Central CA fishing report: Don Pedro king salmon, bass active; Delta stripers back
Fishing report compiled by California Outdoors Hall of Fame member Dave Hurley and edited by Roger George, who guides in the greater Fresno area and holds the striper record at Millerton Lake.
Best bets
Delta stripers back, Jeff Soo Hoo reported. Wishon trout limits continue, Kelly Brewer said. New Melones Kokanee and catfish hitting, Kyle Wise reported. Don Pedro king salmon and bass active, Monte Smith said. Westside waterways producing stripers and catfish, and Eastman bass hungry, Tas Moua reported. Isabella multi species buffet ongoing, Copes Tackle said.
Rankings key below: 4: Fish are jumping in the boat. 3: Good fishing. 2: Decent fishing. 1: Poor fishing. 0: Don’t bother
Unless noted, area code is 559
Valley/Westside waterways
Striper 3 Catfish 3
Tas Moua of 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle reported triple-digit heat has limited fishing to the early morning or evenings, but pile worms, anchovies, or chicken liver have been effective for both catfish and striped bass, particularly around Volta and Billy Wright Road. Numbers of small striped bass are the rule. In the southern section of the aqueduct, Cope’s Rod and Tackle in Bakersfield reported strong catfish action with Triple S Dip Bait, chicken liver, or cut bait fished on a Carolina-rig or a bait rig, particularly in the calm water downstream of check gates, near outtake grates, or alongside bends. Cut sardines or anchovies are also working for striped bass in the same locations. Whopper Ploppers or Poppers are working for largemouth bass in the eddies and near the bank along with weightless Senkos or 6-inch straight-tail worms on a drop-shot before and after the check gates or in the eddies.
A map of the 16 designated fishing locations on the California Aqueduct can be accessed through this link: https://water.ca.gov/-/media/DsWR-Website/Web-Pages/What-We-Do/Recreation/Files/230424_SWP-Fishing-Guildines-Locations_Online_FINAL.pdf.
Call: Valley Rod & Gun, Clovis 292-3474; Cope’s Tackle and Rod, Bakersfield – (661) 679-6351; Bob’s Bait Bucket, Bakersfield (661) 833-8657
Eastman Lake/Hensley Lake
Bass 3 Trout 2 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
At Eastman, Tas Moua reported a wide-open bite for numbers on shallow crankbaits or plastics on the drop-shot such as Roboworms Morning Dawn, or watermelon/red Brush Hogs on a Texas-rig. Jigs are also effective over the rockpiles. Live crawdads are also working for bass. At Hensley, Moua reported bait fish are pushing up along the shorelines, but overall, the action has been slow for bass. Both lakes are heavily releasing water, and Eastman dropped to 486.79 feet in elevation and 15 percent with Hensley dropping to 461.42 feet in elevation and 11%. No tournaments are scheduled at Eastman through the end of August. Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255; 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle 515-6273. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hensley Lake Hidden Dam 673-5151
Lake Don Pedro
Bass 3 Trout 3 Kokanee 2 King salmon 2 Crappie 2
Don Pedro continues to kick out king salmon to 5 pounds with custom shad-patterned spoons at depths from 50 to 80 feet. Even though the full moon was bright, Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing put his clients onto 11 kings and rainbows, losing another ten fish in the process. He said, “Jason DeGroot of Manteca landed a 4.6-pound king, and we found rainbows over 3 pounds. There are also signs of kokanee around although we haven’t been targeting them.”
Aaron Jones of Central Valley Bait and Tackle reported a solid topwater bite in the mornings and evenings with Whopper Ploppers or Berkley Choppo 90’s along with crankbaits as the bass are holding shallow along the banks. Numbers are taken on nail weighted Senkos on the drop-shot while jigs are producing fewer, but larger bass. During Saturday’s Modesto AmBASSadors tournament, Tony and Cody took first with a five-fish limit at 28.43- pounds including a big fish that is Cody’s personal best at 8.69 pounds.Launch updates are posted at www.donpedrolake.com. The lake dropped to 803.77 feet in elevation this week. Only one tournament is scheduled through the end of August. A self-inspection is required for launching.
Call: Monte Smith, Gold Country Sport Fishing (209) 581-4734; Central Valley Bait and Tackle (209) 312-9417.
