big fish going from 2 to 2.5 pounds. We found our fish on vertical areas with broken rock as the bass were not holding on the big boulders where they have been. I was working a 5-inch Senko on a wacky-rig or Ned Rig at 20 to 25 feet. Shad colors are doing well along with Robo Worm’s Blue Crawler. Anything with brown with a blue line is working as the bass are keying on the crawdads who are green pumpkin color with shade of orange. I was also drop-shotting 4-inch Robo Worm’s Green Weenie for results. The bass were all from 20 feet to the bank as there weren’t many fish out deeper. When you found an area holding bass, you would pick up three or four, but there were areas without any bass. The bass are still feeding on shad, and there are also some spitting up bluegill fry so I plan on seeing if I can find some larger fish using bluegill patterned lures this week.”

The lake held at 57 percent.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474

Bass action is set to explode in the coming months, and there is optimism for an improved rainbow trout bite starting in the spring with the reloading of the Kokanee Power net pens at the New Melones Marina.

Gene Hildebrand of Glory Hole Sports in Angels Camp said, “With the turn of the weather bass angling went to a slow bite with anglers reporting challenging outings, and tournament anglers were coming in with small bags. However, in between our first couple storms Michael Alaga was on Melones and had this 12.6- lb. largemouth bass smash his bait. With the cooler water temperatures, bass are becoming lethargic and looking for an opportunity for a meal with minimum effort on their part. Look for bass opportunity using finesse techniques over deeper submerged trees and rocky cover in 30 to 50 feet in depth. Vertical jigging with P-Line Laser Minnows are effective as well as hitting the bottom with plastics on a Texas-rig, Ned-rig, or wacky rig with a VMC Neko Skirted Nail weight. The trout bite has been slow as the lake is still in a transition stage with trollers running their gear between 20 and 40 feet. with reports of lots of marks on the fish finder with just mild results. Ken and Barbara Capitlavich landed a 6-pound rainbow on an Excel Lure.”

This past weekend’s rain should improve things ,John Liechty of Xperience Fishing Guide Service said, “The best times of the year are coming up, and once we have some rain, wind, and inclement weather, the reaction bite should start to improve. Every year the months of January and February bring out the big spots and largemouth bass.”

For rainbow trout, the Kokanee Power New Melones pen was planted this last week with rainbow trout with help from a number of volunteers. The Department of Fish and Wildlife supplied the fish and a bucket brigade was put into place to haul the fish down to the pen at the Marina. These trout will fatten up over winter and get released in the spring.”

The lake held at 74 percent.

Call: Glory Hole Sports 209-736-4333; Monte Smith 209-581-4734; John Liechty Xperience Fishing Guide Service 209-743-9932

Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “The bass bite for the larger grade of fish up the river arm has slowed down, but the spotted bass are chasing bait early in the morning before the sun comes up. Reaction baits or crankbaits are working in the morning before the shad drops down later in the day. Once the shad move out, plastics on a shakey head or Senkos on a wacky-rig work bests along with jigs. The bait has to be shaken in the fish’s face in order to get bit as the bass aren’t chasing. In the main lake, depths from 40 to 60-feet are best with the river arm at 30 feet to the bank. There have been more drop-shot fish recently as the jig bite and umbrella rig bite up the river arm has slowed down.” The lake rose slightly to 30 percent. In the lower Kings, weekly trout plants continue to account for a consistent bite with nightcrawlers, salmon eggs, or trout dough bait near flowing water close to boulders or rocks for rainbows to 16 inches.

Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474; Sequoia Fishing Co. 539-5626

Shad boils are forming in the coves at the main San Luis Reservoir, and bank fishermen are finding active linesides near Dinosaur Point and in Portuguese Cove. Trolling is up and down while drifting jumbo minnows or frozen shad remains a good option.

Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said, “Trolling has been OK, and we have been selling a number of Urigs as it seems that some of the stripers are coming up from the 40- to 60-foot range where they have been for some time. There have been boils, and anglers are chasing them from the shoreline. One of our customers who is just getting back into fishing found boils near the shore by Dinosaur Point, and he landed between 8 and 10 stripers with half being legal. The fish are moving around chasing bait, and ripbaits, big poppers, or flukes are all working when they are close to the surface.”

Roger George of Roger George Guide Service said that he took out guests Joel Chase of Oakdale and his sons Mason, 16, and Nolan, 12, on Wednesday. “The fishing was tough most of the day as we tried several different lures and areas for a few school fish in the 40- to 60-foot range. I decided to go to a run-and-gun strategy and we finally got going when I found some active schools willing to bite. You’re either on the fish or you’re not since they are in tight schools now. We ended up with 28 solid sized fish – all released – to 24 inches. Nolan got his new personal best of 24 inches.”

George said the water is coming up fast and clear with high temperatures (62 degrees) for this time of year and that has created a different pattern than has been seen in the last few years.

George said that he is tentatively planning his rescheduled downrigger class for around the last Thursday of January.

Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “Jumbo minnows or frozen shad is working best, and Portuguese Cove appears to be the best area. When you find the schools, you will do well. The Forebay has been more consistent for numbers as the stripers are actively biting ripbaits or jerkbaits with the best action near Check 13 or the Highway 152 Bridge.”

In the forebay, Clements said, “The striped bass are more active in the warmer forebay than in the main San Luis Reservoir, and ripbaits, jerkbaits, or flukes are all working. Soaking jumbo minnows, anchovies, or pile worms are working at Check 13 or the Highway 152 Bridge near the moving water.” The majority of striped bass are undersized, but a limit of legal fish is possible.

The main lake rose to 66 percent due to increased pumping out of the south Delta.

Call: Coyote Bait and Tackle 408-463-0711, Roger George of rogergeorgeguideservice.com, 905-2954

Bass Lake has perked up for rainbow trout after a long period of slumber, and Steve Newman of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported a ‘very good’ bite for both trollers and bank fishermen. Trollers are working from the surface to 6 colors of leadcore using lures in orange behind a flashy dodger. Bank fishermen are soaking trout dough bait or inflated nightcrawlers near the Sheriff’s Tower. The lake has dropped to 48 percent, limiting the size of a boat able to be launched at the public ramp. Bass boaters are staying off of the lake with the low water conditions, making it very difficult to put a large boat in the lake.

Call: Todd Wittwer 288-8100; Mike Beighey 642-3748

Snow in the high country slowed down any interest in fishing in the Kaiser Pass region or the difficult to access high country as the road is closed for the winter. Check the Caltrans website at www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi or call 800-427-7623 for road conditions.

Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000

With the absence of many winter storms so far this season, Shaver Lake remains a viable option for kokanee in the central Sierras. The launch ramps at the Sierra and Shaver Lake Marinas remain open, and a few boats are still out there on the weekends with fewer during week days.

Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters said, “It’s basically the same as last week with three boat trailers in the Sierra Marina parking lot, but there may be more out with the Shaver Lake ramp open. I was out seeking information from anglers on Sunday, and one boat with three fishermen put in 12 kokanee in the 12- to 13-inch range working spinners in bright colors or hoochies in pink or orange tipped with scented corn behind a dodger at 23 to 37 feet from the Sierra Marina to the dam. They told me that they also saw other boats hooking up with kokanee as well. The trout bite remains off, but there were some rainbows taken in the section of the lake from Black Rock to Stevenson Bay from the surface to 15 feet with Dick’s Trout Busters tipped with a piece of nightcrawler and corn. It rained earlier in the week, and the weather kept fishermen off of the lake, Two limits of kokanee remain a possibility; however, some anglers are struggling to pick up a few fish. James Swope of Fresno had been connecting with rainbows to 16 inches near the dam, but on a recent trip, he had only six hookups with the fish coming unbuttoned on the way to the boat.”

