Fishing report, July 17-23: Wishon and Courtright still producing rainbows, McSwain plants spur on trout action and New Melones kokanee are biting
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.
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Best bets
Wishon and Courtright are still producing rainbows, Kellly Brewer said. McSwain plants spur on trout action, Dave Hurley reported. New Melones kokanee are biting, Kyle Wise said. Bass lake trout are hitting, Mike Beighey reported.
Rankings key below: 4: Fish are jumping in the boat. 3: Good fishing. 2: Decent fishing. 1: Poor fishing. 0: Don’t bother
Westside waterways
Striper 2 Catfish 3
In the California Aqueduct and Delta/Mendota Canals, early mornings or late evenings are the time to go with the triple-digit heat.Chicken liver or anchovies are best for catfish. In the south aqueduct in Kern County, Cope’s Bait and Tackle in Bakersfield reported mornings, evenings, or nighttime have been the only sane times to fish, and high temperatures have put a damper on the bite. Catfish remained the best bet with plenty of good-sized whiskerfish being hauled in late in the night on chicken liver, dip bait, or cut baits. Striped bass ate cut baits or jumbo live minnows.
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 2 Trout 1 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Michael Crayne of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis reported Eastman continues to produce with big plastic worms in the 7- to 10-inch range dragged slowly along the bottom in the saddles between the island tops or over humps. Deep-diving or lipless crankbaits are also a possibility. An algae bloom is starting to form. Hensley remains very slow overall, and it is loaded with carp . Eastman dropped 4½ feet to 552.60 feet in elevation and 64% of capacity with Hensley dropping nearly two feet to 500.78 feet in elevation and 43% of capacity.
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 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 3 King salmon 2 Crappie 2
Don Pedro has been a hotspot for kokanee for the past several weeks, but the lake giveth and it taketh away as the bite turned challenging during Saturday’s Kokanee Power Phil Johnson Memorial Team Tournament. Fat, healthy kokanee in the 14- to 16-inch range were routine prior to the derby, but the combination of triple-digit heat and dropping water levels put the schools on the move. Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service said, “We were loading up with 20 fish every day by 8:00 am, and on Saturday, I told my wife, we are going to have 20 fish by 8:00 am. Well, I was sadly mistaken as we struggled to land 5 fish to end up in 12th place with a three-fish limit at 4.04 pounds. The fish moved north towards Woods Creek and the lake’s inlets as the water level is dropping. We caught our fish at 55 to 75 feet in depth with pink micro-hoochies or Apex lures, and the teams that did best went upriver.” 38 teams registered for the event with 29 weighing in three-fish limits, and the team of Justin Ross, Jerry Ross, and Slap Polcar took first with 4.76 pounds followed closely by the team of Jay Winchester and Mike Gogliano at 4.72 pounds. A total of 13 teams weighed in over 4 pounds. Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing also found great action for kokanee earlier in the week with 14 kokanee, two king salmon to 6.42 pounds, and two rainbow trout by 9 a.m. trolling.
All of this just proves that regardless of what you did yesterday, fishing requires you to adjust for what is taking place today. In addition to several days of triple-digit heat well over 100 degrees, the lake is releasing water, and it dropped 3 feet to 814.64 feet in elevation and 91% of capacity.
The Blue Oaks launch ramp has reopened, and launch updates are posted at www.donpedrolake.com. The lake is releasing water, and it dropped three feet to 814.64 feet in elevation and 91% of capacity. There are only two club tournaments on the schedule through August.
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 2 Bluegill 3
The lake dropped to 2,581.87 feet in elevation and 58% of capacity as water releases remain steady at 2170 cfs at First Point. Cope’s reported the largemouth bass are finally showing up in greater numbers with the best action off of points in deep water . . Crappie are found at depths around 10 feet off points and close to structure, particularly around Red’s Marina, with small minnows or minijigs. Camp 9 is the top spot for catfish with Triple S Dip Bait, nightcrawlers, or cut bait. Trout fishing remains decent from both the shoreline and for trollers. Power Bait, spinners, or trout jigs are working from the banks.
