Fishing Report (9/5/12)

• SAN LUIS RESERVOIR / O'NEILL FOREBAY — Lake levels are low at 29 percent and the stripers concentrated into a smaller pool of water, but the action is slow. Patrick Movey of the Fishermen's Warehouse in Fresno said night anglers have been scoring legal stripers on white or pearl ice flukes from the shorelines. October is generally the best time for targeting striped bass. A few boaters continue to drift jumbo minnows or anchovy fillets near the bottom by the trash racks with bank anglers soaking cut baits near Dinosaur Point. In the Forebay, cut baits from the shoreline area near Check 12 or under the bridge at night have produced a few catfish and legal striped bass to 24-inches. Call: Ly's Fishing Goods (408) 629-9644, Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711.

• DELTA — The salmon are shooting through the Delta, and the action should continue to improve over the next few weeks. Tony Lopez at Benicia Bait said eight salmon were taken at the State Park on Saturday and another seven were caught Sunday. There were two fish to 19 pounds taken on 1st Street on Saturday on white/silver and green/yellow Vee-Zee spinners. Capt. Stan Koenigsberger of Quetzal Adventures went through 57 stripers for 5 legal fish to 22-inches soaking frozen shad fishing on the outgoing tide on the San Joaquin River at the mouth of Three Mile Slough. He moved over to the mouth of Dutch Slough when the tide turned. For largemouth bass, guide Randy Pringle came off of two days of great dove hunting in the valley near Madera, and he reported catching and releasing an 8-pound largemouth bass and another at 5 pounds. Most of fish are solid 2- to 3-pounders. Pringle said bait fish in the Delta are small, so you have to "match the hatch." He has tried frogs and top-water lures with no luck, so the Skimmer and the ima Flit "got the nod." Call: Randy Pringle (209) 543-6260; Stan Koenigsberger (925) 570-5303; Mark Wilson (916) 682-1630; Intimidator Sport Fishing (916) 806-3030; Jolly Jay (209) 478-6645; Mark Delnero (209) 367-4665.

OCEAN

• HALF MOON BAY — Private and party boats are waiting for the intermittent weather breaks to run for albacore. They got one Saturday, and the "Mooch Better" ran south toward the Monterey Weather Buoy for 46 longfins before calling it a day. Capt. Dennis Baxter of the New Captain Pete said every boat "in the know" was blowing ice into their fish boxes for the run, and they returned with "all of the albacore they could possibly want." He said it is "critically important" to spike the fish, bleed them thoroughly and immediately put them on ice to keep the meat from degenerating. When the boats aren't waiting for weather breaks, rockfishing is still outstanding, The Tigerfish put in ¾ limits and a ling cod working the close area of the Buoys outside of the harbor. Baxter's son worked a few honey holes drifting dead squid on the bottom for a pair of halibut after loading up with limits of rockfish Sunday. A school of salmon has shown up along the San Mateo coast with party boats form the Golden Gate fleet running south for the first time in weeks. 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 — Chris Arcoleo of Chris's Landing in Monterey reported outstanding rockfishing with "big-time ling cod counts" with several fish over 20 pounds. Albacore action was fantastic Sunday, and one party boat got 50 longfins. The bite was slower Labor Day. Chris's is back out for albacore Tuesday with a full boat, but there is some room Thursday. Call: Chris' Landing (831) 375-5951, Bayside Marine (831) 475-2173.

• SAN FRANCISCO BAY — The salmon bite rebounded to over a fish per rod on Labor Day with Capt. Roger Thomas on the "Salty Lady" out of Sausalito putting in 17 salmon to 25-pounds for 12 anglers. Out of Emeryville, the Sundance trolled for 8 salmon to 15 pounds for six anglers along the Marin coast while the New Salmon Queen mooched up 21 salmon to 26 pounds for 14 anglers along the San Mateo coast. Rockfishing is still outstanding with Capt. Chris Smith of the Happy Hooker loading up with over a ling cod a rod with 28 to 22 pounds.