North Freshwater
ALMANOR LAKE: John Crotty of Quail Lodge weighed in with a thorough report as always, saying the hex hatch is all but over and pond smelt are the diet of choice for all fish species. The bite has been tough and fish are scattered throughout the lake. Get off by noon to avoid crowds. Trollers are still using crawlers at 1mph on a size 6 or 8 hook, and pond smelt patterns are beginning to pick up a few fish. Rec #1 to Big Cove, Big Springs to Dorado and Rec #2 to the Peninsula are good places to start your day. Dodgers are optional in the deeper water. Bank fishermen are targeting fish at Hamilton Branch with varied success, crickets are the top choice. Boats on anchor are catching fish on crickets with or without a meal worm. Fly fishermen are targeting fish over springs. The bass bite is tough also; try white plastics off structure in deep water, crickets are also a good choice for bass this time of year.
AMADOR LAKE: Camping is in full swing here as every weekend is like Memorial Day with full campgrounds. Fishing for largemouth bass has been decent, and there was an 8.5-pound largemouth landed at night off of the fishing dock. The recent 1200-pound catfish plant is paying dividends for shore fishermen with chicken livers or nightcrawlers, particularly at night. The lake is at 80 degrees, and the holdover trout are in the deepest portions of the overall shallow lake. Trout plants will not start until late October. The lake is 10 feet from spilling.
AMERICAN RIVER: The salmon opener was slow on the American, in part because of 69-degree water at Discovery Park. Anglers were out in force, trolling or anchoring and running spinners.
BERRYESSA LAKE: Bonus sized kokanee are biting, the biggest in the state according to Troy Barr of T-Roy’s Guide Service. The fish are on flat shallow structure, vertical structure and suspended deep fish all over the main lake. 5.5 RMT dodgers with Apex spoons, Uncle Larry’s Spinners, Assassin spinners and Micro Squids tipped with Pautzke Fire Corn and Fire Gel on the hardware have been most effective.
BLACK BUTTE LAKE: Karl Pflum of Pflum’s Fun Rentals said the lake is getting better since the moon went down. Anglers are catching bass on the weed banks fishing dark plastics. The crappie are now completely scattered and deep towards the dam. Catfishing is good throughout the lake.
BOCA RESERVOIR: The water level is still low, but catch and release fishing for trout at the inlet is fine sport. Try small Kastmasters and spinners or Panther Martins in yellow, white and silver.
BULLARDS BAR: Anglers are still targeting and catching kokanee here, and it should be about another month before the fish begin to “turn,” according to Craig Newton of Will Fish Tackle in Auburn.
CAMANCHE LAKE: The lake is heavily impacted by recreational boaters, and it is limited to 150 boats at both the North and South Shore Marinas. This quota is reached by 8:00 a.m. on the weekends. Most fishermen arrive early in the mornings during the week, and Robbie Dunham of Koke Machine Guide Service continues score limits of rainbow trout running Speedy Shiners coated with Kokanee Feast on the lure and the leader at depths to 60 feet in the main lake from the North Shore Marina towards the dam over the deepest part of the lake in the river channel. The rainbow have copepods, but these do not affect the meat. Bass fishing will pick up in the coming months as small clubs will be holding tournament on the lake, and the best action remains with jigs or plastics over vertical structure or main lake points. Bass fishermen have to be on either early or late to avoid the recreational boat traffic. The lake dropped slightly from 68 to 67 percent.
CARSON RIVER, East and West: Todd Sodaro of the Alpine County Fish and Game Commission said the East Carson received an 1,800 pound plant of trophy rainbows averaging 4.2 pounds on Friday. Just before that stock, an unidentified angler caught a 9-pound orange meat rainbow from Oregon. The East Carson was running muddy at press time, slowing action. The West Carson is running low and was not stocked.
LAKE CHABOT: Shore fishing is allowed. Small bass and catfish are being caught.