Lake Isabella/Bakersfield area
Bass 3 Trout 3 Crappie 3 Catfish 3 Bluegill 3
The lake dropped 2 feet to 2574.18 feet in elevation and 47%. Cope’s Rod and Tackle in Bakersfield reported, despite the lower water levels, the bass bite remains strong for fish in the 1 to 2-pound range with occasional catches pushing 5 to 6 pounds on a wide range of baits including flukes, spinnerbaits, Whopper Ploppers, Buzzbaits, Poppers, crankbaits, Texas rigs, jigs, or Senkos in watermelon red or shad patterns.
The bite is best early in the morning with some topwater action, and again in the late afternoon. As the day progresses, working deeper main lake points down to 20 feet with purple or Oxblood worms has been effective. The North Fork, especially around rocky banks and submerged trees, Rocky Point, the Flume, and Engineer Point have been the top area, and the larger bass are coming on slow retrieves with larger baits around structure. Crappie action has picked up, especially near Red’s Marina and the main dam in 10 to 15 feet of water with Get Bent Baits or live minnows fished about 4 feet under a bobber with a slow retrieve.
Trout fishing continues to produce, particularly for boaters trolling deep with Needlefish, Tasmanian Devils, or Berkley’s Flicker Shad. Shore anglers are also finding success near the dam using fgarlic-scented Power Bait in deep water. Catfish are being caught on frozen shad, Triple S Dip Bait, live minnows, or nightcrawlers with multiple reports of solid catches throughout the lake. In the upper Kern River, Cope’s reported the trout bite continues to taper off, but there are still fish to be had as holdover and wild trout are being caught along the popular 20-mile stretch using salmon eggs, nightcrawlers, or minijigs. Fly anglers have been picking off a few trout in the open sections with nymphs or treamers although the bite has been spotty.
In the lower Kern near Bakersfield, the smallmouth Bass bite has been excellent, particularly around rocks, submerged wood, and other structure with twin-tailed grubs rigged on finesse jig heads or small Roostertails. Anglers targeting smallmouth bass are also picking up small catfish on the same presentations. The flows in the upper Kern River has dropped to 361 cfs at Kernville while water releases out of the lake dropped slightly to 1015 cfs at First Point. No additional bass tournaments are scheduled through the end of August.
Call: Cope’s Tackle and Rod (661) 679-6351; Bob’s Bait Bucket, Bakersfield (661) 833-8657; North Fork Marina (760) 376-1812; Golden Trout Pack Station (559) 542-2816
Lake Kaweah
Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 3
The lake dropped another 17 feet to 595.50 feet in elevation and 9%. Cope’s reported the lake may finally stabilize, and the bite could improve. There is an early morning bite on the surface with Poppers, Gunfish, or squarebill crankbaits while finesse techniques take over later in the day on main lake points or submerged rocks in 5 to 25 feet of water with weightless Senkos. Crappie held on similar structure around 15 feet deep with small live minnows producing steady action. The Kaweah River continues to drop, and it is currently at 70 cfs at Three Rivers. No additional bass tournaments are scheduled through the end of August.
Success
Bass 2 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2
The lake dropped nearly 13 feet to 605.64 feet in elevation and 19%. Cope’s reported fair fishing as the largemouth bass have scattered and suspended near main lake points and over submerged humps with small jigs, plastics on the drop-shot, or Texas rig worked slowly or ‘dead-sticked.’ A few topwater and crankbait fish were reported near submerged trees in the North Fork. Crappie held near the same structure with small crankbaits or swimbaits drawing strikes. Catfishing has been good in deeper holes around the lake with dip bait or chicken liver fished on a Carolina-rig.
McClure Reservoir
Bass 2 Trout 2 King salmon 2 Kokanee 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2
There have been reports of king salmon to 6 pounds and kokanee to 16 inches in the deep water near the dam, but trollers have been keeping this as quiet as possible. Aaron Jones of Central Valley Bait in Modesto reported a morning and evening topwater bite with walking baits such as the Berkley Choppo 90 or Whopper Ploppers before hitting the bottom with plastics on a shakey head or drop-shot, jigs, Senkos on a Neko-rig, or deep diving crankbaits. Small fish dominate as the larger fish have been scarce. The lake dropped to 824.56 feet in elevation Tournament action has slowed down with only one more small club tournament scheduled though the end of August.Call: Central Valley Bait and Tackle (209) 312-9417.
