Central California fishing report: Pine Flat bass and king salmon active
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
Huge bass released and bite improved at Eastman Hensley, Alan Vang reported. Don Pedro king salmon hitting, Monte Smith said. New Melones bass fishing outstanding, John Liechty reported. Pine Flat bass and king salmon active, Brian Klassen reported. Delta stripers and sturgeon biting , Alan Fong 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 2 Catfish 3
“The action is improving on the California Aqueduct, but it’s still nothing to brag about,” Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait and Tackle in Lathrop said.
Heavy flows remain the story, and the fish are reluctant to hold out in the fast current. Striperz Gone Wild Annual Memorial Aqueduct Tournament is scheduled for Saturday, May 17 at Volta Road near Los Banos.
The entry fee is 10 cans of unexpired food to be donated to residents of Merced County. In the southern section of the aqueduct, Cope’s Rod and Tackle in Bakersfield reported the spring striper bite still hasn’t materialized, but anglers reported decent bait fishing for school-sized striped bass or catfish. Both species are taken on cut sardines, chicken liver, or jumbo live minnows after check gates. Finding slower moving water is the key for largemouth bass with Senkos or four-inch curly-tailed plastic worms in green or brown on a drop-shot rig.
Aqueduct anglers are always advised to use caution as well as wearing a PFD as the water is swift, cold, and dangerous.
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
Hensley has been quiet for largemouth bass for months, but after this week, it’s no longer quiet as heaviest largemouth bass in northern California so far this year at 17.1 pounds by Mike Vang was caught and released this week.
The big bass was pushing 28 inches despite a fanned tail. Damian Thao of Fresno put together a huge five-fish limit over 33 pounds to take Saturday’s Central Valley Kayak Fishing event at Eastman. Thao brought in a five-fish total of an amazing 106.25 inches. He said, “It was the first time going into an event where I felt confident I had a winning game plan. I had been on these fish since January and on every outing has been from 28 to 35 pounds. Aaron Vang of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported a solid shallow water bite at Hensley with spinnerbaits or chatterbaits.
He added, “Eastman continues to experience a good swimbait bite with Huddlestons, Mag Drafts, or Dep’s 250’s, and with the trout plant scheduled for this week, the swimbait bite on the bottom should only improve. There are numbers of 4-pound largemouth taken on plastics on the drop-shot, jigs, or Keitech swimbait on an underspin.” Crappie are also starting to show up in both lakes. Eastman rose 2½ feet to 545.12 feet in elevation and 57% of capacity with Hensley rising 3½ feet to 492.86 feet in elevation and 35% of capacity. There are no additional tournaments at either lake during the month of March. A trout plant is scheduled at Hensley this week.
Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255; Valley Rod & Gun, Clovis 292-3474; 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 2 Kokanee 2 King salmon 2 Crappie 2
Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing put his clients onto nine king salmon to 16 inches, a 10-inch kokanee, and a rainbow trout this week, and he said, “The morning bite was slow overall, and after putting in a few fish, the action tapered off. We were marking fish, but they didn’t want to bite so we moved around 200 yards in the main lake before returning to the original spot, and the king salmon started to bite. The water temperature is 54 degrees, and I would expect the fish to be higher in the water column, but we are finding them from 40 to 50 feet with small Spin Fish or Brad’s Cut Plugs behind an 8-inch Pro-Troll 360 dodger. The kokanee we caught last week was 13 inches, and although this one was smaller, it was round. It is good news that there are two classes of kokanee in the lake. The rainbows have been more of a mystery, but I haven’t given up on side planers yet.” Omega Nguyen reported trollers are coming into the shop for small 1- to 2-inch frozen threadfin shad to target king salmon. The results for Saturday’s 75-boat Best Bass Tournament were similar to last week’s event with the winning limit pushing 22 pounds. Launch updates are posted at www.donpedrolake.com. The lake rose 3½ feet to 791.03 feet in elevation and 77% of capacity. The lake will be very busy in the coming months with four more tournaments scheduled in March.