Boaters have to be aware of the launch conditions, and a webcam of the Sierra Marina launch ramp is available at www.sierramarina.com/camera.html. The lake receded to 60 percent.

Call: Dick Nichols, Dick’s Fishing Charters 281-6948; Todd Wittwer, Kokanee.net Guide Service 288-8100; Dinkey Creek Inn 841-3435; Rancheria Marina 893-3234; Shaver Lake Sports Inc. 841-2740; Tom Oliveira Fishing 802-8072; Steve Santoro Fish Box Charters 871-3937

Road conditions to both lakes have been affected by the recent winter storms, and the gate at Dinkey Creek is closed, eliminating access to both Wishon and Courtright.

Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361

A huge swell arrived on the central California coast over the weekend, keeping all boats tied up to the docks. There was a possibility of the Maverick’s Big Surf Contest taking place on Monday, but the event was postponed due to the intensity of the ocean conditions. The new open window for the contest will start again on January 2nd, and January is typically the best month for Mavericks. The window for the contest runs until March 1. The last Mavericks contest took place in 2016.

The swell is expected to drop down once again by Thursday, and rockfish/crab combination trips will continue through the close of the season on December 31st.

There are several changes in the upcoming recreational groundfish regulations for 2019/20. Major changes are:

The recreational season length in the San Francisco Management area will be increased by two weeks.

Increase the recreational bag limit for canary rockfish from one to two fish statewide.

Decrease the recreational bag limit for lingcod from two to one fish in Mendocino, San Francisco, Central, and Southern Management areas

Captain Dennis Baxter of the New Captain Pete is crabbing commercially during the current season, and he is selling live crab off of the boat on the weekends.

Call: Captain Dennis Baxter, New Captain Pete 650-576-3844; Captain Tom Mattusch, Huli Cat 650-619-0459

Monterey Bay is less susceptible to rough ocean conditions than the other open ocean ports, and the party boats out of Monterey were able to make it out on both Saturday and Sunday, and the Check Mate out of Chris’s Fishing Trips put in 23 ling cod and 23 limits of rockfish while the Caroline did a crab combination trips for 160 rockfish and 50 crab for 20 anglers.

Call: Chris’ Landing 831-375-5951; Allen Bushnell, Santa Cruz Kayak and Surf Casting 831-251-9732

All of the action was inside the bay over the weekend with the rough ocean conditions, and San Pablo Bay is sporting a solid striped bass bite with Captain Don Franklin of Soleman Sport Fishing out of San Francisco posting 5 striped bass for six clients on Saturday on a half-day trip. The quality was excellent with most linesides ranging from 8 to 12 pounds. Captain Craig Hanson of Argo Sport Fishing, also out of San Francisco, put on a clinic with 16 stripers and a halibut on a full-day trip. The party boats will be back out in the ocean until Dec. 31 on rockfish/crab combination trips, and they are waiting for cooperative weather. During the long winter months after the rockfish closure, most party boats will be conducting maintenance while a few will be focusing on sturgeon and striped bass in San Pablo Bay.

Call: Captain Trent Slate, Bite Me Charters 415-307-8582; Happy Hooker 510-223-5388; Captain Jerad Davis, Salty Lady 415-760-9362; Captain Steve Mitchell 707-655-6736

Limits of rockfish with a healthy ling cod count were the rule over the weekend out of the San Luis Obispo County ports as the big swell along the central coast had less effect in this region. Out of Patriot Sport Fishing at Port San Luis, the Flying Fish and Phenix posted a combined 37 limits of rockfish consisting of 19 vermilion, 11 copper, 2 cabezon, 2 canary, and 336 assorted rockfish to go with 23 ling cod to 13 pounds along with an ocean whitefish. Out of Morro Bay, the Endeavor and Avenger out of Morro Bay Landing put their 73 anglers onto limits of rockfish with a whopping 324 vermilion, 14 copper, 20 Boccaccio, and 372 assorted to go with 36 ling cod to 21 pounds. Out of Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay, the Rita G took out 19 anglers on Sunday for limits of rockfish and 3 lings with 80 vermilion and 110 assorted. All landings are running a variety of bottom fishing trips from half-day to two-day ventures up the coast. Rockfish season ends on Dec. 31 until April 1.

