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• DELTA — Jerry Greene of Brentwood, released an 80-inch sturgeon estimated to weigh up to 200 pounds on Sunday. There had been an excellent striper bite near the Middle Grounds with live bullheads Saturday for fish to 9 pounds. For largemouth bass, guide Randy Pringle said "They are jumping in the boat" with a good top-water bite in the mornings, followed by crank baits or worms on the bottom later. He recommended crank baits on windy days. The Ace in the Hole and Persuader Double Buzz bait are tops for getting loud while the Timber Tiger DC 8 in bluegill or crawdad patterns are best for getting quiet at depths to 5 feet. Upriver, Alan Fong of the Fishermen's Warehouse in Sacramento reported outstanding action at Viera's on Saturday, and he expected these fish to be at Freeport by Sunday. Call: Randy Pringle (209) 543-6260; Vella's Fishing Adventures (209) 521-0164; Mark Wilson Sport Fishing (916) 682-1630; Intimidator Sport Fishing (916) 806-3030.
• SAN LUIS RESERVOIR / O'NEILL FOREBAY — Heavy pumping into the main lake has spurred the striper bite with big linesides taken on live jumbo minnows near the trash racks. Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait in Morgan Hill advised dropping minnows down halfway to the bottom with a ¾ or 1-ounce weight. The top-water bite has been best in the Forebay with rip baits such as Rapala XP8 or Lucky Craft 78 in American shad or ghost minnow. Merritt Gilbert reported local anglers continue to buy 4-inch Storm swimbaits in bluegill pattern or small Lucky Crafts for plugging along the banks in either lake in the evenings. Call: Ly's Fishing Goods (408) 629-9644; Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711
• OCEAN
• HALF MOON BAY — The albacore bite exploded Saturday and Sunday with Capt. Dennis Baxter on the New Captain Pete landing 51 big fish on the live bait for 5 passengers and 4 crew. The action has been within sight of the Farallon Islands, and he trolled a mile circle near Gumdrop in the neighborhood of 37.33/123.12. There has been a hard temperature break from 55 to 58.2 degrees. Capt. Dew on the Mooch Better, a six-pack out of Bait and Switch Sport Fishing, got 30 fish Sunday in the same area. Rockfishing on the local reefs is still terrific with Capt. Guy Anthony of the New Gravy posting limits on Friday and Saturday with over a ling cod per rod. White sea bass action has slowed as market-grade squid schools have begun to show up. Heavy boat traffic might have put the fish off of the bite. For salmon, a few boats have been willing to run north to Duxbury but have returned with less than a fish per rod. Call: Happy Hooker (510) 223-5388; Roger Thomas, Salty Lady (415) 760-9362, Bait and Switch Sport Fishing Center (650) 726-7133 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 excellent rockfishing with limits on all three trips to the local reefs this weekend, averaging 12 ling cod per trip. They are focusing on rockfish with the possibility of white sea bass depending on the action. The squid have moved out of the bay. The albacore are 60 miles offshore. Bayside Marine in Santa Cruz reported good inshore action at the Mile Buoy, Capitola, and up the coast with white sea bass taken in 35 to 70 feet around the balls of bait. Rockfishing has been excellent up the coast or near South Rock in 40 to 80 feet of water. They reported a good albacore bite at 36'32/122'19, 36'29/122'19, and 36'26/122'20 with scores ranging from 5 to 20 fish per boat with the best action in the morning. Call: Chris' Landing (831) 375-5951; Bayside Marine (831) 475-2173;usafishing.com
• SAN FRANCISCO BAY — The New Huck Finn took 6 anglers out for albacore Monday and got 60 longfins on live bait working near the Farallons. The added bonus of live bait is an advantage the Bay Area fleet has over other ports. Salmon fishing remains slow, but the fish are large. Two boats went to Sausalito Sunday with 42 fishermen for 11 salmon to 25 pounds and a pair of halibut to 25 pounds while trolling from Rocky Point to Buoy One. Inside the bay, James Smith of California Dawn targeted big sharks and landed 2 soup fins to 60-pounds, a 25-pound leopard shark, and released 6 seven-gill sharks to 200-pounds. In the south bay, John Akina at Oyster Point Bait, Tackle, and Deli reported slow fishing. Most boaters ran outside the Gate for salmon, and there is talk of heading out for albacore. Sharks and rays are still the top draw off of the pier.
TROUT PLANTS
Reservoirs and lakes that will be planted with trout during the week of Sept. 23:
• Tuolumne — Beardsley Reservoir; Cherry Valley Reservoir; Lyons Canal; Moccasin Creek; Powerhouse Stream; Middle Fork, Stanislaus River.
• Fresno — Kings River below the Pine Flat Reservoir; San Joaquin River below Friant Dam; Woodward Park Lake.