Cope’s reported the upper Kern remains one of the best fishing zones in the area with anglers lining the shorelines from Kernville up to Johnsondale Bridge. The river is loaded with trout, and the flows have been ideal. The Upper Kern is scheduled to be stocked this week in the following areas, Section 4, Powerhouse #3 to Riverside Park in Kernville; Section 5, Fairview Dam to Lazy River Lodge; Section 6, Johnsondale Bridge to Fairview Dam. The Lower Kern River is kicking out both smallmouth and largemouth bass on Senkos, crankbaits, and soft plastics on drop-shot. The flows on upper Kern at Kernville dropped to 728 cfs.
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
McClure Reservoir
Bass 2 Trout 2 King salmon 0 Kokanee 0 Crappie 2 Catfish 2
Ryan Denner of Central Valley Bait and Tackle in Modesto reported The bass have moved into deeper water with the boat traffic and triple-digit temperatures, and there is a topwater bite in the mornings and evenings with small shad patterned lures along with deep-diving crankbaits before heading to the bottom with jigs at depths to 40 feet. There are no bass tournaments scheduled through the month of August. The lake dropped 3¼ feet to 853.26 feet in elevation and 91% of capacity. The Merced River is steady at 2,038 cfs at Merced Falls downstream of Lake McSwain.
Call: Central Valley Bait and Tackle (209) 312-9417.
Lake McSwain
Trout 3
About 1,000 pounds of trout consisting of 500 pounds of rainbows and 500 pounds of Lightning trout were planted this week, and shore action has improved. The Splash and Dash is the main feature on the lake during the summer months.
Information: https://mysplashndash.com/see-whats-new-in-2024/. Few fishermen are trying in the triple-digit heat, but the best chance for a holdover is up river arm for trollers in the deepest and coolest portion of the lake. The lake dropped to 87% of capacity.
Call: Angler’s Edge Market (209) 226-4416; McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534.
Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River
Bass 2 Striped bass 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 3 Crappie 2
Michael Crayne reported the surface temperature has risen from 87 to nearly 89 degrees, and bass fishing has been tough as the fish are suspending due to heavy boat traffic and warm surface temperatures. Small baitfish profile lure are working best. There is a small window for topwater in the early mornings or evenings. The Sierra and Fresno Bass Clubs are holding two-day tournaments this coming weekend, July 20-21, for the only tournaments on the horizon. The lake dropped 9½ feet to 548.82 feet in elevation and 75% of capacity. Sycamore Island is open once daily from 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The flows in the San Joaquin River at Friant are stable at 438 cfs.
Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474; 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle 515-6273.
New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch
Bass 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 3
Easy limits of a mixed grade of kokanee remain the rule for experienced trollers working deep water from 90 to 110 feet in 300 feet of water with Apex lures or Paulina Peak’s Platinum Skinny Flutter Bugs. Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service has been pulling in 20 kokanee within an hour of setting gear. For bass, similar to the other Mother Lode lakes, the fish have gone deep with the heat and boat traffic.
The lake is releasing water, and it dropped over a foot to 1,050.18 feet in elevation and 82% of capacity.
Call: John Liechty, Xperience Fishing Guide Service (209) 743-9932; Kyle Wise, Headhunter Guide Service (209) 531-3966; Alex Niapas, Catching California Guide Service (209) 728-4225; Monte Smith (209) 581-4734.
Pine Flat Reservoir/Kings River
Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 0 King salmon 0 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Michael Crayne reported the lake is dropping rapidly, and more parking is available each week for boat trailers. Bass are feeding heavily on the threadfin shad. Swimbaits, topwater lures, or flukes – all shad-patterned lures are working best.
In the lower Kings, a trout plant is scheduled this week, the flows are becoming more comfortable for fishing at 1,100 cfs. The lake is releasing water, and it receded over 13 feet to 908.67 feet in elevation and 76% of capacity. The next scheduled tournament is a Fresno Bass Club event on Aug. 18.
Call: Valley Rod & Gun 292-3474; 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle 515-6273. Sequoia Fishing Co. 539-5626.