Lake McSwain
Trout 2
The Department of Fish and Wildlife planted the lake last week, and small planted rainbow trout from 6 to 8 inches were reported from the banks along with larger fish around 12 inches. Holdover rainbows are few and far between. The Handicapped Docks, the Brush Pile, or the peninsula between the Marina remain the best locations from the banks with garlic-scented Power Bait or nightcrawlers. Trollers are finding a few holdovers up the river arm with Rapalas, Ruby Red Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler, or spoons at depths from the surface to 30 feet. The lake is at 81 percent. The Splash and Dash water feature dominates the lake through the Labor Day Holiday Weekend. Information https://mysplashndash.com/knowbeforeyougo/#hours.
Call: McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534.
Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River
Bass 2 Striped bass 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 3 Crappie 2
Bass fishing is limited to small spotted bass with plastics in Hologram Shad, Prism Shad, or green pumpkin at depths from 20 to 40 feet in the middle of the channels. Recreational boating dominates here with the triple-digit heat. The lake dropped to 522.47 feet in elevation and 55 percent. The flows in the San Joaquin River at Friant remain steady at 218 cfs. Sycamore Island is open every day from 6:00 am to 5:30 pm. Only one club tournament, the Sierra Bass Club on the 16th, is scheduled through the end of August.
Call: Fresno 559 Bait and Tackle 515-6273.
New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch
Bass 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 3 Trout 2 Kokanee 3
Kokanee remain the big story here, but the fish are starting to hug the bottom at depths to 120 feet as the males are just now starting to turn. Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service reported kokanee are spread out throughout the lake from the Carson Wall to the Spillway to Rose Island, and he is focusing on trophy fish over 17 inches with Apex lures coated with Pautske’s Crawfish Gel behind a large dodger at speeds from 0.8 to 0.9 mph. Stick weights are necessary to keep from getting hung up on the bottom at depths from 80 to 120 feet. The full moon has created more challenging conditions for some trollers. Wise is also targeting catfish in the evenings with mackerel fillets fished weightless on a 6/0 hook with the bail open on the reel to allow the catfish to swim away with the bait without detection.
Aaron Jones of Central Valley Bait and Tackle in Modesto reported a window for topwater lures before heading to the bottom with Senkos on a nail weight, flukes, or deep-diving crankbaits at depths to 25 feet. All boats must be quarantined for 30 days or decontaminated for golden mussels. A decontamination unit is available at the New Melones Marina, and boaters are advised to schedule a decontamination via https://musseldecon.com/ with a deposit of $60. Costs will vary from a minimum of $60 to $180 up depending upon the size and complexity of the vessel. Boats not making a reservation will be charged as much as $180.
On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, the Glory Hole and Tuttletown ramps are open from 6:30 am to 8:30 pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. From Monday through Thursday, only the Glory Hole ramp is open from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Downstream Lake Tulloch established the 30-day quarantine process to allow boating for inspected boats after the quarantine period is completed. The lake dropped to 1023.71 feet in elevation and 71% with downstream Tulloch at 96%.
Call: John Liechty, Xperience Fishing Guide Service (209) 743-9932; Kyle Wise, Headhunter Guide Service (209) 531-3966; Monte Smith (209) 581-4734
Pine Flat Reservoir/Kings River
Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 0 King salmon 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
The Fresno Bass Club held at two-limit night tournament over the weekend, and Bill Kunz of St. Croix Rods reported the top finishers scored with reaction baits including jerkbaits, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and topwater lures. Tas Moua reported the spoon bite is starting in the coves and creek channels along with finesse jigs on the rock walls. There is a topwater bite first thing in the morning with walking baits before heading to the bottom. Neko rigs are also effective.
For king salmon and rainbow trout, Brian Klassen of Reedley was out with his brother Evan and five members of the Flores Family, and he said, “We started at 6 am and fished the main lake headed out of Deer creek, trolling towards Zebe Creek. We were targeting kings so we rolled either 2- to 3-inch shad or Brad’s Mini Cut Plugs in Sardine or Black Magic behind large 7-inch dodgers at depths from 90 to 125 feet. We picked up a few there and a few across from Lakeview boat ramp with a few in the middle of the lake. There was not a single hot spot, just here and there. We ended up with 8 king salmon from 20 to 22 inches on 10 takedowns along with another 10 rainbows on blade/’crawler combinations.