Call: Monte Smith, Gold Country Sport Fishing (209) 581-4734; Central Valley Bait and Tackle (209) 312-9417.
Lake Isabella/Bakersfield area
Bass 2 Trout 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 3 Bluegill 2
The lake rose 1½ feet to 2,565.52 feet in elevation and 36% of capacity. Cope’s reported the crappie bite has been outstanding for some, but slow for others as the slabs remain holding in deep water over structure offshore. Anglers putting in their time are finding schools and being successful for slabs to over two pounds with large jigs or medium live minnows. Trout fishing is best from the banks with deep water access with minijigs, spinners, garlic-scented Power Bait, or Pinched Crawler soaked in garlic. A trout plant occurred last week. The annual Isabella Lake Fishing Derby is scheduled for April 12-14.
Catfish are holding out as deep as 70 feet within large schools of threadfin shad, and they are hitting shad patterned vibrating jjgs. Bass continue to come come on black/blue jigs or green pumpkin creature baits on 3/8th - or ½- ounce football head jigs. Rapala black/blue Clean Up Craws or Brown/purple jigs with Berkeley’s Chigger Craws are also getting some quality bites. Big swimbaits have fooled a few fish. The areas near Rocky Point, Engineers and Piney Point remain the top locations. In the upper Kern River, trout plants are scheduled in all three upper sections along the 20-mile stretch. Holdover and planters can be caught with salmon eggs, crickets, or trout jigs. Riverside Park to Powerhouse #3 remains one of the best sections in the upper Kern. Fly anglers have done well with various nymphs and streamers. There is another scheduled trout stocking this week in Sections 4 and 5. In the lower Kern, trout plants are scheduled this week in all three sections throughout the canyon; Section 1, Lower Richbar to Democrat Beach; Section 2, Democrat Beach to Sandy Flat; and Section 3, Sandy Flat to Isabella Dam. Trout have been coming on salmon eggs, pinched crawlers, garlic-doused Power Bait, or minijigs. The lower Kern River bass bite is improving with small crankbaits, jigs and spinners, and catfish can be found on dip baits, nightcrawlers and cut baits.
The upper Kern River rose from 866 to 1035 cfs at Kernville while water releases out of the lake rose to 459 cfs at First Point.
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 2
The lake dropped 1½ feet to 632.09 feet in elevation and 26% of capacity. Cope’s reported decent bass action early in the week with cold and wet conditions cooling the bite late week. Plastics in green pumpkin, Aaron’s Magic, or Ox Blood on the drop-shot or Ned-rig along with jigs are finding fish at depths from 5 to 30 feet. Vertically jigging spoons continue to be effective in deep water. The Kaweah River is at 654 cfs at Three Rivers. A trout plant is scheduled scat Mooney Grove this week with additional plants next week at Kaweah, Mooney Grove Park, and Murry Park Pond.
Lake Success
Bass 3 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2
The lake rose to 627.68 feet in elevation and 46% of capacity. Cope’s reported an improved bass bite as the largemouths are staging in 10 to 20 feet of water. Bass are also found in the shallows with Senkos while. deep diving crankbaits or jigs are working along rocky points, Plastics on the drop-shot or shakey head along with other finesse techniques are working as deep as 30 feet. Reports for other species were on the slow side. A trout plant at the lake is scheduled for this week along with a plant in the South Fork and Middle Fork #2 in the Tule River.
McClure Reservoir
Bass 3 Trout 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2
Bill Kunz of St. Croix Rods had a solid weekend with 17½0 pounds on pre-fishing on Saturday before putting together a winning limit at 15.11 pounds during Sunday’s Fresno Bass Tournament. Senkos or plastics on the drop-shot or Neko-rig along with jerkbaits are effective in the main lake for numbers of spotted bass with the occasional largemouth. Trout trolling remains fair with shad-patterned spoons at depths from 10 to 20 feet. The Reel Deal Market and Barrett’s Cove Marina will only be open on Saturdays now from 10 a.m. -2 p.m. during the winter months. Angler’s Edge Market in Snelling has closed. The lake rose to 819.10 feet in elevation and 71% of capacity. Three more tournaments are scheduled in March.