CLEAR LAKE: The WON BASS California Open is fishing here this week, July 22-24, and the lake was fishing well in the days prior, although no one was talking. The water is still rather swampy.
COLLINS LAKE: It’s the summer doldrums here, but there’s hope as catfish are starting to stir. They won’t be at their peak until late summer. Trout fishing as of this date takes special measures, chiefly a boat and a downrigger to target fish at 40 feet.
CONTRA LOMA: The lake is open to walk-in anglers. Trout fishing has slowed.
DAVIS LAKE: Trout action picked up this week, and cats and bass are close to wide open. Trout trollers have been finding success on top-lines down to 30 feet, with Baby Simon lures the local favorite.
LAKE DEL VALLE: Fishing remains closed.
DONNER: Last stocked by the DFW about a month ago, yet shore anglers are doing all right at the west end. Mackinaw trollers working 60 to 80 feet are catching a few. There are kokanee off China Point but they are small.
DON PEDRO: The kokanee bite is a sleeper here as few trollers are working the lake, but Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service was on the lake this week for limits of kokanee in the 15/16-inch range at 50 to 60 feet working open water over the river channel from Jenkins Hill to Hatch Creek. He said, “The kokanee are super clean, and I expect the lake to kick out quality kokanee for the coming months as they haven’t even started to turn yet.” For largemouth bass, Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing and Guide Service said, “If you head out anywhere in the lake in the morning, you will be able to see the bass busting shad on the surface, but you have to be right on top of them with a walking bait like a Whopper Plopper or a Spook. There is a topwater bite, but the numbers are less overall than at nearby McClure; however, the quality of bass is better. For suspended fish, working G-Money Jigs or Zoom Finesse worms in green pumpkin on a ¼-ounce dart head are effective at depths from 20 to 50 feet.” The lake dropped from 81 to 80 percent.
EAGLE LAKE: No report available.
FEATHER RIVER: The Feather produced decent salmon fishing on FlatFish plugs and roe during the opener. Crowds of boats hit the Outlet Hole, but salmon were scarce there. Expect fishing to improve by mid-August.
FOLSOM LAKE: Water levels are down 4 feet from a week ago, at 430 feet of elevation. The lake is 34 feet from full pool. The water temperature is up to 10 degrees. Landlocked salmon are being caught 40 to 65 feet down on flashers and hoochies near the dam and Beals Point. Bass are in shallow water, and biting before the recreational boaters get on the water.
FRENCH MEADOWS: Trout are in the picture here, and the bite has picked up since the moon phase became more favorable, said Craig Newton of Will Fish Tackle.
GOLD LAKES BASIN: Last week Mark Tieslau of Mountain Hardware and Sports reported good fishing throughout the basin. He singled out Salmon, Sardine and Packard for the most praise, and added Gold Lake is a little tougher. Warming weather is pushing the trout down. Shore anglers should concentrate on mornings and evenings.
HELL HOLE RESERVOIR: Fishing here has improved due to the change of moon phase, and should stand up for a couple of weeks. Rainbows and brown trout are active, and there are kokanee here, good ones, 14 to 15 inches according to Craig Newton of Will Fish Tackle, but the numbers are fewer so anglers have to put in the work to catch ‘em. The Mackinaw bite here is also “decent,” with the lake average 2 to 5 pounds.
INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR: The lake will not be stocked this year due to a pervasive algae problem.
KLAMATH RIVER, Hornbrook: Trout and steelhead fishing has been good below Iron Gate Dam, although anglers are fishing early before the weather gets hot. Fly fishing has been good, along with small plugs. Flows from Iron Gate are 907 cfs.
KLAMATH RIVER, Happy Camp: Trout and steelhead fishing is slow with hot weather. Fall salmon are still a month away.
KLAMATH RIVER, Klamath Glen: Salmon fishing remains slow, with a few kings a day being caught by trollers in the estuary. A few summer steelhead also are being caught upriver. Flows at Terwer are 2,532 cfs.