Trout fishing has slowed down from the early summer terror, but there still a decent bite. The big news is how low the lake has gotten as it is only 90 feet deep at the main Power Lines. The lake is 80 degrees in the surface and 67 degrees at 100 feet in depth. The kings are stacked along the bottom, and within aa few more weeks, the fish will be stacked in the dam area.”
In the lower Kings River, the flows continue to drop steadily, currently at 341 at Trimmer this week. A trout plant occurred last week with another this week, and the planters are holding in the transition for fast to slow water. Roostertails, Panther Martin’s, Joe’s Flies, salmon eggs, or Power Bait are effective in the transition from fast to slow water. The catch-and-release section is located below the Alta Weir (also known as Cobbles Weir) extending downstream to the Highway 180 bridge. This area is considered a zero limit, catch-and-release zone where only artificial lures with barbless hooks are allowed.
The lake dropped to 793.15 feet in elevation and 29%. No bass tournaments are scheduled through the end of August. The blastoff for the Bass 101 night tournament scheduled for September 15 will be at 6:30 pm rather and 6:00 pm, and it will end at 7:30 am. The Pine Flat staff will host a recognition ceremony at 5:00 pm at the Deer Creek launch ramp to honor the six fishermen involved in the lifesaving rescue on January 1, 2023.
Call: 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle 515-6273.
San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay
Striper 2 Catfish 2 Bass 2 Crappie 2
Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported pile worms or anchovies along with Duo Realis 130 jerkbaits in Chartruese Shad are working for school-sized striped bass from the banks. The lake is finally stable at 38% for the past few weeks.
Guide Roger George of Roger George Guide Service caught and released a 42”, 34-pound striper after 11 hours of working at depths to 70 feet with shad-patterned plugs in the heat “ The numbers were low, but the one big strike made up for it” George said.
In the O’Neill Forebay, undersized striped bass dominate, but keepers are possible as both the largemouth and striped bass are pushing the baitfish into the thick grass. Red-ear perch to 2.5 pounds have also been reported. The forebays is at 86%. Boat inspections at San Luis Reservoir, O’Neill Forebay, and Los Banos Creek Reservoir in Merced County are required when exiting these lakes to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. At O’Neill Forebay, golden mussels were detected. Boats leaving these San Luis Recreation Area lakes will not be granted a “clean boat” tag. After boating in waterways, always remember to clean, drain, and dry to help stop the spread of aquatic invasive species. To check the real time wind conditions on the lake - use windfinder.com/forecast/san_luis_reservoir.
Call: Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711, Roger George, rogergeorgeguideservice.com (559) 905-2954
High Sierra
Bass Lake
Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 2
Captain Mike Beighey of Bass Lake Fishing reported an early troll bite for rainbow trout as you have to be on the water by 5:30 am as the bite dies by 9:00 am. Kokanee are holding in the submerged trees, but they aren’t moving out of the structure. Trout trolling is slowing down, but if you are on the lake early, a few fish per rod is possible. Recreational boat traffic continues to dominate the lake, but there is a small window for trolling in the early mornings or late evenings before sunset before the flotilla ramps up. Tas Moua of 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle reported Power Bait from the shoreline near Ducey’s Resort in deep water is producing a few rainbow trout. Bass fishing is best for spotted bass with plastics on the drop-shot at depths from 12 to 15 feet, and an occasional quality largemouth is taken on Toxic’s Wade Hoggs near the buoy line. spotted bass to 3.5 pounds have been landed near the dam with Keitech swimbaits. A live webcam is available at https://www.basslakeca.com/bass-lake-webcam-1. Call: Tas Moua, Fresno 559 Bait and Tackle 515-6273.
Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool
Portal Forebay and Ward Lake received trout plants last week. All the High Sierra lakes are dropping slightly with Edison at 67 while Florence at 78%, and Mammoth Pool at 76%. Southern California Edison (SCE), in partnership with the Sierra National Forest are rehabilitating the boat launch and campground. According to the Sierra National Forest’s press release, “The campground and boat launch have recently been turned over to SCE’s control to begin the rehabilitation work. To complete this work, SCE will need one year for the boat launch-related work (until May 2026), and two years for the campground (May 2027), keeping in mind that given the elevation, there is only a limited window of time to complete this type of work during the year. Forest Order 05-15-51-25-06 covering SCE’s rehabilitation work will be released soon.” Road conditions are available at the High Sierra Ranger Station – 855-5355 or https://www.fs.usda.gov/sierra.
Road conditions 297-0706.
Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000
Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 2
Shaver Lake guide emeritus, Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charter reported the Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project held its 14th annual fundraiser dinner this past Saturday night under the direction of chairperson Lorna Roush. One of the highlights was a proclamation being presented to Steve Jones by Assemblyman David Tanigipa’s office as the official trout record holder at Shaver with his recent catch of a 24.46-pound brown trout. Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters reported continued slow fishing with regular anglers grinding out a few limits of mixed kokanee and rainbow trout.
Captain Paul Brown of Fishin with Paul Charters picked up a few limits on Sunday near Sierra Marina at 42 to 56 feet down on Dick’s Jimbo Trout Busters, Dick’s purple Koke Busters, purple Apex lures, or purple Mountain Tube’s tipped with scented corn behind Lady Jane or D-MAC Mountain Dodgers. The kokanee are starting to migrate into the Sierra Marina area in their attempt to spawn. The annual Kokanee Power tournament is on September 7.
Recreational boating has been heavy, particularly after the holiday weekend. Both ramps are open. Check the Sierra Marina webcam at http://www.sierramarina.com/webcam-weather-page.html for conditions. At Huntington, a trout plant is scheduled this week, and this will help spur on the troll and shore bite. Check the Sierra Marina webcam at http://www.sierramarina.com/webcam-weather-page.html for conditions. Shaver dropped to 77 with Huntington holding at 98%.
Call:– Paul Brown 300-4001; Tom Oliveira, Tom Oliveira Fishing 802-8072; Todd Wittwer, Kokanee.net Guide Service 288-8100;
Wishon/Courtright
Trout 3
Kelly Brewer of the Wishon RV Park and Store reported the water levels continue to fluctuate at both lakes, and trollers have the upper hand with blade/crawler combinations at 3 to 4 colors of lead core for limits of rainbows and browns averaging from 13 to 14 inches. Trout plants are scheduled at Courtright and Dinkey Creek this week. Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361
Ocean
Half Moon Bay
Rockfish 3 Bluefin tuna 2 Striper 2 Halibut 2 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3
The second window for offshore pelagic excursions took place over the weekend, and a handful of bluefin tuna to 212 pounds were landed south of the Half Moon Bay Weather Buoy. With great ocean conditions at the start of the week, more private and six-pack boats are heading out in search of albacore, and second captain Meghan Fox of the New Captain Pete found the longfins on butterfly jigs on Monday. Several more boats will be heading out in the coming days while the weather holds. On the rockfish front, limits were the rule along with a handful of lingcod working the reefs south of the harbor. Captain Melynda Dodds of the New Captain Pete put in 9 limits of rockfish on Saturday. Party boats from the Bay Area fleet have been heading left at the Golden Gate to target rockfish along the San Mateo coast. Rock crab and rockfish are possible from the North or South Jetty with surf perch from the beaches. There will be a 7500-fish quota salmon season from September 4-7 from Point Reyes south to Point Sur, and the next all-ladies trip on the New Captain Pete will be on September 6.
Call: Captain Melynda Dodds, New Captain Pete (512) 825- 8225; Captain Chris Chang, Ankeny Street (650) 279-8819;
Monterey/Santa Cruz
Rockfish 3 Halibut 2 Striper 3 White seabass 2 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 2
From the beaches, Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported an early morning striped bass bite up and down the beaches from Pajaro to Monterey with Duo Realis Tide Minnows. Perch fishing remains slow.
Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surf Casting Guide Service reported, “If you have given any thought to going fishing on Monterey Bay this summer, now would be the time to go for it! With the exception of some windy afternoons, weather and sea conditions have been mostly mild and comfortable. A persistent but small south swell is promoting surf fish activity and further out, huge schools of bait have put all our regular species plus a couple “exotics” on the bite. Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine may have said it best on Wednesday when he reported, “The ocean has come alive on the inshore waters. There has been a mix of halibut, sea bass, bonito, rock fish and lingcod being caught. The halibut and sea bass fishing has been good near Capitola. Bonito are being caught here and there by anglers seeing them boil. The west side of Santa Cruz produced some nice halibut today.”
