VALLEY

• NEW MELONES RESERVOIR — Melanie Lewis of Glory Hole Sporting Goods in Angels Camp said the trout bite is picking up, especially at night under submersible lights. Trollers are picking up occasional fish at 50 to 60 feet in the deepest water over the river channels using shad-patterned spoons. Bank anglers should try Angels Creek or Angels Cove. William Heinle of Arnold, George Lindsey of Murphys and Sonora's Ben Baier and John Glick all brought in limits of trout. Catfishing is outstanding in shallow water. Lewis advised catfish anglers to move their bait often, even dragging it along the bottom and bouncing it into rocky nooks and crannies, rather than letting it sit still. Fishing for cats is best at night, but there is limited daytime action. Steve Olley of Sonora landed an 11-pounder while soaking night crawlers from the bank at the Tuttletown launch ramp. A few kokanee are biting close to structure such as submerged humps at 70 to 120 feet near the dam or spillway. Use larger lures and try spraying Bang Crawdad scent on them. The bass bite is only fair in stained water; try noisemaking baits such as Lucky Craft LV500s, Luhr Jensen Speed Traps or a Strike King Red Eye Shad close to the banks. For crappie, try fishing under a light with small or medium minnows, Beetle-Spins, or red/white minijigs is best for crappie. Call: (209) 736-4333, Monte Smith (209) 581-4734, Danny Layne (209) 586 2383, Sierra Sport Fishing (209) 599-2023.

• SAN LUIS RESERVOIR — Weeds are choking the Forebay, but determined fishermen are working top-water lures and trying to stay out of the grass. Ly Tu of Ly's Fishing Goods said anglers are wading far into the lake to catch some schoolie stripers and avoid the freshwater mudsuckers and weeds. The striper action is hotter at Los Vaqueros near Brentwood. Call: Ly's Fishing Goods (408) 629-9644; Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711.

• McSWAIN RESERVOIR — Stephanie Powell of the McSwain Marina said the Calaveras Trout Farm plant is paying dividends for trollers and for those fishing from the banks. Fish from 4 to 8 pounds were taken off the handicapped docks and the brush pile with garlic Power Bait or inflated night crawlers. Trollers are working blade/crawler combinations or Wedding Rings tipped with a night crawler behind a dodger in the deeper portions from the floating restrooms to the chimney for rainbows in the 2 to 4-pound range. Call: (209) 378-2534

• McCLURE RESERVOIR — Trout fishing is picking up, particularly under lights at night at the dam at 30 to 50 feet with small minnows, night crawlers or Power Bait. Diana Mello of A-1 Bait in Snelling said anglers are catching limits at night. Bass fishing has been very good with live crawdads worked off the deep drops at McClure Point, and by drop-shotting with Robo Worm Prism Shad. There is a top-water bite in the mornings and evenings with the Heddon Super Spook, white/clear River2Sea Rover, white PopRs or the white Heddon Super Spook. Catfishing is excellent with cut baits, stink baits or chicken livers near McClure Point. Call: A-1 Bait (209) 563-6505, Bub Tosh (209) 404-0053.

• LAKE DON PEDRO — Trout fishing is outstanding with the fish chasing bait at the surface. Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing had a great trip Saturday with three limits by 9 a.m. Saturday. With fish holding at 35 feet, Smith fast-trolled his Chucker T heavy spoons. The rainbows are spitting up the tiny shad, he said, and they're fat and healthy in the 2 to 3-pound range. Kokanee are turning, and anglers are having to work hard for the occasional fish. For bass, fish the top water in the mornings and evenings with the River2Sea white Rover or white Heddon Super Spook. Once the sun hits the water, the fish prefer Yamamoto double-tailed Hula Grubs on a half-ounce jig head in cinnamon/purple or watermelon/red at 20 to 30 feet. Call: Monte Smith (209) 581-4734, Danny Layne (209) 586-2383, Bait Barn (209) 874-301.