LEWISTON LAKE, Lewiston: Slow now for trout, but those caught are beautiful in both size and appearance according to Louise Baghin of Pine Cove Marina. Normally the fishing is limit style this time of year, but the water is very clear and the lake hasn’t been stocked since May.
LOS VAQUEROS RESERVOIR: Stripers and catfish are being caught at South Cove and near the marina. Trout fishing is slow.
McCLURE LAKE: Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing and Guide Service said, “There is a buzzbait bite emerging at the lake, and the best action for the buzzbaits has been in the windy coves. Topwater walking baits such as Whopper Ploppers or Spooks are also effective in the early mornings in open water. The best action for larger fish has been with topwater or for suspended bass with umbrella rigs or jigs. The G-Money jigs has been effective at depths from 20 to 50 feet over vertical structure. Zoom Finesse 4-inch plastics in green pumpkin on a 1/4th-ounce dart head or 3.5-inch Dry Creek tubes are another good option. Steve Marquette of the Lake McClure Recreation Company reported trout trollers are running Speedy Shiners or gold/silver Kastmasters at depths to 50 feet for the holdover raibnows. Catfishing is solid with chicken livers or nightcrawlers along muddy, sloping banks. The lake dropped from 70 to 62 percent.
McSWAIN LAKE: Intermittent holdover rainbow trout are possible in the early mornings or late evenings off of the Brush Pile, Handicapped Docks, or the peninsula near the marina with trout dough bait or inflated nightcrawlers, but the lack of trout plants has affected fishing action. The main focus for the afterbay of Lake McClure is recreational activities on the water park.
NEW HOGAN: The Army Corps of Engineers temporarily closed the Wrinkle Cove Day Use Area in response to overcrowding, excessive litter, and vehicle congestion. The recreation area will be open to walk-in traffic only with visitors using designated parking spots outside of the Wrinkle Cove Day Use Gate. All other day use area at the lake remain open. The lake dropped to 53 percent.
NEW MELONES: Kokanee is either feast or famine as Sean McCardle and Mike Nichols found the Mother Lode on Saturday with limits of kokanee to 18 inches using F5 or F4 Flatfish on the bottom, but they found the fish gone in the exact same location on Sunday. The big kokanee are holding tight to the bottom. John Liechty of Xperience Bass Fishing Guide Service has been working various areas of the lake with finesse techniques as the topwater bite has slowed, and he said, “There are three distinct windows for bass: the early morning until 10:30 a.m., in the mudlines with crankbaits from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. when the wind and the waves muddy up the banks, and in the evenings from 7:00 p.m. to dusk. We have landed some large spots recently on finesse techniques.” The lake held at 70 percent.
LAKE OROVILLE: Joey D. Muniz and Nathan L. Reppert won the BBT Lake Oroville event on Saturday with a big fish of 6.63 pounds and 13.38 total weight for 5 fish. Second weighed 5 for 12.57, and third 5 for 11.52. The big lake is dropping a foot a day. Water temperatures everywhere, even in the back forks, are around 80 degrees. You can catch small fish on the bank. The larger ones are hiding deeper.
PARDEE LAKE: The kokanee remain thick for experienced trollers working off the mouth of the river arm into the south end at depths from 55 to 70 feet, and green Apex or J-Pex lures behind a gold dodger are working. The kokanee remain small, but they are plentiful as early limits are the rule for those in the know. A short leader is most effective to gain the most movement. Trout plants continue with 1000 pounds of Mt. Lassen rainbow trout released this week, and Speedy Shiners on a fast-troll in the south end are producing mixed limits of rainbow and Lightning trout. Gate hours are 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The lake held at 99 percent.
PROSSER RESERVOIR: Fishing is good near the dam. Float tubers are getting the best of it while using sinking line and streamers, but gear anglers can work small jigs and Kastmasters from shore.
PYRAMID LAKE: Still closed to non-tribal members through October 21, 2020.
QUARRY LAKES: Walk-in fishing is allowed.
RANCHO SECO LAKE: The recreation area is open daily from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Trout fishing is slow.
