Striped Bass, Crab and Halibut

At Rio Vista, you can find sturgeon from the Slough to Sherman Island. The water's not crystal clear but it's not quite muddy. No catch has been terribly good here for a few weeks aside from the occasional 20 to 30 pound striper being pulled out. The Powerlines is still offering up some sturgeon, too. Striped bass are hovering deep. Tracy had a bass tournament last week and the biggest catch was 17 pounds. This week a striper was caught in the central part of the lake that weight in at 26 pounds. But don't get your hopes up to get your limit in huge stripers, as they're scattered and the biting's spotty.

At Berkeley/Emeryville one sturgeon trip has headed out so far that produced a 60-pound catch that was good. You can still make reservations for sturgeon trips so don't delay on that. San Pablo Bay is still doing well near the China Camp and the Pumphouse for sturgeon using mud and ghost shrimp. Don't even hope for bass at San Pablo right now, though some are getting them when they're going for sturgeon, just in small numbers.

Pacifica was doing well with crabbing at the Pier, but the surf is too rough right now and it's completely closed. Suisun Bay is offering up sturgeon at Garnet Point for those using grass shrimp. They're going no deeper than about 20 feet. If you get a striped bass it's purely by accident at Suisun right now, as they're scattered and not biting well at all.

San Francisco Bay is showing very little action anywhere but around the Oyster Point Pier where a sturgeon and a few perch have been caught. The South Bay was doing well, but it's slowing down. Using ghost shrimp and herring are still letting anglers catch the occasional fish in the south part of the bay. Bass aren't biting.

Frank's Tract has a few stripers biting, but they're tiny. And the black bass are still in hiding as they have been for at least the last 4 or 5 weeks.

Trout

Amador's been benefiting from 3,000 pounds plants each week. For the last several weeks, the trout are in the top few feet of water and that hasn't changed. Woolly buggers are catching some, but nightcrawlers are also pulling them in. So few anglers are on Berryessa that it's wide open, with the few that go doing fairly well.

Clear Lake's still cool enough to keep from biting too enthusiastically. Live minnows are working best in the cold water, down to about 25 feet.  Cool water temperatures have slowed the bite, but quality bass are being taken in 3 to 25 feet of water with live minnows. (707) 279-4739

At Lake Chabot, Raccoon Point an Half Moon Bay are still the spots to fish, with most catches there running between 2 and 5 pounds. Bait dunking is giving anglers their limits. Results are far better from the shore than in the central part of the lake. Another 750 pounds went in this week so that could start to improve.

Lake Camanche is offering up bass down to about 40 feet with plastic bait. The good spots are still the same as last week, near the South Short Pond, and near the dam as well as the north and south points of the lake. Trolling and shore fishing are both doing well, but trollers are starting to see an improved bite.

At Davis, ice fishing is going great right now. It's up to 6 inches thick in places but that's no guarantee it will stay that way. Salmon, eggs and worms are working the best with anglers pulling out fish up to 17 inches. Try around Coot Bay and the dam.

Del Valle benefited from about 1,500 pounds of trout over the week, with trout up to 7 pounds being caught near the Marina. The dam and the Narrows were hot spots but those are starting to slow a little, and even when they were hot last week they weren't consistent.

At the Lafayette Reservoir stay around the East Cove and near the docks. Trollers are having good luck right now at the south end, as the north end bite has died down. Kastmasters, rapalas and Needlefish are working for trollers right now, while Powerbait and nightcrawlers are giving shore anglers the best catches. Early morning fishing, either trolling or from shore, is best.

Power Eggs and Power Worms are still working at Los Vaqueros near the South Cove. Salmon are turning up here and there, and a couple of stripers up to 18 pounds were pulled out this week on swimbaits. Stay on shore for the best concentration of trout, but don't expect to get too many as they're spotty right now.

San Pablo Reservoir is closing and will reopen in February. Shasta Lake is actually great for bass fishing right now on swimbaits and Senkos. Stay around the creek channels where the water is clear and moving. Quarry Lakes has slowed down even though a 500 pound plant went in this week. At New Melones, stick to the middle of the lake or right on shore. Shad are out in the middle and the stripers are feeding them, so it's really a great time for trolling with shiny bait.