Call: Virg’s Landing 800-762-5263; Patriot Sport Fishing 805-595-4100

The Sacramento-Delta sturgeon and striped bass went on hiatus for around a week within the first arrival of cold water from upstream sources as well as colder evening temperatures, but the fish went back on the bite after a period of adjustment. The river salmon season ended on December 16, and there are three proposed options for the 2019 river salmon season.

In the north Delta, Alan Fong, manager of the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Sacramento, continues to find excellent crappie fishing with 2.5-inch Lunker City’s Fin-S Fish in the north Delta sloughs. He said, “The water remains clear despite the recent storms, and it is still green back in Steamboat Slough around a mile from the confluence with the Sacramento River. The striped bass bite has slowed a bit as the bait guys with live mudsuckers have the upper hand. The water temperature dropped 5 degrees, but it is creeping back up. The fish just need to get acclimated.”

The sturgeon action has been very good, and Captain Zach Medinas of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures took out six law enforcement officers from Folsom for great action on Saturday with several upper slot-limit sturgeon along with oversized fish to 80 inches. He said, “We are working between 45 and 75 feet in depth, and we can only fish the really deep water when the tides are small. I will be covering my approach to sturgeon fishing during two seminars on Friday and Saturday at the upcoming International Sportsmen’s Exposition at Cal Expo in Sacramento. I have been hunting around and finding some really big pods of sturgeon stacked up, and one key is to search around for the diamondbacks before setting anchor.”

Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing is running a Holiday Special until Jan. 15 for $150/angler including all gear, bait, and fish cleaning. He now has a supply of salmon roe that he is curing, and he expects great action with the good bait.

Both Mitchell and Captain Joe Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing are running night trips depending upon the tides as water movement is essential to productivity.

Pam Hayes of Benicia Bait reported sturgeon fishing has taken over in the normal locations of the Carquinez Straits, the Mothball Fleet, and Pittsburg. She said, “Grass shrimp and bullheads have been difficult to get in the shop as the crab are thick in the Napa River, loading up the nets. Ghost shrimp was also hard to obtain with the inclement weather up north.”

Sea lions have been an irritant for striped bass and salmon fishermen in the Delta for years, but there have been several incidents of sea lions now starting to remove hooked sturgeon from anglers. Medinas said, “We had one on Saturday, and I encouraged my angler to horse the fish in and I grabbed the braided line with my hand. The sea lion rose up with the sturgeon and snapped off the 100-pound test leader. We are seeing sea lions staying all year long in the Delta, and they are on every buoy now.”

Live splittails have been the bait for huge striped bass in excess of 40 pounds in the Pittsburg area, and there are a few party boats focusing on catching and keeping the big linesides. Anglers are limited to two splittail in possession by rule, and the bait fish must be solely taken by angling.

The Three-Mile Slough Bridge on Highway 160 is currently closed in the open position, making it impossible for a tall vessel to make it under the bridge.

The San Joaquin-Delta is in need of fresh water flow, and Sunday’s rainstorm may bring enough precipitation to stir up the pot. The stripers are migrating into Suisun Bay and San Pablo Bay, but within the Delta, they are moving south towards and below Discovery Bay in their normal December migration. are changing due to fresh water inflow from the recent storms.

Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, said, “The Delta needs another stirring up as we had a good bite going on the San Joaquin River, but the fish have moved with the weather change of bright sunshine and cold temperatures. The birds have gone and left the San Joaquin side, and this river system is limited to what I call ‘ghosts.’ This is where you see a few birds working the surface and you start to get excited, but these are only in response to 12-inch stripers working 2-inch shad. There is really nothing of size there. The stripers have either moved up and out to the north Delta or they have gone into the interior such as Discovery Bay, Mildred Island, Old River, and Disappointment Slough. The shad normally head into Discovery Bay as the water is warmer at this time of year, and the stripers go in there are get confused, taking a few weeks to find their way out of the maze that is Discovery Bay. Under these conditions, I would focus on the Sacramento River side as the quality and quantity of striped bass are much better right now. The Optimum Bubba Shad swimbait or the ima Big or Little Stick would be my lures of choice. For largemouth bass, the bite is good, but you have to work slow as the fish do not want to chase in the cold water. The ima Flit 120 in shad patterns on a dead stick presentation is one lure of choice, but you hve to focus on areas with weeds moving in the current. The weeds create warm, and the bass want to hang around the warmest areas. The key is to keep the bait in the strike zone by casting out, reel down three or four times, and then making it pop – not pulling the lure, but twitching it my moving your wrist. This will make the lure move 6 to 8 inches. The other method is a Berkley Bottom Hopper or General Max Scent plastic on a Zappu head with light line. You have to let it sit still as the bass aren’t chasing. Light line is also important as the San Joaquin River is still clear. We haven’t had enough weather to muddy it up yet.”

Dan Mathisen of Dan’s Delta Outdoors in Oakley said, “Bait fishing has been much better for striped bass with mudsuckers or shad, but there are those casting topwater plugs or Bad Bubba Shad swimbaits from Lost Isle south into the Old River Flats, Middle River, Tracy area, and south of Discovery Bay. The water is clear everywhere. Largemouth bass fishing has been slow overall, but there are still fish taken on ripbaits or by punching the weeds.”

Mike Pipkins of Gotcha Bait in Antioch said, “There have been a lot of 3- to 6-pound striped bass brought into the shop for weighin on live mudsuckers, shad, or pile worms. We had fresh shad over the weekend, but this most likely be the last week I receive fresh shad as there is plenty of good quality frozen shad in the freezer.”

The colder water is expected to bring an end to fresh shad in area bait shops soon, but H and R Bait in Stockton continues to receive fresh shad.

Call: Randy Pringle 209-543-6260; Captain Mike Gravert, Intimidator Sport Fishing 916-806-3030; Vince Borges, Vince Borges Outdoors 209-918-0828; J.D. Richey, Richey’s Sport Fishing 916-952-1554

At Nacimiento, spotted bass are found on 4- to 6-inch plastics on the drop-shot in crawdad or natural color patterns with small spoons on a vertical presentation also working. The shad schools are moving into the shallows, and this may be in response to warmer than normal water temperatures during this mild winter. The water warms up in the afternoons, and the bass are more active. Nacimiento is known as a spotted bass lake, but there have been more largemouth showing up, mostly likely to the improved water conditions over the past few years. The lake is now at 11 percent of capacity. The low water conditions have led to both marked and unmarked hazards just under the water levels. Boaters have to use extreme caution when running. The marina remains open for all services with the exception of gasoline. A webcam of the lake is available at www.lakenacimientolive.com.

At San Antonio, the lake dropped slightly to 12 percent, and there is minimal interest in fishing with the low water and overall slow bass action. Catfishing remains the best bet with a variety of baits including cutbaits, Triple S Blood Formula dip bait, or chicken livers. Bass fishing remains extremely slow with the occasional fish taken on plastics on the Texas-rig or drop-shot. Launching at the Harris Ramp is still a possibility, but the Lynch Ramp remains closed. Lopez is the one coastal lake kicking out quality, and the largemouth bass are feeding on crawdads in the colder water. Crankbaits or jigs in crawdad-patterns are working best along with plastics on a variety of rigs including shakey head, Texas rig, or drop-shot. There is also a bite on vertical presentations with ice jigs or small spoons. A webcam of the lake is available at 805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam.