SACRAMENTO RIVER, Dunsmuir: Trout fishing has improved above Shasta Lake. Flows were down to 230 cfs over the weekend.
SACRAMENTO RIVER, Redding to Red Bluff: Flows from Keswick Dam are 12,700 cfs. Fishing is now closed above the Highway 44 bridge. Wild rainbows are feasting on daily bug hatches, and also hitting roe or crickets in the Anderson area. Anglers are reporting trout from 16 to 23 inches, with the best action early in the day. Salmon season is closed at the Barge Hole until Aug. 1.
SACRAMENTO RIVER, Red Bluff to Colusa: Salmon fishing was good on opening day below Red Bluff, with T55 FlatFish producing kings at first light. Dragging roe has been slow. Guides averaged a fish per rod on opening day with plugs. Expect action at Woodson Bridge and near Corning to improve in the coming weeks as more kings move in from the ocean.
SACRAMENTO RIVER, Verona to Colusa: Salmon fishing is slow. A few keeper stripers and lots of shakers are being caught near Verona. Fishing for catfish is very good at night near Knights Landing.
SACRAMENTO RIVER, Sacramento: The salmon opener was disappointing in the metro area with very few kings caught between Discovery Park and Freeport. Warm water has the fish surging upstream toward Red Bluff, or into the Feather. Striper fishing is slow.
SAN PABLO RESERVOIR: The lake was planted with lightning trout and rainbows from Mt. Lassen Trout Farms last week, and catfish over the weekend. Fishing is good for both, along with crappie and bluegill.
SHADOW CLIFFS RESERVOIR: Walk-in fishing is allowed.
SHASTA LAKE: Blades are the story here according to John Boitano of Phil’s Propeller, anything in whites and chartreuse with trailers. Chatterbaits are also producing in the chocolate colored water. Topwater is still good here and carries on all day for those who stick with it. Swimbaits have been hot and cold, but finesse tactics and doing well at up to 35 feet. Trout are deeper and catfish are biting well.
LAKE SONOMA: Steve Adams of the Outdoor Pro Shop in Cotati said reports he fielded suggested slower fishing, but some bass were caught to 5 pounds on creature baits and jigs.
SOUTH BAY LAKES: Boating is allowed at Calero and Coyote. Bass fishing is fair at Anderson and Coyote lakes, where water levels are now low and warm. Anderson Lake is being drained for dam work. Catfish and a few crappie are being caught at Chebro and Uvas lakes. Anderson Lake is 28-percent full. Coyote is 47-percent full. Calero is 43-percent full, while Chebro is 45-percent and Uvas is 61-percent full.
STAMPEDE: Top-lining for trout has been effective off the boat ramp according to Mountain Hardware and Sports. Shore fishing at the dam has been good for bass and trout. The lake’s kokanee are smaller fish, with some larger ones to 13 or 14 inches available if you work deeper water and wade through a lot of smaller fish according to Shaun Rainsbarger of Shaun’s Guide Service, but the action is incredible, with doubles and triples not at all rare.
LAKE TAHOE: Mike Nielsen of Tahoe Topliners said the Mackinaw fishing was excellent this week, with the first hour particularly red hot. The kokanee bite has fallen off for him, but not for Tahoe Sportfishing, where Zach Gordon reported 30 to 50 of the little salmon on morning outings, with a mix of lake trout. Afternoon koke action slows to 15-30 fish per boat.
THERMALITO AFTERBAY: Jamey Sorensen of North Valley Tackle said the shop’s weekly Tuesday evening bass get-together produced a 21.5-inch largemouth that weighed 7 pounds. It bit a crankbait. Action was slow in the back cove on Thursday.
TRINITY LAKE: Slow action here for bass due to excessive heat. It’s still possible to catch bass numbers, but most are small fish on finesse baits to 35 feet. There isn’t much of a topwater bite, but swimbaits are effective for a short time in the mornings.