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 triple-digit temperatures have limited fishing to early morning or late evening hours, particularly from the banks. . Jumbo minnows have been difficult to obtain along with blood and pile worms.
Roger George of Roger George Guide Service reported that the heat and wind have slowed most of the troll, bank and minnow bites.
In the O’Neill Forebay, weed growth remains heavy. In the California Aqueduct and Delta Mendota Canals, few anglers are fishing.
Information on the wind stations - https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30713.
The main lake and forebay both dropped to 59% and 81% of capacity.
To check the 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 Kokanee 0
Captain Mike Beighey of Bass Lake Guide Service said, “ trout to 19 inches and larger are possible as the grass has finally cleared out from the heavy boat traffic over the July Fourth weekend.
Trollers are scoring from the Pines to the Forks at depths from 15 to 25 feet with orange Dick’s Trout Busters or Apex lures . The water temperature is up to 83 degrees on the north end of the lake.” The bass bite has slowed down, even at night.
Call: Mike Beighey, Bass Lake Fishing 676-8133.
Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool
Kaiser Pass Road is fully open, and the Vermilion Valley Resort hosted the first annual High Sierra Trout Rodeo at Lake Edison last Saturday, and 35 participants fished from 6 am until noon. After lunch, Kyle Walker was announced as the winner at 17¼ inches and 1.54 pounds.
Road conditions 297-0706.
Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000.
Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Trout 2 Kokanee 2
“Another iffy kokanee week at Shaver, and while some get a few of the landlock sockeyes, and many don’t,” Dick Nichols of Dick’s Fishing Charters and Mountain Tackle said. “While the trout bite remains good, the kokanee are slow to bite. Only a few trollers reported success for kokanee including Jack Engle and his wife Annie of Fresno for kokanee between 14 and 17 inches in the Black Rock area using pink or orange Dicks Mountain Tubes tipped with scented corn behind Mountain Dodgers.”
The side poles had Texas Tea Mountain Trout Busters with a tip of crawler behind Mountain Flashers , Engle found his 5 kokanee and 5 trout at 25 feet o-which was surprising considering the surface temperate has risen to 75 degrees. The trout bite should improve with a CDFW plant scheduled this week.
At Huntington, David Geil and his son Austin of Sanger found easy limits of kokanee from 11 to 14 inches along with rainbow trout pulling Mountain Texas Tea Trout Busters tipped with flavored corn .
A webcam of the Shaver launch ramp is at sierramarina.com/webcam-weather-page.html and for Huntington at http://www.shaverlakewebcams.info/huntington.html. Shaver has risen to 84% of capacity with Huntington also rising to 98% of capacity.
Call: Todd Wittwer, Kokanee.net Guide Service 288-8100; Jerad Romero, Jrods Guide Service 392-6994; Tom Oliveira, Tom Oliveira Fishing 802-8072.
Wishon/Courtright
Trout 3
Kelly Brewer of the Wishon RV Park and Store said, “Both Wishon and Courtright are producing limits, but the larger fish are deeper than normal due to the high temperatures, even at our elevation. Trollers are scoring with Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler behind a flasher, small spoons, or Rapalas while pink Power Bait, salmon eggs, or nightcrawlers are best from the shorelines.
Road conditions: Sierra National Forest Ranger Station 297-0706.
Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361.
Ocean
Half Moon Bay
Rockfish 3 Striper 2 Halibut 2 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3
Limits of rockfish, a few lingcod, and the opportunity for a California halibut are the story out of this port. The coastal reefs continue to produce, particularly south of the harbor. Striped bass are found along the beaches both north and south of Half Moon Bay.
Private boaters and six-pack operators are still looking for bluefin tuna.
Call: Captain Melynda Dodds, New Captain Pete (512) 825- 8225; Captain Chris Chang, Ankeny Street (650) 279-8819; Captain Bill Smith, Riptide (650) 728-8433; Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing, Queen of Hearts (510) 581-2628.