Call: Central Valley Bait and Tackle (209) 312-9417.
Lake McSwain
Trout 2
The lake is due for another plant as 2,000 pounds of Calaveras Trout Farm trout were planted on Feb. 26. The Merced Irrigation District’s annual Spring Trout Derby is April 5/6 with registration at https://tourney.fishdonkey.com/#/tournament/15853/details. Trout plants will occur prior to the event, and there should be a private plant within the week. Fishing pressure ramps up immediately after the plant before easing off. Plants have been occurring every other week on Mondays. Regular plants are necessary to keep the action going, and it’s currently a few fish per rod to limits for those willing to work long and hard with rainbow glitter Power Bait, garlic Power Bait, Kastmasters, or inflated nightcrawlers. Trolling is most effective with red Wedding Rings tipped with a piece of nightcrawler behind a dodger or blade/’crawler combinations in the river arm above the First Fence Line. The lake is at 91% of capacity.
Call: McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534.
Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River
Bass 2 Striped bass 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 3 Crappie 2
The lake level continues to rise, and the spotted bass are moving up into shallow water. Bank action remains best with plastics on a Texas-rig or shakey head along with jigs in green pumpkin for spotted bass in the 2- to 3-pound range. One only bass tournament scheduled in March, angler interest has been minimal. The lake rose five feet to 529.92 feet in elevation and 60% of capacity. The flows in the San Joaquin River at Friant rose slightly to 963 cfs. Sycamore Island is reopened, and the park will be open every day from 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Trout plants are scheduled at Sycamore Lake this week with plants scheduled at Fresno’s Woodward Park the next two weeks.
Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474; 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle 515-6273.
New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch
Bass 3 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 2
Few boats are working the lake with the restrictions for the invasive golden mussel, but bass fishing has been outstanding. John Liechty of Xperience Fishing Guide Service said, “I was out with a client on Sunday, and he caught and released up to 35 bass with numbers of 3- to 4½-pound largemouths. The first eight fish we landed were largemouth before we finally caught a spot. Trick Worms on a #2 hook with a heavy nail weight is working at depths from 5 to 15 feet. I threw a tube in 30 to 40 feet of water, but the deep bite wasn’t happening.” Trout fishing has up and down the past few weeks as the lake continues to rise. The best action remains in the river mouth with Rapalas or Speedy Shiners from the surface to 40 feet. Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service said, “The rising water has scattered the rainbows, but once you find them, limits are possible with Rapala’s, Wee Tad’s, or Speedy Shiners from the surface to 30 feet. Crappie are starting to school up over submerged structure. With the 30-day quarantine restrictions, there are few boats on the lake. Only the Glory Hole launch ramp is open from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm to obtain a red tag to start a 30-day quarantine period. Boats must be off the water by 4:00 pm to receive a green tag to relaunch without quarantining or decontamination. Bank fishing is allowed. Non-motorized watercraft, such as kayaks and paddleboards, may also be subject to inspection. The lake rose to 1048.14 feet in elevation and 81% of capacity. Downstream Lake Tulloch is closed to boating due to the potential for invasive golden mussels. 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 3 Trout 2 King salmon 3 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Brian Klassen of Reedley targeted king salmon with Kyle Allen and Mike Hemmerling.
“We arrived at Trimmer at 7:00 am and got our lines in the water by 7:30 a.m. trolling from the ramp to the mouth of Sycamore,” Klassen said. “We just worked circles there for four king salmon from 17 to 23 inches and a 20-inch brown trout rolling shad behind a dodger or with a Brad’s Cut Plug in Pink Magic stuffed with Pro-Cure’s Bloody Tuna behind a pink dodger at depths from 65 to 85 feet. It started raining hard at 8:30 and never let up, but we held out it out till 10:00 when it started snowing!’ The surface temperature is 56 degrees. Chris Counts of Fresno took out Joey Tutulian for a three-hour tour for a total of five fish consisting of king salmon to 21 inches on Brad Cut Plugs at depths from 50 to 60 feet with rainbows on Dick’s Trout Busters tipped with a nightcrawler from the surface to 30 feet. For bass, Aaron Vang reported good numbers of spotted bass with plastics on a Ned-rig, jigs, or jerkbaits. “Crappie are pushing up around Trimmer, and Bobby Garland’s or similar crappie grubs,” he added.