TRINITY RIVER: Spring salmon fishing is slow because of low water, moss and hot weather. Flows at Lewiston are 461 cfs, while flows at Douglas City are 473 cfs and flows at Junction City are 570 cfs. Flows at Hoopa are 799 cfs, with a water temperature of 76 degrees.
TRUCKEE RIVER: Flows are decent and water temperatures okay for trout according to Mountain Hardware and Sports in Truckee. Fish are holding in fast water and deeper pools. There are some evening hatches, caddis and PMDs. Nymphing patterns include yellow stone flies, yellow lakes and sometimes grasshoppers, as well as midges and crawfish. Little Truckee flows are up, with some dry fly action mid-day and late in the evening, mostly PMDs and caddis.
WHISKEYTOWN LAKE: Finesse baits are worth a try down to 25 feet, in cinnamon brown and green pumpkin, primarily Senkos and Zmans. There’s a topwater bite early and late only.
Cencal Lakes
BASS LAKE: Guides are not working on the weekend due to heavy recreational boat traffic, and the boat traffic begins after 8:00 a.m. during the weekdays as well. Small rainbow trout are the rule with a variety of gear including Wedding Rings tipped with a piece of nightcrawler behind a dodger or blade/’crawler combinations, but the large kokanee over 18 inches are a rarity now. With the boat traffic and the Sheriff’s Motor Fee enforced, few bass fishermen are launching boats. With the warmer water, the weed growth is forming. A webcam of the lake is available at basslakeca.com.
COURTRIGHT: Trout fishing remains good for trollers working 6 colors of leadcore with Wedding Rings tipped with a piece of crawler behind a dodger, blade/’crawler combinations, or small spoons in orange or red. Most trollers are heading further up the hill to Courtright as the docks are out of the water at Wishon. Bank fishing is fair with the best action with rainbow trout dough bait in early mornings or late evenings are best near the dam or the launch ramp.
EASTMAN: California’s first trophy largemouth lake remains devoid of trophy largemouths as numbers in the 1.5- to 2-pound range are taken on Senkos or jigs over the submerged island tops or rockpiles. The deep-diving crankbait bite has been slow. The River Rats held a night tournament on Saturday night for the first tournament on the lake in months, but the results have yet to be published. The lake dropped from 32 to 29 percent.
HENSLEY: Fewer numbers, but quality largemouth bass are the story at Hensley, and the few large fish are taken on reaction lures such as the Strike King XD10 or Mega Bass 7.5 deep-diving crankbaits in craw patterns, Parrot, or Powder Blue back with chartreuse over the rockpiles, edge of the dam, or submerged islands. The lake dropped from 27 to 22 percent.
HUNTINGTON: A smaller grade of trout and kokanee is available for trollers working from the north shore with orange/green or pink/green spinners along with hoochies in pink/white with a purple stripe or pink/green at depths to 40 feet.
MILLERTON: Jake Figgs of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported the best action with finesse techniques of wacky-rigged Senkos or Strike King’s Fat Finesse worms at depths from 15 to 20 feet. The reaction bite remains slow as the fish are suspended with the dropping water levels. He said, “The bass are all over the lake and in the river arm, and the best locations in the main lake have been East Bay or Winchell’s Cove and along the Finegold wall. The lake dropped from 67 to 61 percent, and boats have to be off of the water by 8:00 p.m.
O’NEILL FOREBAY: Anthony Flores of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported tremendous interest in shore fishing near the Highway 152 Bridge or around Check 12 when the water is moving. Bank fishermen are culling through undersized linesides with anchovies, pile worms, or blood worms. There is a topwater bite in the afternoons along with ripbaits, but undersized striped bass remain the rule.