• DELTA — The salmon bite took off again Sunday near Benicia. Angers at the state park and First Street caught 20 salmon with Mepps Flying C in multi-color with green, yellow and orange or the VZ lure in similar colors. On Sunday, 10 salmon were caught First Street. The best action is at the top of the tide through the first hour of ebb. Blood worms, pile worms and bullheads are good for striped bass off 12th Street. Capt. Stan Koenigsberger of Quetzal Adventures in Bethel Harbor has been using ultra-light gear for stripers, and caught and released over 70 Sunday on frozen shad in the San Joaquin River off Twitchell Island or in Three-Mile Slough. Alan Fong of the Fishermen's Warehouse in Fresno reported a good largemouth bass bite in the Delta with ›-ounce Revenge spinnerbaits in chartreuse/white worked thrown into the sparse grass in the current. Guide Randy Pringle said the fish are biting, but finding keepers has been a challenge. Call: Randy Pringle (209) 543-6260; Stan Koenigsberger (925) 570-530; Jolly Jay's Guide Service (209) 478-6645; Gary Vella (209) 652-7550.

OCEAN

• SAN FRANCISCO BAY — Capt. R.J. Waldron on the Sundance produced eight salmon limits to 21 pounds Friday, but by Saturday the bit had turned off. Waldron, like many captains, went rockfishing Sunday, boating 40 rockfish, eight lings and eight halibut to 30 pounds north of the Golden Gate. The four Emeryville boats landed 37 salmon to 28 pounds Sunday for 79 anglers, but added a 25-pound striper and two thresher sharks while trolling the Marin coast. The New Rayanne and Hog Heaven from Sausalito took out 38 fishermen and came home with 13 salmon. The C Gull II, Captain Hook and New Huck Finn went to the Farallons on Sunday for 89 limits of rockfish, 127 ling cod and 130 sand dabs. The Wet Spot from Emeryville Sport Fishing went sharking Saturday, and came back with five leopards to 15 pounds.

• HALF MOON BAY — The salmon action broke out from Pedro Point to Egg Rock on Saturday, but dropped off by Sunday. The Golden Gate salmon party boats, which had been fishing north of the Gate for past two weeks, came down from Mussel Rock to Pedro Point but had only mixed success. Capt. Bob Wright of the Happy Hooker was near Pedro Point on Sunday, working the high spots for 17 limits of rockfish and 8 lings to 10 pounds before moving up to the South Bar. He found 60 boats there fishing for salmon, but they all left within a couple of hours. Peggy Beckett of Huck Finn Sport Fishing said commercial squid boats flocked to the area, but didn't find much. Capt. Tom Mattusch of the Huli Cat ran 78 miles to 20 miles west of the Gumdrop in flat to catch seven albacore, losing another seven. Sheryl Jimno of the Rusty Hook in Pacifica said the water calmed Sunday, and there were plenty of anglers working the pier with anchovies under a bobber for salmon. Call: Happy Hooker (510) 223-5388; Huck Finn Sport Fishing Center (650) 726-7133; Emeryville Sport Fishing (510) 654-6040; Don Franklin, Soleman (510) 703-4148.

• MONTEREY/SANTA CRUZ — All of Chris's Landing's boats went rockfishing Sunday as the salmon and white sea bass bites just stopped. Todd Arcaleo said both the Star of Monterey and Checkmate went south Sunday and came home with rockfish limits and some ling cod from Point Lobos with the Checkmate heading further south. They will be focusing on rockfish until the next spurt of salmon or white sea bass. Call: Chris' Landing (831) 375-5951, Bayside Marine (831) 475-2173, usafishing.com.

TROUT PLANTS

Reservoirs and lakes that will be planted with trout during the week of Aug. 21:

• Tuolumne — Lyons Canal; Lyons Reservoir; Middle Fork, South Fork and Clark Fork of Stanislaus River; Middle Fork, South Fork of Tuolumne River; Moccasin Creek; Pinecrest Lake; Powerhouse Stream.

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