At Santa Margarita, the largemouth bass bite is best in deep water with swimbaits or deep-diving crankbaits worked slowly through the strike zone. The colder water temperatures slowed the bite for a period, and the fish will need to adjust to the water temperatures. The cold water has slowed down both the panfish and catfish bite although a few smaller catfish are taken on cutbaits. A webcam of the lake is available at 805webcams.com/santa-margarita-lake-webcam-california.

Call: Lake Nacimiento 805-238-1056, ext. 3; Lake San Antonio Marina 805-472-2818; Central Coast Bass Fishing.com 805-466-6557

Sierra Bass Club Tournament of Champions: Dec. 9 at Pine Flat – 1, Chris Jones, 10.30 pounds (Big Fish 3.00); 2, Quincy Marrs, 9.54; 3, Michael Murphy, 6.68.

Merced Bass Club: Dec. 15 at McClure – 1, Alex Niapas/Jason Remmers, 16.82 (1st Big Fish 10.10); 2, Ron and Nick Sanches, 15.78 (2nd Big Fish 9.78); 3, Garrett Maddox/Scott Burke, 15.48.

Hook, Line, and Sinker: Dec. 16 at Delta/Russo’s Marina – 1, Nick Kanemoto/Gary Weidna, 17.22 (1st Big Fish 5.52); 2, Jeffrey Stewart/Brett Brodie, 16.52; 3, Andrew Perry/Derrick Wong, 15.69.

Central Valley Kayak Fishing: Dec. 16 at Eastman (4-fish limits) – 1, Tas Moau, 72.50 inches; 2, Dan Xiong, 67.25; 3, Kong Thao, 65.00. Big Fish – Garrett Cain, 23.25.

Dec. 29: Pine Flat – Basshido

Jan. 1: Eastman – RiverRat Bass Club, Pine Flat – Bass 101, Kaweah – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments, Nacimiento – Bakersfield Bass Club

Jan. 5-6: McClure – New Jen Bass Tournaments

Jan. 5: Camanche – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies, Don Pedro – American Bass Association, McClure – Kerman Bass Club, Nacimiento – American Bass Association

Jan. 12: New Melones – Sonora Bass Club, Tulloch – Gold Country Junior Bass Club, Don Pedro – Christian Bass League, McClure – Best Bass Tournaments/Tri Valley Bassmasters, Nacimiento – Kern County Bassmasters, Santa Margarita – Bakersfield Bass Club

Jan. 13: Delta/Russo’s Marina – Hook, Line, and Sinker, Millerton – California Bass Federation, Kaweah – New Jen Bass Tournaments, Nacimiento – San Luis Obispo County Bass Ambassadors

Jan. 17-20: International Sportsmen’s Exposition at Cal Expo, Sacramento, www.sportsexpos.com/attend/sacramento

Jan. 19: Delta/Russo’s Marina – American Bass Association, Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournaments, McClure – Merced Bass Club, Pine Flat – Sierra Bass Club/American Bass Association, Nacimiento – Best Bass Tournaments

Jan. 20: Delta/Tracy Oasis – Tracy Oasis Marina, Pine Flat – Fresno Bass Club/Kings River Bass Club

Jan. 26: Delta/Russo’s Marina – Dan Mathisen Outdoors, Pine Flat – California Bass Nation, Nacimiento – Golden Empire Bass Club

Jan. 27: New Melones – Riverbank Bass Anglers

Feb. 2-3: Delta/McAvoy’s Boat Harbor in Bay Point – Foundation Sportsmen’s Club Original “Super Bowl” Sturgeon Derby

Feb. 2: Don Pedro – New Jen Bass Tournaments, McClure – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies/RiverRat Bass Club, Pine Flat – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments/Kerman Bass Club, Santa Margarita – American Bass Association

Feb. 3: Pine Flat – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments

by California Department of Fish and Wildlife week of Dec. 23

Tulare County: Del Lago Park Lake, Mooney Grove Park Pond

This story was originally published December 18, 2018 11:27 AM.