Bonito are small and speedy tuna-like fish that bite aggressively and take off like little rockets once hooked. Casting into a feeding boil of bonito, or trolling lures near the surface are both proven techniques for catching bonito, which can range from two pounds up to twenty. It’s not unusual to get bonito in Monterey Bay when the water warms during summer, but they don’t necessarily hang around for long, so get them while you can. Many anglers dismiss the bonito as table fare, but caught, bled and iced correctly, they can be delicious either cooked or prepped raw as ceviche or poké.
Meanwhile, our “normal” species remain abundant all around the bay. Chris’ sportfishing and J&M Charters from Monterey both reported limits or near-limits of rockcod for all their trips this week, along with a few lings on each go-out. Santa Cruz charter boats report much the same, with an additional accent on halibut. JT Thomas recorded full limits of rockfish and four nice lingcod for his trip on Monday aboard the beautiful Miss Beth. Rodney Armstrong on the Knot Alone, another six-pack operation from Santa Cruz Harbor chimed in with a mid-week account saying, “Yesterday’s trip we stayed local. The wind up the coast has not been nice.
We had two nice halibut, two lingcod and limits of rockfish. Pretty good fishing out front still. Always nice to get some local kids out on some fish.” Halibut fishing is still going strong all around the bay, with catches recorded mostly from the 30- to 60-foot depths. Sand crabs are getting bigger, and so are the surf perch that eat them. Nearly every sandy beach on Monterey Bay hosts the barred surf perch and other varieties of perch. The trick is, you gotta find the right beach at the right time and during the right tide. Right now, incoming and outgoing high tide seems to be most productive for surfcasters slinging live sand crabs, GULP sandworm baits or paddle/curly tail grubs.
The central beaches of the bay, within ten miles north and south of Moss Landing can host giant moving schools of young perch. 20-40 hookups within a couple hours is not unusual lately. These fish are mostly small. Crimping down the barbs on your hooks is a good-sport move, allowing an easier release without injury for the growing fish. It also tests your skills as you try to bring the fish in. We’ve had reports of larger perch, but in smaller numbers from beach areas just outside the bay, north of Santa Cruz, and south of Monterey along the Carmel side of the Peninsula.”
Both Monterey and Santa Cruz will be able to participate in the next window for ocean salmon on September 4-7, and the boats are filling up fast.
Call: Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching (831) 375-5951; Allen Bushnell, Santa Cruz Kayak and Surf Casting (831) 251-9732
Golden Gate/San Francisco Bay
Halibut 2 Bluefin tuna 2 Striper 3 Rockfish 3 Leopard shark 2 white sea bass 2
One of the big advantages San Francisco Bay ports have over the other coastal ports is the ability to target halibut, striped bass, shark, and even white seabass inside the bay while ports such as Bodega Bay, Fort Bragg, and Half Moon Bay are limited primarily to rockfish, particularly during the past three years of full and partial closures of salmon. It’s been a banner week for the bay party boats as the weather window opened once again for bluefin tuna on Saturday, and although the action wasn’t nearly as hot and heavy as it was during the first window, a few bluefin were brought back to port. The Codfather out of Alameda struck again on Saturday, going one for two hookups with the one being a 140 pounder.
Sunday’s action was a bit slower with only a few landed. Albacore are within reach, and several boats found them offshore on Monday. While the tides have been huge during the weekend’s full moon, halibut action has been limited to a small window at the top of the tide, but Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing out of Berkeley worked the top of the tide and the start of the outgoing push on the North Bar for 11 halibut on Friday, 9 on Saturday, and 6 more to 26 pounds on Sunday. Limits of striped bass have been easy to come by for those willing to start off inside the bay before heading outside the Gate. Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters out of Paradise Cove found tremendous striper fishing with limits at Angel Island, leaving the linesides biting before picking up a few halibut inside the bay at Paradise.
Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions out of San Francisco has been starting off his day with quick limits of striped bass before heading outside the gate for up to 12 limits of rockfish and lingcod on the Marin coast on Saturday. Sunday was a bit different with limits of striped bass by 6:20 am, but the rockfish bite was tough, perhaps because of the full moon. Koyasako said, “It was flat calm on Sunday, but it was blowing 10 out of the south on Saturday, and normally the south wind would shut down the bite. There are white seabass lurking inside the bay, and a few large ones in the 40- to 60-pound range are landed daily. It is still early as normally we start targeting the ghosts in October and November.” Koyasako is known as ‘The Ghost Whisperer’ for his ability to put his customers onto the bay’s white seabass.
Rockfishing along the San Mateo coastline has been ’light’s out,’ and both the California Dawn 1 and California Dawn 2 have been making a left turn outside the Gate for spectacular fishing. Sunday’s combined score for the boats was 47 limits of lingcod to 25 pounds, 47 limits of rockfish including sublimits of vermilion rockfish, and 2 halibut to 12 pounds. Captain James Smith of the California Dawn 2 is heading all the way to Ano Nuevo on Tuesday from Berkeley, a one-way distance of 67 miles by land and at least 80 by water. That’s what the combination of a flat ocean and a dedicated captain and crew can do.
There are still a few spots available for Western Outdoor New’s annual charter on the California Dawn 2 for a ‘Super Combination’ on Thursday, August 21 for rockfish and lingcod with a potential shot at halibut. Each angler will receive a Western Outdoor News supply bag packed with Gamakatsu hooks, a 300-yard spoon of Izorline, Costa Gear, a Katch Fishing hook keeper, a free Cancun vacation voucher and more. The jackpot winner will receive a Penn Carthage Rod and an Aftco gift card. Book online or call WON’s Landon Thomas for bookings or questions at (949) 366-0726.
Call: Captain Trent Slate – Bite Me Charters, (415) 307-8582; Captain Ron Koyasako, Nautilus Excursions (916) 704-4169; Captain Jerad Davis, Salty Lady (415) 760-9362; Captain Steve Mitchell, Hook’d Up Sport Fishing (707) 655-6736; Happy Hooker (510) 223-5388
San Luis Obispo
Rockfish 3 Surf perch 2
The San Luis Obispo ports used to be the go-to for late season albacore, but the opportunities have been few and far between over the past decade plus. Rockfishing remains the top option, and Morro Bay Landing sent out 2 boats with 52 anglers on Saturday, returning with 315 assorted rockfish, 44 vermilion, 31 Boccaccio, 26 copper, and 25 lingcod to 13 pounds. The Black Pearl, also out of Morro Bay, was out on Saturday with 33 passengers for 215 assorted rockfish, 6 vermilion, and 2 lingcod to 18 pounds. Out Patriot Sport Fishing in Port San Luis, two boats were out on Saturday with 46 anglers for 388 assorted rockfish, 16 vermilion, one Boccaccio, one Bolina, one rock sole, and 19 ling cod to 9 pounds.
Call: Virg’s Landing (800) 762-5263; Patriot Sport Fishing (805) 595-4100; Morro Bay Landing
Others
Delta/Stockton
Bass 2 Striper 3 Catfish 2 Bluegill 3
Striped bass are surging into the California Delta as we speak, leading Captain Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo Sport Fishing to say, “The stripers are back, and they are nice fish and lots of them on both the San Joaquin and the Sacramento side of the Delta. They have been back in the system for a while, and the bottom is carpeted with fish. I was running the six-pack Diamond out of Emeryville at Red Rock for stripers on Saturday, and the bay stripers were small and thin, but the linesides in the Delta are of a much better quality. They normally start coming in during the month of July, and this is normal.” Soo Hoo will be targeting stripers by trolling out of Lauritzen’s Yacht Harbor in Oakley as the only available live bait is mudsuckers with minnows still several weeks away.
Largemouth bass fishing remains a grind, but numbers of small bass are possible on a variety of techniques including topwater, squarebilled crankbaits, frogs, flipping, and punching the weeds.
Numbers of small largemouth bass have been the rule, and the key is working the tule patches off the shoreline with moving water. There are still baby bass fry in the water, and small male bass are guarding the ½- to 1-inch fry. Punching the weeds is producing some larger quality bass.
