Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition 3806 Mar 1-15 2019 | Page 24

22 March 1 - 15, 2019 FRESHWATER REPORTS: CONTINUED FROM PG 21 SAN PABLO RESERVOIR cont. the Rocky Mountain Recreation Company. “For the best results, use PowerBait with extra garlic scent on it. The trout will hit on scent, not on the color of the PowerBait. Green Pumpkin and Hatchery pellet are good bait choices.” Bruce Algear of San Jose caught a trout using PowerBait. Warren and Dale Foust of Martinez also landed 2 limits fishing in Scow Canyon and Sandy Point. Bob Dizon of South San Francisco bagged 4 trout in Scow Canyon and Sandy Point using MiceTails and PowerBait. The lake level is 305.3 feet above sea level and the surface water temperature is 54.6 degrees. SANTA CLARA VALLEY/ SAN LUIS LAKES Trollers, Minnow Drifters Target Main Lake Stripers COYOTE – The Santa Clara Valley lakes are muddy with the inflows from the latest storms that have pounded the region, but don’t despair – striped bass are on tap at San Luis Lake. “Anglers have landed some big fish on the main lake lately, including a 30 pounder,” said Denise Bradford of Coyote Bait and Tackle. “Boaters are finding the best action while trolling jerkbaits or drifting live jumbo minnows. “ Shore fishing isn’t quite as good, but bank fishermen are also picking up some stripers in the 18 to 25 inch range while fishing jumbo minnows at Dinosaur Point. Striper fishing is tougher in the O’Neill Forebay, where undersized stripers are abundant. Anglers are using the same baits and lures used in the main lake. “Nobody has been fishing the Santa Clara Valley lakes with the arrival of the winter storms,” said Bradford. “Before the rains, anglers were catching some crappie while working small jigs at Chesbro and Coyote reservoirs.” The should be a good spring for black bass, crappie and channel catfish at Chesbro, Uvas, Calero, Anderson and Coyote reservoirs as the muddy water clears and the water temperature warms. - Dan Bacher FRESHWATER VOL.38 • ISS. 6 SHASTA/ WHISKEYTOWN LAKES Heavy Rain, Big Wind & Stained Water Keeps Anglers Away REDDING - Are there fish to be caught at Lake Shasta? Absolutely, but few anglers have been out on the water over the past several days due to the latest Pacific storms marching through northern California. While both trout and bass were being landed prior to the weather turning bad, the bass bite had been the best. For exciting action on standard 12 to 14 inch keeper spots, anglers were working main points with jigging spoons, drop shot rigs armed with 6 inch straight tail worms and spider grubs rigged on ¼ ounce darter heads. If numbers aren’t your concern and big fish are your passion break out the swimbaits because great things are possible as evidenced by Alex Niapas’s performance in the recent WWBT Pro Am event at Lake Shasta. On day two of the event, Niapas’s swimbaits brought a 13.58 pound largemouth and an Zade caught his first ever sturgeon while fishing the West Delta with the Dragon Sportfishing team 8.32 pound spotted bass to the net on February 3. Photo courtesy of DRAGON SPORTFISHING, Pittsburg. anchoring what would turn out to be a 62.95 pound three-day total bag earning Niapas the top spot in the make the effort and put in some time, planting around 50,000 hatched kokanee competition. there are some bright spots. directly into the lake from eggs collected If you are looking for a challenge and Captain Hayden Mullins of Dragon at Stampede Reservoir to mitigate the willing to endure some cold, midwinter Sportfishing has been hooking the damage to the fishery. This is great news is a great time for working swimbaits at occasional sturgeon while fishing the for north state kokanee trollers. Shasta! upper reaches of Suisun Bay, while On the trout fishing front, the advice soaking roe and eel. from successful anglers has been pretty Private boaters soaking baits like standard. Work the top 25 feet of the ghost shrimp, shad and pile worms have water column with fast moving spoons been picking up a few stripers to around and minnow plugs. You won’t likely get SMITH/CHETCO RIVERS 12 pounds and the occasional keeper a bunch of bites, but the fish that come sturgeon. knocking have been a combination of Anglers Waiting for High Pluggers that are able to get into key rainbows to 4 pounds and browns topping Flows to Recede shallow water areas have found some out at around 6. BROOKINGS - High flows have kept really good action on big 20 to 30 pound As of press time, Shasta was coming up anglers off the Chetco and Smith rivers bass, but there are few anglers that know well over a foot per day and was 52 feet during the latest storms, but the fishing where these areas are located and how to from maximum pool. is expected to bust loose as high flows access them. There has been some positive recede and the water clears. The Chetco It appears that if you are interested in information coming out in regards to is still outproducing the Smith River for hooking a really big bass these days, the situation at Whiskeytown that was steelhead. you’ll want to head up north and work ravaged by the Carr Fire last year. While “On my latest trip on the Chetco, Tom shallow water areas with big live baits and it is believed that that silt flowing into Watkins of Modesto landed a steelhead swimbaits. the lake’s tributaries from the burn scar weighing 9 pounds after we launched out The good news in all this is has had a devastating effect on last of Loeb Park,” stated Phil Desautels of that March is right around the fall’s kokanee spawn, the DFW will be Phil’s Smiling Salmon Guide Service. “A corner. With longer days, guy had to borrow a chain saw from the the sturgeon bite typically store to sawn down a tree that had fallen heats up in March and by in the river so we could get downriver.” the end of the month spring “After we finished our drift, there were striper trolling is often 15 trees down between Ice Box and Loeb getting underway. Park. “A chain saw had to be used again to clear a path. It was really cold and there was snow on the ground.” - Dan Bacher Pheasant, Chukar and Sporting Clays At Its Finest WEST DELTA • 3 PHEASANTS FOR ...$92 Cold Water, • 8 CHUKARS FOR.......$154 Plentiful 3 Pheasants & Debris & • 12 PHEASANTS FOR $336 Low Angler 100 Sporting Clays • 3 PHEASANTS + Participation Make for Slow $125 4 CHUKARS FOR ....$164 Fishing 17 Station Sporting Clay Course! Call Now And get On Target For Our Unbeatable Prices & Services! These boys from the Lodi chapter of the California Striped Bass Association hit the Delta on January 30 and rounded up this dandy 33-pound sturgeon. Photo courtesy of HAP’S BAIT, Rio Vista. BRANNAN ISLAND- The conditions aren’t very good in the West Delta. The water temperature is down, there is lots of wood and grass in the water and most anglers are staying at home. All in all, it’s a typical February out in the Delta. For anglers that 45 Miles North of Sacramento 100 Rounds Sporting Clays Only $35 1000 Rounds Sporting Clays Only $320 Company or Corporate shoots available at reasonable prices! (530) 724-0552 www.lincraahauges.com • traahauge@yahoo.com