In the lower Kings River, a trout plant occurred last week with another plant this week. Previously, the last plant was over a month ago. David Bowman of Clovis caught and released an estimated 5-pound native rainbow on a rubber minnow spinner with a barbless hook below the Piedra Bridge. High flows have limited action, but with the flows coming down and the recent plants, action should improve with Kastmasters, Panther Martin’s or similar spinners, Power Bait, salmon eggs, or nightcrawlers. 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 rose over 5 feet to 874.31 feet in elevation and 60% of capacity. The flows rose to 1244 cfs at Trimmer. Only one bass tournament is scheduled in March.
Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474; 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle 515-6273.
San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay
Striper 2 Catfish 2 Bass 2 Crappie 2
Yahir Leonof Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported slower action with the high winds and weather over the past week. Bank fishing remains best with live minnows or pile worms around Dinosaur Point or the dam in the main lake. The O’Neill Forebay has similar action for small stripers near Check 12.
The main lake continues to rise with increased exports out of the south Delta, and it is now 86% of capacity while the forebay has dropped to 88% of capacity. 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 recently 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 3
Captain Mike Beighey of Bass Lake Fishing reported snow has put a damper on fishing, but boats that are able to launch in the cold conditions are finding trout action with orange Apex lures or Wiggle Hoochies along with Dick’s Trout Busters tipped with a piece of nightcrawler from the surface to 12 feet from in front of Miller’s Landing to the dam. A live webcam is available at https://www.basslakeca.com/bass-lake-webcam-1. A trout plant is scheduled next week.
Call: Mike Beighey, Bass Lake Fishing 676-8133.
Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool
Kaiser Pass Road is closed to vehicle traffic with only snowmobile access available. All lakes held this week with Edison is at 23, Florence at 9, and Mammoth Pool at 51% of capacity.
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 1
Shaver Lake guide emeritus, Dick Nichols, reported, “Shaver welcomed a good storm that dropped at least 3 feet of snow, but there were at least two boats on the lake on Sunday. Prior to the storms, fishing had been good with up to four limits of mixed trout, One of the last reports was from Brian Klassen of Reedley who was out with three friends for limits in the Black Rock area using green Dick’s Trout Busters tipped with crawler at depths from 20 to 30 feet down. Kokanee continue to be hard to find. The marinas are slated to open with boat rentals and supplies around April 15th weather permitting. Check the Sierra Marina webcam at http://www.sierramarina.com/webcam-weather-page.html for conditions prior to arriving at the lake. At Huntington, fishing interest is left to the most dedicated brown trout trollers. Shaver rose slightly to 69 with Huntington dropping to 35% of capacity.
Call: Paul Brown 300-4001; Tom Oliveira, Tom Oliveira Fishing 802-8072; Todd Wittwer, Kokanee.net Guide Service 288-8100;
Wishon/Courtright
Trout 0
McKinley Grove Road is closed, limiting access to both reservoirs. McKinley Grove Road will remain closed until the regularly scheduled reopening on Memorial Day 2025 Weekend, depending upon weather.
Road conditions – Sierra National Forest Ranger Station 297-0706.
Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361.