PINE FLAT: Jake Figgs of Valley Rod and Gun there are two different bites with most action in the main around the dam or Zebe Creek with topwater action early or late with Whopper Ploppers or buzzbaits without a clacker while the river arm is a finesse bite with the bass holding shallow in the submerged willow trees or stumps. Plastics on a Neko-rig such as the Yamamoto/Diawa Neko Fat in Baby Bass along with Robo Worms or Senkos in greens. Shad activity has primarily been in the main lake. A few trout trollers are working up the river arm, but most trout fishermen are heading to Shaver, Wishon, or Courtright. The lower Kings is running high with the water releases. The lake dropped from 54 to 47 percent.
SAN LUIS: Roger George of Roger George Guide Service reported a decent bite for school-sized stripers for shore anglers using bait as well as for boaters fishing minnows, anchovies, or shad in the restricted zone right near the Trash Racks. He said, “There’s been a flood of boat anglers launching and heading straight for the racks recently, and they are fishing right by the towers for limits of barely-legal stripers that are massed there. Regular anglers are concerned that these boats are removing numbers of the very small striped bass in the restricted zone. The regular trolling bite has been tough so they’re all focused on the Trash Racks even though the fish are small. With the lake continuing to fall ½-foot per day along with high winds, it has been tough to hit a good day recently. I had guests on Friday, and the lake never opened up due to the wind. I would focus on the main lake at depths from 40 to 70 feet with Lucky Crafts or P-Line Predator-type lures. Trollers are averaging a few fish per rod in the 18- to 20-inch range right now.” The lake dropped from 50 to 48 percent.
SHAVER: Kokanee once again dominated limits with both species dropping in the water column with the kokanee from 35 to 60 feet. The majority of kokanee are holding from Rock Heaven Cove to the Point with the planted rainbows in front of the Shaver Marina to Rock Heaven Cove. Various set ups are working for both species including Dick’s Trout Busters or Rocky Mountain Tackle’s Radical Glow tubes. The lake continues to rise, leaving to debris occupying the upper part of the lake, causing murky water clarity. Smallmouth bass are abundant in the rocks with plastics on the drop-shot. The recreational boat traffic is extremely heavy on the weekends.
WISHON: Kelly Brewer of the Wishon Village RV Park and Store reported a trout plant from the Department of Fish and Wildlife occurred this past Monday morning, and the lake was clearly in need of another plant. The launch ramp is at the bottom of the dock, and the lake is very low. A boat can be launched, but it requires effort. The occasional brown or rainbow trout to 20 inches has been landed by trollers working from the surface to 30 feet with blade/’crawler combinations or Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler behind a dodger. Shore fishing is fair with rainbow trout dough bait being the best option. The action should improve considerably with the plant.
Delta
DELTA, Sacramento Side: The river salmon season opened on July 16, but instead of a bang, it arrived with a thud as the water remains extremely warm. The few salmon migrating up the river are on the move rapidly with a minimum of stopping. Striped bass are following up the salmon, and this is traditionally the time big linesides make their move. There have been striped bass to 30 pounds released by trollers along the West Bank or to 34 pounds kept on live splittail. P-Line Predator Minnows or Yozuri Crystal Minnows continue to work best along the West Bank in the warm water. Smallmouth bass are holding along the rocky banks along with Sacramento River towards Walnut Grove with plastics or drifting live minnows. Catfish are found in the sloughs in the Sacramento River both above and below Freeport.
DELTA, San Joaquin side: The first of two specialty topwater lure tournaments is arriving this Saturday/Sunday out of Russo’s Marina with the Ultimate Frog Challenge featuring only hollow body frogs. The following weekend, the first annual ‘Delta Blow Up’ will be hosted by the Best Bass Tournaments, also out of Russo’s Marina. This tournament will feature any time of topwater lure by any manufacturer. The wind has cooled down the water, and the frog bite has slacked off in the chillier temperatures. The two-day frog tournament may be a challenge as the conditions have to be absolutely right for a specialty tourney. The largemouth bass are working the rocks for crawdads, and they are coming up with antennas or claws sticking out of their mouths. In the south Delta sloughs, bluegill, red ear perch, catfish, or barely-legal striped bass are available for those soaking a variety of baits from the access areas along Eight Mile Road, Whiskey Slough, or Bacon Island.