Steelhead

You should be able to fish the Smith now, but the steelhead bite might not be back right away. The Chetco River should be a good spot to hit over the weekend. The Eel and Mad Rivers will be open over the weekend, but check the weather before going as storms are predicted over the holiday. The Russian River is full and muddy, but no rain might make it doable by the weekend. Trinity is running full and muddy, too. If there's no rain it could be a good spot over the holiday as plenty of steelhead were coming out prior to the mud. Always check the open/closed status and the river flows before you head out.

Photo Credits: Troy Holden

• Fishing Report: January 28, 2011 Lakes and Saltwater Anderson: This has been a strong location over the last week, especially for those who are looking to pick up bass. Use dropshots and crankbaits if you are trying to get as many bass as possible. Those who have gone to this lake have also found Crappie......
• Fishing Report: November 29, 2009 Striped Bass, Crab and Halibut In Berkeley/Emeryville, people are still pulling in their limit of crab. Bass are still biting, and the halibut and bass fishing is slowly improving. But if you're looking for crab, this is the place to be as people have been pulling in their limit......
• Fishing Report: February 19, 2010 Striped Bass, Crab and Halibut A Saturday sturgeon trip at Berkeley/Emeryville with 11 people only produced one 50-pounder. There's at least one trip scheduled for this weekend. Pacifica has had good crabbing since it reopened on Tuesday. It had been closed because of an unpredictable high surf. Crabbers are doing......
• Fishing Report: April 2, 2010 Sturgeon,  Salmon and Halibut At both Berkeley/Emeryville and Pillar Point, you can catch a salmon fishing trip on either Saturday or Sunday. Crabbing has been poor because of shifty weather patterns, but there are salmon coming out of these waters. Salmon fishing starts on Saturday at Monterey. Sand dabbing and......
• Fishing Report: December 04, 2009 Striped Bass, Crab and Halibut The general consensus is that crabbing is still going much better than anyone expected, but that it's still not nearly as good as it could be. In Berkeley/Emeryville, people are still pulling in their limit of crab, and weekday trips into the Bay are just......

• Shakespeare Lures Vintage Fishing Fishing
• Polarized Sunglasses for Fishing Clothing, Shoes & Accessories Fishing
• Step By Step Fish Taxidermy Fishing
• Replica Fish Body Taxidermy Fishing
• Water Angel Fountains Water Features Garden Décor Yard, Garden & Outdoor Living Nursery

Striped Bass, Crab and Halibut

In Berkeley/Emeryville, there hasn't been a crab trip this week. The last went on Saturday, but it did come back with its limit of crab. Sand dabs aren't found, however, and fish aren't biting anywhere but near the shore, and that's poor, too.

San Pablo Bay is pretty deserted because of the cold. It might be worth it to rough the weather after this weekend, with the coming rain that will improve sturgeon biting.

Candlestick Pier in San Francisco Bay has been offering up sturgeon this week, with 3 caught in one day. This is likely due to herring spawning, and the sturgeon finding them to be a good food source. Hunters Point is also a good place to try, because one was caught there this week. Fish bait suitable for up to 40 foot depths.

Pacifica crab fishing is just an uphill struggle, thanks to poor tides and a heavy undertow. People who are fishing from the pier, however, are pulling in lots of fish. Only a handful of people are pier fishing, so this could continue for a while. Suisun Bay has definitely been looking up for sturgeon and striper fishing. In fact, sturgeon are being pulled out in much larger numbers than stripers right now, especially for those using ghost shrimp bait. Try around the third row of ships and Honker Bay for sturgeon. Grizzly Bay is also currently a hot spot, as well as Buoy 2. For the best bass biting right now, try Buoy 6 and Garnet Point. Some anglers are also having good luck at the Martinez Pier with bullhead.

At Frank's Tract, the striped bass are biting very well. Anglers are getting fish between 8 and 10 lbs on a regular basis, and some are scoring with bass up to 20 lbs each. The best bait right now for these fish are bluegill or big shad. Big Break is also full of good sized bass. You can also try Rattle Traps to hook bass in both places. Trollers are having good luck at the Holland Cut and False River. Black bass are biting well for anglers who use blue jigs.

Tracy's just not a good spot at the moment, and that's reflected by the very few anglers even attempting to catch here. When you do find stripers, they don't seem to be biting. But even finding them is a challenge.

Rio Vista's tides have improved a little more over last week, but fishing is still fairly poor. More sturgeon are found than striped bass right now. Try near Decker Island for big sturgeon, because one measuring 8 ft in length was caught last week. Most anglers are shore and dock fishing right now, with sturgeon and the occasionally smattering of bass all that's coming out.