Monterey/Santa Cruz
Rockfish 3 Halibut 3 Striper 3 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 2
Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait in Morgan Hill reported a continued outstanding striped bass bite from Marina south into Monterey with the Duo Realis Tide Minnow or Sprat in red head/white body, pearl, Genkai Sardine or Mazumi Sardine. Santa Cruz south to Manresa Beach remains the top spot for surf perch, but most surf casters are focusing upon striped bass.”
Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surf Casting Guide Service said, “Anglers working out of Moss Landing seem to be concentrating on halibut these days. It’s no wonder as the halibut bite is just getting better and better all around the bay, with flatties up to 30 pounds reported caught this week. There are several techniques for catching halibut including trolling and throwing swimbaits. Most anglers love drifting with live bait the best. And, there’s plenty of bait available right now. Small blooms of squid spawning still pop up here and there, but the dominant baitfish right now are anchovies. Petrale sole and limits of quality rock fish including reds, browns, blues and canaries. Surfcasting remains very productive from just about any beach around Monterey Bay. Barred surf perch are still the main targets, and sand crabs are still the best bait..”
Call: Chris’ Landing (831) 375-5951; Allen Bushnell, Santa Cruz Kayak and Surf Casting (831) 251-9732.
Golden Gate/San Francisco Bay
Halibut 3 Striper 3 Rockfish 3 Leopard shark 3 Sturgeon 2
The term epic was used during the last report, and since then, believe it or not, the action for big halibut, striped bass, lingcod, and rockfish has only gotten better Captain James Smith of California Dawn Sport Fishing said, “This has been the best week of fishing all season long! 2024 is a season to remember.” The bars didn’t disappoint as consistently the best grade of halibut were holding outside of the Gate. The California Dawn 1 and 2 returned with a combined 45 limits of halibut to 24 pounds, 45 limits of striped bass to 21 pounds, 7 lingcod to 10 pounds, and 76 rockfish on Friday. This followed an amazing Phenix Rods/Optimum Bait potluck trip on Thursday where swimbaits accounted for 26 limits of lingcod to 17 pounds, 166 rockfish, 8 cabezon, 37 striped bass to 15 pounds, and 16 halibut to 26 pounds.
The Coastal Conservation Association has an introductory bay potluck charter on the California Dawn I on Aug. 24 – Information and reservations - https://ccacalifornia.org/, along with an upcoming Western Outdoor News deepwater rockfish charter on the CD2 on Oct. 9 at https://wonews.com/charters/.
Smith’s brother, Captain Chris Smith of the Pacific Dream out of Berkeley, also put on a clinic outside the Gate with 16 limits of big halibut and striped bass, 15 lingcod, and 52 rockfish including a pair of cabezon. Chris’s son, Captain Johnathan Smith of the Happy Hooker, had a similar score with 17 limits of halibut and striped bass.
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
Rockfish 3 Surf perch 3
Rockfishing remains from just over a half to near limits of rockfish with the best action coming on Sunday as two boats out of Morro Bay Landing returned with a total of 655 rockfish and 28 lingcod for 58 passengers The Fiesta and Rita G Virg’s Landing were on three-quarter and 12-hour trips on Sunday with 53 fishermen for 390 rockfish, 4 ocean whitefish, a lingcod, and a sheephead. Out of Patriot Sport Fishing in Port San Luis, two boats carried 54 anglers on Sunday for a total of 287 rockfish and a 14-pound lingcod. Rockfishing below Point Lopez from July 1 through Sept. 30 are limited to 50 fathoms inshore while from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, the regulations are from 50 fathoms offshore.
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 3
The California Delta in summer is known as frog time as the bass are hiding from the triple-digit temperatures under any structure they can find. The Ultimate Frog Challenge 10 arrives on July 27/28, and during this event, various types of topwater frogs can be used to determine which brand is crowned Top Frog. The original frog tournament, the Snag Proof Open, is the following weekend on August 3 and 4, and during this tournament, only floating Snag Proof or Scum Frogs are used, Ish Monroe, will conduct a seminar on ‘Locating Big Frog Fish’ on Wednesday, July 24 from 6-8 pm at the Fishermen’s Warehouse in Manteca.