Ocean
Half Moon Bay
Striper 2 Halibut 2 White seabass 2 Sand dabs 2 Surf perch 2
The next boat-based season will be rockfish deeper than 50 fathoms from April 1-30, but few boats out of this port will run the 23 miles to reach deep water. Captain Melynda Dodds of the New Captain Pete is currently in dry dock before heading to Hyde Street in San Francisco for halibut and striped bass trolling trips. Rock crab and rockfish are possible from the North or South Jetty with surf perch from the beaches. The Pacific Pier has partially reopened after several weeks of closure. Call: Captain Melynda Dodds, New Captain Pete (512) 825- 8225; Captain Chris Chang, Ankeny Street (650) 279-8819;
Monterey/Santa Cruz
Halibut 2 Striper 2 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 2 Surf perch 2
From the beaches, Yahir Leon of Coyote Bait and Tackle reported continued good action for perch from the beaches from Santa Cruz through Monterey Bay as the swell has backed off. Honey Badger, Lucky 13, or Mekini Baitz grubs on a Carolina-rig are working for perch along with jerkbaits such as Duo Realis 120’s. Striped bass continue to show up north of the Pajaro River from Watsonville to Santa Cruz with the larger Duo Realis 140’s.
Boat -based rockfishing starts from April 1-30 in deep water greater than 50 fathoms before transitioning to 20 fathoms starting in May. Monterey has the advantage of deep water within a few miles of the harbor, differing from the 20-plus mile ride to deep water from Half Moon Bay or San Francisco Bay. Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching continues to return with bucket loads of sand dabs along with a handful of Petrale sole.
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 Striper 2 Leopard shark 2 Sturgeon 3
All the action is inside San Francisco Bay, and there were several party boats out on Saturday searching for striped bass with the possibility of a halibut. Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautalis Excursions in San Francisco was the highliner with 5 limits of striped bass along with a halibut anchoring with anchovies in San Pablo Bay. He added, “We also hooked two sturgeon, and another boat nearby caught and released a sturgeon.” Another boat with a solid score was the California Dawn 2 out of Berkeley with 26 striped bass to 10 pounds along with a 10-pound halibut for 18 anglers. The scores were all over the place with the normally steady, Lovely Martha, out of San Francisco returning with only 6 striped bass for 17 anglers. Sturgeon fishing remains strong in the south bay for the few boats participating, and Captain Steve Gutierrez of Deadliest Kast Guide Service out of Oyster Point continues to put his clients onto diamondbacks on ghost or mud shrimp near the Dumbarton Bridge.
Call: 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
Surf perch 2
Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay is holding their next Surf Clinic on March 29, and you will learn how to read the ocean and pick the best fishing spots, Choosing baits and tackle, Mastering rigging setups, and improving your casting technique. Spaces are limited with sign up at virgslanding.com/sportfishing or 805-772-1222. The next season for boat-based fishing will be upon the opening of rockfish season from April 1 through June 30 at all depths.
Webcams of many of the coastal locations are available at https://805webcams.com/.
Call: Virg’s Landing (800) 762-5263; Patriot Sport Fishing (805) 595-4100; Morro Bay Landing.
Others
Delta/Stockton
Bass 2 Striper 2 Sturgeon 3 Catfish 2 Bluegill 2
The Sacramento side is starting to clear up, and there has been some striped bass action for trollers along the West Bank from Rio Vista to Collinsville. Chris Ditter of Head Rush Guide Service said, “The West Bank cleared up this week, and we got them one day on shallow-diving Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows, but they disappeared when I was out on Sunday. The key is to find clear water, and with the big minus tides and the wind, finding clear water has been a challenge. The overall bite slowed down this week, and we must cover a lot of water to catch up with the small schools. On the San Joaquin side, we are finding small pods of fish from the Antioch Bridge to Prisoner’s Point, but they disappear quickly. Sherman Lake and Dutch Slough have also held fish, but they are moving in and out. There are large schools on the San Andreas Shoals near the mouth of the Mokelumne River, but they have been reluctant to bite. With the heavy grass from the big tides, I have been running either shallow- or deep-diving Yo-Zuri’s as the grass has been too thick for the Atlas Rigs. It is all about timing right now as the bite is ‘hit or miss.’ Some anglers are also tossing ½-ounce Rat-L-Traps or 5-inch swimbaits in the shallows. We have been picking up a few larger lineside pushing 10 pounds.” Sturgeon fishing remains outstanding for six-pack boats out of Martinez or Pittsburg as the best part of the season has arrived with double-digit diamondback days the norm. Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing out of Pittsburg continues to put his clients onto multiple sturgeon every outing soaking cured salmon roe or ghost shrimp. Mitchell hunts around to find an accumulation of feeding sturgeon on the bottom prior to setting anchor above or below with the current the fish to allow them to migrate to the baits. He will continue to target sturgeon until April 1 before moving to San Francisco Bay for halibut/striped bass. Alan Fong of Alan Fong Outdoors has been in the north Delta around Liberty Island for largemouth bass, and he said, “The visibility has improved to around 10 to 12 inches with the water temperature ranging from 52 to 57 degrees. Chatter baits or double-bladed spinnerbaits in the shallows are my go-to baits at this time. It’s going to get good in the next few weeks.”
