VALLEY

• NEW MELONES RESERVOIR — Melanie Lewis of Glory Hole Sporting Goods in Angels Camp reported a slowdown in kokanee action in response to the bright full moon. Kokanee are congregating in the main lake and moving in the main lake. The best quality fish are holding at depths from 75 to 110 feet, hugging the bottom structure. With the kokanee action so hot, few anglers are targeting trout, but the occasional rainbow is thrown in with a limit of kokanee. Trout are found at depths from 40 to 50 feet in the deepest part of the lake with shad patterned lures such as Apex, Needlefish, or Rapala Countdowns scented with Bang or ProCure threadfin shad. Night fishing under lights remains very good, and Lewis advised dropping nightcrawler/Power Bait combo or a live minnow under the light and waiting for an hour or two for the baitfish to come around the light. Bank anglers are advised to head to local creeks like Angels Creek. Lewis said bass fishing is only fair in the stained water conditions. As a result, noise making baits are working best with chartreuse being the most visible color. Top water lures are effective in the mornings and evenings with Rattletraps, Spinnerbaits, jigs with rattles and Senkos working better in the heat of the day. There were a number of big catfish landed this week, as the whiskerfish are moving into the shallows with the warmer water. The best action is at night, but quality fish are also found during daylight hours. Call: (209) 736-4333, Monte Smith (209) 581-4734, Danny Layne -Fishn' Dan (209) 586 2383, Sierra Sport Fishing (209) 599-2023.

• SAN LUIS RESERVOIR/O'NEILL FOREBAY — The main lake is still the best thing going in the area with the occasional huge striper taken at night on 6-inch Magnum Flukes. Ly Tu at Ly's Fishing Goods in San Jose said the best area has been around Romero Point with swimbaits or top water lures for stripers to 10-pounds. The forebay is limited to small stripers under the bridge or catfish at Check 12 on cutbaits, clams, or blood worms. Call: Ly's Fishing Goods (408) 629-9644; Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711.

• McSWAIN RESERVOIR — Stephanie Powell of McSwain Marina reported the trollers experienced the best scores on Sunday with blade/crawler combinations or Roostertails tipped with a night crawler around the Chimney. Shore fishing was slower over the weekend, but limits have been taken on white Power Eggs across from the Dam, orange/red Gulp! Eggs at the Brush Pile, or grasshoppers behind the 2nd Fence Line. Trout plants are occurring on a weekly basis from either Calaveras Trout Farm or the Department of Fish and Game. A Calaveras plant is scheduled for this week. Call: (209) 378-2534

• McCLURE RESERVOIR — Mike Van Guilder Jr. of Berserk Baits reported a good top water bite in the mornings, afternoon, and also at night with PopR's or Zara Spooks for spotted bass to 4-pounds. Diana Mello of A-1 Bait in Snelling said they had a big run on large/medium minnows over the weekend which is a sign of a hot bass bite. Crappie fishing has picked up in Cottonwood Creek and Bagby with small minnows or blue/white jigs. Trout, king salmon, and kokanee fishing continues to be slow. Call: A-1 Bait (209) 563-6505, Bub Tosh (209) 404-0053.

• LAKE DON PEDRO — Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing went searching for rainbow trout on Monday, and they covered a variety of areas within the lake for 6 rainbows of average size using his Chucker T spoons on a fast troll. He reported that a bass angler was landing trout drop shotting along the steep drop offs. There is a continued strong top water bass bite throughout the day with Super Spooks or the Lucky Craft Gunfish in white or chartreuse/shad in the mornings with the fish close to the banks in the submerged grass before the fish drop to the bottom once the sun hits the water. Drop shotting with the Reaction Innovations Bad Shad Green, Robo Worm's Morning Dawn, or Pro Worm Pro Gold have been effective, in addition to twin-tailed Hula Grubs in colors 208, 221, and 301 on 1/2-ounce jig head. Call: Monte Smith (209) 581-4734, Danny Layne (209) 586-2383, Bait Barn (209) 874-301.

• DELTA/STOCKTON — The sturgeon are still to be found in the Carquinez Straits and lower Suisun Bay, but the majority of anglers have either exhausted their sturgeon tags or are focusing upon river salmon from the Benicia shoreline. Tony Lopez of Benicia Bait said the salmon opener wasn't what it was cracked up to be with no fish landed off First Street despite a number of fishermen lining the banks tossing a variety of heavy spinners. The best area to fish on the larger tides was the State Park, but still no fish were landed, although salmon were seen jumping on the surface. Striped bass fishing is improving from the shoreline with linesides to 37-inches landed on the small live bullheads. Small stripers have been the rule with an occasional 30-incher coming out of the river. Gary Vella of Vella's Fishing Adventures has been trolling with deep-diving Yozuris in the San Joaquin River system for up to 30 linesides to 5-pounds. The fish have been hitting all colors of lures, but the black backed/silver has been the best offering. Call: Randy Pringle (209) 543-6260; Jolly Jay's Guide Service (209) 478-6645, Gary Vella (209) 652-7550.

OCEAN

• SAN FRANCISCO BAY — The Bay Area salmon fleet out of Fisherman's Wharf, Sausalito, Berkeley, and Emeryville went off of the San Mateo coastline at the Deep Reef for solid salmon scores over the weekend. Frank Salazar of Emeryville Sport Fishing said, "The Bay Area salmon fleet went to the Middle Grounds or below the Islands for a range from fish per rod to limits with the fish averaging from 6 to 12-pounds to a high of 23-pounds." The Emeryville boat, the Super Fish, came home with 19 salmon to 14-pounds for 20 anglers on Sunday. On the rockfish front, the New Seeker and C Gull II went to the Farallons for 438 rockfish and 32 lingcod to 21-pounds for 51 anglers on Sunday. Jim Smith on the Happy Hooker went down the San Mateo coast looking for striped bass on Sunday, but they didn't find an accumulation of bait along the coast, so they put in 37 quick limits of rockfish and 5 lingcod to 11-pounds within an hour before moving back into the bay for bass fishing. The New Huck Finn, Wet Spot, Auk Nu, and Captain Hook out of Emeryville Sport Fishing came back with 7 halibut to 26-pounds, 67 stripers to 12-pounds, 27 rockfish and 3 ling cod working both inside the bay and along the Marin coast.

• HALF MOON BAY — Salmon fishing broke out with private and party boats posting near limits to limits from the Deep Reef to south of the Farallon Islands. Capt. Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat put in 29 salmon to 18-pounds in a wide area 18 miles from the harbor. They put in the fish on straight bait, but lures were also effective with the fish high in the water column between 18 to 45 feet. Call: Happy Hooker (510) 223-5388; Huck Finn Sport Fishing Center (650) 726-7133, Emeryville Sport Fishing (510) 654-6040.

• MONTEREY/SANTA CRUZ — The salmon returned to Monterey Bay on Sunday afternoon, and party boats found a late bite in the afternoon. Sonny Arcaleo of Chris's Landing in Monterey said, "We picked up 20 salmon late in the day on Sunday, and one of the boats out of Randy's came home with 20 limits on Monday." Local rockfishing remains solid with limits on all trips into Carmel Bay. Halibut fishing has been good for anglers near Natural Bridges, and Capitola. The bait is thick down near the Cement Ship and anglers have been catching some big striped bass. Salmon are still being caught near Moss Landing and the west edge of the Soquel Hole with the larger fish taken straight out of Santa Cruz and smaller fish found near Mulligan Hill and the Soldier's Club. Call: Chris' Landing (831) 375-5951, Bayside Marine (831) 475-2173, usafishing.com.

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