Dave King of Nor Cal Bass has been having a great time with frogs, and during Saturday’s 35-boat tournament, he said . I had been scoring with the Fat Frog in Duckling, but I noticed the bluegill schooling up under the mats. They make a unique sound while under cover, so I ordered the bluegill pattern and was not disappointed. The only problem was the size of the fish as I landed so many in the 1- to 2-pound range on the frog. . We also landed bass on Whopper Ploppers to upgrade from the smaller fish. .” Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, was the tournament director for two Best Bass Tournaments out of Russo’s this weekend, and he said, “The largest limit of the year was taken at 35.05 pounds with a big fish at 10.06 by the team of Mark and Curtis Howard. They more than tripled their Saturday score by finding a solid buzzbait bite for the big fish along with the occasional frog fish. Targeting structure was the key to success. The Delta is alive right now, and it is kicking out the most fish of anytime this year, not many big ones, but it’s a lot of fun out there right now.”
Fishing for white sturgeon is closed as of July 12. The possibility of a catch-and-release season rests with the California Fish and Game Commission whose next opportunity to discuss this will be during the Aug. 14-15 meeting in Fortuna.
Call: Randy Pringle (209) 543-6260; Captain 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
July 13
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Nor Cal Bass
1st – Juan Acosta/Vince Bernal – 17.71; 2nd – Lorenzo and Luka Rossetti – 17.45; 3rd – Tua Xiong/Vernell Wooten – 16.61. Big Fish – 5.79 pounds- Gary Vignolo/Matt Fontaine.
Delta/Russo’s Marina – Best Bass Tournaments Mother Lode Division
1st- Mark Mendenhall/Greg Woods – 18.48 pounds; 2nd – Jim La Rosa/Brent Zieska -18.18 (Big Fish – 6.49); 3rd – Mark Cobey/Josh Shapland – 17.53.
Don Pedro – Kokanee Power Phil Johnson Memorial Team Tournament (3 Fish Weigh in)
1st – Justin Ross Team – 4.76 pounds(Big Kokanee – 1.91); 2nd – Jerry Winchester Team – 4.72; 3rd – Tim Farnham Team – 4.53.
Don Pedro – Kokanee Power Phil Johnson Memorial Team Tournament Youth Division (1 Fish Weigh in)
1st – Daniel Conners IV – 2.00 pounds; 2nd – Mason Cetinich – 1.46; 3rd – George Perry Jr.– 1.35.
Lake Success – Central Valley Kayak Fishing
1st – Cheng Xiong – 73.25 inches (Big Fish – 19.00 inches); 2nd – Angel Sanchez- 72.75; 3rd – Clark Vue – 70.75.
Lake Isabella – Golden Empire Bass Club
1st – Darren Palmer/Bruce Ramey – 23.30 (Big Fish – 5.08); 2nd – Justin Neal/Jerry Waldrip – 12.45; 3rd – Wes and Roy Neal – 12.40.
Upcoming tournaments (dates and locations subject to change)
July 17, 24, 31
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Wednesday Night Shootout
July 19, 26
Tulloch – Friday Night Shootout
July 20-21
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Kern County Bass Masters
Delta/San Joaquin County – Yak ‘A Bass
Amador – Modesto Ambassadors
Millerton – Fresno Bass Club/Sierra Bass Club
July 20
Salt Springs Reservoir – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies
Tulloch – 17/90 Bass Club
Isabella – American Bass Association/Bakersfield Bass Club
Nacimiento – San Luis Obispo Bass Ambushers
July 27-28
Delta/Russo’s Marina – Ultimate Frog Challenge
July 27
Pardee – Nor Cal Bass
New Melones – Food Allergy Kayak Bass
July 28
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Valley Backlashers
August 3-4
Delta/Russo’s Marina – Snag Proof Open – information - https://www.bestbasstournaments.com/
For more go to fresnobee.com/fishing.
This story was originally published July 16, 2024 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Fishing report, July 17-23: Wishon and Courtright still producing rainbows, McSwain plants spur on trout action and New Melones kokanee are biting."