Alan Fong of Alan Fong Outdoors continues to target largemouth bass in the north Delta, and he reported catching and releasing 25 fish to 5 pounds flipping in the shallows. He said, “The bass are transitioning to holding tight to wood.”
The addition of striped bass will make the remaining summer months more pleasurable for anglers in the California Delta.
Sturgeon catch-and-release fishing is closed until October 1, but the California Fish and Game Commission will be voting on the new regulations for white sturgeon during their August meeting. Also on their agenda is the second reading of the proposed striped bass slot limits in San Francisco Bay, the Pacific Ocean, and the California Delta. I
Item 13: Recreational take of striped bass - Discuss proposed amendments to regulations regarding recreational striped bass harvest size limits. A July 29 press release indicates the California Fish and Wildlife Department (the Department) “supported an 18-30-inch HSL because it would benefit anglers by creating a trophy fishery and increasing total catch. The Department is proposing changes to the following regulations in Title 14, CCR: 2
Amend Section 5.85 Striped Bass, subsection (c) o Add the maximum harvest size limit of 30 inches.
Add reference to the section defining anadromous waters.
Amend text to replace references to “minimum size limit” with “harvest size limit”.
Add Section 5.85 Striped Bass, subsection (d)(2) o Add section that specifies that in non-anadromous waters not mentioned in 5.75(d)(1), a minimum size of 18 inches total length and a harvest bag limit of 2 applies.
Amend Section 27.85 Striped Bass, subsection (c) o Add the maximum harvest size limit of 30 inches.
Amend text to replace references to “minimum size limit” with “harvest size limit”.
The proposed regulations have been three years in the making in response to The Nor–Cal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association (NCGASA) proposal for regulation change proposal to the Fish and Game Commission on August 1, 2022. As this is the second reading of the proposed slot-limit regulations, the agenda item will be included in a future meeting of the Fish and Game Commission. The public may submit written comments on or before 5:00 p.m. on September 25, 2025, at the address given below, or by email to FGC@fgc.ca.gov. Written comments mailed, or emailed to the Commission office, must be received before 12:00 noon on October 3, 2025. If you would like copies of any modifications to this proposal, please include your name and mailing address. Mailed comments should be addressed to Fish and Game Commission, PO Box 944209, Sacramento, CA 94244-2090.
Call: Steve Mitchell, Hook’d Up Sport Fishing (707) 655-6736; Vince Borges, Vince Borges Outdoors (209) 918-0828. Soo Hoo Sport Fishing (925) 899-
Events:
Tournament Results:
Delta/B and W Resort – Bass Angler Magazine Kayak Tournament – August 9th: 1st – Jesse Hoover – 99.50 inches; 2nd – Dana Graves – 93.50 inches; 3rd- Joey Silva – 91.00 inches (Big Fish – 23.75 inches).
Delta/Big Break – Best Bass Tournaments Delta/Wine Division– August 9th: 1st – Jason and Max Cornell – 18.25; 2nd – Brandon Chaline/Joseph Montano – 17.84; 3rd- Clayton and Brian Eslick – 17.47.
Pine Flat - Fresno Bass Club Night Tournament (10 fish weigh in)– August 9/10: 1st – John Albidrez – 26.09; 2nd – Mark Corrente– 22.18; 3rd- Scott Parsons– 19.40. Big Fish – 7.19-pound largemouth- Cel Penazola.
Upcoming tournaments (dates and locations subject to change)
Note – tournaments scheduled for New Melones, Camanche, Tulloch, or Pardee are subject to change and will not be listed
August 9th –
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies
Don Pedro – Modesto AmBASSadors
Isabella – American Bass Association’
August 16/17th –
Don Pedro – Great Basin Bassers
McClure – Bass 101
Santa Margarita – Bass Addicts of So Cal
August 16th –
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Bass Anglers of Northern California
Delta/Russo’s Marina – The Bass Hole Inc.
Millerton – Sierra Bass Club
August 17th –
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – American Bass Association/Angler’s Press Outdoors
Delta/San Joaquin County – Stanislaus County Sheriffs
August 23rd –
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Nor Cal Bass
For more go to fresnobee.com/fishing.
This story was originally published August 13, 2025 at 12:55 PM with the headline "Central CA fishing report: Don Pedro king salmon, bass active; Delta stripers back."
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