North Saltwater
SHELTER COVE: Salmon fishing was so-so, but rockfish and Pacific halibut served as available target species for Shelter Cove boats. Capt. Jake Mitchell of Seahawk Sportfishing reported a 77-pound Pacific halibut caught by an enthusiastic passenger while rockfishing north of the Cove at Rogers Break.
EUREKA: Before the winds, salmon fishing was slow but Pacific halibut fishing was quick and easy limits along the 50-fathom curve. During the long week of high winds and seas, California halibut came to the rescue of needy anglers inside Humboldt Bay where the fish were chasing shoals of anchovies about the Bay. Jetty fishing was good for kelp greenling, rockfish and cabezon.
FORT BRAGG: Rockfishing trips were quick-limit affairs aboard Sea Hawk and other party and charter boats from Fort Bragg. Salmon trips on the other hand usually resulted in 1 or 2 salmon per trip. One local guy was in for a surprise when he hooked into an 8-foot thresher shark and had a fun battle (which he won). A couple boats are planning on going searching for tuna.
BODEGA BAY: Schools of salmon were plentiful and scattered between Fort Ross and Point Reyes. Find the salmon schools and limits came quickly for boats like New Sea Angler. Most of those areas had rocky reefs nearby so filling the sacks with limits of rockfish and a few lingcod was easy. On some days, the boat was tied back up to the dock not long after 2:00p.m. Skiff and kayak anglers jigged up live bait and caught halibut inside Tomales Bay.
SAN PABLO BAY: Halibut were thick at the western end of San Pablo Bay where fishing was good from shore and terrific from boats. Locals noted a spike in the number of striped bass throughout the Bay Area. Best bet for halibut and bass was to troll the slack tides and drift the moving tides with live bait. A few sturgeon were caught from McNier Pier, however not many people fished specifically for them.
SAN FRANCISCO BAY: Bay trips for halibut and striped bass resulted in high counts from around the islands of Central Bay and the flats, like Berkeley and Emeryville. Flash I put people on the halibut and bass, then ran a weekend trip for the fabled sharks of the South Bay. Some boats like California Dawn found larger halibut outside the gate at North Bar and Seal Rocks. Many boats from Sausalito (like Salty Lady), Berkeley Charter Boats, Fish Emeryville and Fisherman’s Wharf (like Bass Tub) went out the Gate to harvest good salmon.
HALF MOON BAY: Queen of Hearts, Huli Cat and New Captain Pete fished up the line to put decent counts of salmon onboard. Close to the harbor entrance, local skiffs and kayaks caught early returning pen-reared fish. Rockfish trips were sack-fillers and Huli Cat made a good run to Pescadero. Shore fishing was very good for various surf perch and some nice stripers were caught especially in the evening.
CenCal Saltwater
MONTEREY: Salmon counts were down, so most party and charter boats from Monterey took advantage of the improving weather to go south and look for rockfish and lingcod. New Horizon, Checkmate, Star of Monterey and others worked half-day trips to Cypress Point area or all-day trips to Point Sur. Shore fishers at Pacific Grove caught cabezon and rockfish. North of town beach fishers targeted surf perch and striped bass.
SANTA CRUZ: Local waters from just outside of Santa Cruz Harbor and on down south of Capitola seemed chock full of halibut. Bayside Marine owner Todd Fraser went out after work and caught 3 keepers up to 25 pounds. Salmon catches were down. Charter and party boats like Miss Beth from Go Fish Santa Cruz Charters knocked out limits of rockfish from the reefs off Davenport.
MOSS LANDING: Taking full and immediate advantage of improving weather, Kahuna ran south and loaded up with high-grade reds, coppers and other rockfish and lingcod near Point Sur. Private boaters fished 30 to 80 feet of water above and below Moss Landing for halibut. Bounce-balling over the slack tide and drift fishing with whole squid or jigged up live bait during the moving tides were the favored techniques.
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