Trout

Trout at Amador are being pulled out with Rapalas, Panther Martins and Kastmasters, all near the surface, and near the shore. They're traveling in small schools right now, but the forecasted rain will cause them to spread out.

Lake Chabot is offering up some fish for those who are fishing from the shore and using bait fish. There aren't any hot spots to speak of here, but when fish are found they're in the 5 lb range. The last couple of weeks have seen plants of over 750 lbs of trout, so fishing should improve steadily.

Clear Lake anglers are still hitting the north and south ends with crankbaits and live minnows for the best bass fishing. A yo-yo technique is the technique to use with lipless crankbaits right now. Nightcrawlers and Power Bait are the baits of choice at Contra Loma, with Channel Point offering up a regular supply of trout that weigh up to 3 lbs.

At Shasta, bass are being found as low as 70 feet, but some are pulling them out from the surface, too. Worms and Senkos are grabbing the bass. Spoons are working for the trout, but not many are managing to find them because the water's been too cold for them to move out much.

At Lafayette Reservoir, trout are biting near East Cove. And dock fishing is producing great results for some, with some 10 lb trout coming out last week. Early morning boat fishing is also yielding great results for those who leave their bait still for a while.

Del Valle has had light pressure and just average fishing. Early in the week one and two inches of snow fell over the lake, so few went out in search of trout. But by Wednesday, an angler had pulled out a trout that weight 8 lbs. Next week may look better for Del Valle fishing.

New Melones Lake is still giving great results to both trollers and those on the bank who are looking for trout. Power Bait is the bait of choice for trout that are hovering in the top 15 to 20 feet of water. Silver and blue spoons are also working well. You have to fish deep if you're looking for bass, as they're hovering far below this.

Los Vaqueros shows trout biting still on the decline but a few have managed their trout limits. Bass have been biting a little, and a few salmon have been pulled out this week. The light pressure is still causing problems here, and there's no indication that's going to change anytime soon.

Salmon

After a wonderful season of trout on the Smith, it's coming to a close. Anglers have been pulling their limits on this river for several weeks, and it's only just now starting to fade a bit. Rain is forecasted and that could make the trout bite for another week or two, but the steelhead are appearing and that is a sure sign that trout biting will soon slow to a crawl. Even though some steelies are found, they're not abundant yet, here or in any of the North Coast Rivers. Trinity is still hanging on to its fish, with clear cold water and scattered fish. Use bright and reflective tackle here.

Photo Credits: mrjoro

• Fishing Report: December 27, 2009 Striped Bass, Crab and Halibut At Berkeley/Emeryville, crabbing's pretty much over, with no trips available now, but they're still taking reservations for sturgeon trips as that's just starting to pick up in the bay. Pacifica's actually showing some improvement in crabbing, but anglers are having a hard time finding......
• Fishing Report: July 30, 2010 Lakes/Saltwater Almanor: Salmon fishing is somewhat strong in the area, making it a great location for the next week. Berkely: Rock fishing is still great in the area, but halibut has been slow at best. Berryessa: Surface bite has been getting better in both the morning and the evening. If......
• Fishing Report: December 04, 2009 Striped Bass, Crab and Halibut The general consensus is that crabbing is still going much better than anyone expected, but that it's still not nearly as good as it could be. In Berkeley/Emeryville, people are still pulling in their limit of crab, and weekday trips into the Bay are just......
• Fishing Report: May 6, 2011 Lakes and Saltwater Anderson: This has been a prime location for anyone who has been looking for bass over the last week or so. Those who are looking for bass in the area are going to be able to use senkos and jigs to get them, as the fish are......
• Fishing Report – September 3, 2010 Lakes and Saltwater Anderson: Those who are looking for some decent small bass bites are going to need to get to about 15 feet deep. The fishing has been a little difficult thanks to the recent cold front. The fish are going down further in the water, making them harder......

• Pulled Pork BBQ Sauces Outdoor Cooking & Eating Yard, Garden & Outdoor Living Nursery
• Jim Shore Enesco Decorative Collectible Brands Decorative Collectibles Collectibles
• Polarized Reading Sunglasses for Fishing Clothing, Shoes & Accessories Fishing
• Spoons Baits & Lures Freshwater Fishing Fishing
• Clam Summit Shelter Ice Fishing Fishing