In the San Joaquin side of the Delta, Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, said, “Between the fronts is one of the best times to catch your big fish of the year. This is because the largest fish will inhabit the spawning grounds during the earliest window of the spawn. The biggest fish get the prime locations.”
Working north-facing banks with rocks and tules along with deep water access and current are keys to success. The north-facing banks hold the heat the longest, particularly around rocks. Plastics on the drop-shot such as Roboworm’s Margarita Mutilator have been solid. In the south Delta below the Mossdale Bridge, Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait and Tackle in Lathrop reported the water is starting to clear up, and live minnows in the Old River, Dos Reis, and behind Weston Ranch.
Call: Steve Mitchell, Hook’d Up Sport Fishing (707) 655-6736; Vince Borges, Vince Borges Outdoors (209) 918-0828. Soo Hoo Sport Fishing (925) 899-4045.
Events
Tournament results
March 15
Delta/Russo’s Marina – Angler’s Press
1st – Kelly O’Ward – 22.17 (Big Fish – 6.19); 2nd – Carson Leber/Brett Nielson – 20.31; 3rd – Travis Huckaby/Roy Desmangles – 19.13.
Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournaments Mother Lode Region
1st –Kevin Davidson/Bryan Cox – 20.91 (Big Fish – 7.49); 2nd – Na Her/Andy Hurshuajer – 17.78; 3rd – Anthony Pimentel/Chris Griffin – 17.52.
Eastman – Central Valley Kayak Fishing
1st – Damian Thao; 2nd – Jorge Mosqueda; 3rd –Max Lee.
Santa Margarita– Best Bass Tournaments Coastal Region
1st –Jason Domingos/Jim Slusher – 29.25; 2nd –Jeremy Lewis/Alex Ferry – 25.82 3rd – Jon Conatser/Levi Botts – 24.04 (Big Fish – 9.34).
March 16
McClure – Fresno Bass Club
1st – Bill Kunz – 15.11 (Big Fish – 4.81); 2nd – Timmy Wells – 14.62; 3rd – Ron Red Sr.– 13.80.
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.
March 15-16
Clear Lake – Sierra Bass Club
March 16
McClure – Fresno Bass Club
March 22
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Christian Bass League
Delta/Russo’s Marina – Bass Anglers of Northern California
Don Pedro – Kerman Bass Club
Success – Lahu Bass Club
Santa Margarita – San Luis Obispo Bass Ambushers
March 23
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Nor Cal Bass
Delta/Russo’s Marina – Bass Hole Inc.
March 28-30
Don Pedro – Bass Angler Magazine
March 29
Delta/Russo’s Marina – Best Bass Tournaments
Amador – 17/90 Bass Club
McClure – California Bass Federation
San Antonio- Golden Empire Bass Club
Santa Margarita – Bakersfield Bass Club
March 30
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Modesto Ambassadors
Delta/Russo’s Marina – Bass Hole Inc.
For more go to fresnobee.com/fishing.
This story was originally published March 20, 2025 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Central California fishing report: Pine Flat bass and king salmon active."